Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dream walked through the forest near L'Manberg, a stern facial expression hidden behind his smiley mask. Schlatt had asked Dream to come to a meeting so that they could discuss some potential ways L'Manberg could expand their land without going over the limits that Dream had set.

"Dream," a deep voice said behind one of the trees and Dream turned to see Schlatt and another man walkout, "It's good to see you." 

"Come on Schlatt, we both know that if we had the choice we wouldn't be around each other," Dream said and rolled his eyes, thanking anyone who might be listening that the man couldn't see his face, "So how about we get this over with and we can both leave." 

Schlatt's grin fell and the man beside him tensed just a little bit. Dream could sense that something was up and his hand slowly moved towards his ax that was hanging at his side. 

"Alright I'll get to the point then," Schlatt replied, "Some of my sources say that they've seen you give some supplies to Pogtopia, mainly Techno." 

This time Dream was the one to tense and he silently berated himself for being so careless, he should have paid more attention when meeting with Techno. 

"Then your sources must be lying," Dream said taking a step back just slightly, "I'm not picking sides this time around. I already fought one war, I don't need another." 

"I was afraid that you would lie to me so I came with an advantage," the hybrid said with a smirk, "The thing is Dream, you've been a thorn in my side for a long time and there is only one way I know to keep you down, you WILL be joining my side and you WILL be protecting me." 

Dream was silent for a moment before letting out his signature wheeze. It went on for around half a minute before he pretended to wipe tears from his mask and then looked back at the older man. 

"You can't make me do anything Schlatt, no one can," Dream growled out, almost animalistic if you asked the other two men there. 

"Right once again Dream," Schlatt said throwing his hands up like Dream had won something, "So that's why I brought my advantage." 

Schlatt gestured towards the man at his side and smiled when the bigger guy stepped forward. 

"His name is Sebastian," Schlatt said and watched as someone else walked up behind Dream and forced the masked man to the ground, "He is the one that buried TNT all around Sapnap's place and he'll be the one to set it off as I make you watch."

"Guys," Tubbo said, slamming the doors open to the main room where everyone was gathered, "Schlatt is outside the gates with two unknown men and Dream." 

"Dream? Wilbur said, looking at Techno in confusion, "I thought he was staying in the shadows or whatever you said." 

"I don't know what all that nerd has planned," Techno said, rolling his eyes and standing so that they could follow the teen to the gates. 

Once they got to the entrance they saw Schlatt with two men a step behind him on both sides and then Dream was standing right beside the other leader. 

"What do you want Schlatt," Wilbur demanded, not sparing Dream a glance. 

"My new bodyguard is here to read something to all of you," Schlatt said and made a hand gesture that caused Dream to step forward. 

"This is L'Manberg's official declaration of war on Pogtopia," Dream said loudly, "All traders going between the two nations are no longer allowed to trade supplies between the two, no one from either nation are allowed together, anyone seen will be punished." 

Dream continued with L'Manbergs statements when suddenly a loud yell cut him off. 

"If this is all about L'Manberg and Pogtopia then why are you here Big Man?" Tommy shouted and Dream went silent. 

"Because I've made the decision to not only join Schlatt's side but I'll also be combining my land with his," Dream replied. 

A look of rage appeared on Tommy's face, a look of betrayal from Wilbur and Tubbo, and Techno looked confused at the new information. 

"Is this something you truly want to do Dream?" Techno asked trying to analyze Dream's body language since he couldn't see the man's face. 

"It is," Dream replied, "Schlatt is a good leader, he'll be able to make everything right." 

"Then it's settled," Wilbur spoke, "We declare war on L'Manberg. See you on the battlefield Dream." 

"See you on the battlefield," Dream whispered, watching the backs of those that started to break down his walls. 

Schlatt grabbed ahold of Dream's chin and turned the man's face towards him. 

"I think it's about time we got home."

"I can't believe him," Tommy growled, slamming his fists on the table. 

The group had just gotten back to the main room and no one was as composed as they would like to be. Tubbo tried to make his way over to his friend but stopped when Techno put his hand on the teen's shoulder. 

"Tommy calm down," Wilbur said softly, trying his best to hide the emotions that were threatening to take over, "We always knew that Dream did his own thing, I'm just happy we got supplies from him when we could." 

"Who the hell cares about that," Tommy said, whirling around to look at the older man that he saw as a brother, "Now that Dream is with Schlatt the bastard is going to have more than Dream has ever given us." 

"Alright then let's call the only people that know how to take down Dream," Techno said with a shrug, "I heard that those nerds broke apart on bad terms so..."

Techno trailed off and looked at the three of them as they tried to catch up with the man's thinking. The hybrid almost rolled his eyes when they still didn't make the connection. Tubbo suddenly perked up and his eyes widened. 

"But George and Sapnap are technically on Schlatt's side I thought," the teen said looking confused at this point. 

"They were," Techno said with a shrug, "But they weren't there long. According to my sources, George just stopped going to Schlatt at all and then Sapnap moved to a part of Dream's land that no one really goes to." 

"So let's call George and Sapnap then," Wilbur said, a determined look making itself present on his face, "In all honesty, they'll probably going to want to be on the side that Dream isn't."

It had been a couple of days since Dream had joined Schlatt and both men have been tense around each other. Dream because he didn't know everything that he needed to do and Schlatt because he was watching Dream's every move to make sure the man didn't betray him. 

 "Dream," Schlatt said, turning to look at the man who was next to his throne. 

They were currently in Dream's old land so it was only natural that the new leader sat on the throne. 

"Yes, Schlatt?" Dream asked, keeping all emotions out of his tone and being the ever obedient boy that Schlatt expected. 

"As someone that is so unpredictable I want to make sure that you really are going to do anything I tell you too," Schlatt said and motioned for Sebastian to get the item he needed. 

Dread started to pool in Dream's stomach but he made no move to leave or escape, anything that he did put Sapnap in danger. Sebastion walked in again but this time he was holding a pot of boiling water and the feeling doubled at the sight. 

"Schlatt," Dream said, somewhat letting the panic slip through, "What the hell is that for." 

"I want you to put your fighting hand out and let Sebastian pour the water over it." 

Dream's heart raced and he looked from Schlatt to Sebastion. Both men were smiling like they won the lottery. 

"Ok," He said after a minute, his hand wasn't worth Sapnap's life after all. 

Dream held his arm out to Sebastian and the man grabbed it with a sadistic smile on his face as he brought the water about it. Schlatt just continued to watch as Dream's body trembled softly. Finally, as Dream pictured Sapnap laughing and hugging George while they all stood in this very room, acting as the family they used to be, the water hit Dream's hand and a horrible scream slipped past his lips. 

"Such a good boy Dream," Schlatt said, laughing as the younger male clenched his hand, "I knew that you would be a good boy for me." 

The last thing Dream remembered before passing out from pain and stress was Schlatt moving his hand to pet Dream's hair.

Chapter Text

Despite Schlatt's eagerness to go to battle right away, Dream was able to convince the man that they need more supplies and a more detailed plan if they wanted to win. Sure they had the upper hand since they had all of Dream's land and the villages stationed there but Dream didn't want to force innocent citizens to fight. 

"Dream," Schlatt said while they were all around a large map of the land, "I'm starting to think that you're stopping me so that we don't have the upper hand." 

The masked man rolled his eyes and tried to keep the irritation out of his tone when he gave his reply. 

"I simply think that we have to have a plan for everything, even though we have more manpower at the moment we have no idea who is all in an alliance with Pogtopia." 

"Well you know everyone in the server, go to them and tell them that they must join us or they'll be punished," Schlatt growled. 

"How do you expect to keep everyone in line Schlatt?" Dream growled out, "I don't know if you noticed but we officially have a lot of enemies that we're going to have to deal with." 

Sebastian gave both of the men a calculating look and almost looked like he was debating if he should step in or not. His gaze fell to Dream's hand, bandaged from the last encounter that the masked man had with Schlatt's goon. 

"I think it's time you go and see the healer for that hand," Sebastian said with no emotion, "We don't need it getting infected and affecting the way you fight." 

Dream turned towards the quiet man and released an irritated grunt before walking out of the room and slamming the door shut. 

"How dare you tell him to leave," Schlatt said with a glare and Sebastian shrugged. 

"Anything you two would have said to each other would have only caused a conflict," He replied, "If you want to continue to keep Dream under your thumb then I suggest you find something more to threaten him with or keep him weak enough to the point where he can't go against you." 

An awkward silence filled the room before Schlatt sighed heavily and sat on the throne. Sebastian waited for the man to give an order and after a while, he started to get uncomfortable when no words were spoken between them. 

"I want you to do something for me, Sebastian," Schlatt said and motioned for the other man to come towards him, "I want you to find someone and bring them here." 

"Who would you like me to bring Mr. President?" Sebastian asked, slight sarcasm dripping from his voice when he said the name. 

"His name is Tubbo," Schlatt said, "He was pretty close to Dream before all of this happened. If we can't find George and get our hands on him then Tubbo is the next best thing." 

"Of course." 

With that as his final words, Sebastian left the room and passed Dream on his way back in. 

"Sit down Dream, we have some things to discuss."

"Why the hell did you bring us here Wilbur?" George snapped, "I left Schlatt so that I didn't have to deal with any of you annoying people anymore." 

Sapnap stood the closest to the door, easier to bolt when you were right next to the exit. Everyone else was taking up a spot that was around the room, Wilbur being an area that everyone could easily see him. 

"It's about Dream," Wilbur replied and Sapnap scoffed. 

"Just like that I think I'll take my leave," he said and made his way over to the handle till Techno stopped him.

"I think it's best you listen considering the land you're on involves our problem," the pink-haired man said. 

"Please," Tubbo said before a fight could break out, "Dream joined Schlatt and they combined their lands together so now Schlatt rules it all." 

"I'm sorry, Dream did what," George asked with a laugh, in all honesty, he didn't see Dream doing something like that in a million years. 

"Dream joined Schlatt," Tommy repeated, slower since the other two were obviously half deaf, "He came here and read the declaration of war for Schlatt and everything." 

Sapnap and George stared at the group in shock, mouths hanging open and everything. Then they turned to look at each other before their faces changed to one of anger. 

"That asshole left us and all of a sudden he decides that it's time to join Schlatt," George seethed, "What the hell is he thinking." 

"If I may," Eret said, bringing the attention to themselves, "As much as all of us would like to just believe that Dream is really against us, I don't think that's the case." 

"What are you talking about?" Wilbur asked, "He clearly said that he was on Schlatt's side." 

"Yeah, but he didn't really look like he wanted too," Eret said with a shrug, "He had a bandage on his hand too, I think something happened." 

"What?" Tubbo asked, "Like someone hurt him or something?" 

"Or something," Eret replied and left the room without saying anything else, they had to find out some information after all. 

Sapnap scoffed at the idea that someone like Schlatt hurt Dream in a way that would make the masked man follow his orders. Nothing made sense and it was only making him angrier as time went on. 

"Schlatt hasn't pulled anything yet," Wilbur said, "It's been three days since he declared war and it's only a matter of time till they come." 

"Are you nerds going to help us or not?" Techno said, getting everything out of the way so they could speed this up, "Dream is a thorn in our side if he's with Schlatt, I mean we haven't had a proper duel yet but I could probably take him on if I had some more information." 

Sapnap and George shared a look, trying to come to an understanding. Sure the last time they saw Dream they were pissed but this is also someone they knew for years. George bit his lip before releasing a sigh and turning his attention to the small group of Pogtopia citizens. 

"What do you need to know?"

 "Bad," Antfrost said as the pair sat at the edge of a cliff, "Something feels off." 

"Hmmm," His companion replied, "What do you mean?" 

"I don't know," Ant said staring at the sun as it started to set, "It's just a terrible feeling and I can't shake it. Like someone is going to die."

"You know Tubbo," Tommy said, placing his hand in the other teen's shoulder, "Everything is going to work out." 

"But Tommy," he exclaimed while throwing his hands up in the air, "Everything is going terribly! Dream is with Schlatt, Sapnap and George are clearly holding back some bits of information, and for some reason, I can't shake this terrible feeling!" 

Tommy was silent for once in his life and tried to let his best friend control his thoughts and maybe explain more. If he was being honest he was worried about Tubbo and how he was taking Dream's betrayal. Those two were the closest when Dream started popping up to give some supplies, Tommy would even put money down that Dream considered Tubbo one of his 'brothers' you could say. 

"I'm sure that even though the Big Man decided to leave us, that he'll never hurt you Tubbo," Tommy said and watched as his friend looked up with watery eyes. 

"You don't understand Tommy," the brown-haired boy cried while bringing his friend in for a hug, "I feel like someone isn't going to make it out alive, I don't think Dream is coming back." 

And no matter how hard he tried to come up with comforting words, Tommy just hugged Tubbo back and kept his thoughts to himself.

"Hey Dream?" Tubbo asked while looking up at the masked man, "Why are you giving us supplies?" 

Dream was silent for a moment before ruffling the teen's hair. 

"Sometimes people do stupid stuff Tubbo," Dream replied, "But they learn from it, try to make things better, just think of it as me trying to make things a little better for what I've done in the past." 

"But why such a big change of heart?" He asked, not really getting how someone could change so quickly, "I mean... you lost a lot because of all the recent events." 

"I think we all lost a lot kid. Keep your head up, I'm sure in no time you'll all be able to go home, and then the only thing you'll have to worry about is Tommy stealing the honey from your bees." 

