We'll show them - U_Wish_U_Knew (2024)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Tommy ran as fast as he could down the street, narrowly avoiding the citizens of Essempe. There was no specific place that he was running to, but all he knew was that he had to get as far away as possible from the man who was chasing him.

Oh yeah, there was a butcher chasing him. And he had a knife.

Tommy had always joked about knives and how much he loved, as he so kindly put it, ‘stabbing sh*t’, but being on the receiving end of the stabbing was not something Tommy found himself so interested in.

The reason why Tommy was being chased by the butcher, however, was not because of his offensive language, but instead the object that he was holding so close to his chest- a raw leg of ham.

See, Tommy was a thief, and a damn good one at that. He had probably stolen from every store on every street and had gotten away with more than three-quarters of them, with most of his failures being from when he was younger and stealing alone.

Over the years Tommy had met many other thieves who he would trust with his life, although maybe not his full identity, seeing as he was known as ‘Innit’ on the streets and among thieves. Tommy had used to steal for his brother, Wilbur, and himself secretly at night as they were poor and often had to skip meals due to a lack of money and food. Now when he stole, however, he would steal for the group of thieves that he had gathered and founded, and they would return the favour for him and his brother. The people in this group of thieves were known as ‘Awesome’, ‘Thunder’ and ‘Antfrost’, who was the latest inclusion into the group.

The group of thieves were called L’manburg. A name that Wilbur had come up with late one night. Obviously, Wilbur hadn’t known at the time what the name the two had jokingly made up would have been used for, but after a few months, he had caught Tommy leaving and the boy had explained that he had been stealing for the two of them. Wilbur had obviously disapproved at first, but after showing up to one of the meetings with his brown coat’s hood pulled up and a piece of black cloth stretched over his mouth and nose and had observed how caring everyone was to their 15-year-old leader, he had allowed it to continue, although with strict rules for Tommy to never return after midnight and to never leave without letting at least one of the members as well as Wilbur himself of when he was leaving and when he had returned. At first, Wilbur’s hot-headed younger brother had been upset with these rules, but he abided by them either way.

Anything for his brother, who worked non-stop to try and earn money to feed himself and Tommy with his two jobs as both a Baker with his friend Niki and a Librarian, with both him and Tommy living in a small area above the library Wilbur ran. No matter how many jobs Wilbur went to or was interviewed for, there never seemed to be enough money to live even one day comfortably.

So that's when Tommy decided to start stealing, instead of lounging around the library reading or his unsuccessful trips out on the streets looking for small work and easy cash.

That being said, no matter how good of a thief Tommy was, he should have known better than to steal a whole leg of uncooked, slimy ham, and expect to get away with it and, in hindsight, he had should have at least made sure he had something to wrap it in so it wasn’t half slipping out of his arms constantly and so that he wasn’t worried about dropping as he ran down the streets of the place he city home.

‘GUARDS!’ Tommy heard the butcher yell behind him, and Tommy had to strongly resist the urge to turn and look at the man chasing him. The butcher had dark brown hair, bushy eyebrows and was sporting a large handlebar moustache, but Tommy was more interested in the huge butcher’s knife that the man was sporting.

The knife that had just been thrown half a metre away from his sprinting body.

This man was insane.

Tommy quickly turned the corner of a street suddenly, causing the man to stumble forward and slow down, but unfortunately, the sudden turn didn’t prepare Tommy for what was around the corner and he ran straight into someone’s shoulder. This then caused the slimy, uncooked meat in the boy’s hands to fly out of his arms and skid across the dirty ground and Tommy cursed as he spun and stumbled to the floor, his shoulder flaring up in pain. Tommy tried to quickly get back up again and reach for the chicken a couple of metres away again but was stopped when a large hand grabbed him by the back of his shirt’s collar and a slim knife was put up to his neck.

Tommy swallowed a whimper as he was dragged back into the big butcher’s arms roughly and held in place as the King’s soldiers started running towards him.

sh*t.

He started to struggle but the knife at his throat was just pushed into his skin, drawing some blood, so Tommy stilled, although he was still squirming. Unfortunately for Tommy though, any food he ate went straight into height, and there was little to no meat on his bones, whereas the butcher holding him at knifepoint was a bulky man with more muscle than fat and looked as though he had only ever had no less than five meals per day.

‘What’s this about?’ Tommy heard one of the guards ask and Tommy looked over to see that the speaker was a man with grey hair and a neatly trimmed beard. The guard had a sharp-looking diamond sword and had an iron chestplate strapped around his chest.

Which was a lot more than Tommy’s complete lack of armour or weapons.

‘This bloody raccoon stole that leg o’ ham’ the man holding Tommy said with an angry huff as he motioned his head over to where the uncooked meat was laying on the dirt. The butcher had a heavy accent and Tommy could hear the scowl that he could only guess the man was pulling.

‘We’ll take him to the head guard then,’ the grey-bearded man said, but he was quickly cut off by the butcher.

‘You better take this bastard to the King,’ he growled. ‘My mate’s been tellin’ me ‘bout a thief that’s been ‘round these parts stealing every little thing from us poor shopkeepers, leaving us with nothin’ but scraps, I tell ya.’

Tommy had to hold his tongue, as he was extremely tempted to comment on the fact that the man was speaking about him while he was right there, but knew that arguing wouldn’t do much in his favour, although he was salty about the man calling him names.

The grey-bearded man nodded. ‘Then that’s what we’ll do. We’re glad you caught him.’

Tommy pulled a face as he felt the man swell in pride. ‘Ye’ll be bloody grateful when this sack of sh*t’s in jail, I’ll tell ya that much,’ he said arrogantly, and Tommy felt the man’s chest puff up against his back angrily. Tommy probably would have gotten away if he hadn’t run straight into someone’s shoulder and had stumbled.

The guard then grabbed Tommy out of the man's grip before thanking him Tommy was then cruelly dragged across the cobblestone streets and towards the castle north of the town, his knees and bare feet scraping against the ground and spilling a trail of blood behind him as the boy's energy drained from him.

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

Tubbo'd had such a boring day.

It was his sister's turn at the bee farm today and so she and her personal servant, and Tubbo's closest friend, Ranboo, were nowhere around for Tubbo to play around with and/or chat with, so Tubbo just stuck by his father’s side.

The King's side.

You see, Tubbo is the prince of a land called Essempe. His father (the King)'s name is Jay, although he is only ever known as King Schlatt, and his other father's name is King Quackity, although, even though Quackity was also the king of Essempe, he didn't really hold much power,as he was neither expected to, nor wanting to contribute too much into the country he ruled, as he had not learned much about ruling before becoming King. That being said, he was still strongly loved by Essempe for his laid back attitude and strong determination for his country to be given the best, as he so strongly believed that's what it deserves.

Tubbo, who's real name is Toby but is never called that, also has a younger sister, as mentioned before, who is the princess of Essempe and loved by the public immensely for being such a polite and beautiful royal. Tubbo always had to hold back a laugh, however, when he heard people say this about his sister, as he and Ranboo could both agree that they had never seen her after she had just woken up.

Then there was Tubbo. The dyslexic, eldest child, destined to be the ruler of Essempe once his father becomes deceased. Tubbo was, similarly to the rest of his family, loved strongly by the public, and was even considered the nicest boy to exist, which was an obvious exaggeration. He was patient and caring, often saying and doing things that were considered wholesome without even intending on it.

But he also had a chaotic side, as did the rest of his family.

Schlatt loved to make controversial jokes to his family, that would most likely cause many to faint from the sheer audacity of his humor. Quackity, similarly, also had a controversial sense of humour, as he typically made jokes about drugs and over exaggerated his accent. His accent came from the town, El Rapids, where they were born.

Lani was extremely sassy and could switch so incredibly fast from being a polite young girl to a sassy teen that Tubbo was surprised that she hadn’t gotten whiplash yet from how fast she switched.

Tubbo loved to create characters and personalities in his imagination, before acting them out to his family, with an example of one of his characters being called ‘Big Law’. Big Law was created after Tubbo’s father had talked to Tubbo about getting someone to teach him what he would’ve learnt if he had been able to go to law school. Tubbo had then tried to prove to his father that he didn’t need to sit through those boring lessons that his 8 year old brain couldn’t quite comprehend by acting as a lawyer, with his characters main traits being that they spoke in a deeper voice and constantly repeated the words, ‘I’m a lawyer’.

He loved his family.

Tubbo was sitting in the throne room with his father who was speaking to one of his officials when the castle doors burst open and two guards dragging a tall, skinny body walked into the room.

Schlatt quickly looked up at the guards, a frown on his face as he stared at the body that had just been dropped in front of him onto the floor of his castle.

Tubbo watched as the lanky corpse slowly pushed themselves off of their stomach and into a kneeling position before being held there by the guards’ strong arms.

‘What’s the meaning of this?’ Schlatt asked in confusion.

One of the guards, who had thick blonde hair and a long beard cleared his throat before saying in a gruff and loud voice, ‘King Schlatt! We have reason to believe that this scumbag has been stealing from the city for a good few years now!’

Tubbo watched as the dirty and bloodied body’s face looked up at that and stared in shock as a young face stared back at him.

The boy had scars and bruises covering his face and arms and Tubbo nearly gagged at this sight of the boy’s bloodied and torn up feet. Tubbo then got a good look at their clothes and saw that the boy’s shirt and pants were harshly ripped and that their knees were bleeding badly. Tubbo then shuddered and looked away, but still felt the boy’s eyes on him.

‘A few years you say?’ Schlatt said, raising one of his eyebrows in surprise. Theft rates had only really been going up for around a year, so to hear that this skinny child had been stealing and causing a large problem for his city for many years and gotten away with it was a bit doubtful.

The blonde man seemed to realise the same things as pink dusted his cheeks in embarrassment. ‘For at least a year anyways, your Highness,’ he corrected himself.

‘I see,’ Schlatt said. ‘So you have brought him to me to put him to trial?’ he asked.

‘Or just immediately in jail,’ the grey-haired guard next to the blond man spoke up. ‘We caught him in the act of stealing.’

The young boy snorted a laugh at that.

‘Did you have something to say?’ Schlatt asked the boy in amusem*nt.

‘Just that this is complete and utter bullsh*t,’ the boy responded, pulling his eyes away from Tubbo to make eye contact with the King. Their voice was hoarse from what Tubbo could only assume was lack of use.

One of the guards immediately kicked the boy for his language and the King’s adviser, whose name is ‘Bad’, gasped at the swear.

The boy snorted again. ‘Oh grow up!’ he exclaimed. ‘f*ck sh*t bitch bastard-’

‘Enough!’ Schlatt yelled, causing the boy to stop talking. ‘If you think you are helping your case, then you are very wrong,’ he said pointedly to the boy.

Tubbo then watched as another door opened to his side and his other father walked through them, his smirk constantly on his face.

‘What’s happening here, Sugar,’ he said in an exaggeratedly sweet voice to Schlatt, who rolled his eyes.

‘This thief has been brought to me and I’m sending him to jail,’ Schlatt grimaced.

‘He’s not going to jail.’

Tubbo was surprised at the new voice's declaration, and was even more surprised when he realised that it was his own voice, speaking up.

Tubbo watched as Quackity frowned, with his smirk still staying on his face. Tubbo hardly ever saw the man without a smile on his face.

Schlatt was also frowning. ‘What do you mean, Toby?’ he asked in confusion.

Tubbo stayed silent for a second before making eye contact with the swearing boy who was looking up at him in shock. Tubbo noted that the boy had the brightest blue eyes that he had ever seen and that they sparkled in the torchlight of the castle light.

‘He can be my newest personal servant.’

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

Wilbur Soot sighed as he walked home from the Niki’s bakery. He struggled a lot of the time trying to earn money as both a baker and a librarian, but it was worth it when he was able to get a lot of food and be able to afford two meals in one day.

Wilbur wished he could do so much more for Tommy. He knew his little brother deserved it, as his little brother had one of the most underrated, yet biggest hearts that Wilbur had ever encountered. He knew Tommy was always trying his best to make a better life for him and Wilbur and Wilbur appreciated his efforts greatly, but he wished so deeply that he could make it easier on Tommy.

He was just glad that the gremlin boy had so many people supporting him in the form of L’manburg.

As Wilbur reached the door to the library he noticed that Thunder was waiting outside the closed door. It was a Wednesday and so the library was closed, as usually Tommy would go out on Wednesdays and try and steal. Originally the library would close on Wednesdays to give Tommy a chance to stretch his legs instead of having to look after and work all day in the library while Wilbur was at work, however, Tommy never stopped working and would usually use the day to earn more for them.

Wilbur remembered one time when he had come back on a Wednesday to see Tommy holding something behind his back. When Wilbur had asked what it was, Tommy smiled and pulled out a delicious looking box of doughnuts.

Wilbur reminisced as he thought back to when he and Tommy had sat on the single bed they shared eating three doughnuts each and having the time of their lives.

And in those moments, Wilbur was brought back to when they had lived together with Phil and Techno in the city of Erthe.

Before when they had enough food for a week after an hour of Techno farming alone and half of that when they all worked together.

Before when they used to all be able to stay up and sit around the bonfire outside with warm hot chocolate and an even warmer sense of comfort.

Before Wilbur and Tommy had to leave when there was a large group of raiders searching for young people to kidnap and train.

Young people such as Tommy and Wilbur.

That had been two years ago.

Tommy was 16 now and Wilbur was 20, meaning that Wilbur could return to Erthe if he wanted to, but he would never leave Tommy. They were in this together.

‘Hey Thunder,’ Wilbur said, before raising one of his eyebrows. ‘What are you doing out here? Did my brother lock you out?’ He asked as he pulled out his keys. He was on good terms with L’manburg, and was even considered the big brother of the team of thieves, as he would always let them all take refuge in the library without asking questions and would look after them. Wilbur and Tommy were also the perfect people for them to stay with, since everyone knew their names anyway so there was no reason to hide their home or personal life.

Wilbur loved L’manburg and how kind everyone is; especially Awesome, who wears a dark green hood and wears a mask with multiple different shades of green on it and an odd looking face. Awesome had joined L’manburg when Tommy was running away from someone and Awesome had taken him down an alleyway to hide. From then on Tommy had been so grateful that he had offered Awesome a spot in L’manburg and the man had said yes.

Antfrost was also really nice, as well as incredibly agile, moving around like a cat. To match his skills, he wore full black with a cat ear headband that he clipped to his brown hair and that was bought by Tommy as a joke about how much the boy loves cats. Antfrost had first joined L’manburg when Tommy had to blend in with the crowd, so he ran towards Ant and asked if he could blend in with the boy, who he had recognised on the streets one night when both of them were thieving. Ant had joked about how Tommy had held him hostage when blending in with him but still accepted the offer to join L’manburg.

Then finally there was Thunder. This boy was Tommy’s closest friend and had been one of the first members to join L’manburg. The boy was bald, wearing only 3D glasses to hide his identity. The two of them had met when Thunder had tried to steal a book from the library Tommy worked in and the two had discussed the idea of forming a group of thieves.

Other members had come and gone in the year of L’manburg being alive.

Thunder shook his head angrily before hesitantly saying, ‘Wil he… he hasn’t returned yet.’

Wilbur froze.

His worst nightmare had come true.

Wilbur had always tried to avoid the thought of, ‘what if Tommy never came back? What if he got caught or what if he got lost or hurt?’

But now Tommy hasn’t returned.

He was supposed to be back 2 hours ago.

‘No no no no,’ Wilbur whispered rubbing a hand across his face in shock, and he felt Thunder pat his pack sadly.

‘How about you go to bed and have a big rest tonight and then we’ll go looking for him tomorrow,’ Thunder said reassuringly.

‘But what if he’s hurt?’ Wil asked in distress.

‘Then we can treat his wounds tomorrow.’

‘What if he’s been kidnapped?’

‘Tommy’s strong, he’ll make it through.’

‘What if he’s de-’

‘Wil.’ Thunder said, causing Wilbur to stop and look at him. ‘It’ll be okay. Tommy’s strong. Whatever he’s going through, you and I both know he’ll be okay.’

‘...y-yeah,’ Wilbur stuttered before opening the door to the library. He then turned back around to Thunder. ‘Want to stay the night?’ he asked.

Thunder smiled and walked through the door.

Chapter 4

Chapter Text

‘Oh come on Dad!’ Tubbo yelled angrily. ‘I’m in need of a personal servant anyways, since Corpse left to move to Amonus Ville!’

Tubbo and Schlatt were both sitting in the older’s office, arguing over what had happened not even an hour ago.

After Tubbo’s statement, Schlatt had quickly glared at him and sent Tommy off to a holding cell, telling Tubbo that they’d ‘talk about this later.’

And so here they were; with Tubbo arguing for the thief he barely even knew.

Part of him wondered why he was going to such lengths for the young thief he didn’t even know before he remembered just that; the boy was only young, being around his age, and was already being told that they would go to jail.

Tubbo wouldn’t stand for that.

‘So you’ve decided to choose a nasty thief to be the person that you'll trust with your life?’ Schlatt exclaimed angrily. ‘Toby he’s a criminal-’

‘He's my age, Dad!’ Tubbo yelled. ‘Would you leave me in prison if I-’

‘But he isn’t you, Toby’ Schlatt frowned. Just because he’s your age doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t face the consequences of his actions,’ Schlatt said, speaking calmly now.

‘Jail?’ Tubbo said in shock. ‘Jail? He’s, what, sixteen, seventeen? He’s not even a legal adult yet, Dad.’ Tubbo then signed. ‘Dad, I need you to trust me, because I fully believe that I can prove to you that this guy will be the best personal servant you’ve ever seen.’

Schlatt sighed, pinching the brink of his nose. ‘Fine. But if in the next fortnight the boy isn’t doing well, then he’ll go straight to jail,’ Schlatt said sternly.

Tubbo’s eyes widened and he smiled, ‘yes!’ he yelled. ‘I won’t let you down Dad!’ he said before turning and leaving the office with a skip in his step.

Schlatt sighed. What had he just agreed to?

---

Tommy was lying on the concrete of the holding cell with a frown on his face. He knew a little about the royal family after being taught by Wilbur, but never before had he ever heard of any of the royal family members taking in known criminals as castle staff.

Tommy thought about Wilbur and felt sadness clench at his heart. God knows how long he would be trapped in the castle, unable to leave. He felt like Wilbur wouldn’t do well on his own as he relied on Tommy being there for him and being there to support him as he worked day in and day out to pay for their survival. He just hoped Both him and Wilbur could last long enough that they could meet up again and talk about what would happen.

He looked across at the cell opposite his own for the first time since being thrown harshly into the prison and stared in shock as he saw a face he recognised.

‘Sapnap?’ he said in surprise.

Sapnap was a member of the Dream Team, which was a rival group of thieves that were constantly against L’manburg in a fight for territory. Tommy remembered Sapnap as a crazy man with an obsession with fire and a knack for killing pets within homes on accident. Tommy also remembered the moment when he found out that Sapnap was in Jail.

Tommy had seen a fire one night and decided not to go out that night for his own safety, seeing as he was no help to Wilbur dead, especially since he knew that his brother would go insane without his little brother there, seeing as Wilbur thrived and survived off of human contact and especially his family. The next night, Tommy had met the leader of the Dream Team, and Tommy’s biggest enemy, Dream, in an alley. They had been taunting each other like usual when he had noticed the lack of Dream Team members, seeing as Dream typically loved taunting Tommy with his buddies, as they all enjoyed it.

Tommy had then asked where Sapnap and 404, a thief who held the empty title of vice leader of the Dream Team, had disappeared to and Dream had clenched his jaw before telling Tommy about how Sapnap had been locked up for Arson and that 404, or as Tommy and Dream so affectionately called him, Gogy, was back at their base.

Tommy immediately realized that 404 must be stressed or overwhelmed, and so therefore wasn’t stable enough to follow Dream out that night. Tommy and Dream then broke away from each other after that and if L’manburg left the Dream Team alone for a week, nobody mentioned it.

‘Innit?’ he heard Sapnap’s voice call out his street name from inside the cell across from him and watched as the black-haired man looked up at him. ‘What are you doing here?’ he asked.

Tommy sighed out a humourless laugh. ‘Ran into someone’s shoulder and they caught me,’ he said.

Sapnap sighed sadly. ‘That’s a shame. Dream will miss you, you know? No matter how much he says he hates you, he enjoys the thrill of being able to argue with you.’

Tommy frowned, ‘well the feeling is reciprocated, I guess.’

‘So how long is your sentence?’ Sapnap asked.

Tommy shrugged. ‘It’s complicated. I think the prince has other plans for me,’ he said bitterly. The idea of being some rich kid’s personal slave didn’t sit well with him.

‘Ooh damn,’ Sapnap said. ‘That’s odd.’

‘Yeah.’

There was a few seconds of silence, before Sapnap spoke up, saying, ‘I hope 404 is looking after Mars.’

Tommy frowned. ‘Mars?’

‘My fish,’ Sapnap said. ‘I mean, 404 looked after Mars the most anyways but still…’

‘Yeah I feel you,’ Tommy laughed. ‘My brother’s farm had a cow on it that I loved called Henry, but he died one day. It was the worst.’

Sapnap grimaced. ‘Yeah that’s the worst.’

Tommy raised an eyebrow at him. ‘I thought you were the animal slayer, not the animal lover.’

Sapnap sighed again. ‘I don’t mean to,’ he said before laughing. ‘I’ll try and pet one but I’ll pet them too hard or some sh*t and it’ll break the hamsters ribs and then their heart will get damaged by their rib and-’

‘Yeah okay, I got it,’ Tommy interrupted him, pulling a face.

Sapnap chuckled. ‘Well I hope everything goes okay for you, man. It’s a shame we’re on opposite sides, you’re pretty cool.’

Tommy smiled. ‘Yeah same to you.’

Chapter 5

Chapter Text

Tommy was woken up by a guard banging on the bars of his holding cell, located under the castle. Tommy watched sleepily as his door was unlocked and as two guards came and grabbed under each of his armpits. The trip through the prison and back up to the main room in the castle was a blur to Tommy but felt the tops of his feet scraping across the floor as he stumbled through the corridors.

When reaching the main room, Tommy was once again dropped at the feet of the King and Prince, although this time, on the opposite side of Prince Tubbo, Princess Lani was observing him, her eyes running up and down his battered and dirty body. Tommy also noted that Quackity was sitting right next to Schlatt.

‘It has been decided,’ Schlatt started, causing Tommy to look up at him, ‘that this boy will be Prince Tubbo’s new personal servant.’

Tommy’s eyes widened and looked over to the Prince who was smiling at him.

‘You can go,’ Schlatt said to the guards, who quickly exited the room, leaving only the royals, a tall man standing behind the Princess and a short man standing behind Schlatt.

There was a moment of awkward silence in the room after the guards left before Prince Tubbo spoke up, saying, ‘well, shall I show you around?’ he asked.

Tommy just spluttered at that in complete shock. ‘What the f*ck,’ he said.

‘Language,’ the short man behind Schlatt said and Tommy glared at him.

