Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

None of them came…

This was his last shot in the dark, maybe just maybe one of them would show up even if it was only for a few split seconds, that would've been enough.

Yeah? Ranboo or Ghostbur would make it Tommy knew that, they'd been the only ones who'd consistently visited him over the months.

Tommy was wrong.

No one came, Tommy was left to wait for hours until the candles on his cake had withered and the sun began to colour the skies in all sorts of warm hues.

In all honesty Tommy didn’t expect much from them, they never visited anyway so one small event would be nothing right? It wasn't like they'd be going out of thier way to visit him.

Wrong, no one cared.

Even dream hadn’t shown up, giving Tommy some flimsy excuse of being busy and then running off into the nether.

Tommy couldn’t really blame him.

 Dream was like the god of this world, why would he waste his time hanging out with tommy.

That didn’t mean that this didn’t still hurt, Tommy was utterly shattered past anyone's expectations.

It wasn't like anyone could expect anything from the frail boy anymore, it had been months since he'd even seen an actual face.

Tommy prided himself on not being weak willed but it had been over half a year since he was exiled and it had gotten to him.

Everything he worked so fucking hard for was thrown into that little pit and blown up by dream, no one cared enough to visit him anymore.

Even the letters from Ranboo had stopped around the fourth month and Tommy had no way of knowing what had happened, maybe the guy had just given up on talking to Tommy.

Dream had said that Ranboo was too busy with L'manburg  to speak with someone like Tommy who was just an outcast.

Maybe Ghostbur was comforting at first giving Tommy a lot of lapis, calling it blue, but it soon got old.

Tommy had given Ghostbur those invites partly because he wanted him to go away for a while.

Ghostbur was always so positive and it had started to piss Tommy off, of course he could be all happy he wasn’t the one who was isolated from everyone, he could do what he wanted with no consequence.

Consequences.

Tommy had learnt early into this exile that he was never to betray Dream, that would only end in punishments that Tommy doesn't think he could handle again.

Even though Tommy knew what would happen to him that stupid part of his brain that needed to rebel to feel alive had flared through.

Dream had come over after the party was done and had found Tommy’s secret stash of supplies.

Not only did Dream blow those up he blew up the entire area leaving it a smoky pile that couldn't even be called Logstegshire anymore.

Even if this place was a simple tent Tommy still had an attachment to it, one that Dream ripped apart in front of him.

Dream always did ramble about how Tommy's attachments made him weaker.

Tommy stood there tears trailing down his face as he watched Dream blow it all up his mind still lagging behind trying to rationalise everything.

“I’m leaving, I’ll be back when you’ve learnt your lesson,”

Dream left him.

Tommy bit back the scream as he watched Dream disappear into the nether, the only person who had visited him was leaving and Tommy couldn’t do a damn thing.

Why?

What did Tommy do wrong? Everything

But he didn’t mean it, it was an accident, it wasn’t an accident you deserved this.

Was it all his fault? Of course it was.

Tommy couldn’t feel anything.

His body had turned numb, not even the freezing wind from the north fazed him.

He knew what he deserved, You know what you need to do, it’s the only way to make it stop.

Tommy collected all the dirt he could find and made a shabby tower as high as he could go, the few sobs on the way up were taken away with the wind for no one to ever hear.

The block limit was just at cloud level.

Tommy was above the clouds.

It felt like the world started to go in slow motion as the wisps of fiery smog started to latch onto Tommy.

He just wanted it all to stop.

The hurt.

The pain.

The betrayal.

Tommy just wanted there to be silence for once.

He sat there wearing Wilbur's old jacket and looked out into the sky.

There were no birds.

There was no more  wind.

Only Tommy and his deafening thoughts.

Hurry up!

You know what needs to be done.

You deserve this.

It’s all your fault.

They wont even miss you, will they?

Tommy sighed and looked to the ground a final time.

There was no one, he thought maybe someone would see and stop him.

Tommy's mind conjured up thoughts of a pink blur in the snowy distance but he knew it wasn't real.

No one was there.

This is what he had to do.

No one cared anyway.

It was easier for him this way.

No more sorrow.

No more grief.

Tommy stood up and held his breath.

All he had to do was take a step.

A single step and all of this will be over.

He’ll finally be able to rest.

Finally…

But Tommy's legs failed him refusing to move from the spot they were planted.

“C’mon! Please-,” Tommy began hysterically crying to himself.

“No one cares! So why-Why can’t I just do this!,”.

Tommy was screaming, not caring about whoever could hear him.

 It wasn't like there was anyone here to begin with.

Weak! Tommy agreed with the dark voices, he was weak he didn’t even know what to do anymore, this was the easiest option and he still couldn’t do it, Why?

It didn’t matter if he could.

He had no choice.

The dirt below him was beginning to give way swaying softly with the wind, there was no way out but down from here on out.

Tommy took a deep breath and let himself give in.

His foot leant backwards and he fell with it heading back first towards the ground staring up at the sunset.

This was going to be the last thing he saw.

The wind brushed against his face as he felt the sickening feeling of falling and fear bubbled up in his chest.

Tommy wanted to go home.

He wanted to see Tubbo.

He wanted to run around the fields with Wilbur.

He wanted to duel with Techno.

He wanted to hug his dad.

Tears fell with the wind and Tommy silently plummeted.

The ground hit hard.

Crackling and sparks seemed to fill Tommy's vision as the whole world finally went peacefully black.

Tommy was ready to finally be free.

---

Life seemed to have other plans for Tommy and he woke up choking on dirt buried six feet under.

Chapter Text

Tommy didn’t understand what was happening, was death supposed to feel like your lungs were burning?

Everything was so dark but Tommy could still feel his surroundings, it was a familiar substance one he had jumped from, dirt.

Tommy resisted the urge to open his eyes and began to claw at the dirt realizing his sudden and urgent need for oxygen.

For someone who just tried to kill himself Tommy was really trying his hardest to stay alive. 

The dirt around him began to become softer as Tommy dug up or at least the direction he assumed was up.

The dirt also became more saturated as he dug further up but Tommy was too busy dying from oxygen deprivation to really care if the ground was a little wet to paw through.

Once Tommy felt his hand grasp something that felt like grass Tommy became more frantic clawing at the dirt with such ferocity that he was sure to have cuts.

Tommy’s eyes were watering from the dirt which had seeped it's way inside them and he thanked the gods when he felt racing wind of the surface.

The water quickly washed away the dirt from his face and Tommy could finally get a better look at his surroundings.

It was definitely nighttime or just after sunset because he could barely see anything around him as everything melted into the dark shadows.

Tommy's lack of vision might also have to do with the pouring rain which had so nicely washed away most of the dirt around Tommy's hand turning it into mud.

Tommy was still struggling for air as he began to calm himself down trying to rationalize this situation.

Why was he in the ground? Had someone buried him? That didn’t explain why all the injuries Tommy should have gotten from the fall seemed to be non-existent.

Tommy at the very least would've gotten a graze from the fall but he was completely fine like he had never even hit the ground in the first place.

Come to think of it, did Tommy ever hit the ground? He did feel himself hitting something but it was such a strange spark of a feeling that Tommy wasn't too sure anymore.

But he couldn’t have just teleported into the ground, the only things that had teleportation abilities were Admins and Enderman, Tommy had doubts that either of them had helped him.

Tommy was so caught up in his thoughts he didn’t realise how drenched he was getting from standing in the rain only really catching on when the cold started to seep into Tommy's body.

Tommy wanted to leave and seek shelter but something tugged from the back of his mind to stay and look around.

Tommy could barely see in the darkness but right above the hole he had just dug was a large stone object.

Something familiar, something Tommy had seen countless times before but he just couldn’t think of it until the lightning struck.

The lightning had frightened Tommy but it had given him the flash of light that he needed to be able to see the stone in front of him.

It was a grave.

His grave to be exact, the only thing Tommy could make out from that burst of light was the name, ‘Tommy Innit’.

Did this mean Tommy had actually died and now he was some sort of ghost? Is this how Ghostbur first appeared as well?

No, that didn’t make sense, ghosts didn’t have a physical form and certainly didn’t have any need for oxygen which Tommy definitely needed, the rain was probably also a factor since it had always seemed to cuase harm to Ghostbur almost like acid.

Tommy crawled closer to the grave hoping to get anymore information out of this already confusing situation.

Another bout of lightning gave Tommy enough time to read the rest of the text inscribed on the grave.

‘ Tommy Innit’

‘ Born XX XX XX03 - Died XX XX XX12 ’

‘ Beloved Son and Brother ’ 

Tommy thought about it for a second, that was his actual birthday on the grave but the date of death was definitely wrong.

If Tommy had died when the grave described he would only be nine years old, not sixteen like he very obviously was.

Tommy remembered that date, it had struck him as surprising even, that was the first time Tommy had run away from home.

Tommy was angry, Techno refused to let Tommy go out mob hunting with him and it was ridiculous.

Tommy was already nine years old and while his brothers got to go off and fight cool mobs he was stuck at the house with Phil who refused to let him go out into the forest like the stupid old man he was.

If anything Tommy should be the one out there not his brothers! Tommy had grown up in the streets and if he'd learnt anything it was how to put up a fight.

Tommy was stubborn as an ox when it came to these things so he had decided to sneak out during the night with one of the wooden swords Techno had given him for sword practice.

Tommy would hunt down a mod and bring it home to prove to his family that he was strong enough, Tommy could look after himself just fine.

Philza would be so proud and- a thud, then a stomp.

Tommy was trembling already not realising that his body had locked up in fear.

He stood there as a grotesque creature made its way through the shrubs and towards Tommy gangly limbs awkwardly moving through the brush.

It was an enderman, a mob which was usually passive towards people as long as they didn’t stare at it for too long, but Tommy was already boring holes into its face.

Tommy couldn’t move, he was frozen even as the enderman began to enter it’s enraged state it’s jaw unhinging and it’s eyes burning a bright purple.

Tommy didn’t even have time to scream as it teleported in front of him and swung it’s arm.

Shutting his eyes Tommy held his hands out preparing himself for the blow, but it never came.

He heard yelling then everything went dark as he felt the world around him heat up.

Tommy was told that Techno had been the one to notice that his brother was missing and they had all gone out to find him but Tommy didn’t remember any of it.

Tommy was grounded for at least a month after that by Philza who was worried sick for the boy but it didn’t take long for Tommy to get back into his reckless ways, Philza's way of grounding him was enough for Tommy to lose his capacity to care for punishment.

Tommy looked over to the gave, if Techno hadn’t noticed he was missing he would’ve surely died that night without any way to fight back.

And then it hit Tommy, he was dead, just not in the way he previously thought.

This had to be some sort of punishment after death for Tommy, being shown all the times he could've died while so desperately trying to live.

Either way Tommy didn’t want to think about it and decided to direct his attention to getting out of the storm.

Tommy was completely drenched in water and the harsh wind was only making him colder so Tommy decided to go towards the forest, only hoping that the trees would give him some sort of cover from the raging storm.

Even if it was dark Tommy seemed to recognised this forest feeling his body move on instinct towards whatever felt right, although it felt like Tommy was running away from a certain area.

When it finally clicked Tommy came to stop for a bit looking back towards where he was running from and finally realising that this was the forest right next to his childhood home.

Tommy now tried his best to veer away from the direction he assumed the house was in, Tommy most certainly didn’t want to run into anyone he knew especially if his family was there, Tommy couldn't see them right now not when this torture was already unbearable enough.

Tommy continued to walk around until he could no longer feel his fingers, numbed by the cold.

Tommy decided to stop wandering for now not wanting to push his luck, Tommy was already lucky enough to not run into any mobs, charged creepers always did to come out when it was thundering.

Tommy found the tallest tree he could find and began to climb up already familiar with the feeling of bark scraping away at his skin as he climbed.

The tree offered him some cover from the rain but Tommy was already dripping wet and exhausted, before he had even realised Tommy was fast asleep on top of the branches.

Tommy’s dream were plagued with the voices of his mind trying to understand what sort of cruel afterlife this was.

Why are you still here!? I thought he died. Why is he still alive?

He’s cold. Who cares if he’s cold! He should’ve died.

Why? What did he do to deserve this? We know what he did dumbass!

Just end it. It’s so cold. I just want to sleep.

Why?

Why does he deserve this?

He's been fucked over by others from the very start.

He shouldn’t have to die because of them.

I don’t want him to die.

Tommy could feel sobs rack his body as he slept feeling an unfamiliar warmth from the words of these strange voices.

Chapter Text

Tommy was cold.

Even if he had sought cover from the rain, going into the forest, it didn’t mean he was going to dry off anytime soon.

Tommy woke up with wet fabric sticking to his skin and a shiver making it's way down his spine as the cool finally set it.

Taking off these soaking fabrics was the first on Tommy's to do list but even as he took it off Tommy still felt the bite of a cool mornings breeze.

If the swirling colours in the sky mixing into blue way anything to go by Tommy must've slept through the entire night until sunrise.

Tommy gave a quick check of his surroundings making sure there weren't any mobs around then jumped down from his perch.

Landing on his hands and knees wasn't the most elegant way to go down but there wasn't anyone around to see Tommy falling into the mud so it was fine.

The forest floor was also wet from the storm, which shouldn't of been a surprise, so Tommy was very quickly realising that he'd have to slosh through this mud to get anywhere.

Tommy was glad he decided to wear Wilbur's boots to his last hurrah because the thought of wearing those hole ridden sneakers made Tommy cringe internally, he'd like his feet to stay dry thank you very much.

It was still surprising that Dream after all his explosive madness helping hadn't found the small wooden box under one of the nearby trees which held all the things Ghostbur had given him at the very start, The ghost didn't really like keeping Wilbur's stuff around.

Anyway! A plan was needed!

Tommy still didn't have a clear idea on what the fuck was going on and why the fuck he was still alive and he sure as hell wasn't going to walk up to his childhood home knocking for answers.

Information is what Tommy needed and he knew exactly where to get it, kind of.

Most villages in this area had some sort of information trade, especially being near the outskirts of the land, so all Tommy had to do was go to the nearest village.

It was right about now that Tommy was glad he'd gone through the painful trial and error of learning villager, even if it was mostly error being a dirty child on the street.

Speaking of dirty Tommy should definitely clean himself up before going into any village, people didn't take kindly to homeless looking men covered in mud.

To the stream it was then.

The stream wasn't too far off from the closest village so Tommy wouldn't be going out of his way and if he was lucky enough he'd be able to find one of the several secret stashes Technoblade kept around this area.

Ever since Tommy came into the house and insisted on running off at every opportunity Technoblade started stashing random cashes of supplies for the boy knowing that Tommy would probably go get himself killed without the help.

Tommy took a little longer than he would’ve liked to get to the stream but he had to try his best to avoid any mobs, there wasn't any way Tommy would be able to fight off something like a charged creeper right now and he wasn't taking the chance.

The soft rushing of water was the first sign that Tommy was drawing near and when a dragonfly flew past, Tommy knew the stream was close.

Although the sun had risen it seemed like not too many creatures crowded the waters, although after a storm like this one Tommy wasn't too surprised to see the lack of mobs who usually ended up getting washed away by the overflow.

Tommy gave himself a moment to sigh looking out towards the water before walking over knowing today was going to be a long day.

First thing Tommy did was dump his jacket into the stream, making sure to clean off all the dirt that had gathered from him being buried.

Tommy carefully scrubbed at the seams trying to get rid of the excess dirt without pulling apart the entire thing that was barely holding onto life, Tommy was surprised the jacket had even made it through the trails of exile.

Tommy shuddered thinking of his exile; it just brought back all the horrible memories from the previous day.

Tommy splashed his face with the stream water to clear his thoughts.

The jacket was carefully placed on one of the sunbathed rocks for it to hopefully dry in an hour or two, if Tommy was lucky.

Now Tommy's focus was on the area around him, more importantly looking for a small sign that something was hidden around this area.

Technoblade had always told Tommy to look for a bright pink flag when lost, something that Techno decided to scatter across this area, and there would be some supplies under it.

It was a silly little game they played as children trying to find as many flags as possible before Techno noticed they were gone so Tommy could only hope he wasn't too rusty.

Scanning the area around the water and it was easy to spot a bright pink, albeit mud covered and tattered, flag poking out from behind one of the rocks in an inconspicuous position.

Tommy took a double take when he saw it, mostly looking for the flags because of a sudden wave nostalgia, but for some reason it was there plain as day staring right back at Tommy.

Without thinking Tommy hurtled himself over to where the small flag stood barely holding itself up on the battered piece of wood it was connected to.

Moving the rocks around it away was far easier for an older Tommy and with the malleable dirt it took little under a minute for Tommy to find what he was looking for.

A small wooden box almost eroded from nature sat lonely in the hole Tommy dug up almost glistening in the morning light as Tommy looked at it.

Carefully putting the small box into his hands Tommy open up the latch to see what was inside this hidden treasure and to his surprise it was almost half a stack of emeralds.

Their family had always been wealthy with supplies when Tommy was growing up but Tommy didn't expect to find so much under a silly little flag.

Shoving the emeralds into his pockets Tommy decided to go check up on his jacket wanting something mundane to calm him down for this confusion.

The jacket was still plenty wet if the streams of water pooling at the bottom were anything to go by so Tommy corrected his course instead going for a walk around the stream.

Now that it was truly morning the animals had started to come for a drink and tommy saw several deer pass by, not really bothering with his presence by the water.

They probably didn’t see him as any sort of threat because they decided to take their drink right next to the rock he was now sitting on.

If Tommy was less tired he probably would’ve tried to kill a few of them for the food but he really wasn’t bothered right now, the village would have plenty of rations to buy later.

After the deer left it was probably also time for Tommy to get going so he went over to grab his jacket.

Tommy picked up the only slightly damp jacket and noticed a sudden weight on one of it's sides, one he didn't notice through his panic and exhaustion.

Tommy ruffled through the pocket and found a familiar looking compass one Tommy thought he had left in his ender chest way before it had been taken away.

‘Your Tubbo’

The compass had a small note on the back that was engraved into the metal, one that Tommy knew all too well.

It was his compass.

Tommy didn’t understand why he was crying.

He flipped over the object and saw the red pointer still functioning pointing him in the direction of Tubbo.

But why?

Why was this the one thing he had left of his friend?

Tommy shook away his feelings for a moment and dried his eyes, he didn’t need to care anymore he was as good as dead to everyone anyway if the last few months were anything to go off of.

Tommy shoved the compass back into his pocket and began to travel through the forest heading in the direction of the village now familiarised with the surroundings.

Feeling to the cold metal in his pockets grounded Tommy but also made him yearn for one of his weapons.

Now that he thought about it, that axe was one of the few things he still had, even if it had been put in his ender chest long before exile.

Did his ender chest even work over here?

That was something Tommy would figure out later, for now he would focus on getting information and hopefully finding out what had happened to him.

The sounds of the village could be heard from about a mile out since during the day time there were always villagers trading with each other in the marketplace, even if it was usually the same repetitive trades.

Phil had explained to him that villagers were less sentient than humans usually sticking to the same routine not being able to make decisions for themselves unless they were in danger.

That’s why learning their language was so annoying it was just a bunch of random noises and each one had a different meaning depending on the tone or volume used.

Tommy walked into the village and immediately recognised it as the village closest to his old home with Wilbur.

Tommy hadn’t been to the village or his home in years but it was still familiar enough that he knew where to start looking for some information.

Most of the villagers didn’t even acknowledge his presence in the village too focused on their own little trades so Tommy had no trouble going straight through to the section he wanted.

All Tommy had to do was look for a little sign plastered outside a house that told him they had information and they were selling it, usually these villagers were the ones who had interacted with more travelers than most or who had already gone out on thier own quest.

Tommy knocked on the door and waited patiently for someone to answer.

He was greeted with an eccentric looking villager who looked like he just came back from stabbing someone under a bridge and stealing all their jewelry, not that Tommy was opposed to doing such things.

“ Hello there, what can I do for you today,” Tommy sighed “ why else would I come, I’m here for information ,” Tommy still had a bit of an accent but that was fine, the villager understood and ushered him inside closing the door.

“ What would you like to know? ,” Tommy thought for a moment, what could he ask that would give him the most information? “ Do you know anything about these people ,” Tommy wrote down the names of anyone he could remember and passed it along to the villager.

Maybe if he found out what everyone else was doing Tommy could figure out what was happening, maybe they'd just buried him alive without knowing and all Tommy had to do was go back if he was even allowed to go back anymore.

“ Oh yes! Some of these fellows are quite famous, they’re part of the group that are trying to get to the end ,” the villager pointed to a few names on the list mostly the people who had been apart of the greater SMP and a few L'Manburgian's.

“ These few here are the main players, They’ve created a settlement a few day travel west from here ,” The villager pointed to a few specific names; Dream, George, Eret, Tubbo and Quackity.

Tommy was confused by the mix of people, had L'manburg teamed up with the greater SMP to do this? Why would they even try to get to the end when Dream had locked it long ago.

Also why was thier settlement only a few days from here? Tommy was more than certain it had taken at least three months for Wilbur and him to travel to the SMP as it was no where near where they lived and was in fact on a different continent.

This felt so surreal, almost like one of those stories where people were displaced by the universe and put back wherever they fit even if it wasn't where they belonged.

A feeling of dread started to pool in Tommy's stomach as he remembered tales of travelers who after thier last life were thrown into different dimensions to suffer fates worse than death.

“Can you tell me anything about these two ,” Tommy pointed towards Dream and Tubbo unsure of what was happening and afraid of the answer he might be given "Ah yes, the smaller one Tubbo is at the settlement with his father I believe they travelled together and the other one was one of the original core members,".

“How long have they been a group? ” Tommy was now questioning if the end was even locked at all, had Dream even gone to the end here? Was this some sort of twisted dimension meant for Tommy's torment showing what could have been if he died.

Was Tommy just the tragic past of his brothers here? Could Wilbur be alive! The possibilities made Tommy's head swirl with a familiar hum.

“ They’re just about to open thier nether portal after the first months of preparing, Apparently you need someone from the nether to be able to open it so it's taking a while ,” That confused Tommy had they really not gone to the nether yet? Techno and Wilbur were literally born there! Why couldn't they just open a portal?

Dream had gotten rid of those restrictions when he had become admin deciding that the Nether was a place for all which was why this Nether lock felt so strange to hear about.

Tommy never did have to worry about the block, although he tried to hide it well Tommy's Nether heritage had always given him some advantages over others and apparently this was going to be one of them.

“What about him? Isn’t he from the nether,” Tommy pointed towards Technoblade's name hoping the broker knew something about him and the broker nodded “Yes but the other side has blocked his access, that family was cursed long ago by the Nether's fury,”.

“He may be half piglin but over there he’s just a human to them, he's lost the right to be in his homeland,” Tommy was confused to hear about this, had techno committed some sort of atrocity that managed to get thier entire linage banned? 

“ I’m not meaning to intrude or anything but why are you so interested in these people? Are you trying to join up with them? ,” It would probably be weird to an outsider what Tommy was asking so Tommy shrugged with an answer.

“Join up with them?,” The villager nodded “Yes, I heard they’re looking for more people to help, especially with the portal problem,” Tommy caught the different tone when the Villager talked about the portal, this guy definitely knew something.

Tommy hadn't even thought of joining up with them, how were you meant to just join all of your friends and family without them even knowing it's you, all of those memories just gone.

Tommy didn't know what to do but he knew he had to check, if Tommy truly was in another place where nothing has happened and he's already dead maybe it's a chance for a restart.

If Tommy was to team with them there's no telling what might happen but Tommy for some reason felt pulled towards this decision, he needed to get to the end first.

ᓵ𝙹ᒲᒷ ᒷᒲʖ∷ᔑᓵᒷ ᒲᒷ ᒲ|| ᓵ⍑╎ꖎ↸, ╎'ꖎꖎ ʖᒷ ∴ᔑ╎ℸ ̣ ╎リ⊣

“ Thank you for the info, Here’s your emeralds,” Tommy placed his emeralds on the table and the villager smiled with greed, giving Tommy a warm smile and seeing him out quickly, wanting to go count the profit that they had made.

Tommy sighed and looked around the village, it was going to be a long journey to get over to the settlement so he should probably prepare.

This was going to be a long, long day.

Chapter Text

First things first.

Tommy wanted to get himself a horse, the journey to the settlement would be around a month on foot so getting a horse was a must.

The problem was not all villages had horses for sale and even if they did it was usually the weaker variants of wild horses.

That would be a problem, Tommy was so used to riding wild horses with almost perfect stats because of Techno and his whole horse breeding scheme.

This meant that Tommy would most definitely get irritated trying to ride any of the lackluster horses and maybe even eat them if he was annoyed or hungry enough.

So the horses at the village weren’t an option.

So the option Tommy was left with was to buy his own saddle and head out into the plains.

It wasn’t that hard to find horses out in the wild; they usually roamed around in large groups so they were easy to spot.

Looking around Tommy set off to find a saddle, hopefully the leather worker here had some knowledge on the item or maybe even had a few.

Tommy knew how to make a saddle himself, thanks Techno, but he definitely didn't have the time or patience to make one from scratch.

Looking around it was easy to see the leatherworker in thier apron so Tommy approached waiting for the trade already in motion to be completed.

The two villagers departed only a few minutes later and Tommy approached the leather work “ hey,” The villager nodded at Tommy acknowledging his presence “What do you need from me?,” .

All these villagers were straight to the point which was one of the only things that kept Tommy from strangling them “ Do you sell horse saddles? I know some people keep them in stock along with travel bags,” .

Tommy would probably need a travel bag for the journey so hopefully they also stocked some of those.

" I usually sell them together, do you want the bag for yourself or the horse?" The villager was leading Tommy to thier shop as the two spoke "One for each of us please,".

The villager rummaged around in their shop for a second before coming back out front where Tommy stood “ Here are your choices, these are ten emeralds all together and these are fifteen,”.

The two piles both had the same items but the more expensive ones had better workmanship and had fur lining instead of fabric, probably for colder areas.

Tommy still only had half a stack on him at the moment and he'd need at least ten to get rations so buying the cheaper option did seem like the more reasonable choice.

But if anything Tommy didn’t want to be underprepared and have his bag fall apart as soon as things got rough so he opted for the fifteen dollar lot, he'd blame his past self if this ended up being the wrong decision.

“Thank you! Come again anytime,” The villager waved Tommy off and he was back on his hunt around the marketplace looking for items he might need.

The marketplace wasn’t too big but the fact that everyone was trading with each other and wandering around instead of staying in the stalls meant Tommy had to go search for the specific villagers he needed.

After collecting enough food and water for the journey Tommy decided to go out into the plains to try and find a horse.

Tommy was about to leave the village until he noticed a single villager who wasn’t doing any trades, They seemed to be a traveling merchant who had just arrived in town since all their stuff was carried by two llamas, the absolute bastards of an animal.

“ Would you like anything here Traveler,” The merchant caught Tommy staring and had brought him over to the llamas who had all sorts of items on their backs.

Tommy only had a few emeralds left after his spending so he tried to avert his gaze but a flash of red caught his eye.

The bright red was slightly different hue than Tommy's own shirt but the small patterns on the bandana reminded him of a certain someone.

Tommy was suddenly reminded of the lack of bandana covering his neck that was worn during exile and realised Dream had burned Tommy's green one.

Suddenly aware of how bare his neck was Tommy started to nervously scratch at the surface feeling the stretched and bumping skin beneath his nails start to tear.

Tommy looked at his emeralds and decided that rather than scratching himself to ribbons he'd just get the bandana, the merchant caught his eyes glancing at the piece of fabric an smiled "A nice lady a few towns over traded that one for a golden necklace, apparently she embroided it herself,".

"How much for it?" Tommy picked up the garment feeling the grooves of thread across his fingers as they swirled in elaborate patterns "I'll give it to you for six emeralds," Pulling out his bag Tommy placed the gems in the merchants hand walking away with the bandana.

Tying it onto his neck Tommy felt calmer, he was so used to the comforting presence that the bandana being back in place calmed Tommy down just a little bit.

Tommy finally got out of the village and into the plains after awkwardly trying to avoid any more traders going in, he really didn't want any interaction right now.

The plains weren’t too far off from the village either so that was great, he really didn’t want to carry all of this stuff for much longer so he put all his effort into finding a good horse.

Techno had taught Tommy a good way of finding the best horse in it’s herd since Techno had spent so much time trying to figure it out and was dying to let his knowledge be actually useful.

Tommy looked at the herd in front of him and it was plainly obvious who the best horse was as it pranced around the field with little to no caution and all the other horses followed more wary of their surroundings.

The only problem was that the stronger the horse the harder to tame which meant finding the strongest horse in the herd and trying to tame them was usually an extreme hassle.

Of course Techno being the brute he was took it as a personal challenge to defeat the best of the best but Tommy was trying to be practical, he literally slept in a rainstorm last night.

Second best it was, one would think the second best would stride beside the best horse but usually they were at the back in charge of making sure nothing came up from behind and surprised the herd.

This also meant it was easier for Tommy to get to the horse without it running away, the other horses would most definitely be spooked and leave their mate behind so it was perfect for Tommy.

Tommy put down all his equipment next to a rock aside from the saddle and began to sneak through the grass towards the stallion who was currently grazing.

It was weird how easy it was to tame a horse Tommy assumed it would take days but as soon as you put the saddle on them they became loyal towards you, maybe it was some sort of magic effect.

Tommy jumped out of the grass in a flash and wrangled his way atop the horse who began to panic trying to buck Tommy off so that it could flee.

Tommy didn’t give the horse any leeway and managed to get the saddle on with relative ease apart from the few cuts he had gotten from trying to strap it to the horses stomach.

Tommy was flexible if anything so he easily slid himself off the horses back and into a position where he could strap everything on while still keeping a good grip so the horse didn’t run.

The other horses in the herd took off in a flash as soon as the bucking began so Tommy didn't have to worry about accidently getting a kick to the head by another animal in the herd.

After an eventful minute or two Tommy had successfully tamed the horse letting himself slump onto the animals back “Hell yeah! Your name shall be Frederic,” Frederic neighed in approval and followed Tommy back to his items.

Tommy took a decent ten minute sit down break after that, that was probably the most energy he had used in a while, well apart from digging himself out of the grave but that didn’t count, so his body felt like it was on fire.

Frederic seemed to be a fairly decent horse with most of his strength lying in his speed which meant Tommy had to be a bit more careful with getting him hurt but that was still great.

Tommy strapped on the bag to Frederic’s saddle and put his own bag there as well, binding them both down with some leather belts he had been given.

“We’re gonna have a blast, next stop the Settlement!,” Tommy hopped onto Frederic and they set off west to where the villager had told him to go.

---

The road was long and rough but Tommy didn’t mind; he had a sense of comfort as he rode, it was always something that calmed him down.

It was a freeing experience to be able to ride and just enjoy the trip not having to worry about anything else.

That was until Tommy could start thinking, actually being able to hear your own thoughts wasn't always the best.

Why do we even want to see them?

Tommy brushed off the thought he wasn’t going so that he could see the others he was going so that he could get home.

What if they recognise you?

What if Wilbur and Techno realise who you are?

What will they do to you?

Torture you?

Kill you?

Tommy started to scrunch into himself feeling more uncomfortable with every new thought.

Maybe they won't let you in.

You aren’t very useful.

They’ll just use you for the portal then leave.

Leave?

Leave you alone again.

Tommy was spiraling he didn’t want to think about it he just wanted to go there and get this over with.

Frederic started to slow down noticing that Tommy wasn’t controlling him anymore instead he was holding his head in his hands muttering to himself.

Tommy just wanted these thought to leave him alone he didn’t want to think about it anymore-

Frederic’s hooves hit a puddle and the water splashed up onto Tommy.

“The fuck! Dude I just got dry!,” Tommy started yelling at his horse but Frederic began to trot along content with his decision.

Tommy was surprised he had such an intelligent horse but that didn’t mean he wasn’t gonna get pissed from being splashed.

They continued to ride until the sun began to set, the mobs would start showing up on the path soon.

“Well I think we should find a cave, don’t wanna get attacked out of nowhere right?,” Tommy sighed as he jumped off Frederic’s back.

It wasn’t hard to find a cave, they were pretty common on trails and were usually man made to help others who needed shelter for the night.

There was one fairly big cave up ahead so Tommy began to head over to it making sure that Frederic was following close behind.

It wouldn’t be strange to find other travelers who were also seeking shelter so Tommy wasn’t surprised when he saw torches set up around the cave to ward off monsters.

Tommy didn’t really want to be sharing a cave with random people but he didn’t really have a choice since the sun was almost set and he needed to get Frederic to safety, livestock were like a magnet for the more flesh eating type of mobs.

Approaching the cave Tommy could tell it wasn’t going to be a big group of people, usually they would set up a watch system so that someone was always looking out for mobs.

There was no one outside to keep watch so Tommy assumed it was either a small group or someone traveling alone like he was.

It was more common to travel in groups but Tommy couldn’t judge people if they wanted to go alone, everyone had their different reasons for traveling after all.

"Ellooooo," Tommy called out into the cave hearing it echo against the fire lit walls, there must be a pit set up inside.

Last thing that Tommy wanted was to be stabbed by someone because they hadn’t noticed he was there and yes that had happened, he never truly forgave Wilbur for that absolute betrayal.

The person in the cave seemed surprised that someone else was around “Oh! Uh- hello?,” Tommy knew that voice, it was familiar.

Tommy entered the cave.

And a familiar face stood there awkwardly fidgeting not really expecting to have company as they cooked some food on the campfire.

"Hey t-there, I'm Ranboo?"

___

Outdated reference sheet :D   (Edit: Go check out @AsterArkane on insta for more/better images)

Chapter Text

Ranboo was in the middle of cooking some rabbit he had caught on the road when he heard someone call out.

“Hellooo,” Ranboo was a bit surprised, he hadn’t even noticed someone approaching the cave so the voice caught him off guard.

“Oh, Um hello?,” Ranboo slowly stood up trying to see who was coming in.

A blonde human and his horse entered the cave while Ranboo stood there keeping an eye on his meat to make sure it didn't get burnt.

The person looked to be around Ranboo's age maybe even a little bit older and was certainly not as well kept as Ranboo having a dirty looking face with a jacket that looked like it was being held together by it's own patches.

Oh! He should probably introduce himself, that was what people did right? Ranboo really needed to work on meeting people while out here.

“My names Ranboo, Nice to meet you,” Ranboo gave a formal bow like he always had waiting for the strangers response.

---

Of course.

Of course out of all the people in the world Tommy could meet in a cave it would be Ranboo.

This person certainly looked like Ranboo and had the same name but the stranger didn't recognise Tommy at all giving him a judgmental gaze up and down before greeting him.

This Ranboo seemed more naïve? maybe fresh was a better word, he didn't have the same nervous twitches and glances that Ranboo had always had when New L'manburg started.

"I'm Tommy," Standing there Tommy could smell the cooked meat being placed upon the fire and decided to go tie up Frederic so the horse didn't get spooked away in  the middle of the night.

Ranboo sat back down next to his meal making sure to turn it so the bottom wasn't charred "Pleasure to meet you Tommy," Ranboo smiled even if Tommy was so obviously ignoring his nice gestures.

Tommy moved to sit slightly away from the other only getting a lick of warmth for the fire as he huddled up against the wall more than content not to speak with Ranboo right now.

It certainly was weird seeing your friend someone you knew sitting across from you with seemingly no recollection of who you were, Tommy really couldn't wrap his head around it.

The theory Tommy would be going by for now was that this was some sort of twisted universe where he died at a younger age and for some strange reason when Tommy died in his own timeline he was glitched into this one.

Stories of travelers slipping through the very fabric of the universe ending up in unbelievable and sometimes horrifical place while not common were something most knew about.

With all the gods and deities in this world why did it seem so strange for them to be able to alter the rules of this very reality.

Tommy was inclined to sit in silence thinking about what this encounter meant for himself, would no one know him? Did Tommy cease to exist the moment he went into that forest all those years ago?

“So...um, Where are you headed?,” Ranboo however was not happy with the silence; it made the whole situation worse for him, the first person around his age he meets on his travels and they are sitting silently in a corner very objectively ignoring Ranboo.

Tommy grumbled a bit from his seat not wanting to be a complete ass "West," Ranboo didn't need to know much, Tommy was doubtful they'd have another encounter after this.

“Well I'm going to the Ender Settlement, I think that’s west as well?,” Ranboo confidently said before trailing off realising they were heading in the same direction, Tommy also seemed to realise this with a huff.

"Are you joining up with 'em?" Tommy really didn't want to think of the possibility that he just so happened to run into Ranboo at the very same moment the boy was traveling to join the Settlement.

“Y-yeah! I think it’s really cool what they’re trying to do,” Ranboo seemed embarrassed, was it embarrassing wanting to join them? Tommy really needed to learn more about this.

“So that means you know how to fight right?,” Ranboo nodded his head “Yeah, I’ve been in a few battles in my home country,” Tommy listened along trying to gauge how much he can trust Ranboo’s words.

"Doesn't that mean you'll end up fighting in the End, if all that is true of course," Tommy pressed wanting to know how much people knew of the dimension "Well yeah eventually, I was trained so hopefully I'll be able to help when it gets to that,".

"What about you? Why are you heading out west," Ranboo deemed his meal ready to consume so he plucked the rabbit off the fire and began to chow down "Same reason as you I guess,".

Tommy looked away as Ranboo’s eyes lit up with excitement “Really? You’re gonna try and join them too! That’s so cool,” Tommy felt a little embarrassed “Does that mean you're going to fight with them too?".

Tommy seemed relieved he was expecting a more invasive question like asking him why he wanted to join, some people couldn't help but be nosy “Yeah, I lost most of my gear in my last battle but I'm hoping to get it back while there," Tommy actually lost his gear to a hole with TnT but Ranboo didn't need to know that.

Ranboo's interest was peaked when Tommy mentioned a battle, usually that meant someone was involved with a bigger group of people and had some sort of battle experience, Ranboo was also a little interested in the story "What happened?'

Tommy chuckled at Ranboo’s curiosity some things really didn’t change “Well it all started with a drug van-,” Tommy rambled on about all the events he had taken apart in.

Tommy didn’t realise how fun it was to talk about all this stuff usually everyone didn’t really care about his involvement in the wars since he was usually the instigator.

Ranboo listened in curiosity bubbling as he began to write things down in his book, Tommy made sure he didn’t say anyone’s names as he continued with his tales.

The fire crackled as the two exchanged stories, the atmosphere more relaxed than it was before and Tommy felt it was safe for him to talk with Ranboo like this.

Tommy had gotten so caught up in his tales he didn’t notice the quiet snoring from Ranboo who despite his best efforts had given into sleep, Tommy didn't even get past the first election but that was okay, Ranboo didn't need to know how it went wrong.

Ranboo looked so much different here, not in a sense that his appearance had changed but he seemed so much more relaxed.