Tubbo opened his mouth to question the man but he was suddenly gone, most likely having thrown an ender pearl while he was distracted. As he turned to make his way back home he missed Dream's bright green hoodie in the distance while the man stood under the cover of a tree. He also missed the purple slitted eyes that observed his every move, making sure he got back to his house safely. As soon as the teen walked through the door, Dream was gone.

"Dream," a female asked while knocking on the door to the man's bedroom, "President Schlatt would like to see you." 

Dream quickly put on his mask and opened the door and was greeted with the sight of one of the many servants that Dream had hired to take care of the castle while everyone was gone. 

"Thank you," he said, yeah he was a dick most of the time but he was always nice to the staff that made sure his home was well kept. 

Walking the corridors of his home did nothing to put out his sour mood, if anything it just made it worse. Every picture, every crack in the wall, or cracked glass held a story. Stories of good old days when it was just him and his family. 

"Dream tell Sapnap to stop hitting me!" 

"Stop running to him whenever you have a problem, you're the one that started shit, George!" 

"Please control your language!"

"At this point, I don't think you can stop them Bad." 

"Guys please stop fighting, George apologize for what you did to Sapnap, and Sapnap apologize for what you did to George." 

"Don't take his side!" they shouted at the same time and Dream laughed. 

"I'm not taking sides," He said while putting his hands up in surrender, "Picking sides with you guys is like fighting a war, I don't think I ever want to go through one with you." 

Dream arrived at the door that Schlatt was currently behind and he had to compose himself before raising a hand and knocking twice. The door opened up and Schlatt was standing in the middle with a giant smirk on his face as he stepped down on Tubbo's chest. 

"Nice of you to finally join us Dream, how about we get started?"

Tubbo looked at Dream with scared eyes and everything in the man's body was screaming at him to run up and save the boy. Schlatt held up a finger and started shaking it like he could read his thoughts before he knew it Sebastian was standing behind him and gripped one of his hands behind his back. 

"Take off your mask Dream," Schlatt said, putting more pressure on Tubbo's chest to make it harder for the boy to breathe, "I think Tubbo and I here both want to see your face or maybe we should make it where our two boys die at the same time."

Dream brought a shaky hand up to his mask and pulled at it but Schlatt made a noise of disapproval. 

"I've changed my mind," the man said and made his way over before punching the blonde hard enough for the mask to fly off.

"Dream!" Tubbo yelled and tried to struggle against his ropes, anything to make sure the man was ok.

Schlatt grabbed his chin and turned the other's face towards him so he could get a look. 

"Well well well," Schlatt said as he stared into Dream's eyes, "I knew something was up with you since day one." 

The goat hybrid moved out of the way and Dream immediately looked at the ground so Tubbo couldn't see his face. 

"Look at him or I slit his throat and Sapnap will be in pieces," Schlatt growled and Dream's head shot up to look at the teen. 

Tubbo gasped when he saw the face staring back at him. Pale skin and wide eyes searched the boy's face for any sign of hidden injuries but Tubbo saw. He saw the way Dream's eyes were like that of a cat's, glowing purple. He saw the black and purple like scales that under Dream's right eye, his left jawline, and a little at his hairline. 

"Get a good look Tubbo," Schlatt said, "Cause when this is over, all of you out of my way and everything under my control, I'll be selling him to the highest bidder!" 

Tubbo watched as Dream's pupils got impossibly thinner and then the man holding him brought a needle to the blond's neck before throwing him to the ground. The two left the room and Tubbo was left with the one person that really took him under his wing. 

"You're a hybrid from the Ender Dragon aren't you?" He asked, slight fear slipping into his voice. 

"Look at you kid," Dream said, using up the rest of his strength to make it over to him, "I always knew that you would be the first to figure it out." 

Tubbo could only watch as whatever the man injected into Dream took effect and caused the blonde to pass out.

Chapter Text

Dream was out for around four hours if Tubbo observed the sun correctly. Schlatt most likely knew about Dream being some kind of hostile hybrid and made sure that he was given enough since he knew the man would be mad when he saw Tubbo. Since the older male had woken up not a single thing was said between them and Tubbo was getting frustrated the more it went on. 

"Dream," He finally since the other obviously wasn't going to say something first, "Excuse me for my language but if you don't explain what the fuck is going on I'm going to explode." 

Dream chuckled lowly and pulled himself up from the bed that he was moved to. Tubbo flinched at Dream's sudden movement and the other must have seen cause he stopped moving altogether. 

"I have Sapnap's life in my hands and I've been doing everything I can to make sure that he stays alive," Dream whispered just loud enough for the teen to hear, "If I step out of line once, if I make one mistake then he's gone." 

"What are you talking about Dream?" Tubbo asked and gave the man a hard look, "Sapnap has a house on your land, why would you put him in even more danger by giving Schlatt your land?" 

Tubbo could tell that he was letting his emotions get the best of him but at the same time, he was so angry that he didn't really care what Dream was thinking. 

"I mean for once in your life you need to think about someone other than yourself, if you really wanted to help him then you shouldn't have given Schlatt your land!" the teen yelled loudly and by the end, he was seething. 

Dream said nothing and instead, he laid back on the bed and turned away from the other. Sure he might be able to take everything that Schlatt throws at him but it's different when it's Tubbo. Or Wilbur, Techno, Sapnap, George, and Bad. Everyone that had ever gotten close to him affects him in ways he wanted to avoid. 

"Dream," Tubbo said softer, "If you truly are a hybrid of the Enderdragon then leave here and get help." 

"I can't," the other man said, "Whatever that asshole put in my system is blocking my abilities and I can't teleport or anything, every time I try I get really tired and I can't move for a little while." 

Tubbo released a sigh of frustration before stomping his foot on the floor to try and get some of the anger out.  

After the explanation, there was no more talk from either of them. Tubbo didn't want to upset the man more and Dream didn't feel like talking anyway. After all, everything Tubbo said was right, Dream only put Sapnap in more danger when he gave Schlatt his land, it was all his fault.

"Tommy, can you do me a favor and go get Tubbo?" Wilbur said with a small smile towards the younger boy. 

Normally Tubbo would be up by now but with everything happening no one felt like waking the younger boy up. 

"Sure thing," Tommy said happily and jumped up before making his way towards Tubbo's place. 

The teen knocked on the door and waited before knocking harder when he didn't hear any noise from the other. 

"Tubbo!" Tommy yelled, "Wake up you lazy ass before I come in there and drag you out of bed!" 

When he still didn't get anything Tommy slammed the door open and was met with a mess that Tubbo never would have let pass if he was home. 

"Tubbo?" Tommy asked but still received no answer. 

He was about to go out and start searching the area when something red caught his eye. 

"Holy shit," the teen said before bolting out the door to tell the others that Tubbo was gone and that he had found blood.

"We're prepared to raid Pogtopia," Schlatt said while looking at the warriors they had gather together. 

Most were men from random villages that Schlatt had traveled to, all of them being forced to fight against their will. Some would send Dream pleading looks, begging their old king to stop this so that they could go back to their families but the man would only look away. Tubbo was forced to stand next to the new king while a chain was hooked onto some collar that was around the younger boy's neck. 

"We will be leaving in a few hours so I want everyone to be ready and know that your duty is to kill everyone," Schlatt said before his gaze shifted to a glare, "Even if it means dying in the process." 

The warriors gave each other glances and Dream could spot multiple people in the crowd giving him side glances. No one dared to speak out against the man though, too afraid that they would never be able to see their family again. 

"I suggest you all listen to Sebastian so that all of you can return home and tell your families about how you saved our great nation," Schlatt said and motioned for Dream to follow while he tugged on Tubbo's chain. 

"You can't do this Schlatt," Tubbo said once they were out of hearing range from the others, "You know all those men still won't win against all the people that Wilbur and Tommy gathered!"

"I don't really care if they make it," Schlatt said with a shrug, "While they are distracting all the others, Dream and I will be finding Wilbur and Tommy." 

Tubbo turned to Dream this time, his eyes pleading for the green hooded man to speak out, to finally go against Schlatt. Instead, the older male just brought his injured hand to his chest and looked away in shame. Sebastian joined them after a few seconds and grabbed Dream by the arm. 

"Sebastian is going to be taking you to see something Dream," Schlatt said and started tugging Tubbo in a different direction, "I want you to listen and be a good boy, or else when you come back you'll see as I drive a sword through Tubbo's heart." 

Sebastian started pulling Dream towards a door and Tubbo could only watch as the man he saw as a big brother didn't even fight.

"You're going to lose Schlatt," Tubbo growled, "Wilbur and the others are going to win." 

"They won't," he said while laughing lightly, "I have Dream at my beck and call, there is no way someone like Wilbur can beat him." 

"You have Dream now but when he realizes Sapnap is no longer at the house then he'll turn against you!" 

"Oh you poor little lamb," Schlatt said while grabbing the younger's chin to make their eyes meet, "I know Sapnap is with you guys, but when Dream sees his place on fire, his only thoughts will be keeping you safe." 

"He'll see him in the raid," Tubbo said, struggling to get away from the other man's face, "He won't listen to you any longer when he sees that Sapnap is actually alive." 

"That's why Sebastian will be keeping Sapnap away, such a shame you didn't say something about Sapnap being safe when you were together." 

With that, the older male pulled him into the throne room and tied him to a post. 

"You should get some sleep Tubbo, wouldn't want you to fall asleep while Dream and I slaughter your friends."

Dream trailed behind Sebastian without making a single sound. He really didn't want to do anything to set the man off to hurt either himself or Tubbo so he decided there was no point in fighting or being his usual self. 

"Stop moving," the bigger man said and suddenly stopped in front of Dream before grabbing him by the arm and forcing him to the ground. 

"Wha," Dream said startled before looking in the direction that Sebastion was facing. 

Sapnap's current house was sitting just a ways away from where the two men were and Dream could see lanterns burning bright. Immediately he started struggling to stop whatever was about to happen but Sebastian just pushed his body harder to the ground. 

"Don't," Dream growled out, eyes flickering to purple as Sebastian pulled the mask off so that he could see the emotions, "I've done everything that you've told me, I haven't broken any rules." 

The other man stayed silent and reached up to a button that was next to them before pressing on it and igniting the Redstone. 

"NO!" Dream screamed, putting all the remaining strength he had into trying to fight the heavier man off before turning to the house as explosions started going off, "SAPNAP!" 

Dream's body started disappearing and appearing around Sebastian as he fought to make his body work and go to the house to see if Sapnap survived. In the end, whatever was in his blood stopped him and he fell to the ground in exhaustion. 

"Next time don't try to stop us from planning for battle," Sebastian whispered into the blonde's ear before grabbing Dream by the ankle and started dragging him back the way they came. 

Dream threw one final death glare in the man's direction before letting the darkness take over as he listened to the cracking of fire in the distance.

The time to get to Schlatt's was much longer than when they left. It' could have been because Sebastian had to drag Dream by his ankle half the way before the other male finally woke up. Even then his pace was slow and he would be thrown off balance every ten minutes. Sebastian had to admit that he didn't think the other man would be this hurt over the idea of one of his friends dying. 

"Once we get to Schlatt's everyone will be ready to move and we'll be making our way to Pogtopia," Sebastian said, "You will only be able to see Tubbo after everyone has surrendered or dead." 

Dream kept quiet as the sparkling lights from some of Ant's inventions came into view. He wanted nothing more than to storm in there and burn the place to the ground just to find Tubbo. To take the boy back to his family and then return so that he could kill Schlatt. He saw what Schlatt could do though; if Dream had any doubts of the claims the older man made before, they no longer existed after watching Sapnap burn. 

"When all of this is over," Dream said once they made it to the gates, "You and Schlatt better pray that I die in this fight." 

"And why is that pretty boy?" Sebastian asked while letting out a chuckle, "We've had you under our control this entire time. What makes you think we can't keep it that way?" 

"I might have given admin to the one other person that is as strong as me," Dream said, glad his mask was able to keep the other man from seeing the smirk on his face, "I know damn well he'll make sure that everyone is safe when Tubbo is with them I'll hunt you down and make you suffer." 

"Bring it on you green bastard."

Techno was one of the few people that knew the truth about Dream and Tubbo's relationship. They were siblings and anyone with more than three brain cells could see that. So it was really no surprise that none of the others caught on. In fact, he was pretty sure they wouldn't know at all unless Dream came out and said something. 

"Techno," Wilbur said walking up to his brother in everything but blood, "I know that Dream and Tubbo are close but Schlatt should have taken George or Sapnap if he wanted a reaction."

"You people really need to work on your observation skills," Techno replied, "Dream and Tubbo are siblings like you, Tommy, and I." 

Wilbur was silent for a moment before smiling. 

"Well that makes sense," He said, "Does Tubbo know?" 

"I'm not sure," Techno said, "He's never mentioned anything that hints at him knowing but at the same time Dream is very protective so he could be having Tubbo keep it a secret so he isn't pulled in the middle." 

"So Dream knows and that's why he's never done anything to physically injure Tubbo," Wilbur said, trying to connect all the dots that Techno must have already thought of, "I guess that explains why they got so close when Dream was hanging around, I wonder if Sapnap and George know? Or why Tubbo hasn't even told Tommy." 