‘What’s your name, boy,’ King Schlatt asked him.

Tommy frowned. He wasn’t sure whether or not he should give the King his real name or his secret identity, seeing as he didn’t want to give them leverage over him or to think that they had too much power over him.

‘They call me Innit,’ he said.

Schlatt huffed a laugh. ‘That’s not what I was asking you. What’s your name?’ he repeated.

Tommy glared at him and the two maintained eye contact for many long seconds before King Quackity spoke up.

‘If you tell us your name I’ll give you drugs.’

Tommy shrieked with laughter at that, surprising the whole family with how high pitched it was and, out of the corner of his eye, Tommy watched as Tubbo covered his mouth with his hand in an attempt to suppress his own laughter. ‘You will, will you?’ he said after he finished laughing.

King Quackity’s smile grew wider at the boy’s response to his offer and he chuckled a bit.

‘Look,’ Schlatt said after he figured that everyone was calm enough to continue the conversation calmly. ‘We only want your name to have something to call you other than ‘boy’.’

Tommy squinted his eyes at the King disbelievingly before groaning.

‘Fine, fine!’ he grumbled. ‘My name is Tommy.’

Schlatt raised an eyebrow at him. ‘And your last name?’

Tommy glared at him. ‘f*ck no.’

Schlatt laughed at that. ‘Alright then, Tommy. Why don’t you follow Tubbo to your room and have him explain what you need to do and answer your questions.’

Tommy frowned before pushing himself into standing before feeling a massive headache hit him. Tommy winced and put a hand up to his head. He was definitely reluctant for

Schlatt must have noticed since he then turned to Tubbo and said, ‘Make sure you take him to the baths first and then to Doctor Ponk. Also make sure he gets some water and food into him. God knows when the last time he ate or drank fresh water was.’

Tubbo nodded before motioning Tommy towards the room in which King Quackity had come out of yesterday, Tommy took one last glance around the fancy room before following the young prince out of the room.

Tubbo smiled at Tommy. ‘Hello, my name is-’

‘Prince Toby, also known as Tubbo. Yes. I know,’ Tommy interrupted him.

Tubbo frowned at the interruption before continuing onwards anyway.

‘So basically, as a personal servant, your main job will be to follow me around and basically just make things easier for me and keep me company. My orders will be your priority but you’ll still have to follow the orders of my other family members,’ Tubbo said to Tommy.

Tommy wrinkled his nose at this. Never had he ever been one to just follow people’s orders without a complaint, and the prospect of doing so was not one Tommy enjoyed thinking about. He was a free spirit who enjoyed the thrill of being independent and without constraint.

‘I think you should talk to Ranboo a bit more about what you’ll need to do, seeing as he has worked in this castle for a long time and is my sister’s personal servant,’ Tubbo then said, before stopping in front of a door that had a large sign on it that Tommy could only just make out to say ‘men’s washroom’ from what Wilbur and Phil had taught him about reading and his time in the library.

Tommy had been taught mostly manners and basic survival skills from Phil however, with Wilbur reading mainly just his song lyrics from music he would write occasionally at night, with Tommy learning to follow along.

‘We’ll go in here,’ Tubbo then said to him, opening the door. Large amounts of steam flooded the hall as he did so and Tommy could feel the warmth of the room. He hesitantly walked in the room to see a steaming bath was already prepared and figured that the King had thought ahead, seeing as Tommy had been covered in dirt when he was first taken to the castle.

Tommy stared at the bath longingly. It had been so long since he had been able to have a hot bath, seeing as Tommy and Wilbur had only been able to afford a small tub in their house that they would usually fill with cold river water.

Tubbo smiled at the look on Tommy’s face before shutting the door quickly and staying turned around to give Tommy privacy while he stripped.

‘There are some towels and clean clothes on the shelves next to you,’ he called out to Tommy. ‘You can just dump your old clothes on the floor.’

Tommy smiled with delight as he did as Tubbo told him. He then stepped over to the hot bath and stuck his foot in. Feeling the warmth that was immediately causing the muscles in his body to loosen up, he stepped fully into the bath.

After a long while of Tommy rubbing the bar of soap that had been sitting on the shelf of towels and clothes on his body, the water had turned brown and had gotten cooler, so Tommy finally said goodbye to the warmth of the water and got changed into the clothes set out for him.

He was wearing a white shirt with large brown buttons that went up to his adam’s apple and a pocket on the right side of his chest, along with black shorts that went down to his knees. There were no shoes or socks next to him, but he was used to that. The clothing was surprisingly soft, or at least more comfortable then his usual red and white shirt and khaki pants, and Tommy revelled in the fabric. Tommy still preferred his red and white shirt, however, as it meant so much to him, and it stood for something.

His survival.

‘Are you done?’ Tubbo asked, causing Tommy to look over at the royal.

‘Yeah,’ he said, watching as Tubbo turned around, looking him up and down before pulling a face.

‘What?’ he asked defensively, raising an eyebrow.

Tubbo sighed before laughing. ‘Well at least you look neater than when you first arrived.’

Tubbo pulled a face at that. ‘What in the sh*t is that supposed to mean?’ he asked.

Tubbo didn’t answer him as he opened the door out again. ‘Now, as we go up to Doctor Ponk, do you have any questions you want to ask?’

Tommy frowned. ‘Why did you make me your f*cking personal servant?’ he asked, trying not to give away his emotions through his facial expression.

Tubbo looked at him in surprise. ‘Wow,’ he muttered. ‘Straight into it, I guess.’

Tommy couldn’t help himself as he pulled a face at that.

‘Well,’ Tubbo started, ‘I guess it’s because you’re only young, maybe my age? And I guess I needed a new servant either way. I don’t really know why, to be completely honest-’

‘So you did it because you pitied me?’ Tommy asked, anger seeping into his voice.

‘What?’ Tubbo asked in confusion. ‘No it wasn’t because I-’

‘Yeah right,’ Tommy grumbled as they stopped in front of another door.

Tubbo sighed, before knocking on the door, which confused Tommy. Couldn’t the royals just walk into any room they please?

‘Doctor Ponk!’ Tubbo called, and the door opened. Standing there was a man wearing a red, yellow and black mask that wrapped around his entire head, leaving just his eyes open for the world to see.

‘Ponk’’s eyes widened at the sight of the dried blood covering Tommy’s feet, knees and arms, along with the scratches, grazes and scars littering his entire figure.

‘Come in, come in,’ the doctor said, leading Tommy towards a bed. Tommy sat down hesitantly, glancing at Tubbo who was nodding at him to sit down. Tommy then lowered himself onto the bed, glancing nervously at all of the tools on the bench next to Ponk. He then watched as the doctor grabbed a damp towel, a bottle and some bandages, before turning back towards Tommy.

‘So,’ he began, ‘how did you get these wounds?’

Tommy shrugged, deciding that it was best just to not say anything. Usually he would answer with something like ‘none of your business, bitch’ but he was nervous in this new environment, especially since he was in the King’s castle.

Ponk didn’t seem to mind though, grabbing one of his feet and wiping it down with the towel, causing Tommy to hold back a wince as the blood on his foot was wiped away. Ponk then went to open the bottle in his hand, but Tommy had pulled his foot away.

‘What is that?’ he asked, suspicious of the small, brown bottle.

‘It helps keep your foot from getting infected,’ he said comfortingly, opening the bottle. Immediately the strong smell of alcohol filled the room, causing Tommy to frown, but he decided to trust the doctor anyways, as he had been taught by Phil when he was younger that alcohol was typically used to clean wounds. Ponk then proceeded to pour a few drops of the alcohol on to his foot, the only sign of the strong stinging Tommy was experiencing being the tightening of the boy’s grip on the sides of the bed he was lying on. Ponk then quickly wrapped up his foot in the bandages before using a clip that dug into the fabric to hold it in place.

Ponk then repeated the same procedure on his other foot, and this time Tommy let out a small gasp of air as both of his feet stung. Ponk then went to work disinfecting his kneecaps, using bandaids instead of bandages. Silence plagued the room as the doctor did so, with the only sound being Tubbo’s foot, tapping patterns on the ground awkwardly. After Ponk had patched up Tommy, Tubbo thanked the doctor and the two teens left.

Chapter 6

Chapter Text

Wilbur felt bad for crying in front of his younger brother’s friend, but with the stress of his jobs and the thought of not being able to feed his younger brother it was a wonder that he hadn’t broken down in front of a member of L’manburg, outside of Tommy, yet.

Thunder just patted his back sympathetically, feeling the same sadness as Wilbur. Tommy was so close to both of them, and to have the rock of both of their lives be missing was hard for them.

‘We’ll find him tomorrow, Wil, I promise,’ was all Thunder could say as the two hugged sadly. And even though Wilbur had heard the same thing many times that night, he still listened carefully to the words and was comforted by them.

And the next day, that’s exactly what they worked towards.

As soon as they woke up, Wilbur pulled some bread out of the left-over filled fridge, bringing it over to the table where two plates were set out for each of them. One the table between them was some honey and butter, with only a little of each being spread on each of their pieces of bread. Wilbur also made sure to get both of them cups of water, filled with water from a jug of tap water that had been cooling in the fridge. After having breakfast, they decided to split up, with Wilbur going to visit the Soot’s neighbour, Conner, to see if they had any information about Tommy’s whereabouts, and Thunder going to check in with other thieves in the area to see if they knew anything.

As Wilbur had been let into the house, he immediately asked whether Conner, who was making the sad man a cup of tea, had seen anything noteworthy the day before.

‘Yeah,’ Conner responded, causing Wilbur to quickly look up at him. ‘Why?’ he then asked, setting down the cup of tea in front of Wilbur as he sipped at his own coffee.

Wilbur sighed. ‘Tommy didn’t come home yesterday from his walk,’ he said, close to tears.

Connor’s eyes widened and he patted Wilbur across the back comfortingly. ‘Well I haven’t seen Tommy since I visited the library on Monday,’ he said, causing Wilbur to hunch over.

‘What did you see yesterday then,’ he said sadly, hoping that it could help him find Tommy.

Connor took a sip of his coffee before setting it down on the table between the two chairs the men were sitting on. ‘Well there was a boy who was caught stealing and was taken up to the castle,’ he said.

Wilbur’s heart dropped to his stomach.

‘What did he look like?’ he asked, trying to keep his voice from wavering.

Connor shrugged. ‘He looked a bit like Tommy honestly. Young, skinny, tall. Well, don’t most young boys in this town,’ he laughed. ‘But he had blonde hair so I doubt it was your brother,’ he smiled, joking a little at the end.

But Wilbur was close to hyperventilating.

Most people in town knew Tommy for his brown hair, a wig in which he wore to blend in more and look more like Wilbur seeing as the boy had been adopted into the family at the age of 11.

Wibur burst into tears and Connor quickly stood up and went to his side.

‘Hey,’ he whispered, speaking in between Wilbur’s ugly sobs. ‘It’ll be okay,’ he said.

Wilbur just cried into his cup of tea.

Later that night, Thunder and Wilbur met up again and both came with the same information.

Tommy had been caught.

After more ugly sobbing, Wilbur walked to Niki’s bakery to work. He had tried to fix his appearance in the mirror he had been given as a birthday present from Niki, along with a few other things, but still looked tired and miserable.

As he walked through the door he looked around to see what customers were seated at the bakery. There was only one however - a regular who went by the name of HBomb. HBomb was a lumberjack that you could typically find drunk in the corner of the bakery eating a tart or pie. Wilbur only knew a bit from him when trying to earn tips from the little about him from when the man was sober, with the main parts that he could remember being that he owned a lot of cats and that he used to live in a town called Harmony Hollow with his husband, however the two broke up when he moved to Essempe and HBomb felt doomed to the role of town drunk since.

Wilbur quietly walked behind the counter, wearing his work uniform of a white shirt and black jeans. He then went to the back room, out of sight of the customers, grabbing a black apron.

He was then spotted by Puffy, wife of the owner of the bakery, Niki, holding a tray of tarts that she was bringing to restock the front with.

‘Where have you been?’ she asked angrily as she passed him. Niki then also appeared from the corner that Puffy had come from and crossed her arms.

Wilbur sighed. ‘My brother’s gone missing,’ he said sadly. ‘Sorry I’m late.’

Niki and Puffy’s expressions quickly softened as they both gave the tall, grieving man hugs.

‘We’re sorry to hear that, Wil,’ Puffy said, before returning to her task with a sad expression.

‘Yeah,’ Niki spoke up. ‘If you find out who’s responsible for that, make sure to let me know,’ she said, anger slipping into her words.

Wilbur giggled slightly at that. Despite her appearance, small stature, and soft voice, Niki was a feisty person and ridiculously loyal to her wife and the Soot brothers, who she had welcomed with open arms when they first arrived in the city.

‘Thanks,’ he muttered before going to the front counter. He made sure to keep a smile on his face as customers came in and out of the shop for the next few hours, only dropping the facade when he went into the backroom, when the shop was empty, and when he finally left.

He then hurriedly scribbled a message before handing it to a town messenger.

Wilbur cried more that night then he had in the past 48 hours.

Chapter 7

Chapter Text

There were a few moments of awkward silence as the two teens in the castle of Essempe walked down a spiral staircase, before Tubbo spoke up hesitantly.

‘Why… why do you steal?’

Tommy laughed at that, although there was no humour behind the action. ‘Theft is better than starvation.’

Tubbo’s face turned pale at that. ‘But can’t you just… I don’t know, get a job?’

Tommy sighed. ‘I have a job, and so does my brother, but still-’

Tommy’s eyes then suddenly widened. ‘Oh no,’ Tubbo heard the boy whisper.

‘What’s wrong?’ Tubbo asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tommy rubbed his face in distress, a habit that, unknown to Tubbo, he had picked up from his older brother. ‘My brother will be so worried about me.’

Tubbo frowned. ‘We can let your family know that you work at the castle now after we eat,’ he told the panicking boy.

Tommy hesitated a few seconds before nodding. ‘Okay.’

Tubbo huffed out a laugh. ‘What? No thank you?’ he said jokingly, receiving a glare. They both kept walking, awkward silence encompassing them both for a moment before Tubbo cleared his throat.

‘So… any other questions?’ he asked.

Tommy let his infamous smirk spread across his face, replying to the question asking, ‘Will I earn money from this job?’ He then quickly backed up what he was asking, saying, ‘I mean, I’m a servant, aren’t I? That means I should get paid, right?’

Tubbo raised an eyebrow, an action he often did, before laughing. ‘Maybe if you’re any good,’ he joked.

Tommy put a hand up to his chest, faking offence at the comment. ‘What do you mean? TommyInnit is good at everything he does,’ he laughed.

‘Oh yeah?’

‘Yeah!’

The two then burst into laughter as they reached an open doorway, and Tommy stopped in his tracks as the smell of hot food reached his nose. Without the boy even seeming to realise it, Tommy’s stomach grumbled and Tubbo smiled as he waved Tommy through the doorway.

Tommy hesitantly walked towards the kitchen counter, staring as huge amounts of food were being prepared and made just out of his reach. Tubbo felt like he could physically see the boy’s brain thinking of ways to steal as much as he could from the kitchen, and put a hand on his shoulder to grab his attention. It seemed to work as Tommy looked to have been startled out of his thoughts by the action.

‘What would you like?’ he asked, causing Tommy to splutter in astonishment.

And seeing someone his age so shocked at the amount of food in front of him made Tubbo feel a deep wave of gratitude for everything he had.

Tommy suddenly squinted his eyes at Tubbo in an expression he recognised as suspicion. Tubbo raised an eyebrow at him in confusion.

‘What do you want for the food?’ the boy asked.

Tubbo sighed. He guessed he should have expected this in a way, but it still hurt to hear the complete distrust in the boy’s voice.

‘It’s free of charge,’ he said, but Tommy shook his head.

‘Nothing is ever ‘free of charge’,’ he replied, a hint of sadness lacing his voice that made Tubbo sympathise for the boy his age.

Tubbo sighed again, before an idea struck him. ‘Would it make you feel better if you gave me something in return for the food? Would that make you feel less doubtful?’

Tommy hesitated, shocked at the idea, before admitting that it could probably make him feel better.

Tubbo glanced around the kitchen, trying to think of something he could use as a ‘currency’. He then spotted the cupboard at the end of the kitchen and quickly ran to it. As he opened it, Tubbo was glad to see a box of safety pins. He quickly grabbed a large handful of the pins, along with a small pouch from the cupboard before shutting the door and running back to where Tommy was standing.

‘Here,’ he said, placing the bag into Tommy’s palm. ‘You give me a pin, I’ll give you food, yeah?’

Tommy clutched at the pouch pins before nodding, putting the pouch into the large pocket of his shorts. From there, he opened the bag and grabbed out a safety pin and handed it to the prince, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

Tubbo smiled at the head tilt, finding the action endearing and out of character for the thief.

Tubbo then quietly jumped over the counter in one leap, using only one of his arms as a support and he looked behind him to see if Tommy was impressed.

He wasn’t quite sure why he looked to the thief for approval, but a part of him felt like it was because he was sure that he could trust Tommy to be unbiased when talking to him.

Add that to the list of reasons why Tubbo might have chosen the thief to be his personal servant.

Tubbo then quickly went through the door to the workplace part of the kitchen, trying to avoid any of the staff, even though he knew they would just simply give him the food.

He kind of enjoyed eating the food more when he knew that he had worked hard for it.

He wondered if Tommy had felt the same feeling.

Tubbo then peered into a heated shelf of cooked food, waiting to be served, and his mouth watered. He carefully reached his hand toward the handle, opening the door slowly. He then glanced around at the near empty part of the kitchen he was in before using his jumper to grab a tray of cooked and warmed sausages, before quietly shutting the door and carefully running back to where Tommy was sat, tapping his fingers on the counter of the serving table almost impatiently.

Tubbo watched happily as Tommy’s eyes nearly doubled in size at the sight of the ten fat sausages sitting on a small tray held by Tubbo.

‘Holy sh*t,’ he muttered. ‘That looks so good!’

And it did. The sausages were obviously well-cooked, yet not burnt, and Tubbo could see how juicy they were just by looking at them. Tubbo then put the tray down for a second before grabbing two plates, two sets of forks, and two knives, handing the cutlery over to a dumbfounded Tommy.

‘Let’s head to my room,’ he laughed as Tommy accepted the cutlery.

Tommy laughed as well in pure delight, never having even been offered to share so much delicious food in his life.

‘Let’s feast!’

And when the castle staff heard two young boys running and laughing through the halls of the castle, they knew something had changed for the better.

Except for one.

Chapter 8

Chapter Text

Awesome, or otherwise known as Sam, was distraught.

L’manburg was supposed to have a meeting that night about the where the Dream Team had started robbing on their turf and Thunder and Tommy arrived late-

Or rather, Thunder had arrived late alone.

And that’s when he told them the news.

Tommy, their leader and the fiercest person that Awesome new, had been caught and most likely taken to jail for either a long ass amount of time or for execution.

It was a big shock to all of the members, especially since Tommy had, although he would never admit to it, the kindest heart, and had let them all basically into his home, letting them have areas to thieve from, people to rely on and people to live for.

And that was all any of them could ever ask for from this world.

You see, many people have come and gone from L’manburg in both the time Awesome has been there, and before then. A few names would never be spoken of, but some were remembered most fondly and were told stories about.

And obviously Tommy had been there through it all.

Even when the wanted criminal, Ninja, had visited their town and needed a place to stay to lay low, Tommy had welcomed him with open arms, even though the price on Ninja’s head for being handed in to the worst prison in the lands was enough to feed all of L’manburg for a few weeks.

Because that was Tommy’s biggest downfall, along with the thing that made him who he was most; his heart.

Now, obviously Tommy was a thief, which most would consider a scummy thing to do, and something that someone with a big heart would not be able to accomplish, but the motive behind Tommy’s theft was so inspiring, with it being that Tommy only wanted to make life easier for his older brother, Wilbur, who would, in turn, do anything for Tommy.

Sometimes Sam was envious of their relationship, wishing that he had someone to care about him as much as the two cared about each other, someone to be there to support him, and someone who he could love with all of his heart, but the he remembered that he did, and that, even if they weren’t blood related, L’maburg was all of that, and so much more.

And he was glad to be a part of it.

---

Tommy and Tubbo were both so full of food, and Tubbo watched as the boy next to him shared a sh*t-eating grin with him.

‘Well, I guess we should head to my Dad,’ he spoke up, placing the tray on the desk in the corner of his room.

Tubbo’s room was quite big, having enough room to fit a desk and large, double bed. On the side of the boy’s room was also a door which led to his wardrobe and the room was painted a pale yellow, with the roof and doors being white and the floor being a light wood.

Tommy shrugged before standing up and the two left the bedroom quietly.

'I won't have to call you master or any sh*t like that, right?'

Tubbo snorted, having to stop walking to take a second to breathe.

'Cause I won't ever do that. Ever,' Tommy continued, a small smile on his face from Tubbo's laughter.

'God no!' Tubbo exclaimed. 'I think I would hate it if you did that,' he told the thief.

Tommy let out a long breath of relief. 'Pog,' he said with a smile.

'Pog?' Tubbo asked as they continued walking.

Tommy paused for a second, seeming to catch up with the word he had uttered. Tommy then shrugged.

'Slang for cool,' he told the prince. 'I wouldn't recommend you use it though,' he laughed.

Tubbo frowned, tempted to ask if it was ruder than the thief was letting on to be, before opting to just let it slide.

As they walked through corridors, Tubbo spotted Lani and Ranboo walking together. He quickly waved the two over, a large smile on his face.

'Hey, do you know where Dad is?' he asked them.

'Oh yes!' Ranboo exclaimed. 'We passed him going into his office.'

'Okay, thanks!' Tubbo replied, making a move to leave down the corridor in the direction of his Dad's office when Lani spoke up.

'Wow this is weird,' she muttered, staring at Tommy.

Tommy frowned. 'What is?' he asked, almost defensively.

'Well I've just never seen you up this close before,' she said, looking him up and down.

Tommy tilted his head, similarly to how Tubbo had seen him do the action earlier, causing Lani to laugh.

'Well we've got to go now,' she said, waving Ranboo to follow her, which he did with a smile.

'Talk to you later, Tommy!' Ranboo called out as the two pairs walked their separate ways.

Tommy, who was caught off guard, awkwardly shrugged and waved at the same time before pulling a face to hide his embarrassment and the uncoordinated action.

Tubbo laughed, causing Tommy to glare at him, although not without a small smile to let Tubbo know that he wasn't as angry as he let on.

Tubbo was suddenly a lot more confident in his decision, finding himself having more fun in the past two days with Tommy than he'd had in a long while.

Little did he know that Tommy felt similarly.

---

Wilbur smiled as he heard a knocking on his door. It was morning, around nine in the morning if Wilbur had to guess, and he was excited as he thought over who might be at the door.

Wil quickly ran to the library door and opened it with energy that he hadn’t felt in too long, before hugging his family.

Phil and Techno had arrived, having travelled non-stop ever since receiving the letter Wilbur had sent out.

They would find Tommy and save him.