Like a weight from the other Ranboo had been lifted off his shoulders in this one, honestly it made sense, Ranboo was forced to be in government the moment he arrived.

Ranboo didn't get a choice as Tommy pulled him along on his whims implicating the poor newbie in George's house burning down all the way up to the final moments of exile when Tommy caused Ranboo to....

Tommy didn't like to think of that day Ranboo was fine and happy in New L'manburg and Tommy had no right to sympathies with him, It was all Tommy's fault.

Well not like it mattered anymore L'manburg was seemingly non existent here so hopefully Ranboo would never have to go through that again.

But what if the Settlement is just like L'manburg.

What if they just use you then throw you away.

Just like before.

Tommy waved away his thoughts, he wasn’t going to be manipulated. 

Not again.

Especially since he now had a clear goal he was just using these people to get back, Tommy wasn’t going to get attached like he had done last time.

Never again.

Attachments are weakness.

Tommy decided it was probably time to go to sleep. He was exhausted from today and the mental strain he was going through wasn’t helping in that department.

Frederic was already fast asleep and Tommy envied the horse being able to adjust to everything so quickly.

Tommy fell asleep leaning against one of the stone walls not wanting to lie down because he could easily be ready if he was in an upright position.

Tommy’s dreams were filled with static something Tommy became accustomed to during his exile, dreaming of nothing was better than nightmares or even worse memories.

---

The sun had barely touched the horizon when Tommy began to stir regaining his consciousness.

Tommy was going to regret sleeping against the hard wall for a while, falling down onto the rocks in the middle of the night certainly didn't help with that.

Everything was sore as Tommy began to stretch out, he wanted to get going early so that he could spend the day riding, hopefully cutting the journey length some more.

Ranboo was asleep next to the now ashy remains of the campfire and makeshift skewer which was just another stick that hadn’t been burnt.

Tommy knew they were traveling in the same direction but he didn’t want to wake the man. 

It would be easier for Tommy if he traveled alone.

If Ranboo woke up Tommy didn't now if he could finesse his way out of travelling with the man so getting ready as quick as possible was the next best option.

Frederic seemed less than pleased to be woken up early and gave Tommy a huff before once again closing his eyes, ignoring Tommy’s request for him to wake up.

It was fair, Frederic was the one doing all the work honestly so he should probably deserve at least a small sleep in but that didn’t mean Tommy wasn’t going to at least try to wake him up.

Frederic gave Tommy an unimpressed huff before rolling over to his other side as a form of the cold shoulder ignoring the boys pleas to get going.

Well there goes all of Tommy’s plans to get a headstart, he was going to have to wait until Frederic wanted to go.

Tommy looked down at his pack and noticed the packet of rations he'd bought yesterday, the sight of the food made Tommy feel nauseous not knowing when his next meal would be making it feel wrong not to preserve it to the very last minute,

Tommy knew he'd be unable to eat all three meals a day with it being too much of a sudden change but he at least needed the energy this food would give him even if it made Tommy feel downright sick.

Tommy was very self-aware knowing that he'd lost a very large chunk of weight during exile making his entire body weaker so eating more was the only option.

Tommy couldn’t afford being weak.

Tommy grabbed his axe and bag and headed out of the cave so he could get some more food while he was waiting for his lazy ass horse, maybe aftyer collecting some he wouldn't feel so bad about eating the existing food..

It was easy to find food for Tommy, he hadn’t been a scavenger for nothing, Tommy had a lot of experience trying to find food from Pogtopia as well so he was more than aware of the plants around the area he could use.

Tommy’s brothers were both surprised when they found out he knew so much about plant life in this region and he took some offence to that.

While they were always out fighting he was stuck at home with Phil of course he was going to pick up a few things.

Especially since his father had also been interested in the plants, even if his knowledge was more in the medical aspects.

Honestly Tommy started to learn about plants because he wanted to start up his drug empire with Will who had already gotten himself a drug van.

They were never really serious about any of that though and the ‘drugs’ they had were mostly just potions and they had never really made any real drugs in that van.

Anyway, Tommy was lost in his own thoughts as he wandered through the forest picking up anything that seemed useful along the way.

It was weird, a few days ago he would never have done this sort of thing. 

He was always so busy with everything that he never really did anything for himself, it also wasn't helpful that anything he'd collected would just be destroyed.

Tommy was alone for the majority of the time during his isolation but just the fear of someone visiting let alone Dream coming around stopped Tommy from doing a lot of things.

Dream….

How was he going to talk to the man? In exile Tommy had relied on him but Tommy knew all too well that Dream had manipulated him.

Tommy would probably punch him in the face if he were still back at home.

But he wasn’t back at home he was here and it wouldn’t be productive to punch one of the leaders of the group Tommy wanted to join as soon as he saw them.

Enough thinking for now, Tommy should get back before the animals start to wake up he didn’t want to run into any hostile mobs right now.

Tommy could tell just by glancing at the cave that Ranboo had woken up.

Ranboo had a strange little quirk that always let you know where he was, it was probably because he was part enderman but whenever the boy was in the dark he would have little particles fly around him.

These particles were probably always there but could only be seen in the dark but that didn’t really matter.

Tommy saw the purple particles drift out of the cave as he began to approach not wanting to spook the other.

Tommy hadn’t had a chance to see what Ranboo was like when he was alone, his Ranboo would usually just mutter to himself and try and keep himself busy.

“Aren’t you a good horse,” Ranboo was near the entrance of the cave and it seemed that Frederic had woken up since Tommy had left.

Ranboo was giving Frederic an apple from his bag and seemed to be happy when the horse had neighed in approval.

Frederic was quickly becoming Tommy's least favorite horse as the horse seemingly woke up for Ranboo but not Tommy his owner! the nerve of some animals these days.

Tommy didn’t feel like watching any longer, he didn’t really like spying on someone so he walked nonchalantly back into the cave.

“Mornin’,” Tommy waved at Ranboo who shot up from his position next to the horse not really sure if he was even allowed to be feeding it.

“G-Good morning,” Ranboo went back to his fidgety self once more but seemed more relaxed in Tommy’s presence than he was last night.

Tommy plonked himself down next to Frederic and began to munch on the few berries he had gathered from outside.

They surely didn’t taste very nice but he knew they’d give him more than enough energy to start off the day plus they were easier to keep down than any of the meat or bread he had brought.

Ranboo went to his own bag and began to chew on some sort of bar that looked like it was made of random nuts and some sort of dried fruits.

Tommy had finished his meal fairly quickly as Ranboo watched him begin to get ready for his trip.

Tommy made sure he had everything packed up and strapped onto Frederic before he started to untie the horse getting prepared to leave.

Ranboo hadn’t said anything but Tommy could just feel him staring into his soul making him feel guilty.

Tommy wasn’t someone people would refer to as nice Tommy was selfish and hated going out of his way for people he didn’t know.

The only problem here was that he knew Ranboo, even if it wasn’t this specific Ranboo Tommy felt like he was betraying him when he began to leave.

“Hey, since we’re going to go the same way anyway do you wanna tag along?,” Tommy was more than embarrassed he hated everything about how he had said that, maybe curling up into a ball and dying would be less awkward than this.

Ranboo’s eyes seemed to light up with that and he quickly grabbed all his stuff from the cave “If you don’t mind then sure!”.

Tommy could already tell it was going to be a long journey and Ranboo’s overall positivity was going to be the death of Tommy.

“Sure whatever,” Tommy was kinda glad he didn’t have to go alone, it was going to be difficult to suddenly show up to people he already knew and be a stranger.

At least with Ranboo here he wouldn’t be alone.

Tommy couldn't stand the crushing weight of being truly alone.

Chapter Text

So Tommy probably should’ve thought this through more.

He had asked Ranboo to come along with him but how exactly was that going to work?

Ranboo didn’t have a horse and the next town down the road to get one would be at least a two day trip.

Tommy sighed when he came to the realisation, Ranboo would either have to walk or they were going to both ride on Frederic.

Now Tommy didn’t doubt Ranboo’s physical capabilities the man was pretty fast but he doubted that Ranboo could keep up with a horse for very long.

Well this was definitely going to be some form of awkward torture for Tommy he had not anticipated having to share a horse.

Tommy jumped up onto Frederics back and offered his hand to Ranboo “c’mon lets get going,”.

Ranboo grabbed Tommy’s hand and he hauled the boy onto Frederics back behind Tommy.

Honestly Ranboo didn’t mind riding with someone else he really wasn’t one for so called social norms so riding with someone he had just met wasn’t weird to him at all.

Weird was the key word there because it most definitely was still awkward he had only met Tommy a day ago but he could already tell he was the lone wolf type.

It was probably weird for him to bring Ranboo along especially since they were practically strangers, Ranboo had actually expected Tommy to leave before he even woke up.

Ranboo was kinda glad to see that Tommy had stuck around; most people wouldn’t do that especially given Ranboo’s outward appearance.

Ranboo knew that in this country it was less likely but there was always someone who discriminated against hybrids and Ranboo really hated it when that happened.

Tommy however couldn’t give less of a flying fuck about Ranboo’s heritage he was in no place to judge.

Plus it was just a dick move to judge someone’s value on who their parents were especially since hybrids were usually better than humans in most aspects.

Frederic didn’t waste any time when he got to moving and he began to make his way down the beaten path carved from generations of people walking through here.

Ranboo was not expecting how fast Frederic could go and he had to grab onto Tommy just so that he wouldn’t fall off.

Usually people would just buy your average horse from a village but Tommy wanted to get there as quickly as possible.

“With this horse we’ll be there in a week!” Ranboo had never ridden a horse this fast and he was excitedly looking around as his surroundings became a blur.

“Yup, Frederic here’s pretty fast as long as we don’t run into trouble,” Tommy was well aware of the dangers of taking such a well known route.

Usually you’d get your run of the mill bandits just trying to make a few coins but every so often you’d run into pillagers which was never fun.

“What’s a pillager? I thought they were all just called villagers?” Tommy stood next to the kitchen counter listening to his father ramble about something over dinner.

“Well pillagers are like a subspecies of villager, they’re more violent and they usually try and take over the land in their area,” Phil continued to cut some vegetables as Tommy wondered.

“So they’re like mobs? But smarter,” Phil nodded at least Tommy caught on fairly quick “Yup, if you ever do run into some it’s best to just run, they can track you down if you get too close,”.

“How do they do that?” Phil chuckled “They’ve got this mob with them called a ravager and if you get too close to one they can smell you,”.

“Just like Techno!,” Techno probably would’ve hit Tommy if he heard that comparison “Not quite, Techno may have a good sense of smell but these things can track you for days even through rain and snow,”.

Tommy didn’t see what the big deal was villagers were pretty easy to kill so why would these pillagers be any different.

Even if they had this mob that could track him he could just kill it before it had the chance.

“Enough of this talk dinner’s almost ready, go get your brothers,” Tommy nodded and raced out the door the three of them would be back together soon enough.

---

They were a few hours through the day now as the sun was right above their heads scorching down on the two boys.

“We should probably stop by a stream, I don’t want Frederic to overheat,” Tommy hadn’t anticipated how hot it would be since they definitely should’ve been going into winter.

But of course Tommy was thinking of the seasons back home; they were probably all out of whack here for all Tommy knew it could be the smack dab in the middle of summer.

 “Sure thing! From what the map says there should be one a few miles up ahead,” Ranboo clutched the map with determination that he was not going to let it fly off while they were riding.

Tommy was glad that he had brought Ranboo along for now otherwise he would have to stop every once and a while to make sure he was going in the right direction.

Though trusting Ranboo with the map was a bit of a stretch especially since the first thing he did with it was turn it upside down in confusion.

It wasn’t that hard to get used to reading the map however and about half an hour into their journey and many wrong directions they were setting a steady course for the Ender Settlement.

Tommy was more than happy to see that Ranboo could entertain himself on their journey and only every hour or so struck up a conversation.

Ranboo probably didn’t want to be kicked off the horse and it was a wise decision, Tommy didn’t want to become buddy buddy with an alternate version of one of his friends acquaintances.

Frederic began to slow down as the sounds from the stream began to pierce through the shrubbery.

Tommy slipped himself off of the horse just outside the stream and Ranboo followed in suit, surprisingly being able to get down by himself.

“Didn’t need my help this time? I’m truly hurt,” Tommy mocked “W-Well I’m more than capable of doing it on my own,” Ranboo huffed as he made his way towards the water.

Tommy liked to tease others it was just in his playful nature, even if he wasn’t as energetic as he used to be before Tommy felt a sense of similarity when he talked with Ranboo.

Tommy probably just needed a friend but he would never admit it especially with his poor track record of previous friends last of which had blown up his home and lead him to the dirt tower-

No.

Tommy didn’t want to think about it.

That was irrelevant now.

Tommy leaned down to the water and splashed his face pulling himself out of his thoughts and also cooling down a bit.

Frederic also took a sip from the stream parched from all the walking he had done today.

“I’m gonna go look around, keep an eye on Frederic ‘kay?” Ranboo nodded and Tommy began to wander off.

Ranboo would be fine with Frederic if anything happened the man was more than capable of defending himself and the horse.

Meanwhile Tommy snooped around the stream looking for any sort of small hiding places.

People left all sorts of things in secret chests; it was just a matter of finding them and streams were a pretty common place to hide valuables.

It was probably a psychological thing about how people are drawn to clean water or whatever but it made Tommy’s life so much easier.

Stealing from these chests was easy and no one really thought of getting a trapped chest because they were never worth the money.

Tommy struck gold so to speak when he found a small opening in one of the rock faces and he stuck his hand inside.

Instead of the usual creepy crawlies that would hang around in those sorts of places there was a small button.

Tommy pressed the button and the sound of a piston could be heard before a small hatch opened up in the rock next to him.

Typical, people thought just because they had a secret door no one would be able to find their valuables and people were definitely wrong.

Tommy picked through the various items only really paying attention to the small bag of emeralds in the back of the chest.

The rest of the items seemed to just be there for sentimental value and although Tommy was an asshole he wasn’t going to steal that.

Tommy knew what it was like when someone he had valued was taken away something that was worth more than his netherite or emeralds.

I wonder who has my discs now.

Probably the green fuck. Yeah. definitely the green guy

That would make sense; dreams had always loved being in control.

We don’t like him. We should punt him in the face. Yeah! When we get to the settlement we should beat his lime green ass.

Wow okay Tommy didn’t know that his thoughts had taken on such a violent attitude.

Could Tommy even call these voices his own thoughts anymore? It was weird they seemed to take on a personality of their own.

It didn’t really matter Tommy didn’t care enough to find out and he certainly didn’t want to tell someone else just to be called crazy.

Tommy decided to head back over to Ranboo happy with his haul of around fifteen emeralds which would definitely come in handy when trading in the next few towns.

“Heyo,” Tommy walked back over to Ranboo and Frederic who were both lying down under one of the shaded “Ah! You back,” Ranboo seemed happy to see Tommy.

“Yeah, got some good loot too,” Tommy smirked as he thought of the riches he could find on this trip “Loot? Where’d you get that?” Ranboo was confused; you usually only get loot from dungeons and monsters.

“Oh it’s all around the place, people hide chests so often it’s impossible not to find at least one,” Tommy waved it off like it was nothing usually people didn’t really think about this sort of stuff.

“Really? I hadn’t even noticed that’s so cool,” Ranboo didn’t even think about that even though he had also hidden a few chests back at home.

“I’ll show you tomorrow it’s pretty easy to spot once you get used to it,” and with that promise they hopped back onto Frederic and began their journey once more.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful as they idly chatted while riding along making good progress towards their destination.

As the sun began to head down all three of them were utterly exhausted and were in need of some sort of shelter for the night.

There were a few caves around this area so they headed towards the closest one, it wasn’t as big as the one the night before but they would manage.

Tommy leashed Frederic up and began to set up a fire hoping to at least warm up his food a little before he had to eat it.

Ranboo pulled out his own set of rations and began to cook them on the fire as well while Tommy went outside to set up some torches.

They wouldn’t completely deter monsters but at least it would give them a small window of opportunity to attack before they got too close.

“We should probably sleep in shifts in case any mobs come by,” Tommy walked back into the cave to sit down next to the warm fire.

“Sure,” Ranboo was honestly too preoccupied with his food to fully register what Tommy was talking about.

“Okay cool, I’ll take the first watch you should get some sleep,” Tommy grabbed his meat off the fire and began to nibble on it knowing it would take a while before he could keep the meal down.

“Wake me up if you need me,” was Ranboo’s last words before he was whisked away into a peaceful slumber.

Good.

Tommy walked outside of the cave and surveyed his surroundings.

There were a few mobs out even if it was only barely nighttime now but Tommy didn’t mind.

He was stressed and if there was one thing he took from Techno it was how he dealt with his stress.

Chapter Text

Ranboo walked over to the back of the cave and began to sleep.

Frederic was already fast asleep by the time Ranboo and Tommy had finished their dinner so it was probably time they all went to bed.

Tommy had decided to do a watch system like people usually did in big groups so that meant Ranboo had to get this sleep while he could.

It was fine Ranboo was used to not sleeping much, he was a light sleeper and mobs would always wake him up during the night.

Ranboo had fallen asleep rather quickly but he was still aware of his surroundings, noticing that Tommy had decided to sit down near the entrance of the cave after Ranboo had gone away.

Tommy was probably just watching out for any mobs.

Ranboo then noticed how Tommy began to shuffle around before becoming completely silent, had he left the cave?

It was odd.

Ranboo couldn’t see Tommy anywhere inside the cave but he wasn’t worried Tommy wouldn’t try and leave without Frederic.

So where had he run off to?

Ranboo mental noted Tommy’s disappearance and went back to sleep not wanting to lose the few hours he had to get some shut eye.

---

Tommy was still unsatisfied.

He had walked back into the cave not too long ago but he didn’t feel much better than he had before.

Tommy had managed to get through quite a few hoards of mobs not really caring from finesse as he brutally tore them apart.

But it wasn’t enough.

Tommy still felt the urge to rip everything apart.

It made sense honestly.

Tommy had been under high amounts of stress in such a short time that it was bound to affect him.

But he didn’t think it would affect him to this degree; he had even fallen back into old habits like going hunting to relieve his stress.

Tommy knew that killing everything he could find probably wasn’t the healthiest way to relieve his stress but he didn’t have any other way.

Talking to Ranboo did help some but it wasn’t enough.

The little voice in the back of his mind was always there picking apart whatever the other said.

It didn’t matter much now, Tommy was tired and intended on getting at least a little bit of sleep.

It was probably only a few hours until sunrise since Tommy had spent the majority of the night hunting mobs but it was fine.

Even a few hours of sleep was better than none and he would feel a bit silly suggesting this whole switching thing and not switching over.

Tommy went over to Ranboo’s sleeping body and tapped him on the shoulder a few times waking Ranboo up easily.

“Your turn,” was all Tommy had said before he went over to lean on the wall and get some sleep of his own.

Ranboo noted how Tommy seemed to have more bloodstains on his jacket than before.

Tommy didn’t really care as he went off to sleep.

Ranboo went over to the cave entrance and sat down looking over to Tommy who had fallen fast asleep so easily.

Ranboo didn’t know what to think of the boy but he knew he needed to keep and eye out just in case.

Tommy didn’t seem like a bad guy but that didn’t mean he wasn’t suspicious especially when he so casually wanders off and comes back covered in blood.

---

Ranboo didn’t expect the sun to come up so early into his watch that meant that Tommy had spent almost the entire night awake.

Not that Ranboo was complaining he was up and ready for the day but Tommy must be some sort of tired.

Staying up that late continuously could really cause some issues so Ranboo would make sure to take the first shift next time.

At least then Tommy could get some semblance of rest before they took off for the day.

“Hey Frederic,” Ranboo greeted the horse as he slowly began to wake up.

Tommy was up not long after still looking tired from whatever he had done that night.

“Let's get going early today, it’ll give us some more time to rest along the way,” Tommy went over to grab his things off the floor and place them back in the bag on Frederics back.

Ranboo followed in suit and grabbed his own bag and strung it across his shoulder.

“Y’know you can just put that on Frederic,” Ranboo nodded “Yeah but I like being able to grab my book there’s so much cool stuff to see on the road,”.

Tommy chuckled a bit before accepting Ranboo’s answer, normally people found traveling to be boring so it was an interesting take on things.

“Okay, well let's get going,” Tommy hopped back onto Frederic and grabbed Ranboo and pulled him up as well.

As much as Ranboo said he was capable on his own he still struggled getting onto Frederic without help.

To be fair the position Ranboo sat wasn’t what he was used to when he usually rode horses so it was probably awkward to get the hang of it.

They set off at dawn down the makeshift pathways until everything blurred into one the hours passing by smoothly.

Ranboo had gotten used to Frederics speed so he didn’t really need to hold onto Tommy anymore.

So instead he started writing down in his book, Tommy had given Ranboo more than enough to write about so that preoccupied him for a good few hours.

Lunchtime arrived sooner than Ranboo had expected and Tommy stopped by one of the many streams to give Frederic a break.

Tommy tied Frederic to one of the trees and grabbed his axe “C’mon,” Tommy began to walk off and Ranboo was confused.

“Where are we going?” Ranboo followed along anyway not wanting to get left alone “I’m gonna show you how to find those chests remember?”

Ranboo had honestly forgotten about that which was prettier on character for him but still he was glad that Tommy had remembered.

Ranboo was really curious about these secret chests and if Tommy could show him how to find them it would make things so much easier.

Tommy explained that people usually left chests around streams and rocks because they thought it would make them harder to find.

Obviously because most people did this it meant chests were actually easier to find and even your average person would come across a chest every now and then.

Tommy had shown Ranboo a few ways to find a chest and where they were usually hidden and even found a few along the rocks.

Ranboo was honestly surprised how many chests he was able to find in just a small area and wondered how many would be around if they were at a bigger stream.

Although Ranboo had only managed to find one chest he was still happy with himself especially since the chest had a fair amount of emeralds.

Ranboo knew how annoying it was to go emerald farming so he was more than thankful for the freebie.

After about an hour both boys decided it would be best to get back onto the road they didn’t want to lose too much time traveling.

They were both eager to get to the settlement even if it was for different reasons so they both tried their best to stay on the road for as long as possible.

At the rate they were going they could probably make it there in under a week if they really pushed it but in all likelihood they’d be there by next week.

It was a short travel time but it still gave both enough time to get used to each other and Ranboo was hoping he could at least be Tommy’s friend by the end of it.

Ranboo has had several traveling companions over the years and he always made it his goal to become friends with them during the trip.

It didn’t mean that they had to have complete trust in each other but he’d like to be able to at least hold a good conversation with them.

Ranboo was a pretty social person so he liked being able to talk to others because people always had such interesting stories.

Ranboo was curious about the story behind Tommy’s reason for trying to join up but knew he probably wouldn’t be able to hear it within the short time they had together.

Tommy seemed like a fairly closed off person and instead of talking about himself he would talk about others.

Ranboo also noticed that Tommy never named anyone in his stories but that wasn’t a big deal everyone had something to hide.

Even Ranboo had his secrets so he couldn’t go around judging people for thiers.

---

It was mid afternoon now and Ranboo had almost finished writing everything down in his journal.

Tommy was tired but refused to stop wanting to get past the next town before sundown so they could find a half decent cave.

Especially since caves were more sparse in the area and most of them were naturally generated so they were deep and had several enrtances.

That was always a big problem because Mobs could pop up from behind you while you were sleeping even if you did have someone on watch.

To camp out in those sorts of caves it was always better to have a bigger group but since it was just the two of them going there would be a big problem.

Of course there was always the chance that some other group was also in the cave.

Tommy was surprised they hadn’t run into anyone the previous night but it was more than likely they would now.

Since there was a lack of caves here there was always going to be someone else in the cave you wanted to go in.

Sometimes people were nice about it like Ranboo had been but there was always a chance of someone chasing you away because they don’t want to share.

Tommy hated it when people would tell him to piss off from caves it wasn’t like they owned the area so who were they to tell him what to do.

---

Tommy could feel the bags under his eyes as they started to make their way towards the marked out cave on the map.

The first sign that someone else was there was always the fact that people had already set up torches.

Tommy could see the lights from a distance and decided to go at a slower pace towards the cave.

The two jumped off Frederic so that they could walk over and it was clear that it was a big group of people.

There was about five of them sitting around a campfire outside and another three or so wandering in and out of the cave.

It was probably a caravan of people and Tommy’s suspicions were proven correct when he saw the carriage filled with crates probably some sort of shipment.

Tommy sighed, he wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight especially with how loud these people were already proving to be.

The two boys walked over to the campfire and one of the men took notice of thier presence.

“Hey there! Are you two camping out as well?” The youngest looking of the lot walked out towards Tommy and Ranboo greeting them both.

“Yeah, mind if we hang around?” Tommy noticed how Ranboo was hesitant to talk to these people, maybe he was shy around big groups?

“Not at all! Come over I’ll show you where you can tie up the horse,” the man started to walk over towards the cave entrance and Tommy followed.

Ranboo decided to sit down with the other few people around the fire and they began to introduce themselves.

Tommy was surprised how quickly they were to start talking but it was probably because they were curious.

Tommy followed the man over to a fencepost and tied Frederic up so that he was safe for the night.

“My names Greyson by the way, we’re all part of a trading party,” Greyson went back over to the fire and sat down “I’m Tommy,”.

Greyson seemed to be the most energetic of all of the men and was more than happy to start rambling about their travels as soon as Ranboo asked.

They all continued to laugh and chat as the sun went down and Tommy was surprised at how relaxed they were despite it being nighttime.

They hadn’t really torched up the area much and the biggest source of light was the campfire so Tommy was surprised to not see any mobs around yet.

Tommy was about ready to head off to the cave but instead he was coerced into eating with the rest of the group.

They had also brought out some drinks for everybody but Tommy could tell by just a glance that it was probably alcohol.

Now drinking in big party’s like this wasn’t uncommon but it was a recipe for disaster for as soon as a hoard attacked the group they’d be like fish in a barrel.

Tommy kindly declined the offer for a drink and instead settled on eating his own rations, if he even tried to eat whatever meat they had cooked he’d probably throw up.

Greyson also seemed to not be drinking which was at least competent; they should always keep at least a few of them sober.

Tommy could feel his tiredness start to creep up on him so he decided to head into the cave waving the men a quick night before slinking away.

Tommy was usually the center of attention with his loud self but he seemed to have lost his social energy over the last few months.

Right now he just wanted to curl up into a corner and be alone since it would be so much easier than talking to others.

After a few minutes Tommy was able to drift off to sleep but not before he heard the others start to quiet down, probably getting ready to shut down for the night.

Chapter Text

Get up.

What?

You must Get Up. Wake up.

Hurry.

Hurry!

Tommy shot up from his slumber in a cold sweat.

His hands were shaking and he didn’t understand why the voices were yelling at him had it all been just a stupid dream?

No.

Tommy wasn’t one to ignore his instinct and something felt off.

It was dark.

Too dark.

The wind was beating against Tommy’s arms.

Tommy’s arms?

He hadn’t taken off his jacket. 

Why could he feel the wind?

And why couldn’t he see a goddamn thing.

Tommy’s questions came to a stop as he felt the fabric wrapped around his head.

A blindfold.

That probably also meant-

Yup Tommy’s hands were tied tightly behind his back.

Of course the people they shared a cave with ended up being some sort of bandits.

Honestly it should’ve been more obvious no one was that nice to people without ulterior motives.

Even when Tommy had met Ranboo the two were suspicious of each other.

But Tommy was tired; he didn’t have the energy to even notice the small signs which could’ve prevented this outcome.

Where was he?

Ground. Grass. We must escape. Kill them.

Shut up!

Tommy was trying to concentrate and the voices were most definitely not helping.

Tommy could still feel the cold stone of the cave walls so he was probably still inside but he had no idea where.

Tommy began to shuffle around alerting his captures that he was awake.

“Well lookie here, I thought you’d be out for at least a few more hours,” It was an unfamiliar voice probably one of the men Tommy hadn’t talked to.

“Fuck you,” Tommy spat in the direction of the voice and guaging by the reaction it must’ve hit them.

Tommy felt a sharp pain in his face as the man punched him in anger “Fucking- You little asshole,” the man walked away after that leaving Tommy with whoever else was around.

Tommy could hear the whispers of about two people so they were probably the people who were guarding him.

Where’s Ranboo? They’ve taken him. We need him.

You need to escape.

Use the rock. Yes! Use the rock.

Tommy felt around behind him and grabbed onto a fairly sharp rock and began to work it onto the rope trying to cut.

Tommy was about halfway through cutting the rope when he heard more people enter the room.

“Get up asshole,” The man from before grabbed Tommy’s arm and began to drag him to where Tommy assumed outside was.

Tommy was thrown onto the ground and he could hear someone speak up “Where are ya keeping all your valuables kid,” The voice moved closer to Tommy’s face as it spoke.

“Fuck off,” Tommy sat himself up confident enough to curse the man infront of him “Well I was gonna go easy on ya kid but if you insist,” Tommy felt a sharp pain in his stomach as the man kicked him over.

Tommy could feel the air leave his lungs as he coughed up blood “Wow, you’re a lot more frail than ya look especially without the jacket,” The man kicked into Tommy’s stomach again leaving him wordless.

Jacket? Wilburs Jacket.

He has the jacket

Take it back.

Kill him.

“Your friend was a lot easier than you kid,” the man leant down and removed Tommy’s blindfold, now Tommy could see his surroundings.

He was outside besides the campfire and it was still definitely nightime.

Friend.

Ranboo? Is he okay?

What did they do?

Why was he easier?

Did they hurt him?

Hurt them.

“He gave up after a few cuts y’know, I bet you’ll be move fun,” The man smirked as he pulled Tommy up off the ground making them stand face to face.

Kill him. Kill. He hurt us.

Kill him quickly.

We need to find Ranboo.

Kill him.

Tommy looked the man straight in the eye and slammed his head against the mans causing the man to fall over.

Tommy could tell there were about five people apart from the man standing around and they all ran over when they saw what Tommy did.

Tommy ripped the ropes of his hands causing a painful burn that he’d have to deal with later before he made a dash for the first attacker.

The women who came first had a mace in her hands and swung straight down aiming for Tommy’s head.

Tommy dodged out of the way and used the momentum to slam his elbow into the lady’s neck knocking her to the ground.

The lady struggled to get back up but Tommy cut her off with a swift stomp to the head.

Blood began to pool around her and the voices seemed satisfied.

Good job! Awesome. Get rekt lady!

More. the others. Kill them too.

Tommy grabbed the mace from the womens body and began to fight with the other two men that were running towards him.

Both of them had some sort of sword so it was easy to maneuver around them and get a nice hit in the gut which caused one of them to fall over screaming.

The guy probably had a preexisting injury on his stomach and Tommy had just beaten the shit out of it.

The second guy seemed a bit more competent even managing to land a solid hit on Tommy’s arm but he’d left himself open.

Tommy swung down onto the man crushing his skull on impact splattering the blood all over including on Tommy.

The last person wasn’t attacking.

They must’ve been frozen in fear because they didn’t even fight back when Tommy had gone up to them.

Tommy swung into the person's face and a bone chilling crack could be heard for miles along with a scream.

Tommy looked around and saw that the other members of the group weren’t in the camp.

Tommy sighed in relief as he saw Frederic still tied up to the post along with all his items.

They’d probably planned to take Frederic with them so they just kept Tommy’s items in the pouches which was lucky as hell.

Tommy painfully pulled himself up onto Frederic and grabbed the horses reins with his injured hand leaving the other hand to hold the mace.

---

Ranboo was following his captures unaware of his own surroundings as the blindfold blocked his vision.

Ranboo had never really been robbed before since he had always managed to somehow get out of the predicament.

But this time there were just too many people to fight and they had drugged the drink that they had given him.

Ranboo realised too late what was happening and as he went to go warn Tommy he’d passed out cold.

Next thing you know and he was tied up and being interrogated by some crazy dude with a knife.

Ranboo knows he doesn’t do well under pressure and this situation was no exception to that as he gave them his stuff.

Luckily he still had a few things in his inventory that they hadn’t checked for like his sword but that was kinda useless when his hands were tied.

Greyson had asked if he could ‘play’ with Ranboo and the leader agreed letting Greyson and a few of his mates go out into the forest.

They were probably going to beat him a bit and leave him for the mobs which wasn’t Ranboo’s ideal situation.

Instead Ranboo decided to just sit back and wait for an opportunity to escape to present itself.

“This thing is so manky I’m surprised it hasn’t fallen apart,” Greyson was chuckling with his friends as they went deeper into the woods “I still think it’s weird you took the guys jacket,”.

Greyson just scoffed “He could’ve been hiding shit and it kinda looks cool,” Greyson started dancing around in the jacket showing it off as a prize.

Ranboo couldn’t see what was happening but he could feel the smug attitude radiate through the air.

These people were so sure of themselves that they were able to joke around like this even in this type of situation.

“Isn’t this a good enough spot-,” One of the men began to speak but was cut off by a scream echoing throughout the forest.

Ranboo’s blood went cold it sounded like it had come from where the cave was “Jeez, they're really going at it with the hobo guy,” Greyson let out a laugh and they continued to wander into the forest.

After about ten minutes of walking they stopped and Ranboo could feel one of the men go behind him.

“Let’s get our own party started then,” Greyson gave permission and the guy behind Ranboo pushed him over onto the ground.

Ranboo landed face first into the sticks and rocks below him and he could feel something piercing his skin.

“Argh!,” Ranboo let out a pained sound before he felt a boot land firmly on his back “Maybe if you grovel on the ground we’ll let you go?,” That got a laugh out of all of them as they all took turns beating him.

It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes until the beatings stopped and Ranboo could hear one of the men screaming out in pain.

---

Tommy was racing through the forest on Frederic keeping an eye on where the tracks lead.

He was definitely pissed and a pissed Tommy wasn’t someone you wanted to mess with.

Tommy heard laughing up ahead and he jumped off of Frederic so that he could stalk over quietly.

Tommy saw a group of men surrounding someone kicking the shit out of them in turns as they all laughed.

He didn’t need to see anymore so Tommy lunged forward bringing down the mace onto one of the men who let out a shriek.

The other three including Greyson turned to Tommy in shock he hadn’t even hesitated to crack into their friends' skulls.

One of the men went to tackle Tommy over without any weapon and it was painfully easy to bludgeon them even if Tommy had lost his grip on the weapon.

Now Tommy was empty handed once more and Greyson took this as his opportunity to attack lunging forward at Tommy with a dagger in hand.

Tommy grabbed Greysons wrist and brought his knee up to the mans face, knocking out a few teeth.

The third man ran away in fear and Tommy wasn’t bothered to chase after him instead he grabbed the still lit up torch that the man had dropped.

He’s still alive. We need you to get rid of him.

Tommy looked over at Greyson who was writhing on the ground from the pain of his broken nose and lost teeth.

Tommy saw that the man was wearing his jacket and that was all the motive he needed before he shoved the torch into the man's face.

Greyson cried out for a few seconds before he went limp, his face turned into a fleshy puddle by the flames.

Tommy ripped his jacket from the man and took a deep breath trying to calm himself down.

Ranboo. Help him. Get him.

Tommy turned over to face Ranboo who had positioned himself against one of the nearby trees.

Tommy walked over and could see the fear radiating off of Ranboo who had no idea what had just happened.

“Are you okay?,” Tommy lifted up Ranboo’s blindfold and the boy just stared at him in shock.

Chapter Text

“Uh…,” Ranboo didn’t know what to say.

Tommy had taken off Ranboo’s blindfold and was covered in blood and bruises.

The blood definitely wasn’t his own except for an injury on his arm and Tommy actually looked worried for Ranboo.

To top it all off Tommy had lost control during the fight and his usually crystal blue eyes turned to that of fiery red and yellow.

It was mostly a stress thing, Tommy used to have a hard time as a child hiding his more hybrid features so he had suppressed them.

This of course wasn’t healthy and under the right amount of stress and with some blood involved his hybrid attributes would pop up.

Tommy hadn’t even noticed this until he saw the look on Ranboo’s face, one he was all too familiar with.

Not many people on the smp even knew of Tommy’s hybrid nature but when some of them found out they’d all made that same face.

Shit.

This wasn’t something Tommy wanted to deal with or explain.

He’s afraid of you. He’ll leave you behind.

We should just kill him! No! Maybe he’s different?

He’s a hybrid as well. It should be fine. 

Maybe we should trust him?

No.

We can’t trust anybody.

We can just hope he won't tell anyone now.

Tommy felt like dying from embarrassment he should’ve been able to handle this.

Ranboo’s staring didn’t help whatsoever and Tommy felt himself shrink down into himself not wanting Ranboo to stare any longer.

It would probably take a few hours for his eyes to change back so Tommy was internally cursing himself for losing control.

“Let’s go, we can travel through the night,” Tommy knew that neither of them would be able to sleep after that and Frederic looked more than happy to continue their journey.

“Oh! Yeah sure,” Ranboo looked away awkwardly not really knowing how to address the whole situation right now.

“I’ve got all your stuff on Frederic so we don’t need to back track to the camp,” Tommy pointed to the satchel on Frederics back and Ranboo rushed over making sure everything was there.

Ranboo also noted the blood all around his feet.

Tommy had killed the men who had taken him.

Ranboo only took one glance at the now charred Greyson and knew he didn’t need to see anymore.

Tommy saved Ranboo and that should be all that matters right now not the way he had saved Ranboo.

Tommy stepped over the corpses with little care and carefully pulled himself up onto frederics back still wincing from the pain in his arm.

Ranboo noticed the injury and pulled out some bandages from his bag “Pass me your arm, If it gets infected your fucked,” Ranboo jumped up behind Tommy and began wrapping the bandages around his arm.

“What about you? Got any bad cuts,” Tommy looked behind him and Ranboo waved it off “It’s fine I didn’t get anything too bad just some killer bruises,” Ranboo chuckled a bit with Tommy and they both set off.

It was still the middle of the night so they were mostly relying on Frederics sense of direction as they traveled through the woods.

Tommy had not spoken a word since they had covered up their wounds and Ranboo really couldn’t blame him.

Tommy was obviously a hybrid that much was clear to Ranboo.

But like many other hybrids Tommy tried to hide his hybrid traits so when Ranboo saw them Tommy probably felt all types of shit.

Ranboo still remembers the day he’d tried hiding his heritage but it never really worked out so he had learned to just embrace it.

Sure there were still people who discriminated against him but Ranboo didn’t mind too much that was their opinion, it didn’t mean he had to value it.

Tommy was probably different from Ranboo.

Everyone had their reasons to hide stuff like this and Ranboo wasn’t going to judge Tommy for his.

Especially since Tommy seemed very unwilling to talk about it almost like he was ashamed that he had lost control.

So Ranboo decided to ride in silence not wanting to make anything worse than it already was.

---

Tommy felt like shit.

That was probably the understatement of the century but there was no better way to put it.

