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Birdza squawks at his son

Tommy's throat felt terribly dry and scratchy. He wasn't sure how long he had spent crying, he wasn't sure how long he had spent in the room in general. he was thirsty, he was hungry, and he was in pain everywhere. His back hurt more than anything. At this moment, he just wanted to not be alone. He didn't care who, he didn't care if it was Dream. He felt too alone.

The blonde's head shot up when he heard the familiar click. He could feel a spark of hope and anticipation as the door opened and the familiar masked man walked in. Instead of hate being the first thing he thought of, it was a relief. Relief that he could finally talk to someone again. Even if his throat felt so scratchy that it would hurt. Hell, if he hadn't felt so terrible, he probably would have gotten up to hug the man. He was completely touch-starved.

"Goodmorning, Tommy."

That voice had been sweet and calming, reassuring, and welcoming. Tommy's blue eyes were trained on Dream as he walked towards him and kneeled in front of him. He had even let out a whine when he felt the large warm hand on his head, threading through his hair. He hadn't even noticed he let out that needy whine until the man began to comfort him.

"Sssh, It's okay, Tommy. I'm here now."

Those words just clicked inside of him. He would be fine now that Dream was back, he would make the pain go away just like he had the last time he visited him. He leaned into the taller man's hand with a pleasant hum. Though his demeanor soon changed when he felt the painful rumble in his stomach. His eyes shot down and away from the other as he lowered his head.

Dream moved his hand down to cup his cheek, "Hey, hey it's okay. I brought you food, you haven't eaten anything in three days. If you're ready to apologize, I will gladly give you your reward."

Tommy glanced up at Dream with that, conflicting emotions going through him. Apologize? For attacking the man? He was the reason for his pain. But he said it was to keep us safe. He was safe before this when he was with Wilbur. But Wilbur caused us two lives. No, Dream killed him twice. But he didn't want to, and you wouldn't have lost them if Wilbur hadn't put us into that war if he had kept us away from danger as a proper brother or caretaker should. But... Tommy whimpered. But Wilbur does care for him. Not good enough, Dream is keeping our last life safe. If he means to harm us, he would have killed us already, but he didn't. Instead, Dream is keeping us company, offering us food and rewards as long as we behave for our own safety. He doesn't have to, but he cares for us.

Tommy glanced back up at Dream, hesitant and still not completely sure of himself. But... but the man had to care for him, right? Why else would he keep him company, heal his injuries, and feed him when he didn't have to? He even lashed out at the man earlier, when he said he just wanted to keep him safe. He shouldn't bite the hand that feeds him.

"I...I'm sorry." His voice was hoarse from hours upon hours of crying.

"Wait, here is some water, you're probably thirsty." Dream pulled a bottle of water out of his Inventory and held it to the boy's chapped lips.

Tommy was quick to wrap his hands around Dream's hand and the bottle. He tilted his head and greedily gulped down the water.

"Slow down, the water isn't going anywhere."

Tommy slowed down as Dream asked and continued to drink the rest of the water.

"There we go, you're doing a great job."

Tommy soaked up the praise and could finally feel the warmth settling back into his bones.

"There, now that you've had something to drink, it should be easier for you to talk. Now, what are you apologizing for?"