Chapter 9

Chapter Text

TommyInnit wasn’t one to follow orders.

TommyInnit wasn't the kind of person to just give up.

TommyInnit didn’t bow to anyone.

So why was he still here, at a castle to be a spoiled prince’s personal servant.

Because it was that or jail, he thought at first, but here was another part of him that was saying otherwise; telling him that he was being as complacent as he was because he was enjoying his time here.

Ridiculous. But it was true.

He’d had the biggest feed that morning than he’d had for the past two, almost three years, and had been cleaned in a warm bath. He had even been given proper medical care by a doctor too and he felt like he was living the dream-

But he missed his brother. Tommy missed L’manburg, missed his family, and even missed Dream a little, although he would never admit it out loud to anyone ever. He felt like he had abandoned everyone, even if it wasn’t true, and the conflicting emotions were making it hard for him to think properly.

Even though Tommy missed everything and everyone he had been with before though, he was still glad that he had gotten to meet Tubbo.

Tubbo was extremely nice, even going as far as to give Tommy currency to help him feel better (which somehow worked? Tommy didn’t quite understand), but he was also chaotic and they shared a similar sense of humor. Tommy had found lots of happiness here, although he had to keep reminding himself that he hadn’t been given any tasks yet, and that he and Tubbo had to get along either way, seeing as this was somehow his job now.

Tommy was confused.

The two boys then turned a corner and Tommy stared down a long corridor which led straight to a set of fark, double doors. He breathed deeply for a second, nervous for the conversation that was about to take place, before he continued to follow Tubbo to the doors.

Tubbo quickly knocked and Tommy could hear the king call for them to come inside. He then watched as Tubbo opened the doors, causing the king, who was looking over a stack of papers, to look up.

The king raised an eyebrow at the two, but still motioned for them to sit in the seats closest to the door and opposite him.

Tubbo quickly sat down, but Tommy hesitated, unsure whether or not he should stand or sit, but moved to sit as Schlatt waved him towards the seat right of Tubbo’s.

‘What are you two doing here?’ he asked, before looking back down at his papers, signing one of them twice before flipping the page over.

‘Well we’re here to discuss Tommy’s family,’ Tubbo spoke up, not really phased by the fact that Schlatt didn’t seem to be paying that much attention to them.

‘What about them?’ he asked, causing Tommy to feel anger bubble inside of him. He wanted to shout that his brother was probably left at home alone, unsure where he was and if he was safe, but was stopped when Tubbo shot him a look, seeing the boy’s anger rising.

‘He has a brother who he said is probably worried about him,’ Tubbo told his father, ‘Tommy wants to make sure his brother knows that he is safe.’

Schlatt looked up at that, locking eyes with Tommy who was half-glaring at him. Schlatt frowned at him.

‘What’s your brother’s name?’ he asked, leaning his elbows against his desk and propping his head up on his intertwined hands.

‘Wilbur,’ Tommy told him, but Schlatt was shaking his head.

‘There will be multiple Wilburs in this city,’ he told the boy, ‘I’ll need his full name.’

Tommy frowned. ‘Wilbur Soot,’ he said angrily. ‘He works at Niki’s bakery and the Soot library.’

Schlatt smirked at him, raising an eyebrow at him. ‘So you’d be Tommy Soot then?’ he asked, and Tommy had to work hard to keep as straight of a face as he could.

‘That’s what some people know me as,’ he said, not giving the man a proper answer, causing the king to frown.

‘Anyways!’ Tubbo interjected, causing them both to look over at him. ‘Will that be possible?’ he asked, trying to stop the king and his new servant arguing.

Schlatt shrugged. ‘Yeah it will be,’ he said. ‘I’ll probably just send you and Tubbo down to where you live to meet up with him,’ he told the boys, who nodded.

Tommy smiled as Schlatt said this. He would get to see his brother and share the news! Although, he was worried about Wilbur’s mental health, before a thought hit him.

Wil could just… go back to Erthe.

It hurt Tommy, but it was a very simple answer, and it would be easier for everyone. Wilbur was 20 now, well over the age that the raiders were looking for. He could easily leave Tommy at Essempe and leave to Phil and Techno.

It didn’t sit well with Tommy though and even if the boy knew it was selfish of him he didn’t want his brother to leave him.

‘Well you too should be off then,’ Schlatt said, waving them out of the room. ‘Go and show Tommy Soot around the castle, why don’t you, Tubbo?’ he said, causing Tubbo to smack own head.

‘Of course!’ the boy muttered. ‘I should have thought of that,’ he laughed, causing Schlatt to smile.

‘Bye!’ Tubbo called as the two left the room. He then turned to Tommy with a smile. ‘Let’s do a tour!’ he smiled.

Tubbo then continued to show him where different parts of the castle were and what rooms were most important for him to remember. He showed him rooms such as the official meeting room, the armoury, and even the castle cellar.

As the two boys walked through the great hall, where Tommy remembered being shown to the King, Tommy saw a familiar face, talking to an unfamiliar one.

‘Fundy?’ he said, causing the ginger haired man to look over to him, breaking off his conversation with a man that had brown hair and was wearing a multi-coloured hoodie.

‘Tommy?’ he asked, his eyes widening. Tommy’s eyes also widened as his suspicions were confirmed.

Tommy ran over to the ginger haired man standing only a couple meters away from and hugged him, laughing. The other man hugged him back, also laughing and smiling.

Fundy had been a member of L’manburg, being one of the original people in the group. He and Wilbur’d had a close relationship, with Fundy often coming to the bakery and working with Wil and staying over more often than the other members.

Then one day Fundy left for the castle, and all L’manburg plus their honorary member, Wilbur, held a party for the fox lover, wishing him luck.

‘What are you doing here?’ Fundy asked, shocked that the boy was able to find a job in the castle.

Tommy let go, shrugged awkwardly. ‘It’s… complicated,’ he smiled.

Fundy raised an eyebrow at him but let it go. ‘It’s good to see you again anyways,’ he said happily.

Tommy felt a hand reaching up to his shoulder and he turned around to see Tubbo staring at the two in confusion.

‘You know each other?’ he asked in confusion.

Tommy looked over at the prince before looking back at Fundy, sharing a look of awkwardness.

‘Yeah…’ Tommy said slowly. ‘He worked with my brother. Visited the library often too,’ he said quietly.

‘Really?’ Tubbo said, raising an eyebrow before turning towards the two men.

‘Hi, my names Karl!’ the brown haired man said happily, pulling his hand out to shake Tommy’s. Tommy didn’t reach for it though, only awkwardly staring at Karl’s hand before the man put it down happily, ignoring the shut down.

‘Don’t worry about him,’ Tubbo said to Karl, and Tommy glanced at him, offense showing on his face, causing Fundy to laugh.

‘Your not as loud as I remember,’ he laughed and Tommy glared at him.

‘That’s odd,’ he said with a smirk, ‘because you are still a bitch.’

He laughed at Karl’s shocked expression.

Tubbo smiled as well before tapping his arm. ‘Let’s keep going!’ he said.

Tommy nodded and they continued the tour.

Chapter 10

Chapter Text

Tommy sighed as he was brought back to the hallway where Tubbo had said the servant chambers were. They were not far from Tubbo and his little sister’s room, which Tommy supposed he was grateful for, and Tubbo smiled at him as they stopped in front of a door.

The two had talked a fair bit about his position and some of the simple tasks he would need to do, such as escort him around to where he has to go, attend the meetings Tubbo had to be at, and overall just be someone who Tubo can rely on and lean on.

Tommy didn’t really like the thought of being used as just a servant, or as someone only useful for another person to live comfortably, but he kept repeating to himself that following around a prince who you were starting to become friends with, although Tommy had learnt a long time ago to never fully trust anyone, especially strangers, was better than being in jail with no way to contact his brother, or even the rest of his family.

‘Well,’ Tubbo started, bringing Tommy out of his thoughts. ‘I guess this is where we break off. Make sure to talk to Ranboo, who sleeps in the room with you; he’ll know a lot more than I do,’ he smiled.

Tommy nodded, tempted to say ‘alright, bitch boy’, but refrained, seeing as he had only been in the castle for one day. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ he said instead, waving to Tubbo who waved back before walking down the corridor.

Tommy sighed, still feeling a bit shocked at his situation. He then turned towards the dark door and opened, trying to be as silent as possible.

Tommy looked around the room, his eyes widening. The walls were a nice cream colour, while the roof, similarly to Tubbo’s roof was white.

There was one cupboard on each side of the room opposite two beds with white sheets. There was also a pale yellow carpet in the middle of the room, similar to the walls of Tubo’s room.

It was the best room Tommy had ever stayed in, even if he had to share with another person.

Tommy looked towards the right bed to see Ranboo sitting there, smiling at him, still in the suit Tommy remembered seeing him in earlier.

‘Hello!’ the man said in a friendly tone, and Tommy frowned at him.

Now that he was alone with the man, he got to observe him a little more. Ranboo had two different coloured eyes, with one being red and the other being green. He was also wearing a two-coloured mask around his neck, with half of it being black and the other half being white.

Tommy also could tell that the man (boy? He wondered) was taller than him, even when he was sitting down.

‘Hey,’ Tommy said awkwardly, looking around the room once again.

Ranboo smiled at him warmly before gesturing for him to sit next to him on the boy’s bed. Tommy stared at him before moving clunkily to sit on the bed next to the other personal servant, although he made sure to sit as far away as he could on the long bed, which was obviously designed for taller people such as himself and Ranboo.

‘Nice to speak to you again, Tommy,’ Ranboo said, still smiling.

Tommy frowned. ‘How old are you?’ he blurted out, confused as to whether he would be sleeping in the same room as a minor or adult. He inwardly facepalmed at his question, cringing at the words that had just come out of his mouth.

Ranboo just laughed though. ‘I’m a minor,’ he said, seeming to know exactly what Tommy was thinking.

Tommy’s frown deepened though. ‘Were you born over 17 years ago?’ he asked.

‘Yes,’ the boy answered after a second of thought.

Tommy smirked. ‘So you’re younger than me?’

Ranboo hesitated. ‘No, that would mean I’m older.’

Tommy stared at him before pulling an angry face. ‘Why am I always the youngest?’ he asked the air in front of him angrily, causing Ranboo to laugh.

‘You seem like a pretty cool guy, Tommy,’ he smiled.

Tommy looked at him in confusion. ‘You think so? You’ve only seen me twice and we’ve hardly talked,’ he pointed out, but Ranboo just shrugged.

‘Yeah, still,’ he smiled, but Tommy shook his head.

‘You trust people way too easily.’

Ranboo quickly got defensive at that, quickly trying to reassure Tommy that he wasn’t naive or gullible, but Tommy just laughed.

‘So do you have any questions?’ Ranboo asked after a moment of silence.

Tommy sat for a moment, collecting his thought before starting to ask question such as, ‘Do I have to wear a suit?’ and ‘Is it hard work to be a personal servant?’, to which Ranboo had responded with the answers of, ‘Schlatt prefers suits to be worn but doesn’t mind too much,’ and ‘Seriously? It’s not too hard, but sometimes the siblings like to mess with you, although they’ll go easy on you at first until they get to know you better.’

Tommy had smiled at that as Ranboo laughed at his own words. ‘Do you have any tips for me?’ Tommy had then asked, causing Ranboo’s smile to widen further.

‘Don’t try to be too uptight and serious - everyone will make fun of you for that -, but try to also maintain a little bit of formality, especially in front of people from outside of Essempe,’ Ranboo said, causing Tommy to nod at the useful information.

‘Also you’ll need to stand a lot,’ Ranboo said with an exaggerated sigh, causing Tommy to smile a little. ‘I’ll try and let you know when to sit and when to stand since no one really cares enough about us to let us know in the moment,’ he added.

Tommy nodded gratefully. ‘Thanks,’ he said.

Ranboo nodded as well before sighing. ‘Well,’ he started. ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m tired. There will be spare clothes for you to wear tonight and tomorrow night hanging up in the wardrobe. To get changed you can do it in here or do it in the bathroom over there,’ he said, pointing to a door Tommy hadn’t seen. ‘Just make sure to keep your used clothes on the floor of the wardrobe. It makes life easier for the laundry servants,’ Ranboo smiled.

Tommy smiled back before thanking the other boy. He then walked over to the wardrobe and grabbed out some plain sleeping clothes, spotting his red and white shirt and pants hanging up in the wardrobe, cleaner than they ever had been before. Tommy smiled before going to get changed in the bathroom.

Chapter 11

Chapter Text

Technoblade felt sick. The same kind of sickness he felt when he wanted to stab anything in his path. The same kind of sickness he felt when Wilbur and Tommy had to leave. The same kind of sickness he felt when he couldn’t go with them.

When Erthe, the city where Phil and Techno lived, had been overrun by a large group of raiders, with their leader being the king, a lot of children were put into a torturous training program that left them scarred, traumatized, and most of them were left dead. Luckily for Erthe though, Phil had been able to catch wind of the plans for the children before the orders were sent out to the raiders, meaning that around, maybe over, half of the children in the city were able to evacuate and escape.

Tommy and Wilbur included.

And Techno should have gone with them; he was the same age as Wilbur, only being two minutes older! -, but, alas, he was needed as an essential service and large provider to the city’s food supply, being a potato farmer. This meant that not only was he required to stay in the city, if not by the government then for the people left in the city, and he and Phil were given better treatment than a lot of the other citizens.

Techno and Phil were considered the heroes of Erthe these days, as the two would give out free food to men and women who were driven into homelessness by either the initial raid or raised taxes, as well as help rebuild houses when they started to fall apart or if the occupants couldn’t afford to fix damages.

The two deserved a break.

When Techno and Phil left, they left behind a season’s worth of potatoes for the city, along with some tools to help with reconstruction. The two had then snuck out of the city, barely avoiding the raiders patrolling the outskirts of Erthe before beginning their trek to Essempe.

A quarter of the way there, and after many stops to catch their breaths, the two stumbled across a stable with a man selling horses. They had then bought two horses, moving quickly across the road to Erthe.

To Wilbur and Tommy.

Techno had been excited to see the other two members of his family, although he was more worried about Tommy, seeing as Wilbur’s letter had let them know that the boy was in danger and that he needed their help immediately.

Then, Phil and Techno had arrived at the library to see Wilbur in tears and, after a long explanation that was constantly cut off by ugly sobs from Wilbur (the guy had never been a pretty crier), Phil and Techno had found out that Tommy had been taken to the castle, and was most likely going to be arrested for his crimes in theft.

Crimes Phil and Techno hadn’t even known about.

Phil had been mad at first. Really mad. Techno was a bit too but after Wil had explained their situation, he didn’t let it bother him too much, however, Phil was pissed.

It made sense, he thought. Phil had been the one to teach Tommy manners when he was nothing but a child with extreme paranoia and a sharp tongue that cussed at anything within five meters of it and even further. Even when Wil had explained L’maburg and how many people had not only Tommy’s back, but his own, Phil still scolded a distraught Wil on how wrong it was for the man to let Tommy go through with his ‘stupid plan’.

‘You don’t understand, Phil,’ Wilbur had yelled. ‘We were on the brink of starvation! Tommy couldn’t get a job anywhere and I only had the library and a job at a bakery that meant I had to leave my own starving brother for an entire day just to feed him two more meals! We were struggling and we wouldn’t have lasted another month if Tommy hadn’t started stealing under my nose.’

‘You should have messaged me earlier and told me so I could send you money,’ Phil had said, raising his voice.

‘If they had seen a sixteen-year-old handing in Erthe money they would have sent us straight back to the raiders, Phil!’ Wilbur had said angrily, tears streaming down his face.

Techno watched as Phil opened his mouth to yell but quickly intervened before anything could escalate further.

‘We need to focus on Tommy,’ he said quickly, causing both men to look at him. ‘Sitting around and arguing over the past isn’t going to help that.’

Phil opened his mouth again to say something but quickly stopped. He then sighed, saying, ‘you’re right, Techno. I’m sorry. Where do we begin?’

Wilbur wiped at his eyes before giving a tired chuckle.

‘I don’t know, Phil. I just don’t know.’

Chapter 12

Chapter Text

That night, Tommy had a plan.

On one of the walls was a window that led outside the castle, and Tommy was planning on making his escape.

If he could get out, then he could tell Wilbur about his situation in private and they would be fine.

...but he had told the King all about Wilbur already. They’d have to lose their home above the library and have to sell the shop. Wilbur might even have to quit his job at the bakery!

And besides, as much as Tommy didn’t really want to admit, he would miss his time with Tubbo. The prince was surprisingly fun to be around and had a chaotic side to him that made Tommy laugh.

But he wasn’t made for this job.

He was meant to be running around, being free and doing whatever he wanted without listening to anyone else.

He was a free spirit, sue him.

He quietly crept over to the window, his clothes in his hand and the pins in the pocket of his old pants.

He silently unlocked the window and started lifting it. As Tommy finally opened it up enough, though, the worst thing in this scenario happened for Tommy.

One of the safety pins fell out.

Tommy covered his mouth with one of his hands, unsure of what to do. His eyes quickly met with Ranboo’s figure, only to see that the boy looked to still be asleep.

Tommy silently sighed with relief before carefully bending down to pick up the pin.

Only for more to come tumbling out of their pouch loudly.

Ranboo woke up at that and Tommy's guilty eyes met Ranboo’s different coloured ones.

‘What are you doing?’ Ranboo asked groggily.

Tommy was tempted to simply leap out of the window, but he knew Ranboo could easily get all the guards on his tail in a matter of minutes; or even seconds!

Tommy sighed before laughing awkwardly. ‘I was just… opening the window!’ he tried, but Ranboo was shaking his head.

‘Yeah right,’ he said, ‘and you decided that you needed all of your belongings for that?’ he asked with a raised eyebrow that Tommy could barely see through the dim light.

Tommy sighed again before shutting the window and putting everything in his hands on the ground by his bed.

‘Look, Tommy,’ Ranboo said, sitting up in his bed, ‘Tubbo is a good master, okay? He won’t treat you poorly or unfairly and he’s the kind of guy who would rather be your friend than your leader. Tubbo is someone who can usually make you forget about your title or position in life and just relax, and by the looks of it, you feel the ‘Tubbo’ effect,’ he smiled, causing Tommy to huff as he lay back down.

Tommy heard Ranboo sigh before he lay back down as well.

Tommy was woken up the next morning by a loud tapping noise. He yawned as he rolled over, expecting to bump into Wilbur.

Wilbur and Tommy lived in a small area above the library, which meant that they had to share a bed, which they both didn’t mind doing, as they both fell asleep at around the same time and neither of them had any weird sleeping habits beside from the occasional kick from Tommy or Wilbur sometimes singing in his sleep.

Tommy frowned as his own body didn’t connect with another one, before slowly opening one of his eyes to see a tall boy standing over him, tapping his fingers on the wall to try and wake him up.

Tommy yelled out in surprise before remembering where he was. He sighed out a breath of relief before looking at Ranboo who was standing by his bed awkwardly.

‘Sorry,’ he said quietly, but Tommy just waved one of his hands at him.

‘It’s all good, buddy,’ he smiled, lifting himself out of bed with a groan.

Ranboo smiled. ‘There will be a meeting soon. I’d suggest wearing something you think resembles you most, seeing as the officers will be making their first impression of you today.’

Tommy smiled as he thought of the perfect outfit. ‘Will do,’ he laughed, before swinging his legs to sit on the edge of the bed.

Tommy then watched as Ranboo grabbed his suit from their wardrobe and walked to the bathroom. The boy had been wearing only black sleeping pants and a white shirt, and his hair was messy. Tommy assumed that he looked to be in a similar state though.

After Ranboo had finished changing, Tommy brought his red and white shirt, along with his beige pants, to the bathroom. As he walked in, Tommy got a better look around the bathroom, seeing a shower, tub, along with a sink and toilet.

Tommy quickly did his business before getting changed. He then unlocked the door and he and Ranboo both brushed their teeth, with Tommy using a toothbrush that he found lying, unused, at the bottom of the counter beneath the sink.

Tommy had just finished folding the clothes he had used the night before as Ranboo had instructed him when he heard a knock on the door. He glanced at Ranboo who was already finished before walking over to the door.

Tubbo was smiling at him as he opened the door, but quickly raised an eyebrow at him as he looked at his worn and slightly tattered clothing.

‘Didn’t Ranboo tell you there was a meeting today?’ Tubbo frowned.

Tommy rolled his eyes. ‘Good morning to you too,’ he said sarcastically before smiling. ‘And he said to be myself,’ Tommy laughed.

Tommy then looked Tubbo up and down as the two laughed together, seeing that the prince was wearing a neat two-piece suit with a green tie and that their hair had been brushed back, out of their face.

‘Tommy, Tubbo, Ranboo!’ Tommy heard someone yell. He looked to his left to see Lani running over to them, waving one of her arms in the air.

The three boys waved at the princess as she hugged Tubbo from behind. Ranboo then moved forward to high-five the young girl.

‘Let’s get going,’ Tubbo said with a smile as the four made to walk down the corridor and to the meeting room.

Slowly, the two siblings started talking between them, leaving Ranboo and Tommy to walk next to each other behind the two royals, their lack of conversation causing the moment to be awkward. The two had silently agreed to not talk about the night before-

‘You know, if you try and run tonight I’ll have to tell Tubbo.’

Or so Tommy had thought.

This was going to be a long day.

Chapter 13

Chapter Text

Tommy half-smiled as a servant opened the meeting room door and glanced down at Tubbo who was smiling wide, strolling through the doors.

Tommy quickly followed his friend, with Ranboo and Lani following swiftly behind them into the room. The four then walked to the right side of the room, next to where the two Kings were sitting. Tommy then watched as Lani and Tubbo sat before glancing at Ranboo to see the boy waving his hand for Tommy to stay standing as he put on his face mask.

Tommy looked around to see that everyone else had already arrived. He could spot Fundy, Karl, and two other men that he didn’t recognize along with a few servants.

Tommy then looked over at the King Quackity as he cleared his throat.

‘Hello, men,’ the King said with a charming smile, before glancing at a female servant. ‘And women,’ he quickly added. ‘I just wanted to welcome you to the meeting and ask you to quiet down as the meeting begins.’

Schlatt smiled as he laid his intertwined hands on the table in front of him. ‘I would like to begin this meeting by asking the servants, with an exception to the personal royal servants, to leave,’ he said.

Tommy almost made a move to leave before remembering that he was one of the personal servants, causing him to quickly catch himself.

Schlatt waited patiently before speaking again. ‘So, to begin, I would like to introduce you to Mr Innit,’ the King said, waving a hand over to Tommy and causing everyone to look at him. ‘Although he is better known by the name Tommy,’ he then said, lowering his hand. ‘Tommy is my son’s new temporary personal servant.’

Tommy felt chills roll down his spine as Schlatt said the word ‘temporary’. It was just another reminder that his job here was something that he didn’t really have a choice in, otherwise, he would be in jail. It was also a painful reminder that these people pretty much controlled him.

He hated that.