First of all one of the fuckers had ripped a hole in his jacket's sleeve which was just going to be a pain to fix.

He also had to deal with the fact that Ranboo saw him go on a bloody murder spree then just show up with his freaky eyes.

Honestly Tommy wouldn’t blame the boy if he didn’t want to travel together anymore.

Not everyone could stomach the sight of someone elses face being burned off and Tommy was no exception.

It had been awhile since he’d been made to kill someone.

It was always a conflicting feeling for Tommy because his instincts told him it was fine while his mind screamed at him to stop.

Tommy was definitely gonna be sick.

He would probably skip out on the next few meals for his own sanity, Tommy couldn’t even stomach the thought of food right now.

You’re the one who killed them. Why are you feeling guilty?

I think we should’ve spared at least some. Nah they all deserved to die.

Did you see how cool it looked when that Greyson dude’s face melted off!

We should do it again!

Again!

Frederic could sense Tommy’s discomfort and stopped by the side of one of the trees to Ranboo’s confusion.

Tommy quickly jumped off of Frederics back and threw up by one of the trees unable to handle his thoughts.

Tommy was definitely panicking; he felt sick to the stomach and all he wanted to do was cry.

Tommy’s breaths began more sporadic as he leaned against the tree trying to anchor himself somehow.

This was a normal human reaction to doing the things that Tommy did but he still felt weak, why couldn’t he handle this?

Ranboo jumped off the horse in concern and walked over to Tommy who was already spiralling.

Ranboo hadn’t seen Tommy like this before and it was a scary sight to see.

Tommy looked like he was on the verge of tears as he heaved for air.

Ranboo wasn’t one for comforting people in fact he was pretty awkward in that regard so all he could really do was rub circles into Tommy's back as the boy tried to calm himself down.

Why’s he sad? This doesn’t make sense.

We should just shut up. You shut up!

He’s spiralling just like the tower.

Tommy managed to get himself into some semblance of a normal headspace and he leant his back against the tree with a sigh.

Ranboo had been next to him from some time and Tommy could see the worry in his expression.

Ranboo grabbed some water from Tommy’s bag and passed it over, water is probably the only thing Tommy could keep down right now.

“C’mon, You can ride in the back and try and get some sleep?,” Ranboo was concerned to say the least and definitely didn’t want Tommy’s being in control of Frederic in that state.

Tomy was uncharacteristically lucid agreeing with a nod before Ranboo pulled himself and Tommy up onto the horse.

Tommy didn’t have enough strength to hold himself on Frederic without falling over so he wrapped his arms around Ranboo before they set off in silence.

Tommy could feel himself slowly drift in and out into consciousness before he completely fell asleep leaning against Ranboo’s back.

---

Tommy was running around the house not really caring for the racket he was making as his brothers talked with Phil upstairs.

Phil had told Tommy he wasn’t allowed to go into the room which made Tommy mad, why was he the only one getting left out!

This always happened honestly the three of them would go off to a room somewhere to talk about ‘grown up’ stuff and they’d always lock Tommy out.

It didn’t make sense Phil usually told him everything even if he supposedly wasn’t old enough Tommy would always manage to get it out of the man.

Tommy had sat back down on the couch growing bored of running around and instead he flopped backwards onto the couch with a sigh.

There wasn’t much someone could do inside the house but Tommy wasn’t allowed to leave unless he was with one of his brothers.

That rule had been in place ever since he had run off into the forest a few months ago and Tommy was starting to get sick of it.

Especially since his brothers were assholes and wouldn’t let him go with them whenever they went out to do things.

There were plenty of rooms to explore in the house sure but that got boring fairly quickly.

Tommy didn’t even know what half the stuff Phil kept was but he wasn’t bothered to question it.

From what Tommy had known Phil used to be a massive collector of dangerous magical items and he had then retired and kept said items.

Although Tommy had never found anything even remotely dangerous in his adventures through the piles and the most threatening thing he’d found was a weirdly shaped decorative knife.

Tommy knew there was much more dangerous stuff and even a few weapons up in the attic but no one had been bothered to clean that up in years and it was a hassle to even get the door open.

That’s probably why Phil hadn’t bothered to block it off but Tommy was known for going into places he wasn’t supposed to.

It was a mostly unspoken rule of the house to stay out of the attic and the only time Tommy was told about it was when Phil had caught him opening up the door and yelled at him.

That was when Tommy was around seven and he had never bothered to go back in since then because he could just as easily explore outside without restrictions.

But that wasn’t true anymore and the attic was one of the only places in the house left for Tommy to explore.

Tommy stalked his way upstairs trying not to alert the others of his presence and made his way towards the attic’s ladder.

Tommy pulled down the latch and the attic’s door opened up giving Tommy just enough room to squeeze up.

Tommy looked around for a moment at the sea of boxes and his eyes caught on a particular pile.

Tommy tried to make his way over to the older looking boxes until his foot caught and he fell onto the boxes in front of him.

He hit his chin on one of the sharper edges of an item and he could feel his chin start to bleed before the other three rushed over.

Tommy hadn’t even gotten enough time to get a good looma round before Phil had pulled him into the kitchen to patch up his chin.

Just great.

Tommy was definitely going to be in a fowl mood for the rest of the day.

---

Tommy slept through the rest of the night dreaming about his childhood as a subconscious attempt to calm himself.

Chapter Text

Ranboo was definitely concercened.

He had been through the ringer last night but he hadn’t been anywhere near as affected by it as Tommy had.

The boy had obviously killed all of the other people at camp and his aversion to going back to grab some items made that clear.

Ranboo knew that murder probably wasn’t the easiest thing to accomplish but he didn’t expect to see Tommy have such a negative reaction.

Ranboo was probably like that when he had first killed someone but he never panicked like that.

Tommy stood by that tree for about an hour before he had managed to calm himself down.

It was definitely a strange situation and Tommy obviously had some issues of his own but that didn’t stop Ranboo from worrying any less.

Even if Ranboo was still a kid himself he knew Tommy was younger and had most certainly been through the ringer.

Tommy’s age was probably why Ranboo had decided to hang around; he'd hate to see what would happen to Tommy if he was left alone.

Ranboo decided as soon as he saw Tommy in that panicked state that he’d stick by him.

Everything about Tommy just felt off, Tommy shouldn’t be reacting like this and it definitely wasn’t healthy.

Ranboo sighed looking behind him to see Tommy still fast asleep leaning against his back.

It was already mid afternoon the next day and Tommy still hadn’t woken up from the night before.

Ranboo was feeling all kinds of guilty about what had happened, he should’ve been able to handle those men on his own.

Tommy’s sleeping state didn’t help Ranboo’s consciousness in the slightest.

It was as if the boy had shut down completely after his breakdown.

Frederic stomped towards the nearest lake already feeling worn out from the day of travel.

The horse decided to stop right in front of the lake to get a drink while Ranboo took in his surroundings.

Because of the extra night of travel they were probably only two or three days away from the settlement.

Ranboo couldn’t wait to get there and finally have some stability in his daily life.

He had always been interested in things like the end and he was more than happy to find out there was a group of people who shared his passion.

Ranboo took a deep breath grounding himself for a moment before they set off once again towards a town.

Ranboo certainly wasn’t going to stay in another cave after last night so his best bet was to rent a room in the nearby town.

Luckily this village seemed to be one of the bigger ones so they usually had an extra house specifically for adventures to rent.

Ranboo flipped Tommy’s hoodie over his head before heading off into the town on top of Frederic.

The town was extremely lively especially since it seemed to be a bigger trading village.

Apart from the villagers making up the majority of the crowd Ranboo also noticed a few people in there as well trading with the locals and even selling goods.

A few people gave quick glances at the duo before turning away trying not to meddle in other people's business.

Ranboo spotted the rental house as it had a big red sign above the dor and he wandered over looking to see if the owner was around.

The villager was around as he was busy talking to one of the other locals until Ranboo trotted over to them and they separated.

“What can I do for you sir?” Ranboo slid off of Frederic making sure that Tommy was still securely on the horse “Do you have an available home?”

The villager nodded and began to lead Ranboo down the path away from the village “This one used to be used as a winter cabin but I’m sure it’ll be just fine for you and your horse,” The villager nodded towards the stables by the side on the house and Ranboo grinned.

“Thank you very much! How much will it be for the night?” “Just ten emerald for one night,” Ranboo handed over the money and the villager unlocked the door letting him inside.

Ranboo waited for the villager to wander off before he walked Frederic towards the stables tying up the horse to one of the fence posts.

Tommy was still fast asleep on top of Frederics back so Ranboo had to carry him from the stables to the house.

Ranboo dumped Tommy on a bed inside one of the bedrooms and went outside to look at all the other rooms.

It was definitely a small cabin but it still had a kitchen and dining room along with a few bedrooms scattered down the hallway.

Definitely something a lot more comfortable than a cave.

The only benefit of sleeping in caves was that it was free and for someone like Ranboo who was constantly on the road and doesn’t have a job a cave is always the best option.

Ranboo had actually used the emeralds he had found at the stream yesterday to pay for this cabin so he was thankful he had found them when he did.

Tommy wasn’t showing any sign of waking up anytime soon so Ranboo left a note by his bed and went back into town.

---

Tommy felt like shit.

That probably wasn’t anything new but this was a different sort of shit.

The type where he just wanted to sleep through it all and not have to deal with whatever the world was throwing at him.

Tommy still remembered what had happened.

He wished he could block it all out just like he had done before.

This time was different however.

Someone had actually seen him having a breakdown, something that never happened in his world.

It was something Tommy would’ve never let happen in the other world but here he was weaker.

His mental state was already pretty shabby when he had arrived here and last night just happened to be the piece to topple it all over.

Honestly Tommy thought he had more time to get himself together but reality had different plans for him.

Tommy groaned as he rolled over in his sleep not wanting to open his eyes.

He wasn’t on top of Frederic like he was when he fell asleep instead he was on something that felt strangely like a bed.

Tommy rolled over onto his back and opened his eyes staring at the wooden cabin roof above him.

Ranboo had probably stopped by a village to get them a room.

That meant Tommy had slept through the whole day which was probably the most amount of sleep he’d gotten in a while.

Where was Ranboo?

He had obviously carried Tommy over to the bed but he wasn’t anywhere in the room.

Tommy slowly sat up realising the headache he was now struggling through had been aggravated by his sudden movements.

There was a glass of water along with a note on the side table next to Tommy’s bed so he took the glass and started to drink.

Tommy was probably all sorts of dehydrated especially after yesterdays ‘festivities’ so it was easy for him to chug the whole glass in one swig.

Next was the note which had been placed under the glass so that it didn’t slip away.

‘I’m outside in the dining room if you need me - Ranboo’

The note was short but from the rustling he could hear from outside the door it probably meant that Ranboo was indeed wherever the dining room was.

Tommy didn’t want to leave his room.

Everything would be so much easier if he could just melt into a puddle.

Tommy sighed heavily before getting up wincing at the creek in the wood probably alerting Ranboo to Tommy’s now awake state.

Tommy could feel how strained he was; he hadn’t had a good fight in quite a long time and he was most definitely not in any condition to go around killing people.

He had barely managed to regain some of his previously lost stamina for the trips with Frederic so fighting had drained Tommy of all his energy.

Tommy opened up the door and it lead to the cabins one and only hallways which in turn would probably lead to the dining room.

Ranboo had already noticed that Tommy was awake but he kept himself seated writing down in his journal while keeping an ear out for any sounds.

Tommy probably didn’t want to come out and talk to Ranboo right now and he was fine with that and wanted to give Tommy whatever space he needed for now.

Honestly Tommy shouldn’t even be out on the road like this at this age and especially not with the state he is in but Ranboo couldn’t judge.

He had started his aimless travels between countries when he was around thirteen so someone doing it at sixteen was probably more prepared than he ever was.

Tommy awkwardly stood in the hallway noticing that Ranboo was sitting down in the other room preoccupied with writing something down.

Tommy decided to walk in there was no point in trying to hide himself now and he didn’t have the energy to try and weasel his way out of this one.

Ranboo looked up from his work when Tommy came and haphazardly sat on one of the chairs swinging his foot over the side of the chair.

“Sup,” Tommy was acting casual with Ranboo now not seeing any need to act anymore, “Good afternoon,” Ranboo’s response was just as bland.

Tommy sighed he felt like he was going to be lectured by one of his brothers whenever he saw the look that Ranboo was giving him.

“Feeling better?,” Ranboo went back to writing in his book turning this into a much more casual conversation for both “Yeah, Thanks for...Y’know,” Tommy felt awkward now.

Usually someone would berate him with questions to the point were Tommy got pissed of and started destroying shit.

“It’s fine, you saved me back there anyway,” Ranboo was grateful that Tommy had come when he did and doing all this was his way of repaying the boy.

Both of them sat there in silence for a few seconds when Tommy realised ranboo had no intention of continuing this conversation “Aren’t you gonna like ask me about everything that happened?,”.

Tommy was confused; he didn’t understand why Ranboo wasn’t trying to pry answers out of him like everyone else would.

“Do you want to talk about it?,” Ranboo closed his book now looking over to Tommy who looked confused, why was he so confused?

“Not really…,” Tommy started to fiddle with his jacket seams feeling less and less confident by the second “Then I wont ask, Everyone has their reasons Tommy you don’t need to tell me anything unless you want to,”.

That was...unexpected.

People always expected answers but Ranboo had let it go so easily?

This didn’t make sense.

Maybe he’s different?

Maybe we should tell him something? Yeah.

If we don’t tell him he’ll leave us.

He doesn’t trust us. Fair.

This feels weird.

That was one thing Tommy could agree with he’d never had someone not pry into his personal life.

It was almost comforting that he could have his own secrets.

“It’s cause I’m a hybrid,” Tommy spoke up and Ranboo looked genuinely confused at his statement “My eyes, they went all weird and glowy last night,” Ranboo nodded.

“I’m used to hiding it so I kinda freaked out when you saw I guess,” Tommy hadn’t openly admitted it to anyone outside his family before it was a well kept secret and even if people saw he would just lie his way out of it.

“I used to be like that for a while, Trying to hide it I mean,” Ranboo chuckled to himself “That certainly didn’t last long I mean just look at me right?,” Tommy chuckled in agreement.

Ranboo definitely had more hybrid traits than Tommy and he doubted that Ranboo would ever be able to successfully hide it from anyone.

The conversation seemed to ease up after that and Tommy enjoyed being able to just normally talk to someone once in a while.

Tommy was usually known for his loudness and general obnoxiousness when he talked to others but every now and then he liked talking to people normally.

Of course he would never do this with anyone other than his family in the other world since it would ruin his whole persona if he was to start acting like a rational human being.

Dinner time approached not long after their conversation had died down and Tommy had eaten a small amount of his rations before putting it away not wanting it to go to waste if he threw up.

Ranboo didn’t seem to mind when Tommy excused himself to go to bed early even if Tommy had slept the whole day he was still utterly exhausted.

Maybe this wasn’t as bad as Tommy first thought.

Tommy smiled to himself before he drifted off to sleep not hearing the familiar static for the first time in a while.

Chapter Text

“It’s time to gooo!,” Ranboo was shouting through the house in the middle of the morning already dressed for the day ahead of the duo.

“Yeah! Yeah! Gimme a second jesus,” Tommy finished packing his stuff into the travel bag before he was rushing out the door trying to catch up to Ranboo who was already walking towards town.

“Is this really gonna be the last town until we get there?” Tommy had caught up and was now walking beside Ranboo “Yup, so we gotta make sure we have everything,” Ranboo went straight towards the markets.

Tommy wanted to get something done before they arrived at the settlement so he waved Ranboo off before going his own way.

Tommy was certain that no one at the settlement would recognise him; he certainly didn’t look like his nine year old self and half of the people there hadn’t even met this world's Tommy.

But Tommy’s brothers always seemed to surprise him and he wouldn’t be all that shocked if one of them figured out that the guy who looked exactly like their brother was actually their brother.

So Tommy needs to change a few things.

First things first the blond hair needed to go, as much as Tommy loved his hair colour it was one of the most recognisable things about him.

Tommy knew there would be some sort of hair stylist here especially in a town this big so it only took him ten minute of walking around before he found the shop he was looking for.

Someone was already inside getting their hair cut so it was obvious that this place was a hairdresser.

“ Hello sir! What can we do for you? ,” The villager at the door seemed prepped and ready for the day and Tommy gave her a few requests “ Can you do that? ”.

“Of course sir! Come take a seat and we’ll get started ,” Tommy took a seat at the bench and watched as they made work of his hair.

---

Ranboo knew that they’d need a few more supplies for the trip especially with their loss of a few things a night ago.

The loss wasn’t too bad but they’d definitely need a few more rations and some better gear to get through the last length of the trip.

The settlement chose their location specifically because it was hard to get to surrounded by rocky mountains to protect them from anything that happened around them.

It was a smart idea but it would be a pain to go through probably taking a day to travel through the mountains when it would’ve taken them a few hours if it was normal terrain.

Ranboo was so caught up in his shopping that he didn’t notice Tommy walking around the same area still on his quest.

Ranboo hadn’t actually given Tommy any sort of timeframe so god knows when the boy would meet Ranboo back at the stables with Frederic so that they could set off.

It would probably take them the rest of the day to get over to the mountain base and another day to actually get to the settlement.

They were extremely close to their goal now and Ranboo could feel his excitement grow as they got closer to the mountains.

Ranboo had finished all his shopping in under an hour which was pretty good so he headed off back towards Frederic so he could load all of the supplies onto the horse before Tommy arrived.

Ranboo was about to finish packing everything onto Frederic when Tommy had returned, definitely accomplishing his goal of looking different.

Tommy’s hair was now an ashy black colour coupled with his now amber eyes, It was easy for Tommy to change his eye colour since blue wasn’t even his natural one but it took a bit of effort so he’d gone off to do it somewhere out of town.

Ranboo seemed confused at first but recognised Tommy’s outfit “Hey?” Ranboo gave Tommy a half hearted greeting before Tommy began to explain.

“Some people at the settlement might recognise me if i’d kept my appearance,” Tommy scratched the back of his head awkwardly “I don’t want them to find out it’s me so can you keep this quiet,”.

Ranboo seemed to understand and nodded in agreement “But wouldn’t they recognise your name as soon as you get there?” Tommy frowned realising they probably would.

“I’ll think about something on the road, just go along with it whenever I do come up with something,” Ranboo shrugged “Sure I don’t really care anyway,”.

Ranboo jumped up onto Frederic in the front part of the saddle and Tommy seemed offended “Excuse me, you’re in my seat,” Ranboo just grinned from above “Not anymore Frederic likes me better,”.

Ranboo hugged the horses neck and Frederic nieghed in approval “Wow, traitor,” Tommy scowled at Frederic before jumping on.

Tommy knew he was in no state to be in charge of the horse and he was glad that Ranboo hadn’t brought it up in a hurtful way.

---

The journey felt like it was going faster than before and Tommy liked how he could have a candid conversation with Ranboo without having to be overly careful with his words.

Of course Tommy was still on guard but he felt more relaxed in the man's presence after everything that had happened.

An upside of sitting in the back was that Tommy had the free time to do whatever he wanted without having to worry about sterling Frederic around.

There were probably only two things Tommy could do while one the back of a horse and sleeping sounded like the best option for him.

Tommy still needed to regain some of his strength and sleep is always the best medicine so he decided to take a nap while they were in a particularly long silence stretch.

Ranboo hadn’t even noticed that Tommy had gone to sleep until he felt the boy's head land on his back for support.

Ranboo didn’t really mind Tommy sleeping on him and tried to avoid doing anything too dangerous in case it woke the boy up.

Frederic was faster than any other horse Ranboo had ridden before so there had been a lot of trial and error that first night trying not to go too fast in case he fell off.

The difference in horse did make the journey more interesting however since Ranboo had to be wary of all his decisions forcing him to pay attention to all his surroundings.

The day passed quicker this time and the two had made it to the base of the mountain quicker than expected leaving them the whole afternoon to rest.

Ranboo had stopped Frederic outside of a small cave near the path up the mountain that already had a few things like unlit torches set up probably for travelers like the two of them.

Tommy had woken up an hour or so before they reached the mountain and he could sense the excitement coming from Ranboo as they both got closer.

The cave they set up camp in wasn’t like the last few they’d been in and it even had a makeshift door to try and keep monsters out.

Tommy decided to take the first watch of the night since he was already well rested from the sleep he had gotten throughout the day.

Ranboo easily fell asleep at the back of the cave and Tommy went outside the door to go sit by Frederic who was tied up to the fencing blocking off a part of the area.

The urge to go out and hunt mobs was definitely there but Tommy knew if he did that he’d probably just throw up again.

His instincts and mind seemed to have it out for each other and he had to tighten his grip on the axe in his hand just to try and calm himself down.

Frederic’s presence next to Tommy also helped out as he stroked the horses fur feeling some of his stress being relieved.

Tommy didn’t stay up the whole night this time and about halfway through he switched out with Ranboo wanting to get some more sleep.

Tommy needed to mentally prepare himself before he went to the settlement.

A good portion of people he used to know were there.

Including his brothers which was going to be a struggle for Tommy.

He hadn’t really seen any of them in months ever since his exile and to add salt to the wound the people here don’t even know what they’ve done to him.

Tommy was going to have to face almost every important person in his life and pretend like he’s never met them before.

He’d probably have a few breakdowns at first but he could get through it.

It would probably just motivate him further.

Tommy really just wanted to go home.

Was that place even home anymore?...

They all abandoned you there. Why do we want to go back?

Can we even go back?

I just need to get to the end then I can go back.

But we should’ve died. What if we’re dead over there?

I’ll deal with that when we come to it.

What if they don’t want you back?

…

…

That’s fine.

Tommy rolled around in his sleep uncomfortable with the inner monologue he was having right now.

He could deal with all of these problems later, Tommy needed to focus on not screwing up until then.

Speaking of, Tommy needed to think of a new name for himself.

It was probably overkill but Tommy didn’t want anyone to ever find out about him.

Picking a name should be easy but Tommy didn’t want to be stuck with something shit.

It was his new life and he needed a fresh start, a bad name would probably just sour everything for Tommy.

Tommy couldn’t get into the right mindframe instead recalling the events of his past in small flashes.

This was normal.

He’d gotten flashes of the worst parts during exile; it wasn’t something Tommy couldn’t handle.

Yes he now had an undeniable fear of getting shot after the Dream duel and yes he was extremely afraid of traps because of the final control room.

But those things were something that Tommy had been able to overcome.

Tommy still couldn’t forget about how Tubbo abandoned him.

Tommy hadn’t even overcome his trauma from the festival when Wilbur and Techno had both gone apeshit blowing everything up with tnt and withers.

Techno had warned Tommy of the dangers of being a part of a government but he hadn’t listened.

The tale Techno told made Tommy’s heart ache as the similarities were painfully clear to him now.

Maybe that’s why Techno had chosen to tell Tommy that tale, as a warning of what was to come.

Wasn’t like it had worked anyway given Tommy’s current situation.

Tommy grumbled before going back into his dreams not bothered enough to deal with his thoughts.

---

Ranboo shook Tommy and the boy woke up groggily looking to see that the sun was only just beginning to rise.

“C’mon, If we start now we can get there by this afternoon!” Ranboo’s excitement was warranted but Tommy couldn’t help but grumble, how the hell was he so energetic?

After a few bites to eat Tommy jumped up onto Frederic behind Ranboo once more who had insisted on being at the front.

At least when Tommy was at the front Ranboo could see over him but with Ranboo Tommy’s view was mostly the others' back.

In Tommy’s defence Ranboo was significantly tall for his own age so Tommy was not short in any way.

This did make the journey more frustrating however since Tommy couldn’t actually tell how close they were until Ranboo told him.

Tommy could tell they were fairly close when Ranboo’s tails began to wave back and forth in excitement , probably an instinct the boy couldn’t help.

Tommy let himself smile a bit as they began to approach the walls of the Ender Settlement built up high enough to have outposts on each corner.

There were people up inside the towers and Tommy lowered his head not liking how someone else had the high ground.

The gated to the settlement opened and a familiar green figure walked outside to greet the two of them.

Ranboo hoped off Frederic first with Tommy following from behind not entirely sure if he could hold back the urge to pull out his axe.

Dream was the one who had come out.

Of course it was him.

Not literally anyone else that Tommy could probably handle being around right now.

“Hey,” dream waved them over “Who are you guys, Are you here to join up?” Dream seemed very relaxed about the situation but Tommy could tell the man was thinking.

“Oh! Yes we are here to join, I’m Ranboo and this is…,” Ranboo looked over at Tommy hoping he would finish the sentence.

Tommy had thought about it for a bit and he had decided what he wanted to be known as.

It was probably a bit cheesy but it meant something at least.

Tommy moved himself from behind Ranboo to his side and nodded.

“You can call me Theseus,”.

Chapter Text

Tommy was livid.

Ranboo made sure to stay out of the boy's way as he did his own thing.

Ranboo couldn’t really blame Tommy; they had come all this way.

He thought of what had happened only a few hours ago and sighed, hopefully whatever Tommy’s plan was it would work.

---

Back to when they had faced Dream and Tommy was still at this time fighting the urge to shove an axe in his face.

Tommy had introduced himself as his faux name and Ranboo gave him a nod of approval liking the choice.

Dream seemed liked he couldn’t care less and took one look at the two boys before making his decision.

“Okay well Ranboo and Theseus, we don’t nearly have enough resources to have two new people joining up right now and no offense but you two don’t look like you’d be that useful,”.

Tommy was going to kill him.

What a dickhead! Asshole.

Kill him. Yeah. Just punch him in the face.

Tommy looked over to Ranboo probably for some sort of approval but then Tommy had an idea.

What was even better than killing Dream?

Proving him wrong of course.

Tommy stood in front of Ranboo who was lost for words at the moment “That’s alright, we understand if you can’t take us in,” Tommy put on the fakest smile as he grabbed Ranboo’s hand.

“We’ll get out of your hair,” Tommy quickly walked away with Ranboo noticing the smugness Dream had shown when he managed to get them to go away.

Ranboo’s mind blanked out for a minute and he looked at Tommy with surprise.

With the way Tommy was gripping Ranboo’s arm it seemed like Tommy was just about to go kill someone.

“W-what are we going to do?,” Tommy seemed like a man with a plan so Ranboo followed him not wanting to piss the boy off at the moment.

“We’re gonna get into that fucking settlement,” Tommy was more than livid as he led Ranboo further away from the settlement and towards the mountains.

---

“Why are we mining?,” Ranboo was genuinely confused; he didn’t know what Tommy’s plan was but he could tell that Tommy was sure of himself.

Tommy was mining a staircase down using an iron pick he had bought in the village a day or so earlier with the determination of a mad man.

“Because we need to find lava and the easiest way to do that is mine down,” Tommy continued with his mining not paying attention to the vague answer he had given.

God what Tommy wouldn’t give to see Dream being bested by him.

This Dream was nowhere near as intimidating as the one in his world so Tommy found himself able to stand up for himself.

Especially since he had a seething hatred for the man.

Tommy’s plan would probably give Dream a huge headache and that’s all Tommy could wish for.

For Dream to admit defeat by his hands.

The thought alone gave Tommy enough determination to keep going even as he felt fatigue take over his entire body.

It only took a few more minutes for Tommy to find what he had needed, a lava pool.

“Pass over the water bucket,” Ranboo handed Tommy what he needed and Tommy poured the water all over the lava.

This of course created obsidian and Ranboo finally begun to understand what was happening.

“This is such a dick move, It’s perfect,” Ranboo probably wouldn’t usually recommend undermining people who you wanted to work with but this time it was fine.

Plus Ranboo was a little hurt from his rejection and this was probably the only form of revenge that would be even mildly satisfying.

And of course Tommy wasn’t hesitant at all as he gathered up the pieces he had needed.

---

Dream had rejected another group of people trying to join them.

This was the sixth group he had done it to and Wilbur was starting to wonder if the man got some sort of kick out of it.

Wilbur wasn’t complaining honestly if people weren’t useful they didn’t need to be here.

He didn’t want anyone to die along the way.

Especially kids, Dream had described the two he had turned away as the same age as Tubbo.

Wilbur knew that it would probably hurt in the short term but it was better to be rejected then dead.

Dream sat across from Wilbur looking through some of the papers on the desk before someone came barging through the door.

It was already dusk so most if not everyone was over eating dinner or in their cabins so it was unusual for anyone to come in.

It was Tubbo who looked like he had just run across the camp to get them.

“Um, Schlatt needs you two out by the gate like right now,” Dream and Wilbur looked at each other before bolting out the door following Tubbo towards Schlatt.

Schlatt usually wasn’t one to call for help from others, liking to handle things on his own so if he had called them something had happened.

Wilbur could think of a million things that could’ve gone wrong as he ran over panic already settling in.

But even with all of that imagination he couldn’t have predicted this and from Dreams face the other hadn’t either.

Schlatt stood just outside the main gates arguing with a black haired boy who was just ignoring him obviously waiting for someone else to come out.

What was even more surprising was the obsidian behind the boy which had a perfectly working portal on the inside swirling around with magic.

Wilbur didn’t have any words as he walked over honestly baffled by this situation.

---

Oh god was Tommy enjoying this.

Tommy’s plan had worked effortlessly and now he was there sitting in front of his nether portal listening to Schlatt trying to bargain with him.

Ranboo sat off to the side with Frederic giggling to himself when he saw Wilbur and Dream come out.

Tommy had noticed the two come running out with someone coming in close behind them but focused on Schlatt instead.

Tommy knew that after his adrenaline high he’d probably have a breakdown especially since his formerly dead brother was now here staring at him in shock.

God Tommy could’ve sworn he saw the shocked expression on Dream’s face even through the white mask he was wearing.

Tommy leant against the portal losing interest in his conversation with Schlatt as soon as the other two had come out.

Dream walked over and Tommy wouldn’t help but smirk “Well hey there, been a while,” Dream seemed to scowl at that comment.

Tommy just kept his smug shit eating grin on his face as the man hovered his hand over his sword.

Wilbur patted his hand on Dreams shoulder and he stood down with a huff before standing back to where Tubbo was.

“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure, I’m Wilbur,” Wilbur offered out his hand but Tommy couldn’t care less “Yeah I already know that,” Tommy scoffed had his brother always been such a pretentious asshole? Probably.

“So what are you doing here..,” Wilbur trailed off realising he didn’t know the mans name “Theseus,” Tommy interjected and Wilbur smiled again trying to keep up a friendly appearance.

“Right Theseus, What are you doing here,” Tommy grinned “Well I was planning on joining up with you guys with my friend over there,” Ranboo waved as Tommy nodded to him.

“But Mr Greenbean over there decided we ‘weren’t useful’,” Dream seemed to scowl as Tommy referred to him “So I decided ‘what the heck’ and made my own portal, maybe I’ll even get to the end before you guys,”.

Everyone seemed to sour at that remark and it just made Tommy more confident as he continued his monologue.

Wilbur could tell that this Theseus kid was smart; he had managed to undermine Dream of all people and could probably follow through with what he had to say.

Wilbur wanted him to be on their side.

They had plenty of good fighters but this Theseus kid seemed like a thinker.

Even if he seemed to be a little shit Wilbur could deal with, it wasn’t everyday you come across someone who could open a nether portal.

Especially since they’d been searching for a month already with no luck, this kid was probably the only one who could open a portal for a good while.

“What do you want?” Wilbur could catch onto what Theseues was trying to say and didn’t have time for pleasantries “A smart one aye?” Tommy smirked as he listed off his ridiculous requests.

---

Ranboo was watching the interaction from a distance not really bothered to go over since Tommy was already doing a good enough job.

He was kinda surprised when someone had come up to him, a brown haired boy with what looked like ram horns growing on his head.

“Hey, Are you with that guy over there?,” The brown haired boy approached Ranboo with a friendly wave “Yeah that’s To-Theseus, we travelled over here together,” The brown haired boy nodded.

“Well I’m Tubbo, and from the looks of how this is going we’re probably gonna be seeing each other more often,” Tubbo offered his hand and Ranboo took it “I’m Ranboo, It’s nice to meet you Tubbo,”.

Ranboo talked with Tubbo to pass some time as Tommy continued to torture Wilbur until he heard a shout from the older man.

Wilbur had admitted defeat and was probably going to end up strangling Tommy before Ranboo even got a chance to stop him.

“Hey Theseus! Stop teasing them!” Ranboo yelled over to Tommy getting tired of the amusing back and forth with Wilbur.

Tommy laughed to himself as he saw the look of confusion on Wilbur's face.

“Alright, Alright,” Tommy walked towards Wilbur and patted him on the shoulder “Don’t worry big man we were always gonna join you, just wanted to ruffle your feather a bit,”.

Tommy scraped his axe against the nether portal and the magic slowly disappeared “So wanna show me where your portal is at?” Ranboo walked over with Tubbo and the two called Tommy over.

Tommy could feel his heart freeze for a second as he saw his best friend but repressed those emotions for now, he had a job to do.

The two of them followed Tubbo inside of the settlement since he was the only one not ready to kill the both of them at the moment.

Chapter Text

The settlement was a fair bit larger than Tommy was expecting especially given the fact that these people were so behind in everything.

There were more than a few buildings lining the walls and the larger buildings were used as the cafeteria and meeting rooms.

The whole thing created a massive barrier around this part of the mountain making it impossible for anyone to get in unless they used the front gate or climbed the walls.

The settlement was connected to the base of one of the mountains and its walls were probably built out around that area.

Ranboo seemed too excited to see the whole place to notice the eerie feeling that surrounded the base of the mountain.

It felt like something was out of place and that feeling didn’t go away until the three of them reached the portal.

It was a ruined portal that much was obvious from the cracks and accident marking surrounding the area but they seemed to have repaired it decently enough.

It still felt weird for Tommy he never really liked ruined portals or any sort of magically imbued object because they’d always give him a bad feeling.

Especially portals since it took a lot of magic to be able to keep one open and that magic was usually sucked out from the area around it.

That’s why portals were usually always made underground to keep the plants and animals from dying around it.

Tommy walked over to the portal in awe as he realised how big it was, even if they were in an underground part of the mountain the area was massive.

Tommy brought out his flint & steel and began to chip away at it waiting for one of the sparks to light.

It took a few tries but after a minute or two he managed to get a good enough hit andlit the whole thing on fire with purple flames.

This fire wasn’t hot at all and instead burned with magic until the fire disappeared and in its place lay a swirling portal which ripped into the nether dimension.

Tommy was satisfied with his work but curiosity was definitely going to kill him if he wasn’t allowed to go in.

“Are we allowed to go in?” Tommy looked over to Tubbo who he was trying his best to ignore for the most part “I dunno, I don’t see why not,” Tubbo was also pretty curious as to what lay behind the portal.

Ranboo seemed to sigh before grabbing out his sword knowing that the inside probably wasn’t the safest of places to be without a weapon.

Tommy didn’t wait for Ranboo and jumped right in feeling the familiar tingle of the nethers magic transport him over to the other side.

They spawned in a pretty generic biome with netherrack surrounding them and a cliff off to the left probably leading into a fiery pit of lava.

Tommy was always happy when they travelled over to the nether it was like a second home to him especially since he had travelled here a lot when he was younger and still under the care of his mother.

Tommy was only around seven when his mother had left him with Phil so he still had some great memories with her which made the Nether even more nostalgic for him.

Ranboo walked in behind Tommy more catios of the biome which looked like the literal manifestation of hell to him.

Not to mention from what Ranboo has heard the mobs in here were usually twice as deadly and some could even fly around to catch people off guard.

Tubbo came in beside Ranboo more curious about the land than the monster and he immediately began to stray away from the portal taking a look around.

“Stay close you two, neither of you have armour or weapons,” Ranboo called out to Tommy and Tubbo who were already a walk away from the portal both exploring the area.

Tommy huffed he was fine the nether mobs usually wouldn’t attack him unless he was with others so as long as he kept his distance from the two Tommy would be fine.

Ranboo had to physically pull the two back into the overworld after they both complained about wanting to stay for longer and explore.

God if Tubbo and Tommy were friends Ranboo would probably end up pulling his hair out the two seemed like they’d get along like a house on fire.

The three made their way back out of the cave to see pretty much the whole camp gathered outside of the entrance probably curious as to what had happened.

Especially since Dream was pouting in one of the corners while Wilbur was holding back the urge to drop kick Tommy into the sun.

Tubbo seemed flustered to see the whole camp gathered in front of them but was saved from having to speak when Shclatt came up in front of everyone to explain.

Schlatt talked like he had in Tommy’s universe minus the trying to kill him and Wilbur but it was still weird for Tommy to watch the man do a speech.

Tommy phased out for most of the speech and only realised it was finishing when the crowd in front of them began cheering, obviously hearing of the portal.

Ranboo greeted some of the people in the crowd and went off to talk with others while Tommy had to deal with everyone else.

It felt like he was on autopilot as he talked to all these people recognising a few faces in the crowd and just trying to keep his head down.

It took probably half an hour for the excitement to die down enough for Tommy to slip away not really having the energy to talk to all of these people for that long.

No one had even told Tommy where he was going to be staying so he took this opportunity to wander around the camp even if it was in the middle of the night.

The excitement had probably kept everyone up so late but Tommy certainly didn’t appreciate how dark it had gotten, he still needed to rest up.

Tommy wandered around for another hour or so after everyone had started to pack up before Ranboo had managed to find him again.

Tommy was sitting up on one of the trees in the area playing around with some sort of metal object before Ranboo ran over.

“To-Theseus! Where’d you go? Our cabin is over this way,” Apparently Ranboo was lucky enough to actually get told where the two were staying so Tommy jumped down to follow his peer.

The whole camp seemed to go quiet in a matter of seconds after it had struck midnight apart from the few who patrolled along the walls.

Tommy was extremely tired so as soon as he reached the cabin he had flopped onto one of the beds not even bothered to take off his jacket.

Ranboo looked over to Tommy warily before heading off into another room leaving the boy alone to sleep.

Lucky for Tommy Ranboo had shut the door because Tommy was definitely feeling the blowback from today's events.

It was probably because he was so focused on getting here that Tommy hadn’t realised what had just happened.

He had seen Wilbur, Schlatt, Tubbo and Dream all in the space of a few hours and he had even pissed two of them off by making the first portal.

They hate you. It’s all your fault.

You hurt them.

They won't trust you. You can’t trust them.

Wilbur hates you.

Tubbo hates you…

Even Dream hates you.

Tommy could feel his breath hitch as his mind began to flare up again, they had all abandoned him not too long ago so it was so jarring to see them not even remember him.

They’re not your real friends.

We don’t trust them. Yeah!

They’re not real.

Yeah, They’re not my friends…

It’ll be fine…

Tommy could already feel himself begin to cry, something even worse than being hated had happened.

He was forgotten about.

No one cared about him here.

