Chapter Text
There had been something strange in the air on that morning; something heavy and unyielding that screamed impending doom.
Techno had seemed distracted the night before, seeming like he was holding back something important. He had left early that morning, with lack of reason or mention that he would be doing so.
To Tommy, this was strange, but no cause for immediate concern as long as Techno returned before nightfall.
Looking back on it, he kind of wished that Technoblade hadn’t returned.
He had brought Dream with him, face seemingly impassive. The porcelain mask made Tommy’s heart constrict, and he felt like he couldn’t breathe.
“Thank you Technoblade,” The masked man’s grin could be seen beneath his mask, and it felt malicious. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
Techno said nothing as Dream approached Tommy, a hand seizing his wrist.
“Techno, no wait, please don’t let him do this!” He begged, trying to catch the older man’s eyes. “Please I don’t want to go back, don’t let him take me back!”
“He called in a favor, Tommy,” he muttered, watching as the blonde tried to escape Dream’s grip. “I’m sorry.”
Months had passed, and it led to Tommy sitting in an open sunflower biome, bordered by dense forests, with nothing to his name except fear and an ever present exhaustion.
Dream hadn’t taken him back to Logstedshire. Instead they’d ended up here, in a broken down cabin tucked between trees, thousands of blocks from L’Manberg.
A few butterflies floated lazily around his head, and he reached a hand out to offer them a place to land. Only one took the offer, the other five landed atop his head or rested on his shoulders.
Butterflies seemed to follow him almost constantly now. Which was fine. It was nice to have contact that wasn’t painful for awhile, even if it was from a bug. They were pretty anyways.
“Tommy!” Dream’s voice came from the trees, and the younger boy flinched, causing a few of the butterflies to take off. “I need you to deliver a message for me.”
Tommy choked back a sob. He didn’t want to do this again. He really didn’t.
Slowly he stood, and made his way over to Dream, terror clawing at him, bouncing back and forth between telling him it was better to just listen, to obey, and begging him to stay where he was.
When he came to stand in front of Dream, the older man gave him a slight grin that could be seen just under the curve of his mask.
“Just a message for Schlatt,” He told him, plunging a blade into Tommy’s stomach. The pain was immediate, burning the same way it did every time. He could feel blood beginning to crawl it’s way up his throat.
Dream told him what he wanted Schlatt to know as Tommy sunk to his knees, head growing fuzzy.
The masked man pulled the blade out and smiled, crouched down in front of the boy. He wiped tears from Tommy’s face that the boy hadn’t even realized were falling.
“Don’t worry Tomathy, I’ll bring you back soon. Only a few days this time.”
Tommy toppled forward, head coming to rest on Dream’s shoulder, in a warped version of a hug. Dream ran his fingers through Tommy’s completely white hair, as he felt the rise and fall of the boy’s chest come to a stop.
He would wake a few days later, to tell Dream that his message was delivered. Dream would let him lay in the bed all day long, blankets tucked up around his shoulders, only making him sit up to eat soup that was made. He wouldn’t even complain about the butterflies.
Sometimes, on days like this, he could pretend he was just sick, back in his childhood home with Phil taking care of him. He could pretend that he would go to sleep, and wake up later to Wilbur curled around him, and Techno off to the side in a chair, reading.
He could pretend he was loved.
——————————————————————————————————————
Phil wasn’t sure where they were leading him or why, but the Crows seemed adamant that he follow. The mentions of Tommy and Dream were only causing fear to grow within him.
The sunflower biome didn’t seem to be anything special. The area seemed to move into a forest. There was a run down house, more of a shack, tucked off to the side.
What caught his eye the most was a shock of white by a pond, and the Crows dove towards it causing Phil to stop quickly and follow. When he landed he realized why they had chosen to stop here.
“Tommy?” He asked, recognizing the tired face of his youngest, who seemed to be focused on a butterfly that had made itself at home crawling up his arm.
The boy’s head whipped up to look at the source of the voice.
“D-Dad?” His voice was raspy, and defeated. “What are you doing here?”
“I was worried about you,” Phil said quietly.