Schlatt then turned his attention to everyone else. ‘So, Tommy,’ he started. ‘This is Bad, otherwise known as BBH. He is my assistant and personal advisor,’ Schlatt said, pointing to a man whose face was cast into shadows by the hood of their black cloak. Tommy recognised the guy as the short man who stood behind the King at nearly all times.

'Hello,’ the man said quietly in a surprisingly high-pitched voice.

Tommy gave him a fairly cold grin before turning his attention over to the next person Schlatt was introducing.

‘This is Skeppy,’ he then said. ‘He is Bad’s boyfriend and also head architect. He works alongside Karl who is the city’s creative director. They also tend to work with a man named Purpled, who is the main real estate agent of this city.’

‘Skeppy’ gave him a small wave, but didn’t say anything, which Tommy was fine with.

‘This is Fundy the war captain,’ he then said, causing the two L’manburg citizens to nod at each other.

Schlatt then turned to the last person with a smile. ‘And this is Alyssa,’ he then said, pointing to the woman servant from earlier, who Tommy hadn’t even realised had stayed in the room. ‘She is the head servant and keeps everyone in check in the castle,’ Schlatt said with a smile.

Tommy shot the female a smile but she didn’t respond positively to it, only glaring at Tommy. Tommy frowned at that. He didn’t quite understand why but he guessed that it was probably because of his background in theft and pushed it to the back of his mind.

The meeting then went on for a couple of hours, with Tommy’s legs only slightly cramping due to his practice of standing for long periods of time in the library, although he was usually allowed to pace.

Tommy had tried to listen to what was happening at the start, but he had eventually zoned out. After catching himself, he had glanced guiltily to his left at Ranboo, only to feel less guilty when he saw the multi-coloured eyes behind the man’s sunglasses were showing that the man was zoning out.

Then finally, the meeting was over, as people started to leave the meeting room, waving their goodbyes to the royal family. Ranboo and Lani had then waved at them as they left after everyone else, leaving just Tommy, the prince, and the two Kings alone in the meeting room.

There was a moment of silence before Quackity shed, pointing to the chair Princess Lani had been sitting in only moments before. ‘Sit,’ the King said, and Tommy nodded, lowering himself next to Tubbo.

‘We know where your brother lives,’ Quackity told him. ‘We just need to figure out how we are planning on telling them, or how you want to tell them,’ he smiled.

Tommy smiled as well, but just before he got to say anything, there was a loud knocking on the door.

‘Come in,’ Schlatt called with a frown. A servant in a suit then opened the doors, walking in nervously.

‘What is it?’ King Quackity asked.

The servant swallowed nervously before saying, ‘Philza from Erthe is in the great hall, and he wants to talk to you.’

Chapter 14

Chapter Text

Phil sighed as he watched his son fall asleep. After Wil had admitted to not being able to sleep well since finding out about Tommy, Techno and Phil had quickly reassured him that everything would be fine, making the man a tea and settling him in bed. The two men left in the house had then talked for a bit about what to do before deciding on it.

They would go to the castle and ask about Tommy.

It was all that they could think to do; just asking about their youngest to see where he was and what he was doomed to. They didn’t think they’d be able to do anything, but the two hoped that it would be worth it.

Techno and Phil had then gotten changed into large cloaks and, before leaving the library, had closed everything down. They had also left a note for Wilbur in hope that the man wouldn’t freak out if he woke up and immediately knew where they were.

The walk to the castle was done in silence, with neither of the two men talking. Once they finally reached the gates, Phil pushed down his hood and showed the man an identification pass he had that showed his title,

Soldier of Erthe.

The guard quickly let them in after Phil had explained that he had to trade with the King and both him and Techno continued onto the palace, where the doors were opened to the men upon seeing Phil.

As Phil stood in the great hall, waiting for Schlatt to come by, he glanced over to Techno who was still wearing his cloak. He knew techno looked very Hypixelian, which was not typically welcomed in places such as Essempe, due to their strength and brutal fighting style, among other things.

People born in Hypixelia typically had tan skin and were built stronger and larger than most, but the most defining factor of a Hypixelian person was the fact that they tended to follow the unwritten tradition of dying their hair at the age of 13 to show a person’s transition into the teenage years of their life.

Even though Techno hadn’t been in Hypixelia at the time, Phil had read up on their culture and, on Techno’s 13th birthday, Phil had surprised the boy with bright pink hair dye, which, although you’d never hear it from the boy, Phil could tell he loved.

Although, it did make the man stand out more, unfortunately.

Phil looked up as a set of doors to the right of him opened up, revealing King Schlatt, King Quackity, Princess Lani and her servant, and Tubbo and his servant…

Was that Tommy?

Phil glanced at Techno to see that the male’s eyes were wide in shock as he stared at Tommy, who was staring right back at them.

Tommy looked a lot cleaner than Phil remembered, or at least a lot cleaner than Wilbur seemed to be. The young boy’s blond hair looked to be a little less of a complete tangled mess and his signature red and white shirt, along with his brown pants, were cleaner looking as well, although not any less tattered than when Phil had seen the boy wearing the clothes.

Of course the shirt and pants were new, with the shirt now having buttons at the collar and the pants having less pockets than they did when Tommy was with Phil, but they were still the same as they always had been.

And he knew Tommy loved the clothing as well.

‘’What do you want, Philza?’ Schlatt asked him with a sigh, causing Phil’s eyes to turn back to Schlatt.

Phil quickly remembered what his cover story was and said, ‘I am here to check that you are still okay with the treaty and check if you need anything changed so I can get the King to organize something with you.’

Schlatt smiled, although it didn’t hold any warmth. ‘Well I’ll tell you what I told your men just a week ago,’ he said, causing Phil to feel a lump in his throat as he realized that his cover story was being revealed. ‘I’m fine with the treaty and I have sent the King a list of things we need to talk about at our next scheduled meeting.’

Phil nodded, trying to push past the slight horror he felt. ‘Then all is well,’ he told the King. ‘Although I was wondering about something,’ he said quickly as he saw Schlatt start to turn away.

‘I heard around town that you arrested a young boy yesterday, your highness. I was just curious as to what you were planning to do with such a young criminal. Surely not sentence him to death, no?’ he asked innocently.

Schlatt raised an eyebrow at him. ‘The boy will just be going to jail-’ he started, but Phil cut him off.

‘I know about Tommy,’ he said with a flat voice, causing Schlatt’s eyes to widen.

‘Tommy,’ he asked with a fake surprised voice. ‘Why, I’ve never heard of Tommy in my life,’ he said, but Phil was shaking his head.

Phil pointed to his son, who was awkwardly shuffling his feet. ‘That’s my son,’ he said, a little bit of his ride for his family accidentally slipping into his words.

Schlatt’s eyes went wide as he turned angrily towards Tommy, who was staring at Phil.

‘You never said you had more family than your brother,’ he heard Schlatt mutter angrily to his son, which only caused to make Phil’s anger bubble further.

‘I-I didn’t-,’ he heard his youngest mumble quietly, still in shock that the situation was happening. Phil could hear the slight mix of accents behind Tommy’s words, although the kid had a strong Essempean accent, which Phil supposed Wilbur had taught him, seeing as his son had extensive knowledge on geography.

Phil watched as Tommy took a breath and started talking again. ‘We don’t live together,’ he said, looking directly into Schlatt’s eye, slight defiance in his stance. ‘I didn’t think it was important for me to tell you about them.’

‘Them?’ Schlatt said, before his eyes connected with the figure of Technoblade that was covered by the cloak. Schlatt then frowned.

‘And who is this?’ he asked as he waved a hand lazily towards Techno’s figure.

Phil sighed. ‘This is Tyrone,’ he said, using a random name in the case that Schlatt would pick up that Techno’s name was Hypixelian.

‘He’s my brother,’ Tommy said quickly, but Schlatt just narrowed his eyes.

‘Tell him to take off the hood,’ he said.

Phil sighed. ‘This is ridiculous. He’s my son and not a citizen. Either way, it doesn’t matter. I want to know what you plan to do with my youngest son.’

Schlatt frowned, opening his mouth, but he was cut off by his own son, the prince.

‘Tommy has been offered the role as my personal servant as opposed to being sentenced to jail,’ he said, and everything clicked to Phil.

It hadn’t sat right with him that his youngest, the most independent and fierce boy he had ever met was working as a castle servant under the rule of someone he wasn’t even loyal to; but now he understood why. Tommy’d had to choose between working under the King and possibly being able to keep in contact with Wilbur, or being locked in jail with the possibility of death penalty hanging over his head.

If Phil was in Tommy's position, he'd choose what the boy had chosen, and then would probably do what Tommy was planning to do.

Escape and run away with Wilbur.

Chapter 15

Chapter Text

Tubbo didn’t quite understand what was happening.

Of course he knew of Philza; he was the man who heavily helped the people of Erthe in their time of need, especially with his role of head soldier and with the man being an ex-builder.

But to have the man be his personal servant and ex-thief, Tommy’s, father? Now that was a complete surprise to him.

He watched as Phil’s face showed understanding as he told the man about Tommy’s current position under him.

After a moment of thinking, Philza nodded. ‘And how long will he have to work for you to have his life back,’ he asked, causing Tubbo to wince at the harsh wording. Tubbo glanced at his sister who looked just as confused as he felt.

Tubbo then looked towards his two fathers, hoping that the two Kings would have an answer, but it seemed as though Tubbo’s whole family had no answer to this.

‘Well,’ Schlatt started, ‘if he doesn’t last the first two weeks doing well at his job then he will be put in jail where he belongs.’

Tubbo scoffed at that, glaring at his dad for the harsh wording, but Phil just raised an eyebrow at him.

‘And I suppose you let my son know of these… conditions?’ he asked.

Tubbo looked behind him to see Tommy glaring at Schlatt. ‘He didn’t actually,’ he said, his tone light in stark contrast to his thundery look.

Schatt scoffed. ‘Don’t look at me like that, boy,’ he said.

‘Dad,’ Princess Lani muttered quietly, causing Schlatt to take a few deep breaths before continuing. Tubbo looked in surprise to see his sister there, seeing as he hadn’t even noticed that she had followed them into the room.

‘Look, Philza. If that is all, then you may leave.’

‘I want to know when I can have my son back,’ Phil said, a fiery look in his eyes.

Schlatt sighed. ‘Not until my son has no need for him any longer. If he releases the boy from his duties too early, then the boy will be sent back to jail. If the boy lasts long enough for my son then he will be released back to you. At minimum, you’ll have him back in a year if he works extremely hard and well for the castle.’

Philza glared at Schlatt for a moment before also sighing. ‘I think we should discuss this later on,’ he told the King. ‘But for now, I shall leave. I’ll be in town for a while as well. You can find me at the Soot library.’

Schlatt frowned. ‘Fine,’ he said. ‘Now leave.’

And so Tubbo watched as the two men turned and started to walk away, back to the city. Tubbo also made a turn to leave, before he heard a voice shout out.

‘Dad, wait!’

Tubbo turned quickly to where Tommy was standing, a hand outstretched towards the retreating men.

‘Tommy?’ Tubbo whispered to the boy, but he didn’t look at the prince.

‘Tell Wil that I’m okay and that there is emergency money hidden under the desk,’ he called out, his hands cupping his mouth in an attempt to carry his voice further.

Phil smiled warmly at Tubbo’s servant, giving the boy a look Tommy had never seen on the harsh warriors face, before the two men continued to leave.

There was silence in the great hall for a moment after the men left, before Schlatt sighed again. ‘I’ll see you two boys later,’ he said. ‘For now, I’m going to go deal with some things with Ponk, seeing as this “meeting” took more time than I expected.’

Tubbo nodded before grabbing Tommy’s wrist and half-dragging his servant out of the room. As the two boys reached the corridors and were finally alone, Tubbo broke, blurting out what was on his mind.

‘Philza is your Dad?’ he asked, eyes wide.

Tommy shrugged before nodding silently, but Tubbo wasn’t satisfied with that answer.

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ he asked, mildly offended for reasons he couldn’t quite pinpoint.

Tommy picked up the offence and scoffed. ‘I had no reason to,’ he said angrily.

Tubbo felt like pulling out his hair. ‘No reason to?’ he shrieked. ‘You had every reason to! I was the one who save you so I have the right to know-’

‘What?’ Tommy said, interrupting him. ‘Know what? My whole family history and every little thing about my life? No way. I didn’t think the information was important you guys no one ever asked for the knowledge on it anyways! Not once did someone say, “hey Tommy, where are your parents? Are they worried for you? Do you have a mother or father figure in your life?” No! No one asked because it doesn't matter . I’m a petty thief, no matter who my parents are!’

Tubbo stared in shock at Tommy as he finished yelling. Tubbo then took a deep breath.

‘Okay,’ he muttered. ‘You’re right, I suppose,’ he said, glaring slightly at Tommy.

Tommy rolled his eyes. ‘Just… what do we need to do now?’ he asked, fiddling awkwardly with the hem of his shirt.

Tubbo shrugged. ‘I need to visit Karl to talk about the design of the place for bees, so you’ll have to just accompany me for that, and then we’ll stop by the dining hall for lunch,’ Tubbo said with a slight smile.

Tommy raised an eyebrow at that. The two had only ever gotten their food from the kitchen up until this point, so this would be new for Tommy.

Of course, Tommy would typically not be given lunch, only having breakfast and dinner, but since Tommy had missed breakfast, Tubbo was planning on bringing him to the dining hall to eat with him.

Of course, there was other ways for him to go about the situation, such as doing what Lani and Ranboo typically did, which was Ranboo eating in the servant room while Lani ate lunch in the dining hall, but he felt it would be worth showing Tommy the dining hall and what would typically happen on a regular day.

Tubbo then smiled as comfortingly as he could at Tommy before waving for the younger to follow him. ‘Let’s get going, okay?’ he said.

Tommy hesitated for a second before sighing and nodding, opting to follow Tubbo.

Chapter 16

Chapter Text

Tommy felt stress rising in his body as he was led by his ‘master’ to the dining hall.

Tubbo had explained to him his plan and what would usually happen on any regular day, but Tommy was nervous. He really didn’t feel like he would fit sitting next to the prince at the dinner table, especially considering the fact that only a few days ago he had been stealing a leg of ham from a butcher just so that he, his brother, and the rest of his thief friends could have something to eat.

Oh God, Tommy had almost forgotten L’manburg.

Of course, he hadn’t really forgotten, with Awesome, Thunder and Antfrost constantly being on his mind, but he still hadn’t really been able to just sit and think about his friends and how they may be.

He should have sent his Dad off with a message to L’manburg.

He just hoped that Wilbur had it covered.

Tommy felt some of the stress leave his body as he shook out his hands, glancing at the short prince who was striding around the castle like he owned the place.

How did this short kid, only Tommy’s age, own the place?

Tubbo wasn’t really what Tommy expected of a prince. Of course, he was a loyal, caring, smart and thoughtful person, but he was also chaotic and thrived in causing trouble, which didn’t fit the tightass prince that Tommy had thought up.

Tommy liked Tubbo. He was an awesome friend and the two shared a similar sense of humor, with Tommy being a little ruder and Tubbo being more focused on randomness. Of course, Tubbo wasn’t without his flaws, but neither was Tommy, with the boy being a wanted thief and all, so the two just got along, acknowledging the other's flaws, but not letting it dominate their ideas of who the other person was.

Afterall, they were both just young boys.

Tubbo looked up at Tommy with a smile as he opened a set of doors that led to a large room with a huge table in the middle. Tommy had seen this room before when Tubbo had taken him on a tour around the castle, but it was still just as magnificent as the previous time he had seen it, with a large gold chandelier hanging from the ceiling and with food being brought to the table where Princess Lani and King Quackity were sat.

Tommy looked at the chairs to see that one of the empty ones had a smaller chair next to it, which Tommy assumed was for him to sit in. His suspicions were confirmed as Tubbo sat in the larger chair and waved for Tommy to sit in the smaller one.

Tommy awkwardly lowered himself into the chair, glancing nervously at the two other royals who were serving themselves food from the table, with King Quackity grabbing some sliced turkey and Princess Lani scooping some avocado slices and lettuce from the salad onto her plate of potatoes.

Tubbo quickly started putting some baked potatoes onto his plate, glancing at Tommy who was just staring wide-eyed at the food. Tubbo silently nudged the awkward thief to take some food, but when Tommy just sat, unresponsive to the prodding, Tubo took Tommy’s plate and started piling food onto it.

Princess Lani smiled at Tommy before frowning at Tubbo. ‘He’s too skinny and tall,’ she laughed. ‘Make sure to feed him enough that you can’t see his ribs through his shirt anymore.’

Tommy gave the girl a half-glare before staring wide-eyed as Tubbo handed him the biggest plate of food he had ever seen while laughing. Tommy carefully lowered the plate to the table before glancing to his right to see lots of cutlery. Tommy awkwardly grabbed a knife in his left hand and picked up the fork in his right, trying to quickly recall everything Phil had taught him about manners at the table.

Tommy jabbed his fork into one of the potatoes on his plate before using his knife to hold it down. Tommy then pulled the fork to the right, ripping part of the baked potato away from the rest of it. Tommy then put the hot potato up to his mouth, only to quickly pull away as he felt his mouth get hurt from the steam and heat.

Tommy heard giggling next to him and glared at Lani who was watching him try to eat. ‘Do you need help?’ she laughed with an incredulous look on her face.

Tommy pulled a face, with his bottom lip being pulled up to near where his nose ended. ‘No,’ he said angrily, insulted by her laughter. He then brought the steaming potato back to his mouth, eyeing it with worry before putting it in his mouth.

Tommy felt like his mouth was on fire as he tried to swallow down the burning potato. He tried to smile smugly at Lani, but his face was twisted with pain.

Tommy then finally swallowed down the potato, but he could still feel it burning his inside from the heat. He looked over quickly to see a glass of water had been set out for him and he drunk some of it in an attempt to calm down the burning sensation.

He then put down his cut and breathed out a sigh of relief, glaring at the two royals beside him who were laughing at him. Tommy was quickly distracted though by the other delicious looking food on his plate and tucked in.

At one point, Tommy had heard the doors opening behind him. He quickly looked over to see King Schlatt walking through the doors. The two made eye contact for a second, with Schlatt glaring at Tommy.

The two maintained eye contact for a moment with the tension in the room seeming to rise as they stared. Eventually, the staring contest was broken when King Quackity stood between the two of them.

‘Break it up,’ he said, a smile on his face. ‘Let’s go sit down and we’ll get some food into you.’

Schlatt then nodded, breaking eye contact with Tommy to follow his husband to the table.

Tommy continued to look at Schlatt for a moment before he was nudged by Tubbo, who had their mouth full of steamed carrots.

‘D’n’t let th’ foo’ go ta w’ste,’ the boy said through his vegetables, causing Tommy to lean back slightly.

Tommy nodded, vaguely understanding what the prince was trying to tell him. He looked down at the plate and cut open a sausage with his spoon, causing princess Lani to stare at him with one of her eyebrows raised; half-laughing, half-shocked.

Tommy smiled at her, putting the meat into his mouth, but quickly stopped as the sausage burnt his mouth, causing her and Tubbo to laugh at him again.

Tommy felt warm inside, and he didn’t think it was just because of the sausages and potatoes.

Chapter 17

Chapter Text

Wilbur nervously fiddled with his fingers as he waited for the customers in front of him to order.

As soon as Phil and Technoblade had come back to the library, they had told him everything that they had learnt before quickly falling asleep in the two beds he had set up for them in the upstairs of the library.

Wilbur had then quickly gotten changed and came to the bakery to work. Even though Tommy was in the castle (working? He pondered), Wilbur still had to come to work, although he would ask Niki for the next few days off, seeing as Phil was able to transfer money from Erthian currency to Essempian.

The reason why Tommy and Wilbur hadn’t been able to do so with any of the Erthian money Phil had been willing to send over to the boys was because they knew that if two minors had shown up with Erthian money to any store, they would have been sent straight back to the raiders in return for cash.

Wilbur quickly served the customers in front of him, before glancing up at the door as he heard the bell ring, signifying that new customers were coming in. Wilbur’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at the people.

‘Uncle Vikk, Uncle Lazar,’ he smiled, waving at his two uncles.

Vikk was Phil’s brother, although the two were never close, with Phil always going out and adventuring, while Vikk would stay in the village they grew up in. Eventually, Phil had left once their adoptive parents had died, moving to Harodco Valley, where he worked before moving to Erthe, while Vikk instead moved to Warrazona with his friend Lazar, who was so close to Vikk that Techno, Tommy and Wilbur were all told to just call him their Uncle.

Phil had told the story to both him and Techno many times before, with both of the boys enjoying hearing about their father’s childhood. It wasn’t too interesting of a story, but it was important to their family because it made Techno and Wil feel more connected to their adoptive father.

‘Hello Wilbur,’ Vikk smiled at him, giving him a hug over the counter, with Lazar copying the action quickly after.

‘Hey,’ he smiled. ‘What would you guys like?’

The two men quickly ordered two pastries, standing around the counter while Wilbur waited for customers to come into the store.

‘So, are you still as much into geography as you were when we last spoke?’ Vikk asked with a smile, causing Wilbur to laugh.

‘Of course,’ he said. ‘And how are you two?’

‘We’ve been well,’ Lazar smiled, his Port Nitian accent still as apparent as when Wilbur had last spoken to the man. ‘And you?’ he asked.

‘I’ve been better,’ he said sadly. ‘Some things have been going on with Tommy, but I think it’ll be okay,’ he elaborated, seeing the two men look at him with worry.

Wilbur wasn’t sure how much to share, seeing as Vikk and Lazar only knew Tommy as a blonde who dyed his hair brown when moving out with Wilbur. Vikk was closer to Tommy, seeing as the boy took a strong liking to the man, but Lazar still cared for Tommy and vice-versa, although you wouldn’t hear it from either of them.

‘Oh no,’ Vikk said sympathetically, but Wilbur just nodded.

‘Yeah, but Phil and Techno are here, so hopefully everything gets better quickly,’ he said with a small smile.

But part of Wilbur knew that he was more convincing himself, as opposed to his uncles, that everything would be fine.

Everything was not fine.

Lazar sighed. ‘Well, we hope so. Sadly we have to go, but thank you for the great service.’

Wilbur nodded.

‘Yeah,’ Vikk said. ‘Make sure to let us know if we can do anything to help. ‘We’re sorry about Tommy. Also, tell my brother I said hello,’ Vikk smiled.

‘Will do,’ Wilbur replied with a fake salute, causing the two men to laugh. ‘Bye!’ Wil then called to the retreating figures, and they waved back at him.

Nothing was okay.

---

Tommy regretted everything.

So he had made a bet that he could eat everything on his plate with Lani, so what? He thought he could! And besides, it was funny.

Not anymore though, now that he was vomiting in the castle restrooms with a little girl laughing at him and a prince patting his back unsympathetically.

‘f*ck off,’ he said in between heaves, causing Lani to just laugh harder.

‘Ew!’ she yelled as more of his food came out of his mouth from his stomach and into the toilet bowl.