"If Tubbo does know then it's logical not to tell Tommy, that boy has the biggest motormouth I've ever seen," Techno said while rolling his eyes, "He couldn't even keep our family relationship a secret when Phil made it clear we should keep it under wraps unless we trusted everyone completely." 

Wilbur huffed in annoyance before lightly punching the other in the shoulder. 

"Well if you try and think about it don't take too long," He said while turning to leave, "Tommy is all depressed and you were always the best at cheering him up." 

Techno continued to look at the forest that surrounded them before closing his eyes and sighing. He had been trying to come up with what Schlatt had to do to make Dream listen in the first place and he couldn't think of it. Even Techno had a hard time landing a hit on Dream most of the time since the other man was so fast so the bandaged hand was throwing him off too. He turned to leave so that he could comfort his brother when all of a sudden the breeze picked up and started swirling around him. 

"Use it wisely," a voice whispered from around him, "The world is now in your hands." 

There was a surge of energy and power throughout his body and the wind started to calm before finally, it stopped. 

"Holy shit," the piglin hybrid said as he saw his status on the server, "What the hell is he thinking."

Sebastian either didn't tell Schlatt about Dream giving up his admin status or the man already knew because not once did anyone bring it up while they started their march to Pogtopia. As soon as they made it through the main gates Dream was forced to the front of the group they gathered while Tubbo and Schlatt were in the back. Dream wanted to talk to the teen, let him know what had happened so that the boy knew when Dream used everything he had in the fight that it was to protect him. He never got the chance to talk though, the poor teen was still leashed and now gagged next to the goat hybrid. 

"We're here," Dream said while taking in the familiar landscape, he wished that he was back here for a better reason, "We have the upper hand at the moment but we have to be quiet, they have hybrids that can most likely hear us when we get closer." 

"If they have hybrids that can hear us then why are we even going for a surprise attack?" one of the men asked, he was one that was forced out of his home after he saw Sebastian with a dagger to his little girl's throat.

"Take the back way," Dream said, ignoring the man's question but making it to where the eyes on his mask met his, "Sebastian will be going with your group and I will be staying here with this one, this is your one chance so don't mess up." 

The group split off and Dream waited till they were out of view before he turned to his men. 

"Take aim," He said, "We'll use the exploding arrows and that will get Pogtopia's men focused on us while giving the other's time to sneak up." 

He readied his bow and watched as the others followed his actions. He took a deep breath, fighting all the instincts in his body screaming at him to turn and fire his weapon at Schlatt. Finally, he released the breath at the same time as his arrow and could only stare at the multiple others that followed. The only sound that followed were the sounds of explosions and people behind Dream holding their breath. Dream was tempted to turn around and try to give some form of comfort when he caught sight of a witch watching him with a smirk and he suddenly couldn't see. 

"Oh come on," He thought to himself, "I really have to fight against Techno and pray that my hearing can save me?"

The citizens of Pogtopia, Quackity, George, Sapnap, and Eret were all doing their normal routine. Checking to make sure that their weapons were sharpened and ready, getting all their stuff into ender chests in case they needed to run. It was peaceful, for once they were actually relaxed, and then the ground around them started shaking. 

"Grab your stuff," Techno said, standing from his previous position and taking a sword out of his inventory, "It's time to fight for your land." 

They scrambled to get everything together and then followed the Piglin hybrid up their entrance and outside. 

"It's good to see all of you!" Schlatt shouted from the back of the group. 

They saw Dream at the front, standing there with his stupid mask to hide his facial expressions. Sapnap opened his mouth to shout at his old friend when suddenly Techno put his arm out to stop him. 

"There is the smell of magic in the air," the pink-haired man said, "Keep an eye out, and don't let your emotions distract you."

Sapnap glared at Techno and only sent Dream one more glance before bringing his attention to Schlatt who for some reason looked a little nervous about seeing Sapnap. 

"Is this a fight you really want to start Schlatt?" Techno asked before perfecting his stance in case someone came at him. 

Dream looked from Schlatt to Techno but at times he would look a little to the side instead of looking in their direct location. Wilbur thought that Dream might have been looking at the people next to them since his eyes would linger on Sapnap or Tubbo but Eret noticed the slight tremble of the masked man's hands. 

"Tubbo!" Tommy yelled when he saw the other teen that was struggling against Schlatt's hold. 

Eret hurried forward to grab hold of the teen's arm before he could try and run to his chained friend. Tommy started struggling and turned to start yelling curses at the other but Techno just sent him a glare. 

"Schlatt made Tubbo able to be seen because he knew that you would be mad," the elder said, "All you're going to do is put us in danger and cause problems." 

Tommy glanced at his friend, he saw the pleading look in the other's eyes to take care of himself instead of putting himself in the way of danger. 

"Fine," He grumbled and waited for Eret to take their hand off but it never happened, they knew that Tommy would agree with something and then do the complete opposite. 

Dream seemed to come to some of his senses because he suddenly sprang forward and started his attack on Techno. Normally Dream would be able to dodge and counter almost all of the hybrid's attacks but today he seemed to be taking more hits than blocking them. 

"Why is he getting hit so many times?" George whispered to Sapnap before all of a sudden the rest of the men on Schlatt's side started attacking as well. 

Sounds of clashing swords, heavy breathing, and grunts of pain filled the area and Dream was having an even harder time trying to concentrate on Techno's noises. 

"Why did you join him Dream," Techno said while they were close to each other with their weapons clashed together. 

"It doesn't matter anymore," Dream said with a slight tremble in his voice, "All that matters now is taking down you and then getting Tubbo away from Schlatt." 

"If you want to get Tubbo back then you need to join our side," Techno said, putting all his weight into pushing Dream's ax back, "We can get your brother back Dream." 

"You don't know what Schlatt is capable of," Dream growled jumped back, and readied himself to attack again. 

Techno huffed in annoyance and decided to do something that he normally wouldn't when fighting people he cared about, then again Dream wasn't really giving him many options.

"These guys are actually holding themselves really well," Sapnap said in slight annoyance after he took down one of the men on Schlatt's army. 

"I know," George said while fighting someone back, "They just look like they were picked up from one of the villages." 

"We have to," a teen said, joining the fight to protect the man that George was fighting, "Schlatt said our villages will be burnt to the ground if we don't win." 

"We're still fighting right now out of pure desperation." 

Sapnap and George gave each other a look. Sure Dream had been off for a while, his out of character acting only getting worse when he joined Schlatt, but they remembered how much Dream wanted to protect the villages and people that were on his land. 

"George, Sapnap!" someone yelled and they turned back to the fight to see Bad taking out the older male before he could charge Sapnap and then the teen making his way towards George. 

Sapnap stepped in front of his friend and blocked the teen's attack before stepping aside and letting Bad give a quick hit to the back of his head that knocked him out. 

"I'm so glad you're ok," Bad said and gave each man a hug before pulling back and smiling, "It's good to see that you were able to get away Sapnap, when I received the letter from Dream and then went to your house all I found was blownup land and ashes. I really thought I was too late." 

"What are you talking about?" Tommy asked, joining the trio since he needed to live up to his nosey character. 

"Dream said Schlatt was threatening Sapnap and that why he was with Schlatt," Bad said, looking more confused as the other three had faces of sudden understanding, "When I saw you fighting just know I assumed that you figured it out and came here so that you would be safe." 

"I didn't know," Sapnap and turned to where Techno and Dream were fighting, "Dream saw me though, why would he still be fighting on Schlatt's side?" 

"I'm guessing cause Schlatt literally has Tubbo on a chain," George said and rolled his eyes. 

"KING DREAM!" a voice called out and everyone on the battlefield turned to see another group of men, "We took down Sebastian!" 

Dream immediately let an Ender Pearl fly through the air and as it landed by Schlatt and Tubbo he gripped the handle of his ax tighter and his body disappeared. Dream reappeared right next to the two and ripped the chain away from Schlatt. 

"I'm surprised you knew where I was Dream," Schlatt said with a smirk, he had to keep up a tough facade if he wanted to get the upper hand, "Though I would be careful, who knows how many people I have that can come and kill him while you're blind." 

Dream just pulled the chain in till Tubbo was in his arms and his hands started searching the teen's face to take the gag out. 

"Dream, Sapnap is alive," Tubbo said as soon as the object was removed, "Schlatt was talking about how a witch blinded you so I know you can't see him but Sapnap is here." 

Techno, seeing the panic on Schlatt's face smirked and pearled behind the man before driving his sword through the other hybrid's back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tommy take aim at the witch and let an arrow fly through the air. She growled as the arrow entered her shoulder and she glared before flashing away. 

"You ok kid?" Dream asked while looking over the boy after his eyesight started to come back to him, "Schlatt didn't do anything too bad right?" 

"Not much," Tubbo said with a smile, "He only really kept me on the chain and then used the gag so that I couldn't say anything about Sapnap being ok." 

Dream stiffened and gave a quick look around before his eyes landed on Sapnap. His body looked like it wanted to jump up and start running towards the other man but he kept himself in place so that he could make sure that Tubbo was ok. 

"It's fine," Tubbo said with a smile and laughed as Tommy started running towards the pair, "I'll have Tommy so you can go and get Sap." 

Dream gave his little brother a quick nod and then stood on slightly shaking legs before making his way over. With each step, his heart started to beat faster and his breathing sped up. The last time he saw his two friends they had an argument and it ended with both of them mad at the masked individual. So caught up in his anxiety, Dream didn't notice Sapnap quickly meeting the man in the middle until two arms wrapped around him and hugged him tightly. 

"You should have got a hold of me instead of Bad you dickhead," Sapnap said, relaxing his shoulder when Dream hugged him back. 

"I didn't know if you would believe me, I didn't even know if Bad was going to believe me but I knew that he would try and check anyways," Dream mumbled. 

"As heartwarming as this reunion and win are," Eret said, "I would like to get home and get some sleep, not only that but I think Dream needs to get that hand checked out since it's still in bandages." 

"We also need to get all these people home to their families," Wilbur said while turning to look at the tired villagers, "Techno and I can lead them back." 

"My hand should be fine," Dream said, "Schlatt wanted it to not be completely healed but he also wanted to make sure that I could fight." 

"What even happened?" George asked, "Last I checked someone like Schlatt couldn't win against you in hand to hand combat." 

Dream paused and thought about if he should tell them the truth or not. 

"Well..." He said before trailing off with a nervous chuckle, "Schlatt wanted to make sure that I could follow orders and I didn't know if me disobeying right there would make him you know, blowup Sapnap's house." 

"So he what?" George asked with narrowed eyes, "Made you fight someone or something?" 

"He had me hold my hand up while someone poured boiling water over it actually," Dream said with a shrug and ignored the looks of horror. 

"Yup let's go," Bad said and grabbed Dream's arm, "We're all going back to our homes, I'm taking a look at that hand, and everyone is going to sit down and talk about our feelings or something." 

"I made the decision to ban Schlatt from the server by the way," Techno said, his eyes meeting the two dots of Dream's mask, "Thought that it was something that you would have done if you were still the admin." 

"I can take that back," Dream said and Techno just laughed before going over to Wilbur and gathering up all the villagers, "Now the Blood God is admin, you get it back when I say you can have it." 

Dream's mouth flew open to argue but he was being pulled away since Bad had gotten impatient and worried about his friend's hand. Tubbo laughed at the face he could only imagine Dream making when the demon started giving a long lecture about how Dream should have contacted him sooner blah blah blah. 

In the end, Techno gave Dream back the admin status the next morning after the man woke up from his mini coma. Sapnap and George ended up stealing the man away after that so that they could all have a talk about the recent events. Wilbur and Tommy were welcomed back to L'Manberg and everyone went back to their normal lives. 

The End.

Chapter Text

Dream knew that he probably went a little overboard when he dealt with Wilbur and his group of misfits. Then again he felt like he wasn't really given a choice after they kept pushing his buttons. 

"Dream," Phil said, appearing next to the admin as he watched the sunset from a cliff, "I think we both know why I'm here."

"Hmm," Dream said, not taking his eyes off the sun, Phil was here for a report on all his kids and Dream would be the one to tell the man that two of them were kicked out of their home.

"I know about Wilbur and Tommyalready," the older man said while taking a seat next to the other admin, "Techno told me when I went to visit him earlier and both of them were there."

"Well, that's good that they found somewhere to go," Dream said before finally turning his gaze to the other man, "Is Techno taking care of them, or are they all at each other's throats again?"

Phil laughed softly and just watched as Dream turned his attention back to the sunset.

"All three of them have their differences but right now Techno knows that Wilbur and Tommy need some peace and comfort instead of their usual chaos."

"They'll get L'Manberg back," Dream said with a smile that was hidden behind the mask, "They just have to be ready to do what it takes to get it."

"I'm not sure I want them to be ready for another war," Phil admitted, "I know it might because I see myself as their father but I don't want them to grow up too much, they might be adults but they're still young."

"Then give me a week and keep them as far away as possible," Dream stated before standing up, "And make sure big bad Techno has a place for six more people to stay safe."

"What are you talking about?" the other admin asked but Dream just moved his mask up to show the smirk he had on his face.

"I'm going to handle the Schlattproblem but I need to make sure everyone in L'Manberg is safe and I can only guarantee that if everyone living there is with the only person that can rival my strength."

Dream didn't give Phil a chance to answer before he was pulling up the admin menu and disappearing to wherever his base was.

"What the hell just happened?" Phil asked to the open space before leaving to tell his oldest what the masked man had said.

