The Burning ~ Dreamnotfound + Skephalo

Chapter 16: A Seedy Place

Skeppy's eyes fluttered open as the sun came in through a small hole in the wall they were using as a window. He started to move but stopped when he heard Bad's soft snoring, reminding him that they had fallen asleep together. Bad was snuggled up against his chest and his arm was tucked under his head. He refused to move, not wanting to wake him up. But shortly after yawning, Bad opened his eyes and smiled.

"Good morning Skeppy," he whispered.

"Good morning, Bad. Sleep well?"

Bad turned a light shade of pink as the sun shone into his green eyes. "Yeah, something like that." He sat up and stretched. "Good morning Lily!" But his happy mood disappeared when he saw that both Lily and A6D were missing. "Where are they?"

Skeppy shot up in bed. "He took her! I knew we couldn't have trusted him! I KNEW IT!" He threw his legs over the bed and slid into his boots, lacing them up as quickly as he could while Bad tried to tell him to calm down. Skeppy wasn't listening, though. He was ready to kill A6D. He grabbed his trident from the wall it was leaned up against and burst through the door, expecting to have to hunt them down. Instead, he found A6D and Lily sitting in the grass, watching Fluffy chase its tail.

A6D looked up, confused as to why Skeppy looked battle-ready. "Is everything ok?"

Bad stepped outside, grabbing Skeppy's arm. "Yes, everything is fine. Skeppy just panicked for a second. That's all!"

A6D stood up and walked over to the two. "Skeppy? Could you watch Lily? I need to talk to Bad alone for a few minutes."

"He's not going anywhere without me," Skeppy stated. He sounded very threatening, which put A6D on edge. During his time watching Dream with Technoblade, Skeppy was always the loud jokester that didn't have a care in the world. He would've never thought that Skeppy would be someone he'd have to look out for.

Bad squeezed Skeppy's arm. "It's ok, Zak. We are just going to step inside and chat. Besides, I can defend myself if I have to. Don't worry about it!" Skeppy stared at A6D, silently threatening him with his eyes, then walked over to sit next to Lily. Fluffy got on his feet and bounded into Skeppy's lap, but he didn't pay any attention to the dog. All he could do was sit there was watch as Bad left with A6D.

Bad closed the door behind them and A6D sat on the edge of the bed he slept on, his leg bouncing as he wiped his palms on his leather vest. "So, how can I help you, Vincent?"

"While we were in the Nether, we watched a boy get killed. It was Techno's younger brother." Bad's heart sank as he watched A6D talk. "He was only 16 or something. We didn't even know he was alive. I was in so much shock that I couldn't move to save him."

Bad sat down next to him and rubbed A6D's back. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Vincent. I can only imagine your pain. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I want you to help me find the others."

"The others? What others?"

A6D stood up and began pacing around. "If Tommy was alive, then the rest of the village may be too! The only way to find out would be to go look for them!"

"Woah, take a deep breath." Bad stands up to look him in the eyes. "We can't just leave the area. What if Dream and Sapnap come back with George?"

"Your friends' desert village isn't too far away. We can stop there before we head out and let Rose and Mega know what is going on!"

"Look, Vincent, I want to help you. I really do. But I just can't leave them." Bad collapsed back onto the bed. "They are my family."