Tubbo also leaned away, ceasing from patting Tommy’s ack to get away from him. ‘Gross,’ he said, pulling a face.

Tommy rolled his eyes, standing up as his stomach finally calmed down. Lani quickly handed him a glass of water, which he quickly gulped down before wiping his mouth.

After taking a moment to breathe, with everyone watching him silently, he put down the glass of water.

‘You-’ he started saying to Lani, his breath still heavy, ‘You- owe m-me,’ cough, ‘fi-fi-five,’ cough, ‘do-doll,’ cough cough, ‘-llars.’

Tubbo stared at him in shock. ‘You did all of that for five dollars,’ he said in shock.

Tommy shrugged, swallowing the left-over bile and spit in his mouth.

Lani smiled at him, giggles slipping out of her mouth as she handed him a five-dollar note. Tommy took it with half a grin. At least I won the bet, Tommy thought with pride, before coughing more.

Chapter 18

Chapter Text

Tubbo was excited to show Tommy the bee farm.

He had told Tommy all about it, and he really wanted to show the other male, especially since Tubbo had done a lot of the design work for the bee farm.

Tubbo didn’t quite know why part of him wanted to prove himself and impress Tommy so badly, but he could tell it was starting to drive the way he acted around the boy, with his thoughts constantly full of new things to show the ex-thief.

A few thoughts on why this had entered his brain, but Tubbo could only think of one that would make the most sense.

He was lonely.

He only had one person around his age who he could interact with, which was Ranboo and, Tubbo supposed, his sister, but the two were constantly together, with Ranboo’s work causing him to stick by her side all day. Tubbo could only ever do things with people when he did it with those two, which lead him to feeling left out, especially since Ranboo and Lani shared lots of inside jokes.

So Tubbo was lonely, but he’d had Corpse!

Corpse had only been a few years older than Tubbo, and they had been together for a few of years…

But Corpse was too formal and, with most of the castle flocking to him due to his voice and with Tubbo being the prince, Corpse and Tubbo never really had many moments alone, causing Tubbo to still feel left out.

Tubbo glanced over at Tommy. The boy was his age, even slightly younger, with the same sense of humor as him and most likely just as lonely as him at the moment, if not, lonelier.

He was the perfect friend for Tubbo.

And maybe that’s why the boy called out to him when he was about to be sent to jail.

Tubbo shook his head, trying to wipe the thoughts from his brain. He quickly opened the door that led to the garden where the bees were, motioning for Tommy to go through first.

Tubbo watched with a huge smile as Tommy’s eyes widened in shock as he looked out to the bee farm.

‘Holy sh*t!’ he laughed, causing Tubbo to laugh with him.

‘Do you like it?’ he asked, half-nervously and half-giddily, a smile lingering on his face.

‘Like it?’ Tommy repeated, walking closer to the building. ‘Tubbo this is so Pog!’

Tubbo frowned at the use of the word Pog again. Tommy had told him not to use the word, but he wasn’t quite sure, seeing as the boy had refused to explain why.

‘“Pog” being positive, right?’ he said nervously.

Tommy turned to him, looking surprised at him using the term, as though he hadn’t even realized that he had used it. ‘Uh,’ he started, ‘Yeah. Pog is a positive term.’

‘But I can’t use it?’ Tubbo asked, raising an eyebrow at Tommy.

‘No, you can’t use it,’ he agreed, shaking his head.

‘Why not.’

‘Bees.’

‘Where!’ Tubbo said, looking around before slapping himself in the face.

Tommy laughed at the boy, holding his stomach, while Tubbo just groaned at his idiocy, dragging Tommy by the wrist further into the garden.

It was late that night when Tubbo realized that Tommy had avoided his question.

---

Tommy was somehow enjoying his time at the castle. Who would’ve known that getting caught stealing would have been such a good idea.

He laughed as the thought of him getting caught earlier occurred to him.

He smiled at Tubbo as the two lay in the grass of the bee sanctuary. It was a really sunny day and the roof was made of glass, which meant that Tommy got to bathe sleepily in the warm sun.

‘Maybe you’ll actually tan,’ Tubbo had remarked, causing the two to laugh at the expense of Tommy’s pale skin.

Tommy had quickly learned of the two youngest royals’ - or Tublings as he had started referring to them - love for bees. He had made the mistake of, at lunch, asking Tubbo and Lani if they knew many bee facts. The only time the conversation on bees was interrupted was at the end when Lani had challenged him by saying that she betted five dollars that he couldn’t eat all the food Tubbo had set out on his plate.

Of course, she was technically right in the fact that he couldn’t stomach it, but he had gotten it all down.

Tubbo sighed next to him, causing Tommy to look over at him curiously. Tubbo looked up at him, sensing the look, before sighing again.

‘You don’t talk much around the other people in the castle,’ he said, causing Tommy’s eyes to widen at the boy’s words. ‘Is it because you just feel more comfortable around me or do you feel uncomfortable around other people or…’ he continued.

Tommy quickly interrupted the boy’s spiral of words. ‘I can’t hold my tongue well,’ he sighed. ‘I am good at either talking a lot loudly or not talking at all.’

Tubbo raised an eyebrow at him. ‘Really?’ he said in fascination. ‘I just freeze up when meeting new people most of the time,’ the boy smiled. ‘I have also been trained not to talk when Dad’s talking and stuff,’ he then said, waving his hand as if the point was nothing at all.

Tommy laughed. ‘And did you freeze up when you first saw me?’

Tubbo laughed as well. ‘No way!’ he smiled.

Tommy smiled back at him, fiddling with the five-dollar note in the pouch of safety pins that was given to him by Tubbo.

He finally felt free and happy.

Chapter 19

Chapter Text

Schlatt smiled as he and Quackity watched Tubbo walk into their bedroom. The boy was alone, seeing as Schlatt had informed him to drop Tommy off at his room before coming to meet his two Dads.

Tubbo smiled nervously at them, moving to sit on the end of the bed so he could face the kings. Quackity’s smile widened in an attempt to reassure the boy, which seemed to work as Tubbo’s smile relaxed a little more.

‘We wanted to talk to you about what happened with Philza,’ Schlatt started with a sigh.

‘What about what happened with Philza?’ he asked, nervousness slipping into his voice.

‘We just wanted to remind you that Philza was a strong man and that, if he threatens you or talks to you at all, tell us immediately and don’t tell him anything, even if he threatens our lives,’ Quackity told the boy with a soft smile before it widened. ‘We’re stronger than you may think,’ he winked.

Tubbo smiled at his Dad, glad that the man always had a joke to lift the mood and make heavy things easier to digest. It was part of the reason why he loved his Dad so much and he was glad he had such a largely inspirational figure in his life.

Schlatt nodded. ‘We’re just worried about what the man might do, especially since finding out about Tommy being his son…’ Schlatt then trailed off, glancing at Quackity.

Tubbo ignored the look. ‘So is that all?’ he asked, eager to leave.

There was a moment of silence before Quackity sighed. ‘We were talking about sending Tommy to jail-’ he started, but Tubbo cut him off.

‘No!’ he said quickly, his eyes wide and frantic. ‘You can’t do that.’

Schlatt glared at Tubbo for his interruption. ‘We’re probably not going to though,’ he said, continuing on from where Quackity had left off. ‘He’s Philza’s son, so we don’t know what the man will do if he hears of the boy’s mistreatment.’ Tubbo let out a sigh of relief. ‘That being said, Tommy is under our government, so he has to obey the laws, meaning that we most likely will be able to get the boy into jail either way.’

Tubbo’s spine stiffened again and the boy frowned. ‘So what are you going to do?’ he asked.

‘We’ll still meet with Philza,’ Quackity said, ‘and Tommy will stay out of jail…’

‘But the two-week thing is still on,’ Schlatt finished.

Tubbo sighed with relief, glad that nothing worse was going to happen. Of course, things weren’t perfect, but things never were. Tubbo was grateful and glad for the result though, and he hoped nothing came worse with the meeting with Philza. ‘Pog,’ he muttered to himself as his body relaxed.

Suddenly, everything stopped, and Tubbo looked up at his parents in confusion as they stared at him.

First with wide eyes.

Then with one set of angry eyes, and another set of horrified eyes.

‘What did you just say?’ Schlatt asked him, his eyes narrowing as Quackity grabbed his husband’s arm.

Tubbo stared at his parents, furrowing his eyebrows. He realised what he had said and his mind skipped back to Tommy telling him not to say the word, but Tubbo was never quite sure why he couldn’t. It was just a word to mean cool, right? That’s what Tommy had said, so why is everyone saying it’s a bad word?

What was so wrong with the word pog?

‘...pog?’ Tubbo said again, causing the Kings to flinch as though they had been slapped. ‘What?’ Tubbo said. ‘What does it mean?’ he asked quickly, his eyes widening.

Oh come on, Tommy, Tubbo thought angrily.

Schlatt’s nostrils flared. ‘Who did you hear that word from?’ he asked, seething with rage. When Tubbo didn’t respond immediately, Schlatt smacked the desk next to him.

‘Where did you hear it!’ he repeated, louder than before.

‘Schlatt!’ Quackity said angrily, and Tubbo stared in shock as his usually smiling father’s mouth twisted into an unnatural-looking frown. Schlatt looked at QUackity before trying to calm himself.

He then turned back to Tubbo. ‘Where. Did. You. Hear. That. Word,’ he said with false calmness.

Tubbo took a deep, shuddering breath, scared at being talked to this way. ‘I-’ he started, before swallowing nervously. ‘I don’t remember,’ he said, trying to avoid stuttering.

Schlatt glared at him disbelievingly before standing up.

‘Where are you going,’ Quackity asked Schlatt quickly, standing to follow him. ‘Where are you going. WHERE ARE YOU GOING?’

‘I’m going to grab that bastard,’ Schlatt grumbled. Tubbo quickly stood, running after his father.

‘Stop!’ he yelled. ‘Who are you going after?’ he asked, but Tubbo felt like he knew the answer.

Schlatt was coming after Tommy, and the boy had no idea.

Tubbo had screwed up royally.

Chapter 20

Chapter Text

Tommy watched as Ranboo wrote in his book. The boy had been writing for a while now, but Tommy wasn’t quite sure what was in the book, so he asked.

Ranboo just laughed nervously scratching the back of his neck with a grimace. ‘I have memory problems,’ he told the blonde, his sadness badly hidden in his voice. ‘I need to write things down otherwise I will probably forget them. I read the previous days in the morning,’ he explained.

Tommy winced in sympathy before trying to lighten the mood. ‘Tha-that just sounds like a you problem,’ he laughed, rushing the words out as he thought them and stumbling over them.

Ranboo also laughed which made Tommy feel a spark of happiness inside of him; the same spark of happiness that he’d been feeling recently. He was glad to have made a successful joke about it that made Ranboo smile.

The moment was ruined, however, as the two boys heard crashing above them. They glanced at each other, confusion in their faces. Not long after the initial crash, though, King Schlatt came bursting through their door with King Quackity and Prince Tubbo not far behind the seething man.

Oh yeah, this man looked pissed.

‘Sir?’ Ranboo asked, ditching the book and standing to attention. Tommy also stood awkwardly, not quite sure what was going on.

Schlatt stalked over to where Tommy was. ‘You, boy,’ Schlatt said, pointing a finger into Tommy’s chest. Tommy stumbled back a few steps from the pressure before glaring up at Schlatt?’

‘What?’ he asked angrily, his eyes challenging Schlatt.

Schlatt smirked, half-smugly and fully with anger. ‘You’re from that place, aren’t you, boy? You thought you were so smart; that I wouldn’t figure it out, but it all makes sense now. You’re a filthy piece of vermin.’ Schlatt laughed cruelly. ‘I’ve figured you out! You’re a sneaky bastard! Trying to corrupt my son? Good luck!’

Tommy stared at him. ‘What are you talking about?’ he yelled.

‘You’re from 2b2t, aren’t you,’ Schlatt said, causing Tommy’s eyes to widen.

How did he…

Tommy glanced to the side of Schlatt where Tubbo was standing guiltily.

Tubbo… had he known?

But there was no way! Tubbo would surely not have been able to receive any education on the subject, seeing as no one except a few old citizens of 2b2t actually knew much about the nation, and 2b2t wasn’t particularly loved by other nations. Tommy had also worked really hard to hide the traits he had gained from his home land. Phil had taught him ever since he was the ripe age of eleven how to act like a typical citizen in a non-anarchist society.

Tommy had lived in 2b2t ever since he was born. It was a miracle that he was still alive, with his mother having been amazingly strong enough to survive in the anarchist nation all throughout her pregnancy without Tommy’s biological father being there to support her, seeing as his mother had killed him after she found out about him cheating on her with another woman.

Tommy had then somehow survived being a baby in such a cruel world, hiding and grabbing berries from the bushes outside of the cave he was abandoned in after his mother gave birth. At the age of five, Tommy had finally found someone else, someone like him.

He called her Drista, she called him Tommy, with the word Innit being latched onto the end of his name as she picked up the slight northern slang from Tommy who had heard it from the people passing by his home.

The two then grew up together, with Tommy being overly protective, even as a five-year-old when Drista was only three, to when Tommy and Drista met Phil at the ages of eleven and nine. Phil had then managed to convince the two to join him back to Erthe, where Phil let Tommy into his house while Drista moved out and met the new people in the city.

Drista was one of the first that the raiders took.

Tommy hated himself for that. He refused to think about it until it haunted his sleep at night.

Tommy shook himself back into the present, his brain still confused about how Schlatt had known he was from 2b2t.

Then it hit him. He was an idiot.

He should’ve known better than to say the term ‘pog’ in the prince’s presence without explanation. In his defence, Tommy didn’t think Schlatt or Quackity would know of the term that originated from 2b2t, where he was born and grew up, seeing as western countries such as Essempe didn’t usually like to even think about the nation of 2b2t, let alone study it, but he guessed it was part of the education required for a King.

‘I’ve never even been near 2b2t,’ Tommy responded to Schlatt. ‘Why would you accuse me of such things?’

Tommy knew that 2b2t wasn’t a good place, even if he had grown up there. He had been through a lot in that nation, with his mind only focused on his and Drista’s survival.

He didn’t think he’d ever stick up for that sh*thole, with the one cruel exception being that the place taught him more about reality and survival than anyone ever could - even Philza.

‘Then who taught my son the word ‘Pog.’

Oh sh*t, he was such a f*cking idiot.

‘I didn’t!’ he yelled, his face coming closer to Schlatt’s.

‘Then where are you from?’ Quackity spoke up behind Schlatt. Tommy could see that Quackity was unhappy with all of the shouting, anger and tension, but at the same time, Quackity wanted some answers real fast.

He wasn’t no bitch.

Tommy sighed, giving himself an extra second to think. ‘I was born and raised in Erthe with my father, Phil, who adopted me and my two brothers; Wilbur and Tech-Tyrone.’

Schlatt glared at him before calling for guards. Quickly, two guards came into the room from behind Schlatt.

‘Take this boy back to prison.’

Chapter 21

Chapter Text

Antfrost could tell that he wasn’t the only one in shock.

Even after half an hour of sitting in the same room as Philza and Technoblade, the former being a well-known soldier of Erthe and the longest survivor of living in Harodco Valley, a place renowned for their natural disasters such as tsunamis, hurricanes and volcanoes that didn’t leave many living for too long, let alone the years that Phil spent in the region.

Technoblade was also well-known for his wrath in Hypixelia where he grew up before following his secret passion of potato farming in a suburb of Hypixelia, where a war began between both the fierce warrior child and another boy who had been born into a long line of farmers. Eventually, the man had disappeared though, with an exception of his appearances at the annual skill competitions in both Hypixelia and the town of Miancaft Champiapa where, unknown to the everyone aside from their family, Technoblade was found and eventually adopted by Philza.

Antfrost was scared of Technoblade, as was any sane person, especially with the myth of Technoblade stealing from and drop-kicking orphans circulating amongst children and sometimes told by parents.

But that wasn’t the only shocking thing that night.

TommyInnit, the leader of their humble L’manburg and the selfless founder of their strong group, was the -adopted- son of Philza and brother of Technoblade.

Antfrost supposed that the boy never really talked much about his family, but none of them did. It was an almost unspoken rule between them to not ask those things for many reasons such as trauma and simply just deep hurt.

Tommy was apparently under the ‘deep hurt’ category, with him missing his father and brother after being forced out of his home land.

Oh, and another shock to top it all? TommyInnit was now prince Tubbo’s personal slave.

No one saw that one coming.

It was such a surprise to all of them that Thunder nearly fell out of his chair and Sam practically rolled under the table, with only Antfrost remaining unmoving due to the sheer shock flowing through his body.

‘So…,’ Thunder started, looking quite unsure what to say. They all felt that way, with none of them talking very often. It was quite hard to focus with Philza, Technoblade and their brother, Wilbur Soot, sitting across the unusually crowded table from you.

‘So you adopted Tommy when he was eleven?’ Thunder finished his sentence with a nervous tremor in his voice.

Phil hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. ‘He was twelve when he finally accepted my offers to adopt him,’ he told them.

Phil had already told them the story of him finding Tommy in some land he hadn’t named along with a little girl that he was most overprotective of. Phil had then explained how he had eventually, after a few months of camping out on the border of the two nations, Tommy had finally trusted Phil enough to flee with him and his near-younger sister. Phil had then laughed, telling them about how it was the young girl who had finally convinced Tommy, telling him about how she wanted to find her older brother who had lost her after becoming orphans in the lands Tommy had called home.

Antfrost felt a strong urge to ask where Tommy was born, but he was too scared.

‘So did you adopt the younger girl as well?’ Sam asked with a head tilt and, yet again, Phil shook his head to the surprise, and confusion, of the members of L’manburg.

‘She stayed in Erthe with another family. Tommy and her met up every day, usually at night to watch the stars and during the day when Tommy met up with a few boys he had made friends with.’

‘Watched the stars?’ Thunder asked, trying to hide his amusem*nt at that. Ant had to admit that it was quite hard to imagine his loud leader watching the stars with a girl akin to his younger sister.

‘Boys he made friends with?’ Sam asked.

Phil nodded, and Antfrost was sure it was to both queries.

‘The boys' names were Luke, Deo, Bitzel and… Wisp,’ Phil explained, but Ant just frowned.

‘Wisp?’ he repeated, confused at the hesitance.

Phil sighed. ‘They fell out with Wisp,’ he told them, but the thieving boys could tell he was lying.

They let it go.

‘Why would you not tell us, Wilbur,’ Ant heard Thunder whisper. Ant turned to look at the boy who was staring with raging eyes at the man.

Wilbur looked as though he went to say something, but hesitated long enough for Thunder to speak again.

‘We deserved to know about Tommy’s family-’

Thunder quickly stopped talking as they heard Technoblade angrily grunt. The pink-haired man hadn’t spoken their entire interaction, and Ant couldn’t be happier about that.

‘Tommy has never asked anything about your private lives. If you all get the right to privacy, then he should too,’ Wilbur told them, slight anger lacing his tone.

‘It’s different when your family are well-known legends, Wilbur!’ Thunder yelled. Ant knew that if the ears on his head were real, the hair on them would be raised.

‘Is your last name even Wilbur Soot?’ Thunder then demanded in anger.

Wilbur hesitated, visibly swallowing. ‘I… I come from a place called Sootahoushire. I’ve been an orphan for as long as I remember, with the only name I know being Wil. So…’ Wilbur drifted off. ‘So I made myself a new name. I called myself Wilbur - a longer version of Wil - and took the last name Soot in memory of my home land.’

Silence filled the room. It was definitely not a pleasant story, but Ant couldn’t help the small, traitorous part of him that felt a little bit better knowing that Wilbur was like them.

If Wilbur could be such a responsible adult, looking after a younger kid and his friends with his father and brother’s legacies over his head, then Ant felt a little bit of hope for his future.

It was pretty inspiring, even if Wilbur wasn’t particularly doing what most would call ‘well’ in life. L’manburg now knew of Wilbur’s past, even if quite vaguely, and they had a newfound respect for the man.

Thunder sighed. ‘I’m sorry Wilbur. I guess I’m just in shock.’

Wilbur just smiled, although the smile looked sad. ‘It’s fine-’ he told the boy, but he was interrupted by his brother.

‘It’s not,’ Techno said, and Ant could see Sam’s back straighten at the man’s words. Antfrost felt shivers run through his body at the Techno’s monotone voice.

Phil just placed a calming hand on Technoblade’s shoulder. ‘Leave it,’ he muttered to the male.

Techno grunted again before looking away.

‘Well we’ll be on our way now,’ Phil said, standing up. Wilbur nodded and the two brothers also stood.

‘We can answer more of your questions at a later date,’ Phil told them. ‘Goodnight.

None of the L’manburg boys could even attempt to respond before the men left.

Chapter 22

Chapter Text

‘No!’ Tubbo screamed down the hall. He had finally snapped out of his shocked state and was staring at where Tommy was flailing in the guards arms.

‘No stop let go!’ he yelled, running after them. Tubbo jumped off of his two legs, grabbing the closest guard and hanging off of him, trying to pull the men backwards.

‘Let go of me,’ he heard the boy say, although it was muffled by one of the guard’s arms covering his face.

‘Let go of him!’ Tubbo said also, still tugging on the men’s backs.

‘Toby!’ Schlatt yelled at him. ‘Toby let go!’

‘No!’ he screamed, clawing at a guard’s back.

Tubbo then felt himself get pulled off of the men by Schlatt. Tubbo felt horror fill his body as he struggled in his Dad’s grip.

‘Tubbo?’ Tubbo heard Tommy call from where the guard’s were turning the corner of the hall.

‘Tommy!’ Tubbo yelled, but it was too late. As Tubbo watched Tommy and the guards turn the corner, he saw one last glimpse at the other boy’s eyes.

Tubbo felt his heart break at the sorrow, confusion and fear in those so very blue eyes.

‘Sweetheart?’ Quackity asked Tubbo who was now limp in Schlatt’s arms, only being supported by his armpits.

‘Why…’ he whispered, looking up at his Dads with his puppy eyes.

Schlatt sighed. ‘You need to understand, Tubs; I can’t have someone like him around you. I just want to protect you-’

‘And you thought this was how?’ Tubbo asked, standing up and facing his father. ‘Dad,’ he started, ‘I am so alone! I had finally found someone my age, someone who has the same sense of humour as me.’

Tubbo looked up at Quackity, whose dark eyes were trained on him.

‘I finally found someone who needed me as much as I needed them.’

Quackity sighed. ‘I think the punishment was too rough for the boy,’ he said, before looking Schlatt directly in the eyes. ‘And I definitely think we should have talked about this beforehand…’

‘But?’ Tubbo interrupted, sensing the word.

‘But,’ Quackity started, almost guiltily, ‘If that boy is from… that place… this may be what is best for us as both a family and for the land we rule-’

‘The land we rule?’ Tubbo repeated incredulously. ‘How on earth can someone’s birthplace affect the land we rule?’

‘We’re worried that if he gets too close to you, he might… infect you,’ Schlatt said with a frown.

