BLIND | DreamSMP

XXV - Duality in the Dark

Everyone but Dream, who's stupid mask with its stupid smile was seared into the back of his eyelids.

When he ran away from that campsite and found his way into Techno's home, which seemed like months ago though it had barely been a week, he hadn't expected for Techno to let him stay, let alone to do more than just tolerate him. In a way, it felt like they were family again, like the huge gap between them was being bridged.

Now he was scared everything would collapse again and he'd be left just as alone as he was before.

What if they killed Techno? What would he do if they stabbed him or chopped his head off? What if they threw him in a dungeon and let him rot? 

Phil would probably take care of Tommy. But what if they couldn't fix his blindness without Techno? Would he be stuck like this forever?

The notion that things happened because they happened was too abstract for Tommy to cling to. He needed a reason why, an answer that wasn't a flippant "because" or "that's just how it is."

Usually he would have blamed someone else. 

This time he turned inward.

If he had heard Quackity sneaking up behind him sooner, this wouldn't have happened. If he had reacted quicker, parried the knife or stabbed Quackity or done something, anything, to stop him from holding that blade to his throat, Techno would have beaten them. 

He had heard their screams and shouts while he had sparred with Ranboo, assuring him that their victory was imminent. But Quackity fought dirty. He always had, which is why Tommy berated himself for not expecting a trick.

Smoke wafted into his face, making his eyes tear up and his nose scrunch. He heard Fundy behind him take a deep breath and exhale before more smoke hit him, the smell of burning tobacco mixed into the cloud this time.

Tommy wanted to turn back and snap at the fox-man and slap the cigarette from his hand. Then again, he figured captives weren't supposed to do that, and he didn't want to get himself or Techno into more trouble.

They traveled on the horses for a while longer. It got colder and colder, a sure sign that night had fallen, until Tommy was shivering so badly he swore he was shaking the horse. Quackity had forced him to take off his armor and linen too, and his cotton clothing did little to stop the chilled air from assaulting his skin. 

Just when he was sure he would freeze to death right then and there, the horses stopped. 

Fundy dismounted, and helped Tommy down after him. He could hear other pairs of feet hitting the ground as the rest of the group dismounted, save Techno.

"Ranboo, take the horse's bridles off. I'll get Techno. Fundy, start loading supplies onto the canoes." Quackity said.

"What should I do with Tommy then?" Fundy asked, gripping the boy's shoulder with his good arm.

"Have him carry supplies with you. Make sure he doesn't take anything."

Bags and pouches were suddenly forced into Tommy's arms. He grunted indignantly, but not really having any alternatives that didn't involve making everything worse, took the heavy bundles and let himself be pushed along by Fundy.

"Just set everything down right here," Fundy said. "Now let's go get another load– oh come on, it's not that much more!" He added at Tommy's dark expression.

Fundy was right; after two more trips, he told him they could start putting everything in the canoes. Tommy wasn't much help, being unable to see the individual bags or find places to put them, so he sat in one of the beached boats and hugged himself as he shivered. He wondered if Techno was as cold as he was.

His brother's voice drifted over to him, faint but still containing the energy to mock Quackity.

"You're really just going to let the horses go?" Techno laughed. "What a waste of good steeds."

"Speak to me like that again and I'll cut out your tongue," Quackity hissed. "And they weren't ours in the first place. We found them here."

"So what, you were planning to walk all the way to my house?"

"Until we found them, yeah."

"Hmph."

Techno made a noise of disbelief.

Fundy tapped Tommy's shoulder,

"Hey, put this on real quick. You look like you're about to freeze to death."

A thick, folded something was handed to him. He held it for a second, unsure what it was or what to do with it.

"It's a, uh, a coat. For your body, you know?"

Tommy seriously considered refusing it. These were his captors. He shouldn't give or take anything from them if he could help it.

But the tantalizing promise of warmth was too tempting, and he slowly unfolded the material. One side was leather, which he assumed was the exterior of the coat, and the other felt like wool, soft and curly against his frigid fingers. 

He did his best to pull it on smoothly, but as soon as he put one arm in, the sleeve-hole for the other vanished. After a minute or two of watching him struggle, Fundy got up and helped guide his arm in, much to Tommy's protest.

Tommy frowned deeply, already feeling a bit less cold.

"Don't think this means I like you any more. Or that I forgive you."

"Yeah," Fundy said, sighing in a resigned kind of way. "I know."

And then all hell broke loose.