Chapter Text
The clock was gone.
Tommy just had to be an immature little child and burn the in the lava. Dream so enjoyed punching his self-obsessed little head in. What a big man Tommy was, begging for mercy as Dream beat him to death. It was so satisfying.
Tommy was gone now though, all that remained was his blood caked on the obsidian.
Dream didn’t know how long ago Tommy left. The clock was gone.
The clock was gone.
The clock was gone.
...
...
Dream was vaguely aware that he was going crazy.
…
Sometimes Tommy was there, singing and pacing and being a nuisance.
Sometimes Tommy’s body was still there.
…
Sometimes Puffy was there, comforting him just like when he was young.
...
I love you my little duckling.
I’m proud of you! You’ve grown so much!
...
Sometimes Sapnap was there, telling him over and over again that this is where he belongs.
It's better for everyone that you’re here.
If you escape, it will be me who hunts you down and kills you.
It's better for everyone that you’re here.
It's better for everyone that you’re here.
It's better for everyone that you’re here.
...
...
Sometimes George was there, just standing in the side of dreams vison. Whenever dream turned to look, he was gone.
...
...
The netherite divider moved up, pulling dream out of his haze.
Someone had come to visit. Someone had come to visit! Dream stood. Who could have come? He figures that news of what happened with Tommy had spread fast, so they would probably want to know about that. No one could question whether he has the book or not now.
Dream waited impatiently for the lava to lower. As it slowly came down, he made eye contact with the man waiting on the other side. Dream recognized him almost instantly.
Quackity
Dream laughed internally. He hadn't expected Quackity of all people to visit. This was sure to be interesting. Maybe he wanted to ask dream to revive Shlatt. Dream would never do that. That man was a drunk idiot, Wilbur was so much more of an interesting character.
The flying machine began moving, jolting Quackity a little. He quickly regained his composure and walked along with the machine. Honestly, Dream wasn’t expecting a visitor so soon after what happened last time. Though, he had no idea how long it had been since Tommy left. The flying machine stops, and the Mexican steps off.
Dream walked to the divider. “Quackity?” He hated how tired his voice sounds.
“Hey man,” there was no excitement in the dark brunette’s voice like there normally would be. Quakity smiles, and it's almost pitying. Like the disappointment of seeing an old friend gone bad. Dream scoffs at the thought. Quackity was never his friend, he was just another puppet. “Sorry, its just kinda... It's just kinda strange seeing you here. I haven't seen you in a while you know. How’ve you been?”
Dream considered this for a moment. “I’ve been.” He awkwardly shuffles around a bit.
“Yeah, yeah...” That sad smile was starting to get to Dream. “How long have you been here for now? It feels like it's been a while.”
“I don’t know. I lost my clock a while ago.” Fucking Tommy.
“Your clock? You got to keep a clock in here?”
“I did for a while, but now I don’t.” The railing lowered now that the lava had flown back down.
“Oh, look at that.” For a moment Quakity’s hand brushed against something on his leg Dream couldn’t see, and he walked into the cell. “Yeah, no this is- ah- this is nice.” He seemed pretty calm.
“Yeah, I like the crying obsidian. It was a- It was a new-ish addition.”
“Yeah, yeah... umm... Seems a little crowded in here I don’t imagine you're... you're very comfortable in here.” Dream didn’t like where this was going. “How does it feel though?... I mean, you used to do whatever you wanted. You used to say whatever you wanted. Whatever you did went, and now you're just stuck here.” they staired at each other for a moment. “And you cant do anything about it.” There didn’t seem to be any malice in his tone, even if it was blunt.
“You come to rub it in or something?”
“I'm just saying, it must feel kinda bad... But listen Dream I umm... I just wanted to talk to you for a bit, and it has been a while I think we should catch up on many, many things... uh, I heard what you did to tommy.”
There is another moment of silence. “What did you hear?”
“Well... I don’t think I need to explain myself.”
“What did people think?”
Quackity sighed, “Well, I don’t think they were far off from what actually happened. You know, you killed tommy. You bring him back to life.”
“Well, what? did people think it was cool?”
Quackity paused. “Is that- Is that all that matters to you? If it's cool or not?”
“Well, no. I just want to know, what did people think? What were they saying?”
“It doesn’t matter what people think.” That was disappointing. Dream wanted to know how people reacted to his revival powers. “What matters is the very concept of it. You have a book that can bring people back.”
“And now people believe me.”
“Well yeah, I mean. I know you have that book Dream.” Quackity’s tone was suddenly serious. “Everyone knows at this point that you have this book.”
“Yeah. That’s good.”
“I mean, depends upon the eyes of who you see it.”
“Well, It's good for me.”
Another pause. “Dream I'm gonna... I need that book Dream.” He wants Dream to give it to him? Good luck with that. “I'm not here to play games. I am very busy, and I wouldn’t say you're busy, being here but... I want that book Dream. I don’t want it; I need that book. You have it... and I want it.”
“Well, I... I burned the book.”
“come on” Quackity chided.