Phil walked into one of Techno's bases and was met with the sight of his three children curled up around each other. Techno, being the tallest, was in the middle and was the only one to open his eyes when he heard the door open.

"How was the meeting with Dream?"Techno asked and tried to move but stopped when Phil put up a hand to stop him.

"Well..." Phil said and scratched at the back of his neck, "We might have to move locations to one of your more known bases."

"Why?" Techno asked his tone suggesting he was slightly irritated that Phil made a decision without at least talking to the hybrid beforehand. 

"I think that Dream is going to kidnap some people and bring them to you and I know that you want this place to only really be known by family," Phil explained and Techno groaned in frustration at the idea of more people in his house.

They sat in silence, the only sound being Tommy's slight snores and Wilbur's mumbles about random things.

"We can start packing in the morning and then we should make it to the base by late afternoon," Phil said while taking a seat at the enchanting table so that he could add some stuff to his weapons.

Techno just sighed and closed his eyes so that he could get some rest before he had to hear Tommy complain for hours about having to do some actual work. It didn't take long for the oldest to fall asleep and Phil could only watch as his children slept.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you all needed some guidance and help," He said lowly and placed and kiss on each of their foreheads before going up the ladder and laying in one of the guest beds.

Dream didn't show up for a couple of days and Phil was starting to think that the man had fooled him when all of a sudden he just appeared in the living room with six unconscious people.

"DREAM!" Tommy yelled and brought his sword up to be pointed at the man's throat while the older just laughed and pushed the weapon away.

"I come in peace you Child," Dream said and stepped out of the way when Tommy swung the weapon in anger.

"Yeah and that's why you have a bunch of unconscious people with you," Wilbur said with a raised eyebrow as he took in their appearance, looking for any injures that the man might have given them.

"Well there would be more but Bad andSkeppy are together in one of my bases and then Eret is currently with them since they didn't know if you would want to see them, "Dream said with a shrug and took a drink that was offered to him.

"Thank Ender," Techno whispered under his breath, he really didn't want anyone except his family around him but he knew that Dream would owe him after this.

"Wait you knew he was bringing these people?" Tommy questioned and turned his glare towards his older brother while Wilbur looked at the pink-haired man confused.

"Phil told me the night before we left the other base that Dream would kidnap some people and bring them to us," Techno said with a shrug, "We just didn't know when he would."

"Yeah well George and Sapnap are probably going to be pissed that I brought them here, Tubbo, Niki, and Fundy are probably going to be indifferent, and Quackity is probably going to try to escape a lot," Dream said, "But give me a day or two and I'll come and pick them up to take them back toL'Manberg."

"Why did you even take them fromL'Manberg? Tommy asked but Dream just chuckled and disappeared.

"For someone that doesn't want to abuse his admin powers he's been doing that a lot," Techno said and poked at Sapnap's shoulder before doing it to the rest of the bodies.

"Should we put them in chains or something?" Wilbur asked, "George, Sapnap, Quackity, and Tubbo are technically with Schlatt."

"We can't put them in chains," Phil said, "They'll think that we're going to hurt them and I don't want to scare anyone."

"Well we have to make sure that they can't leave," Techno said, "Dream said that he needs the out of his way and we can't have them ruining whatever he has planned."

"I'll go around and start putting enchantments around the base so that no one can leave unless given permission from Techno or myself," Phil told his sons and left them to deal with the confrontation when everyone started waking up.

"They're your friends so have fun with that," Techno said and left to go to the basement of the base, a place filled with chests and any project that the piglin hybrid might be working on.

"Times like this are when I really hate our family," Wilbur said.

"Agreed."

It took Phil an hour to find and put up the right enchantments so that no one could leave. By the end of it he was tired and cold; silently praying to anyone listening that the people Dream dropped off were still unconscious. His prayers were ignored because as he got closer to the doors he could only hear yelling and threats being thrown out of multiple people's mouths.

"You can't keep us here!"

"Let me at the Green Bastard! How would he like it if someone knocked him out and brought him somewhere against his will?"

"Tommy, I missed you so much!"

"Tubbo!"

When Phil opened the doors he was met with the sight of his youngest hugging the horned teen. Sapnap and George were pointing their weapons at Techno, Quackity glaring at anything that moved. Niki, Fundy, and Ranboo were sitting in a corner and talking to each other quietly.

"What on Earth is happening here?"Phil asked while running his hand down his face to try and hide the frustration.

"Dream did say that they would be upset when they all woke up," Techno said, only giving his father a small glance before turning back to the book he was reading, "These nerds just thought that it wouldn't be as loud as it is."

It was silent, no one that Dream had brought thought that they would see Phil here. After all, the masked admin didn't like when people he didn't really know came on to his server, especially those that matched his status.

"There isn't much that we can do," Wilbur said before turning his attention to everyone else in the room, "Dream brought you here so that you wouldn't get in the way of whatever he had planned and you can't leave since Phil put enchantments around the base. I suggest you just relax and wait to be let free."

"What does Dream have planned exactly?" George asked and stopped himself from sending a glare in the old leader's direction.

"No idea," Tommy said while a smile, still keeping himself close to Tubbo, "Big D just said he was going to take L'Manberg back and that he didn't want any of you getting hurt or in the way."

"You can't let him just hurtSchlatt!" Quackity yelled, "He is the president, and Dream going after him like this is basically a declaration of war."

"Dream is handling the situation so there isn't another war," Phil said, "Wilbur and Tommy were kicked out of their homes with no trial, no explanation, and no warning."

Tubbo looked at the ground in shame. He remembered how angry and hurt Tommy looked as he fled, he remembered how he didn't do much to stop it.

"Besides," Techno said, "I doubt that Dream is just going to kill him, they could be talking something out and trying to come to an agreement on how things move forward."

"I would like to believe that but the last time someone went up against Dream there was a war," Niki said and blushed when everyone turned to her.

"All I'm saying we should do," Phil said, "Is give Dream the two days that he asked for and then if he still doesn't show up we try and contact him; this is a perfect opportunity for everyone to relax and try to come together."

The group settled down and started making light conversation with each other to try and distract themselves from the situation they were in. George and Sapnap sent suspicious glances to the family of four every now and then but other than that kept to themselves. No one started a fight and it was quiet for the rest of the night. Quackityonly tried to escape twice that night. Each time Phil went to get the younger male and after the second time he sat him down away from everyone else and asked if he really agreed with everything that Schatt had done and what the man had planned. It's safe to say that their talk lasted a couple of hours and each topic talked about was more important than the last.

Techno wanted nothing more than to strangle everyone that was at his base and then find Dream to strangle the man next. After the initial shock of what happened to them, everyone started going about their day like they would if they were home. Niki made quite a few baked goods, Fundy and Ranboo kept each other company, Tommy would either be found with Tubbo or training with Techno. Wilbur would play soft music in the background, talking quietly with Quackity if the other man wasn't making small talk with Phil. Sapnap and George were normally found together, talking or training in the areas that they were allowed to go to.

At the start of the second day though, Tommy decided that he was going to get a little revenge on everyone. He replaced all of Niki'ssugar with salt so her pie she baked in the morning was salty and inedible. When Wilbur went to find his guitar, hoping to play a song to cheer the female up, he found all the strings missing and searched for half an hour before giving up. Quackity's beanie was missing so the young male barely left his room. George and Sapnap's weapons were missing but when they found one of them it was a bright pink and had none of the previous enchantments.

"Techno where the hell is that brother of yours!" Sapnap yelled, seething as he held his sword that looked like it came from a little girl's dreams.

"I don't know," the hybrid replied, "He's able to leave when he wants so he probably left after he messed with everyone and their stuff."

Sapnap turned to punch one of the cobble blocks that Tommy had randomly placed and Techno was happy for once that his brother got away in time. The block cracked and Sapnap still looked like he wanted to kill someone but in the end the man took a deep breath and went to find Phil for one of their weird talks about anger management.

"Dumbass should have named it while he was at it," Techno said to himself and was about to head to his potato farm when the wind started picking up.

"I'm on my way there, can you ask Phil to have a healing potion ready?" the wind whispered, sounding like Dream and Techno's ear twitched.

At least the man was giving some warning before he showed up this time. It was a little concerning that he was walking and not just using his admin abilities like he had the past couple of times they saw each other. None the less he calmly walked back into the base that multiple people called home and started searching for his father.

"When I find your kid Phil I'm going to kill him," Sapnap's voice growled out from the kitchen and when Techno walked in her saw almost everyone except Tommy gathered around the table eating a slice of Niki's new pie.

"Phil," Techno said, catching everyone's attention, "Dream's on his way and he wants you to have a healing potion ready if you don't already have one."

Everyone perked up and some looked worried at the fact that Dreamneeded a healing potion. They would have voiced their concerns if the doors didn't burst open and a blonde teen rushed in while dragging dreams body.

"I really can't carry this fucker so it would be much appreciated if someone could help," Tommy said, looking like he wasn't far from dropping the man's body.  

Sapnap and George jumped up before grabbing hold of Dream and letting Tommy sigh in relief since the weight was gone. 

"Where did you find him?" Phil asked and Tommy just shrugged. 

"I don't know," He said, "I was walking back from one of the lava pits I found and saw him leaning against a tree, he said to bring him here before he ended up passing out." 

"Well now we know why he needed that potion," Tubbo said with a nervous smile and poked the man in the stomach to see if he would do anything. 

"So how exactly do we wake him up," Tommy asked before grinning evilly, "Or do we just force the potion down his throat and hope he doesn't choke?"

"Really Tommy," Tubbo said and gave his best friend an unimpressed glare while the other teen just shrugged his shoulders. 

Phil was looking through his inventory trying to find anything that could help them with their situation but nothing stood out. 

"Guys I have nothing to wake him up and I don't really want to risk him choking when we try to help him," Phil said and dragged a hand down his face. 

George started gently moving Dream around so that they could look over him and see if there was anything life-threatening. 

"There isn't really anything that needs to be handled right away," He said while turning to Phil, "I'm guessing he wanted the potion so that it could get rid of some of the bruises and cuts but also stop him from passing out." 

"Well that didn't work out now did it," Tommy said and George glared at the younger male. 

"We have to calm down and not go at each other's throats," Tubbo said, trying to stop the little argument from escalating into a bigger one, or worse. 

"Tubbo's right," Niki said, "We've been living with each other the last two days and we've been getting by fine, some of us have even talked out our differences." 

"Let's just get him into a bed and wait for him to wake up on his own," Techno said and bent down to pick the green wearing man up, "I guess you guys are free to go since he's back, anyone that wants to stay till he wakes up is welcome I guess."

Techno and Phil made their way towards one of the empty rooms and laid the man down Techno turned to look at his father. 

"I'm going to remove the mask so that he has an easier time breathing while he's out," the hybrid stated knowing that Phil would take that as his chance to leave. 

"Won't he be upset that you took it off?" the elder asked. 

"I've already seen it," Techno said with a shrug, "We just have to make sure none of the others come in here until he's able to put it back on." 

Phil just gave his oldest a nod and then left the room. Techno lifted Dream's head and undid the mask before taking it off and placing it on the bedside table. 

"Wake up quickly, I don't want all these nerds in my house longer than they have to be," Techno said while watching the other to make sure that he was breathing correctly before making his way out of the room as well.

Dream slowly left the comforting feeling of unconsciousness as voices started to get louder and louder. He groaned in annoyance and brought a hand up to his face but suddenly stopped and sprang up from his position. He started looking around the room in a panic, trying to figure out where he was and how he got there. 

"It's good to see you awake," Bad said while opening the door, "Skeppy, Eret, and I arrived a couple of hours ago and right now Eret and the others are talking." 

"Seems more like yelling if you ask me," Dream said quietly and gave a weak cough since his throat was dry. 

Bad smiled at the other and brought over the glass of water he was carrying. Dream took it and gave his friend a nod of appreciation. 

"I thought you weren't going to come," the masked man said while grabbing his mask and putting it back on before standing up, "Eret was supposed to stay with you and Skeppy till they were ready to talk to the others." 

"Well Sapnap messaged me about what happened to you and I was concerned and wanted to make sure that you were ok myself," Bad said, watching Dream's every move to make sure that he was really ok, "I said that Eret and Skeppy could stay if they wanted but Eret said that they needed to talk to everyone sooner or later and Skeppy wanted to come as well." 

Dream hummed and held his arm out for Bad to take knowing that his friend liked physical contact when his companions were hurt or tired in any way. Bad smiled and gladly linked their arms together before both of them walked out of the room to see what the others had started. 

"It's good to see you awake, Dream," Phil said when the two arrived in the living room area. 

Dream gave a small nod to acknowledge the older man before turning back to the larger group who still hadn't noticed their arrival They were no longer yelling at each other and instead Eret was looking slightly uncomfortable while Wilbur looked apologetic. 

"None of us are truly angry at you anymore Eret," the musician said, "At first we were, then we were just hurt, and now we've gotten over it." 

"I mean I'm still a little upset about it," Tommy said, his arms crossed and gaze never truly meeting Eret's, "But I also know that you regret it and want to make amends so I'm willing to listen to what you have to say." 

Eret gave a small smile in the blonde's direction and they still looked uncomfortable with everything that was going on but their shoulders did relax slightly. 

"Thank you Tommy," they said in a quiet voice. 

Dream opened his mouth to announce his presence when suddenly another body slammed itself into his back. 

"YOUR AWAKE!" Sapnap yelled while squeezing his friend and ignoring the other man's struggles to be released, "You had us worried dude!" 