He had no friends, no family and no home…

Tommy bit back his sobs not wanting to wake up Ranboo who was in the other room long since gone to bed.

He was hyperventilating a bit and everything started to become blurring for Tommy.

He hadn’t even noticed he had fallen off the bed and was now on the floor clutching his knees like he was going to die.

God! Tommy wished he had more control over his emotions.

He’s never broken down like this...at least not since Wilbur had died…

That had hit Tommy hard.

Even thinking about it now made his mind swirl with negative thoughts.

Why didn’t you help him?

You could’ve saved him.

It’s all your fault.

Your Fault.

Tommy was spiralling and he knew it.

This was becoming a common occurrence and Tommy didn’t appreciate it one bit.

Especially since he had no one to help him with it here.

Frederic had helped the first time but the horse was locked up in the stables and probably couldn’t fit into the house.

Ranboo was fast asleep after finally achieving his goal...Tommy didn’t want to burden Ranboo with his problems.

So Tommy was the only one left.

He had to save himself from himself.

…

Tommy bit down onto his hand.

His teeth were sharper than they looked and with the force he had used it had pierced through the flesh.

Blood slowly trickled down his hand bringing Tommy back to reality.

Back into the room.

He was ok .

Tommy was safe.

He grabbed the bandages out of his sachelle and covered up his hand sloppily eager to go off to bed once more.

The pain was in the back of Tommy’s mind as a constant tethering him to reality and not his thoughts.

Tommy would’ve liked to have known this would work earlier since he could’ve just stopped his last episodes with a small bite.

Tommy took off his jacket this time before jumping into the bed.

He closed his eyes warily, worried that his thought would come back as soon as he did.

But they didn’t.

And Tommy could finally feel himself drifting off to sleep not plagued with his own voice in his head.

Or at least what Tommy had assumed was his own voice.

Chapter Text

Tommy woke up like normal.

The sun was just barely beginning to rise when Tommy began to regain his consciousness becoming aware of his surroundings.

Tommy was at the settlement now.

He was safe.

Tommy was used to getting up early; it had become a habit ever since exile especially since Dream would usually come by early in the morning to visit him.

Even if Tommy hated the man Tommy missed Dream.

He was the only one that had been there for him through it all.

And Tommy had betrayed him.

Tommy was surprised when Dream hadn’t just hit Tommy when he found out.

Physical punishment was something Tommy could get used to, physiological stuff was where his head got all fuzzy.

When Dream had seemed so disappointed in him it had broken Tommy’s heart making him believe he had deserved it.

But things were different here.

Tommy wasn’t scared of this Dream, this Dream paled in comparison to his.

Even if Tommy was slightly trembling when he had talked to the man Tommy had managed to fight back.

Something he would’ve been punished for in his world.

But Dream had also helped Tommy.

The first few months of exile were rough on Tommy and he had gone into the nether alone one night.

Tommy had to be careful not to be seen by mobs since he wasn’t wearing any armor, Dream had put it in the pit this morning.

He found a particularly quiet cliff and walked towards it looking down into the lavaery abyss.

The magma swirled around beneath Tommy who was now sitting on the very edge of the cliff staring down into the hot lava.

Tommy just wanted everything to be quiet.

He was sick of everything, how Ghostbur had treated it as a vacation, how Tubbo hadn’t even visited him.

The fire below was just so tempting.

There was no voice in Tommy’s head this time it was all his own thoughts.

Tommy was ready to jump and he was about to.

Tommy stood up filing himself towards the edge before he heard a voice behind him.

“Tommy?” They sounded confused but when Tommy turned around he could understand why.

It was Dream.

Tommy wasn’t meant to even be here without Dream’s supervision.

“What are you doing?” Dream sounded nervous, noticing the look in Tommy’s eyes as he looked over the edge.

“Come here Tommy,” It sounded like Dream was ordering Tommy to move but Tommy just shook his head.

Dream moved forward a step before Tommy held his hand up to stop the man, Dream understood the gesture and began to panic more.

“Tommy please come over here,” Dream looked at Tommy through the mask and could see a sad smile form on his face.

“Sorry, but I can’t do that Dream,” Tommy looked like he was on the verge of tears “You’ve taken everything from me, I won't let you take this,” Dream’s eyes widened, he didn’t expect Tommy to break like this.

This wasn’t what Dream wanted.

He wanted the boy under his control, not dead.

“It doesn’t matter anyway, no one will mourn for me,” Tommy seemed so empty at that moment as resolve grew with each word.

“Yes they will! Tubbo and Ranboo even I will, we care about you!” Dream found himself saying things he didn’t expect, he couldn’t let Tommy die not yet.

“Oh fuck off! None of them care about me!” Tommy’s rage bubbled over with sadness as he shouted “I can’t even trust you! You just want to use me…,”.

Tommy was right about that but Dream wouldn’t let the boy continue, he needed to do something now or Tommy would definitely jump.

Tommy looked to Dream who seemed to have gone silent and had taken that as his time to go.

But before Tommy had flung himself off the edge he heard a click from behind him.

Tommy looked back to see Dream.

Not the white porcelain mask but the real Dream, the one with emerald green eyes and freckles spotted over his face “Please Tommy, take my hand,” Dream reached out for the boy with his gloved hand,

Tommy didn’t even think before grabbed Dream’s hand letting the man drag him away from the edge.

Dream held Tommy in a tight hug as the boy realised what he had just done.

He almost died.

He was going to kill himself.

An overwhelming sorrow filled Tommy and he clutched the back of Dream’s hoodie crying into the man's arms before he had fallen asleep.

Tommy felt conflicted now.

He didn’t like thinking about exile for this exact reason, it would just make him more confused.

A part of Tommy still hated Dream wanting to kill him as soon as Tommy had seen him outside of the settlement.

But the other part wanted to run over to the man and explain everything just to seek out some form of comfort.

Dream was in Tommy’s mind both a friend and enemy.

Which meant Tommy’s resolve would crumble either way so he decided to just not speak with Dream.

No doubt he’d have to talk to the man eventually but for now Tommy was content with just coexisting with him.

---

Ranboo had woken up an hour or so after Tommy who was currently pottering around the small cabin trying to occupy himself with something.

Ranboo wasn’t quite sure what Tommy was up to but he seemed a lot more fidgety than usually refusing to stay in one place for more than a second.

“Good Morning,” Ranboo gave Tommy a tired greeting before making his way to the small table they had been given to sit down.

“Hey big man!,” Tommy was definitely more energetic before and his happiness just made Ranboo smile.

“We’ve gotta meet with that Wilbur guy and some of the others when we get ready, something about getting to know us,” Oh boy did Tommy seem to not like that.

“So they’re gonna ask buncha questions, how dandy,” Tommy slunk down onto one of the chairs trying to think a way out of it already.

“It’ll be fine but they’ll probably ask you about the portal,” Ranboo didn’t know why but Tommy had hidden the fact that he was hybrid, the boy probably didn’t want these new people to know either.

“That’s fine I’ve got a reasonable enough excuse for that,” Tommy didn’t seem too worried about the whole hybrid thing so Ranboo could only wonder why he was so nervous.

---

Tommy had left the room after that wanting to get changed and get this crap over with as quickly as possible.

It made sense that they wanted to ask questions but that didn’t mean Tommy didn’t loathe the idea.

He would be in a room for god knows how long with people he used to know and he couldn’t give any indication of that fact.

Tommy had to pretend he didn’t know any of these people and that was definitely going to be hard, especially with his brothers.

Tommy’s brothers always had a way of knowing it was him even if he was in complete disguise or even invisible so he was a bit on edge.

The only comfort Tommy got was that all these people were behind Tommy in knowledge.

They didn’t even know what happened after they managed to defeat the ender dragon and Tommy would use that to his advantage.

Also from what Tommy had heard half of the head honchos hadn’t even fought in a war before and lacked experience fighting against actual people.

Of course all of them were strong compared to mobs which is probably why they were chosen to be leaders but fighting people was a completely different game.

Tommy had been in plenty of battles and had the upper hand against most of these people especially if they still had the habits they did in his world.

God that would make Tommy’s life so much easier if they all fought the same as they did before.

Tommy could easily manage to incapacitate at least half of them in a head on fight if that were the case.

This probably wasn’t the sort of things Tommy should be thinking while he was living under a roof provided by these people but Tommy needed to get home.

The plan was to kill them off one by one on the trip there until he was left with only a few to leave during their exploration of the fortress.

Tommy already knew where the fortress was because of the geographical similarities between this world and his but Tommy had heard of another fortress being found by Techno just before he had been exiled.

That fortress in his world had still yet to be activated to maybe he could use it as a portal back to his world.

Tommy didn’t really know how portals worked but if the ender dragon thing didn’t work out he could always try out his second idea.

Ranboo was already dressed and ready by the time Tommy had come out of his own room and the two set outside.

It was early morning but mostly everyone was awake and moving around probably doing tasks to help gather resources.

Honestly there wasn’t as many people as Tommy had expected here with only around thirty or so people who seemed like warriors and the other twenty who just seemed like normal people.

Tommy could tell just by a glance that some of these people wouldn’t be going on the trip to the end.

A lot of them seemed like they were just normal farmers and people who wanted to be a part of all this without actually fighting.

It was a smart idea since every army needed its support and Tommy was glad that these people had already realised that.

What Tommy did notice as well was that there was an unusual amount of hybrids here.

Usually you’d see one or two within a town but at least a quarter of the people had outwardly showing hybrid traits.

There were probably more of them that just didn’t show but Tommy didn’t really care enough to look.

Given that two of their leaders were also outwardly showing hybrids it made sense that other hybrids had come here looking for a place they’d be accepted in.

Tommy had learnt from a young age that it was better to never show your traits.

Even his brothers had only seen Tommy lose control once or twice and it was just second nature to hide himself.

Being human was always going to be better.

Tommy shelved the topic in his mind for another day as he followed Ranboo who had apparently gotten the grand tour last night when Tommy had run off.

Ranboo led Tommy towards one of the bigger looking buildings that looked like a meeting hall and the two entered, seeing just one person standing inside.

The person seemed to be a guard of some sort standing in front of one of the back doors and waved Tommy and Ranboo over.

The guy had scruffy brown hair and a bandana holding it all in place “Good luck in there you two,” The man opened the door for the two.

Tommy nervously entered hoping that the gods would have mercy on him just this one time.

Chapter Text

Wilbur sat in the meeting room with a few of his peers as he waited for Thesues and Ranboo to arrive.

The two boys were definitely an enigma to Wilbur.

If he was in their shoes yesterday he probably would’ve just left after Dream had told them off the man was definitely intimidating.

Lucky for everyone the two didn’t leave otherwise Wilbur would be here pulling out his hair learning that they’d turned away someone who could’ve opened the portal.

It was a good thing Theseus was a spiteful little brat otherwise Wilbur wouldn’t have even batted an eye at the kid.

Wilbur’s general rule in this endeavour was that he wasn’t going to bring along kids especially since there was a high likelihood someone could die if they weren’t trained well enough.

Usually younger people didn’t take death as seriously especially given the three lives system the world had but they could cost them.

Tommy, Wilbur’s youngest brother, had already lost two of his lives at a young age so when he went out into the woods one night it was inevitable.

Wilbut still beat himself up about that and it was probably the reason he didn’t let kids join up with them.

Some of the other members had no such problem especially since one of the council members was literally seventeen.

Tubbo was a smart kid but Wilbur had never liked the fact that they’d put the boy in a leadership position.

Even if he was Shclatt’s son it still made Wilbur uneasy and at the start of all this he wasn’t afraid to voice those opinions.

After a while Wilbur had realised the usefulness of the boy and let him stay on the council despite his inner turmoil.

They were still waiting on a few people besides their guests but Dream and Techno were usually late to these sorts of things preferring to just be out on the field.

Eret was currently busy with the portal and George was helping them out so it wasn’t even going to be a full council.

Which was probably better since Wilbur would prefer being in charge of the conversation instead of one of his peers taking the lead.

Everyone was nice, don't get him wrong but some of them could be a tad intrusive and annoying at times and sometimes that didn’t go too well with new people.

Quackity was probably the biggest offender when it came to that and Wilbur was surprised someone hadn’t socked him in the jaw yet.

The casual chat between the four members who were actually present slowly became stale and Wilbur could only pray that he could get this over with.

Almost as if on cue Sapnap opened up the door to reveal their two guests and Wilbur was saved.

---

Tommy didn’t know what he was expecting but this certainly wasn’t it.

There were four people sitting on a large meeting table all holding their own conversations amongst themselves.

Wilbur looked like he was just about to die of boredom and Quackity was being overtly loud before the pair had walked in.

“Come take a seat,” Wilbur gestured to the few seats in front of the four and the pair sat down with Ranboo awkwardly fidgeting at all the states he was getting.

“Ranboo, Theseus this is Quackity, Tubbo and Jschlatt,” Wilbur ignored the absolutely bored look Tommy gave him “We’re all members of the settlements council, We usually make all the big decisions here,”.

Wilbur went on about the general rules of the settlement and explaining that the council members were mostly made up of the original group who started the whole thing.

Tommy cared little to none about what Wilbur had to say knowing it was all just pleasantries before they started asking questions.

“Anyway, everyone here usually has a general job but since we don’t know what you two can do we’ll put that on hold for the moment,” Jobs, that sounded as boring as it was and Tommy was beginning to regret his decision not to just speed run this.

“We’ll have one of our other members test you two later,” Wilbur casually mentioned and Schlatt grew a smirk on his face “You mean you're just gonna get Technoblade to beat the shit out of the newbies?”.

Wilbur scoffed at that statement but everyone knew it was true, Techno had been their tester since the beginning and after a beating from him the new members would become a lot more loyal mostly not wanting to piss off Techno.

Fear was the greatest motivator as some say and Techno definitely used that to his advantage here.

There were more pressing matters to discuss so Wilbur continued “Disregarding what Schlatt is saying, we’re mighty curious as to how you opened the portal,” Wilbur began to pry.

“To our knowledge only Nether hybrids could open a portal and no offense but you generally lack any hybrid nature,” Tommy was confused by this, didn’t this world have concealing magic?

Tommy hadn’t really looked into it much but that would actually make more sense than anything else, there were so many outgoing hybrids not because they felt safer but they couldn’t hide it.

Of course there were hybrids with less obvious traits but with Tommy’s magic he could completely conceal himself unlike anyone else.

“Yeah funny thing that,” Tommy leant back in his chair now with the confidence that they couldn’t prove him to be a hybrid “I was born over in the Nether even if I’m human it somehow counted,”.

“So yeah I can open the portals but that’s about it,” Wilbur eyed Tommy suspiciously but they didn’t know enough to rebuke his answer “I think it’s even rarer to find a human born in the Nether funny that we found you before a hybrid,” Quackity mentioned obviously not buying Tommy’s story.

It was fine, they had no way to prove that Tommy was lying and he wasn’t planning on telling them anytime soon.

It probably wasn’t even a big deal for them if he was a hybrid but Tommy had never risked it knowing the underlying hate that hybrids got even in places like this.

Before anyone in the room could continue the topic further the door opened up catching everyone’s attention.

Tommy’s breath caught as he recognised who was walking in currently covered in blood “Ew,” Tubbo muttered under his breath as Wilbur just let out a long sigh.

“Couldn’t you clean up before walking blood through the building?” Wilbur asked and Techno let out a huff in response “I wanted to meet the new members,” was all the explanation Techno gave before sitting down in one of the chairs.

This Techno seemed generally less intimidating than the one in Tommy’s universe wearing a set of enchanted diamond armour instead of netherite with a diamond sword and cross bow slung across his back.

Even ill equipped Techno was still a mad man and Tommy knew to stay the hell away from him, especially after the festival when Techno became an official outlaw.

“This is Technoblade, he’s the one who’ll test you two,” Wilbur explained and the group continued with the meeting.

Tommy mostly zoned out for the rest of it, not really interested in whatever Wilbur had to say and relied on Ranboo to talk enough for the both of them.

Unlike Tommy who chose to avoid all interaction with people Ranboo was a more friend based person so whenever Ranboo managed to make a friend he would be more than willing to talk with them for hours on end.

Which is what had happened the night before when Tommy had snuck off and apparently Ranboo had already managed to become friends with Tubbo who was the only other person around their age.

The whole meeting made Tommy want to bang his head against the wall until he couldn’t hear any of them anymore and after a brutal hour or so in there the meeting was finally wrapping up.

Ranboo waved everyone goodbye as the council members started to leave one by one with only Wilbur and Techno left over “Well if Techno has the time we can get those tests over with now,”.

Techno let out a sigh but stood up “I’ve got stuff to do so don’t blame me for making it quick,” was all the acknowledgement Techno gave Wilbur before leading the two recruits out into the fields.

Wilbur followed closely behind, curious as to what these two could do, especially Ranboo who would definitely have some weird hybrid stuff he could do just like every other hybrid.

They left through the front gates and went around the walls to a small training field usually used for sparing or to fight against mobs.

Techno lazily walked over and started fiddling with his armour taking it off and putting it one the armour stand.

“Do you two have weapons?” Techno looked back to them while getting out his own sword, Ranboo and Tommy just nodded as they summoned their respective weapons.

Ranboo’s weapon was significantly better in general standards being made of diamond but it was a rapier so it probably had to be made out of a stronger material or it would break easily.

Tommy had his generic iron axe which didn’t have any fancy enchantments on it and Techno only eyed him curiosity.

“Your aim is to disarm me,” Techno rambled as he got into stance “If I do the same to you I win,” It was a fairly bland way of testing but it got the job done well enough.

Techno would probably duel them properly after this anyway for now he wanted to know how fast their reaction time was and if they had any real training with their respective weapons.

The pair weren’t given any warning as Techno lunged forward fighting Ranboo who quickly teleported to the side dodging Techno’s attack, Ranboo seemed flustered as he usually only did that when he was scared but he got into an attacking stance.

Tommy was mostly standing by to watch what Techno was doing as the older dueled with Ranboo coming close to disarming him a few times.

“Some help would be nice!” Ranboo yelled as he saw Tommy off to the side just watching as Ranboo was struggling.

This was Ranboo’s downfall as the seconds he took to yell over at Tommy was enough time for Techno to get a good hit in grabbing Ranboo’s rapier by the handle and yanking it out of his grip.

Ranboo sighed and put his hands up in defeat while he side eyed Tommy who had nothing to prevent this.

Techno gave Ranboo’s weapon back and turned his attention to Tommy, his new opponent, Ranboo dejectedly walked to the sidelines next to Wilbur hoping that Tommy could at least avenge him.

Tommy noticed a few things while he was watching the fight but what stuck out the most was how sloppy this Techno was when it came to fighting other people.

In Tommy’s universe Techno could’ve taken Ranboo out within ten second with his eyes closed but this Techno had taken well over a minute to disarm the enderman hybrid.

Tommy probably would have beaten Ranboo faster than Techno had which was an interesting thing to find out.

Techno was no doubt terrifying to Tommy but for some reason this Techno just didn’t give off the same effect, this Techno hadn’t seen as much bloodshed and war as before.

That was probably a good thing but with war comes experience, experience that no one here seemed to have, Had there really been no wars in this universe?

Tommy didn’t get anymore time to think about it as Techno set his sights on him lunging forwards in a bold motion to catch Tommy off guard.

Of course this wasn’t the smartest move especially if you didn’t know your opponent but Techno seemed confident that his skills outweigh the risks.

Tommy did look fairly weak from an outsiders standpoint especially with his smaller frame and slight malnutrition but that was no reason to underestimate him.

What Tommy lacked in strength he made up for in speed and experience so disarming Techno like this would be a breeze.

Instead Tommy ducked down getting lower on Techno before grabbing Techno’s wrist and using the momentum to slam the older into the ground.

Techno seemed surprised by this action and quickly rolled back up with a curious look in his eyes “You could’ve disarmed me,” Tommy grinned “Yeah, I could’ve,”.

It would be no fun if Tommy ended things here so he continued the duel, gaining the attention of the guards who were patrolling the wall taking a break so they could see the match.

Ranboo wasn’t too surprised that Tommy was able to hold his own given Tommy’s previous display of strength but even Ranboo had difficulty against Techno alone.

Tommy didn’t let it drag on too long wanting to spare at least some of the olders pride so after a few fake outs he finally wedged the crook of his axe into Techno’s blade pulling it out of the olders hand.

It had been a while since Tommy had such an energy draining match with a single person so he was panting slightly after it was done offering a hand to the blade who was on the floor.

Techno took Tommy’s hand with a smile “I think you could be plenty useful newbie, what’s your name?” Techno dusted himself off while the two official spectators came over.

“It’s Theseus,” Wow it was weird telling Techno the name that Tommy had stolen from his brother “Well Theseus, I look forward to working with you,” The two shook hands and on the way back inside talked about jobs for Ranboo and Tommy.

Chapter Text

Techno didn’t know what he had expected from the two new recruits but it certainly wasn’t this.

The testing match was quite a simple format and without fail Techno had been able to gauge the abilities of every person in the settlement.

But the Theseus came along.

Techno went after Ranboo first in the match expecting the boy to be more of a fight than Theseus especially since he looked like some kind of enderman hybrid.

Enderman hybrids were a pain to fight if trained well enough especially with that pesky teleportation ability but it seemed that Ranboo was still a bit green when it came to fighting other people.

The boy was probably fantastic against mobs but fighting against a real person was different.

Techno couldn’t really blame the kid, There had been no big wars since Techno had been a part of the Antarctic Empire and the kid was probably way too young to fight back then.

Taking Ranboo out had been easier than Techno had thought however since Theseus decided to observe the fight instead of helping his friend.

This was probably Techno’s first clue that Theseus knew what he was doing but he had ignored it assuming it was nerves or something.

And who could blame him? The kid was so skinny his bones would probably break if the wind was too strong but Techno shouldn’t have underestimated him.

Even if Techno had the physical advantage against Theseus didn’t mean he would lose Theseus was a smart kid and watched the duel between Techno and Ranboo with a critical eye.

After Techno had taken out Ranboo he looked over to Theseus who realised what had happened and got into a more balanced fighting stance.

Techno could probably just tackle Theseus to the ground before the boy could notice so in a fluid motion Techno lunged towards Theseus.

The grin on Theseus’s face wasn’t visible for anyone but Techno as the boy easily avoided his attack grabbing Techno’s wrist and smashing the man into the ground.

Theseus could have finished the duel right then and there.

But he didn’t.

Techno could feel a grin form on his own face as they continued to fight taking up around five minutes before Theseus seemed to get bored and decided to disarm Techno.

Despite his age Theseus was smart.

Techno could tell that this wasn’t just achieved from practice, no, this kid had experience.

It was a terrifying thought that someone so young had already taken part in a war or two but Techno couldn’t judge, he and Phil had started the Antarctic Empire when Techno was only fifteen.

Ranboo didn’t seem too surprised when Theseus had won, which piqued Techno’s curiosity; it meant Theseus had shown his fighting skills against people before.

In front of Ranboo no less, maybe Techno would ask the kid about it later but for now he needed to assess the two.

Techno would definitely be taking Theseus into his division who were in charge of hunting and soon would be in charge of fighting in the Nether.

Ranboo seemed to also have some good potential so Techno would probably also make the kid one of the guards.

Wilbur certainly wouldn’t be happy with Techno when he decided to take the two boys into the most dangerous job but it would just be a waste if they went anywhere else.

Despite the nobleness behind Wilbur’s decision to refuse any children, Techno didn’t see the point in wasting such potential, especially Theseus.

The kid was obviously the younger of the two but already had enough experience to toy with Techno during a battle and still easily win.

The walk back to Wilbur’s office was filled with friendly banter between Ranboo and Wilbur who seemed to be the only ones who actually wanted to talk.

Theseus seemed to be on the quieter side like Techno which was just another reason to claim the kid, Techno wouldn't have to make awkward small talk which was always a bonus.

Wilbur’s office was in the main hall down a large hallway filled with doors all with their own nameplate on them.

Every council member was given an office but Wilbur and Eret were usually the only ones to be found inside doing paperwork with everyone else opting to go and be physically involved with everything.

Some of the members had even decided to share an office since it was just easier so Wilbur and Eret were the only ones to have an office all to themselves due to the sheer amount of stuff they had to keep track of.

Eret would probably still be busy with all the portal stuff for a little while longer so the four were the only people in the building at the moment as they entered Wilbur’s office.

Sapnap was usually in the building since it was his rotation to protect the offices so Wilbur greeted the man before they all went to sit down.

“Okay, since Techno has finished his test I think we should assign you two to a group,” Wilbur explained “We have two main groups: the Farmers and Guards to simplify it to the basics and I think you’ll both probably be with the Guards,”.

Techno nodded, he definitely wanted the two to become a hunter since Techno could easily just take them out to do his own thing if they were.

“Ranboo from what I’ve seen I’ll probably put you with the explorers so I’ll have Sapnap take you over there to get started,” Wilbur called Sapnap into the room and after a few words Ranboo left going off to his new job.

---

Tommy gave Ranboo a smile as the boy left but he was dying on the inside.

Unbenounced to Ranboo he had just left Tommy alone in a room with his two brothers who he was deathly afraid of.

Tommy knew the two couldn’t lay a finger on him but just the thought of them finding out who Tommy was sent shivers down his spine.

He was going to be fine.

This is fine.

Wilbur waited for Sapnap and Ranboo to shut the doors behind them before he continued to talk, not noticing Tommy’s obvious discomfort now.

“How old are you Theseus?” Wilbur started off with confusing Tommy, why did it matter? “A whole none of your business,” Yeah, Ranboo was probably half of Tommy’s impulse control so with the boy gone Tommy spoke his mind.

“I’m gonna guess your fifteen maybe sixteen yeah?” Wow rude just because Tommy was small didn’t mean he was young, Tommy was turning seventeen in only one or two months.

“A hell of a lot of wrong but continue,” Tommy wanted to hear this out before he shut Wilbur down “Well we don’t usually allow kids here even Ranboo is a bit of a stretch,” Oh god were they gonna kick him out?

Tommy had served his purpose so maybe they had no need for them.

That made sense in a sick sort of way.

“I know Techno probably wants you to go off and be a Hunter but I think you should be a guard,” Techno looked annoyed at this, was Will really going to waste such a good soldier.

“In the end it doesn’t really matter what I think, but know that I don’t approve of you being here even if you are useful to us,” Wilbur nodded to Techno who sighed in relief.

“Cool man, I don’t really care,” Tommy interjected, Had Wilbur really just kept him in there for something so petty , Techno seemed amused by how unphased Tommy was and Wilbur gave them permission to leave.

“You should probably be more careful with your words, Wilbur’s technically outranks you here,” Techno warned as he led Tommy outside of the building “Yeah, I don’t really care I could snap him like a stick,”.

Wilbur had always been the physically weakest out of all the boys but his brains were no joke but Tommy found himself caring less and less.

“That’s not really an achievement, the man’s physically weaker than most but you should still be careful,” Techno left the topic at that and the two continued to walk in silence content with not talking for a while.

Techno’s group was one of the smallest, only having three other people apart of it since it was a fairly simple job, all they had to do is go out hunting every few days and keep monsters from getting too close to the settlement.

One of the members were apparently busy helping with some portal stuff so there was only two people for Tommy to meet once they exited out the main gate.

Techno had chosen to keep their general meeting area outside of the settlement's walls since that’s where the group spent most of their time so it took a bit longer to get to them than Tommy had first expected.

The two other members were already at the meeting place settled down waiting for Techno to come by and give them their orders for the day.

“‘Morning,” Techno strolled up to the two and they both stood up immediately greeting Techno as he came by then giving glances over to Tommy.

“Theseus this is Puffy and Sam, Puffy and Sam this is Theseus he’ll be joining our group from today onwards,” Techno wasn’t really bothered to fully explain but the other two seemed to be excited by the new member.

“Oh wow! You’re one of the kids to open the portal right?” Puffy went over to Theseus with a big smile reminding Tommy of the woman in his world who he had limited interactions with “Uh, yeah,”.

Tommy scratched the back of his head awkwardly not really knowing how to interact with any of these people “That’s awesome, You’ll fit right in here,” Puffy encouraged noticing Theseus’s awkward stance.

“How was your match against Techno Theseus,” Sam walked over next changing the topic to something a little less awkward “Everyone usually fights him before they get assigned so don’t worry about it too much,” Sam immediately assumed that Theseus had lost given Techno’s track record.

“I don’t think I’ll be worrying at all, Isn’t that right Mr Technoblade~,” Tommy was now back to being a little bitch trying to gain some sense of normality from this “Just wait for next time kid,” Techno seemed unphased by Theseus’s taunting and he frowned.

“Well he’s just no fun,” Tommy pouted to Puffy’s amusement “Takes a lotta balls to talk against Techno like that ‘spiecally for a kid,” Puffy contered and Tommy just brushed it off “Maybe if he was good i’d be more intimidated,”.

Sam quirked an eyebrow at that comment Techno’s skills were no joke and for someone who had presumably just been defeated Theseus was oddly confident.

“Techno who won?” Sam looked over his shoulder to Techno who had already sat down “Kid got me good after a few minutes, it was pretty fun though,” Techno talked so casually about it that it almost went over the pair’s heads.

“Wait! What!?,” Puffy was the first to let out her surprise as she looked between Theseus and Techno who seemed to have both lost interest in the conversation.

“That’s insane kid, Even I couldn’t beat Techno in my first match,” Puffy was genuinely impressed it was no wonder why Techno had taken Theseus into their team.

“Not a kid,” Tommy corrected before sitting down near Techno waiting for instructions since he would rather be doing anything else than having to interact with these people.

“Anyway, Today we’re probably just going to be doing some general trapping around the forest and maybe hunting a few mobs,” Techno explained as Sam and Puffy went to sit down with the two.

“Puffy you can go with Theseus and teach him the basics while me and Sam go check up on the whole Nether stuff,” Puffy nodded and without another word Tommy was walking through the forest with the woman listening to her explain stuff he already knew.

Techno had gone off towards the settlement to Tommy’s relief he really didn’t know how to interact with his brother so Techno leaving him with Puffy made thing a lot easier.

Puffy was a nice person from what Tommy knew of her being apart of the Badlands but he’d only met her a few times meaning he didn’t really know her here.

After traveling around checking any old traps for a catch Puffy decided to go a little further into the forest to set up some new traps and hopefully teach Theseus how to do so as well.

“Okay so Techno has a really complicated way of setting traps so I’ll probably have to show you a few times before you can do it,” Puffy grabbed the materials needed out of her satchel and began to construct the trap by the side of a river.

Puffy half expected Theseus to be hovering over her shoulder the whole time but instead his eyes were more focused on the distant water and the rocks laying across the riverbank.

The kid definitely had good eyes because that river was where most of the Hunters left their spare weapons in case they ever got too far into the forest whilst forgetting something.

“---You wanna try it?” Tommy had most certainly blanked out for half of the conversation and only looked back when Puffy was done with her own trap asking if he wanted to try.

It hadn’t been too long ago that Tommy was setting up traps in his exile so he would have no problem with Techno’s strange way of trapping but it was weird to actually have high quality materials this time.

Most of Tommy’s previous traps had failed because he just couldn’t get the materials needed and used flimsy substitutes but the metal wire handed to him was certainly not flimsy.

Tommy didn’t need to wait for Puffy to walk him through it and just began setting the trap already familiar with the process since it had been engraved in him since a young age.

Puffy was certainly surprised that Theseus knew how to do this especially since he had barely paid her any attention when she was walking him through it.

Maybe the kid used the same method as Techno when trapping but it was such an off brand method that Puffy could only wonder where Theseus had learnt it from.

“Okay, well I was planning most of the day teaching you to trap but that’s obviously pointless,” Puffy inspected Theseus’s trap and realised it was perfect so they didn’t really need to dwell on trapping for too long.

“We can probably just go hunt some mobs now, this area hasn’t been cleaned out in a while,” Puffy pulled out a golden sword from her inventory and placed it into her dominant hand.

Tommy in turn pulled out his iron axe which earned him a stare from Puffy who was honestly expecting something like a diamond weapon given that Theseus had beaten Techno in a duel.

Tommy noticed Puffy’s stares and brushed it off “I broke my previous axe a few weeks back,” A simple explanation was better than nothing and Puffy nodded, breaking weapons was a common thing after all.

The two pondered through the forest searching for mobs as Puffy tried to start up a conversation “So Theseus, why’d you join the settlement?” It was a casual question everyone had their reasons and it was usually a good conversation starter.

“I thought it’d be easier than doing it myself,” Which was obviously wrong since Tommy could now see how behind everyone in this place was “Yeah no joke, I doubt even Techno could do it alone,”.

Tommy knew that Techno in his world could easily defeat the enderdragon but Puffy was right in saying no one over here could do it alone, they were all way too inexperienced.

It still surprises Tommy that Dream and his friends had defeated the dragon back in his world but once Dream got his abilities no one really questioned him just accepting what happened.

“Why’d you join Puffy?” Tommy asked curious as to what would drive people to do this especially since they were so underprepared “I just wanted some adventure! I know it sounds like a pretty bland reason but I’ve always wanted to go on an epic quest like this,”.

Tommy nodded that seemed to be a common motivator for people in this world “It’s understandable, everyone wants to be a part of something big,” just like when Tommy and his brother had created a nation.

They just wanted to be a part of something.

Tommy’s thoughts were cut short as Puffy hushed him, noticing a considerably large group of zombies with one or two skeletons within the pack.

Puffy didn’t know what Theseus was capable of but given that he had defeated Techno she trusted his abilities enough to let him take charge while she snuck around to the back and flanked them.

The fight was short lived only lasting a minute or two one Puffy had given the signal to attack, Theseus charged in from the front at the same time as Puffy from the back and they made quick work of the mobs.

Puffy didn’t know what she was expecting but she had only managed to get two or three mobs before Theseus had taken them all out.

Puffy didn’t even feel like she helped as Theseus took on over twenty mobs and defeated them all in a split second weaving through the horde with expertise.

He was definitely as strong as Techno and she could see the same stance Techno had within Theseus who moved like he was an expert at this.

Honestly it was a bit brutal towards the mobs who had barely any time to react before they got their head smashed in by an axe but Puffy didn’t pity them.

Although Theseus seemed strong it didn’t stop Puffy from noticing the boy falter every so often as he went in for the final blow or when he was slightly off balance as Theseus tried to gain his breath.

The kid obviously had a lack in stamina that everyone else had which was plainly obvious after he fought through the mobs.

Puffy was honestly surprised Theseus hadn’t fainted halfway through the fight seeing how under fed the kid was it was no wonder he didn’t have enough energy.

After today Puffy would definitely tell Techno to keep an eye out even if Theseus was an extremely good soldier Puffy could see the kid was struggling.

The fight ended swiftly and the two began to pick up all the loot gained from killing the mobs slowly making their way through the hordes belongings.

“We can probably stop here for today, I heard you missed the tour last night so I’ll give you one when we get back,” Puffy could tell it was midday way too early to be stopping but she’d be damned if the new kid died on the first day.

“Sure,” Theseus seemed to get quieter after he fought probably trying to save energy but it still made Puffy uneasy.

The two made their way back towards the camp bags filled with random items gathered along the way, Tommy could see himself settling in here soon enough if this was all they had to offer.

Maybe he deserved a break from the chaos of his old world.

Chapter Text

The settlement was way more sophisticated than Tommy had first thought.

On the outside it just looks like one big blockade surrounding the mountain's base but it was way larger than its outer walls.

The whole settlement was based in a basin which was completely surrounded by mountains with only one or two ways out if you didn’t want to climb.

That meant that the whole basin could be used as a base which is exactly what was happening despite having a main base the settlement actually took up the whole basin.

Mostly farm lands and mines were found outside the walls with the occasional house but the entire area was owned by the settlement.

Which meant half of the place was lit up with lanterns and had cobblestones pathways making it look more welcoming to outsiders.

Tommy was kinda pissed that the path Ranboo and he had taken was one of the mentioned mountain paths which meant they had to actually climb through the mountain instead of going along a nice little path.

Neither of them even knew the paths existed since no one had given them that information so it was surprising that they hadn’t accidentally stumbled upon it the day before.

Puffy led Theseus down one of the many paths that connected to the forest they were just in and led him towards their storage facility.

The storage facility was the second most protected area of the settlement apart from the now open portal so as expected there were a few guards outside waiting for the pair's arrival.

Most of the guards wore a uniform to make sure people could recognise them but one of the men was wearing a purple hoodie instead probably recognisable enough not to wear the uniform.

Puffy seemed to recognise the boy and gave him a wave before leading Theseus over so that they could both empty their bags into one of the chests.

“Heya Purpled,” Great another person to add to the I used to know you list, honestly Tommy didn’t even know Purpled very well only knowing the guy was around his age and meeting a few times on off occasions.

Tommy gave the guy a nod before following Puffy inside obviously the guards trusted her enough to not question why Tommy was there.

Everyone probably knew his face given the whole fiasco yesterday but it still felt weird for all of them to accept him just like that.

It had been so much harder before.

Puffy snapped Tommy out of his funk when she started to explain their storing system pointing towards different chests showing which areas would have certain types of items.

The chests were controlled by the council so unless it was an emergency you’d have to ask before taking anything which Tommy planned to never do.

Tommy didn’t need to take resources from these people to succeed he’d make his own weapons and potions.

TommyInnit doesn’t rely on others.

After the short visit to the storage facility Puffy offered to show Tommy around the farms which he had apparently completely missed before now as well.

It made sense that they had their own farms on site instead of relying on the outside world but it would take a lot of manpower to maintain such a set up.

Out of the fifty or so people at the settlement (Not including the council) about thirty five of them were farmers probably here just to support the mission instead of actually taking part.

With that many people maintaining a few large fields of crop would be a simple task and feeding themselves would probably be even easier.

The whole settlement could probably survive off the food farmed out here but they still needed people to hunt like Puffy so that they weren’t stuck eating vegetable soup for the rest of their lives.

As the two passed by the fields Puffy greeted a few of the workers none of which Tommy recognised until a familiar looking figure came running over from the distance.

Tommy definitely hadn’t seen her in a while having to take a double take before realising it was actually her.

Nikki.

Nikki was one of the founding members of L’Manberg and Tommy probably should’ve expected her to be here given that a massive cast of the server had already shown up in one way or another.

Honestly Tommy didn’t know how to feel about Nikki, she hadn’t been around when he had been exiled having to go away for family issues and last he had heard she had come back and caused a big fuss about it.

But that was at least three months ago and apart from that Tommy hadn’t heard anything from the woman.

A lot of his friends acquaintances seemed to blur in his memory, losing their faces and voices but Nikki was so prominent it was surprising. 

She was one of the only people who had been there for him since the beginning after all.

Puffy waved Nikki over and the two greeted each other with a smile “Nikki this is Theseus, he’s one of the new recruits,” Tommy gave his most nonchalant nod uncertain on how to act.