Now that he was getting a better look at his face, he noticed new scars that decorated Tommy’s face. White lines crawled up his cheeks, and one ran over the bridge of his nose. The boy’s eyes were slightly cloudier than they used to be, and the blonde man noticed the way that Tommy squinted as he looked at him.
Like he no longer could see very well.
“You were?” The boy choked.
“I always worry about you Tommy,” he said, coming closer slowly, like he was moving towards an injured animal. “I’m your dad, it’s my job. Though I suppose I’ve done a shit job of showing that recently.”
“Yeah you really have,” Tommy snorted, and then slapped a hand over his mouth. He cowered back slightly, and it made Phil’s heart break. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean that I promise. I’m sorry I’m-“
The older man took that moment to pull his child into a hug. Tommy stiffened for a second, before relaxing slightly, and hugging him back.
“Please don’t apologize Tommy, none of this is your fault.”
“Yes it is, all of it. I made everyone hate me. I deserve this.”
“God, no Bubba, never. I don’t know what’s happened but I know you didn’t deserve any of it.”
“He keeps hurting me, and killing me, but he brings me back and I’m just so tired dad. I just want it to stop,” Tommy choked, and Phil felt his blood run cold.
“Who- is it Dream? Dream has been doing that to you?”
Tommy nodded against Phil’s shoulder.
“I can’t do it anymore dad, I can’t.”
“I’m taking you home.”
“No, no you can’t!” Tommy nearly screeched, “He’ll come after me and he’ll kill you!”
“I’m not afraid of that green bastard,” the man growled. “And if he dares to come near you again, I’ll cut him down where he stands. He will not hurt you again.”
Tommy seemed resigned at that, and leaned back into his father. Phil picked the boy up, cradling him to his chest. He was determined to begin to fix the damage that Dream had caused, and first thing to do would be to bring Tommy home.
Butterflies seemed to follow Phil and his crows, but he barely noticed.
——————————————————————————————————————————
When Tommy noticed the cabin in the Antarctic Empire was where they were headed, he panicked.
“No we can’t be here! Techno will tell Dream and he’ll take me back- he’ll take me back-“
“Tommy, I promise Techno won’t tell Dream-“
“He’s the one who handed me over to him in the first place,” The choked off sob made Phil freeze. “He handed me over because of a favor Phil!.”
“I promise Techno will not send you back to Dream.” Phil tells him, the 'especially when he sees you now' going unsaid. “I will make sure of it.”
“Promise?” Tommy asked, sounding so young.
“I promise Tommy.”
“Okay.”
As soon as they walked into the house, they came face to face with Techno. Tommy turned away, burying his face into his father’s shoulder. He was shaking.
“Tommy?” It was soft, and filled with heavy emotion. A rarity when it came to Techno. “What happened?”
“Something with Dream,” Tommy took in a sharp breath at the mention of the masked man. “I’ll explain more later. “
“Tommy, I-“ Techno whispered. “I am so sorry. I never should have done what I did. There’s no excuse.”
Tommy whipped his head up, almost head butting Phil in the chin accidentally.
“Really?” He asked quietly, voice hopeful. Hopeful in a completely heartbreaking way.
“Really.”
“You don’t hate me?”
“What? No never Tommy. I- it’s the exact opposite. I made a terrible mistake.”
Tommy’s eyes went glassy, and he nearly threw himself out of Phil’s arms to wrap them around his older brother.
“I don’t think I can forgive you yet,” Tommy whispered after a moment, “but I love you too Tech.”
A butterfly flittered from Tommy’s hair, making itself known as it landed on Technoblade’s shoulder.
A butterfly in the tundra didn’t make much sense, but things didn’t need to make sense right now.
Later that night Tommy was curled up next to Techno, who was reading, and Phil was next him with a wing curled around them. He was asleep. It was quiet.
“Dream killed him and revived him,” Phil had told Techno when they were sure Tommy was asleep. "I think it's why his hair is white."
This caused the silent agreement that tomorrow plans would continue between Phil and Technoblade about the ways they planned to make Dream suffer before they killed him.
But right now the peace was necessary.
“Phil, you know that butterflies are attracted to corpses?”
A butterfly landed on Tommy’s arm.