“I did, I did. It's just knowledge, it's in my head. I couldn’t bring a book in here, how do you think I was able to revive Tommy? It’s just, I’m the book.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Well than its simple; you're going to tell me what you know.” Quackity couldn’t be that dumb, right?
“I... Why would I do that?” Dream laughed.
“Dream, you don’t have leverage over anyone or anything anymore. You’re stuck here, you’re trapped.”
“Well then, what do you want the book for? Why do you need the book?”
“Dream... I do business, and a good businessman doesn’t reveal his secrets. I'm just going to say this again Dream, and I’m asking this in the nicest way possible. I don’t want to do anything to you dream, I just want you to give me your knowledge about the book, because I need it.” He was acting... A little to confident for Dream’s liking.
“Well, how about you take me out. You can bring me out of here, and then I can, you know?”
“Oh really? No, I don’t think that is going to happen. I think what's going to happen is that you are going to give me the knowledge about that book, and you’re going to stay in here, and that’s it.” What was Quackity planning?
“Oh yeah, Or what?” Fuck, Quackity looked way to confident. “You're going to put me in double prison?”
Quackity laughed. “Double Prison? No Dream, I’m going to do something else to you.”
The businessman took out a sword and played it against the wall. He took out an axe and held it menacingly. Dream froze.
What was Quackity going to do? Kill him if he doesn’t give him the book? Quackity would know better than that right?
“So...” Quackity started.
“How did you-”
“I’m asking the nice way Dream. You didn’t want to tell me.”
“Youre not going to kill me.” Dream chided.
“I'm not going to kill you.” Dream moved towards the lava. How in Prime’s name did he get the weapons in?! “But I’m going to make you-”
“Sam!” Sam wouldn’t allow this, Right?
“But I’m going to make your last days in fucking prison hell.”
“SAM!!!” Nonono, this couldn’t be happening! Quackity had him cornered, both figuratively and literally. Dream pushed Quackity to try to get him away. “How did you-”
“Hey, don’t do that. Don’t do that. Don’t you fucking do that.” Quackity brought the axe closer to Dream. “Don't fucking touch me, alright?”
The Mexican moved back to grab the sword. “It's simple Dream. You’re going to tell me all the knowledge you have in that fucking book or I'm going to come here every. Single. Fucking. Day. To make your life hell.”
Dream staired into the eyes of his soon to be tormentor as he came towards him, sword in hand. Dream’s heart was racing. He had been losing his sanity being in this cell alone all day, but this would make him lose his will. His will to keep going, his will to... to... Dream didn’t want to finish that thought.
Quackity razed the sword to Dream’s chest. “And I’m going to stick to it until you give me knowledge on that fucking book.”
Dream tried to push himself farther into the wall. “I’m not going to tell you anything.” He sounded so scared. Dream always had some amount of power in the past... now he was stuck. Quackity was going to... to torture him until he died or gave up the information. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go!
Quackity chuckled. “You have no other choice. If you don’t want me here every. Fucking. Day. Then you're going to give me the knowledge on the book.” Quackity’s eyes glinted. He was enjoying this. “I'm not fucking around Dream! You’re going to tell me.”
Dream pushed past Quackity towards the lava. “SAM!!!”
“You can scream for Sam all you want, Dream.”
“How- he- there's no way- how did you sneak it in?” Dream rambled.
“Alright, alright. You know what?” The beanie wearing man’s demeanor changed completely. “There’s been enough talking.” Fuck. Dream wouldn’t win in a fight. He was weak from being trapped for so long with only potatoes to eat. “There’s been enough talking Dream. Youre going to tell me, or we are going to do this the fucking hard way for a long as I need to do it.”
Dream was out of practice, and he knew it, but he wasn’t going down without a fight. His best bet would probably be to find a way to get one of Quackity’s weapons. He was cornered though, and Quackity probably expected Dream to fight back. What could he do that was unexpected?
After a moment of standstill, Dream falled backwards and landed on his hands and feet. The masked man swung out his leg in an attempt to knock Quackity off his feet, but dream doesn’t have enough strength and Quackity didn’t budge. The dark brunette took this moment to stomp on the prisoner’s chest. Dream’s hands slip and his back falls to the ground, knocking all the air out of his lungs.
“Come on Dream, you’re weak! For once in your fucking life someone else has the upper hand! Now you get to feel what it's like to truly lose.” Before Dream could think Quackity had him turned onto his stomach and pinned to the ground. The weight of the man on his back made it hard to breath. Quackity grabbed Dream’s hair and pulled his head off the ground, hissing into his ear. “What about now? Will you tell me?”
Dream flinched at the noise. “Fuck you,” he snarled after catching his breath.
Quackity slamed his head hard into the obsidian floor, making a cry of pain escape Dream’s lips. Fuck, he would probably get a concussion from that.
“I guess we’re doing this the hard way then.” Quackity stood. “Now where to start...” he kneeled next to dream, who was groaning from the pounding headache already beginning to form. “Maybe that fucking mask should go?”
Dream pushed himself up into a sitting position. “No please don’t,” he slurred.