“Hey Theseus, I’m Nikki it’s nice to meet you,” Nikki beamed and Tommy felt himself relax a bit more letting the two talk to each other as he walked beside them.

“So where’d you come from Theseus?” Tommy had mostly zoned out of the conversation content on just listening until Nikki brought him back to reality “My country is a bit far from here, doubt you’d know about it,”.

Technically Tommy didn’t even have a home now even if he did go back to his universe so it wasn’t a complete lie.

“I might surprise you, I’ve sailed to some pretty strange places,” Puffy added smirking knowing Theseus would have to give up at least some details.

Tommy grimaced a bit even if he did have to lie where was a good place to lie about, L’manberg had kicked him out so Tommy definitely wasn’t going to say that and Logstedshire was now officially blown up.

The only place untouched right now was....

“It’s called Pogtopia, dumb I know, It’s a fairly small place,” Tommy said seeing that Puffy had no idea what he was talking about “Yeah I’ll bet even I haven’t heard of it,” Tommy was given a suspicious glance before they moved on.

Thankfully the two had picked up on Tommy’s not wanting to talk so they left him alone for the most part having their own little conversation that Tommy would drift in and out of.

It wasn’t like him to be so spacey but a lot of the weeks he had spent in this world were a blur of stress and hunger so he wasn’t really to blame when he honestly didn’t care.

Plus Nikki and Puffy were talking about such mundane things that Tommy had immediately lost any interest, usually no one had the time to talk that leisurely back home so it was strange to hear.

“---Yeah it’s my turn on the kitchen again, Fundy was meant to help me but he’s god knows where now,” Nikki sighed exhaustively as she thought of all the work dinner would be.

“If you need any help I’m sure Theseus would be fine with helping out,” Puffy basically just volunteered Theseus for kitchen duty and had no qualms “Oh really? That would be great,”.

Both girls laughed and Tommy wasn’t paying them any attention at all until Nikki began to leave grabbing Tommy’s hand “C’mon,” was all the explanation he got before he was dragged off.

Puffy giggled a bit watching Theseus’s confusion and just waved as the two made their way towards the kitchens, He was definitely going to have fun with that.

Tommy had to restrain a yelp as Nikki grabbed him right where his fresh wound lay under bandages “So, uh, Where are we going?” Tommy was confused and as soon as the two were walking a normal pace Nikki let go.

“Well I believe Puffy just volunteered you for kitchen duty so you’ll be helping me,” Nikki stated as if she wasn’t the one who had said yes “okay?” Tommy didn’t really have the energy to argue so he just went along with Nikki.

She seemed friendly enough here and a little distraction never hurt anyone so Tommy followed until they reached the main camp.

The guards one the walls opened the doors as soon as they saw the two approaching and Nikki walked through with confidence knowing the whole place like the back of her hand.

Speaking of hands this Theseus kid must’ve done something to his because when Nikki had grabbed it early there was no mistaking the pained expression he had made.

It was covered in bandages which was normal for people here trying to get more grip on their weapons without scraping their skin off but the kid was actually injured.

Nikki could only imagine the plethora of diseases one could get if they didn’t properly disinfect a wound but the kid looked like he knew what he was doing so Nikki didn’t question it.

Honestly it was weird that Wilbur had even let a kid join up with them since they only had another two people underage but Theseus’s group had lit the portal so it was understandable.

Nikki walked into the kitchens and was delighted to see that the ingredients had already been delivered with a little note attached from Fundy apologising for not helping out.

The ingredients were heavy and hard to carry so Nikki just ticked it off as Fundy’s contribution and she wouldn’t ask why he hadn’t come, this was helpful enough.

Tommy stood by Nikki’s side awkwardly, not quite sure what she wanted from him just yet “From the looks of it we should make some Beef stew,” Nikki went through the ingredients pulling out the ones she needed.

“We gotta feed fifty four people so we should do a vegetable for every three and a handful of meat as well,” Nikki counted out the food collecting a pile of carrots, mushrooms, potatoes and some beetroot.

Tommy watched on, not wanting to break her focus as she counted it out in her head trying to make sure they definitely had enough for everybody.

“Can you please cut the veggies while I get the meat started,” Nikki pulled out a cutting board and knife handing it over to Tommy “Sure thing boss,” Nikki giggled at that then went on to cooking the beef.

It was such a normal thing to do cutting vegetables, Tommy used to do this all the time back at the house with Phil and his brothers it was oddly calming.

Nikki worked like a magician in the kitchen and managed to get the whole thing up and going in a few minutes and the general sounds of the kitchen started to hum.

Nikki glanced over to Theseus who had been quietly cutting the vegetables for a few minutes now and smiled, the kid didn’t seem to mind such a menial task and was more than happy to just sit there and cut.

Theseus seemed like a good kid opening the portal and all but he seems nothing like Wilbur had described him the night before.

Wilbur described him as a confident and arrogant teenager but he has barely spoken a word sine Nikki had seen him.

She’d probably ask Wilbur about it later, people usually aren’t this quiet without a reason and from what Nikki had gathered Theseus was capable of being the snarky teenager Wilbir described.

He just chose not to or maybe he couldn’t.

Whatever, that’s a problem for the future right now Nikki needed to focus on feeding this lot since they are always so damn hungry.

Dinner was the one big meal always prepared by Nikki and her group and was the time everyone finally gathered together so it was important to be able to feed everyone.

Even if that meant Nikki would go out to the walls every night to give the guards on duty their meal Nikki didn’t mind it was the least she could do.

 Nikki was one of the original members of the settlement when there was only a small group of them but she refused to be a part of the council.

The only reason Nikki joined was because of her friends, she wasn’t going to actually go to the end and it felt wrong to her if she was a part of the council.

And so Nikki did all she could with the power she did have mostly consisting of cooking for everyone and making sure they all had their meals.

Tommy finished up cutting almost in sync with Nikki walking over to him so he handed over the pile and Nikki dumped it all into several pots making sure there was an even number of vegetables in each pot. 

There were six pots in total and Tommy was almost amazed at the amount of food Nikki had to cook each night knowing he’d probably give up after the second week of this.

“All that’s left is to wait, I’ll go call everyone in so keep an eye on the pots,” Nikki left without another word and Tommy sat down on the bench swinging his feet while waiting for her to come back.

A loud bell rang out through the basin startling Tommy who was spacing out but when Nikki came skipping back into the room his heart slowed down a bit.

“I’ve rung the diner bell so they should all be over soon, You can help me serve,” Nikki handed a bowl over to Tommy who began to fill it with the stew.

Tommy would fill the bowls then hand them to Nikki who would give them to anyone who was outside of the kitchens serving window which lead to a large grassy area outside.

It took around half an hour for everyone to arrive since people were coming from all across the settlement and before long the area was filled with friendly laughter and chatter.

“Theseus I’m gonna go give these to the guards, serve yourself but leave the pots open some people prefer to serve themselves after everyone has already eaten,” Nikki held out a bowl for Tommy then left carrying a few bowls of her own.

Tommy followed her instructions giving himself a fairly small amount of stew and leaving the pots heated on the stove for the late comers.

Any normal person would probably go outside to eat with the rest of the people here but Tommy didn’t feel like human interaction right now.

Instead Tommy headed towards a certain place apple in hand that he had been given by Nikki when he was working.

Tommy didn’t have to walk for long before he reached his desired destination.

“Hey there buddy,” Tommy walked up to the stables to where Frederic was standing bringing his head down to meet Tommy’s gaze.

Frederic seemed entirely focused on Tommy’s wrapped up hand but if it was because Tommy was injured or the apple he held was anyone's guess.

“Here you go,” Tommy held the apple out and Frederic took a big crunch lifting it from Tommy’s hands as Frederic went to lay down.

Tommy jumped over the stables gate and into Frederics pen bowl in hand as he watched Frederic slowly make his way through the apple.

Frederic was a pretty chill horse so Tommy sat down leaning onto his friend as they both ate in silence.

Yes talking to people was probably normal for others but Tommy had spent so much time alone in exile that he was used to it now.

Being with others was unpredictable, being alone with your horse wasn’t and Tommy felt safer when it was just him nowadays.

You’ll always be alone.

It’ll never change.

Even here you can’t escape the past.

Tommy knew how to deal with this, he wasn’t going to spiral not now.

Frederic seemed to notice Tommy’s sudden shift in mood and nudged Tommy with his head, breaking the boy out of whatever weird trance he was in.

Tommy stared at his hand for a second too long then smiled softly “Yeah,Yeah alright,” Tommy grabbed Frederic’s face and swished it a little bit before letting go.

“Dumb horse,” Tommy mumbled before shoving another spoonful of soup down his throat fighting back the urge to spit it out immediately.

It’s too much.

You're not allowed this much food.

Dream will be angry.

Tommy leaned into Frederic more trying to distract himself with the horses steady breathing “It’s not that much…,” Tommy would feel guilty later but he poured out the rest of the bowl onto the ground.

Nikki probably wouldn’t be happy if she knew he had wasted the food she had worked so hard to make so Tommy wasn’t going to tell her.

He should’ve just taken a smaller amount.

Which was ridiculous since Tommy had only gotten a few mouthfuls in before he had emptied the bowl onto the ground ignoring the protests of his body that desperately needed the food.

Tommy’s mind and body just weren’t going to get along now would they?

Frederic finished his apple not soon after Tommy had chucked his food away lying his head down to fall asleep.

Tommy sat there patting the horse for a few minutes before getting back up, it probably wouldn’t be good if he fell asleep in the stables.

Tommy didn’t know all the rules of this place yet so it was better safe than sorry.

Stopping by the kitchen Tommy washed up his plates plus some of the other dirty plates left in the sink then headed out not wanting to annoy anyone this early in.

The trip back to his cabin wasn’t too long and Tommy only took a few wrong turns until recognising the small little cabin that was placed right at the edge of the walls.

The lights were still on so Ranboo must’ve still been up even though it was already well past lights out. 

Tommy entered the cabin casually slipping off his jacket and hanging it on the rack right inside their door “Oh! Hey To-Theseus,” Ranboo sat up from his chair book in hand as Tommy walked in.

“It’s chill Ranboo, You can say my name when no one’s around,” Tommy snickered a bit at the enderman correcting himself flustered by his mistake.

“Okay, How was your day,” Ranboo sat back down and Tommy sat across from him on one of the arm chairs “Pretty good, I’m gonna be apart of the hunter group they apparently do a bit of everything,”.

“That’s so cool, apparently the explorers are just glorified guards so I’m probably just gonna be stuck standing around all day,” Ranboo looked slightly disappointed “Sucks to suck man,”.

Ranboo let out a sound of betrayal and Tommy just laughed it off “Yeah well we also get to be the first to explore the Nether so, sucks to suck,” Ranboo snarked back and Tommy flipped him off.

“You guys are so gonna fall into lava, should probably bring fire res,” Tommy thought aloud since it was probably the first time in the Nether for a good handful of people here especially given the weird portal rule.

“Brewing is such a hassle though, I heard there’s only two guys here who do it because everyone else gave up,” That was fair brewing could be a pain in the ass and Tommy never really bothered to get into it only knowing how to brew basic potions.

“Better safe than sorry my friend, It would be disappointing if you turned into a chicken nugget because you fell,” Ranboo smiled giving Tommy a curious eye “Oh my, does the great Tommy care for my safety,”.

“Oh fuck off, I’ll eat your crispy remains,” Tommy snarked back before getting up “I feel like you need to explain that last sentence,” “Nope, going to bed night Ranboo,” Tommy sped walk to his room hearing the giggling from behind him.

“Night Tommy, see you tomorrow,”.

Yeah, See you tomorrow Ranboo.

Chapter Text

Waking up was always a slow process.

First you have to regain the consciousness you somehow lost along the way and then you have to open your eyes.

The second part was always the hardest for Tommy.

Why open your eyes when you can stay blissfully unaware of your surroundings and the trouble you would have to go through when the day finally starts.

Tommy could feel himself lying down in his bed wrapped up in the blankets to make sure he didn’t freeze during the night.

Even if it was so tempting to stay there forever Tommy lifted himself up aware of what happened if he slept in.

Dream didn’t like it when Tommy slept in.

Tommy felt tear tracks down his face probably from the night before nightmares weren’t uncommon for Tommy but crying wasn’t a usual occurrence.

The light of sunset hadn’t even begun to shine through Tommy’s small window but his body knew it was time to get up.

Tommy would probably have to distract himself for an hour or two before he could actually go outside without being a hindrance to others so he got up and headed towards the lounge room.

The cabin was fairly large for a two bedroom area having its own kitchen, dining room, study and lounge room but it made sense since they had been here for so long.

The group would’ve had plenty of time to create cabins that could suit their every need even if it was kinda useless since most meals were made in the main kitchen to begin with.

The study was the one room that Tommy had yet to explore since the last few days had been so hectic so that’s where he headed to first.

The room was at the very end of the hallway being the closest to the lounge room and it had the same door as the two bedrooms blending in with them almost as if it was also another room.

Looking at its size it could probably be another room given the sheer amount of space taken up by bookcases and other furniture.

It was a cozy room with a desk near the back wall and several bookcases surrounding it.

It was probably more of a reading than a study but there were maps and quills thrown across the desk probably from Ranboo who had been in here yesterday.

There was also a small arm chair in the corner of the room perfect for reading which is exactly what Tommy decided to do.

The shelves were filled with random books probably just to store them since books were such a common thing to collect that it was ridiculous how many one person could have.

Tommy still remembers the room in his old home that was just filled with stacks of books that Phil had collected over the years and never bothered to sort into shelves.

It would probably be useful to get general common sense knowledge for this world before Tommy went out and did anything too smarts heavy so to the history books it was.

Honestly Tommy usually wouldn’t be caught dead reading books not being able to sit still for too long but he had become clamer over the years.

Especially after the wars it was just better for Tommy to sit down and relax for a bit without having to stress about the dangers of his every step.

History books were always boring as hell but Tommy needed the information so with a grumble Tommy grabbed the first vaguely history looking book from the shelf and sat down preparing himself for the utter boredom he was about to feel.

---

Apparently choosing a random book out of the bookshelf wasn’t a really smart idea and about ten pages in Tommy realised he was reading a history of plants and not actual world history.

After a quick search through the shelf it was obvious half of these books were going to be utterly useless with only five of them looking even vaguely promising.

The first was a history of mobs which seemed like it could be useful so once again Tommy sat down preparing to read for the next few hours.

Looking at the clock on the wall it was only four in the morning and Tommy still had at least four hours before he had to head off.

The armchair Tommy was sitting in creaked under his weight as Tommy plonked down pulling the book out in front of him and started to read through the pages.

Time becomes a fickle thing when you really get into a book one minute it could be pitch black outside and the next light is rushing into the room blinding you with its radiance.

Tommy almost forgot himself within the book until a particular strand of light had gone over his eyes making it near impossible to see the words on the page.

It had apparently been about three hours since Tommy had first sat down and he had gotten through over two hundred pages before he had to put the book down to go and get ready.

There was still at least an hour before Tommy had to go and meet up with his team but now was as good a time as any to get ready.

Tommy creaked open the office door and stalked down the hallways not knowing if Ranboo was up or not and not wanting to take the risk.

Tommy slipped into his room silently and just as silently pulled on his clothes tying his bright red bandana around his neck hiding some of the scratching at the back of his neck.

Looking back it was a good decision to buy the bandana, It was useful in hiding scars which would just raise more questions than Tommy was willing to answer.

Tommy subconsciously hid any scars from others feeling a pang of shame whenever he saw one etched across his skin.

Scars meant Tommy had gotten hurt.

They mean you’ve failed. 

Yeah.

And TommyInnit refused to let his failures be known.

Wilburs old cloak was about all the protection Tommy had against the elements and he knew that when it got into the winter months he’d need to get a better jacket but for now Tommy clung to the cloak like a lifeline.

It still had the old L’manburg flag stitched to it’s sleeve along with the new flag which Ghostbur had stitched on before giving it to Tommy as an early christmas present.

People probably didn’t care about the flags but they were important to Tommy and he refused to pull them off even if they caused a few questions.

After grabbing everything he needed Tommy headed back out of his room towards the kitchen wanting to grab a quick glass of water before leaving.

Ranboo stood in the kitchen biting down into a poorly made sandwich as Tommy walked in grabbing a glass from one of the cabinets “G’morning,” Ranboo slightly slurred his words still trying to wake up.

Tommy on the other hand had been awake for hours “Morning,” Tommy nodded and Ranboo moved over to the lounge trying not to get in Tommy’s way “Headin’ off already?” Tommy chugged down the water before responding.

“Yup, Apparently I’ve gotta be there nice and early,” The words rolled off Tommy’s tongue with a tsk, he was obviously not pleased with having to go out this early.

“Sucks to be you, I get to stay here for another hour or two,” Ranboo smirked “That is entirely unfair but I don’t have the energy to rebuke you,” Tommy poured another glass before walking over to the lounge as well.

“At least you guys can spend most of the day doing whatever, I’ve gotta stand around all day,” Ranboo expected more adventure to come from this but right now it just seemed like your average job.

“Maybe you should’ve been better at fighting,” Tommy quipped “Sorry I’m not a battle hardened warrior sue me,” Ranboo didn’t know to what extent but he knew Tommy had been in a few wars just from the talk they had along the road.

“Wow low blow, Maybe you’re just shit at fighting,” Tommy retorted feeling a smirk grow onto his face “Hey! I’m at least decent!,” Ranboo made a fake offended expression smiling as Tommy grabbed his sachelle.

“Sure big man, whatever you say,” Tommy headed towards the door ready to get this day over with “See you late Tommy,” Ranboo called out watching as Tommy left “See ya Ranboo,”.

Tommy closed the door with a smile then composed himself getting ready for another day of work, routine was something Tommy could get used to.

---

It was a quiet morning to say the least.

After all of the excitement from the days prior everyone needed a minute to recompose themselves and get used to the usual routine once again.

Even if that routine would be altered with their new access to the Nether brought about by their two newest members Ranboo and Theseus.

Technoblade wasn’t really affected by the change all too much, getting an extra pair of hands to help out was nothing to complain about.

But something about the pair seemed off especially with the effort they went through just to get into the settlement.

Sure there were stubborn people who had refused to leave before but this seemed different like it was something more personal.

The two had probably been through a bit together so it made sense that they wanted to stay but the reactions they had just made Techno feel uneasy.

He was probably overthinking things, if something was actually wrong Wilbur would’ve picked up on it from the start.

Everything seemed to be normal anyway the two kids fit in as well as one could with all the other members especially Ranboo who people had taken a liking to quickly given his curious nature.

Theseus on the other hand seemed completely uninterested in conversations and from what Puffy had told him Theseus prefers to just listen much like Techno.

That was fine there was nothing wrong with being a bit antisocial and Techno was definitely not one to speak since he spent most of his time alone preferring the company of his horse over others.

Techno wasn’t expecting to see anyone for at least another hour or so since he had set the meeting a little later wanting to give everyone some much needed rest so he stalked towards the forest not noticing the boy following him.

The amount of mobs spawning in the forest seemed to increase when the portal was activated, probably drawn to its magic so Techno had to do some extra culling just to keep them in check.

God forbid one of the farming team members came out here and got attacked by one of these creatures that had happened once before and Wilbur was less than happy with Techno.

None of those folk could defend themselves properly and now the farming teams had to travel in groups if three or more just in case anything happened.

Techno was fully equipped with enchanted diamond armour more than enough to deal with these mobs but it still left a sore when he thought about the old set of netherite he used to have.

While on his rampage in the nether techno had broken the armour and when returning and finding out he couldn’t go back in Techno also realised that he had destroyed his only set of netherite.

It was certainly less efficient to be walking around in daimon but compared to everyone else in the overworld Techno was more than well equipped.

Most warriors in the settlement had diamond weapons and golden armour with barely any of it enchanted because that took way too much grinding.

It was rare to see someone running around without armour or diamond weapons here and Techno could only think of two people who didn’t use that stuff.

Walking through the forest was fairly quiet apart from the constant chittering in Techno’s head but he’d learned how to drown it out into the surrounding when he was younger.

It was apparently a family trait to gain these voices because not long after Tommy’s-- the incident Wilbur had also started hearing them even if they were less prominent.

It had been one of the things the family had bonded over, over the years discovering that high stress was usually the trigger for them to start talking.

All the voices came in different forms especially for the two brothers who had a more violent edge to theirs but they had all managed to keep each other in check long enough to get used to the constant chatter in their heads.

An unexpecting zombie brushed past Techno and with a quick slice it was decapitated letting out a screech alerting the rest of its horde to Techno’s location.

Honestly Techno didn’t even count these mobs as a challenge as he plowed through them not caring for the blood that was now splattering across his shirt.

---

Tommy wasn’t aware of the timing changes for the meeting since Puffy had forgotten to mention it so here he was watching Techno walk off into the forest diamond sword in hand.

Tommy followed Techno hiding his presence the best he could wanting to see what Techno was up to before revealing himself.

Techno was the one who had taught Tommy how to hide himself like this but it seemed this Techno wasn’t as attuned as Tommy’s one who had always been able to perceive Tommy.

Killing mobs was a usual Techno thing so Tommy wasn’t surprised to see his brother wipe out wave after wave of zombies that had been attracted by the screech earlier.

The only real difference in fighting was this Techno seemed more invested if that was even possible, making sure that every zombie was truly dead even if it was obvious that they were.

It was honestly kinda brutal when Techno smashed all their heads in stomping on all the fallen bodies making sure that they wouldn’t be getting back up.

The crunching of bones made Tommy feel uneasy suddenly remembering what had happened that night when Tommy had lost his control, Tommy was definitely way more brutal than he should’ve been back then.

Especially since Ranboo was watching Tommy had gotten so lost in his post murderous haze that he had forgotten that not everyone was chill with seeing people’s faces being burnt off in front of them.

Tommy wasn’t entirely unaffected by it either so it must’ve been horrifying for someone like Ranboo to see especially coming from Tommy who seemed mostly harmless since they had met.

Techno finished up the last of the horde fairly quickly and Tommy had enough of watching walking out to greet the man who was now surrounded by bodies.

“Sup,” Techno hadn’t noticed Theseus at all beforehand so he startled a bit when the boy called out casually walking over ignoring the bodies beneath the two.

“Theseus, I didn’t see you there,” Techno looked at the boy warily. It wasn't everyday that techno didn’t notice someone especially with the hybrids heightened senses “Yeah, I can tell,”.

Tommy looked over the bodies not really wanting to carry a conversation “What’re you doing out here so early I gave everyone a few more hours this morning,” Techno crouched down to pick up the items from the corpses and Tommy joined him not wanting to just stand by and watch.

“Well Captn’ Puffy never told me that,” Tommy grumbled a bit, he could’ve spent more time in the study instead of being out here shuffling through dead bodies to try and find loot “Yeah she does that,”.

Tommy didn’t mind how quiet it was with just the two of them Techno was never really the talkative type, not even in Tommy’s world and Tommy didn’t have the energy to keep up conversations anymore, finding it to be a useless task.

They both could probably have a more interesting conversation with themselves than each other so the silence was mutual, Techno especially didn’t want to communicate finding himself getting a headache from the screeching voices in his head.

They’d been acting up ever since Theseus and Ranboo had arrived voicing their suspicions on the two especially when Techno was fighting the two, it had taken a lot of restraint not to accidentally stab one of them during that.

It was probably why Techno had been on such a killing frenzy as of late that was just his coping mechanism all be it an unhealthy one but whatever works is good enough for Techno.

Grabbing the last of equipment the two could find on the dead bodies they stood up heading towards the storage building with Techno leading the way since Tommy was still slightly unfamiliar with his surroundings.

“What’d you do before you came here,” The walk to the storage from their location was at least half an hour and even if the silence wasn’t awkward doesn’t mean Techno liked being alone with the voices “Nothin’ really, Fought a few wars started a revolution or two y’know the normal,”.

Techno took that as a joke at first giving Thesues a bemused huff but after seeing the kids face it seemed like less of a joke “What ‘bout you Blade, what’d you do before this,”.

“I started an empire a while back that got crazy quickly so I went off with Wilbur and his friends to start this place,” An empire? Like the antarctic empire that Phil had talked to avidly about? Tommy hummed in agreement “Yeah nations do get a bit fucked don’t they,”.

Techno looked over to Theseus with a worried glance the way the kid talked about it made it seem like something really bad had happened in his last nation and given his current state that was worrying.

“So that’s why you left for here? Your nation got too much,” Techno pried it probably was rude to ask this sort of personal question but the piglin was curious, Theseus genuinely laughed at that finding what Techno said was highly humorous.

“Trust me if I had a choice I’d be anywhere but here big man,” That was the end of the conversation Techno sensing Theseus getting uncomfortable with this line of questioning so he dropped in in favour of silence.

Honestly Techno didn’t really care all that much but chat seemed adamant that he continued asking question for whatever reason so techno obliged out of curiosity as to where it would lead them.

Theseus was definitely going to be a part of the group that traveled to the end that much was obvious to Techno so there was no harm in trying to be more friendly with the kid.

The storage building was guarded by fewer guards than the day before when Tommy had come over probably because of the early hour and as soon as they saw Techno walking over they opened up the door no need to ask any questions.

Techno seemed more known than Puffy was but no one bothered to speak with him whether that be out of fear or the fact that the man was absolutely horrible at carrying a conversation without making things awkward.

To be fair Techno had always focused on battle rather than socialising so it wasn’t his fault that he was so socially awkward even if it was amusing to watch as he stumbled around in conversations.

Techno mostly got away with it since everyone was too intimidated to talk to him and he could get away with short sentences but around people who knew him it was just funny to watch as the piglin tried to have a normal conversation with someone.

Tommy was already vaguely aware of where everything from the monsters went so he went over to the chests and started placing items with Techno doing the same, emptying out their bags which had been filled with all sorts of monster items.

---

The walk back to the meeting spot was just as uneventful as everything else and the two other hunters were already there waiting for the two to arrive.

Apparently there were five members of the hunting team but the other one had run off to deal with some family issues so it was just the four of them for now which was plenty in Tommy’s opinion.

Sam and Puffy were already desensitised to Techno showing up covered in blood knowing about his early morning ‘training’ as Techno had called it but it was surprising to see Theseus walking with the man.

Techno hated people slowing him down on morning hunts and had a habit of running off deep into the forest so it was a bit weird to see the man walking back with Thesues whose hands were also decently covered in blood but obviously not from fighting.

“Haloo,” Techno greeted the two and Tommy gave them a nod which was about as much socialisation he was going to do today after Techno had pried into his personal life like a twat.

The meeting as Techno had put it went uneventfully with Tommy being partnered up with Puffy once more as Techno and Sam went off to do their own things, apparently they met everyday to discuss their plans even if it would just be easier to do it weekly.

Honestly the whole day went by just like the meeting had in a boring haze and before Tommy even knew he was sitting inside the stables eating a measly amount of dinner with Frederic.

Tommy wasn’t too surprised when he gained his awareness again sitting next to Frederic he was used to this happening when he was with Dream it just made it easier to deal with the days.

Frederic seemed to notice Tommy’s sudden awareness and gave the boy a nudge making Tommy smile a bit “Hey buddy,” cuddling up to Frederic was always the best medicine for Tommy.

After making sure it was well into the night and not too many people would be roaming around Tommy walked over to the kitchen to place his bowl down.

There was a small note on the sink thanking him for helping with dinner again he assumed was written by Nikki at least that told him some of what he’d gotten up to that day.

It was kinda terrifying losing all sense of self only to come back into awareness in a completely different spot but it was something Tommy was unfortunately used to. 

It hadn’t happened too often since he’d gotten here only when riding Frederic for long days but it was bound to happen like this eventually.

Tommy knew how he could ground himself to stay in the moment like everyone else but sometimes it was easier to just drift through the day not having to worry too much about his actions as his mind went to another place.

Losing himself in thoughts was something Tommy could do easily even if it wasn’t healthy and before he knew it he was sitting in his room light off and staring at the ceiling.

Tommy remembers coming here giving Ranboo a quick conversation before heading off to bed trying to sleep off everything.

The pain in his hand was the thing that grounded Tommy to his bed and not his thoughts that were working a thousand miles per second.

Surely another bite wouldn’t be too bad? Would it?

A temporary solution. Silence is impossible. 

Your blood isn’t enough.

It isn’t good enough.

Tommy bit into his hand again feeling the wound rip more and blood drip from his mouth onto the bed beneath him, breath regarded as Tommy closed his eyes.

For now it will suffice...

Chapter Text

Tommy’s mind shouldn’t be this fuzzy.

He could’ve sworn he had gone to sleep last night but looking around something seemed off.

Luckily Tommy’s confusion was answered when he looked at the calendar he had put up.

When did he put it up?

It’s been a few weeks since Tommy has been at the settlement at least that’s what the calendar had said.

This was unusual, episodes wouldn’t last for this long and Tommy was usually able to remember the basics of what had happened.

Tommy sat up from his bed and looked around still slightly fuzzy, memories started to come back which relaxed Tommy slightly.

Forgetting small details wasn’t too big of a problem but it was scary to think that Tommy could forget entire weeks at a time.

Tommy now fully out of bed felt his head clear a bit more remembering what had happened the last few weeks once more.

This happened every morning, it was honestly annoying to forget everything for the first five minutes of consciousness but that was probably the most peaceful five minutes of the day.

Tommy sighed shuffling out of his room and into the common room noticing Ranboo sitting down on one of the couches drinking some coffee to get ready for the morning.

“Morning, food’s on the counter,” Ranboo gestured towards the breakfast on the counter and Tommy took it into his hands looking down at the meal with a strange disgust.

Tommy wasn’t in the mood for food this morning especially with his whole forgetting everything for five minutes but if it made Ranboo happy Tommy could suffer through eating this infront of him.

“I made you lunch for today since I had to make it for myself,” Ranboo pointed out just as Tommy noticed the sandwich neatly packed into his bag which was now swung around Tommy’s shoulder.

“Cool thanks big man, have a good day!” Tommy was already halfway out the door breakfast in hand when Ranboo gave him a wave letting the door shut between them.

Tommy admittedly was probably closer to this Ranboo than the one in his world as of late but it was hard to tell since the memories were starting to blur together almost like this world was trying to make Tommy forget.

Jokes on this world Tommy would never forget the shit he went through back there and when he got back he’d find everyone who had wronged him and punch them in their goddamn face.

It was spiteful yes but if that spite kept him going that was fine it was easier than admitting he genuinely missed life back home even if it would be simpler to just forget.

The month Tommy had spent in this world so far was pretty hectic, half of it spent with Ranboo traveling to the Settlement and the other half getting used to seeing the faces of people he once knew.

It was easier for Tommy though since he would blank out on those interactions not able to handle speaking with certain people even if it did scare the shit out of him everytime he gained consciousness again.

Tommy passed the entrance to the portal room that had been dug out a while ago, it had been a few weeks and they still hadn’t had any luck finding a fortress or anything for that matter.

From what Tommy had heard from Techno no one was able to stay in the nether for more than a few hours at a time and that just made the whole process a whole lot harder for everyone.

It was a ridiculously hot and dangerous environment and they had already lost a few people to the lava which people had somehow fallen into by slipping or encountering mobs at a bad time.

Of course there were big meetings discussing a plan of action but no one had the gear to go into the nether without a very real possibility of losing a life.

Tommy was still unsure where his lives lay or if he was even still alive so no way in hell would he be going into the Nether without a few fire resistant potions that they simply just didn’t have.

Walking to their usual meeting place Tommy saw Puffy sitting down on one of the fallen trees waiting around for everyone to arrive presumably “Hey miss Puffy,” Tommy waved over to Puffy who stood up after hearing his voice.

“Morning Theseus, ready to go? Techno paired us for huntin’,” Puffy dusted off as Tommy nodded of course they were paired for hunting that was just the norm by now.

“Where’re we going today,” Tommy had only a few interactions with Puffy before so seeing her everyday since he’d gotten here was an opportunity to get to know the woman better even if she wouldn’t remember it when he got back.

“Techno said the east quarter has been seeing a few hordes as of late so we’re heading over there today,” The basin was set up into quarters each one with its own teams and leaders with the main settlement in the middle resting next to the mountains.

Tommy pulled a golden axe from his inventory still getting used to the new weapon that Techno had given to him since pretty much everyone else either had gold or diamond while Tommy only had an iron axe.

Gold was weighted a bit different from iron so it had taken a day or two for Tommy to get used to the metal which also meant a few mishaps since it was much heavier and the force to take out a zombie was greatly underestimated.

That mishap led to Tommy being covered in exploded zombie brains for the rest of the day as he didn’t have enough time to wash it off and also a teasing from Sam who had just laughed when he saw.

Sam was the person Tommy was paired with the second most even if that wasn’t often but the guy seemed alright, Sam was apparently really good with redstone and traps so Techno usually took the man along with him to the nether.

He was also one of the only people apart from Technoblade himself who could survive more than an hour in the Nether without overheating so the two usually went off to explore the fiery planes while Puffy and Tommy dealt with all the overworld jobs.

---

Tommy had just sliced the head off one of the approaching skeletons in the woods when Puffy called out for a break being beaten down by farming mobs all day.

“Seriously how in the world does Techno keep up with all this,” Puffy panted as Tommy walked over making sure there were no mobs in the tree line before joining Puffy in a clearing.

Tommy pulled out the sandwich Ranboo had made him and broke it in half giving some to Puffy mostly because Tommy didn’t want to eat the whole thing “Why how generous of you, thank you Theseus,”.

Tommy flipped Puffy off as they both went to find a place to sit chewing on the sandwiches as they went, Tommy wasn’t as great at small talk as he used to be since he’d been talking to the same green teletubby for more than half a year so starting the conversation wasn’t something he looked forward to.

“What’re the others up to,” Tommy sat down and a rock sitting across from Puffy who decided to just sit on the grass “Checking out the Nether again, better them than me,” Puffy grimicaded remembering her first time going through the portal and the waft of heat that made her instantly sweat.

“Neat, We should probably grab a deer or something on the way back Nikki wanted some more meat,” Tommy added as he continued to eat the sandwich in small bites “Oh yeah! Are you helping her again tonight?,”.

“Why of course, how could I leave poor Nikki by herself in the kitchen,” Tommy said full of sarcasm noting the grin on Puffy’s face, Tommy found it easier to get smaller portions if he was the one cooking so it had become a habit to help Nikki out.

Nikki was one of the people from Tommy’s world who he didn’t hate; she just wanted to start her bakery and was dragged into the wars by Wilbur’s ideals not really knowing what she was getting into.

Kinda like Tommy, maybe that’s why he didn’t mind her all that much.

Apart from Nikki, Tommy had tried to avoid every single person he knew from his old life more often than not blanking out when talking to them which was his brain trying to stop him from breaking down.

It wasn’t healthy by any means Tommy would forget entire days at a time after seeing someone too familiar but it was better than showing weakness in front of these people.

He couldn’t afford to slip up, none of them could know.

Puffy continued to rant on about something Techno had made her do the day before since he had gone on a midnight hunt and needed someone to help him bring back all the loot “It was like one in the morning, talk about rude,”.

“Does that guy even fucking sleep, I’m not one to judge but jeez,” Puffy nodded in agreement and the two giggled about Techno’s antics. He was honestly so oblivious to common sense that it was hard not to laugh.

Puffy finished her meal way before Tommy so she went to the treeline and began looking out for mobs as Tommy ate his sandwich in relative silence.

Tommy probably wouldn’t have even noticed someone walking up behind him from afar if he hadn’t been eating which usually meant he was automatically on high alert knowing that getting attacked during a meal was a typical trick for bandits.

Summoning his axe in one fluid motion Tommy threw it backwards aiming just to the side of whoever was trying to sneak up hoping to scare them off until his brain caught up with his body and he saw who it was.

Techno looked about as surprised as Tommy when the boy had thrown an axe right next to his face in what looked like a reflex motion which was a bit weird especially if that reflex was to throw an axe at whoever is behind you.

Puffy heard the axe hit the tree behind Techno and rushed over obviously thinking there was some sort of mob “Well hello to you too,” was Techno’s response as he walked over to Puffy passing by Tommy who ran over to get his axe.

Sam followed a little further behind not directly witnessing what had happened but rather seeing the axe getting pulled from the tree right from where Techno had entered a few seconds earlier.

“Y’know usually people say hello,” Techno snarked as Tommy walked back over to where the three were now standing “Maybe you shouldn’t sneak behind people, dickhead,” Tommy grumbled slightly annoyed with himself for doing that.

Techno looked over to Theseus and saw how annoyed he was and decided to just simply ignore Theseus until he calmed down “Well we gotta have a meetin’ so take a seat,” Puffy sat down on the grass once more and Tommy sat down on a rock arms crossed.

“We found somethin’ during the Nether trip today and we’ll probably need to set up a group to go explore tomorrow,” Techno explained but not very clearly and Tommy wanted to punch the man for being vague “Is it the fortress?” Puffy asked about as confused as Tommy.

“Nah, it’s a Bastion which is ironic since it’s usually easier to find a fortress than one of those,” Bastion? Those things were useless unless you just wanted to get a shit ton of gold or maybe an enchanted golden apple but the chances were one in a million.

I mean the chest loot may be useful but I don’t see the point in--- Chests!

It was a known fact that Bastions had all sorts of chests within them but one of the ones they’re famous for is an ender chest usually located in the heart of the structure.

If Tommy could get his hand on an ender chest maybe he’d be able to get all his items from before the ones he’d kept in the chest just in case, it was his most powerful stash of weapons and armour including his maxed out axe.

“Who’s on the team?” Tommy asked finally calmed enough to not throw enough axe at his brothers head “Sam, Karl, Dream and I for now,” Tommy imiedatly didn’t want to go anymore if the green fuck was going to be there Tommy wanted to be anywhere else.

“I came to ask if you two wanna come along, we need at least one more person to be safe,” Tommy definitely wanted to go but the people on the team made Tommy want to throw himself into the lake.

“I would help but I’d probably faint after an hour in there,” Puffy said jokingly rubbing the back of her neck at the memory of the hellscape, Puffy had long curly locks of hair which were great for winter time to keep her neck warm but in the nether they served as a torture device intent on making her hotter.

“That’s fine pretty sure you almost died last time anyway,” Techno pointed out and Puffy took offense “In my defense I wasn’t expecting a fricking ghast to show up,” Sam just chuckled “It’s literally the Nether what else were you expecting?”.

Puffy began to argue her case with Sam feeling her competence being challenged by the man “I’ll come along if you need someone,” Tommy turned to talk with Technoblade ignoring the two arguing in the corner “As long as you don’t throw another axe at me,”.

“Keep that up and I won't miss next time,” Techno grinned amused that Tommy thought he could counter him “Sure ya will Theseus,” Tommy lost a bit of his bravado when techno said his name, it still reminded him of his brother's speech.

Ironically Technoblade had been right in a way Tommy had fought tooth and nail for his country losing two three? of his cannon lives because of it and they still kicked him out at the first sign of trouble.