Eret, Wilbur, and Tommy whipped their heads around to see Phil, Bad, and Dream standing in the room, and when Eret made eye contact with Dream's dots on the mask they made their way over. 

"Thank you for bringing me to Bad," Eret said gave Dream a small hug, being careful to not touch Sapnap or get in the way of his hug, "Skeppy went back to my castle and found a large part of it destroyed so I can only assume that it went bad with Schlatt." 

"Yeah, he thought that you were there and was going to come and kill you after our initial talk ended badly," Dream said with a shrug, "That's why I took everyone In the first place, didn't want anyone getting caught in the crossfire if it went bad."  

That seemed to break Sapnap out of his relief that Dream was finally awake and the younger punched his friend in the shoulder. 

"What the hell were you thinking going after Schlatt alone," he said with a glare and ignored Bad's quiet 'language' at his choice of words. 

"Well, Phil said that he didn't want his kids fighting in another war but I knew that both Tommy and Wilbur would want to take back L'Manberg so I decided to do it myself and see what happened," Dream explained, "Besides, I was really bored after you and George stopped talking to me after our disagreement about what side was in the right." 

"So to cure your boredom you decided to go over the president of a nation and then do whatever you did to get rid of him?" Tommy asked with the most unimpressed look he had ever given Dream. 

The masked man was silent for a while and then laughed. 

"What else was I supposed to do?" He asked, "Everyone was worried about you and Wilbur, Techno was busy with his potato stuff, and no one else would want to spare with me since everyone is either angry or scared." 

Dream was smirking under his mask at the awkward silence that followed his question but he just grabbed Sapnap's hand and started pulling both Bad and him out of the room. 

"Let's go find everyone that is here and tell them I'm up so that everyone can go back to their normal lives," Dream said and didn't wait to see who followed the three.

Dream didn't know the layout of the house and occasionally Bad or Sapnap would tug on whatever they were holding on so that he would follow them instead. It was a nice silence around them and it reminded Dream of the times when everyone was happy. 

"How are you doing Sapnap?" Dream asked, "I haven't seen you in a while and I'm curious." 

Sapnap wondered if he should mention that George and he had actually been doing pretty good or if he should say that things have been fine. If he said that things have been pretty good then there was a chance of hurting his friend's feelings but if he lied then there was a chance that Dream would know that too. 

"It's been good," He said, in the end deciding to just go with the truth, "George and I added some space to the cabin and we expanded the farm as well." 

"That's good," Dream said and both men could practically see the smile on his face even though he was wearing a mask, "Make sure to put up more torches and keep them burning if you expanded towards the borders of the field." 

Bad made no comment on his concern about how well Dream was taking everything, It was like the other man did a complete 180 on all of his actions and even if he was worried about it he also knew that he should support his friend. 

"All I'm saying is that Dream has everyone that is really close to him here and we really should go back to see what happened," Quackity's said from the other side of the door leading outside, "He doesn't even like us so I don't understand why we stayed." 

"I wanted to make sure that he was ok," Tubbo said quietly, "Tommy is here too and I was really worried about him when he was kicked out." 

The group could hear Quackity release a slightly irritated sigh before the shuffling of feet as one of them moved. 

"I won't make you come with me Tubbo," Quackity said, voice slightly muffled from probably burying his face in the teen's hair, "But I have to see what was damaged in whatever fight Dream and Schlatt got into." 

Dream decided that now was a good time to announce their presence and threw the door open. 

"I'll have you know that I actually kept the damage to a minimum," He said while giving the beanie-wearing man a glare that he couldn't see. 

Both of them jumped apart and looked at Dream in shock before Tubbo's face lit up with a smile and ran to give Dream a hug. 

"I'm glad to see that you're awake Dream," the hybrid teen said, "I know that Tommy won't admit it but he was really scared too." 

"I was not!" Tommy yelled from the back of the group and Techno just rolled his eyes at the increased volume. 

"Sure you weren't kid," Phil said, "Let's not forget that you were the one to stay with him the first night and practically shoved Sapnap and George out of the room when they refused to leave." 

"I didn't want to deal with the stupid guilty expressions," Tommy said and crossed his arms with a pout, "I wanted to be able to yell at Dream in peace without having to worry about being scowled at since he 'helped' us." 

"Where even is George?" Dream asked when he didn't see his old friend in any of the surrounding area. 

"He, Niki, and Fundy all left to go and get something from Niki's house," Sapnap said, "They really didn't want to leave but Niki thought that you would want something that she made you when you woke up and the other two didn't want her to go alone." 

"If they really just went to go and grab something from her house then they shouldn't be gone much longer since they left this morning," Techno said, "They're probably going to be really upset that they missed you waking up though." 

Dream sighed and gripped Sapnap's hand tighter before turning to the owner of the base, 

"Is there any way I could stay here for the night?" He asked, "When I was fighting Schlatt he used some kind of potion he was experimenting with and I still feel the effects." 

"What do you mean new potion!" Bad yelled and pulled his arm out of their hold so that he could get a closer look at his friend, "We have to give you a whole new examination and I need you to come with me so that I can look at your eyes and see if there is anything wrong." 

"Bad I'm sure it's fine," Dream said and put his hands up to show surrender, 'It was like a weakness potion but then I started seeing all of you guys and I thought that Schlatt somehow got you there, it really just made me see things and get super exhausted." 

Bad's glare just hardened more and started dragging Dream back to the room he was in, Sapnap following behind them and pushing Dream along despite the other's plead for help. 

"Do we stop them?" Tubbo asked and Tommy snorted. 

"Let the green man get beat by big old Bad." 

"Phil if it's ok with you I would like you to come back to L'Manbeg with me, I might need help rebuilding some things and also reforming our government." 

"Of course," Phil said and ignored Techno's mutters of how bad the government was, "Can't have Dream taking all the credit for getting L'Manberg back in good shape."

"No, I don't think we can."

The End.

Chapter Text

Tommy and Tubbo chatted with each other as they made their way towards the large building that was hosting the event. Everyone in the Dream SMP was invited and most jumped in joy at the thought of going to something so fancy. It was a simple viewing party that one of the larger known admin's held each year. Sometimes they would watch some of the best players pull off stunts that didn't seem possible or sometimes they would all just watch as some of the more fun people made a fool of themselves. One time they showed a clip of Dream's manhunt since the man had made quite a few impressive plays to get out of a tough situation. 

"What do you think will be shown this year?" Tubbo asked as they gave one of the guards their pass and followed the hallway to the main room, "Maybe Dream sent some stuff from the SMP in." 

"Yeah!" Tommy said loudly and ignored the rude looks that some of the older people sent him, "Then all the ladies can see my amazing acting and praise me." 

"I don't think that should be your goal," Tubbo said and gave his friend an unimpressed look and started looking around at all the tables when they entered the main room. 

The rest of the SMP members had left earlier than the two youngest so that they could save a table that was large enough to fit everyone. None of them felt like sitting next to strangers since most of the people invited to this event were from the richer servers and treated smaller ones like trash. In fact, when they all got the invite they were a little surprised but then again the admin hosting probably thought Dream was going to attend. 

"I can't wait for the host to arrive and see that Big D didn't show up," Tommy said with a grin as Tubbo pulled them where the others were sitting, "Then again Techno actually showed up so that might make up for some of it."  

"Hey, guys!" Niki said happily when she caught sight of them, "You're lucky that you got here in time, I heard that they were starting a little early since some big broadcast is happening today." 

"Sapnap, George, and Bad aren't here?" Tubbo asked and Ant shook his head. 

"They decided to stay with Dream," He explained, "Something about not wanting to leave him alone while everyone else was having fun." 

"Why didn't he want to come in the first place?" Eret asked while slapping Tommy's hand away from trying to steal something from their plate, "Normally he would come to an event like this so that he can soak up all the attention."

Ant just gave a tiny smirk and turned back to eating. Techno gave the cat hybrid an unimpressed look and glared at Tommy as the boy started to talk a little louder than what he normally did. Techno was about to snap at the boy but suddenly the lights dimmed and everyone in the room stopped talking to look at the stage. 

"Welcome everyone," a man said while stepping up to the microphone and he paused when everyone started clapping, "I gifted a little surprise to someone that you're all familiar with and he'll be using it to broadcast one of his own events to us and some of the smaller servers."

Murmurs started popping up around the room. Things like 'I can't believe someone would give entertainment to the smaller servers,' and 'Who would be foolish enough to start a broadcast when they know this event is going on?' 

"Why are bigger servers always filled with people that think they own all the worlds?" Niki huffed out, an uncharacteristic frown on her face. 

"If anything shouldn't the smaller servers be more powerful?" Tubbo asked, "I mean you have to be approved by Dream to get into ours." 

"They like to think that since they have more people that they stand over the smaller ones," Phil explained, after all, he had been to many of the bigger servers when preparing for his own, "In their minds Dream is only allowing people in that aren't that powerful since he wants to be in charge." 

"So tonight we'll be watching his Manhunt," the host said with a smile and then moved from the stage as the screen started up and they were immediately met with the sounds of Sapnap screaming and Dream laughing. 

"Big D is doing a manhunt," Tommy said loudly and started jumping up and down before tugging on Tubbo's sleeve, "Tubbo, Dream is doing a Manhunt, and instead of waiting at their starting point like normal we're stuck at this stupid event." 

"I'm sure you'll be able to leave as soon as they get done," Ant said, not taking his eyes off the screen as he watched Dream slash away at Bad when the demon charged at him, "Dream probably added a back door so that you and Tubbo can head over there when they're done." 

"You guys stay in the world with them?" Wilbur asked, "Is that why you disappear every now and then?" 

"Well yeah," Tubbo said with a shrug, "Sometimes we follow the hunters in the back and watch from the sidelines but most of the time we get supplies for everyone for when they're done." 

"Aw that's so sweet," Niki said and smile when Tubbo blushed a bright red while Tommy said that there was nothing cute about it.

They focused back on the Manhunt and were surprised to see all the hunters working together to back Dream into a corner. 

"How are you going to get away now Dream?" Sapnap asked with a smirk on his face, slowly inching closer to his friend. 

"I've been known to get out of situations worse than this Sappy Nappy," Dream said and quickly pulled a potion bottle out of his inventory before throwing it on the ground. 

Immediately all of them were invisible beside the armor they were currently wearing. Bad, George, and Sapnap started freaking out and trying to figure out who was who while wildly swinging their swords. At one point Sapnap started swinging at Bad when he thought that the man was the speedrunner they were hunting. 

"That's me you stupid Muffin," Bad yelled and Sapnap stopped his assault before looking at the other two sets of armor. 

"Sapnap I have a single heart so you better not hit me," George growled, his voice echoing slightly in the cave, "If I die here because of you I will come back and destroy you." 

"Is that a threat or a promise Georgie?" Sapnap asked and the members of the SMP laughed to themselves while the rest of the audience had disgusted looks on their faces. 

"How disgraceful."

"I can't believe they would be so unprofessional, no wonder Dream tends to win." 

"Why don't you shut up," Techno said and sent a glare to the people closest to them, "Knowing Dream he'll join in on the jokes at some point, they have their moments where they don't take the manhunt super seriously." 

People cowered away at the heat of his glare and Phil smiled at the protective trait his son had picked up. Dream and Techno didn't get along at first, almost always at each other's throats trying to win their little fights but in the end, they did become closer because of that. 

"Hey Phil," Tubbo said and looked at the man in slight confusion, "Do you see the ground that they're standing on? Why does it look like that?" 

Phil turned back towards the screen and stared intensely at the ground that four men were standing on. Despite being in a cave and surrounded by cobble the ground seemed to be sinking underneath Dream's feet. None of the people in the actual world seemed to catch it but it could have been because they were running off adrenaline and already confused because of the invis potion. 

"Dream wasn't the one to make the world so the code might not be the best," the older male said with a smile so that he could calm the younger's worries, "Or he might have been given permission to change some things and he added different features to try something new." 

Tubbo didn't look entirely convinced since Dream liked to leave the Manhunt worlds normal but the other three might have convinced him to try something new if they were given permission to. He didn't really understand why something like soft cobble would change the game but then again Bad, Sapnap, and George would come up with all kinds of ways to try and beat Dream. 

"Holy shit," Tommy said and winced as Dream broke Sapnap's armor causing the male to run in fear before turning to chase after Bad as the demon ran away as well, "Sometimes I'm really happy all the stuff we do is roleplay." 

"Tell me about it," Tubbo replied, "Can you even imagine if one day Dream just decided to come after all of us?" 

"That's a day I would like to keep in my nightmares and my nightmares only," Eret mumbled to themselves. 

Dream laughed evilly but then stopped suddenly as his foot sank into the cobblestone below him. His head whipped up to look at the others and he released a confused breath while the other three stopped. 

"What the fuck," Sapnap said and ignored Bad's small 'language' that followed it. 

Dream yelped as his other foot started to sink as well. Sapnap and Bad rushed forward to try and help their friend, each of the men turning to George when they couldn't pull Dream out. Instead of seeing the oldest laughing at them, they saw him trying to pull his feet as well. 

"What kind of trap is this Dream?" Bad asked and looked back at the masked man.

"I didn't do this," Dream huffed and tried pulling himself up but ended up failing once again, "I don't even have anything that would be able to do this." 

"So what exactly are we supposed to do right now," George said with a slight glare, getting stressed as more of his body sank into the ground. 