“Well, that’s too bad Dream. I would like to talk to you face to face, and I’m curious what you might be hiding. Either that or you could tell me what was in the revive book.” Dream stays silent. “Alright then. No more hiding behind that flimsy mask of yours.”
Dream feebly tried to keep Quackity from taking his mask, but the shorter man unceremoniously ripped the mask off his face anyway and through it into the lava.
Dream stared at molten rock that had just burnt his beloved mask, gifted to him by none other than DreamXD himself, into nothing. The adrenalin in his veins was quickly replaced with terror. That mask was his safeguard for so many years; keeping him detached from the others in his life and hiding his true emotions. Now... it's gone. Just like the clock. Just like his weapons and armor. Just like his power. He was a prisoner. He only had what they let him have.
Maybe this is how Tommy had felt.
“Well,” Big Q’s voice snapped Dream back into reality. “You're not that ugly.” Quackity held dream’s chin to look at his face, gripping tighter when Dream tried to pull away. “Your eyes are beautiful, you know. Such a deep shade of green. Why would you hide this under a mask? The scars arent that bad. If anything, they make you look cool.”
Dream tried his best at what he thought was a scowl. Quackity laughed. “Well, there is no more hiding from me, Dream.” The dizziness wasn’t going away, and Dream was having a hard time finding his bearings. He tried again to break away from Quackity’s hold, and Quackity let go.
Dream had never thought of Quackity as much. He only entered Dream’s radar when he created the party to run against Wilbur and Tommy in the L’Manburg election, and back then Dream had found him rather pathetic. He made jokes about drugs and striped his clothes rather often. He was the comedic relief of L’Manburg, and Dream didn’t see him as a threat. He could be easily manipulated with promise of power if it became necessary, and he wasn’t a particularly good fighter. Dream had been an idiot. He saw Quackity as a joke when that was all an act. Quackity was, as he said himself, a businessman, or really a conman. He sold himself as the comedic relief so that people would trust him and not ask questions. He has been manipulating them all, likely more than even Dream has.
Now, Big Q himself stood before Dream in total control. It was his own fucking oversight that got him here. Dream had seen it as likely that he would end up in the jail. He knew it wouldn’t be enjoyable, but he could take it. I wouldn’t mess up his plans, but this...
Quackity had out manipulated the manipulator.
The shorter man propped Dream up against the wall. “Now that that is done, what to do next...” Quackity looked the previously masked man up and down, fear no longer hidden behind a smiley face. Big Q grabbed Dream’s jaw and leaned into his ear. “Here is what's going to happen dream; Youre going to give me information I need, or I'm going to make you wish you were never born. I will come back here every day and it will get worse and worse until you give me the information I need.” A chill went down Dream’s spine. “I’m fine with either option. I would quite enjoy torturing you. You’ve caused me a lot of problems.”
Fuck. There was no point denying it anymore, Dream was fucking scared. Quackity was going to... to torture him until he gave. He was scared. He was scared. He was scared, but he couldn’t tell Quackity what was in the book. DreamXD would be so mad if he caved! XD was not someone you wanted to disappoint.
“I can't tell. Please.” Fuck, was he begging?
“Alright then.” Quackity rapped his hands around Dream’s ankle and dragged him into the far corner of the cell. Dream fought it, but in his weakened state it did nothing.
“What are you going to do to me?” Quackity didn’t respond. He held dream’s ankle on the chest, grip unyielding to Dream’s struggling. Dream saw what he was doing a moment before he did it. Quackity held the axe in the air, butt of the axe facing forward. “No! Please, stop!” his grip only grew tighter as Dream squirmed. Quackity swung the blunt edge of the weapon down, aiming between the knee and ankle.
Dream screamed, blinding pain flaring through his right leg. The weapon came down a second time, and dream felt his bone crack. His throat burned. He was hit again. Dream couldn’t fight it. It hurt too much. The axe came down again, and again, and again. Six times. It was a total of six times before the grip on his ankle loosened and his broken leg fell to the floor.
The pain filled Dream's brain, silencing any rational thought. Eventually he stopped screaming. Quackity was holding him, trying to feed him a piece of steak. Dream took it without hesitation, the healing properties of food filling his body. Dream wasn’t given any rest before Quackity kicked him in the gut. Dream coughed, taken aback. Then Quackity moved back to the leg, grabbing the broken one with both hands.
Fresh waves of agony filled Dream’s thoughts. He screamed again, somehow louder this time. Quackity kept going, bending dream’s leg in all kinds of wrong angles. Stop, please stop! Dream wasn’t sure how he was still screaming. It felt like his vocal cords were about to break. After what felt like forever, Quackity finally dropped the broken appendage.
“I'll leave you to think this over. See you tomorrow Dream!” Quackity left, leaving dream trying to steady his breathing. He wasn’t going to walk on that leg any time soon. His leg still hurt like hell, but if he didn’t move it was almost bearable. After minutes of trying to calm down, Dream finally pushed himself up on shaky arms to look at his leg.
For the first time in years, Dream cried.