Child Soldier

Chapter 2; Friendship?

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"I'm going to take you somewhere that I can keep an eye on you. Since you never listen, y'know. Obviously you need more supervision. More rules," Dream told him with a nonchalant shrug. He approached Tommy and the young man forced himself to not take another step back. Dream was Tommy's friend after all- he didn't need to be afraid.

He was afraid.

Tommy was very afraid.

Having been hit with that very axe, and shot with arrows enchanted with a blazing flame that singed his skin. He couldn't count the amount he'd had to pull from himself, the amount of scars that speckled across his body now.

Tommy froze as his wrists were grabbed roughly. Dream yanking Tommy's arms roughly toward himself. With a tight grip the man tied the lead around them. The rough rope tightly bit against his skin so he couldn't wiggle his hands from the bonds, and Tommy winced at the harsh treatment.

"Tommy this is for your own good," Dream reminded him. His voice gentle, while his actions cruel. The push and pull of Tommy's emotions weighed stress on his mind.

Friends don't do this. Tommy told himself.

You deserve it. You did something wrong. There was that little reminder.

"I-I know," Tommy told him, watching as it was tied and wishing he could ask the man to loosen it a bit. "Dream?"

Dream looked up as the boy called out to him, wrapping the lead around his own hand and allowing a little slack between the two of them.

"Yes, Tommy?" Dream asked, beginning to walk into the plains.

Tommy followed after, looking down to his one shoeless foot. The other had a hole where his big toe stuck out.

"We're friends, right Dream?" Tommy asked hopefully, looking back up at Dream. He just had the view of the man's back, before he glanced over to the boy. Tommy caught a glimpse of Dream's narrowed eyes and flat expression behind Dream's smiling mask.

"Of course," Dream's expression shifted and he smiled at Tommy, giving him a nod.

"Y-yeah... Yeah. You're my bestfriend Dream," Tommy told him and Dream nodded.

"I'm the only one that's visited you, you know," Dream reminded. He turned away from Tommy and gave the rope a tug for the boy to hurry along. "Like this you'll see me every day, and then you won't have to think about Tubbo, or Ranboo... or whoever else was your 'friend'. Or you thought were your friends any way."

"Yeah, yeah... you're right, Dream. You're always right." Tommy nodded defeatedly. The bags under his eyes felt heavier than usual, his energy sapped from him at the reminder that Dream truly was his only friend.

Why else would Tommy have been alone this whole time?

That was the only explanation that made sense to Tommy.

Some people had come to visit him. But it was just out of pity of course. They'd just give him things and then leave, visiting once and laughing at him. No one understood his situation, no one cared. At least not enough to help him get out of exile anyway.

Tubbo not coming to see him was the worst of it though. Not even once did his bestfriend come to see him.

And then the party...

No. Tommy couldn't think about that. Especially not right now.

The travel through the plains was a short one and before long they reached the end of the border and had entered into the snow biome nearby. The temperature dropped considerably and Tommy was left shivering violently. He wasn't even remotely dressed for this kind of weather; especially not with the tears in his clothing.

The chill winds embraced Tommy fully as it passed through his raggedy attire.

"D-Dream buddy. It's uh, a little cold for my liking here," Tommy chuckled nervously. "You got a jacket or something, big man?"

"No," Dream shook his head, pulling Tommy toward him again. "But we'll be near Technoblade's soon. I'm sure he has something you can borrow."

"Techno?!" Tommy glared at just the mention of the man. It tore his mind away from whatever he'd previously been dwelling on. Tommy's hatred for Techno gave him a little more energy as the thought distracted him. "You know I hate that asshole!"

"We'll need somewhere to stay tonight. Don't want to deal with all the mobs," Dream reminded him. "He's the closest."

"Aaauugh," Tommy groaned. "I hate this. This is stupid. Cant we just, you know, make a tent or something?"

Dream laughed at the stupidity of that suggestion and shook his head.

"How would that help? They could still get in the tent, Tommy."

"Yeah I guess you're right," Tommy huffed. "I hate this."

"Yes I know, you said that," Dream chuckled, pulling him harshly and nearly making Tommy fall as he did. He guessed he must have slowed too much, but that wasn't necessary.

"Hey! Come on man," Tommy complained.

"Then hurry up," Dream told him.

They fell into friendly banter as Dream led him through the snow, away from his original place of exile.

Friendly banter after dream had burned down and exploded everything he'd built and grown attached to in the last month of exile.

Friendly banter after Dream had spent that month overseeing Tommy. Destroying his things over and over. Beating Tommy to the verge of death when he protested.

This was just what friendship was sometimes. At least those were the seeds growing in Tommy's mind. Seeds planted by Dream and fertilized by his isolation and eventual reliance on the man for any kind of social interaction.

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A/N edited recently for improvements!