"Sap and Bad you guys need to leave," Dream said, "If George and I die then we'll meet you back at spawn, the Manhunt is over it's time to leave, no one won today." 

"We can't just leave you guys?" Bad exclaimed, "What if this is some kind of thing that stops you from respawning or you don't die and you're just stuck in some cave's ground!" 

Members of the SMP were already gathering their belongings so that they could leave the event and go to their friends. Techno had almost made it to the door when suddenly big iron bars dropped down and trapped everyone inside. 

"What is this!" Tommy yelled and turned to give the host a glare, "We have to go and see if we can help them out." 

"You'll be staying here," the admin replied, "Everyone here has agreed that Dream is acting bigger than he is, it's time to make him realize his place." 

"His place," Eret seethed, "What is that supposed to mean? If anything Dream is better than everyone in this room." 

"He was a nobody," one of the female admin's growled, "So what if he won a couple of silly games, we are the ones in charge, not that gross thing." 

"Don't talk about him like that," Punz growled and stepped closer like he would pull his weapon on the girl. 

Sam stepped forward and grabbed the other man's wrist so he couldn't move forward. He quickly shook his head but didn't mutter any words to try and comfort the other. 

"Dream is going to get out of this," Phil said while staring at the smirking admin, "He is one of the best players this region has. You really think that you can beat him with soft ground?" 

"No," He replied, "But the ground is only keeping them contained; when the server slowly starts decaying and having corrupted code is when the real fun begins." 

Tommy was seething in rage and clutching onto Tubbo's arm. Giving little support to the other but trying his hardest even when his mind was plagued with visions of destroying the man in front of him. 

"I think it's time that you all sit down," Host said and guards walked up to stand next to the SMP members. 

Niki was roughly grabbed by one of the man and Wilbur jumped to her defense when suddenly she turned and punched the man right in the nose. 

"Don't ever touch me again," She growled and fixed the glows of her outfit before sitting down herself. 

"Dream!" Sapnap's voice rang throughout the room and multiple heads shot up to see the top of Dream's hoodie sinking into the ground. 

With the man no longer there with them, Bad and Sapnap focused all their attention on George and getting him out. They pulled at his sleeves and only succeeded in pulling his sweatshirt off. 

"What the fuck is happening?" Sapnap said, panting from the adrenalin coursing through his veins. 

"You guys have to go," George said half of his body in the ground, "Dream and I will make it back to you." 

"There was no death message for Dream," Bad said, using all his strength to try and save the goggle-wearing boy, "We have no idea what's going to happen to you two." 

"Exactly," George replied, "So we can't have all of us getting stuck; both of you need to leave and bring help if Dream and I still aren't back after a couple of hours." 

"George I'm not leaving you guys," Sapnap growled, "We go down together, we promised each other." 

Bad and Sapnap could no longer pull on his arms, not like it was doing anything in the first place, and instead tried digging through the ground. Each time they would take a handful of the cobblestone away it would just fill up like liquid. Again, and again, again. 

"Sap please," George begged, the bottom of his chin just barely touching the ground, "Don't do this to us." 

Bad recognized the fact that they wouldn't be able to save George, just like how they couldn't save Dream and gave up trying to dig into the ground. 

"Bad help me," Sapnap said and turned to growl at the demon, "We have to get him out right now." 

"We can't do anything Sapnap," Bad said, clearly trying to keep the defeated tone out of his voice, "Let's get the others, we have to go before we get stuck too." 

"I'm not leaving them!" 

George sent Bad a desperate gaze and the demon looked at him with pain before grabbing the fire loving boy and dragging him away. 

"Let me go!" Sapnap screamed, kicking and doing anything he could to escape the demon's hold, "Bad please!" 

"Get out of here!" George yelled, getting one final breath in before his head was completely covered as well. 

Niki had tears streaming down her face as she cradled a sobbing Tubbo in her arms. Techno and Tommy had fierce glares on their faces, the only thing keeping them from running up and killing the host was Phil's tight grip on their arm. 

"We have to believe in them," the eldest said, tuning out Sapnap's cries in favor of trying to think of a plan, "They are the best of the best, they've handled much worse." 

"There was no death message either," Wilbur muttered, "Dream and George are still alive and have a chance." 

"Did you not just see the ground swallow their whole fucking body," Tommy hissed, "If Bad and Sapnap can't pull them out then how do you expect them to get out themselves." 

"The only chance we have at saving them is getting information from our host tonight," Karl whispered to Phil and the man nodded while gazing at the man who had a crazed look on his face. 

"Finally." 

"Dream is gone." 

"We can rule them all!" 

"The Dream SMP is no longer in charge!" 

Phil quickly pushed Techno down to the ground and Wilbur jumped on the piglin hybrid's back to keep him down. Tubbo grabbed Tommy's arm and planted his feet firmly on the ground to make sure the teen couldn't move. Eret and Karl held on to Quackity to make sure the hot-headed man didn't hurt anyone that was cheering. 

The members of the Dream SMP could only watch 

Watch as Sapnap sobbed and was dragged away. 

Watch as Bad struggled to stop his shaking while trying to soothe his companion. 

All they could do was watch.

Chapter Text

Dream drifted through the darkness and ignored the chill that was settled in his bones. There was no feeling around him, no thoughts to grasp onto. 

"You have to get up, you have to go and make sure Sap is ok." 

Dream pushed the thoughts away. Who was Sap? Why did that name seem so important yet so far away? The darkness kept him safe so he had no desire to leave it all behind to try and find someone that he can't fully remember. 

"He's your brother; you leave him and he'll be broken." 

Dream whimpered but continued to let his body relax. He always worried about keeping everyone safe and now he was able to relax. He didn't have to check up on teenagers, try to keep the voices away or make sure there were no conflicts going on. He was allowed to relax.

So that's what he did. 

George fought against the feeling of relaxation. As much as he wanted to give in he knew that there were people waiting for him. People would be hurt if he and Dream didn't make it back and he couldn't do that to them.

"Take a break, George. Let the darkness take care of you."

He ignored the voice and started screaming at himself to move. Not a single finger twitched and he would sob if he could. How was he supposed to get home? Was Dream having as much trouble as he was? Did Dream already escape and he went with Sapnap and Bad to get help? 

"Don't question anything. We're here to keep you safe."

The fight was starting to leave his body. The more he stayed in the darkness, the more he was willing to just relax and let himself go. The thoughts of escape started to blur and he eventually just let them go. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before letting his mind go blank and letting his muscles relax.  

"Sapnap will be ok, he has everyone else," George thought to himself before letting the darkness win. 

Bad kept a strong grip on Sapnap's arm as they made their way back to the spawn area. As much as he wanted to bring the other into a hug and give him the comfort he needed, he also knew that they needed to get back quickly. They had no idea what was happening to George and Dream. 

"There was no death message," Sapnap mumbled, "They're still down there and we're up here." 

"We're getting help Sap," Bad said and tighten his grip once again, "When we have everyone here to help then I'm sure that we'll get them back in no time and everything will be ok."

The younger male bit his lip and paused his walking. Bad was forced to stop and he kept quiet while staring at his companion. 

"Sap?" He asked and was surprised when two arms were thrown around him. 

"I don't want to lose them Bad!" the younger cried, "What if we go back and they're gone? I can't live with myself if we lose them and I wasn't there to try and help."

The demon stayed silent and get held him. They both wanted to run back and try again to dig down and get each of their friends back but they both knew there would be nothing good coming from it. Not only would they lose the daylight that they still had but there was an even higher chance of Dream and George dying as well. This world was given to them by another admin so they didn't even know how the respawn worked here, normally it was set at 15 lives for a Manhunt but Dream didn't really give them too many details. 

"We'll figure it out," Bad whispered into Sapnap's hair before pulling away, "But first we have to get home and get the others." 

Sapnap nodded and they started their journey back once again. Each of them gripping the other's hand as a form of getting and receiving comfort.

Tommy was seated in the middle of the SMP's table, Techno on his right and Ant on his left. Both men were forced to sit next to him after he made many attempts to try and slip through the bars that were blocking the door. Tubbo was looking at his friend with worry when the other teen started twitching and glancing at the door once again. 

"Last time you tried going through the bars there was a guard there," Phil said and gave his son a stern look, "I don't want to watch you be thrown to the floor and kicked in the stomach again, Tommy." 

Tommy turned to glare at the man he considered his father but when he saw the worry hidden within the stern gaze he shifted his eyes back to the screen. It's not like he was the only one that was clearly uncomfortable. Ant and Skeppy looked ready to bolt for the windows and slice down anyone in their path if it meant getting out of here. Niki, Eret, and Fundy were seated together at the end of the table and Wilbur was leaning against the wall behind them. 

"I say we just attack when no one is looking," Techno said lowly and glared at some of the people that kept looking at their table, "They deserve everything we can do after they pulled this bullshit." 

"And have the admins from 10 different large servers breathing down our necks?" Wilbur questioned, "We're in this situation because they're expecting us to fight back, and then they'll have an excuse to come after us all together." 

"Instead of having all the play wars that we've gone through we'll have a real one on our hands," Fundy said and shrugged his shoulders, "We might be able to take on all of these people but we can't take on everyone that they have living in their worlds." 

Their faces all had grim expressions and Tommy tried to distract Tubbo by messing with his friend's suit sleeve. The other had sat right across from him in case Tommy decided he wanted to try and jump over the table to get to the doors. Once again. 

"They've made it to spawn," one of the admins present shouted with glee and everyone turned their attention back to the screen. 

Eret was looking around and was confused as to why people were excited for this to be happening. Wouldn't they want to prolong the rescue? If Sapnap and Bad were able to get out then they would be able to come and get the others from outside the building. 

"What the hell," Sapnap growled and tried punching the 'leave game' option on his communicator but nothing happened. 

"We can't leave?" Bad said in a panic and turned towards his companion, "Why can't we leave?" 

"How am I supposed to know!" Sapnap shouted back, panicking more than anyone has ever seen so far. 

"Let Bad and Sapnap leave," Ant hissed, "You said you wanted Dream and you got him but let those two go." 

"They can't leave," a hybrid to the left of their table replied, "If they leave then they'll gather materials to get the others." 

"Until the virus corrupts their bodies no one will be able to leave the world," the head admin snapped, "I want Dream dead understood." 

"If you wait for the virus then Bad and Sapnap might not make it out either!" Fundy cried out, "I don't care if you have a hatred for Dream, give us our family back!" 

"We have to contact the admin that Dream got the server from!" Bad said and started aggressively typing into his communicator. 

"Like that's going to work," Sapnap hissed, "That moron gave Dream such a dirty look that he'll probably see this as our fault." 

"Well we have to try," Bad spoke quietly. 

Sapnap turned in the direction that they came from, the direction of the prison their friends were trapped in. 

"Oh god, Sapnap is going to do something stupid," Niki said, "He has that look on his face." 

"He just found out that they left for no reason," Techno said, staring hard at the look of concentration that was on the nerd's face, "He's probably pissed at the fact that he could have been trying to get them out instead of leaving for no reason." 

They watched as Sapnap shifted around on his feet before giving Bad once finally glance and bolting in the direction that they came from. 

"What an idiot," Wilbur said, "What if he gets stuck? Is he really about to risk that?" 

"Would you risk it if it was Tommy?" Tubbo asked and Wilbur opened his mouth to say no but then closed it. 

Tommy smirked at the fact that Wilbur was more of a brother than a friend. Then again everyone around him became more like a family than a group of friends so he couldn't really single someone out from the others. 

"That's what I thought," Tubbo said with a smile and turned back just in time to see Sapnap pull out an ender pearl and throw it while Bad screamed at him to stop. 

"Sapnap you know I don't have any pearls you muffin!" Bad screamed and watched as Sapnap let out a laugh despite the situation and then disappeared. 

Bad huffed in clear annoyance and looked down at his communicator to see if the admin ever got back to him but there was nothing. 

"I swear," He said, speeding up so that he could stop Sapnap from doing something stupid, "You would think the admin of the server would stay on to make sure that everything went smoothly, what kind of idiot is this one." 

"Ha," Tommy said loudly and pointed at the host, "Bad just insulted you, that means you're in trouble." 

"How about you shut the boy up," the host said with a glare in Tommy's direction. 

A guard stepped up to the table and made his way over to Tommy but was stopped when a blade was pressed to his throat. 

"I've let you get away with a lot of things tonight,' Phil said, glaring at the man and putting all of his anger into his words, "But I will not let you hurt another one of my children again." 

"Let him take the boy or we speed up the virus," Host growled into the mic next to him. 

Many of the guests stood as well. Armor and weapons at the ready in case they needed to put a stop to this madness. Techno stood up as well and made his way over. Wilbur had left his spot against the wall and was now standing in front of the blonde. 

"Come on now fellas," the hybrid said, placing a hand on Phil's and guiding the sword away, "I know that when Dream gets out he'll be mad if I cause any form of trouble; that is the only reason I haven't massacred any of you." 

If the people in the room felt the temperature drop a couple of degrees, no one said anything. Not when the only person that could defeat The Dream was standing right there and willing to take them out. 

"However, if you threaten any of us one more time then I won't sit around and watch it happen," Techno said lowly, watching as the guard cowered away, "Dream's wrath be damned, I'll make the walls red with your blood." 

