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When the entire server gathers to finally stop Dream, to take back what is theirs, there is a sight that they don’t expect.
With Dream, you expect many things. Too many things, in fact. You expect blood and anger and helplessness. Lately, you expect manipulation as well.
But to see the admin fighting someone who looks just like himself, except with a black mask and orange lines? That’s not something you see every day.
“Just let me take control, Dream, let me kill them all!” The voice crackles in the air, and the orange sparks that hover only move to make Dream move faster, only make him want to be stronger.
“No! I refuse to let you kill everyone!” There’s fear in his voice, everyone can hear it clearly, and Tubbo only has to glance at Fundy for them both to realize the truth.
“That’s his Dreamon.” He says aloud, quickly explaining to everyone exactly what is is. “I think his Dreamon is the thing that’s been controlling him. I think his Dreamon is the one who’s done everything!”
“Oh, Dream, look, you have friends.” The Dreamon smirks. “How cute. It’d be a shame if I did something to one of them, now, wouldn’t it?”
Dream’s eyes widen, and he only has time to reach out before the Dreamon disappears and reappears with Tommy in its arms.
“Let him go.” He says, hand on his axe as he steps forward as much as he dares, and the Dreamon frowns.
“Why should I? You have a soft spot for him, I can tell. It’d be so much more fun to watch him die.” The Dreamon says, and Dream nearly growls.
“Don’t you lay a single finger on him.” He says, and the Dreamon grins.
“Well, if you insist.” It says, and Dream’s already moving when it shoves Tommy forward, into the ground ahead of him. It pulls out an axe and throws, and Dream runs as fast as his legs will allow him.
Tommy turns just in time to see an axe coming towards his body, and he only has time to cover his face before there’s a thump and the sound of the axe finding a target.
“Dream! You’re no fun.” Tommy hears the Dreamon say, and when he opens his eyes and unfurls, he finds the axe is imbedded into Dream’s stomach.
“Tommy, run.” Dream manages, pulling the axe out, and Tommy scrambles up and moves as fast as he can, running into Wilbur’s arms the moment that he’s able to.
Wilbur wraps his arms around him solidly, and he doesn’t look back at the field, only keeps his face buried into Wilbur’s chest.
“I’m going to kill you, and I’m going to make you bleed until you choke on your own blood.” Dream growls, staggering in his place, and the Dreamon sneers.
“That’s what you say every time.” It says, and Dream doesn’t give it any more time before running.
Every time? Wilbur thinks, worry on his face and anxiety in his hands. How many times has this happened?
Everyone’s original goals for when they came here were ruined, and now it was like they were rooted to the ground, wanting to turn away but unable to take their eyes off the field.
Dream’s blood stained the grass and turned everything into a dark, dark red, but he didn’t stop moving, couldn’t stop moving. Not until one of them was dead.
And Tommy’s lucky, he really is. Because he didn’t look at the battle, ignored the entire thing, but the moment he finally let of Wilbur and turned around to rest against his brother (because he needs comfort, okay?) he watched Dream slam an axe into the Dreamon’s throat and chops his head off cleanly.
Everyone nearly cheers, but it doesn’t sound right to do so, doesn’t sound right to do anything, so they wait.
And as they watch, Dream falls to his knees, his blood turning black, just for a moment, before turning back to its normal red. And as their eyes are on him, his body collapses.
Wilbur leaves Tommy and he’s the first one to be beside Dream, kneeling beside him as he pulls his bloody head into his lap.
“Jesus, Dream.” He hisses, and that’s when the others finally manage to come over, parting way for Niki.
“S-sorry.” Dream coughs, and Wilbur shakes his head.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
They fall silent after that, as Niki works in silence, and when she asks for helping lifting Dream up so that she can stitch his stomach up easier, Technoblade wordlessly helps.
“So, you haven’t been you, have you?” Wilbur asks, trying to distract Dream from the pain, and the man gives a nod with his hiss of pain. “How long as it been like this?”
Dream coughs weakly. “How long have... have you been on here?”
“About a year, Dream. Why?” He asks with a sinking feeling in his stomach.
“I think... I think it connected itself to me the day after you joined.”
“What?” Wilbur says, horrified, and Dream gives a gasp of pain as Niki accidentally presses too hard.
“Shit, sorry Dream.” She mutters, and Dream gives a quiet ‘it’s okay’.
“You’ve been controlled by that thing ever since... ever?” Tommy says, and Dream nods. “Fuck, Dream.”
“That’s why we were fighting, today. It makes me do this every week. If I lose, it gets to continue possessing me. If it loses, it leaves. Forever.”
“So this is the first time that you’ve won?” Tubbo asks, and he must’ve moved since the last time that Wilbur glanced at him, because he’s sat beside Dream now, holding one of his hands with Tommy opposite him, holding his other hand as Ranboo rests a hand on his shoulder.
“Yeah.” Dream coughs again, weakly resting against Wilbur. “I’m sorry. About... about everything. I never meant for any of this to happen. I tried to break from it, so many times, and it would let me just be with you all for some moments, but it mostly took me over and did it’s best to ruin all of my relationships.”
“It’s okay.” Wilbur says quietly, wiping away a tear from Dream’s face. “We know it wasn’t you, that you didn’t want it, didn’t want any of it.”
“I’m so sorry.” Dream cries, and in the silence of the forest, they all sit with the broken man.