That trouble being Dream who Tommy was most definitely going to have to work with now which was just a lovely little cherry on top of the shit storm of a cake that was Tommy’s day.

“We’re meetin’ at the portal at dawn tomorrow be late and we’ll leave you behind,” Techno explained as the two in the background arguing had been completely blocked out “Anything special I have to bring?” Tommy asked better safe than sorry.

“Nah, just be ready for a fight I bet there’ll be plenty of pigmen that are gonna have beef with us,” Techno explained like he wasn’t the reason for that “By ‘us’ you mean they’re after you,” Tommy pointed out.

“Well we’re a group so you're stuck with the hate as well,” anyone associated with techno was seen as a threat in the Nether which showed how much damage he had done over there in his blind rage.

“I’m surprised they didn’t ban you,” Tommy had seen one or two people being banned by Dream from going into certain places and it was funny to watch them walk into a seemingly invisible wall “Ban?”.

Techno looked confused at the term and Tommy wasn’t surprised the only person that knew how to ban people was Dream who didn’t even know that was a thing over here “Forget it,” Tommy stood up to go stop Sam and Puffy ignoring the confused Technoblade to sit alone.

The rest of the day went by in an uneventful blur as Tommy tried to mentally prepare himself for the next day which would definitely be spiritually taxing to say the least.

Cooking with Nikki was always a calming activity. She was a lot more chipper in this universe and was happy to hold random conversations with Tommy as they both prepared dinner.

Every so often someone else from the farming group would join in helping out with cooking so Tommy knew a fair heap of them by now at least enough that when they took patrols in the woods near the farming groups Tommy could give them a polite wave or have a small chat.

As always Nikki left herself and Tommy for last when serving up, grabbing a few bowls for the guards still on duty and running off to give them dinner giving Tommy free reign of the kitchen.

If Nikki noticed the apples and bread going missing she said nothing about it seeing how small Tommy was it made sense that he needed more food so she just didn’t question it if only she knew all that was being given to his overly spoilt horse.

“Hey buddy,” Tommy was used to eating in the stables by now and no one had asked him about why he went missing during dinner so Tommy just kept doing it until it became routine.

Even Frederic just expected Tommy to come every night, always excited to see his owner, Tommy had been out on Frederic a few times since arriving but not nearly as much as before which made Tommy feel a little guilty.

Frederic sat down munching on the apple Tommy had grabbed while Tommy hopped over the horse's gate and into the pen to sit down and eat together.

To be fair Tommy could barely call his meal eating usually only a few spoonfuls before giving up not wanting to throw up all the food from eating too much. He was getting better at the amount though and Tommy only had to throw out around two spoonfuls this time.

Frederic looked over at Tommy sadly still trying to convince him to eat more but it was pointless Tommy had months of training ingrained into him he couldn’t just instantly start acting normally after that.

Even now in a place as safe as the settlement Tommy still found himself flinching at loud noises or throwing axe’s at pig faced ass holes who decide creeping up on people from behind is a good idea.

Tommy didn’t even finish his lunch since Techno had ruined his mood after that and Tommy had to throw the rest of it out for the woodland creatures to eat at least someone would enjoy it.

God Tommy really did hate when his day caught up with him. It was a sickening affair which was probably why he spent most of his night in the pen with Frederic or in his room alone so that no one could hear.

Tommy sat in the stable trying to stop himself from hyperventilating as Frederic looked on in worry, aware that this was a recurring event that he couldn’t do much about except bump his head into Tommy letting the boy know he wasn’t alone.

Tears weren’t shed after about the fifth time Tommy realising it was too much effort to cry and that just not being able to breath was enough to get him thoroughly panicked and get the message through his head.

Wooo! We’re going to the Nether baybeee! Shut up

What about dreamy boy? Fuck him. Agreed

You agreed. Anything that happens is your fault. No?

He’ll probably kill you. Throw you off a ledge and everyone will pretend they didn’t see.

Kinda like before! Yeah!

“Would you just shut up,” Tommy heaved through his sporadic breaths shutting his eyes tightly and covering his ears in an attempt to make the voices stop even if Tommy already knew it would do nothing.

You shut up! You can’t stop us from speaking

So rude like a little child

He knows how to shut us up? I think he’s just a pussy

It wont work as well

We’ll probably just come back louder. How fun!

“Just, shut. Up.” Tommy said once more, putting emphasis on the last words as he brought his hand to his mouth letting his teeth morph into a sharper shape that wasn’t at all human.

Tommy was just about to bite down when he heard a branch crunch under someone’s boot and his immediately pulled back letting his teeth shift back into their more harmless form.

No one ever came back here this late at night since Tommy had been here and as he struggled to see who was around Tommy realised how loud the voices had gotten.

What! C’monnn you can’t play us like this

This is bullshit. I’m just gonna scream until he does it

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, Did he do it I screamed really loud.

Who interrupted us? Kill them

They’ll give us blood

It’s better than yours

Tommy shook his head ready to yell at the non existent voices in his head for being wankers until he saw a flash of pink pass by Frederic’s stable, not batting another eye to the contents of said stable.

It was probably really lucky that Tommy wasn’t noticed and that they had just walked right past him cause now Tommy could see who it was before they saw him giving Tommy the much unneeded upper hand in the situation.

It was Technoblade.

Of course it was his brother who had been part of the reason Tommy was having a breakdown only ten seconds ago and by the looks of it Techno was checking up on another horse in the stalls.

Carl was its name if memory serves Tommy right and Carl was Techno’s only long surviving horse managing to survive through all the wars in Tommy’s universe.

Techno had gone through a phase where he wanted to breed horses into the perfect horse in all standards and Carl was the result of that being the fastest horse in the land despite not being a wild horse.

Tommy hid back into the stall and waited for Techno to leave but as luck would have it, it seemed that Techno wasn’t going to leave anytime soon and Tommy had just accidentally tripped over his own dumb horse’s leg hitting the ground with a thump.

If Techno didn’t know Tommy was here he sure did now Thanks Frederic “Haloo,” Techno gave his usual greeting but Tommy saw his hand firmly on a diamond sword handle as he approached the pen.

“Theseus?” Tommy wasn’t in a very appealing position for himself having tripped over not two second ago and he flinched away from techno instinctively at the name “How ‘do,”.

Techno looked at him with confusion “What’re you doing ‘ere?” Tommy laughed internally at himself this was going to be a long night, hopefully Tommy gets away before things get too bad...

Chapter Text

“So what’re you doing ‘ere?” out of all things tonight Techno didn’t think he would be seeing Theseus hold up in one of the horses pens with what looked like a fairly wild horse.

The kid did always go missing during dinner time but Techno wasn’t really someone who could judge him especially since Techno preferred to eat his dinner by the wall away from the ruckus of people.

Theseus looked like he had tripped over his own horse which was probably the sound that Techno heard to make him run over and it was a little amusing to see the boy a bit flustered trying to scramble to his feet.

“Could ask the same to you Technoblade,” Theseus stood up grabbing the bowl that was behind him as he did so planning on leaving as soon as Techno was out of his damn way.

“Feedin’ my horse Carl, I’m guessing that one’s yours,” Techno and Tommy both looked back towards his horse “Yes he is, This is Frederic my long time travel companion,” Frederic gave a nod to Techno before going back off the sleep since it was the middle of the night.

“Cool, what’re you doin’ here though,” Techno asked again this time more curious the more defensive someone was the more likely they were to be hiding something “I feel like that’s frankly none of your business, now if you’ll excuse me I need some sleep since we’re going tomorrow,”.

Tommy hopped over the gate with Techno giving him a curious glare for Techno this may seem like a fun little game but Tommy needed blood and if Techno was going to hold him back any longer it might not be Tommy’s blood.

Blood! Kill him! Hurry up

It’d be so easy. Kill the prick!

Blood!

Blood!

Pain!

Tommy shook his head trying to will away the voices as he pushed past Techno “Good night Technoblade,” Tommy barely used his brother’s full name while here since Techno himself liked the abbreviation so Techno moved out of the way startled a bit at the tone Theseus used.

Tommy could feel himself losing sight of reality as he walked back to the cabin desperate for some form of release from the unrelenting voices that just kept screaming for some sort of pain to feed off.

Ranboo was sitting in the common room when he heard Tommy walking up to the house and the hybrid perked up a bit even if Tommy was usually out late he always managed to get back right before Ranboo wanted to go to bed.

This would lead to them talking for a few minutes distracting Ranboo from his task of going to bed leaving him more tired than before but that was fine! Ranboo enjoyed the constant company.

Tommy walked through the door and the energy in the room seemed to shift he wasn’t being loud and obnoxious as usual, instead it looked like he was stuck in his thoughts.

“Hello Tom---,” Tommy held his hand up interrupting Ranboo “Shit day, going to bed early,” Tommy walked off into his room in a rushed sense and Ranboo looked on worried.

Tommy himself knew this was normal; it happened everynight in the privacy of Frederic’s pen or his own room but it had never gotten so loud that he had shown it around Ranboo.

The side table in Tommy’s room held a sharp silver knife that he only really used when the voices demanded a larger amount of blood, it was better for Tommy to hurt himself than others.

Yours isn’t good enough. Blood!

Mobs! Blood!

Pain! We want to feel pain!

You deserve this.

The sounds were light daggers to Tommy’s heart getting louder and more cluttered the more he waited “How much,” Tommy whispered trying to see what he could do to appease the voices.

More! You don’t have enough.

Pain! An animal’s worth! Death!

Death!

Well that was certainly helpful but Tommy didn’t have that much blood and even if he did it would kill him to lose that much “Can it wait till tomorrow? I’m going to the Nether and there’ll be plenty of mobs,” Tommy said in a small pleading voice already getting a headache from the constant chatter. 

No! Yes! How much blood?

We need it now! No we don’t!

Pain! Death!

We can wait. But we need at least some!

A small cut?

Fine. Yes! Okay

Jesus these thing were greedy as fuck but Tommy wasn’t one to disagree with the voices that were literally trying to rip apart his sanity and would probably succeed if they didn’t get their dose of pain every day or so.

Tommy grabbed the silver knife from the dresser making sure it was clean so as to not get any infections and cut down the palm of his left hand watching as the red liquid oozed out of the wound.

Tommy had learnt to only cut his left hand since it wasn’t the one he used the axe with and it was more than painful to use an axe when your hand was all cut up.

Grabbing some water Tommy cleaned the wound despite the wines of the voices asking him to let it bleed a little longer and wrapped it up in clean bandages replacing the ones from the day before since the blood had soaked through.

Tommy hadn’t even noticed the shadow by his doorway as he slowly worked the bandage around his hand flinching from the pain everytime he passed the cut making the bandage job more than a bit sloppy.

---

Ranboo knew something was up when Tommy had run off to his room looking like he was about to die from stress so after a few minutes Ranboo went up to his friends door peaking in slightly through the crack left open.

Tommy never left his door open, not even a crack so he must’ve been so caught up with whatever he was upset about that he had forgotten and it would most certainly cost him.

Ranboo looked through the small gap struggling to see inside the room since it was bathed in darkness but lucky for him Ranboo had a lower form of night vision since he was a hybrid of a night time mob so looking in he could see Tommy sitting on the ground.

Tommy was sitting down huddled with his back to the bed wrapping a bandage around his hand which wasn’t too odd changing bandages was normal what wasn’t normal was the knife sitting next to Tommy covered in something crimson.

Next to the knife was a small pool of red and it was obvious it was blood which was all Ranboo needed to know before opening the door not too fast though he didn’t want to scare Tommy.

That definitely failed as Tommy’s eyes shot up wide when he saw someone entering especially after everything that had just happened, Ranboo walked in cautiously not wanting Toimmy to book it since he looked like he wanted to run for miles.

Tommy kicked the knife under his bed as he stood up trying to hide his hand behind his back as Ranboo walked over clearly worried as he saw Tommy’s reaction.

“W-what’d you want,” Tommy hated himself for how he stuttered seeing Ranboo’s worried expression grow deeper “Can I see you hand Tommy?” Tommy flinched at the mention of his hand knowing that the bandages had slipped off showing his fresh wound.

“T-The hell big man, Bit of a weird request aye?” Trying to act like it was fine made everything just seem worse and Ranboo held out his hand “Please Tommy?” Tommy looked like he was about to cry but hesitantly gave Ranboo his hand.

“Oh Tommy…,” Ranboo looked at the cut and his ears turned down feeling some sort of guilt for letting this happen “It’s fine just go away,” Tommy snapped out of Ranboo’s grasp recognising the look of pity the hybrid was giving him.

“Tommy I’m not just gonna leave---,” Tommy seemed to fire up at that “Why not! It seems to be a very popular option when people are around me!” This wasn’t fair towards Ranboo he didn’t do anything here but Tommy was sick of this.

“Please, just go away---,” Ranboo put his foot down grabbing Tommy’s hand gently “I’m not leaving, let me help you,” Ranboo sat Tommy down onto his bed and grabbed the clean set of bandages that were in his dresser.

“You don’t have to help me…,” Tommy looked down at the ground feeling the shame well up inside of him realising what he had done in front of Ranboo no less “Yes I do, you're obviously in pain,”.

It wasn’t wrong Tommy could feel his palm burning like it was on fire “I am not--,” Rambo tightened the bandage a bit and Tommy let out a yelp “Yes you are,” Tommy glared at him before continuing his staring contest with the ground.

Tommy stayed quiet refusing to even acknowledge Ranboo’s presence as the former bandaged up Tommy’s arm still looking at him with worry as Tommy refused to make any kind of eye contact.

After finally wrapping up Tommy’s arm Ranboo let go letting Tommy flinch away holding his hand close to his chest as Ranboo slowly got up from the kneeling position he was in to sit next to Tommy on the bed.

“Why’d---,” Ranboo was the first the break the thick silence feeling like he was in way over his head “None of your business just fuck off,” Tommy’s words held none of his playful vigor instead being replaced with a venom especially when Ranboo looked at him with pity.

“I’m not leaving Tommy whether you like it or not,” Ranboo was being stern and Tommy could almost see Dream yelling at him and quieting down listening to Ranboo’s words “You could’ve really hurt yourself or worse,”.

“So I’ll ask again, why?” Tommy could feel Ranboo’s eyes burning into the side of his head as he hung his head low not wanting to face Ranboo “Dunno’ I hav’ to…,” Tommy could hear how he slurred and knew Ranboo had picked up on it as well.

“Have to?” Tommy started picking at his nails feeling panic slowly bubble to the surface “It’s complicated...I...I can’t…,” Tommy didn’t want to be called crazy he didn’t need to be looked at like his family was a bunch of cursed lonatics.

Tommy didn’t notice his hands go up to scratch his neck or the fact that he was hyperventilating until Ranboo gently grabbed his hand trying to get Tommy to stop “Hey, hey, calm down,” Tommy looked up with teary eyes seeing how worried Ranboo looked.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry I shouldn’t be---,” Tommy tried to wipe away the tears and control his breathing. Dream never liked it when Tommy panicked like this and the punishments weren’t always as mundane as a beating.

“Hey, Tommy it’s okay,” Ranboo seemed to be a little panicked as well seeing Tommy act so out of character “Can I touch you?” Ranboo asked, wanting to comfort the younger but not wanting to freak Tommy more.

Tommy wanted to yell to scream at Ranboo to piss off, he wasn’t weak and didn’t need coddling but right now Tommy just didn’t have the energy just wanting to go to sleep.

A nod was given as yes and Ranboo outstretched his arms wrapping them around Tommy who despite his best mental effort couldn’t help but melt into the hud burying his head into Ranboo’s shoulder as he sniffled.

Ranboo rubbed circles into Tommy’s back as he tried to calm down hating himself for the small sobs that escaped as Tommy’s face was pressed against Ranboo who seemed okay with just sitting there to comfort Tommy.

Tommy sniffled a bit before composing himself not wanting to stay in the embrace for too long knowing he would probably fall asleep in Ranboo’s arms “Are you better?” Ranboo asked cautiously, trying to keep his voice in a hushed tone.

Tommy hummed nodding as he sat there awkwardly rubbing his eyes trying to get rid of the last few tears “Can you talk now?” Ranboo was speaking in a quiet controlled manner not wanting Tommy to panic again.

“Yeah…,” Tommy shuffled back on the bed leaning his back against the wall and bringing his knees up trying to become as small as possible “Can you talk about what happened?” Tommy relaxed his shoulders too tired to fight now.

“It’s fine it happens,” That wasn’t a lie Tommy had done this before but in a more private manner and never with tears involved this was probably one of the worst times….almost.

“It’s not fine Tommy, I’m pretty sure you just had a panic attack,” Tommy scoffed at the notion refusing to admit that he was so weak as to have a fucking panic attack infront of Ranboo of all people.

After thinking about it for a few seconds it made sense Ranboo had walked in on Tommy doing--- Oh fuck , Ranboo had walked in on Tommy while he had the knife!

Shit, shit, shit, shit

Dumbass! What’re you gonna do now?

He completely freaked lol

This is all your fault! No you!

What do we tell him? Nothing

Nothing

Tell him nothing.

N o t h i n g.

Ranboo looked at Tommy for answers not noticing the inner turmoil he was having at the moment, just shut up! You’re all making this worse! Just leave. Please. Tommy’s mind went quiet as he tried to gather his thoughts.

Ranboo had seen everything.

Tommy was screwed.

“Tommy?” Ranboo asked again trying to get Tommy’s attention since he had obviously clocked out “ ‘m sorry, didn’ mean to,” Tommy was muttering under his breath trying to think of a way out of this.

“Hey hey, everything alright, okay?” Tommy felt himself about to explode again crying tears he should have run out of by now so he curled up even more tucking his head into his knees turning into a ball.

“‘M sorry, ‘m sorry I shoudn’ have,” Rambling on was all that Tommy could do at the moment since Ranboo was so clearly worried and Tommy didn’t have any answers for him apart from ones that made him look like a crazy man.

“You should get some rest okay?” this clearly wasn’t getting them anywhere and Ranboo could see that “I’ll check in tomorrow morning,” that probably would’ve worked except Tommy was leaving for the Nether tomorrow something Ranboo wasn’t aware of apparently.

“‘Kay,” This was Tommy’s out at least for a day to figure things out Ranboo didn’t need to know he wasn’t going to be there tomorrow morning “Goodnight,” 

Tommy nodded already crawling towards his covers trying to get under.

Ranboo waited until Tommy was asleep which honestly only took a few second before checking the room for anymore sharp objects not being dumb enough to leave Tommy alone with them.

There were far more knives and weapons than Ranboo had expected and the small hatchet laying on one of the ceiling beams puzzled him because no way in hell Tommy could reach that high even with a chair.

After collecting everything Ranboo swept the whole house, locking away all the weapons in his own room before returning to Tommy’s room to sit in the corner chair not wanting to leave him alone.

This would probably be an inconvenience to Tommy in the morning with his plans of sneaking out but Ranboo was blissfully unaware falling asleep on the armchair in an awkward position that would probably hurt in the morning.

---

Waking up was a painful process for Tommy this morning especially with the groggy feeling that was now washing over him.

The feelings from last night seemed to come back slowly as Tommy started to shuffle around in bed trying to get awake enough to stand and get ready which was going to be a struggle in and of itself.

Surprisingly enough Tommy hadn’t lost complete control of himself not giving into his instincts and reverting to his other form but that only really happened when he was in a more murder-y mood.

Looking around the room Tommy could tell Ranboo had snooped around last night after Tommy had gone to bed and taken his weapon stashes and put them somewhere which while understandable was annoying as hell.

Speaking of Ranboo the hybrid was sitting across from Tommy’s bed in the one armchair Tommy had put in his room so that he could read more comfortably of a morning instead of spending all that free time in the office.

Getting changed quickly and quietly was the main goal here so Tommy stepped out of the room heading towards the bathroom to get changed since Ranboo waking up while he was changing would be extremely embarrassing.

As if what had happened last night wasn’t embarrassing enough as is, Tommy hadn’t cried like that since before being in this world and it was unacceptable to break down so early on it had only been a month in.

After putting on his bandana to hide the now obvious scratch marks atop his already painfully visible scars Tommy walked out checking to see if he had all he needed in his inventory before heading to the door.

The office had plenty of paper so Tommy wrote a quick note before leaving just so Ranboo didn’t completely freak out when he woke up and it would give Tommy enough time to leave with the others.

They had all agreed to meet outside the Nether portal staircase which was at the very back of the settlement so Tommy sneaked out heading over hoping Ranboo wouldn’t wake for another hour or two.

Tommy was going to be an hour or so early to the meeting but that was better than staying in the house and risking waking up Ranboo especially with the creaky floor boards.

Outside Tommy was confident in his stealth skills and he could make his way throughout the entire camp without making a single noise which is exactly what Tommy had done.

The sun wasn’t out yet so it was easy to stay hidden within the shadows even if there was no one to be hiding from Tommy was especially paranoid this morning and didn’t want to run into anyone and god forbid have to have a conversation.

After twenty minutes of walking through the shadows for what would’ve been a ten minute walk Tommy arrived at the base of the mountain feeling the uneasy pull of the Nether portal that only got stronger as he approached.

It was another instinct thing Tommy’s hybrid half always wanting to return ‘home’ but Tommy had learned how to ignore the gentle pull especially since the uncomfortable nature of ruined portal rooms made it easy for Tommy to ignore the need to go inside.

After sitting there for about half an hour twiddling his thumbs Tommy could see the first person approaching the portal, someone who was distinctly not Technoblade or Dream so that was already a good start.

Tommy was sitting up on one of the more outcropped rocks on the mountain base so it wasn’t surprising that the person hadn’t seen him on their approach and jumped when Tommy called out “‘morning,”.

The person turned around wildly at the noise not expecting anyone else to be there yet “Hello?” Tommy jumped down from his little perch so that his presence was known making the other person flinch a little.

“Oh! I’m Karl, are you Theseus?” So Karl had already heard about Tommy joining in on the group and knew everyone well enough to assume he was Theseus “Yup,” Tommy recognised Karl from the before but had barely any if any interactions with him.

“So, uh, what’re you doing out here so early?” Karl didn’t know how to interact with Theseus so he stuttered a bit “Why’re you here so early,” was Tommy's own response before he went back to fiddling with his axe already feeling like communication today was going to be a pain.

“That’s fair I guess,” Karl stopped trying to make small talk after that noticing that Theseus wasn’t very conversational and would probably just give out automated responses to get the conversation over with.

The two stood there in the dark waiting for the sun to rise and the rest of their companions to come along with it.

Hopefully they would make this less awkward for both of them.

Chapter Text

Apparently it was fashionable to be late these days or maybe Tommy was just god awful at keeping track of time because it felt like it had been hours since Karl had arrived and things just got more awkward.

Tommy’s social skills had taken a decline ever since he was left mostly alone in the wild for half a year so starting a conversation wasn’t an option, especially if you didn’t know how people would react.

Dream would have his days where if Tommy even breathed in his direction he would snap so Tommy found it safer to just not talk which actually made him lose his voice for a few weeks at one point.

Tommy was barely able to rasp the whole time from the disuse of his voice and Dream had only noticed it after a week or so telling Tommy it was some form of punishment.

Everything that happened to Tommy was ‘some type of punishment’ which is half the reason Tommy is here now in this world instead of just running away in his old one.

Karl didn’t know how to talk to Theseus and didn’t really know what to expect from the man who had helped them open the Nether portal definitely expecting some kind of hybrid but instead he looked like an everyday human.

There were very limited ways a hybrid could hide their traits using hats, scarves or clothing to hide it but all the Nether mobs had very obvious traits that were more than difficult to hide.

Just take Technoblade who was given very obvious parts of a piglin like the ears  and hooves but that was an advantage to the other who was more than okay with being an outwards presenting hybrid.

It wasn’t rare to see hybrids but it was rare to see them proud of their heritage especially with all the discrimination which is what lead Karl to the conclusion that Theseus was a hybrid in the first place.

The kid climbed back onto the shadowy rock where he was perched before and left Karl on the ground to entertain himself until someone else arrived which wouldn’t be for at least half an hour.

---

Techno had woken up early expecting to be the first to arrive along with Sam who had begrudgingly gotten out of bed when Techno came past but was surprised to see someone already there.

From the brown head of hair Techno knew it was Karl, one of the friends Dream had invited along that could be spared from their duties for a while, Karl just sat on the floor flipping through the pages of his book as the two approached.

“ ‘Morning,” Techno drawled too tired to care how he sounded “Good morning,” Karl lifted himself up to face the two men and clipped the book away in his sachelle “You’re a bit early,” Sam said the sun was only just rising so it was a wonder why someone was here this early.

“He got here before me,” Karl said gesturing behind him to the perch Theseus was currently sitting on, Techno hadn’t even noticed Theseus’s presence before but he jumped down after Karl had pointed “Hey,”.

“Hello Theseus,” Sam waved from the side of Techno trying to be friendly with the kid even after Tommy glared at him “When’d you get here?” Techno asked as Karl and Sam began their own conversation in the corner.

“ ‘bout an hour or so ago, woke up early,” Tommy shrugged “Well if you get sloppy cause you're tired don’t expect sympathy,” Techno replied in his monotone voice god it was so annoying “Thank you for the heart warming support prick,”.

All they needed now was for the green bitch to arrive so that they could finally get going and Tommy for one hoped that Dream accidentally fell in lava when they went in even if he wouldn’t dare to say that out loud.

“Put your armour on, Dream’ll be here soon,” Techno said as he grabbed his own set out of his inventory with everyone else following suit, Tommy did feel a tad bit out of place with everyone wearing sparkling diamond and gold armour while he wore silver something he had collected over the weeks.

It was definitely better than wearing a set of iron armour and the upgrade was welcome especially since his axe was a lot more hefty now and easier to use.

Compared to the heavy Netherite all this armour was strangely light especially since Tommy was so used to the dark material that he’d definitely go mining for some in the Nether after this, unhappy with the amount of protection the silver gave.

Everyone was fully armoured up and to no one's surprise Techno was the most kitted out with his enchanted diamond with Karl not too far behind wearing a mismatched set of some diamond and some gold.

Sam apparently just preferred gold armour over diamond even if he could easily get a set of diamond which was something Tommy would never understand but he wouldn’t question it, to each their own or whatever.

After everyone had fully put on their armour strapped on with leather bonds to make sure it didn’t come off they stood together waiting right by the entrance for their last ember so that they could leave straight away.

Tommy still got shivers up his spine from being so close to the ruins that held the portal so he stood off to the side a bit trying to stay away from whatever was making him have this weird feeling.

Despite the cacophony of feeling being near the portal and ruins gave him Tommy could still sense a familiar green bitch approaching taking all it had not to embed his axe in Dream’s stupid mask.

The submissive voice in Tommy’s head disagreed with that however and it was begging him to talk to his ‘friend’ and get help from him, something Tommy would never do.

Tommy’s head may still be a little fuzzy from everything in exile but he was sure most of it was supposed to be Dream’s fault even if his heart disagreed vigorously.

Techno noticed second rolling his eyes and Dream casually strolled up to the group obviously late “Hey,” Dream greeted and Karl responded both starting their own little conversation since they were the only ones from their group participating.

“Well now everyone is here, let’s head in,” Techno took the lead followed by Dream both being the leaders of their perspective groups and Tommy hung in the back clearly not trusting them enough to have them walking behind him.

The portal let out a soft purple glow that filled the staircase down leading to it and Tommy couldn’t help but yearn to go in missing the warmth of the lavery abyss and the familiarity of the netherrack.

Walking into the portal room was strange. Tommy had only been in here once to light the portal when it was nighttime and fairly dark but now with everything lit by the portal’s light it was easy to see all the details.

It was definitely an abandoned portal from the old times having runes written in enchanting table all over the walls a laungaue Tommy still struggled to understand but it seemed clear what the walls were saying.

They screamed about the intentions of whoever was to open the portal promising a painful death for those who do it with the intention to destroy probably some weird curse that wouldn’t even be effective anymore given the rapid decay of old knowledge.

It also had a passage about those who originated from the Nether welcoming home after what must’ve been a long journey which was nice at least Tommy knew not everyone was a cynical bastard in this world and that the ancient race actually cared for its people.

They walked through the room everyone else seemingly unaware of the writings meanings not bothering to give it a second glance probably because the old language was pretty much dead and it was doubtful anyone here knew it.

It wasn’t even Philza who had taught Tommy how to read this; it had been during exile he had learnt apparently Dream wanted someone who he could practice with and Tommy was harmless enough to tell.

It wasn’t like he could tell anyone else.

They all approached the portal equipping their respective weapons before Techno walked up to the portal “Watch out for the lava and mobs, if you die I don’t wanna hafta’ deal with it,” well if that wasn’t the most inspiring speech Tommy has heard as Techno leaped into the portal.

Tommy was last to jump through the portal being the back of the group and could probably cry at the feeling of the warm embrace the Nether gave him feeling a primal sense of home as he walked through.

A funny feeling spread throughout his body as the teleportation seemed to take longer than it should’ve but after a few seconds the feeling dissipated and Tommy was on the other side with the rest of the group.

“The Bastion is about three hours in that direction, we’ll have to cut out a few staircases but otherwise it should be easy,” Techno explained “How’d you get there before then?” Karl was the one to ask since if Techno had already been there then he must’ve used staircases.

“I climbed the walls, I doubt you can do the same,” Techno explained he had a physical advantage of being a hybrid and also knew the Nether well enough to scale the walls something everyone else here seemingly lacked.

“Sounds like a challenge,” Tommy said in spite of himself almost as if it was second nature “Theseus, I highly doubt you could do it no offense,” Techno said as they began to walk towards the first cliff that was a few minutes out.

“I’m taking full offense mister Blade,” Tommy said as he sped up a bit to match Techno’s pace who was trying to get away from him “That sounds like a you problem,” Techno said as they both sped walked towards the cliff.

Everyone else followed them from behind with different degrees of amusement especially Sam who was just used to this by now and learned to just accept it and move on.

Running in the Nether or even walking slightly too fast could drastically increase someone’s temperature which was never a good thing so as both Techno and Theseus went through the Nether it made the other members cringe.

They all kept a solid walking pace not wanting to get heat stroke which was something very common even if it was painful to watch the other two run around almost inhumanly with not a speck of sweat on either.

It made sense for Techno to do this; he was used to the warmth of the Nether being a hybrid and all but the non-hybrid Theseus was something else in Karl’s eyes, being able to casually walk around without a worry of death from the heat.

Everyone took note, even Techno of how easy it was for Theseus to walk around in the Nether despite not being in there for a month, the adjustment was just far too quick for anyone not to be suspicious.

The cliff was definitely impossible to climb without a staircase for everyone it leaned outwards which meant at one point if they were climbing they’d have to hang midair with only their arms to push themselves forwards.

Tommy didn’t need to wait before he started to climb ignoring the calls from Technoblade to get down before he got hurt, Tommy was already halfway up the wall within a minute climbing at an unnatural pace until he reached the hanging area.

“If you fall I’m not catching you!” Techno yelled up slightly amused by the situation as Tommy began to edge across the cliff hanging from only his arms now “If I fall I’ll take you with me!” Tommy flipped Techno off holding on with only one hand now causing a few people to cringe internally.

“I swear he has no self preservation,” Techno mumbled as Tommy climbed up the rest of the wall sitting on the edge to mock Techno “You’ve got an interesting fellow there Techno,” Dream commented before mining out the staircase like a normal person.

Techno decided waiting with everyone to build out the staircase would be utterly boring and probably just bring more trouble to the group, even if he was strong that didn’t stop the innate hatred for him in this place.

It made sense why the piglins had started avoiding him or even purposely attacking but the other mobs seemed to also get the gist making the Nether all the more dangerous.

Even the unintelligent mobs like ghast seemed to be after him and Techno had definitely nearly died more than once from a fireball directed at his face.

---

Tommy now realised that while yes he had won there was absolutely nothing to do up here until he had Techno with him to lead the way.

Even so a win was a win and Tommy would probably hold this over Techno’s head somehow since teasing him was so much more fun over here than before especially since Techno was clueless.

Looking around there weren’t too many mobs around just your average piglin and a few magma cubes yeeting themselves off of the cliff and into the fiery abyss.

The absolute lack of care as the little cubes jumped off was something Tommy had experienced more when he was younger especially the first time Phil had brought him into the Nether.

Neither of the two knew anything about Tommy’s hybrid instinct so seeing a nine year old so recklessly jump off the edge into lava had given his father a heart attack.

Even if Tommy knew he was lava resistant (But not fire resistant for some reason) it didn’t let Phil worry less especially since as soon as Tommy jumped out of the lava he was on fire and that actually hurt.

Maybe it was the world's way of trying to get Tommy to stay in the lava with the other cubes but to hell if Tommy was going to spend his lifetime floating around aimlessly.

It was tempting that much was obvious from his longing glares at the edge but Tommy didn’t want to die such a pitiful death he wanted something that would at least get him remembered here.

One of the smaller cubes probably a newborn hopped over to Tommy side nudging against him in a cat like gesture and Tommy returned it in kind with some pats on the head.

Even if they were just mindless blobs they had emotions and Tommy being related to them had an easier time seeing that then others especially when one of his own came up like this to try and interact.

Although the core of a magma cube was as hot as lava they didn’t actually hurt to touch especially if they were friendly since the temperature only went up when they felt endangered.

Humans just happened to have that sort of effect on these creatures so it was rarely recorded about assuming that the scorching hot was their natural temperature and not just a defence mechanism.

The cube cuddled up to Tommy more and the temptation to just put the small thing in his pocket was strong especially since it was only the size of his fist and looked so god damn adorable.

The choice was made for Tommy when he heard the tell tale signs of someone else starting to climb like a small pebbled hitting the bottom and echoing throughout the entire abyss.

“ Hey lil’ guy, Can I put you in here? I promise I won't hurt you or anything ,” Tommy knew the Nether tongue, it came to him naturally and he knew all creatures here could understand it even if they weren’t capable of the same level of speech.

The cube nudged Tommy’s pocket trying to shove itself inside almost as if it had sensed something Tommy hadn’t so Tommy let it crawl inside hiding in the deepest corner.

The pocket was hidden on the inside of the coat so no one would even know it was there as long as the little dude didn’t flare up when the other humans arrived and burn a hole through the coat and probably Tommy’s chest as well.

All the other creatures had disappeared as well giving the whole place more of an empty feeling than before but Tommy didn’t comment on it instead he watched as Techno swung himself over the cliff face and onto the top.

“How do,” Tommy nodded in Techno’s direction spinning around his axe in an attempt to look like he was actually doing something up here “Greetin’s’,” Techno replied both being unable to hold a conversation unless it was an argument of some sorts.

To be fair Tommy had an excuse for being socially inept being away from all social contact except a green bitch for months did that but Techno really was just hopeless ever since he first started adventuring.

It was honestly funny watching Techno trying to do anything in town when they were children but it had lost its charm once the elder had grown older and more intimidating making it easier to hide.

Tommy didn’t have anything he could tease Techno about in the other world and that was just plain boring so this was definitely a step up in that department also the fact that this Techno didn’t want him dead but that wasn’t important.

The others only took five more minutes to finish their staircase up and meet up with the pair who had gotten so utterly bored that they were now seeing who could throw the furthest into the lava.

This was pretty much how the entire trip to the bastion went with Techno and Tommy running off ahead and the other three being forced to follow albeit slower since none of them wanted to die of heat stroke.

Their conversations mostly consisted of Sam and Karl begging the two ahead to slow down before they lost sight of them and Tommy snapping back with some snarky reply before running off again.

Tommy did have mercy however and when they were about an hour away from their destination they all agreed to take a break pulling out the rations they had and sitting down to eat in one of the less open areas on the path.

The other four seemed to already know each other enough to hold a semi decent conversation so Tommy opted to just sit and listen, not planning on eating anything anyway.

If Tommy was anyone else he probably would’ve ignored the shift in temperature feeling the area cool down a bit and suddenly almost as if the cubes that had been around them before which they hadn’t killed since it wasn’t worth it had all disappeared.

That wasn’t too uncommon; mass jumping into the lava was a normal sight but Tommy couldn’t help the feeling that something was wrong as he leaned against the Nether wall just behind where the group had sat.

Tommy was the only one in the entrance to this area so it would be strange to hear shuffling especially that of feathers and string, something that was definitely not normal in the Nether.

The group of piglin had only one archer carrying a single crossbow aimed directly at Karl’s head which was already loaded and ready to fire something even Tommy wouldn’t be able to stop if he went over.

Instead he waited for the arrow to go off, pouncing the moment it was in front of him snatching it out of the air in a swift motion before throwing his own axe into the head of the one that had fired.

Blood spurted out from the wound as the piglin went down, gaining shocked expressions from both sides since not even his own group had noticed the intruders until now.

Blood! Finally! 

Well at least the voices were pleased with Tommy’s attack as the kid ran towards the small group of piglins using their shock to grab his axe and start attacking, taking down one more before they started to fight back.

Techno wasn’t lying when he said the monster of the Nether had some sort of grudge on him since as soon as the attack started it seemed like all the mobs began to gather around the man including a ghast floating up high in the sky.

Tommy didn’t have enough time to worry about that though since he was quite literally in the middle of lopping a piglins head off as the horde just seemed to get bigger.

It wasn’t even clear if the others were already up and fighting since Tommy was so focused on his own quest for blood but the clashing of swords in the background was a good indicator.

Woo! Let’s goooo!

Pog! Finally jesus! At least he kept the promise

OOOO! That one went pop! Ew

The noise is like le music~. Shut tf up

It was a strange form of encouragement but Tommy would take it over nothing knowing that this was something Tommy couldn’t fail at unlike so many other things.

The battle was short lived in Tommy’s opinion especially since a fair chunk of the pigmen had run away their instincts kicking in and making them run tail between their legs for the hills as the group of ‘humans’ killed the rest.

With a quick axe to the skull Tommy took out the last of this horde panting from the exertion but still able to join in with the rest of his group who were fighting a slightly different group of mobs since there were three wither skeletons along with the usual pigmen.

The ghast was being dealt with by Dream so the other three were left to defend themselves against the horde trying not to get hit by the skeletons in fear of getting the wither effect which Tommy can safely say from experience was the opposite of fun.

Tommy was probably going to have to go help them with this but the lack of blood made the option less appealing…

Well whatever it was better than having to deal with dead people instead of mobs.

Chapter Text

Techno was fighting off most of the horde since they were mostly focused on him which gave the other two enough of an advantage to whittle through the ranks without too much trouble leaving the skeletons for Techno to handle.

Handling them wasn’t something Technoblade was doing however as he barely dodge the swipes and attacks while also trying to fight off the odd piglin who tried to get a chunk out of him.

Tommy could almost roll his eyes at the sight of these four mostly fumbling around putting trust into each other's abilities that weren’t going to translate into the Nether environment not noticing how everyone got tired easily and could just as easily pass out from heat stroke.