Everyone standing sat down and tried to stop their hands from trembling. Many started thinking that this was a bad idea and they shouldn't have even talked about it, much less put the plan into action. None of them said it out loud. no one wanted to give away that they were having second thoughts.

Dream felt different. The darkness was shifting and he felt like he was growing, becoming something new and known for hope. He didn't know why but he felt like he needed to use the remaining strength he had to do something. 

"You've done so good Dream. They might miss you but they'll never forget you." 

"Never forget me?" He thought in confusion, "Why do I have to leave?" 

"I suppose you don't. This will be the last time that you have to save anyone, then you can finally rest."

"I can finally rest," He thought with a small smile, "I'll protect them and then I'll rest..." 

He let the mysterious voice in his head take over so that he didn't have to worry about anything anymore. He just knew that everything would work out and that everyone would be happy in the end. 

"Thank you for saving us." 

George felt safe and warm. There was something holding him close and he knew that he was protected at the moment. There was still a small part of him that wanted to try and regain control of his body but he also felt like Dream handled the situation. They would be ok since Dream did what he needed to. 

"You're friends will understand."

"Of course they will, they're my family." 

"Yes, you'll be able to save your family one last time, as well as all the species on this server." 

"Ok," George thought, memories of laughter, cuddles, and protection flashing through his head, "If I can save them then I'll be ok." 

"Then let go, just let go and we'll handle the rest." 

So he did. He took one last calming breath and allowed himself to give everything up. The fight, the stress, the worry, the warmth. Everything he's ever felt was just gone, he was finally allowed to think about himself and not about going home to make others feel happy.

When Bad finally caught up to Sapnap the other was staring at where the entrance to the cave should be. Instead, the whole surrounding area was obsidian and there was no way in that they could see. Thick black vines were branching out and moving to cover everything they could touch, making the nature around them decay and fade away. 

"Wh-" Bad started before he was cut off when Sapnap started laughing, "Sap?" 

"We were too late," Sapnap said, shoulders shaking from the force of his laughs, "They're stuck in some kind of void and we can't get them because the world is decaying." 

"Hey," the demon said, placing his hand on the person he considered his brother, "They could.." 

"THEY AREN'T!" Sapnap shouted and spun around to stare at Bad in the eyes, "WE LOST THEM CAUSE WE WERE TO SLOW!" 

"This isn't our fault," Bad argued firmly, "We had no idea that this would happen." 

Sapnap stayed quiet while never breaking eye contact with the other. He thought of the 'what ifs' while he watched Bad try and keep his brave face on. The demon did have a point though, it wasn't their fault. They didn't make the server, they didn't allow a virus to slip through the code. No, it wasn't them, it was all his fault. The damned admin that gave Dream the server, the one that looked at them like they were trash, the one that caused the death of his brothers. 

"Besides we'll all be together soon," Bad said softly, "We can't leave so it's only a matter of time before we join them." 

"Yeah," Sapnap said with a smile, "We'll all be together." 

"No one left behind," they both spoke while wrapping each other in a hug.

No one was cheering anymore. The Host was the only one that seemed to be enjoying how everything was unfolding. The great Dream was gone and finally, the bigger servers could overtake the smaller ones. No more trash taking up space that he could be using, no more talk about a man in green restoring the code of the servers that were corrupted. 

"YOU BASTARD!" Tommy yelled, fighting to get out of Ant's hold, "I'M GOING TO COME OVER THERE AND FUCK YOU UP!" 

People were avoiding looking at the screen. They didn't want to watch the two men currently grieving over the fact that their friends were gone. They didn't want to watch as both of them accept their deaths and the fact that they would never be able to see the family that they left this very morning. 

"Don't you see how beneficial this is to everyone," Host said, voice almost shaking from the excitement he was feeling, "Think about how much better our region will be!" 

Everyone was so focused on the man that seemed to be falling apart that they missed the vines growing through the floor in the back corner. They missed at they twisted together the grew high to form a version of the tree of life. Not until someone screamed while some of the vines grew further out and reached out towards the Dream SMP table. 

"What is that!" 

"Why is there suddenly a tree?" 

"I bet this is their fault, look at all the branches and vines growing towards them!" 

The yelling continued and some people pushed towards the group with their weapons raised. They were so close, Techno organizing his inventory in case of a fight, but stopped when they heard a giggle. 

"I can see why he got so close to you all," a girl said, swinging her legs as she sat on one of the tree branches. 

A green hoodie, blonde hair, and a smiley mask. She seemed so much like Dream, younger of course, but so much like Dream. 

"Sometimes people have to let go to see everything that they've accomplished, just know that in the very end he was thinking about making sure you all were safe." 

She lifted the mask to show her mouth, lips formed in a soft smile, before slowly fading away. A calm feeling washed over everyone and all the anger and sadness was gone. Sure those close to George and Dream could still feel an inkling on the feeling still buried deep inside but they were able to ignore it instead of letting it consume them. Sapnap and Bad would make it back, it might seem bad but now they had a feeling of hope.

Sapnap and Bad could only stare as a tree, much like with the others, suddenly started forming a little ahead of them. The girl, who only brought the feeling of calmness was standing in front of an opening that leads inside of it. Her mask pulled up to show her smile but also the tears that slowly fell down her cheeks. 

"You can visit when we're restored but at this time I must ask you to leave," She said softly, "It's only a matter of time before the virus takes over and you both need to leave so you aren't caught in it." 

"I'm not leaving them," Sapnap growled, eyes blazing with a fire that never truly died. 

"They wouldn't want you to give up your life just because they were gone," She said, smile shifting to one of sadness, "George used the last of his strength to give you a way out." 

She gestured to the tree, one of great beauty and unmoving even as the winds picked up. 

"He didn't want you to suffer the fate he was given," She continued, "Please don't make his last wish go to waste, if so he'll have died for nothing." 

Even though they were sitting Sapnap dug his feet into the ground so that no one could move him. He loosened the grip he had on Bad and faced the demon with a determined expression. 

"I'm not going to keep you here Bad," He said, "If you want to go back then I support you, but I will not be leaving this spot." 

Bad gave Sapnap a sad smile and pulled the bandana-wearing male into a tight hug. He wanted to support Sapnap's decision, he really did, but he also knew how much his death would sadden Dream and George. So while he was letting the younger bury his face into his neck, he pulled out a potion of weakness and pulled away. 

"At least take this so it isn't as painful as it sounds?" Bad said, the desperation in his tone the only thing that convinced Sapnap to take it and then down it. 

The potion took effect immediately and Sapnap let his body go limp, head dangling to the side when Bad picked him up. 

"I'm sorry but I can't leave you here," the older muttered and made his way over to the tree, the other held closely to his chest. 

"Soon," the girl said when they entered, "Our world will be saved, Dream is allowing us to use his energy to fight the virus, and when that happens there will be a tree in the center of yours." 

"We can come back?" Bad asked voice cracking once he realized they could come and everyone could get a proper goodbye. 

"I would never keep you from their resting place," She said, "Not when they're doing so much to save all of us." 

She gave one last smile before the opening in the tree started closing. Wood mending together so that they wouldn't have to see the destruction happening around the tree.

"Good luck."  

"We'll always love and watch over you." 

Bad sobbed at the sound of their voices. He clutched Sapnap tightly and continued to cry even as the tree opened up again and he felt Ant and Skeppy hug each side of him. He tried to ignore the sobs of Sapnap, each one growing louder as they felt the pain of losing the ones who have been with them from the beginning. 

They ignored the sight and smell of blood that surrounded them. Bodies littering the floor, the evidence of Techno finally releasing his rage on the people that broke apart his family. They ignored the trembling of hands that held them up and guided them home, the sounds of people crying. It was all ignored. 

When the tree showed up groups of three went in together, each person holding a white rose and a blue one. Everyone said their goodbyes, allowed themselves to heal from the heartbreak. If anyone saw the two shadows that would sometimes show up around the tree at night no one said anything, too scared that they would disappear if someone mentioned it. In the end, after years of slowly letting themselves grow and build families, they moved on and let go of the hurt, but they never stopped visiting the tree that brought the two members of their family back. They never abandoned the world that their brother gave his life to safe, they just couldn't bring themselves to do it. It was ok though because they moved on. 

The End.

Chapter Text

If someone were to ask any member of the SMP who they thought was the most protective of the Dream Team, their answer would be Dream every single time. The man constantly went out of his way to take care of Sapnap and George, completely ignoring his own needs if he had to. Sure, Sapnap and George had their own moments of being fiercely protective, like that one time Sapnap was willing to throw himself into lava if it meant saving Dream. Or when George stepped in front of an arrow that would have killed Dream. But no matter how many times they saved Dream, the masked man would just save them double the number of times they did. 

What people didn't know was that George was the most protective. He was the most caring, willing to drop everything to help his brothers even if the task or problem seemed simple in the eyes of others. He never complained, never criticized the others for coming to get him. No, he went, no questions asked, and did what needed to be done before going back to what he was doing prior. This was all because at the end of the day, Dream and Sapnap were his everything. They were family, who found each other and built themselves up, brothers George always wanted. 

He'd be damned if anyone took them away from him and it was only a matter of time before everyone knew that.

Eret prided themselves on knowing what everyone was dealing with. They would go around and ask each person every single day how they were doing, or if there was anything they needed help with, maybe if they wanted to get something off their chest. It was simply a role that they gave themselves and never let anyone take from them. However, there was always one person that never allowed themselves to let go and answer their questions. 

Dream. 

The masked man was a mystery to Eret most of the time. Sure they each held respect for each other. Dream minded his business and Eret minded theirs, but they would be lying if they said that there wasn't a voice nagging in the back of their mind saying Dream wasn't invincible.  

Boy did Eret wish they had listened to the voice.

Dream looked absolutely terrible. Clothes soaking wet, mask cracked and about to fall apart any second, blood pooling at his feet, and an arm bent in a direction they didn't even know was possible. 

"Holy shit Dream," Eret said and rushed forward to help the man stand up, after all, he looked like a single gust of wind would knock him to the floor, "What happened to you?" 

"One of the villages that were on my land had a problem with raiders," Dream explained while leaning against the King with a small sigh of relief, "They sent someone to come and get me a couple of days ago so I went to handle the problem." 

"Normal villagers did this to you?" Eret questioned. 

Dream was the second-best fighter that Eret had ever met, the only other person to beat him being Technoblade. Even then the two men were basically on the same level and it depended on how they were feeling the days they fought. Eret just couldn't see a group of raiders doing this much damage to the masked man. 

"I also might have been distracted when I was fighting," Dream said and moved his mask to above his mouth so that he could suck in a big breath of fresh air, "I had a fight with George a couple of hours before and I wasn't thinking straight." 

Eret cringed at the confession and guided the man towards his castle. Sapnap and George have always had an effect on Dream, both positive and negative. There weren't many times that they fought but when they did each man made it seem like it was the end of everything. They wouldn't speak for days depending on how much they argued and the atmosphere was always tense if they were forced to be in the same room. 

"How bad was it this time?" Eret asked. 

It would take a while to get back to Eret's place with how slowly they needed to move to not aggravate Dream's wounds. Now would be as good a time as any to get a look into Dream's emotions. 

"The fight with George or the fight with the raiders?" Dream said with a slight scoff, he knew what Eret was doing but he was too tired to try and filter all his thoughts. 

"The fight with George," Eret responded. 

They both stopped walking when Dream's breathing started picking up and he put even more weight on his companion. He caught his breath and started to move again while releasing a small laugh.

"I don't even remember what we fought about," Dream said with a hint of sadness entering his tone, "We both had a bad day and he started lecturing me about being reckless and I just got annoyed." 

Eret hummed in understanding but didn't push Dream to say anything else. Honestly, they thought that Dream would have been the one to start lecturing the older male; everyone in the SMP had seen it multiple times after all. George putting himself in danger or starting something he couldn't finish. Every time it would result in Dream stepping in and handling the situation before turning to his friend and telling him off. 

"I don't even know why we got so mad at each other," Dream whispered and Eret turned slightly when he spotted a bench to the side of their path, "All I remember is him yelling and saying that I should just leave if I didn't want to be told off for being wrong." 

Silence was the only thing that followed after that and Eret gently placed the man down when they made it to the bench. Realistically they knew that it would be a good idea to get Sapnap so that he could bring the supplies that Dream needed. At the same time, Eret didn't know if Sapnap was involved in the argument or how he was feeling towards Dream so he went with the next best option. 

Eret whispered to Bad: You're still at the castle right? 

Bad whispered to Eret: Yeah, Skeppy is still setting up the surprise so I have to stay for another night. Is that ok? 

Eret whispered to Bad: That's great. I need you to meet me near the bakery, Dream is really injured and I don't have any potions on me.

Bad whispered to Eret: WHAT DID THAT MUFFIN DO? I'LL BE THERE IN A COUPLE MINUTES!

"Bad's on his way," Eret said when he looked up from his communicator, "He's bringing some potions since you clearly need them." 

It went unsaid that Bad would be the only one that Dream let look at all the injuries he had. Eret might be able to see the blood and broken arm but there was no way Dream would let them get close to lift his shirt and see the actual wound. 

"Thanks," Dream said softly and closed his eyes, the exhaustion was setting in and he really just wanted the night to be over with, he wanted to go home. 

"You know it will work out with George right?" the king said, eyes frantically moving across the other's body to try and read his reaction, "You guys have your fights but you always make up afterward." 

