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Tommy was confused. I mean it’s not the first time he was acting this nicely, and he hopes it is not the last, so that isn’t why he was confused, but he seems weirdly happy and full of excitement. Dream’s moods are always confusing.
When Tommy came home, he was planning to quietly go to his room, his leg still hurt, so that was going to be a bit hard but he was going to manage. Actually, no, he was planning to not see Dream until his leg was healed, if he could. No such luck.
The moment he got home, Dream greeted him at the door with a smile on his face. And if that wasn’t unusual, he seemed awfully eager to spend time with Tommy. (Huh? Weird!)
”Go up to your room and then I’ll call you down for dinner”
Tommy was confused. He either goes to bed hungry or has to scour the fridge for whatever leftovers were in there.
After a few moments of stunned silence from Tommy and Dream staring at him with a (Honestly creepy, I’m telling ya) smile on his face Tommy decided he shouldn’t keep Dream waiting if he didn’t want to ruin his mood, so he started heading to the stairs to go to his room. But before he could…
“Wait!” Dream suddenly says.
“What would you want to eat?” Dream asked, though the question felt more like a formality than genuine interest.
With one foot already on the first stair Tommy hesitated, knowing that choosing the wrong answer could lead to an unwanted reaction. In their home, dinner time was often underscored by an unspoken pressure, they didn’t happen often but they were one of those moments that could make or break the evening.
“Um, maybe pasta?” he suggested, hoping it would suffocate any rising tension.
Dream's smile faltered slightly. “Pasta, huh? You’re sure you wouldn’t rather have something else?” His tone was casual, but there was an edge to it that sent a chill down Tommy’s spine.
“Yeah, pasta’s fine,” Tommy quickly replied, trying to sound convincing.
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Something had happened while he was in his room, Tommy could feel it.
Half an hour later, they sat down to dinner, the atmosphere still a bit tight. Dream was smiling, but he could tell it was not as genuine now. While Dream had greeted him with a smile earlier, Tommy knew that the cheerful facade could easily shift to something darker. It was happening now and it was a routine he had grown used to—one minute, Dream was friendly and engaged, and the next, he could unleash his frustration.
Dream began discussing his day, the frustrations he had encountered and complaining about a new business “partner”, how they couldn’t agree on almost anything. He was using vague terms, just like he always did when he talked about “work”. He was unusually chatty and that just put him off, it was weird. Tommy listened though, not because he cared, but to respond appropriately when it was needed, just nodding in agreement to make Dream happy, but inside he felt a familiar unease. This illusion that they were a peaceful family would shatter, he could be sure of that.
“Why can’t you be more like some of the other kids?” Dream snapped suddenly, breaking the brief silence between them (Oh well, there it is…).
“They manage their lives better. They don’t sit around nursing injuries” he continued, his voice carrying a sharpness that cut through the air.
Tommy bit back a snappy response. It was an accident, not his fault. He had to deal with the pain, not Dream. Maybe he should have tried better to hide the fact that it hurt. He couldn’t really walk on the leg and pretend it didn’t hurt, because it did.
Maybe he shouldn’t be thinking like that. The injury wasn’t Dreams’ fault either and Tommy should’ve been more careful.
He had hoped for a moment of peace, maybe to convince his own mind that the calm would stay. That they could go back to the way they used to be, but now it felt like the familiar shadow of resentment loomed over them. He felt like crying. He was frustrated and angry, in a way he felt like he shouldn’t be.
“I’m trying, Dream. I really am,” he replied quietly, wishing he could express his frustration without inciting more anger.
Dream’s gaze hardened, and for a moment, Tommy feared he might lash out again. But instead, he simply scoffed.
“Try harder, Tommy. Life isn’t going to wait for you to get your act together.”
The sting of Dream’s words settled heavily in Tommy’s chest, it somehow hurt more than the physical pain he was used to getting, but he took a deep breath, reminding himself that he had learned to navigate these moments. He resolved to focus on the positive aspects of their relationship, even if they were hard to spot.
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After dinner, Dream leaned back in his chair, visibly still wrapped up in his unresolved frustrations.
“We’ll have to see about going to the amusement park this weekend.” he said, but Tommy’s instincts told him it wouldn’t be as simple as just having a good time. They hadn’t been to the amusement park in so long.
“Sure,” Tommy replied, trying to keep his tone upbeat. For him, the idea of a day filled with amusement rides was a sweet escape, but he also braced for the possibility that it could quickly sour depending on how Dream felt at the time.
As he cleared the table, Tommy felt a conflict swirling inside him—happiness at the thought of spending time with Dream, but caution about what that would really mean. Their relationship was complicated, a blend of moments that were both warm and painful, and he had learned to tread carefully. He knew that Dream loved him, only hurt him to teach him. Make him better. But still these moments were few and far between, so he had to cherish them.
“Just remember,” Dream said as Tommy left the room, “you need to learn how to behave yourself better.”
Tommy nodded, understanding that this was just a part of their dynamic (You really shouldn’t have to, Tommy). He’d continue to strive for better days, even when they felt out of reach. In the quiet recesses of his mind, he held onto hope, a hope that one day they would go back to the way things were, have a relationship one that didn’t come with the burden of fear (Ah, yes, like a healthy father- son relationship). Until then, he would keep taking each day as it came, surviving the harshness with a flicker of resilience.