Techno started to back up trying to put distance between himself and the horde jumping a few feet back to catch his breath for a few seconds when Theseus laid his hand on the man's shoulder stepping in front, axe in hand.

One wither skeleton charged first sword pointed readily to pierce Tommy’s stomach with it’s speed but Tommy spun to the side grabbing the hand of the mob while using his other hand to bring his axe down onto it’s skull.

There’s no blood! Boo!

The crack was nice though! Look at it shattered

Kill them fast!

Tommy took in a deep breath throwing the now lifeless husk to the side as he approached the other two who seemed to be in quiet the shock seeing as their brethren had just died in front of them.

Wither skeletons were known as the guardians of the Nether for a reason so seeing one of them so easily being taken down would take anyone's breath away, mob or not giving Tommy enough time to strike.

Hesitation was something you couldn’t afford when battling in this world and Tommy took advantage of it grabbing his usually one handed axe with both hands and with one quick motion shoving the eye of the axe into the jaw of a skeleton in an uppercut motion.

Tommy could almost feel a smile tug at his face just at the sound of the skull smashing into a million pieces from the weighted hit then as the body eventually slunk to the ground.

Only one skeleton was left now seeing that his two mates hadn’t been able to beat Tommy this one would have no hope something the mob and Tommy knew the second that the first skeleton went down.

Wither skeletons were honorable if anything and even if it was going to die it still charged Tommy knowing that to run away was something worse than death and would be against their very nature.

If it had been any other situation Tommy would left these creatures alone knowing they are only there to protect the lesser mobs from the dangers of humans a noble task but this time they attacked first.

The skeleton was dead before it even hit the ground as Tommy brought his axe back up onto his shoulder wiping away the sweat that had gathered on his forehead while fighting.

After the wither skeletons were down the rest was easy especially since the piglins had run away after seeing their protector and strongest mob being utterly obliterated by Tommy in less than a minute.

Now things started to calm down and everyone had a second to finally breathe after the attack was over making sure that no one had died when everyone wasn’t looking.

“All the ghasts in the area are handled, we should be fine for now,” Dream commented, jumping down from the perch he had placed himself on and walking up to Karl who was trying to collect himself from the battle.

“I knew the mobs hated ya here big man but sheesh,” Tommy exclaimed, whipping the blood from his cheek realising his entire outfit was splattered and probably would need cleaning.

Sam seemed unimpressed with his clothing getting stained as well but pretty much everyone had something else to wear anyway so Tommy was really the only one who needed to worry since this was his only coat for winter.

Well they were meant to be taking a break to eat before everyone was so rudely interrupted so after checking the perimeter once more and leaving Tommy one guard per his request they sat down again this time more against the wall than in a group.

Dream also opted out on food not wanting to get sneaked up on again which gave Tommy enough freedom to go back over to where the bodies lay crouching down next to one of the wither skeletons.

The little magma cube poked its head out of Tommy’s pocket letting out a small whine seeing the skeletons just left out in the open for any mob to come in and take.

It was a general rule that when a wither skeleton died they were to be burned in lava to release the soul inside something that was just a fragment of the Nether’s greater will.

Thinking of the Nether as a hellish dimension was something Tommy found foolish, it was a haven for the mobs it held and the ancient races who first created this place left certain things here to protect its inhabitants.

Once one skeleton was burned another would appear taking on a new form but using the same fragment of soul that would be released otherwise its soul would be stuck in a hollow body for eternity, a fate that seemed too cruel for anyone.

It would be better for the people if the skeletons were left to rot not giving them anymore to add to the ranks but Tommy wasn’t entirely loyal to the human race despite his obvious bias for them.

Magic wasn’t something used too often in this world but the inventory system was a unique device letting someone hold up to ten items within a spatial distortion and collect them whenever they wanted.

Another feature was how the inventory would make broken items as a whole like a broken watch in two pieces would be made into one still broken item that could be carried broken.

Using this Tommy gathered the remains of the fallen guardians and put them into his inventory chucking out some useless items he had kept there to make room for the three skeletons each of which took up one space.

Softie! Lol. Why bother

Blood! Stop wasting time!

The voices Tommy had decided were pricks who had no respect whatsoever so he purposely ignored their wishes from him to create more blood by playing with the already dead corpses of the piglins.

Tommy walked over to the edge of this ledge shuffling through his inventory for the skeletons before pulling them out and throwing them over the edge watching as they melted into the lava.

Thank you.

The souls were visible for only a split second shifting towards their new hosts somewhere else in this endless labyrinth and Tommy sat there keeping silent as he watched the bodies disappear.

“Why’d you do that, they would’ve been the same if you left them,” Dream stalked over looking at what Tommy had done with the same expressionless mask he always wore followed by the rest who had finished eating.

Tommy scoffed of course no one here knew of this places traditions, typical “It’s called respect dickhead,” Tommy gave Dream the bird even if it was a little shaky and began walking away leading in the direction they were going before.

Techno caught up with Tommy fairly quickly with Sam joining in beside them leaving the two little groups to their own devices as everyone walked forwards following Techno’s lead.

“‘M Surprised you know of the whole Wither Skeleton thing, most overworld people don’t,” Techno said not quite expecting that sort of knowledge from Thesues who was generally a bit feral if anything and didn’t seem the type for ‘respect’.

“I was born here remember, I’m not completely heartless,” Tommy jabbed, feeling offended that this was actually surprising. “Dunno sometimes you make me wonder..,” Techno had a snide look on his face as he said that seeing that Theseus’s reaction was definitely worth it.

“Well fuck you too! Dickhead,” Tommy grumbled at Techno not quite confident in his reply as he’d like but certainly an improvement from shaking in fear of his brother everytime anyone raised their voice.

Dream however…..

That was another can of worms that Tommy didn’t want to open just yet still knowing the wound was fresh.

Tommy could survive a little shaking if it meant getting back home.

“Why is it respectful? To throw them in lava I mean,” Sam asked, feeling a little out of the loop just like Karl and Dream who also had no idea why it was so surprising for Tommy to yeet a bunch of mobs into lava.

“ ‘t’s the souls or somethin’, if you don’ chuck ‘em in lava they get trapped,” Technoblade explained oh so elegantly with his same flat tone showing how little he really cared about his voice especially with how he pronounced words.

It was a lazy way of speaking but it made sense once you knew Techno’s personality “Exactly and I ain’t gonna condemn no one to that shit so I put them in the lava,” Tommy said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“You believe that stuff?” Sam asked since it wasn’t even common knowledge and the lack of proof seemed to be obvious “Doesn’t matter if I do, no one deserves to be trapped like that, I’m not taking chances,” and yes Tommy also did believe since he had seen it happen first hand.

“Eh, It’s all a bit of a reach if you ask me,” Techno said, obviously not convinced about the whole soul thing “We have mobs that can teleport and the idea of a soul getting trapped is too much?” Karl butted in seeing how ridiculous it was to believe something like that and not this.

“Yeah well I can see an enderman teleport, can’t damn well see a soul floatin’ outta wither skeletons,” Techno corrected and Tommy held a confused look on his face for only a second.

Usually those that are hybrids especially Nether ones could see things the naked eye couldn’t especially stuff of more ancient and magical nature like souls so it was weird that Techno hadn’t had an experience like that.

Even Tommy had seen the more mysterious parts of the Nether so it was strange that Techno seemed clueless to it all and apathetic to the parts he did know.

It was probably part of the Nether rejecting him creating a rift between techno and the natural talent he should’ve had when entering this place filled to the brim with magic.

“Oh yeah! Theseus how in the world did you catch that arrow at the start, I’m pretty sure it was from a crossbow too,” Karl now leaped over into their group hanging off Sam’s neck who seemed desensitised to the man's behavior.

“Eh, Just a lotta practice I guess,” Tommy was taught those things in the field so it was barely the type of practice people would expect given the ridiculous amounts of arrows Tommy had that hit him over the years because he was too slow to notice.

“You noticed the horde a lot earlier than us cause’of where you were, nice trick though,” Techno pointed out as if it wasn’t obvious that Tommy didn’t just grab it out of the air without even knowing it was there.

To be fair if it was a normal bow and arrow Tommy could probably do that depending on the distance but for crossbows that was just damn right impossible especially with the speed and force of the shot.

“No shit sherlock can’t damn well pluck an arrow out of the air without knowing it’s coming,” Tommy jabbed slightly irritated at Techno’s condescending tone when he said the last part “I still think it’s pretty cool it’s take a lot of practice for something like that,” Karl added before they melted into another boring conversation.

The bastion wasn’t too far off now, only another half an hour of walking before they reached their destination and Tommy for one couldn’t wait until they were finished and he could hide under the biggest of rocks.

After the second horde attack that happened about two hours in Tommy’s hand had started to ache from his injury and being the stubborn bitch he is Tommy wasn’t going to make them stop just so he could check on the wound.

As luck would have it the blood hadn’t leaked through the bandages too bad and if Tommy just kept his axe in hand it was easily missed hidden under the weapons handle even if it did hurt more to be holding the weapon.

It was also useful to have pockets apparently because once Tommy had gotten too annoyed holding his axe his second thought was to shove his hand into his pocket which honestly should’ve been his first though because it would’ve saved a lot of pain and effort.

The small magma cube apparently had stayed with Tommy instead of jumping out which was a pleasant surprise especially since the soft warmth of the guy made Tommy's hand hurt a little less.

“That’s it just ahead, We’ll split into two groups with one attacking at the front and one giving cover,” Techno explained before crouching down at the edge of the cliff looking over to the top of the bastion that was below them on top of the lava lake.

“Karl and Theseus will give us cover while Sam uses his tnt to open up an entrance,” Techno pointed towards the real entrance that was covered in a layer of obsidian which could only be moved by a lever inside the structure.

“Bold of you to assume I have a bow dickhead,” Tommy pointed out since the only weapon he really had was his axe “eh?,” Techno didn’t seem to be the only one surprised that Tommy didn’t have a bow especially since he seemed so skilled not to have better equipment.

“Oh fuck off, I lost all my shit in a raid,” Raids were a common way to lose things especially if it was one against a whole group of trained pillagers, weapons are bound to break and armour is bound to be taken.

“Well you can take my crossbow then, y’really need to get more gear,” Techno pointed out and Karl seemed amused by the comment as well as Dream who was snickering to his side.

“You try finding free time when you're partnered with Puffy! She literally helps everyone,” Tommy defended if he had the free time he’d go and get gear but in this place it was hard to find the time and like hell was Tommy going mining in the middle of the night.

“Yeah yeah whatever, we should do this sooner rather than later since I don’t wanna spend the whole day in this place,” Dream cut in holding up his sword ready to get a move on, Tommy took Techno’s crossbow and waited for the three to leave before setting up with Karl.

Techno’s crossbow luckily wasn’t the same rocket launcher he had with Tommy because Tommy would probably chuck that thing into the lava usefulness be damned instead it was a plain crossbow with a few enchantments like dual shot to make it just a bit stronger than your regular weapon.

Tommy couldn’t even take a test shot of the thing to see how it fares because that would just alert their enemies down below so he loaded up some bolts and waited by the edge of the cliff just out of sight so the others could sneak down.

Karl sat in a similar position to Tommy just at the edge of the cliff aiming his crossbow at one of the piglin guards ready for whenever they noticed the three climbing down the cliff which was right about when Sam had taken out a sliver of tnt and thrown it at them testing out the strength.

Both Karl and Tommy shot at the same time each taking out a guard before reloading and shooting again watching out for the men on their side since injuring one would be more pain than it was worth or at least that’s why Tommy was avoiding it.

If they didn’t have to trek back through the Nether after this Tommy would’ve ‘accidently’ let one of his arrows stray into the green bitch below but as said before that was just too much hassle to deal with.

You can’t hurt him. He’s your friend. Hurting him will have consequences.

Yup, Tommy was definitely avoiding shooting the homeless teletubby because of that no other reason at all.

A few more shots were fired before most of the frontal protection was taken down either by their arrows or by the two sword wielding maniacs down the bottom who were trying to give Sam enough time to set up the explosives.

Techno made a hand signal towards the two giving cover and they both packed up to head down the cliff hearing the explosions echo through the valley as they descended below.

“How's it going,” Tommy waved at Techno who was currently drawing the attention of all the remaining piglins who still had the guts to fight and not just flee like the rest of the sane ones had.

“Just peachy, go help out Sam will ya,” Techno pushed back the group of piglins and began his slashing as Tommy ran over to same who was still swiping smoke out of his face from the explosion “We’ve got our entry, looks like half of them ran out here to help,”.

Sam could see they had entered at the very top floor and would have to make their way down the floors while fighting the remaining piglins who hadn’t rushed outside at the sound of explosions.

Looking down through the hallways and paths that crossed the middle area all the way to the bottom floor Tommy could see an easy path to the bottom in only one or two drops as long as he managed to grab onto the ledges in time.

Tommy was one of the lucky hybrids who didn’t take that much fall damage due to magma cubes squishy forms but he could still break a bone if he wasn’t concentrating on not getting smushed.

“I’ll work my way up from the bottom, you're free to join me,” Tommy stated and before anyone could protest he was jumping into the chasm avoiding the pathways sticking out from every floor as he fell.

Falling all the way down would probably kill Tommy so he landed on a platform about halfway to catch his breath and take in his surroundings including yelling from up top “Theseus! Are you good!,” Sam yelled from the top having a worried expression.

Technically even a human could do that fall without breaking bones but it was bound to leave some killer bruises and cuts “All good! I’ll see you guys soon!,” Tommy jumped again ignoring the complaints from Sam up top who could’ve sworn he was going to have a heart attack.

The lower Tommy got in his fall the less pathways came out until the final five floors which were just open space giving enough room to hold all the valuable treasure, a bastion usually held in the excess amounts of chests.

This treasure was the only reason they had decided to make this risky journey since it wasn’t uncommon to find enchanted armour and weapons in these chest and that didn’t even include the amount of gold blocks that were used to decorate the structure.

The treasure room was also the one that had the most guards usually a horde of about twenty piglin who wouldn’t leave the room even if the bastion was under threat as it was now but it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for Tommy.

After this fight the voices might actually chill the fuck out for a while until Tommy had time to think and after he talked to Ranboo which was probably gonna happen as soon as he got back since he had just ditched the man this morning.

Oh god would Ranboo be pissed at him but that isn’t what mattered right now what mattered was beating the shit out of these piglins before the rest of the group got here and hopefully snagging the ender chest before anyone notices.

Landing with a thump Tommy alerted all his enemies to his presence and without hesitation the horde went in for the attack swinging their golden sword straight for Tommy’s head.

Tommy ducked down, not giving them a chance to land a hit before mercilessly cutting down the piglins in details which need not be described for everyone's general sanity.

After taking down what seemed like the hundredth piglin in what had been more than a twenty minute fight Tommy could feel himself tiring as wave after wave came at him seemingly endless since they were all from the upper floors.

Apparently when the rest of the group started to make their way down so did a massive influx of piglins who decided it would be best if they all gathered in the treasure room for one big fight that Tommy was tired of.

The object of Tommy’s goal was just a few steps away and it was aggravating to see wave after wave get in the way and soon enough Tommy would probably lose his temper and just burn the shit out of all of them.

One well placed explosion by Tommy would make all of them plummet into the lava below but that would also probably make the structure collapse making it extremely hard to retrieve the end chest that Tommy so vigorously desired.

“You still alive down here?” Tommy heard a familiar voice yell out and turning around he could see the rest of the group descending through the staircase and into the open room “Took you long enough!” Tommy yelled out before continuing his fight.

Taking out the remaining mobs was child's play and after five minutes all that was left was their rotting bodies littering the floors “Okay everyone, get everything you can from the chest and we’ll head back,” Dream clapped his hands together trying to regain some momentum in the group and headed towards the chests.

That was Tommy all clear so he headed straight for the mysterious black chest right in the center of everything wanting to grab it and get out of here as quickly as possible since a nap sounded damn good right about now.

It was obvious something was wrong before Tommy even got close the chest wasn’t surrounded by the usual floaty particles made to look like tiny stars and just lacked all the colour it should’ve had and on closer examination Tommy was proven right.

Each chest was powered by an eye of ender and this chest’s eye had a giant crack down the middle making the chest completely useless unless you wanted to use it just like a normal chest.

Many words came to Tommy’s mind when he saw the crack all of them probably best not to use in front of good company so instead he sighed pulling a diamond pickaxe out from his inventory so that he at least had a base for the chest.

“Ender chest? Those things ‘re pretty valuable’,” Techno leaned over Theseus’s shoulder curiously eyeing the item “Yeah if it wasn’t fuckin’ broken,” Tommy spat out a bit of spite in his voice as he put the chest into his inventory.

“Unlucky, Can’t really expect piglins to take care of somethin’ so delicate,” Tommy was still pissed about it either way he was so close to knowing if he could at least keep some of the things from his old world here only for it to be taken away.

“C’mon, there’s more stuff to collect then we’ll head back,” Sam walked over to the two seeing the disappointment in Theseus’s face when he had seen that the chest was broken, probably having stuff inside he wanted to collect.

“Stupid fuckin…,” Theseus was mumbling explitives under his breath as he walked and it was clear that the chest was one of the only reasons Theseus had agreed to come along with them which wasn’t that unexpected.

The kid seemed to feel uneasy whenever anyone got too close to one of the ledges and it was understandable but it seemed like he had some sort of experience with the Nether’s lava pools.

On the way back Tommy made sure to stray away from the lava feeling the gentle sway trying to pull him in, something he truly wouldn’t mind but there was still much to do.

And who knows…

What happens if he does fall but he just wakes back up again.

Chapter Text

The haul they got from the bastion wasn’t half bad given that the size of the space wasn’t too big and the chests were limited but one lucky look and they got their hands on a single netherite ingot.

That ingot was the discussion for pretty much the whole way back with Dream and Techno arguing about who would use it best, something the rest of the group found increasingly annoying.

“I should totally get it! You would probably just waste it anyway,” Dream argued trying to grab the ingot from Techno “Bruhh, you barely even go outside the walls unless it’s to go to the city,” Techno wasn’t having any of this and held it above his head.

He probably could’ve put it in his inventory but that was way less fun “You're such a dick, I was the one who found it!” They continued to yell back and forth for over an hour before everyone was fed up, especially a sleep deprived Tommy.

After another bout of yelling Tommy could feel a headache coming along and decided to take matters into his own hands passing his axe over to Sam so that he could snatch the ingot from Techno.

Sam raised his eyebrow at this but didn’t mind, anything to stop these two idiots from yelling their ears off.

“---You literally said you didn’t need any!” Dream was more screechy than Techno who seemed to be growing more irritated “I said I wouldn’t go minin’ for some which is completely differen’,” Techno scowled at Dream who just flipped him off.

Tommy took this as his chance using one of the outcrops to jump up and reach Techno’s height snatching the ingot away from the man and quickly shoving it into his inventory.

Both Techno and Dream looked at him with shocked expressions before becoming irritated once more “Give me back the ingot Theseus,” Techno held out his hand expecting Tommy to follow orders like a fool.

“Fuck ya both, I’ve been listening to you two bitchin’ for an hour,” Theseus flipped them off “If you want it so bad come get it,” and with that Tommy was running looking back to see both men hot on his tail.

Tommy couldn’t help but laugh as they both struggled to keep up with him especially since Tommy was scaling the walls like a mad man and at one point ended up on the Nether roof hanging off some glowstone.

“Theseus! Get down!” Techno shot up looking as the glowstone slowly started to creek under the child’s weight “Not until you lot stop fighting!” Tommy moved further away from Techno sticking out his tongue.

Even Dream seemed to cringe at where Theseus had stuck himself “Your gonna get yourself killed!” Dream yelled up still further down than the two Nether travelers “Fuck you” Tommy had little room but did a running start before jumping over Techno and onto the cliffs edge.

That wasn’t nice. You should apologise.

“Oh fuck off,” Tommy muttered under his breath scratching the back of his neck in irritation as he slid down to everyone else, he was obviously tired letting something like that get to him.

“Ya done runnin’?” Techno slid down after Theseus looked almost as tired which made sense since Tommy had sent them around in circles for about half an hour “Yup, But i’m giving this to Sam, you two can argue with him,”.

Before either could protest Tommy made his way back to where the two more calmer members of the group were running a bit since the two were further behind choosing to stay in earshot and walk instead of running.

“Thanks for holding my shit, good luck,” Tommy traded the axe in Sam’s hand for his axe and could hear the man sigh deeply probably realising how annoying this would be.

Sam made it clear that no one was getting the ingot until they were safely out of the Nether and that was the end of that even if Dream and Techno were still giving each other death glares or what Tommy assumed were death glares from Dream, you couldn’t really tell with the mask and all.

The next hour went by uneventfully as they had already cleared out most of the mobs on the way there and it was faster now that the staircases were already carved out making it only a two and a half hour walk back.

Tommy was almost excited to get back into the settlement and sleep but a small inkling told him he would get much more than just sleep when returning…..

Oh fuck! He had completely forgotten about fucking Ranboo and the absolute mess that was last night all because of his exhausted state, which definitely wasn’t going to help when he got back.

Ranboo was going to fucking kill him and Tommy had to resign himself to his fate especially since Tommy was just too tired to give a fuck right now and would rather end up fainting then having to talk.

The home portal was in sight now giving Tommy an incredibly foreboding feeling especially given what was on the other side waiting to probably kill him.

Tommy would however not give the same fate to his little friend who for some reason had still kept itself inside of Tommy’s jacket despite all that fighting that had happened earlier and even managed not to burn through.

Carefully reaching into his pocket he grabbed the squishy fellow and gently dropped him onto the floor so that the others wouldn’t notice giving the little guy a small wave before walking with the group once more.

Seemingly upset with this decision the little guy decided to jump right back over to Tommy who was the last to go through the portal about to enter when he felt a tap from behind.

The magma cube just sat expectantly looking up at Tommy with what only could be described as puppy dog eyes before being picked up and put into the boys pocket “You lil’ fucker,” Tommy smirked a bit before entering the portal sealing his fate.

---

Tommy stepped out and immediately felt the difference in climate feeling a chill run up his spine from the autumn breeze that pushed through the settlement making the rest of his group more than grateful.

Sam was literally lying on the floor next to where Karl was sitting going on about how he missed the sweet touch of grass even if it had only been a day since he had last been here in the cool air.

It was already dinner time from what Tommy could tell since the sun was just about down and there were certainly less people walking around probably off getting food.

“Let’s go put this in tha vault then we can go get dinner,” Techno drawled already tired enough to go to sleep for a solid ten hours even if that was impossible but still nice to dream.

“Who’s guarding today,” Sam asked as they walked towards the storage area which Dream replied “Dunno who George put on but I put on Cris and Ranboo,” Dream replied, making Tommy falter in his step.

Not only was Ranboo there but Tommy couldn’t use the excuse of already being asleep to avoid the probably angry man “Shift change is in like ten minute though so we might not see them,” Dream added, not giving Tommy’s anxiety any relief.

Tommy was already slightly shaking from just having to spend a day with these people, being able to hide it had been easy but comforting Ranboo would probably end up in a full on breakdown that couldn’t easily be explained away.

The thoughts in Tommy’s head right now were a string of curses and condemning until they reached the vault where no surprise Ranboo was standing exchanging some words with the men who were there to swap over giving Ranboo the rest of the night off to torment Tommy.

Tommy shoved all the items (Apart from the enderchest) he had collected from the bastion over to Sam before nervously turning around “Well it has been fun gotta go now fellas,” Tommy was about to bolt when Ranboo had noticed him.

“To-Theseus! Get back here you fuck!” Tommy only heard his name before he started to bolt looking back to see a very pissed of Ranboo behind him giving chase, everyone seemed confused but Techno shrugged.

“Is he gonna be okay? Ranboo looked like he wanted to kill him,” Karl whispered over to Sam who was trying to hold all of his own haul plus Theseus’s “It’s fine they probably just had an argument or something,” Sam reassured as they all went over to vault letting the two boys do their thing.

---

Ranboo was right pissed off when in the morning he had woken up to an empty bed and a half hearted note from Tommy telling Ranboo he was going to the Nether to fight a bastion with a few people!

Tommy damn well knew Ranboo would be absolutely livid when he found to note especially after what had happened last night which they hadn’t even talked about since Tommy had run off.

The only thing assuring Ranboo that Tommy wouldn’t go and get himself killed was that Techno and Dream were there which hopefully meant they’d make sure the kid didn’t die.

Ranboo didn’t even know much about Tommy’s status as hybrid so who knows what would happen when he went into the Nether especially since Magma cubes were known for just randomly jumping into lava pools.

The rest of the day Ranboo spent a little more on edge than usual getting pissy about things that he usually didn’t mind and by the end of it he was ready to punch a certain someone in the face.

Sure Ranboo was worried half to death especially after seeing the state Tommy’s hand was in probably unable to hold a sword but he couldn’t get over the recklessness it took for someone to get injured and the next day go and fight a bastion of all things.

So when Ranboo had seen Tommy dumping all his items onto the man Ranboo thinks is Sam he was ready to murder the black haired teen “To-Thesues! Get back here you fuck!” Ranboo really wasn’t one for swearing needlessly but Tommy was definitely worth it.

Tommy was already bolting by the time Ranboo had started to run after him, having the advantage of much longer legs meaning that Tommy’s headstart was barely noticeable.

That being said Tommy was way faster than Ranboo had expected him to be being able to successfully get away from Ranbo but jumping up into the trees and occasionally veering off the path into the darkness to try and deter him.

“Tommy! Wait a second!” They were now in the unlit woods right as the sun was setting something that made Ranboo extremely anxious even if it made him able to shout out Tommy’s name without people overhearing.

After a chase that felt like it went on forever Ranboo could finally see that Tommy was running right back into the settlement area and towards the house probably trying to get in and lock the door before Ranboo got over there.

Jokes on Tommy since Ranboo had what one would call a secret weapon so when Tommy had slammed the door in Ranboo’s face like he had expected it was fine.

---

“Gonna stop running now?” Tommy jumped from the voice behind him seeing the small end particles fade away as Ranboo appeared behind him in all his menacing glory.

Tommy could feel himself freeze under Ranboo’s gaze like a little kid who just got caught with his hands in the cookie jar instead this was way worse and they both knew it.

“Ayeee Big man how're you? Good? Great,” Tommy tried to shuffle past Ranboo into his room as he spoke “I’m just sooo tired so if you wouldn’t mind scooching a bit---,” Tommy tried to push past but Ranboo grabbed his shoulder making Tommy stop once more.

“Tommy, we need to talk,” Ranboo’s mood had changed since he had gotten inside from pure anger to something more solemn as he looked down at Tommy sadly ears pressed against his head making it more obvious.

Tommy’s shoulders went down and expression changed into a genuinely tired one when he knew he couldn’t escape this even if he wanted to “Go sit down I’ll make us some hot chocolate,” Ranboo veered Tommy into the lounge room before going to the kitchen.

This was definitely the most nerve racking thing Tommy could think of doing right now as he sat on the couch gently patting the small magma cube that had decided Tommy’s pocket was its new home for whatever strange reason.

The little guy was actually quite calming to pat so Tommy continued to do so eventually letting the cube jump out from his pocket and sit on his lap because it was unlikely Ranboo would try and kill Tommy’s little friend.

Ranboo shifted around in the kitchen pouring some warm milk into the two cups placed on the bench before walking over holding said cups and placing one in front of Tommy who now had his knee to his chest.

Ranboo sat down next to Tommy on their couch taking a sip of his own hot chocolate before facing Tommy “Tommy...About last night---,” Ranboo began trying to seem as calm as possible before noticing the small cube in Tommy’s hand.

“Uh--- Who’s your little friend?” Rambo looked over curiously, never before had he seen a magma cube so calm and well not on fire instead this one was black all over except it’s eyes that glowed a softer yellow than usual.

“He won't hurt you if that’s what you're asking,” Tommy seemed to curl more protectively around the cube trying to make sure Ranboo couldn’t take him something Tommy was far too familiar with whenever he found something precious.

“What’s his name then?” Ranboo still seemed to be a bit standoffish but resigned to letting Tommy pat the small cube if it was calming “Hmmm, I dub thee Sizzle the third,” Tommy booped Sizzle then continued his petting.

“Cute name,” Ranboo commented, getting the middle finger from Tommy who was still feeling anxious about what was about to happen “Tommy I need to know what happened...why’d you do that---,” Ranboo started looking just as anxious as Tommy.

“Fuck off,” Tommy hugged his knees letting Sizzle sit on his shoulder making small noises “I don’t see why this is any of your business,” Tommy grumbled, he really didn’t want to talk about it.

“It’s my business because you had a panic attack and I had no idea how to help, just tell me what happened--,” Ranboo started reaching out to place a hand on Tommy’s shoulder before he got shrugged away “I’m fine, I was jus’ stressed is all,”.

“Tommy we both know that isn’t it, when I found you...you were...That’s not something people who are ‘just stressed’ do,” Ranboo stumbled on his words trying to get through to Tommy who just seemed to hug himself tighter the longer this went on.

“Piss off, I’m fine,” There was nothing wrong...he just needed to keep the voices quiet and this was the easiest way...he probably deserved this anyway...that’s what Dream had always said.

“No Tommy you're not, please,” Ranboo looked sad now almost disappointed and it struck something in Tommy “Just talk to me,” again Ranboo tried to comfort the now trembling Tommy but due to the stress Tommy was already overheating.

Tommy’s skin seemed to let off steam because of its heat, luckily not setting anything on fire yet but severely close, as soon as Ranboo’s hand touched Tommy’s shoulder he let out a hiss pulling back because of the sweltering heat.

Tommy hadn't even noticed how aggravated he had gotten, losing control of his transformation and immediately stopped letting himself go back to normal temperature while he watched Ranboo hiss in pain.

Nonononononononononononono he didn’t mean to---

Tommy’s breathing picked up as shoved his head between his knees feeling tears pricking his eyes as he held his hair like he was going to start ripping it out muttering apologies.

“‘M sorry...didn’ mean to,” Ranboo noticed Tommy’s distress at him being hurt and went over to sit coser “Tommy it’s fine I’m okay,” It was like Tommy could even hear him as he spoke “I won’ do it again..’m sorry,” Tommy was muttering like a mad man at this point “‘ll do better,”.

“Tommy, Toms, I need you to look at me,” Ranboo put his hand on Tommy’s shoulder again not feeling the same heat this time “‘m sorry, please don’ hurt me,” Tommy was shuddering between sobs as he spoke feeling the world crumble around him.

You hurt him. You should be punished. You never learn.

“Nononononono, I didn’mean it,” Tommy tried to argue before he felt someone squeeze his shoulder Dreamdreamdream he’s mad, he’s gonna Hurthurthurt --- “Toms! Please focus on my voice,”.

Tommy’s brain felt fuzzy all he knew was that he was going to be punished--- “Can you tell me five things you feel,” the voice asked and Tommy lifted his head eyes blurred by his tears “T-the grass, the wind’...your hands, S-sizzle...c-couch,” why was there a couch? Wasn’t he in Logstedshire…

“Four you can hear,” the voice continued, getting clearer “You...the wind, breathing...voices outside?,” Outside? Wasn’t he outside… “Three you can smell?” Tommy could feel his breathing gradually slow as he focused.

“Wood….Ash an’ wet,” Tommy could now feel the tears dripping down his face “Two things you can taste,” Taste...how strange Tommy could taste something sweet “Sweetnes’ and...metal?” it was blood, Tommy had bitten on his tongue to choke out his cries out of instinct.

“One thing you see Toms?” Ranboo asked, keeping the same calm voice he had throughout this “Y-you…,” Tommy rubbed his eyes, feeling himself calm down enough to look up, eyes puffy and red.

“You okay with me touching you?” Ranboo asked, wanting to give Tommy some sort of physical comfort seeing as he was still softly crying “Mhmm,” Tommy replied non verbally, feeling a lump growing in his throat as he tried to speak.

Ranboo shuffled closer to Tommy before wrapping him up into a massive hug even if Tommy was still in his little ball which should definitely be some form of uncomfortable “It’s okay, I’m right here,” Ranboo squeezed softly and Tommy could help but cry into the man's chest.

Unraveling Tommy flung himself into Ranboos arms grabbing the back of his jacket in big clumps and shoving his face into his chest not wanting to be seen as he softly cried.

The whining noise that Tommy made inhumane as it was made Ranboo’s heart break and in return he softly cooed trying to calm down Tommy who was starting to stress out once more “‘m Sorry…,” Tommy muttered into Ranboo’s jacket softly.

Ranboo just put his hand on Tommy’s back and rubbed in calming circles “It’s okay, you're okay Toms,” Tommy melted into the touch as his crying softly stopped, replaced with small hiccups from all the tears that had been shed.

Tommy couldn’t remember the last time he had hugged someone like this it seemed so genuine unlike everything during...Nope that wasn’t something that needed to be thought about when he was so clearly safe here with Ranboo no less.

“You okay to talk now?” Ranboo shifted slightly sitting next to Tommy with an arm over his shoulder as he tried to calm down “m’okay,” Tommy didn’t push Ranboo away as he moved not wanting to let go of the other just yet.

“‘M sorry for freakin’ out,” Tommy felt like burying his face in his hands “Didn’ mean to lose c’ntrol like that,” it was true Tommy hadn’t even noticed how emotional he was getting or that he was heating up something all Magma cubes did when they got overly stressed.

“It’s okay I know you didn’t mean to, everyone loses control sometimes,” Ranboo comforted seeing Tommy’s expression grow sadder “I-I just thought I could...I haven’ done that since I was lil’,” Tommy was mad at himself he had lost control and hurt someone.

“I-I screwed up, ‘m sorry,” Ranboo could feel the guilt radiating off of Tommy and didn’t know how to deal with it “It’s fine Toms, I just want to know what made you feel like that,” Tommy could almost feel himself freeze from that regretting thinking back.

“I...I thought you were someone else…,” Tommy can still hear Dream yelling at him calling him ungrateful and idoitic which only burned Tommy more “What do you mean?” Ranboo asked with confusion written on his face.

“I um...there was this guy-- He was my friend? But he hurt me...,” Tommy was feeling the fuzziness return confusing reality with his time with Dream “I don’ know thinkin’ about it makes my head all fuzzy and shit,” Tommy sighed giving up on trying any further.

Ranboo was even more worried with this explanation it seemed like Tommy had been in a pretty horrible situation before coming here and hadn’t really thought about it enough before to even know how bad it really seemed “It’s fine though ‘m not there anymore so ‘s fine,” Tommy scratched the back of his neck feeling suddenly nervous.

“How long was this going on?” Ranboo pressed wanting to know how long Tommy had to deal with this “I...I don’ know...about eight months? Everything was a blur..,” Tommy saw the sad look Ranboo gave him and tried to back track “I-it was fine really! He was the only one who visited me...He was my only friend,”

Good. You must remember, I’m your only friend.

“Why didn’t others see you? Did you live far out?” Tommy shook his head still struggling with the idea of exile being his home “No...I just couldn’ go back to my country,” Tommy still remembers the look on Tubbo’s face as he told Dream to escort him out.

It gave Tommy nightmares.

“They exiled me...It was so stupid,” Tommy could see the disbelief in Ranboo’s eyes “I accidentally burned someone’s house down, It wasn’t even that bad! My house has been griefed more than anyone else's but I do it once and ----,” Tommy was already raging on about the situation before he could tell.

“Is this why you were….Y’know, last night?” Ranboo seemed to lose the connection between hurting oneself and being put into exile by a country but immediately felt bad for asking as soon as Tommy stiffened, snapping out of his rant.

“What? Nonono, I um...wow this is weird to say without context,” Tommy seemed to mumbled to himself fueling Ranboo’s utter confusion even more before Tommy spoke up once again.

“Y’ever heard of curses?”

Chapter Text

“Y’ever heard of curses?”

It was such a simple sentence to say of course, most people these days had heard the folk tales about witches living out in swamps giving people strange curses but it was just that, a folk tale.

In someone’s lifetime you could never even come across any confirmation of that sort of strange magic even being real but Tommy knew all too well how real it was.

Bloodline curses were a bit more rare though especially since the best solution was to just end the bloodline with you but for some reason his family decided to have more children even if it wasn’t for the best.

Sometimes Tommy still curses Phil for taking him in not knowing the curse would transfer to him even if they weren’t blood related, a sort of weird way to confirm that they were really family despite not being related.

Maybe his mind was getting a little off track so Tommy focussed back into Ranboo who sat there intently giving his answer in a calm tone “Yes? Everyone knows about that sorta stuff but it all died out with the older races,”.

Ranboo wasn’t wrong that only godly beings really knew how to curse even if they had taught other select individuals a true curse only lasted if it was cast by a member of the old race.

Which only begged the question who the hell had Phil pissed off enough to get him and the entire bloodline cursed with invading voices and possible immortality? That one wasn’t clear yet since Phil can technically die just not from age something they hadn’t had a chance to test with the three brothers.

“Well technically you're right, my family is just one of the ‘‘lucky ones’’ who still hav’ connections with the ol’ race,” Tommy was pretty lackluster with his explanation but the exhaustion was already kicking in from todays and last night's events.

“What do you mean?” Ranboo looked more curious than before and Tommy explained “Basically Phi-- my father pissed off some really powerful people an’ ended up gettin’ our whole bloodline cursed,” Tommy caught himself before saying Phil’s name.

You can never be too careful.

Ranboo didn’t give Tommy a look of pity, something Tommy would be eternally grateful for, but one of sympathy “What’s your curse?” Ranboo debated even asking but this seemed as good a time as ever to get answers.

“My father was give’n immortality---sorta---It only works with his age, he can still lose his lives to anythin’ else,” Tommy continued feeling more relieved than before as he told someone about this.

“But tha’ immortality came with a price...I think he and my brothers called it somethin’ along the lines of chatter? It’s literally just voices in our ‘ead,” Ranboo perked up a bit when Tommy said that an unreadable expression on his face.

“Everyon’ in the family had em’ mine are just a bit more...demanding than most,” Tommy was referencing the blood thing but Ranboo didn’t even know about the voices desire yet “All of the voices are pretty violent but everyon’ could control them...mostly,”.

Memories of Tommy’s Wilbur started to flash into his mind, good and bad mixing into a frightening concoction making Tommy’s head become fuzzy again until he decided to push it out.

It didn’t matter if the explosions or cries of his brothers could still be heard in his mind, Tommy didn’t need to think about it right now.

“One of my brothers died ‘cuase of his… the other destroyed the country,” Ranboo looked even more worried now especially given the apparent track record of these voices “Their voices usually wanted destruction an’ shit mine jus’ want pain,”.

“I don’ hav’ to blow up a country to get mine to shut up, all I hav’ to do is give ‘em blood,” Tommy was slurring his words more now not wanting to give in to the exhaustion instead leaning a bit more into Ranboo for some support.