‘Infect me?’ Tubbo asked, his voice several octaves higher than it normally was. ‘This isn’t some… I don't know, Zombie apocalypse!’

‘Obviously not,’ Quackity said quickly. The man then sighed. ‘I think I need a moment away from here,’ he said, turning away.

‘What?’ Tubbo asked, hysterical laughter bubbling into his voice. ‘So you can go and do drugs?’

Quackity gasped, turning around with a hand on his heart. Schlatt also looked at Tubbo in shock.

‘Don’t give me that look,’ the boy spat. ‘You really think Lani and I don’t know about your little addictions?’ he said.

Tubbo then pointed at Schlatt. ‘Yeah, that’s right,’ he said with a furious smile. ‘We know about your alcohol problem too. You are horrible parents who pay people to preach to us kids about not abusing drugs, while you go smoke and drink yourself into a wasted state.’

Tubbo was breathing heavily, but his fathers were too in shock to interrupt the boy.

‘You are the kings for crying out loud!’ he yelled. ‘You should be focused on what our nation needs and spending the money you have on rebuilding new roads or helping poor people like Tommy who have to go out there and steal so that they can survive another day by giving them money or food! I should not have to throw up after meeting one of you with alcohol on your breath or bloodshot eyes, and I should not have to watch my parents get drunk and high.’

Tubbo sighed. ‘And Lani deserves better than this,’ he told them. ‘Especially since all my life I’ve had to basically be her third dad. I mean, sure, you guys have been there to tell her how to be a princess, but neither of you have taught her how to be a human - or better, a girl. I had to guide my sister through her first period based on the little I had learnt from my tutors.’

Tubbo stomped his foot. ‘I’m done with you two. Goodnight,’ he spat and, before Quackity or Schlatt could say anything, he stomped his way to his room.

Tubbo stopped in his tracks, however, as he came face to face with Lani.

There was a moment of silence before the two siblings hugged each other with teary eyes.

‘Tubbo,’ Lani whispered.

Tubbo nodded, knowing all that she didn’t know how to say in that one word. ‘It’ll be okay, Lani,’ he reassured her. ‘They’ll get better. Things will get better. I promise.’

‘You don’t have to promise that,’ Lani told him. ‘You shouldn’t have to feel the pressure of that. Just because I’m younger by a few years, doesn’t mean I can’t look after myself,’ she laughed, but there was no humour.

‘I know,’ Tubbo whispered. ‘You are the strongest girl I’ve ever met,’ he said with a smile and sad chuckle. ‘I can’t help it though. You mean the world to me.’

There was a moment of silence before Lani let go. ‘Goodnight, Tubbo,’ she said, giving his upper arm a firm, reassuring squeeze. ‘Come to me if you need me.’

‘Will do,’ he replied with a salute.

That night, Tubbo and Tommy cried together, even if they didn’t know it.

Chapter 23

Chapter Text

-Flashback-

Tommy was only five when he saw the small toddler.

Tommy had been eating some of the carrots he had stolen from an abandoned farm, along with a few berries in the bushes around the small cave he lived in. All he had to his name was a few shirts with different coloured sleeves, along with a single book.

The book was written by his mother in the three years she spent looking after him and speed-teaching him things. The book mainly gave him basic information, like how to write down letters of the alphabet, how to start a fire (which his mother specified that he could only try when he reached the age of four), how his mother killed his father for cheating, and the current geography of the surrounding land fifty metres in every direction.

Quite a lovely book.

But Tommy knew how lucky he was to be provided with the book. He knew that most kids his age would not have even been able to be born due to the weakness that can overtake pregnant mothers, but his mother was strong; surviving through both pregnancy and three years of teaching Tommy basic addition and subtraction, along with how to speak and read.

Of course, what couldn’t be taught in the three years was written in the book.

Tommy lived alone in the small cave for the next two years, teaching himself new things and learning important skills to help him stay strong, but that changed when he met the small girl he dubbed as Drista.

Drista didn't know much, with her only being a three-year-old who was abandoned by her parents in the middle of nowhere, so Tommy taught her everything he knew.

Eventually, the two learnt to fight, whacking sticks at each other and throwing punches until they were both too hungry or sore to continue. They grew such a tight bond that it seemed that nothing could separate them.

Tommy knew that sometimes he was too overprotective of his little sister, but he couldn’t help it.

At night, the two would shuffle to the edge of the cave and watch the stars. They’d make shapes of the star formations and clouds while giving clusters funny names.

They were at peace somehow, even in the war-torn anarchist nation.

But that changed when Tommy saw a campfire in the distance.

That night, Drista and Tommy packed up all of the things they owned, taking the clothing they had picked from dead bodies or from the farm house nearby, along with the little food and water they had. They then left so early in the morning the next day that most would consider it still nighttime, with the book Tommy’s mother had given him safely secured in the makeshift bag on his back.

The two not-related siblings then finally found a sign at noon that told them that they were leaving 2b2t, the place Tommy’s mother had said that they lived in. The two walked around a bit until they found a small cave still inside 2b2t and similar to the one they had lived in for ten and five years, only slightly smaller. They stayed in the small cave for a few months before Tommy was shaken awake by someone.

‘Drista?’ Tommy croaked quietly, rolling over. ‘What’s up?’

‘Uh… hey, mate,’ an adult male’s voice replied, causing Tommy’s eyes to shoot open.

Tommy quickly sat up, scooting his butt over to where Drista was still sleeping soundly and tried his best to shield her figure form the man’s eyes.

The man had blonde hair and blue eyes that shone, even with little light. He was wearing a green and white bucket hat, along with a large cape and sandals.

‘Hey,’ he whispered. ‘It’s okay. I’ not here to hurt you,’ he smiled.

‘Don’t trust anyone,’ rang through Tommy’s head in his mother’s voice. He also recalled seeing those words in the book.

‘Who are you?’ he asked, his voice still croaky.

‘My name is Phil. I’m from a place called Erthe,’ he told the boy. Phil moved to come closer to Tommy, but the boy shook his head.

Tommy glanced around the small cave, looking for something, anything, that could help him, before his eyes lay on a stick that Drista had sharpened to entertain herself while Tommy had started a fire.

Tommy quickly grabbed the stick, waking Drista up in the process. The girl yawned, stretching her arms over her head only to be met with Tommy’s back. ‘What’s going on?’ she had then whispered, sitting up.

Drista then locked eyes with the blonde man, ‘Phil’, before quickly shedding the blanket Tommy had made for her out of dead sheep’s wool and leaves.

‘Who is that?’ she whispered to Tommy.

‘I don’t know,’ he told her over his shoulders, not breaking his gaze away from Phil.

‘I’m Phil,’ the man said with patience. ‘I noticed you two were here and I was just wondering what two children like yourselves were doing alone.’

Tommy scoffed. ‘You really think that our parents would be with us still in the place we live in?’ Tommy asked, Drista nodding her head behind him sadly.

Phil sighed. ‘I live in the city of Erthe. You can come with me and I’ll feed you and shelter you.’

Drista scoffed. ‘For what price?’ she asked.

Phil shook his head though. ‘No price. You two deserve better than this,’ he said, waving a hand around the cave.

Tommy frowned. ‘You’re pitying us,’ he growled. ‘Go away.’

Phil shook his head. ‘I can give you so much. You two are too young to be alone.’

‘Get out,’ Tommy said quietly, aiming the sharp end of the stick at Phil.

‘Hey,’ he said, putting his hands in the air. ‘Put that down, young man,’ he chuckled anxiously.

‘Get out!’ Tommy roared, jabbing the stick into Phil’s side.

Phil yelled out in shock, clutching at his side before leaving the cave.

‘Goodbye for now,’ he had muttered.

He received nothing but glares.

The man kept coming back months after that, offering some food and water to the two and meeting up with Tommy once a week to discuss the city of Erthe.

Then finally, after so long of living in the same repetitive routine, Drista whacked some sense into him.

Both figuratively and literally.

‘Oh. Come. On. Tommy,’ she said, smacking a thin piece of wood over his head to make sure to not cause brain damage, but to still leave bruises.

‘Why shouldn’t we come with this guy, hm?’ she said with a look in her eyes that Tommy knew all too well. ‘He’ll provide us food and shelter. Basically, all we could ever want or need,’ she said with a sarcastic, angry smile.

‘We have all of that here,’ he said with a frown before quickly covering the back of his head as Drista raised the plank of wood in her hands. ‘Do you not think I’ve provided enough for us?’ he asked, not really thinking about the words coming out of his mouth.

Drista scoffed incredulously. ‘Of course I do, Idiot. I’ve said over and over that I’m grateful for it all, but it isn’t enough to live.’ Drista sighed. ‘I want to be able to spend a day with a bunch of girls like me and be able to come home to some meat that I know for certain wasn’t killed right outside the front of the cave I live in!’ she said angrily, tears welling up in her eyes.

Tommy sighed. ‘Yeah, I know,’ he said sympathetically, patting her back. ‘I want to be able to meet a few boys my age.’ He patted her head. ‘I wish I could provide everything for you, you know this... but I don’t want to take a step in the wrong direction. I don’t want this man to hurt you. I don’t want anyone to hurt you.’

Drista shook her head though. ‘I know what you’re saying, Tommy,’ she told him. ‘But we can’t keep living like this. We need to take a risk one day and…’

She trailed off, not meeting his eyes. Tommy grabbed the sides of her face, making her eyes reach his.

‘I want to find my real brother,’ she told him, tears running down her face.

Tommy sat still for a moment, unable to comprehend the words. Of course, Drista had talked a lot about her brother that had lost her after their parents had abandoned him. She had talked and wondered where her brother was and how she might be able to get back to him, but it still hurt after all these years.

What did this big brother have that Tommy didn’t? The man f*cking lost his baby sister in the middle of a nation where people don’t face consequences for murder.

Tommy had taken care of Drista his and her entire lives, yet, somehow, he still didn’t feel good enough for her.

‘You’re right,’ he said, betraying his own selfish feelings. ‘You deserve to at least meet your real brother. I’m sorry. We’ll go with Phil when he is ready.’

Drista gave him a big smile and an even larger hug. ‘Thank you, Tommy,’ she said, pulling away. She then frowned.

‘You’ll always be my real big brother.’

Chapter 24

Chapter Text

Tommy felt like he could hear distant footsteps echoing off of the sad walls.

He had been in the prison for what has felt like days, but was probably not so long. Tommy was hungry, but he hadn’t been able to eat since lunch, although he was sadly quite used to not being able to have food. He was, however, used to having something to do, even if it was just to re-read books in the library or go out into town and steal.

But the worst thing was, he missed Tubbo a lot.

He didn’t expect to feel so strongly this way, but Tubbo was a really great friend. He made Tommy forget that he was a thief with no money and only a brother who seemed to be slowly sinking into insanity more and more by the day, and Tommy really appreciated and like that. Most importantly though, Tubbo made Tommy feel safe, which was something that he hadn’t felt in a long time. The only time Tommy had ever truly felt safe was during the time he spent in Erthe before raiders came and ruined his life once again.

Taking away his sister who meant the world to him.

Tommy hated himself for never being able to find out if she was okay or even alive. Tommy hated himself for a lot of things.

Like the reason he was in prison in the first place.

He was an idiot. He couldn’t control his tongue, as usual, and now he was in this dumb situation with nothing but stone walls and distant footsteps…

That was getting closer and closer.

Tommy looked up from where he lay on the ground, meeting eyes with Tubbo.

Tubbo had obviously been crying, his eyes red and teary, although Tommy supposed he looked similar seeing as all he’s been able to do in the however-long-he-has-spent-locked-up-so-far was to beat himself up about the mistakes he had made.

‘Tubbo,’ Tommy whispered, standing up and moving towards the bars of the cell. Tommy and Tubbo touched hands for a moment before the two hugged through the bars, Tubbo placing whatever was in his hands on the ground quickly.

‘I’m so sorry, Tommy,’ Tubbo said sadly. ‘I should have listened to you. It’s all my fault-’

‘No it isn’t,’ Tommy said quietly, trying to smile reassuringly at Tubbo. ‘I shouldn’t have been the idiot to say the word in the first place and then tell you not to say it without giving an explanation. In all honesty, it would have been a surprise if you hadn’t said the word.’

Tubbo sighed. ‘Let’s not blame anyone,’ he told the boy with a weak smile. ‘Let’s just focus on getting you out of here.’

Tommy sighed as well, shaking his head. ‘We can’t do that, Tubbo,’ he said regretfully.

‘Well, why not?’ Tubbo asked, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow.

‘Because, Tubs, what would we even do if I did get out? You have a country to run and I have no life to go back to.’

‘You have your family, Tommy,’ Tubbo tried but Tommy shook his head again.

‘Tubbo, I haven’t had a family outside of my brother who I hardly ever see for nearly three years. And besides, even if I did escape, I would never be able to see you again anyways. It won’t make a difference. I can only harm others with your plan…’

‘Tommy-’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘No no no,' the prince muttered. 'Can’t we meet up at night or something in secret?’

‘And run the risk of you getting in trouble,’ Tommy said, rubbing circles into Tubbo’s hand. ‘We both know that it would do no one any good to have you and I spotted together.’

Tubbo looked down. ‘Look, I’m trying my best to get my dads to let you out, Tommy. I promise.’

‘I appreciate it,’ he said with a small smile. ‘But you should just try and forget about me-’

‘No!’ Tubbo yelled, looking back up at Tommy. ‘I can’t do that. You don’t understand that I need you! You mean so much to me and you’re the first person I’ve felt close with outside of my family my entire life. Tommy, you are so important to me…’

…

There was silence. Neither boy knew what to say and they both were just happy to be together again, even if only for a short while.

Tubbo then reached down, grabbing the plate of food that he had brought down with him. ‘Here’s breakfast,’ he said with a grimace, handing the hands Tommy was sticking through the bars the bowl.

‘Oh yeah, what time is it? How long have I been down here?’ Tommy asked curiously, bringing the bowl of half-cooked oats up to the bars.

Tommy awkwardly moved his lips to the bowl, pouring the mostly solid porridge down his throat. Tomm then put the bowl back into Tubbo’s waiting hands.

‘It’s only around six in the morning,’ Tubbo said as the thief did so. ‘I’d say you’ve been here for around nine hours then,’ he then continued after a brief moment of thought.

Tommy laughed a hollow laugh. ‘Well,’ he started with a fake smile, ‘that’s better than over 12, or even 24!’

Tubbo laughed as well, although there was no emotion behind it either. ‘Yeah…’ he trailed off.

…

There was another moment of silence before Tubbo finally stood up, patting his legs down with his free hand. ‘Well, I better be going,’ he said with a grimace. ‘I don’t want to miss… whatever speech my dads have in store for me.’

Tommy gave the boy a large, proper smile, causing Tubbo to feel both so much better and worse at the same time. ‘Have fun!’ he said, although Tubbo could hear the pain in his voice. ‘I’ll see you later.’

‘Bye!’

Chapter 25

Chapter Text

‘So what are we going to do?’ Wilbur asked, bringing the weak coffee up to his lips. ‘What can we possibly do?’

The three family members were in the upstairs of the library Tommy and Wilbur owned, sitting in three rusty chairs that had been given to them for no cost. They had been discussing Tommy’s situation and what they were going to do about it since Wilbur came home from work, but no one had really had many ideas.

Phil sighed, shrugging his shoulders. ‘I guess I’ll talk to Schlatt and try and threaten him? I don’t know, Wilbur. Maybe we don’t…’ Phil trailed off, but Wilbur knew what he was trying to say.

‘It’s been nearly three years, Phil. Tommy is almost seventeen years old. We just want to go home,’ Wilbur said, tears that were quickly wiped away coming to his eyes.

Techno shifted uncomfortably as the man sensed tension rising in the room, taking a large gulp from the coffee in his hands.

Phil didn’t meet Wilbur’s eyes. ‘Maybe… maybe this is your home, Wilbur,’ he suggested, but Wilbur quickly shut him down.

‘Phil I have spent so long here living so poorly that I feel like I have less money than I did when I was homeless and without a job, just standing on the streets pretending to play for money when in reality I was just a casual beggar.’

Phil looked as though he were about to interrupt but Wilbur shook his head., continuing on with his rant.

‘Phil, Tommy and I are living horribly, and what are you doing? Just like always, you are picking favourites. It’s always been about Techno, hasn’t it? And now, when we’re finally trying to come up with something after nearly three f*cking years to reunite this sad little family, you push us away because we’re just ORPHANS that you picked up like TRASH next to your perfect little PIG boy!’

Wilbur was panting heavily, all the anger and emotion that had been kept in and slowly leaking out all rushing out.

‘Wilbur that is not true!’ Phil said incredulously. ‘And Techno isn’t a pig-’

‘Oh, so you're telling me he’s finally stopped rolling around in the mud of the only thing he ever cared about? His f*cking potato farm!’ Wilbur laughed, raising his hands above his head.

Techno gave Wilbur a dirty look, but the other boy only sneered at him in anger.

‘He has schizophrenia, Wilbur,’ Phil said, trying to stay calm. ‘I have to look after him-’

‘Yeah? Well, I have mental health problems too! Tommy and I both would have killed ourselves if we didn’t have each other. Oh! But you wouldn’t know that, ABANDONER!’

Phil took in a deep breath, trying to maintain even the slightest bit of civility in the conversation. ‘Wilbur, one day you’ll understand-’

‘SHUT THE f*ck UP!’ the brunette screamed, his hands grabbing either side of the red beanie on his head. ‘Just SHUT UP! I am sick of all of this ‘one day’ BULLsh*t! You are a horrible father! A wicked, horrible, evil father!’

‘…’

‘Oh, got nothing to say?’ WIlbur asked, his eyes alight with insanity and a furious chuckle slipping through his lips. ‘You’ve been called out on your absolute bullsh*t. Oh darling, are you angry? Is the little prince of child neglect upset? Does he need a napkin? Or do you need to take out your rage?’ Wilbur then clapped loudly, causing the two other men to flinch. ‘Ha! I bet if I told you to, you'd kill me right on the spot, wouldn’t you, Phil. Of course, it wouldn’t be achieving much. You’ve already taken my SANITY!’

There was absolute silence in the room after what Wilbur said. Phil was looked down at the hands clasped in his lap, unable to make eye contact with his adopted son.

‘...One day, you’ll understand,’ he muttered, only achieving to piss Wilbur off more.

‘f*ck OFF! LEAVE! LEAVE AND NEVER COME BACK!’ he screamed, pointing to the stairs to the library.

Phil looked up at this, leaning forward in horror. ‘Wilbur you need me-’

‘I HAVEN’T NEEDED YOU FOR THREE f*ckING YEARS! GOODBYE, PHIL!’

There was another moment of silence before Phil stood up, Techno quickly following his father’s actions.

‘...let me know when you cool down-’ he started, but was cut off as a glass bottle of water that techno and Phil had bought was thrown and smashed near his body.

Phil and Techno quickly fled to the library and out the door to find an inn to stay in, leaving a panting, teary-eyed Wilbur standing in the middle of the room, his arm still extended from throwing the bottle.

What was he going to do?

---

Tommy smiled as Tubbo came down again with a bowl in hand once again.

It had been hours since he had last visited and Tommy’d had a lot of time to think over his decision for what to do while locked up.

He would stay locked up. Anything for Tubbo’s safety.

Besides, the boy had already proven that the two can still see each other for the moment, although Tommy wasn’t quite certain how long that would last.

He hoped for a long time.

‘Here you go,’ Tubbo said as he handed Tommy the bowl through the bars, giving him an obviously fake smile.

‘Thanks,’ Tommy muttered through mouthfuls of the soup-like food he was spooning into his mouth. He was grateful for food, as well as something to do, seeing as there wasn’t anything entertaining in the cell.

Yeah, spending hours at a time making up stories in your head can get kind of old, who would have known?

‘Look, Tommy,’ Tubbo started, but Tommy shook his head as he handed Tubbo back the bowl.

‘Don’t start, Tubbo,’ Tommy said sadly. ‘I’ve decided to stay. I don’t want you to get in trouble.’

Tubbo nodded, looking down. ‘I promise I’ve been trying to talk to my dads, but he keeps giving me time-consuming and pointless errands to do. He doesn’t want to talk to me.’

‘We’ll be okay, Tubbo,’ the blonde muttered, reaching through the bars to hold Tubbo’s hands.

Tubbo gave a sad laugh. ‘Yeah…’ he muttered, wiping the tears that started to leak out of his eyes on his shoulder.

‘We’ll be okay.’

Chapter 26

Chapter Text

Tubbo was pissed.

As soon as he had come up to his father, Quackity, to talk to him about the night before, the man had pushed him away, telling the prince to follow his other dad around for the entire day and do as he says. Quackity had then quickly escaped to their room, locking the door behind them.

That hadn’t been too bad though; Tubbo had expected his parents to avoid what had happened as they always seemed to, but what pissed him off most ws how his other father, Schlatt, kept sending him to do the most-time consuming and petty errands.

From cleaning his room three times to checking all of the offices to see if people were working, Tubbo had been sent from room to room on his father’s orders, without the man even making eye contact with his son.

Tubbo sighed as he stood up, brushing off as many blades of grass that had stuck to his pants as possible. His father had just given him the job of pulling weeds from the grass of the bee sanctuary, even though they had a gardener who they paid to do the job for them.

Tubbo then stomped up to the doors to the castle, banging them open as he walked through them, and made his way over to the office where his father, Schlatt, was working.

Tubbo knocked on the door, but when his father simply replied with ‘who is it?’, Tubbo opened the doors without an answer. Schlatt looked up in surprise before grimacing and looking back down at the paperwork he was working on.

‘Ah, just in time, Toby,’ he said. ‘I was hoping you could run down to-’

‘No.’

‘Huh?’ Schlatt looked up in surprise, not expecting the immediate decline.

‘I’m not an idiot, Dad,’ Tubbo said, his arms crossed and eyes alight with anger. ‘You and Dad have been trying to avoid talking to me all day.’

‘Whaat?’ Schlatt said, extending the ‘a’ sound. ‘That’s not true.’

Tubbo just glared at the man though, not willing to put up with the bullsh*t anymore.

‘Tommy is not a danger to us, Dad,’ Tubbo said. ‘He cares about me a lot, I know it. You’re just being paranoid.’

Schlatt scoffed, finally making eye contact with Tubbo. ‘Better safe and paranoid then in danger due to carelessness,’ Schlatt said, reciting the words he had spoken so many times to the boy. ‘I thought I taught you better than this.’

‘But you’re hurting me, Dad!’ Tubbo said, his eyebrows furrowing. ‘You’re being so suspicious of a boy my age who looks too skinny to even hold a sword and making me feel sad in the process. Tommy means a lot to me.’

‘You’ll get over it,’ Schlatt said, waving his hand and nervously looking back down to the paperwork in his hands.

‘Oh yeah?’ Tubbo said angrily. ‘You’re right, I’ll just get over it! Just like how I got over never having a friend in my life, or having to deal with the only people who wanted to be around me being my family and people who are paid to!’

