Tommy was racing to get all of the food on the tray. He had woken up late that morning. Thankfully Dream hadn't noticed otherwise he would have gotten punished. Unfortunately, it also meant he had less time to prepare breakfast.
Tubbo and Ranboo wouldn't have minded if their breakfast was a little late, but Dream definitely would. It was a wonder that Dream hadn't realized he had slept in.
Tommy rushed up the stairs, nearly stepping on Patches, who meowed angrily at the near attack on her tail.
Tommy didn't stay long enough to watch Patches. He needed to go deliver breakfast to Dream otherwise he would probably never see the light of day again.
Tommy placed his hand on the doorknob before remembering he was not supposed to just open the door like that. He quickly retreated his hand and knocked twice.
"Come in." Dream's voiced floated over to the door gracefully. Tommy twisted the doorknob and entered the room, the tray of food presented in front of him. Dream eyed the tray in disgust.
"Where is the fruit?" He sounded like he was about to get angry. Tommy gulped nervously, "Uh, we ran out, sorry."
"That's a shame. Put the food on my nightstand. I'm sending you to buy fruit soon." Dream's voice had shifted back to its regular elegant tone.
Tommy held back a smile. He loved going to the market. It was one of the only times he was allowed to leave the house unsupervised. Dream didn't trust him enough to go too far outside, said it was too dangerous for someone as small as him. Tommy didn't agree with that, he was a big man that was never in danger. But he trusted Dream. Even if he was strict sometimes he still protected him and provided him with a home.
"You know what? Go get a basket right now and go early. Might be able to get the better fruit that way." Dream stood up from the bed and walked over until he stood looming over Tommy. "Be careful, child. Don't talk to anyone other than the shopkeeper and don't let anyone take you anywhere, alright?"
Tommy nodded obediently and Dream pulled him into a loose hug. He gave the young boy a small kiss on the head and pushed him towards the door. "Go now, and remember what I told you."
Tommy ran through the hallway, coming to a halt halfway through when he remembered he wasn't supposed to run inside the house. He grabbed a straw knitted basket and grabbed a battered brown cloak. He pulled the hood over his head just as he was taught to do so many times. He didn't tighten it though. It was the only thing Tommy did to disobey Dream. He hated hiding his hair, it felt so wrong to cover his blonde curls, even if Dream told him to.
Tommy headed out the door quickly and started his walk to the marketplace. It wasn't too far away although it wasn't that close either. He was halfway down the path before he felt a hand tap his shoulder.
"Excuse me? I heard there was a market around here somewhere. Would you happen to know where it is?"
Tommy whipped his head around, a tall stranger standing behind him. What was he supposed to do? Dream said not to talk to anyone but the stranger didn't seem like he had bad intentions. He didn't look dangerous either. He had curly brown hair and a face untouched by filth. It was honestly a bit odd that someone dressed in peasants clothes had such a clean face. Tommy knew his own pale skin was dirt ridden and ashes from the fireplace clung stubbornly onto him.
He decided that it wouldn't do any harm to just help someone out. "Uh yeah. There's a marketplace just down this path."
The stranger looked relieved. "Oh thank you. I've been searching a while but I could barely find any people here. I'm Wilbur by the way. I'm not really from around here."