“Blood?” Ranboo was beating around the bush here but he didn’t want to be too upfront and scare Tommy off “Yea’...It makes ‘em go all quiet an’ shit,” Tommy could feel the dreariness start to kick in “T’s hard to deal with ‘em when they’re loud,”.

“If I go too long without feedin’ ‘em they can sometimes take control...makes my ‘ead fuzzy,” Apparently that was something a lot of things could do to Tommy these days but the voices were the most persistent for now.

“Is...Is that what happened when we were travelling?” Ranboo started to connect some of the dots even without the full picture as to why Tommy has been acting the way he was “With the arseholes right? If so the yea’,”.

Ranboo was trying to think of a way to help Tommy who was obviously going through a whirlwind of shit but couldn’t quite place his words “‘t’s fine for now, they’ll be quiet for ‘while,” Tommy didn’t want to talk about this anymore all it did was increase his ever growing headache.

“Toms I want to help you but you need to talk to me more okay?” Ranboo rubbed small circles into Tommy’s shoulders feeling the boy leaning into him more “Do you know how long they’ll be stopped for?” Tommy shook his head feeling slightly guilty for not knowing.

“‘t was a lotta piglins so probably a few weeks,” honestly Tommy hadn’t had the time to test out how long the blood would last since he would just quieten them for one day at a time and even with that the demand was gradually getting higher.

Ranboo was relieved to hear they at least had a few weeks to figure out a way around this so for now it was probably better to let Tommy get some rest since he was so clearly worn out.

They switched topics after that both not wanting to waste more unnecessary energy on a conversation they’d probably forget in the morning if they continued to speak in such a tired state.

Even Ranboo was tired from his day spent mostly worrying with Tommy so it was almost painfully easy to feel the silent pull of sleep even if the two were still sitting together on the couch.

Tommy was the first to fall asleep as the two were talking slowly, losing his sense of coinsioness while Ranboo was in the middle of a story until he was sleeping softly on his friend's shoulder.

Ranboo noticed this a little while later then decided to just get some sleep there on the couch instead of trying to get up and waking up Tommy on accident since he looked so much more peaceful then he had the many days before.

So that’s how the two ended the evening lying in each others arms snoring on the couch with a few more secrets out in the open between them but still a few kept hidden from both parties.

It was so tempting for Ranboo to share his troubles but that would just overwhelm Tommy right now.

Yes...That’s why he wasn’t telling Tommy not because of the building dread within him that something bigger was happening and that involved them both.

Ranboo was just being paranoid...That’s all it was.

---

Morning light was something Tommy had become familiar with over the last year when he didn’t have the privilege of a home to stay or a roof above his head, something that made it easy for the light to pour into a room.

Still it was something he always watched slowly come over the horizon after he had been awake for an hour or two not something he was accustomed to waking up with.

Unlike most mornings where he would wake to darkness and fleeting dreams Tommy woke up to light pouring into the room and a barely registered rest from the utter lack of dreams whatsoever.

Instead of shooting up in a panic Tommy let himself slowly wake up stretching out before opening his eyes to see that it was indeed well into the morning and he was currently sleeping on the couch in their living room.

Looking over to the clock it was clear he still had an hour or so to get ready so Tommy didn’t rush into getting up enjoying the warmth of the couch that gave off a comforting feeling one that Tommy didn’t want to leave.

Tommy knew of course he couldn’t stay here all day his job was more important than some beauty sleep so begrudgingly Tommy began to lift himself up regretting every movement as he became slightly lightheaded.

Maybe running around the Nether while bleeding and malnourished was not the best thing to do for your future self and Tommy was really feeling it as he got up.

Almost immediately after getting up Tommy heard hurried footsteps from behind him then Tommy felt a pair of hands on his shoulder pushing the boy back onto the couch with very little force “Nope, you’re not getting up yet,”.

Ranboo was standing behind Tommy still dressed in his casual wear from yesterday with a cloth in his hand “You don’t have a shift today, everyone on yesterday's trip got a few days off,” Ranboo explained before walking back to the kitchen to complete his task of cleaning the bench.

“What about Puffy--,” Tommy argued knowing that she would be alone if three of the four members of their group were resting. “She’s getting help from some of the guards,” Ranboo stated before finishing up his cleaning.

“And I’m not on the roster today either so don’t even think of running off,” Ranboo pointed an accusatory glare at Tommy who just shrugged, in all fairness Ranboo probably deserved to be a little pissed off about that.

You’ve made him hate you. You know you only have one friend.

Apparently Tommy truly was exhausted because otherwise that little voice wouldn’t even be loud enough to speak let alone criticize Tommy’s actions like this, something he’d become too familiar with in exile.

The back of his neck felt like it was burning from the comments so he pulled the bandana down lower trying to cover where the sensation originated from feeling a sense of shame wheel up inside.

It was stupid he had let it be heard especially last night and was something Tommy planned on never letting happen again, just the thought made his hairs stand on end and neck burn from the attention.

The oh so familiar static seemed to come to Tommy in the roughest of times, something that was used as some sort of comfort during exile but now it was just used as a distraction.

Although it wasn’t always as loud the soft static was always present in Tommy’s head, probably some form of the voices that aren’t loud enough to get through even if it was extremely easy right now.

Actually….Where were the voices?

Yes it was usually quiet for a bit when Tommy had satisfied them but they were always there even if they were just gentle background noise.

Maybe the loud static was because of the voices disappearance or vice versa, either way Tommy felt extremely unsettled by the silent that he thought would be a good thing.

Having voices screaming at you for months on end for them only to shut up all at once was unnerving and Tommy had half the mind to start panicking.

Instead of panicking however Tommy felt himself relax more maybe because of the constant silence he was now feeling and after only a few minutes Tommy had once again succumbed to a dreamless sleep.

---

Ranboo had given Tommy a glare before sitting down next to him on the couch pulling out the book that was seated on the chairs end.

To be fair Tommy probably had one of the roughest days Ranboo could imagine yesterday but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still a little pissed that Tommy had run off and left him to worry.

They’d probably have to talk more about everything today despite Tommy’s obvious eversion to the topic but having no plan at all for what might happen in the future seemed a bit worse than Tommy’s current suffering.

Ranboo was about to start a conversation when he felt a soft thump on his shoulder causing him to look up from the book he was reading to see what was happening.

To his surprise Tommy had taken all but two minutes to completely fall asleep leaning onto his shoulder for support as Ranboo read.

It at least gave Ranboo some sort of confirmation that Tommy did actually trust him so instead of waking him up Ranboo decided to let him sleep a little longer, he probably needed it.

---

Tommy was definitely getting stir crazy.

It had only been a few days since he’d broken the untold rule and gone into the attic where he also broke his jaw.

Well broken was probably an overstatement but it sure felt like it was broken from all the pain he had whenever he so much as ate.

Wilbur was the first to laugh it off as some form of karma for going up in the first place which just made Tommy even more agitated.

That conversation had ended in a mostly friendly yelling match that Phil had to break up before Tommy started to break something else.

Tommy still found it difficult to stay inside for long periods of time since he was so used to the open plains of the world being his home so this was definitely an effective punishment.

It was frustrating how Phil knew just how to push Tommy without going over the limits but there wasn’t really anything he could do about it.

Well that’s what the others thought but Tommy was known for being extra sneaky when it came to ‘crime’ so he waited until they all left before enacting his great escape.

It was easy to find out which days everyone would be leaving the house since they had a mostly similar routine every week that only really changed if someone was coming over or if they needed supplies.

So when Techno and Phil left the house to go into town Tommy was already raring to go despite the obvious flaws this plan would have later on.

Wilbur was one to sneak out when the pair left so Tommy didn’t even bother to wait for his brother to leave before grabbing his small pocket knife and bandana that Tubbo had given him and leaving.

Tommy wasn’t as stupid as some think so instead of just running off into the woods to get sick or lost he decided to follow his father and brother into town to see what they were doing.

This was also great practice trying to stay far enough behind not to be noticed but close enough to actually hear what the two talked about as they walked.

It was also probably helpful that Tommy had gone down this path thousands of times so the quietest route was easiest to find even if it took a bit more effort to keep his footsteps light the entire trip.

Their conversation was what one would call mundane, mostly discussing what they would buy and what not but it still intrigued Tommy since it was rare to hear his family speak without them being catious with words.

That’s definitely something Tommy noticed as he spoke to his brothers, there were always words they’d avoid or topics they just wouldn’t bring up and however thoughtful they were trying to be it was just another thing that got on Tommy’s nerves.

“Don’cha think ‘t’s a bit harsh to leav’ Toms inside all day, I mean all ‘e did was go into the attic?” Techno asked as they strolled struggling with understanding the punishment his father had given especially since Tommy was punished enough by karma itself.

“Nah mate, If he’s too reckless like that he might do something stupid,” Phil shrugged thinking of the incident that truly sparked all this “We don’t need him running off in the middle of the night again,” Phil explained trying to get his point across.

“I mean yeah, but won’ he jus’ run away anyway?” Phil doubted that after Tommy’s last experience but wouldn’t put it past the boy “I’m just trying to keep him safe, Toms is always one to get a bit too confident and we don’t need him doing something reckless,”.

“Yeah, don’ wanna hafta run up into the attic with blood everywhere of an’ afternoon,” Techno drawled, still remembering the sight of his crying brother “Don’t think any of us do, especially during those conversations,” Phil laughed a bit but it felt hollow.

Tommy knew what conversations they were talking about but was never invited into the room, always left to fend for himself in the house, or about as alone as he could be…

“How’re you two doing after that actually, wanted to ask since there was a lotta blood and shit,” Tommy scoffed, and Phil wondered where he got his potty mouth from “ ‘t’s fine, Wilburs were a bit iffy at firs’ but it calmed down,” Phil sigh sounded oddly like relief.

“Good, If it ever does get too bad remember you can come to me, ‘kay?” Tommy didn’t understand what they were talking about anymore probably missing some context “Yeah, yeah whatever dadza,” Techno rolled his eyes as the conversation melted into something else.

Tommy was definitely lost though, what were they talking about before? It sounded like something serious but Tommy had never heard anything like that before.

It was probably another mystery for the pile so without much care Tommy moved on instead focusing on following the two as quietly as possible.

The trip into the village wasn’t too bad with Tommy only alerting them to his presence one time which had been written off as a deer by his family which Tommy was damn lucky for.

Even if they knew someone was actually following them the two had enough power to just beat the shit out of whoever was dumb enough to follow and carry on like nothing had happened.

It should probably be scary that his family were such beasts but Tommy didn’t mind the extra sense of protection it gave especially after being alone for so long.

Plus Tommy wasn’t someone who could judge people for being ‘monstrous’ given his own heritage as unwelcome as it was.

Lucky for him only Phil as of now even slightly knew about Tommy’s bloodline even if that was because Tommy had lost control when Phil had first found him in the streets.

Tommy was a bit more feral back when he was younger so someone trying to take him away from home definitely wasn’t a welcome fight and by gods if the great Tommyinnit wasn’t gonna fight like hell before being taken down.

Little did five year old Tommy know that Phil was actually trying to help him so now Phil had a nicely placed scar on his hand from where Tommy’s sharp teeth had pierced skin at a searing hot temperature.

If it was anyone else other than Phil that hand would probably be melted off from the sheer heat but Phil being the amazing man he was had handled it pretty well and didn’t enrage Tommy enough for that to happen.

Honestly Tommy has no idea why he didn’t just burn Phil’s hand off and be done with it but future him was definitely? Grateful for it… The memories of being locked in the house as a child still stayed with Tommy as he lied on Ranboo.

Maybe that was why enclosed spaces were always so frightening...It was always so frightening to be left in the house alone especially after they had doubled down on security.

Aren't these your happy memories?

Maybe it was…

The only happy memories are ones with me.

Maybe….

Tommy had gotten distracted thinking about his first encounter with Phil that he didn’t even notice the village just up ahead filled to the brim with life.

Nothing like the bustling city Tommy had been born in but a welcome sight as one of the few constants in his now average life.

Phil and Techno both split up to get what they needed from each side of the village both with some sort of game plan leaving Tommy to play the most stressful game of eeny meeny miny moe in his life.

Landing on Techno Tommy quickly scurried off to follow his brother, always keeping his hoodie just far enough down so that none of the villagers would bother him at the moment.

As if that would stop anyone and before Tommy knew it he was chatting with a few of the residents, that was definitely his downfall.

Almost on command Techno appeared behind him giving a questioning look “Aren’t you meant to be at home?” Tommy growled realising he was gonna be dragged back “Fuck you bitch,” It was far too soon to be going back after getting out.

“Alright then, ‘m not bothered to chase ya so just stay close and I’ll let you come with me,” Techno started walking away before Tommy’s legs caught up with his brain and he ran up to his brother “Guessing it’s too much to let me slip back home?” Techno was definitely gonna tell Phil Tommy just knew.

“Yup, so enjoy your freedom while it lasts,” Techno smirked keeping his same monotone voice “Bitch,” “Child,” that was pretty much the entire conversation for the rest of their trip up until it was time to leave.

Tommy could feel his world twist around him as Phil turned one of the corner and caught sight of his son.

Maybe this is where it started going downhill?

The locks on the door didn’t go unnoticed the next day.

If Tommy were to cry his eyes out in his room no one was there to know.

Chapter Text

Tommy was shuffling in his sleep now seemingly uncomfortable from whatever was going on inside his head.

Ranboo had been silently reading for about an hour now with Tommy staying dead still except for his soft breathing, if it was anyone else Ranboo would’ve thought them to be dead.

That was until Tommy started moving around slightly, seemingly trying to bury himself further into Ranboo who was only registered as a warmth to Tommy and something safe to curl into.

The mix of pleasant dreams and nightmares seemed to make Tommy uneasy in his resting state but Tommy didn’t wake up due to his exhaustion.

Running around in the Nether after such an emotional night certainly didn’t do Tommy any favors and Ranboo was more than surprised that Tommy hadn’t fallen ill due to his overexertion and stress.

Obviously he didn’t want to jinx it so Ranboo said nothing of the sort out loud, it would probably just destroy Tommy to get sick right now so instead of waking the boy up Ranboo decided to let him sleep off some of the exhaustion.

It was also nice to have a few days off to relax since he wasn’t on the roster for three ish days, Ranboo was actually surprised that Tommy hadn’t questioned it but it was probably a bit hard to think for him right now.

Technically Ranboo hadn’t been lying when he said he wasn’t rostered but that didn’t mean he didn’t go around asking if someone would cover his shifts for a few days, luckily Ranboo was somewhat of a social person so he quickly found people to cover for him.

Tommy would probably kill Ranboo if he knew that Ranboo was skipping work for him so Ranboo elected to not mention that small detail, What Tommy didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

That being said Ranboo had no idea how to help with Tommy’s situation, It wasn’t everyday you come across an obviously traumatised teenager who doesn’t even see the problem with his own self destructive behavior.

Ranboo definitely wasn’t qualified to help in this case but it was even less likely that Tommy would actually agree to let someone else help or hell even know what was going on.

There was definitely a bucket load of shit that Tommy had skipped in his explanation but that most pressing issue was this curse that he had apparently inherited from his father.

Curses weren’t unheard of but definitely rare to see in this day and age with the fall of gods happening centuries ago but that probably makes sense if what Tommy said was true and his father was some form of immortal.

That fact in itself sent Ranboo’s head into backflips because although it wasn’t that hard to believe that a curse could give someone some form of voices it was certainly a stretch for someone to be given immortality.

If someone was really immortal then they should be outwardly known as so since they’ve lived for so long and would’ve met thousands of people, unless that immortal was some kind of hermit who never got involved in any historical events.

Actually Ranboo can remember one other person who was said to be immortal but that was merely just a legend and he doubted ‘the angel of death’ was more than just a bedtime story to freak kids out.

Especially since the last official appearance of said figure was over a hundred years ago when he apparently lost what people thought to be his last life during a terrible war.

Maybe Ranboo should look into that a bit more, not because he believed that it was real but because it might have something in there to help Tommy out.

All of this was ideas for later however since it was very clear that Tommy wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon and Ranboo should just get comfortable with the teen lying atop of him.

Taking a deep breath Ranboo opened his book once more and began to read, hopefully Tommy would wake up sooner rather than later cause Ranboo’s leg was starting to get numb.

---

“This is bullshit!”

Tommy was screaming.

This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence anymore so the two downstairs decided to ignore it and continue with their chores.

“Toms it’ll just be a few days, Techno and I will be back before you know it,” Phil truly was trying to be reasonable but Tommy was having none of it.

“Yeah a few days trapped in this place with Wil! Why can’t I just go out while you're not here!” Tommy was shouting for freedom, apparently when his older brother and Phil weren’t home Tommy wouldn’t be able to go outside at all.

“You know why Toms, I love Wilbur but if you try to run he’ll never catch you,” Phil said with a sigh already finding this conversation redundant.

“Who said I’m gonna run!” Tommy was sick of the lack of trust Phil had with him ever since Techno had caught him in the market and it was certainly getting on the boy's nerves.

“Experience says you're gonna run Tommy, now stop arguing and go to your room,” Phil put his foot down using a stern tone to get Tommy to shut up.

Tommy was practically steaming both metaphorically and physically as smoke slowly started to flow out of his mouth.

Of course Phil didn’t notice how much distress Tommy was in because he’d walked away as soon as he said the last sentence leaving Tommy in the upstairs corridor alone.

Tommy walked over to his room and slammed the door behind him harshly alerting the rest of the family that Tommy was in his room and not happy.

Phil walked down into the living room with heavy steps sighing as he ran his hand through his hair and waved at the two brothers who were calmly sitting in the kitchen making dinner.

Calmly was probably a strong word to use but they were both trying their best to not appear uneasy about the argument that was happening above.

It wasn’t uncommon for Tommy to start yelling and disagreeing with everyone but it had gotten more hostile of late and Wilbur didn’t doubt that Tommy wouldn’t be coming down for dinner tonight.

Tommy probably wouldn’t be there when Techno and Phil left either so WIlbur only set out three plates on the table that night opting to give Tommy his share later on when the other two went to sleep.

“Hey boys,” Phil greeted before sitting down at the table slumping a bit “Sounds like your discussion wen’ well,” Techno stated before also sitting down with his own plate of food.

“One might say it went absolutely marvelous,” Wilbur added sarcastically before handing his father a plate “Thank you Will very helpful,” Phil taunted as they all ate together.

“He’ll get over it, we’r’ only gon’ for a few weeks at most,” Techno brushed off Tommy’s argument thinking it was rather childish “Probably less if the weather keeps up,” Phil added while picking at his food.

“I’m still surprised you're leaving me of all people alone with the gremlin for a week truly terrible,” Wilbur added with fake dramatics “You’ll do just fine mate, he gives you the least trouble out of all of us,” Maybe because he was the only one who cared.

Wilbur was always the one who had cheered Tommy up in their childhood and didn’t treat him like a completely innocent child.

By the time he was in their care Tommy already had a few bloody messes under his name and it was stupid to think he couldn’t take care of himself.

“Maybe it’s because I am the best and you two just suck,” Wilbur said proudly “So how does it feel to suck huh?” Techno rolled his eyes and Phil just chuckled.

The rest of the dinner was spent discussing the trip they were taking and what Wilbur needed to do so that he didn’t burn the house down.

This was redundant of course, Wilbur had done this plenty of times before as the two went adventuring so it was easy to get into the routine.

Although this was one of the longer trips they’d taken since Tommy had come into the household especially since if things didn’t go as well as planned the two could be away for a few months, something they elected not to mention to Tommy.

Of course this didn’t bother Wilbur too much who was used to them leaving for longer periods but Tommy would probably end up pulling his hair out.

Especially with the no leaving the house rule even if Wilbur supervised him and although Wilbur loved Tommy obeying their father came above Tommy’s slight discomfort.

“Welp I’m gonna head to bed, I’ll see you two in the morning,” Phil stood from where he was sitting and stretched “Night dad,” both boys echoed as their father went up stairs and into his room.

“I’m gonna go too, gotta get my rest for tomorrow,” Techno said a few moments later as Will was clearing up the table “Night, see you in the morning,” Techno nodded before also going upstairs to check out for the night.

Wilbur was left to clean up after dinner since it was his turn cooking which also meant he could set aside another plate for Tommy who was probably up sulking in his room.

Wilbur could understand to an extent why Tommy was upset and even sympathised with the boy but Phil had always known what to do and if keeping Toms in the house was what Phil wanted then Wilbur would do so.

This also meant that Wilbur was also practically locked in the house as well unless he decided to lock Tommy in which is something their father only ever did when all three needed to go out.

The scratches and marks on the inside of Tommy’s door had gone unnoticed by all three since they had lost the privilege of being allowed in Tommy’s room.

Tommy would yell if any of them even opened his door without permission so all three decided to just let it be and give Tommy some privacy.

It was funny how even back then his family would forget how Tommy was still just a child who probably needed some sort of stability in his life.

Not like that could be changed now.

You deserved it anyway. They knew you were selfish.

Sure….Whatever.

Wilbur knocked on Tommy’s door softly trying not to wake up anyone else as he set the plate down on the floor “Dinners just here if you want it okay?” Wilbur spoke in a calm voice trying to sound less threatening.

“Night Toms,” Wilbur left the plate on the floor then headed off into his own room “Night Will,” Tommy’s voice was little above a whisper from behind the door but Wilbur still heard and gave a small smile.

Even if Tommy wasn’t willing to face any of them right now at least he was comfortable enough to speak to Wilbur.

---

“Look after your brother alright?”.

It was just before sunrise when the two were ready to leave both holding the reins of separate horses “Of course, if he died you’d kill me,” Wilbur jokes while giving his father a hug goodbye.

“And you two look after each other okay?” Wilbur knew he didn’t need to tell them that but it was still nice to get the confirmation “As if anythin’ will happen when the great Technoblade is ‘ere,” Techno smirked.

“Oh yes how dare I forget ‘Technoblade never dies’,” Wilbur sasses at his brother as the two hopped onto their respective horses “See you in a few weeks okay?” Phil scruffed the top of Wilburs head before the two set off.

Will stayed outside for a little while after watching the two silhouettes disappear into the horizon before heading back inside to make some breakfast.

The first thing he noticed when getting inside was how god damn quiet it was something that Wilbur would probably be grateful for any other time but now it just felt uneasy.

Tommy had refused to go out and say goodbye to their family so Wilbur was now left alone in the house with a stubborn brother who had decided to not leave his room at all.

Honestly Tommy would probably be out and about in a few hours anyway growing bored of whatever it was he did up there so Wilbur decided to just let it be and make himself some food.

The cupboard filled with food looked like it belonged to some kind of horder with enough food to last the whole family a good few months even if they didn’t ration and that wasn’t even including the much larger stash in the cellar.

Their dad had always been adamant of having enough food to last the storms in winter that would shut them into the house for weeks at a time but Wilbur found it mostly overkill.

They could probably survive one of those blizzards with less than a quarter of the stash which just made it seem redundant to have this much food.

But by hell if Wilbur wasn’t going to abuse this new found power and take all the best tasting stuff for himself over the next few weeks, stuff that he usually wouldn’t be allowed to touch.

Now that he thought about it there were plenty of things Wilbur could do now because the two stingiest members of the household were gone and he probably didn’t even need to sneak out to meet up with friends.

The only problem to any of those plans was the literal child above him right now who was probably grumbling to himself in his room while Wilbur pottered around downstairs making plans.

The easiest thing to do would be to lock Tommy’s door every now and again so that Wilbur could go out and meet up with people, even if he loved his brother Wilbur knew if he didn’t lock Tommy in the child would find a way out.

He may only be nine years old but the gremlin child was slippery and Wilbur didn’t want to risk losing Tommy and getting shit from Phil about it.

To be fair Wilbur was already sixteen but wasn’t even allowed to go out with friends whereas Techno who was only thirteen (In human years) was allowed to go adventuring on dangerous missions all the time.

Okay so what if his brother aged faster because he was some sort of piglin, that didn’t change the fact that Wilbur was more than old enough to look after himself.

This was probably how Tommy also felt but the only problem there was that Tommy was a literally child and would probably get killed for doing something stupid if he went out alone.

Which had literally been proven to all of them during the incident a few months ago when Tommy had run off into the woods.

It still kills Wilbur to think about what would’ve happened if Techno didn’t get there in time and Wilbur didn’t miss the way Tommy would ever so slightly shake when having to recount the events.

Enderman are god damn scary even Will knew that but having to face one head on at such a young age usually doesn’t go by without impacting someone, especially someone like Tommy who already had all kinds of repressed trauma.

The closest Wilbur had gotten to unlocking any of Tommy’s tragic backstory was when he had first arrived and Tommy was not a happy camper.

The kid was screaming about letting him go and that he’d give them anything to let him live, that was the final straw in Phils decision to take the kid in.

Before long they’d turned into one big family even if the journey there was a bit of a rocky ride.

Never mind all this...Wilbur was getting lost in his thoughts as he started cracking eggs into the frying pan readying this morning's meal.

Wilbur had almost completely retreated into his thoughts when he heard a small creak from upstairs, one that distinctly came from the doors of the house when they opened or closed.

Tommy walked down the stairs groggily still rubbing his eye as he came into the lounge room “Morning sleepyhead,” Wilbur continued to scramble the eggs “Mmm fuck you,” Tommy’s response was tired and the kid immediately flopped onto the couch.

“Want some eggs?” Wilbur moved the sizzling hot pan over to the counter where two plates were already laid out “Sure,” Tommy sat up looking over to Will who started diving up their portions.

Tommy went over to pick up his plate and oh so elegantly missed planting his hand into the pile of eggs “This is going to be such a great week isn’t it?” Wilbur commented already seeing this go down hill “Fuck you,”.

---

Tommy was livid.

For the past few days he’d been stuck in the house with none other than his devil of a brother Wilbur.

Worse than that the weather had immediately turned to shit the day after their family had left meaning it was raining almost constantly for almost a week.

Tommy was definitely not a fan of the rain or water in general so the constant downpour was definitely hitting some kind of nerve keeping Tommy on edge the entire time.

At least Wilbur had gracefully decided not to be as much of a prick given Tommy’s general mood, even letting Tommy go into his room every so often to listen to his brother's songs.

That was probably the only thing good about this godforsaken situation but that didn’t outway the shittyness Tommy felt being cooped up in the house for so long.

Sure it was the same as when there was a blizzard and Tommy couldn’t go outside but at least then he had the choice to sit out on the porch, now he couldn’t even open a window without Wilbur hovering over his shoulder.

Not like Tommy would ever open a window when the rain was still pouring in giving Tommy an uncomfortable feeling, whenever Wilbur decided to open up the doors or anything Tommy would grumble to himself in annoyance.

It definitely wasn’t fun to be so scared? No. Annoyed by rain but Tommy just assumed it was because of all the nights out on the street or in the forest without much shelter.

Tommy still despised the rain.

Ever since his second life had been lost in that goddamn duel all Tommy could remember was the water surrounding his vision trapping him.

Tommy wouldn’t be surprised if the water had killed him and not Dream but that wasn’t something he liked to dwell on.

Wilbur was being nice to Tommy for the most part until the seventh day had rolled around and Tommy was thoroughly over this shit.

Tommy had been begging to go outside all day since the weather had cleared up for a considerable amount of time but Wilbur had just gotten annoyed and said no.

After the tenth time asking Wilbur had snapped and sent Tommy off to his room because apparently he was being an annoying gremlin.

Tommy had stormed off in a huff slamming the door to his room before heading over to his bed and flopping face first into his pillow.

He wanted to scream but before anything came out Wilbur walked up to his door with a soft knock “Toms? I’ve gotta go out to get some herbs and shit, I’ve gotta lock up okay?” Wilbur was of course lying but he didn’t see any harm in leaving Tommy in his room for a few hours.

Tommy did this of his own will all the time after all so what harm would it be to leave him there for a few hours, Tommy was already darting up from his bed when he heard the soft click of the lock.

“Will! You prick! Let me out!” Tommy was fast to anger and started banging on the door “Calm down Jesus, I’ll be out for a few hours if you really need me you have your com,” actually Tommy had left his com in the lounge room but before he could rebuke Wilbur had walked away.

Tommy screamed for Wilbur to let him out for another ten minutes until he realised his brother was already long gone.

Wilbur left the house still hearing the yelling of his brother.

Phil did this all the time right?

This was fine right?

Chapter Text

Ranboo really should wake Tommy up now.

It was already a fair few hours into the day but Tommy was still fast asleep, not showing any signs of waking up anytime soon.

Sam had come around earlier to check in since Theseus had done a lot of the heavy lifting during the final bit of their fight and left soon after when realising he was fast asleep.

Ranboo could see how tired Sam looked from the eye bags and it soon made sense when the man explained they had found a piece of netherite.

Techno of course was hounding Sam about the ore but after a while he admitted to giving it over to the council so that they could decide the best use of it, a decision Techno was less than pleased with.

Knowing Wilbur he’d probably just give it to Dream to spite Techno so of course Techno was in a huff when he found out.

Even better for everyone was that Sam had convinced Techno to get some rest after such a big day and the man was still asleep so hopefully there wouldn’t be too much ruckus for a while.

Ranboo waved Sam goodbye before heading back into the house and to where Tommy was laid across the couch, legs hanging off the armrest because of his position.

Realising that Tommy probably wasn’t going to wake up anytime soon Ranboo decided to move him into a much more comfortable position on the couch grabbing a pillow so Tommy didn’t kill his neck.

Moving Tommy would probably wake him up so this was the best option for Tommy’s later self who would probably be in a lot of pain if Ranboo hadn’t moved him around.

That’s not to say that Tommy wasn’t in a lot of pain right now but that was a little bit different.

---

Wilbur was having a great time.

Sure when he had left the house Wilbur did feel guilty for locking Tommy in his room but as soon as Wilbur’s friends had arrived all the doubt had gone away.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say as soon as the gang started to have fun Wilbur completely forgot about Tommy’s current predicament instead focusing on having fun.

This wasn’t meant to be malicious in any sort of way, Phil had done this all the time, but Wilbur couldn’t help but think something was going to go wrong with this whole situation.

Of course his friends just distracted him more and before long they were roaming the streets of town buying random items and just having fun.

Wilbur hadn’t been able to see these people in a few weeks due to the packing that was done for Phil and Techno’s trip but now that the two were gone Wilbur could spend as much time as he wanted with his friends.

Also the weather had been downright shit for the past week so this break in the rain was the perfect opportunity for everyone to meet up since excuses to go outside of the house were more valid now.

Most of the group were also around Wilbur’s age and usually parents wouldn’t let them go outside without permission so this little gang had always labeled themselves as rebels.

It was stupid of course but it was fun to think that all of them had to sneak out and be all shifty just to meet up making the meetings just generally more exciting.

Of course this wasn’t one of those meetings at midnight since all of them had been given permission to come out this time, mostly because their households needed something and these kids were the best bet at wanting to go out and get it.

So mostly the trip was filled with everyone running around the market trying to find varois odds to bring back home while Wilbur sat back and watched everyone not feeling the rush to get back as they all did.

Honestly Wilbur should’ve tried to get home as quick as possible after the first few left stating something about the clouds not looking good but the temptation of adventure outweighed going home.

Said adventure was just going down to the local stream and kicking up rocks but anything was better than being stuck in that house for a week.

The rain had brought the entire household's mood down and Tommy was less than kind during days of heavy downpour, actually swiping at Wilbur once when he’d opened a window too close to where Tommy was sitting.

If the gremlin child wanted to stay shut in all the time then Wilbur saw no harm in making sure he stayed in his room plus if Wilbur was still home Tommy probably would’ve gone up to his room to hide anyway.

The only warning of the current rainy downpour was the sky getting slightly darker on the group's way back to the village.

About a minute or so after the sky started chucking buckets and all of them had booked it down the path wanting to get under shelter as soon as possible.

Of course by the time they had actually made it to the shelter where all their items were being held everyone was completely drenched and the rain was beating down harder than ever.

This was definitely Wilburs cue to go home but he didn’t want to be running around in the open rain and most definitely didn’t have the foresight to bring an umbrella.

The only two choices were to wait out the storm under the awning or to run as fast as Wilbur could back to the house hoping that he didn’t catch a cold along the way.

Catching a cold seemed less than favourable but Tommy was probably waiting for him to get back and the longer Wilbur was out the more pissed Tommy would be at him.

It had already been more than a few hours since Wilbur had left if the setting sun was anything to go by so Wilbur decided fuck it and went out into the rain waving his friends goodbye.

Wilbur can already imagine the lecture he was going to get from the little gremlin who was now probably hyped up on energy and ready to rip his face off.

Honestly if Wilbur knew it was going to rain again he wouldn’t have been out for as long since he knew how much Tommy hated the rain, probably some sort of effect from having stayed on the streets for the first years of the kids life.

Running home in the mud probably wasn’t going to be the best for Wilburs clothes but the only thing he was focused on was getting home and dry before he caught a cold.

After what had felt like hours of running in the rain down a familiar muddy path Wilbur finally saw the silhouette of his house just near the forest.

Relief showered Wilbur (As well as rain) as he sped up towards the cottage stopping right outside the door where there was some shelter from the harrowing storm.

After kicking off his boots outside along with his now drenched coat Wilbur clicked the front door open and entered the now dimly lit house which only seemed to light up when lighting had struck.

Wilbur probably forgot to light up the candles before he left so his first job was to give himself some light since tripping over seemed like a really big inconvenience right now.

Luckily the fireplace was still going even if it was just small flames so WIlbur took that fire and lit up one of the many lanterns on the wall giving him enough light to navigate his way upstairs.

Strangely there was no yelling or expletives coming from upstairs where Tommy presumably was but the kid probably tired himself out during the day.

WIlbur began to feel increasingly uneasy as he went up the steps, even flinching at the thunder that struck every so often outside the windows.

The only sound that could be heard from here was the rain pouring down outside but as soon as Wilbur had entered the second floor there was something else accompanying the rain drops.

Wilbur didn’t know this sound?

Getting closer to Tommy’s door Wilbur could feel the pit in his stomach grow larger until he was standing right infront of the door key in hand.

Unlocking the door felt like dipping his hand into the abyss and finally with a metallic click the door was unlocked and Tommy was finally free. Right?

The sound only grew louder as Wilbur pushed the door softly confused as to why Tommy hadn’t come running out swearing like a sailor.

That was what always happened when Phil had done this right?

No one in the house ever heard the fear in Tommy’s voice whenever he was let out of his room, panic still washed over him for days after that.

Tommy didn’t blame Wilbur for not knowing since at least he tried to help… It wasn’t his fault Phil was a fucking aweful parent.

Wilbur felt his words catch in his throat as he walked into the room.

Tommy was there.

The noise was from him.

Tommy was crying?

---

The moment Tommy heard Wilbur leave the house dread filled his entire body and he began to claw at the wooden door for any type of escape.

Of course because it was fucking Philza he had made sure all the wood in their house was immune to fire and also but a few other ‘helpful’ enchantments on it.

Basically even if Techno were to swing his fists at these doors they wouldn’t have so much as a crack so Tommy had no chance getting out.

His scratch marks actually sticking was probably a testament to how hot his hands could get, managing to leave small black lines in the wood that would get deeper the more he scratched at them.

Tommy didn’t want to be left in here again.

He hated it here.

---

It had been probably an hour since Tommy was locked up when he decided to give in to the panic and try to do something semi productive while stuck in here.

Of course Tommys productivity was basically null and void because of his panic but at least he had a distraction from what was happening.

---

After two hours Tommy began to scream.

---

Three hours later with a hoarse voice Tommy began to bang at the door again.

---

Four hours later the rain had started.

Tommy hated the rain.

---

However long he’d been in here now didn’t matter anymore.

Tommy was sitting on the floor hyperventilating as he silently let out sobs of anguish something akin to an injured animal.

The walls felt like they were closing in on him and Tommy couldn’t help but let out the panicked wines hoping someone would come to let him out.

Tommy didn’t mean to get so worked up but he could feel the tears rolling down his face slowly turn into something more heated and his hands slowly turn a dark ashy colour.

It was a wonder how the magma-like substance didn’t manage to completely burn through Tommy’s skin as he cried but that was probably just another effect of being a hybrid magma cube.

Tommy didn’t hear the front door open as he cried.

Tommy didn’t hear the footsteps coming up the staircase.

Tommy didn’t even notice his door being swung open revealing a figure standing in the archway.

Before Tommy could even look up he could feel the presence of someone staring at him and decided to shuffle his back into the room's corner trying to hide his face in his now clawed hands.

Wilbur hardly recognised the kid cowering in the corner having to do a double take before realising it truly was Tommy.

What had happened?

“T-Toms?” Wilbur took a step forward reaching his hand out to the kid only to be met with a hiss, Tommy’s feature had flared up in a lava like colour turning his once black hands into a magma like substance.

Tommy didn’t even know what was happening at this moment and certainly wasn’t coherent enough to recognise his brother so instead he responded with hostility.

“What’s wrong Tommy?” Wilbur was also starting to panic, never seeing his brother act like this and certainly never seeing him look like this.

Wilbur hadn’t even considered the possibility of Tommy being some sort of hybrid since their dad had never mentioned it so this was more than a shock to say the least.

What was even more worrying was the fact that Tommy had managed to hide all this from his family but for some reason right now was the breaking point and Wilbur just didn’t understand why.

Tommy was muttering to himself in a gibberish mess as he continued to cry what Wilbur now saw as lava which was a whole other level of fucking insane but not what was important right now.

“Tommy it’s me,” Wilbur could feel tears pricking his own eyes as Wilbur watched his own brother cower in fear and try to get away from him “It’s Will,”.

Wilbur watched on as Tommy struggled to get a grip on the situation muttering something about not wanting to be alone, that broke Wilburs heart even more as he realised this was his fault.

He should’ve never locked Tommy up in here just so that he could sneak out with friends.

Why did Phil ever think this was a good idea?

That was probably the moment Wilbur had started doubting his fathers parenting.

Seeing your once boisterous and loud brother brought to tears by something that everyone in the household considered was normal was a huge wake up call.

“Tommy I need you to look at me,” Wilbur pleaded with his brother who was still fired up ready for any sort of attack that might come his way “Tommy I need you to breathe okay?”.

Wilbur sat down on the floor far enough away that Tommy had an escape route if he needed one “Can you follow my breathing?” for the first time since WIlbur had opened the door Tommy looked up from his little huddle.

Wilbur couldn’t help but stare at those striking yellow eyes ones that reminded him of some sort of magma cube but after realising he had Tommy’s attention Wilbur continued to speak.

“Breathe three in and four out okay?” Wilbur began to count as he took breaths trying to demonstrate and after a few tries Tommy tried to mimic the action even if it was in a far less successful way.

The shaking breaths turned into small trembling ones and soon enough Tommy was calm enough to stop hyperventilating.

Actually being able to think for a second gave Tommy the clarity he needed to realise Wilbur was there and fling himself into his brother's arms still sobbing.