Separation || A Different Twist On Exile

-chapter thirty-

"Tommy, he'll want to kill you. What about the other disc, he still has that! You're..it's fake right?"

"I'm giving it up. He can win for now, but..we, L'manburg is still winning."

"You're insane, Tommy."

"I know."

--

Tommy was careful when walking up to the portal. He knew Dream could be on the other side, waiting to pounce at him when he stepped through. He had his sword up for a moment as the purple swirls took him in, but when he was emitted out the other side, scanning and searching for any sign of movement. His perpetual attacker was spotted early, looking up from an open book. The sound of hundreds of pieces of paper slamming together as Dream closed his book startled Tommy, but he wouldn't show that.

"Hello."

"Look, I'm not here to talk. Just.."

"Not even a hi back?" Dream quickly interviewed, stepping forward. All it did was shut Tommy up for a second.

"The papers?" Tommy asked formally, his hand held out as if he was asking for something. Dream rolled his eyes, setting down his book and taking out another. He nodded, acting as if he was going to hand the book over, his arm reaching out for Tommy to take it. Tommy tried, but it was swiped away.

"The disc?" Dream smirked through his words. Tommy face turned sour. He bit his tongue, backing away a few steps. As of mocking Dream’s movements, he reached behind his back to spawn out the disc. Dream couldn’t see it, but the way his hand clenched while Dream looked at him wantingly. "Set it on the ground," Dream directed, "then I will." Reluctantly, Tommy obeyed. And Dream did as he said.

They shared the same cautious glance, and they knelt down to be ready. A collective nod, and they both rushed to the opposing items. Dream happily clutched the book, when Dream stared blankly, confused down at the ground.

Down at the shattered disc. Broken, into fragments of pieces. Like glass dropped onto the floor.

Tommy smirked with a childish pride, looking back at him. When Dream changed his roe of vision to Tommy and saw his cheekish grin, a million different thoughts came to him.

This disc was Tommy's pride and joy, if he was telling the truth, and this was the shattered disc, he wouldn't be smiling. If he had a prop before, if Tubbo had given him the wrong disc, Tommy could as well. So the fact that he was sneering like he had just won the lottery, meant to Dream that the disc, the broken one on the ground in front of him was fake. And now, Tommy was running -- sprinting -- to the portal.

He wasn’t very fast, scrawny with long limbs, but he was determined. And a little scared. So he ran as fast as his legs could take him, book in hand, with his head and waist pointed to his destination.

"Tommy!" Dream yelled after him, starting run, faster, but not close enough to do anything. He was downing his energy just by yelling, which would end up slowing him down just a bit while Tommy got ahead with his massive head start. "Get back here!"

Short answer, Tommy didn't.

"You- mother fucker! Give me the fucking disc! I'll kill you, Tommy!" In no way did Tommy doubt that, but he didn't stop either way. Sides, he didn’t have the disc. The disc, the real one, was in Logstedshire. On the ground. Broken.

Tommy was going to joke, turning around to mock Dream as they ran together through the main portal, to the steps that lead to to the path. Yet he saw just how close Dream actually was, deciding bot to egg him on. He used up all his energy for the last bit of his running, even if Dream was very slowly gaining on him.