on temporizing || Dream SMP Timeloop Fic

Chapter 38

186. (credit to Mushroom)

Dream stepped through the portal and was greeted with a scream of "MERRY CHRISTMAS, BITCH!" and a large object headed towards his face. Having experienced this before, he simply dropped into a crouch. The package went sailing over his head, bounced off the portal frame, and hit the ground with a thud.

Dream carefully rose to his feet, eyeing the now slightly-crumpled gift. "This seems. . . familiar."

"Open it open it open it," Tommy chanted, practically vibrating in place with sheer excitement. "Hurry up, Dream, I've been waiting for this for fuckin' ages!"

Dream huffed but obligingly squatted down beside the package. He untied the twine holding it together and peeled back the wrapping paper, then did a double take. "Oh. Wow. This is. Wow."

Carefully, he lifted the shirt from the neatly-folded pile of clothing and shook it loose, turning it this way and that. Tommy had clearly been looking through the Stronghold libraries - the outfit was like something straight out of the illustrated fantasy novels they'd come across, but tailored for better speed and agility. Dream rubbed the fabric between his fingers and was quite pleased to find that it was the same durable material his clothes were usually made of.

In contrast to his prior excitement, Tommy seemed almost. . . nervous now. He shifted in place, choosing to look at his handiwork rather than Dream's face. "So. Uh. Do you like it?"

"I love it," Dream declared. He pulled the half-cape from the ensemble and wrapped it around his shoulders. It clashed horribly with his neon hoodie. "How do I look?"

"Like an idiot," was Tommy's deadpan response. "Either put on the entire outfit or don't ruin my beautiful work with your shit fashion sense."

Dream sheepishly pulled the cape off. ". . . I'll change after you get your present."

Tommy's eyes sparked with interest. "Is it a gun?"

The other looper sent him a look. "No. It's better if we move into the house for this. My, uh, gift, is a bit. . . large."

"A bazooka?"

"No."

~~~

Once they were within Logstedshire, Tommy turned expectantly towards Dream. The other looper hesitated for a moment, then reached into his inventory and began the laborious task of withdrawing a large bundle from within. By the time he managed to lay it on the ground, Tommy had abandoned all propriety to gape at the present.

It was a lumpy, semi-ovoid package almost as long as Dream was tall. The wrapping paper crinkled where Dream had been holding it, revealing its contents to be squishy. Dream rubbed the back of his head. "So, uh. You know how I've picked up crocheting?"

Tommy turned an incredulous stare towards him. "Dream. Did you make me a body pillow or something?"

"Open it and find out."

Tommy tore into the wrapping paper with the zeal of a kid experiencing their first Christmas. He froze when the mystery item was revealed. "Dream," he said, eyes fixed on the present. "Did you crochet a giant moth?"

"Er. . . yes?"

Slowly, Tommy reached into the shredded wrapping paper and patted the moth's head. "Soft," he murmured.

"It's the textured yarn you really like. I got Eret to show me how he made it. Do. . . do you like it?"

Tommy was perfectly still for all of two seconds. And then he let out a shriek of pure joy, sweeping the giant crocheted moth up and hugging the living daylights out of it. "YES! SHE'S SO SQUISHY AND SOFT! AND-- oh Prime wait her wings unfold!" He proceeded to unwrap the moth's wings from its body and pull it around himself like a cloak. "Mmm. Yes. This. This is the best fucking thing ever. Moth hugs."