Schlatt slammed his hand on the desk, causing the empty bottle of whiskey to rattle slightly and draw Tubbo’s eyes to it.

‘And you’re still drinking!’ Tubbo yelled, motioning to the bottle. Tubbo then noticed a pipe on the other side of his Dad-

And suddenly, it was as though the damn of emotions within him all spilled out.

‘YOU’RE SMOKING AS WELL?’ He screamed, picking up the pipe. Schlatt pathetically made to reach for the pipe being taken away from him, addiction driving his impulses, but the man then paused his hands mid-air, realizing how silly he looked.

‘I THOUGHT MAYBE YOU AND DAD WOULD FINALLY STOP SMOKING AND DRINKING AFTER I CALLED YOU OUT!’ Tubbo yelled, ‘BUT YOU’RE ONLY GETTING WORSE!’

‘I was smoking my pipe before…’ Schlatt mumbled, but it was as though Tubbo couldn’t hear him.

‘I’m so disappointed, Dad,’ he cried, tears coming to his eyes. ‘How could you do this to me and Lani?’

Schlatt didn’t answer.

‘I’m leaving. I’ll talk to you about Tommy tomorrow,’ Tubbo said, his voice cracking.

The door slammed behind him, causing the King to flinch.

---

The next morning, after Tubbo had gone down and fed Tommy, the prince found himself standing in the meeting room with his sister and Ranboo, along with his two fathers and their servants and important officials.

Schlatt and Quackity were standing above everyone else who were sitting, waiting for the big news that the two Kings were planning on giving. Tubbo could see where his height came from as he looked to his father, Quackity, who was much shorter than Schlatt.

‘We have decided on what actions we will take in regards to the boy from 2b2t,’ Quackity started, his smile not seeming as full as it usually was. ‘We ask none of you to speak until the end.’

Schlatt nodded, before speaking as well. ‘Tommy’s family will be put under heavy questioning surrounding the boy’s origins, as will the boy himself. If they do not tell, a search of their home is authorized.’

Tubbo pulled a face, his anger slipping into his expression. He hated this meeting so much. Nothing here was fair.

‘The boy is not to be brought out of prison,’ Quackity then said. ‘All interrogations will be performed from either side of the bars containing that motherf*cker-’

Schlatt shot his husband a glare, but Quackity kept smiling. Tubbo knew that his dad wasn’t very good at staying serious and usually the two would smile, wink and laugh with each other when the man swore or told a joke in the middle of a serious situation, but Tubbo was too distraught to even think about smiling back at Quackity.

‘Any questions?’ Quackity then continued, pretending to be oblivious to his husband’s glare.

Tubbo raised his hand, along with a man Tubbo recognized as Charlie the detective, or Slimecicle as he was nicknamed due to his ability to slide through conversations, avoiding questions thrown his way easily and without anyone even realizing.

‘Charlie?’ Quackity said, raising an eyebrow.

‘Is violence permitted?’ he asked curiously, his tone not matching the horror behind his words.

Schlatt hesitated before nodding, causing Tubbo’s insides to feel as though they were shrinking. ‘If need be, but not if there is another way to go about it.’

Lani then raised her hand, getting called on immediately. Tubbo felt angry at that, but his anger quickly disappeared at the question.

‘Why does it matter if he’s from 2b2t?’ she asked sassily, her hair flicking down from her shoulder. ‘It’s not like Tommy acts like an insane anarchist who wants to bring everyone down.’

Schlatt sighed. ‘2b2t is a dangerous place,’ Schlatt answered. ‘And no matter who comes from there, even if they are a five-year-old, one should be weary. They don’t understand morals or manners as we do.’

Tubbo felt his blood boil at that. He hated his Dad speaking about Tommy’s people as though they are so inferior and so much lesser than Essempians.

Schlatt glanced around, looking for any more questions aside from Tubbo's before clapping his hands together. ‘That’ll be all then,’ he said, not looking at Tubbo.

Tubbo felt like he was going to stab somebody.

Chapter 27: Chapter 27

Chapter Text

Tommy looked up as he heard footsteps yet again, frowning in confusion.

The person’s footsteps were louder than Tubbo’s, hitting the ground with more force and weight.

Tommy moved back in his cell, hiding in the shadows as a man appeared at the bars of his cell.

‘Hello, I’m detective Slimecicle,’ the man said in a voice that did not match his occupation. ‘I’m here to ask you a few questions and I want you to answer truthfully.

Tommy bared his teeth at the man, standing up and moving to the bars to meet face to face with the brunette. ‘What do you want from me?’ he asked, glaring at the man.

‘I’m just going to ask you a few questions,’ the man repeated. ‘First question, can you list the members of your family for me?’

‘Yes,’ Tommy responded, but the man just rolled his eyes.

‘This isn’t my first time with someone like you,,’ he said, before continuing. ‘List the names of your family.’

Tommy sighed. ‘The only family related to me is my mother and father,’ he said, picking dirt from under his fingernails.

Slime nodded, writing what Tommy had said down on the clipboard in his hands. ‘What about adoptive?’

Tommy hesitated, before remembering that the castle knew of everyone he was related to already.

‘Wilbur Soot, Philza and Tech-’ he quickly remembered Phil giving Techno a cover name, ‘Tyrone, sorry,’ he laughed nervously. ‘Sorry, It’s been a while since I’ve seen them,’ he said, forcing a smile.

‘How long?’ the detective asked, raising an eyebrow and scribbling notes.

‘Nearly three years,’ he answered truthfully.

Scribble.

‘Which family members did you leave?’

‘Philza and Tyrone.’

Scribble Scribble.

‘So, to confirm, you left your father and one of your brothers at the age of fourteen?’

‘Yes.’

‘How long have you been adopted by them for?’

This question caused Tommy to stop, unsure how to answer. He felt like the man would get suspicious of how he had lived for eleven years before meeting his new family and twelve years before getting adopted.

‘Can I refuse to answer?’ he asked, but his anxiety grew at Slime’s next words.

‘I would suggest not doing that,’ the man said in a falsely positive tone and smile that sent chills down Tommy’s spine.

‘...’ Tommy didn’t know what to say. What if they asked Phil, Techno and/or Wilbur and they responded differently? What if he got put in jail for longer for lying.

(What if he could escape more questions by lying?)

It was a risk he was willing to take.

‘Since I was five,’ he answered with believable confidence, a skill he had picked up and mastered quickly in life.

‘At such a young age?’ Slime replied.

‘Yes.’

Scribble.

Tommy tried to push down his high levels of anxiety.

‘Any families you were with before them?’

‘No.’ Tommy couldn’t help the slight hurt as he thought of his missing sister.

Scribble.

‘Where did you live with Philza, Wilbur and… Tyrone?’

The pause didn’t help Tommy’s anxiety. ‘Erthe,’ he replied, seeing no reason to lie about that, especially with Philza being known to live in the city of Erthe.

Scribble.

‘Have you ever visited any of the surrounding cities?’

Tommy’s face paled as he quickly thought back to a map Wilbur had shown him. He recalled 2b2t being a close nation to Erthe, although not as close as other cities such as Liave, Hypixelia and Sootahoushire. He quickly thought of the region of Skyablocka in Hypixelia, and the stories Techno had told him about the people there, with one of the stories Tommy remembered most vividly being about how many people from Skyablocka didn’t dye their hair as they lived in such an uncompetitive region, and their hair dying custom usually signified a person growing up and being able to fight.

Tommy wouldn’t look at all out of place in Skyablocka.

He was extremely grateful for Wilbur being a complete geography nerd and Technoblade having no interesting conversation topics aside from Hypixelia.

‘Skyablocka,’ Tommy answered, rolling his tongue subtly to give himself a small hint of an accent to make his story seem more real.

‘And how did you find your way to Erthe.’

Tommy didn’t need too much time to think as he basically repeated Techno’s childhood, telling the detective ‘I was found by Philza when he was coming to visit the annual competitions. He passed by my region and ended up taking me home,’ still rolling his tongue occasionally.

Scribble Scribble Scribble.

‘So you were the first, second, or third son of Philza’s?’

Time to lie again. ‘Second. Tyrone was the first son adopted and Wilbur was the last.’

‘So Tyrone had lived with Phil for over twelve years?’

‘Just over, yes.’

‘That’s a long time.’

‘He’s pretty old.’

Slime nodded before closing his clipboard. ‘Well that should be all,’ he said with a smile, although Tommy could detect unfriendliness behind the overly friendly facade. ‘I’ll be back tonight to ask more questions,’ he said before leaving, not seeming to notice Tommy flipping him off behind his back.

And Tommy was alone once more.

---

Tubbo sighed, holding Tommy’s food in his hands as he walked down to the prison.

He hated the position his friend was in because, sure, he had only know Tommy for a few days and, sure, Tommy had been hiding things from him, but Tubbo knew that it wasn’t fair to lock Tommy up simply for being born in a specific country.

Tommy had also shown no signs of hostility and hadn’t asked anything suspicious at all!

Tubbo pushed out a smile as he walked up to the bars of Tommy’s cell. The boy looked horrible, with large rips in his clothing and his already skinny form seeming much more pale and frail. Tubbo also felt like the boys abnormally bright eyes seemed a lot dimmer, although that may have been the dim lighting in the prison.

Tommy quickly grabbed the bowl of clumpy mush, downing the liquid-solid mixture in a matter of seconds, before handing back the bowl and wiping his mouth on his torn, dirty sleeve.

‘Tubbo,’ Tommy said, his voice sounding horrible, ‘I need you to do something for me.’

Tubbo raised an eyebrow, tilting his head in confusion. ‘Yes?’ he asked.

‘I need you to find my family,’ he whispered. ‘I need you to tell them that people will be coming to interrogate them, and that they need to lie.’

‘What lies do they need to tell?’ he asked, frowning.

‘That Phil found me second after ‘Tyrone’ and that I was five years old,’ he said. Tubbo nodded as he brought out a pen and paper from his pocket and started writing this down in his sloppy handwriting and bad spelling. ‘You must also tell them that I was born in Syablocka.’

Tubbo quickly scribbled that all down before repeating it. When Tommy nodded, Tubbo stood up.

‘I’ll get to them as soon as I can,’ he said. ‘Good luck, Tommy.’

Tommy gave Tubbo a smile.

‘I’m not the one who needs the luck.’

---

Tubbo ran down the street, note and a handful of coins in hand.

His father, Quackity, had given him permission to go to the shops in the city as long as he wore a disguise and bought the man something. Tubbo had given his father the biggest puppy eyes and widest, most wholesome smile he could manage, causing the man to collapse and give in quickly.

He had also managed to avoid his father sending him with Lani and Ranboo, quickly telling the man that he didn’t want an escort ebcause they would just make him stand out.

He still couldn’t fathom how his father had let him go so easily. Maybe guit?

Tubbo quickly stopped at the open sign on the door of the Soot library, knocking loudly. He didn’t have to wait long before the man he recognized to be Philza arrived at the door. Philza raised an eyebrow at the boy who was wearing an oversized coat, the hood pulled unnecessarily far down his face and hands far up the sleeves.

‘Who are you?’ the blonde asked, his eyes narrowing.

‘I’m Prince Toby!’ he replied quickly, pulling down his hood. ‘I need to send a message from Tommy,’ he said nervously, his eyes darting from side to side. Philza’s eyes widened and the door opened, allowing Tubbo to enter the library.

Tubbo smiled as a rush of warm air hit his face. It was reaching the coldest months of the year, so Tubbo was grateful to be out of the cold wind sweeping the streets of Essempe.

The library wasn’t that large, but somehow the Soot brothers had managed to fit many bookshelves, almost seeming to make the shop feel cozy while somehow managing to not make Tubbo feel overwhelmed. Tubbo was then led behind the counter, where Tubbo supposed Phil had been sat, to the stairs that lead to the top of the building.

Tubbo was shocked at how small the place Tommy lived in was. There was the kitchen and a table with stools that looked as though they had been given to them for free from a cafe all in the same room, with only a curtained off area to the right, where Tubbo could see a bed through the fabric where the natural light was shining on it.

Tubbo looked to see a man that he’d never seen before leaning against the kitchen counter with a cup of steaming liquid in his hand. The man had long, pink hair that had been twisted into a bun at the top of his head, while a long plait was protruding from the middle of the bun with the thick hair that couldn’t be managed. Tubbo could also see slight brown stubble on the man’s chin, which was jutted out in a way that reminded Tubbo of something with tusks.

Tubbo had a strong feeling that this 'Techno' guy was 'Tryone', and, judging by the man's pink hair that immediately gave him away as a Hypixelian, he could tell why his identity was hidden.

‘Techno,’ Philza said, addressing the man. ‘Techno’ looked up at Phil, before his eyes locked onto Tubbo’s nervous ones. The man’s eyes went slightly wider and he raised an eyebrow, showing off his confusion and conveying the obvious question of ‘what is he doing here?’

‘I’m Prince Toby,’ he said, introducing himself once again. ‘I have information that Tommy wanted me to give to you.

‘How do we know that’s true?’ the pink haired man asked, setting his cup down on the counter and folding his arms across his body.

‘I was the one who offered Tommy the role of being my servant in replacement to being in prison,’ he answered impatiently, tucking the money he was still holding into his jacket pocket.

‘Why?’ Techno asked with a suspicious glare.

Tubbo shrugged. ‘Tommy’s my age- even younger actually! I would feel too guilty to let him go to prison.’ He didn’t mention the loneliness.

‘It doesn’t matter though,’ he then said, opening the note that was flicking between his fingers. ‘Tommy’s gone to prison. Apparently they think he’s from 2b2t, so my fathers sent him to jail,’ Tubbo felt fury flow through him once again.

‘How did they find out?’ Phil asked after a moment of silence, his eyes wide in shock at hearing the news.

Tubbo hesitated, not wanting to admit to Tommy’s family that he was the one who got their son put into jail. Besides, he needed them to trust him.

‘He said the word ‘pog’ which is slang from 2b2t,’ he said instead, still speaking truthfully, but leaving parts out.

Phil smacked his head. ‘That child,’ Tubbo heard him mutter, causing the prince’s mouth to twitch upward into a small smile.

‘Anyways, he sent me to tell you a few things,’ Tubbo then said looking down at the note he had written. ‘Basically, a detective is probably going to come to your house to ask you a few questions. They asked Tommy a few questions as well and he lied, so he needs you to lie as well to match the story.’ Tubbo peered down at the paper. ‘He said to tell them that… he-he was four… no- five when he was ado-adopted, and that ‘Tyrone’ was the… first child adopted, and Tommy was the-the second.’

This was not the time to struggle to read.

‘And that-that Tommy was born in Sky-Skyabli- no, sorry -Skyablocka.’

Phil was nodding, while Techno seemed to be in deep thought.

‘Okay,’ the blonde said, nodding. ‘Thank you so much, Prince Toby.’

‘Tubbo’s fine-’ the prince started, but was cut off by a knock on the door.

All three men’s eyes widened.

‘Oh no,’ Tubbo whispered. ‘I need to hide!’

Phil nodded, motioning to Techno who was already moving towards Tubbo.

‘Here,’ he said. ‘We’ll hide you… under the sink!’ he said, dragging Tubbo towards the kitchen counter. ‘There’s nowhere good to hide except behind the piping so you’ll have to be really quiet and wrap that cloak around you.’

Tubbo nodded before, sliding into the cupboard. He then ducked beneath the piping moving to the left to avoid hitting his head, before bringing his knees up to his chest. The door was then shut behind him.

Oh God he hated being stuck in the cupboard.

Memories of his fathers both leaving him in a box by accident for hours on end flashed through his mind.

Not the time, brain.

Tubbo heard the door opening beneath him and he had to clamp his hand over his mouth to muffle his breath picking up pace.

Tubbo looked to his side and saw a fat book, but he couldn’t make out the letters in the dark.

The people’s muffled voices that slowly got louder, yet Tubbo couldn’t make out what was quite being said.

This went on for a while, before things turned ugly.

‘MEN, SEARCH THE LIBRARY!’ he heard someone shout, causing Tubbo‘s back to stiffen in horror.

Suddenly there was banging and snapping as cupboard doors were slammed open and floorboards were being smashed up. Tubbo quickly brought his cloak around his body trying to sink into the shadows and blend in.

Then, finally, his cupboard door was opened.

Tubbo held the smallest amount of pride in the fact that the man investigating the cupboards didn’t see him for a second, but his eyes then caught onto Tubbo’s.

It was over for him.

Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Chapter Text

Tubbo hung his head in shame as he was dragged by the armpit by the guard.

He had no idea what to do. He had been caught with the people his fathers were against and hadn’t even been able to by the patches he was planning to get his dads to help them out of their addictions.

f*ck.

Tubbo glanced behind him to see Philza and Techno being brought behind him. Techno was wearing the cloak he had been wearing when the two had come to the castle previously, so Tubbo supposed he was still going under the cover of ‘Tyrone’.

Philza was seemingly walking along calmly, the guard holding his arm not really needed. Techno, however, had struggled immensely when trying to be brought along, struggling lots before going completely still, throwing off the balance of the guards around him. Eventually they put cuffs around his hands, but Tubbo had seen the bulkiness of the man.

He was fairly certain the man could bust straight out of them.

Tubbo then looked forward to see the detective, Slimecicle, holding the book Tubbo had seen next to him. The detective had tried reading it at first as they walked, but his glasses had kept slipping down his nose, leading to him just shutting the book and resting it underneath one of his arms while he walked.

Tubbo knew the detective quite well from conversations the two’d had after meetings, but Tubbo had never seen the business side of the man. Usually Charlie was quite open, making stupid jokes and buying weird things to aid the stupid jokes, but now the man was walking along with his coat worn properly, leading his group of guards. His facial expression was also quite professional, not conveying much emotion aside from the small, smug smile he wore.

Tubbo wanted to slap the smugness off of his face.

The guard holding Tubbo dragged the boy over a rock on the road, causing him to wince as his foot hit the rock. Tubbo watched as Slime looked over, glaring at the guard.

‘Be more careful with the prince,’ he said. ‘We don’t want to face Schlatt’s wrath.’

Tubbo hated that he was only important for his title.

Finally the group arrived at the doors of the castle. Tubbo breathed in deeply as the doors were opened and he saw his fathers. They were both talking to each other, along with the Kings’ advisor, and they all looked as though they were having a very serious conversation.

Then they looked over at Tubbo.

Tubbo felt heat rise up in his cheeks with the humiliation he felt. He quickly looked down, but he had seen the shock on his dads’ faces. Tubbo looked behind him again to see Phil who still looked incredibly calm, helping Tubbo to feel a little better.

‘Tubbo?’

Oh god, that was Quackity. He had told his dad that he was going out to buy things, and he was trusted, but now he had been found with the people he wasn’t supposed to even go near.

He would never be trusted again.

‘Tubbo what happened?’

That was his other dad. Oh god. Did he even know that Tubbo was out of the castle.

‘We found Prince Toby hiding behind the piping of a sink when investigating the house,’ Slimecicle spoke up, causing Tubbo to wince. Part of him wanted to look up and see how his parents were reacting, but he couldn’t bring himself to, already knowing the shock, horror, anger and betrayal that would be on their faces.

Tubbo did look to his side, though, to see his sister and Ranboo watching, surprised.

Oh no. Tubbo couldn’t bear to look them in the face.

Had he betrayed his entire family?

‘What were you doing there, Tubbo?’ He couldn’t answer. He didn’t know how. The truth was just too much to say out loud, yet he felt like everyone already knew why he was there.

‘Did they…’ Quackity started, ‘Did the stories match up with Tommy’s?’

Tubbo could hear Slimecicle make a noise of confirmation, causing Tubbo to feel a little bit of his stress to leave his body. Maybe being caught was at least a little bit worth it.

‘Yes, surprisingly. It seems as though the boy either told the truth or…’ Tubbo could somehow feel the eyes on him, ‘ someone delivered a message.’

The harsh truth, out in the open.

‘No...’ he heard Quackity whisper. ‘Is this true, Tubbo?’

He wanted to lie, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t even speak the truth, so Tubbo just nodded, his head still hung with shame and embarrassment. Tubbo wanted to run, but he was still being held up by the strong guard’s arm holding his armpit.

‘Well… did you find anything?’ Schlatt must not have known how to react or what to do, which was rare for the man, and it broke Tubbo’s already shattered heart.

‘Yes actually!’ Slimecicle responded. ‘We found this book that seems to be the boy’s.’ Pages rustled. ‘I only got a glance at it, but it seems to detail things about the boy’s childhood and all about... 2b2t.’

sh*t!

‘Hand it over,’ he heard Schlatt say. There was then a sigh. ‘Tubbo look at me.’

He couldn’t he couldn’t he couldn’t -

‘Tubbo.’ Oh no. His dad was using his strict voice. He was in deep sh*t, wasn’t he?

‘Schlatt,’ Tubbo heard Quackity whisper, and Tubbo couldn’t help but pray that his other dad could lessen his punishment.

‘Quackity, our son has betrayed us!’ Who knew Tubbo’s heart could get shattered more than it already was? ‘He gave information to the enemy-’

‘He’s our son!’ Quackity yelled back. ‘I’m sure there was a reason! Just look at him; he's ashamed of what he did. He’s humiliated that he did it-’

‘No I’m not,’ Stop talking. Stop talking right now! Tubbo looked up, a glare on his face. Where did this confidence come from? You idiot you idiot you-

‘I’m ashamed that I got caught.’

...

Silence. He’d really f*cked up this time. His dad was in the middle of lessening his punishment, but Tubbo had gone and spoken up like an idiot, but he guessed there was no backing down now.

‘You don’t mean that,’ Quackity whispered, his eyes wide in shock.

He didn’t want to mean it. ‘I mean it. I don’t regret visiting Tommy’s family.’

‘What did you tell them?’ Slime asked, raising an eyebrow at the boy.

Tubbo shrugged to the best of his ability, although it was harder with his armpit still being held. ‘Mainly that Tommy missed them,’ he lied. ‘What’s it to you?’

Slime glared at Tubbo, causing the boy to shrink back slightly. He looked like he was about to say something, but stopped when he met eyes with Schlatt.

‘Tubbo, don’t you see the importance of locking away those from 2b2t?’ Schlatt asked him, but Tubbo shook his head.

‘No. I don’t,’ he replied.

Schlatt rubbed the bridge of his nose, as if disappointed in the prince. ‘People from 2b2t are more violent than you could imagine. They are from a country where violence is the answer- the only answer-, and those who try any other method learn this quickly.’

‘Tommy’s not like that though,’ Tubbo said, angry and sad tears building behind his eyes. ‘Tommy is loyal and would never hurt anybody intentionally unless for someone he loved!’

‘And what about those he doesn’t love?’ Schlatt asked with a glare, but Tubbo wasn’t giving up.

‘So you wouldn’t fight for those you love? You wouldn’t turn to violence if someone was threatening your children? Wasn’t threatening Dad?’

Schlatt grit his teeth together. ‘That’s different-’

‘How Dad? How is it different?’

