DreamSMP one-shots ||

// The compass //

Dinner is served, children :]

(Tommy's pov)
TW/CW: Manipulation, emotional abuse, mental breakdown
~

It was my 4th day in exile, on the same island on my own. All I had was the tent I had built from the resources around me, along with a chest that held my materials. I had just gotten back from mining for ores, when standing next to the tent stood the only person who was ever there for me anymore. Dream.
I loathed him but at the same time, I had nobody else and I felt I just might go insane if I was completely alone. Besides, he wasn't horrible all the time. Sometimes he gave me updates on how things were in the SMP and L'Manburg, and told me how Tubbo was doing. He'd help me mine every now and then, and crack jokes to make me laugh. He even let me mess around with his new trident he had gotten recently. It all kinda made up for all the bad things about him, and that he did/had done to me. I always tell myself that I shouldn't complain about him, I should be grateful that at least I have someone's presence here with me.
"Hey." I said, opening a nearby chest and placing the coal I had mined in it.
"Hey, sorry I came a bit late. I had some things to take care of back in the SMP." Dream said.
"Oh, its okay." I responded. There was a short silence till I remembered.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Here." I removed the iron armor I had, and threw it on the ground along with my pickaxe and diamond sword. It was almost like I did it involuntarily, as it had become routine that whenever Dream would come he would take my valuables and either burn them, or throw them in a hole and blow them up. I didn't really question why he did anymore.
I looked down at the things, spacing out a bit.
"Tommy? Tommy!"
"Wh- Huh?" I snapped back into reality.
"I said, you can keep them." Dream said.
"Oh, thank you." I replied, picking the things back up and putting them away as I didn't need them right now.
I went back to the chest and rearranged some of my things, throwing away the stuff I didnt need. I was usually quite an unorganized person, but it was beginning to become something that began bothering me more and more these days.
"So... How's it been going out here?" Dream asked, nonchalantly.
Horrible. I miss my other friends, and L'Manburg, and Tubbo. "It's good, actually." I tried to hide the quiver in my voice by fake-clearing my throat.
"That's good, I'm glad to hear." Dream said, as I finished reorganizing the chest and standing back up.
Dream paused, moving his ominous smiley-face mask from looking at my face, down to my upper chest. Around my neck laid a chain with a compass on it. Wilbur had given it to me last night, stating that it pointed towards the White House in L'Manburg, where Tubbo usually stayed. He gave a whole speech about it, almost causing me to tear up. Engraved on the back of it, it read 'Your Tubbo'. I hand crafted a thin chain and connected the compass to it, determined to keep it around my neck and close to my heart. It was now my most valuable possession.
"Hmm.." Dream scoffed.
"What?" I asked, looking at the masked man in his usual green hoodie and cargo pants. He stood with a type of cocky arrogance, confident but relaxed. I hated it.
"Oh, nothing." He said, turning away.
"What, tell me." I said. He turned back towards me, standing a few feet away.
"Its just that, I dont know. That compass, it looks familiar." He said.
"What? Wilbur gave me this last night." I replied, bringing my hand up and wrapping my fingers around it, feeling my heart beat in my chest.
"Hmm. He gave one of those to Tubbo too, weird." Dream said, shrugging.
I scoffed. "No he didn't."
"He did. It said something on the back of it too... 'Your Tommy', or something along the lines." Dream said.
"Whatever." I said. I didn't know why I had an attitude at the moment, Dream didn't deserve it but I didn't really believe his words. Dream wouldn't lie, right? Besides, how could he be lying if it says practically the same thing on the back of my compass?
"Honest." Dream sat down on the grass. "I don't think he kept it though."
"What does that mean?" I asked, looking down at him.
"Well, I heard he like, burned it." Dream said, sounding sure of himself.
"You- you're full of shit." I forced a half-laugh at him, but secretly my chest began to feel tight.
"Okay, you don't have to believe me. Even though he did get rid of it. I guess.. he just didn't want anything to do with it. Or, I guess more specifically, you." Dream said, his words slowly beginning to get to me, squeezing my heart and twisting knots in my stomach. It hurt to think that Tubbo didn't care about me, but Dream was making it seem like thats exactly how it was.
"He.. he wouldn't. He still cares about me, surely." I said, still gripping the compass.
"I don't know, Tommy. I mean, he did exile you after all." Dream said, leaning back on his hands behind him.
He's right. Maybe he doesn't care about me. He hasn't even tried to visit or even talk to me. He probably won't ever talk to me again. He hates me. He hates me. He hates me.
All of a sudden it felt like lungs were being squeezed and it felt hard to breathe, and tears were brimming at the waterlines of my eyes. I turned away as I hated people seeing me cry.
Anger was rising inside of me as I thought about the day that Tubbo exiled me. He went against our plans, everything we stood for, the discs.
Our friendship.
Suddenly with heavy and quick steps I was walking, and I heard footsteps behind me but the voice of Tubbo screaming at me that day almost completely blocked out Dream behind me, telling me to wait up.
He does hate me. Tubbo never yells, and the one time he did, it was at me.
I reached the portal that lead to the nether, and hopped through. As soon as I reached the other side, I felt the hot, dry heat of the underworld sting my face and eyes, but I was too upset to care. Dream followed close behind me, as I made my way to the edge of the platform we stood on. Below us, miles and miles down was infinite, bright orangish-yellow, searing lava.
I was breathing heavily with anger and emotion, my thoughts were all over the place.
"Tommy?" Dream stood next to me, as I looked down at the lava.
"He burned it... on purpose?" I asked, a tear slipping down my cheek.
"I.." Dream paused. "Yes. He did." He said.
I shook my head in disbelief that Tubbo would do such a thing. Though, at the same time I guess it made sense. He didn't care about me, why would he care about a stupid compass. More importantly, why should I?
I ripped the necklace off my neck, breaking the chain. I held it in my right hand, pulling my arm back. In one fluid motion, with no hesitation, I threw the compass over the edge and into the lava.
I stepped back, swallowing my thick saliva. Tears slipped down my cheeks, and I wiped them away with my torn up sleeve.
"Fuck you! I don't need you either!" I shouted.
I dont need him. I don't need him. He clearly doesn't need me, so I dont need him. I tried to convince myself. But if I didn't need him, why did this hurt so damn much?
My knees buckled under me, and I fell to the floor. I couldn't hold it in any longer, I cried out and sobbed the ugliest sobs. I was so tired, so sad, so broken. I would never admit it, but it was sure as hell true.
I felt another surge of anger come over me, and I pulled my fists up just to slam them back down on the hard netherbrick flooring. Pain surged through my fists as they kept slamming down, but I didn't care one bit.
I only got to do it a few times though, as after a few moments I felt someone wrap their arms around me tightly, restricting my arms so I had to stop.
"LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" I shouted out, losing control of myself.
"Tommy- Tommy, relax. It's okay. I'm here, I'm here for you." Dream said, trying to calm me down.
I couldn't stop crying as I leaned into him, and his arms loosened from around me. I wrapped my arms around him as he was bent down at my level, and he hugged me back as I cried even more.
I haven't been hugged in so long.
"I'm here for you." Dream repeated, and I was thankful.
Only god knows what else I would've done if he wasn't here to stop me.