Dream City. The city of dreams. Or so they say.

Supposedly, according to the rumors, it started out as a good place. A city-state called "L'Manburg" that prided itself on being "free from tyranny." People weren't supposed to talk about it anymore, but they whispered about it on drunk nights and behind closed doors.

In the shadows, when people whispered, there we're rumors of L'Manburg existing still. Of people fighting against tyranny in a different way, under a different name. Nobody dared to hope it was true.

Under tyranny, no one can hope out loud.

The "mayor" Dream took over years ago. Nobody was able to fight back. Anyone who did fell under his power: mind control. And nobody who fell under mind control was ever the same again.

Wilbur sighed, rubbing his face in exhaustion. He sat at his desk with the blueprints for the mayor's house spread across it. Not that it would do him any good. The place was basically a high security prison- no one could get in or out unless the warden wanted you to. And the only person the warden listened to anymore was the mayor.

The city of dreams. What a joke.

Technoblade entered Will's room, carrying two cups of coffee. He set one down in front of Wilbur and sipped the other. His brows furrowed slightly when he saw what Wilbur was looking at.

"How long have you been here?" Techno asked cautiously.

"Uhhh... I haven't left." Wilbur replied. Hasn't left since he first went in his room, after that idiot Tubbo brought a wanted stranger to their house. God, he was exhausted.

"Wilbur, that's like..." Techno checked the clock on his phone. "That's like fourteen hours, Wilbur."

"'Revolution waits for no man.'" Wilbur quoted, echoing Technoblade's own words. Techno barked out a short laugh.

"Seriously though, you should take a break." Techno said. His tone was careless, but his face was worried.

"Like you're one to talk." Wilbur shot back. "You've barely left your room, and when you do it's to prepare for revolution."

"That's different-"

"How so?"

"Well... I... I have to save my friend, Wilbur. You know this."

Wilbur sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Techno..." How could he tell him? Surely he already knew that there was no saving him at this point. "Techno... he's already too far gone. You can't save him."

The room got quieter and colder in an instant. The tension was palpable as the two men stared each other in the eyes. Both grieving. Techno frowned at him almost angrily.

"No, he's not. There's still a chance, if we beat Dream-" Wilbur cut Techno off.

"We both know that beating Dream won't stop the mind control." Wilbur said, finally standing from his chair. "Ranboo's gone, Techno! Everyone else has realized this- even Tubbo! You're the only one still holding onto the delusion that there's hope for him!"

"He was my pupil!" Techno said. "It was my responsibility to look after him, and I didn't! So it's my responsibility to fix it!"

"Well, he was my friend too!" Wilbur clenched his fists.

At first, Will didn't like the guy. He was some random friend of Tubbo's, and that was it. Wilbur's first evaluation of him was that he was too timid- not really fighting for anything. Not willing to fight for anything.

Wilbur had never been more happy to be proved wrong.

The kid had spirit. At first, he helped out in the flower shop- which was, of course, a cover up for the revolution. Then, when Wilbur shared his plan to make a burger van to help feed the growing homeless population, he agreed without hesitation.

Ranboo had a good heart. That's probably the reason he got caught.

"Sounds like I've got you both beat." A voice came from the door. Wilbur and Techno both turned towards it in surprise. Tubbo stood there, leaning on the doorframe. He looked tired.

"Tubbo-" Techno began, but Tubbo shook his head.

"It was my fault." Tubbo said quietly. "Not yours. And as much as I wish it weren't true, he's gone. He may as well be a ghost. So..."

"It wasn't your fault, Tubbo," Wilbur put a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. "Listen- it's Dream's fault, not yours, you shouldn't blame yourself."

Wilbur felt guilty. Tubbo didn't know the truth about the Syndicate. He didn't know that what they were doing wasn't just giving out food and helping people that the police have injured. He didn't know that they were actually fighting back.

Tubbo was eighteen, a legal adult now, but back when Phil found him he was just sixteen. Which still isn't that young, but none of them had wanted to involve the kid too much. Phil had been adamant about letting him live a peaceful life. And then Ranboo came, and then Ranboo left, and now Tubbo believed it was his fault because he didn't know that Ranboo had gotten caught because of the Syndicate.

"Tubbo," Techno said gently, or at least as gently as he could, "I know that he was your friend too-"

"Husband."

"I- wait what?" Techno blinked.

"Husband. We eloped. Got married for tax benefits. Hell, we even adopted a kid together. You missed that?"

"You- YOU HAVE A KID?? HEH?!" Techno stared at Tubbo in shock, who seemed very nonchalant about the whole thing. Wilbur almost laughed.

"Yeah, Michael." Tubbo fished a photo out of his pocket. A young kid, maybe two years old, with pink hair and black eyes was smiling and being held by Ranboo. Tubbo's expression softened when he looked at it, and he showed it to Techno.

"Eret's looking after him right now." Tubbo said. "We found him in a dumpster and got married so we could adopt him together."

Wilbur vaguely knew about Michael. He remembered Ranboo talking about his son while they flipped burgers together. (You should've listened to Ranboo more, a voice in the back of his mind tells him.)

As Tubbo continued to talk to a stunned Technoblade, Wilbur heard footsteps walking down the hallway. He didn't pay too much attention to it at first, but then the footsteps came to an abrupt halt when Tubbo mentioned Ranboo's name.

"They're a surprisingly good babysitter, so me and Ranboo trust Eret with him. Michael-"

The door, which had been cracked a few inches, swung open all the way. The new kid- Tommy, was his name- looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"What was that name you just said?" Tommy demanded.

"Uh... Michael?"

"No no, the other one!" Tommy said impatiently.

"Eret? Ranboo?"

"Ranboo!" Tommy was shaking as he pointed at Tubbo. "How do you know him?!"

"I- how do I know him?" Tubbo repeated. "He's my husband! How do you know him?!"

"He helped me escape!!"

"...What?"