Dream just hummed and they fell into a comfortable silence once again. The only sound was Dream's slightly ragged breathing and Eret lightly tapping their heels on the pavement. 

"Dream!" a voice shouted from far away causing said man's head to shoot up. 

Running next to Bad was George. George had a panicked look on his face and looked like he was running himself into the ground. He was panting and when they could clearly see him the sound of his footsteps sped up. 

"Are you ok?" the man questioned when he and Bad made it to the seated pair, "I was so worried and I couldn't find you anywhere? What happened? Who did this to you ?" 

The last question was growled out and Eret flinched in shock at the heat behind the words. George wasn't someone that Eret had ever really seen angry, normally the man was laid back and willing to walk away from conflict so he could sleep. 

"It's fine George," Dream mumbled, staring at the ground so that he didn't have to look George in the eyes, "It was just a village to the south that needed help with some raiders, the one that we went to during the last Manhunt." 

George gave Dream such an unimpressed look that Eret would have laughed if there wasn't such a thick tension in the air. Bad lightly pushed George out of the way and shoved a potion in Dream's hand before giving him a stern look. Dream looked at the potion then back to Bad before looking at the glass bottle again. 

"Dream I swear if you act like a muffin and try to pour that potion out I will actually kill you," Bad hissed and Dream made a noise of irritation before downing the potion. 

Eret started to feel uncomfortable with the silence that came afterward and was trying to think of ways to make it better but George sighed loudly first. 

"We're going home Dream," He said and grabbed the other man's good arm and gently tried to drag him away, "You're going to lay down and sleep while Sapnap takes care of you." 

"What, you won't take care of me?" Dream questioned and George scoffed. 

"Of course I will," He replied, "After I track down the rest of the raiders and slaughter them for what they did." 

As the pair walked away Eret and Bad could only hear Dream's signature wheeze before they were out of hearing distance. Eret looked at Bad as the demon started talking to himself about how he needs to lock Dream in a room to make sure the man didn't get hurt anymore. 

"What just happened?" Eret asked and watched as Bad turned to just look at the king, "I thought George was the sanest one out of the three of them?" 

"Please," Bad said and smiled before turning towards the direction of the castle, "Last time Dream and Sapnap were hurt during a raid George went crazy and basically caused a massacre." 

"Oh," Eret replied as they silently followed behind the demon as they made their way back home, "I really need to make sure I don't get on his bad side."

If anyone was kept up by the multiple death messages that popped up that night they didn’t say anything. After all, the raiders must have given George no choice if he was actually fighting them instead of trying to talk it out.

Despite being at each other's throats most of the time, Dream and Techno considered themselves good friends. It was hard to find someone that matched their skill level so when they participated in the Mr. Beast challenge and discovered what the other could do they latched onto that companionship. Which brought them to today, participating in one of their weekly spars that left both of them with aching wounds and phantom pains of metal slicing through skin. 

"’Blade, do you not understand how big this is?" Tommy exclaimed, walking next to his friend and bouncing on his heels in excitement, "You are the only one on this server that has beaten Dream in a fight, and now I can finally watch you in action." 

Techno was glad that the mask covered his eyes. He really didn't want to scare the kid away with the heat of his glare but damn could the teen be annoying. 

"Tommy, maybe you should calm down," Ghostbur said softly, practically feeling the annoyance in Techno's aura, "You promised to stay out of the way and be quiet if he let you come." 

Tommy whined loudly and Techno's steps faltered slightly before he corrected himself. Not once had he or Dream brought anyone to their duels, it was almost an unspoken rule. The only reason there were three people trailing behind him was that the loud blond one didn't know how to leave a subject alone while the other two thought it would be an interesting fight to see. This was only a one-time thing and as they got closer to the clearing that Dream picked out Techno couldn't help feeling some relief. 

"Glad I wasn't the only one that brought company," Dream said and smirked behind his mask at the agitated body language his rival was displaying. 

Behind the masked man were his two friends, acting more like lost puppies in Techno’s opinion. Sapnap was pulling at the grass looking like he was forced to sit there for hours. George was standing with his arms crossed and giving the youngest a heated glare. 

"So why'd you bring your pets?" Techno asked, ignoring the voices that said the two puppies shouldn’t be here. 

"Sapnap was winning about not getting enough time with the Dream Team and wanted to come," Dream replied, "What about you?" 

"Tommy was being annoyin, Ghostbur just wanted to follow us, and Phil was bored because he finished the last book in the library," Techno said while opening his inventory. 

Dream followed the pink-haired warrior’s example and they both started organizing their inventory to make sure they would be able to perform to the best of their ability during the fight. Both of the parties that followed the two men took shelter under a lone tree that seemed to be in the middle of the clearing. 

"You seem tense," Phil commented, side glancing at George. 

The eldest of the proclaimed 'Dream Team' was tense, arms still crossed despite being surrounded by people he knew he could trust. In reality, why would he be relaxed? His best friend, no, his brother , was about to fight against the only man that could kill him alone. George had seen the scars, angry white lines that stayed on the skin despite being respawned after his defeat. He had seen the tense, fidgety movements that Dream still did even hours after the duel. Sure Technoblade could experience the same thing but George felt an anger flare at the thought of Dream dealing with those issues once again. 

"It's a tense situation for me," George replied, voice tense just like his shoulders. 

Phil laughed before patting the younger male on the back. 

"I'm sure it will be fine," He said with a smile, "Dream and Techno both know each other's boundaries and I'm sure they'll respect them once again." 

Sapnap noticed the unwillingness to relax still present in George's posture and tugged on his pants to get his attention. When George looked down he saw an almost pleading emotion swimming in Sapnap's eyes as he patted the ground next to him. Not wanting to stress his friend out he plopped down and grabbed onto the other's wrist gently. They turned their attention back to the two fighters and watched in awe as their weapons clashed and fought to win dominance. 

"They're stressing me out," George said, his eyes following Techno's blade as it sliced through the skin of Dream's right side. 

"Stop being such a mother George," Sapnap said and rolled his eyes, "We've hunted Dream before and he's still kicked our asses, besides, even if he does lose to Techno this time he'll still bounce back." 

George said nothing and just ripped up a handful of grass and threw it at the younger man. Sapnap sputtered in irritation and was about to retaliate when Tommy's gasp caught their attention and they turned in time to see one of Dream's arrows embed itself in Techno's shoulder. 

"The Blade might lose," Tommy said with a frown but perked up when Techno just pushed it all the way through and charged at the other. 

Phil smiled at the pair and ignored the insults that were being spoken between them. He's been friends with Techno for so long but he's happy to see the hybrid opening up and allowing others in. Dream is a good addition to his life and Phil was happy to watch them grow closer. While Tommy and Phil were only thinking of the good things, George and Sapnap looked worried as the fight went on. 

"It's this so cool," Tommy said excitedly while looking at everyone, "Sure I've seen Big D and The Blade fight separately but when they're going against each other it's like they push themselves!" 

Tommy continued to ramble and analyze the fight that was happening in front of them. Ghostbur continued to stay quiet and spent most of his time petting Friend instead of focusing on the destruction. He sensed a shift in the air and turned to Sapnap and watched as the other man's eyes flared a bright red at the sight of Dream falling to the floor with blood spreading from his shoulder wound. The ghost made his way over to him and held out some blue for the other to take. 

"Thank you Ghostbur," Sapnap said with a strained smile before turning his attention back on the duel, smile growing wider as Dream was able to force Techno to the ground. 

George smirked, proud of Dream for continuing to fight despite his multiple injuries. He did wish that one of them would just hurry up and end it though. He could only handle so much, Sapnap as well considering the other's eyes were a blazing orange-red at this point, before he wouldn't be able to stop himself from stepping in. 

“I don’t like it anymore George,” Sapnap whispered so that only his friends could hear him, “It was cool at first seeing Dream fight without holding back but I want to help him.” 

Both of the masked man’s friends started fidgeting as the fight continued, both fighters collecting a wide variety of injuries. 

“Wait Friend, don’t go over there,” Ghostbur said quickly and tried to yank the lead around his pet but only watched as it fell through his hand. 

Sapnap stood to reach for the lead but the sheep ran faster towards the dueling pair. George huffed something about Ghostbur needing to train his pet better but didn’t move as Sapnap rushed after the animal. 

“Should he really be getting that close?” Tommy asked and looked at Phil as Sapnap snuck up on the blue sheep, “Techno and Dream look like they’re really getting into it now.” 

True to the boy’s words there was a thick tension in the air surrounding Techno and Dream. Even if they both knew that they would be coming back next week to repeat the process, they tended to act like each duel was the last. 

“Wait Techno don’t!” Phil shouted when he saw his friend aim an arrow at the admin. 

Phil knew Dream would be able to dodge but Sapnap was right behind the admin, focusing on securing the lead around the sheep’s neck. Unless Sapnap had gotten faster since the last time Phil saw him there would be no way the younger man could dodge it. Not with all the enchantments that Phil just knew Techno had added to all the gear he brought. 

“Sap!” George yelled, watching helplessly as his friend, his brother, turned in time for the arrow to pierce right above his heart. 

Dream dropped everything and ran towards Sapnap. Phil rushed over as well, searching through his inventory to see if he had any healing potions he could give the other. George and Tommy stayed still, Tommy since he didn’t want to get in the way while the others did what needed to be done, and George because he was still trying to process what he was seeing. 

“Shit Phil do you have anything?” Dream said while clutching Sapnap’s hand, “I never bring anything since I’m ok with dying and just respawning.” 

“I’m sorry mate but I don’t have anything either,” Phil said with a frown, watching as Sapnap started gasping for air and blood trickled from his mouth, “Techno tends to carry the potions.” 

Dream bit his lip behind the mask and looked at Sapnap. He really didn’t want Sapnap to deal with respawning. The aches that followed you for weeks after your death even though your body was brand new. The cold feeling that encased you at night, throwing you back to the minute your vision started to go and you took your final breath. 

“I didn’t know,” Techno said, suddenly showing up behind the pair, “I was so focused on Dream and the voices kept screaming to defeat him. I didn’t even see Sapnap at all.”

Sapnap’s eyes met Tencho’s and he squeezed Dream’s hand before tapping the man’s hand three times. 

“It’s fine,” Dream replied, “He says that it’s fine.” 

Phil and Techno made no other comments as they watched Dream and Sapnap’s interaction. The admin was speaking softly as Sapnap’s breathing slowed, hands clenched together so that Sapnap knew he wasn’t alone. 

“George and I are going to be there when you spawn back in,” Dream whispered, “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop you from dealing with the pain.” 

Sapnap lightly tapped Dream’s hand three more times before his grip went limp and his breathing stopped. Dream tightened his hold on the still body and waited for his friend to disappear. It was a long process, collecting all the memories so that they could be restored in your new body. 

“I think it’s time for us to go, mate,” Phil said, gently placing his hand on Techno’s shoulder so he could lead the two away. 

Techno nodded and forced himself to look away from the shaking admin. He did that. He caused the death of a friend. He had just finished turning when an immense pressure was slammed against his throat. 

“George!” Dream yelled at the man as Techno fell to the floor and grasped at his throat while trying to bring in some air. 

“Holy shit!” Tommy said and rushed to Technoblade’s side, “Are you trying to crush his windpipe?” 

George said nothing and only glared at the hybrid with a fire burning in his eyes. He squatted down and looked Techno in the eyes, uncaring of the harsh breaths the man was trying to pull in. 

“If I see you anywhere near Sapnap in the following month I will not hesitate to kill you where you stand,” He hissed, “Immortal Blade or not.” 

He stood up and secured the goggles back over his eyes before walking over to Dream and pulling the man up by his arm. 

“See you around L’Manberg Tommy,” He told the teen before dragging Dream away from the group and most likely the way they came from. 

The three remaining people, as well as Ghostbur and Friend, stood in silence before Phil kneeled next to Techno and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“Let’s get you back home,” He said, frowning at the way Techno still had trouble breathing, “We’ll get you a healing potion and some tea.” 

“Who knew Georgenotfound could be so aggressive,” Tommy said in a state of shock after seeing the normally calm man go after Technoblade of all people. 

“Well apparently I was aggressive when I was alive,” Ghostbur said with a smile and ignored the hesitant glances everyone else gave each other. 

“Let’s just go home,” Phil muttered and helped Techno up so they could help the man with his throat. 

All of them thought about how it was probably a good thing that George wasn’t against them since he obviously didn’t care who you were if you hurt his family.

Of course, it wasn’t just those two incidents that keyed everyone in on George’s protective side. Sapnap, Dream, and even Bad had the tendency to get themselves in trouble at any given time after all. Alyssa had seen George go up against a whole hoard of zombies, fueled by adrenaline and the need to protect the heavily injured Bad. Punz and Sam had to knock the man out and force him to sleep when Dream and Sapnap got sick since he refused to get even an hour of sleep that whole week. Ponk even had to use his famous puppy eyes one time after George refused to move from the entrance to the infirmary while Sapnap was healing from a creeper explosion. 

Yes, Dream was very protective of those close to him. Sapnap is very loving and open to anyone coming to him for help. Bad is always waiting with open arms for someone to be engulfed in if they need it. George, however, has a deep-rooted need to save his family, a dark part of himself that hides in the shadows waiting to be released when it’s needed. He’d die for them if the time called for it and would rest peacefully knowing that they would see the sun another day, even if it was without him. The server knew of this part of him, and if he needed to show the rest of the world? Well, that was a story for another day.