‘Because you’re a leader of a nation!’ Schlatt glared at him, causing Tubbo to flinch back. ‘And don’t forget that-’

‘Oh, I’ll never be able to forget that,’ Tubbo said, anger lacing his voice. ‘No one will ever let me forget that. No one except for Tommy. Tommy treated me like a human!’

‘He should learn to treat you with respect!’

‘I don’t need another follower!’ Tubbo screamed. ‘I don’t need someone to ‘aw’ at me or tell me I’m cute because I’m short and have a public image to maintain! I need someone who treats me like a friend- like another human being!’ Tubbo was breathing heavily. Was it just him or was the room spinning? ‘Someone who treats me like I can make mistakes, because I do! I do make mistakes, Dad! I’M NOT PERFECT!’

‘SILENCE!’ Schlatt screamed, causing Tubbo to flinch, swallowing nervously. ‘BE QUIET!’

No one spoke. No one knew what to say, because what was there to say?

‘Schlatt, let my son go,’ Philza said quietly, his calm voice reaching to each end of the silent room.

Schlatt spat on Philza’s shoes, but the man’s expression surprisingly didn’t change. ‘You’re not getting your son back. He’s a thief from a violent nation of people that only seek to destroy.’

Tubbo burst into tears.

How did this happen?

---

Tommy was brought outside into a small, paved square of land inside the prison where every entry and exit was guarded by men and women.

There wasn’t anything to do in the square with the other prisoners besides from run laps, which everyone seemed to be doing. Tommy was reluctant at first, feeling as though he’d look stupid among the men, but quickly joined in when he saw a familiar face.

‘Hello Tommy,’ Sapnap said, a smile on his face as his bandanna flew behind him. Tommy gave him a small smile back, although his heart wasn’t really in it.

Tommy had just sent Tubbo off on a dangerous mission to get information to his family. He was stressed and worried about the prince. What if something went wrong?

‘I’m okay,’ he replied.

‘So… back in prison?’ Sapnap asked, raising one his eyebrows. Tommy was surprised to see that their was a slit in the man’s eyebrow, although Tommy usually couldn’t see that part of Sapnap’s face form the curtains of hair that were now being pushed back from the running.

Tommy nodded. ‘Not a fun time,’ he said, trying to joke. He appreciated it when Sapnap gave him a smile.

‘LESS TALKING!’ a guard yelled from the side, causing Tommy to have to hold back from glaring and flipping off the man. Sapnap just shook his head.

‘They love the power,’ he said, venom dripping from his words. ‘f*cking assholes.’

Tommy tried to nod, but it was hard while running.

Sapnap then grinned at the thief. ‘How about we show all these old losers how fast we are with a race?’ he said mischievously. ‘Whoever does the most laps wins?’

Tommy grinned. ‘Deal,’ he said, before increasing his speed. Tommy could hear Sapnap laugh at the obvious cheating, but he couldn’t care less.

Somehow, Tommy felt a bit of freedom in this small prison…

But he still craved true freedom.

Chapter 29: Chapter 29

Chapter Text

Awesome sighed, rubbing his head with the heel of his hand.

He had awoken in the base of L’manburg, where a rug was set up in case people needed a place to sleep.

L’manburg had a really well-hidden base, with it being located around the back of the Soot library between a few bushes. Sure, it was a pain in the ass to get to, but it meant that no one else could stumble upon it.

Especially with the rock they use to cover the hole back up.

Awesome missed Tommy more than he ever realized he would. He missed jokingly giving the kid tasks to complete when he went out, such as picking all the red flowers he saw or grabbing as many sticks as he could. He missed making up weird languages, with Tommy pretending he knew exactly what Awesome was saying.

Awesome missed the lightness Tommy brought with him everywhere he went.

When would he come home?

---

Thunder was angry. He wanted Tommy to be hurt, yet he wanted Tommy back at the same time.

Thunder was upset that Tommy got caught. He should have known better.

Thunder was sad that Tommy wasn’t there anymore to make things feel better than they were.

Thunder hated being angry, upset and sad.

---

Antfrost didn’t really know how to feel.

He missed the blonde boy.

---

Tommy was bent over, his hands resting on his knees as he puffed. He had nearly won against Sapnap, but in the last few minutes the man had passed him. Sapnap was also puffing, small laughs in between each heavy breath.

‘Well done,’ Sapnap laughed, high-fiving Tommy, who felt like he could barely lift his arm to return it.

The two then followed the rest of the prisoners through the doors out of the exercise room and back to their cells. They didn’t talk much on the way, seeing as they both felt like there wasn’t much to say, although that feeling was doubled with the guards breathing down their backs.

Tommy and Sapnap then waved goodbye as they split off down two different corridors, Tommy going to the right while Sapnap kept going forward.

Eventually, Tommy ended up back in his cell with no one to talk to and nothing to do except sit and stare at a wall, imagining a world that was less cruel.

Tommy eventually heard footsteps and he stood up, praying that it was Tubbo with some water and good news - maybe running for as long as he had wasn’t that good of an idea with how dehydrated he was.

Tommy’s heart dropped, however, as he watched two guards walk up to his cell, unlocking the door and grabbing him from either side. Tommy wanted to fight back, but he was tired, thirty, and these men were so much stronger than him.

So Tommy let them drag him up to the castle, just as they had done the first day.

Tommy eventually was dropped onto the floor in front of the two Kings, Princess Lani and Tubbo…

Tubbo who wouldn’t make eye contact with him.

Tommy felt his heart break as realization set into his bones. He didn’t want it to be true, but there was nothing else that could possibly lead to this series of events.

Tubbo had failed.

Tommy glared up at Schlatt, who was returning it with near equal fire and passion, before his eyes trailed down to what was tucked under his arm.

Tommy ‘s heart froze.

His mother’s book. The one that had been given to him and had led him through life. The book that had helped him take care of Drista. The book that told him about the country he lived in, as well as his family history.

The book that Tommy wouldn’t be alive without.

‘You manipulated my son,’ Schlatt started, causing Tommy’s angry eyes to snap up to the King’s dark ones. ‘You manipulated my son and tried to use him for your own bidding!”

‘I did no such thing!’ Tommy yelled back, showing for once the anger and passion he held. Tommy hadn’t been able to fight back since arriving at the castle, seeing as he would get put in jail, but since he was already there, he didn’t see the point in hiding it.

Tommy, your passion will get you nowhere.

That’s what Wilbur had said to him right? Well, Tommy was done playing nice.

‘You must have!’ Schlatt yelled back, anger flowing through his body. ‘I should never have let some thief like you near my son with a ten foot pole! Now you’ve gone and corrupted him!’

‘I haven’t corrupted sh*t!’ Tommy yelled. The boy thought he heard a man whisper ‘language’ behind him, but Tommy couldn’t give a f*ck.

‘Well, I found this book,’ Schlatt said, ignoring the upset look on the detective’s face at his words, ‘and you know what it says, Tommy?’

Tommy was shaking. ‘King Schlatt, that book was written by my mother; a strong and capable woman. She saved my life by writing that book.’ She also saved his little sister’s life.

‘Oh yeah?’ Schlatt said. ‘Abandoning you saved your life?’

‘Yes!’ Tommy yelled back, tears building behind his eyes. ‘If she had taken me with her or had stayed with me, she would have died trying to protect me! Leaving me with the book in a hidden place saved both of our lives!’ Maybe.

‘Well, all I got from this book is that your mother is a horrible woman who killed her husband!’ Schlatt said, spit flying everywhere.

Tommy balled his hands into fists. He wanted to stand from his kneeling position and slap the King on the face too many times to count, but he knew it would do nothing good for him.

‘Why have you brought me here then?’ he asked, fighting back tears.

Schlatt scoffed.

‘I want you to watch me burn your book. I want you to suffer.’

‘What are you talking about, Dad?’

Everyone turned to stare at Princess Lani in shock. Tommy hadn’t talked much with Lani, but he knew already that she was sassy, yet also somehow quite sweet at the same time. He definitely hadn’t spent enough time with her, though, for her to stand up against her own father for him.

How strange these Tublings were.

After recovering from shock, Schlatt straightened his tie, his eyes shifting around the room, not making eye contact with his daughter. ‘I’m going to burn this book with all of the boy’s information in it!’

Lani just tilted her head. ‘Why though?’ she asked. Tommy looked at her in confusion, not quite seeing where she was going with this.

Schlatt looked angry. ‘Because the boy seems to care about it!’

‘So why would you burn it?’

He and Tubbo glanced at each other and he felt a little bit better to see that the prince was just as confused as he was.

‘Because he deserves to be punished, Lani-’

‘Why?’

Schlatt glared at her, causing Tommy to feel anger rise in his bones. No one should look at their child like that, but Tommy supposed he couldn’t do anything about it in that moment.

‘Because he is a thief and from 2b2t!’ Schlatt declared loudly, puffing his chest out in confidence.

‘Isn’t jail time enough for theft? Also, how is being from 2b2t a crime?’ Lani then tilted her head. ‘Isn’t that a bit racist?’

Schlatt’s nose flared in anger, but before he could say anything, Quackity cut in.

‘Yeah, I may not like people from 2b2t-’ was it stab Tommy in the heart day? ‘-but hurting the kid because he was born there doesn’t sit right with me…’ Quackity hesitated, fiddling with his fingers. ‘Especially since, as you know, I’ve faced a lot of racism…’

It was true. Lots of people had strong opinions about Schlatt marrying an El Rapids man, especially one of no noble title, but the royal family didn’t care and, soon enough, Essempe accepted Quackity, although not without damage being caused first.

Schlatt sighed. ‘I know…’ he muttered, pushing a hand through his hair. ‘But this is different. He wasn’t just born in 2b2t, he was raised in 2b2t.’

Quackity glared at him and Tommy was surprised to see the anger in his eyes, along with the angry smile the man was giving his husband.

‘I was raised in El Rapids,’ he said, tilting his head in confusion.

Suddenly, Schlatt was fumbling around, being slowly caught up in a trap that would be difficult to escape.

Tommy could tell just from looking at the man that Schlatt wasn’t the kind of guy to do well being put in this kind of situation.

And he was right.

‘I just mean… it’s… it’s 2b2t! That’s different!’

‘But if you can love me from my place in an also fairly hostile nation, can’t you let the child go?’

Schlatt glared at Quackity, but his husband just returned it stronger. ‘2b2t is a worse place-’

‘Doesn’t mean Tommy’s a worse person!’ Quackity yelled back at the King. ‘I was a thief when we met too, y’know. ‘ Quackity glanced at Tommy with a frown. ‘We aren’t that different, you know?’

‘IT DOESN'T MATTER!’ Quackity flinched, but Schlatt didn’t notice. ‘I’M BURNING THIS BOOK!’

‘It does matter!’ Quackity half-yelled back angrily, his voice having a scarily calm tone to it.

‘f*ck OFF, FLATTY PATTY!’

Silence.

Schlatt didn’t seem to realize the insult he delivered, as he quickly carried on.

‘Just take your non-existent ass and go do some squats or something,’ he said loudly with a sneer.

Quackity stared at him for a moment, before his eyes narrowed. ‘Did you drink?’ he asked, anger flowing through his calm-sounding voice.

‘A little, what’s it to you?’ Schlatt said, and it hit Tommy that the alcohol that the King must have drank was setting in. ‘I can do whatever I want, bitch.’

Quackity glared at him. ‘Do you want me to slap you?’ he asked angrily. ‘In front of our own children, do you want me to slap you?’

‘Go ahead!’ Schlatt laughed. ‘You won’t do it, flatty patty.’

‘Say that one more time, I dare you.’

‘Flatty patty-’

SLAP!

Silence.

A door slammed.

Tommy’s eyes met King Schlatt’s.

‘Fine, take your f*cking book.’ Beat. ‘Guards. Take him to jail. I never want to see his face again.’

Chapter 30

Chapter Text

-Flashback-

Tommy was eleven when he followed Phil to the city of Erthe. Drista was nine.

Tommy constantly watched over Drista, even though he knew that there was no need to. He wanted to protect his younger sister and make sure that she stayed safe, even though he knew that, if it came down to it, she would most likely do a better job at protecting him than the other way around.

Phil, Tommy and Drista had stayed the night at a small inn on their way to the city of Erthe, as they were only walking. This meant that it would take a few days for them to reach the city.

Tommy couldn’t help but pray that nothing happened in the space of those few days.

Tommy watched as Phil bought a lot of food for the road that night, which helped Tommy feel more comforted, as nobody would buy so much food if they planned to do something bad with the people they were bringing along, right?

Drista and Tommy slept close together those nights on the trip to Erthe, both to share warmth and for comfort. Tommy would usually wake up first, making sure they still had all of their belongings and lying in the makeshift or old beds they were able to lie on. It was weird lying down on something so soft. Tommy wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

Eventually, though, Tommy, Phil and Drista arrived at the city of Erthe. Tommy was shocked at the civility that was shared among the people, with everyone walking calmly passed each other, as if they had no worries in the world.

Tommy couldn’t even try to act ‘normal’.

Tommy stayed directly behind Phil, deciding that the blonde man most likely wouldn’t turn on them now seeing as they had been travelling in the middle of nowhere for so long. He bared his teeth at people who got too close and Tommy felt like his eyes were watching everyone at once with how quickly they were darting around.

Drista and Tommy gripped each other’s arms tightly.

Phil eventually stopped by a small home near walls of the city, knocking on the door with his knuckles. Tommy frowned at the action, and was shocked when the door opened for the cloak-wearing man.

The door was opened by a man with a long, pink braid hanging over his shoulder. The man wore a puffy white blouse, with tight black pants and a scarily-obvious sword attached at his hip.

Tommy eyed the sword carefully.

‘Who are these people?’ The pink haired man had asked as he waved Tommy, Drista and Phil inside. Tommy stared around the interior in shock. It was extremely warm inside, with a small fire being contained in a stone-box in the wall, and the same comfort items on the beds of inns they stayed at being scattered around the room.

‘This is Tommy and his sister, Drista,’ the blonde said, responding to the pink-haired man. He then turned to Tommy and Drista. ‘This is Technoblade.’

‘Technoblade’ moved his hand out in front of him, as if wanting to grab onto Tommy, causing the boy to shuffle backwards in confusion. Before either Tommy or Technoblade could say or do anything, however, Tommy heard a thumping from the back of the house, where the stairs were.

Tommy looked up to see a tall boy with brown, wavy hair and a yellow sweater standing at the bottom of the staircase, one of his eyebrows raised in surprise and a wooden instrument strapped to his back. Tommy stared at the wooden box-looking thing, noticing the odd shape and strings running from the top to the bottom of the instrument.

‘And this is Wilbur,’ Phil introduced the boy, who waved to Tommy and Drista. ‘These are my sons,’ Phil explained. ‘And they are both adopted.’

Drista frowned. ‘Any women in this house?’ she asked, causing Tommy to give a small snort of laughter. Drista nudged Tommy from behind him, but the boy just laughed louder, shoving back.

Phil laughed as well. ‘No,’ he replied, causing Drista’s shoulders to droop forward. ‘But there are many girls your age in the city who have a club not too far from here.’ Phil then smiled. ‘They’ve been looking for a new addition for a while now. I’m sure they’d love you.’

Drista smiled and Tommy gave the girl a reassuring nudge, with Drista responding with just as much force.

‘Before the girls adopt you, though,’ Phil laughed, ‘you can sleep with Tommy in the spare room set up upstairs for guests.’

Tommy frowned at the word ‘guest’. He didn’t quite know how long they’d be willing to let him stay, let alone how long he wanted to stick around in the first place.

Phil seemed to catch Tommy’s expression, quickly adding on ‘it can be your room if you end up staying here. You’re welcome for as long as you need or want.’

Tommy smiled, sharing a happy glance with Drista who looked equally as excited.

That night, Tommy and Drista had a large meal, withe extra being poured onto their plates as soon as Wilbur had noticed their bones poking through their shirts.

That night, Tommy and Drista snuggled closer together, although not for warmth or comfort, but instead out of love, companionship and happiness.

That night, Tommy found his way into the hearts of a new family, and he couldn’t be more thrilled.

-----

Tubbo was held back by his Dad’s arm as Tommy was dragged away, Book held close to the thief’s chest.

Tubbo was angry at his father, but was more angry at himself. He felt like he had gotten Tommy into more trouble, even if it wasn’t necessarily true.

Tubbo wished he was strong enough to be able to do more for Tommy. To be able to save the boy.

Tubbo could never forget the intense anger in those blue eyes as his only friend was dragged away.

Tubbo looked over to where Phil and Technoblade were standing, watching in shock and horror as Tommy was dragged away. Tubbo could relate to that feeling. He felt the same.

‘What are you planning to do with the boy, Schlatt?’ Phil soon spoke up, anger lacing his words.

‘I don’t want to talk right now,’ the King said with a wave of his hand, practically ignoring the legendary figure.

‘Are you just going to let a boy younger than Tubbo rot in jail, huh? For being born somewhere he couldn’t control-’

‘I’m not TALKING RIGHT NOW!’ Schlatt yelled to Phil.

The two fathers’ eyes connected across the room, pure fury lighting each of their faces.

Nobody dared interrupt.

Nobody dared get in between them.

Schlatt was the first to break eye contact.

‘Tomorrow, we will talk about this, King Schlatt,’ Philza spat, turning around and waving Technoblade to follow him.

‘The only thing we’ll be talking about is you getting out of my country, Philza,’ the king responded. ‘Goodbye.’

Tubbo didn’t know what to do as his world collapsed around him.

Chapter 31

Chapter Text

Tubbo rubbed his eyes tiredly, his vision seeming to get more and more blurry as the night went on.

He hasn't slept all night after the dangerous idea hit him, and he was definitely paying the price; he would barely be able to read the words in front of him if he didn’t have dyslexia, and he felt his head ache at the thought of doing more work, but he couldn’t stop.

It had been around an hour until midnight when the idea struck him.

He was going to get Tommy out of jail.

It would be very difficult, especially with the already high security in the prison. The only reason why he was allowed to see Tommy in the first place was because the guards knew that he had permission to visit the one specific prisoner, but now his father had told all of the guards that Tubbo wasn’t allowed in the same quadrant of the building where the prison was, and everything was a lot harder.

Tubbo rubbed his eyes again, feeling tear drops dampen his hands, before peering at the list of ideas he had, although there were more scribbled-out ideas than plausible ones, and that was with his bedroom’s trash can already full of discarded notes.

Tubbo sighed as he felt his eyelids droop shut, leaning back on his bed. He felt himself begin to doze off, before quickly sitting up and shaking himself awake. He couldn’t let Tommy down because he was a bit tired. He was going to break that boy out of prison, and then…

Well, he didn’t know what he’d do then.

The only idea he’d had of the aftermath of breaking Tommy out of prison was running away with him, but there was no way he could do that! They’d have nowhere to go and both of his fathers would probably stop at nothing to find him, knowing them.

Tubbo sighed, reaching for his pen, but froze with his hand mid-reach as he heard a knocking on his door. Tubbo frowned, slowly getting up, before quickly stuffing the notes he had under his mattress.

‘Come in,’ he called quietly, and the door opened. Standing there was Lani and Ranboo, as well as a guard. Tubbo frowned at the guard, before waving the two in.

Tubbo watched as Ranboo shut the door behind them, and Lani sat at the chair to his desk.

‘He let you in?’ Tubbo said in surprise, referring to the guard.

Lani just shrugged. ‘I just reminded him that the fate of his job, entire life, and family’s lives all lay in the palm of my fathers’ hands,’ she said with a smile. Tubbo’s eyes widened and he turned to Ranboo, who just shook his head.

‘I’m so glad I’m not against you guys,’ the tall boy said. ‘Especially Lani. No offence, but you two both scare me,’ he admitted. Tubbo found it amusing how such a tall boy could look so small as he observed Ranboo’s hunch over shoulders and fidgeting fingers.

Lani just smiled sweetly at ranboo, before turning, with full seriousness, to Tubbo. ‘We need a way to get Tommy out of prison,’ she said, fury detectable in her tone of voice.

Tubbo sighed. ‘Two things. First of all, obviously,’ he said, as he pulled the notes he had out from under his mattress. ‘And secondly, what do you mean we?’ he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lani rolled her eyes. ‘I’m obviously going to help,’ she said, a hand resting on her chest dramatically. She then shrugged. ‘And Ranboo has to follow me around so I guess he can come along too.’

Tubbo shook his head. ‘Lani this could be really dangerous. I’m not just going to let my little sister-’

‘Would you let me if I was your little brother?’ she asked pointedly, knowing exactly what she was doing as she backed Tubbo into a corner verbally. ‘That’s really low of you. I thought better of you, honestly,’ she sighed.

Tubbo regretted ever letting his fathers have Lani tutored in Diplomacy and Advanced Language.

‘Look, Lani,’ Tubbo started, but he was cut off yet again.

‘Tubbo why won’t you let me join, hm?’ she asked, her eyebrow raised. ‘I could help you! Two- no, three heads are better than one! And you might need bait, or a distraction!’ she smiled excitedly. ‘We could help with that!’

Tubbo shook his head. ‘I’m not letting you get in trouble with-’

‘Oh come on,’ she frowned. ‘I’m already in trouble.’ she then pulled her trump card. ‘You should understand that if I didn’t help, I would feel so much worse than if I did help and got in trouble.’

Damnit.

‘Ugh,’ Tubbo groaned. ‘Fine! You and Ranboo can help!’ Tubbo then sighed. ‘So, any ideas?’ he asked.

Lani smiled. ‘I’m glad you asked,’ she laughed, pulling out a few notes of her own. ‘I say tomorrow, after lunch, you sneak off to the prison, meanwhile Ranboo and I cause a diversion far enough away that we won't be in your way, but close enough that the guards by the prison should leave their post.’ Lani then handed Tubbo a piece of paper where a map of the area’s layout was drawn up. ‘I’d say around here,’ she told him, pointing to a red dot on the map. ‘Then you can follow this blue line path straight into the prison!’ she then said, dragging her finger along a blue line.

‘But the door will be locked,’ Tubb said with a frown, taking the notepad. Lani then smirked at him.

‘You know how to pick locks?’ she said with a devious glance.

…

‘No, I don’t,’ Tubbo said, rolling his eyes.

Lani groaned. ‘Way to ruin the moment,’ she then said, before smiling again. ‘Whatever! Ranboo knows how, he can teach you!’

Tubbo turned to Ranboo, an eyebrow raised. ‘You know how to pick locks?’ he asked in shock. He gave Tubbo a small smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

‘I know a thing or two,’ he admitted, before being elbowed by Lani above the kneecap, which was somehow level with her elbow while she sat and he stood.

‘He knows a lot,’ she said with excitement. ‘You ready to learn, Tubs?’ she laughed.

Tubbo sighed. ‘What do I do after I get Tommy? How do I even pass the guards inside the prison?’

Lani shrugged, before her eyes lit up. ‘How about I then split away from Ranboo and rendezvous with you at the prison door. We then shut the door behind us . From there we’ll pull out some disguises; I can be the cop and you can be the prisoner-’

‘No way,’ Tubbo said quickly, causing Lani to deflate.

‘But Tub-’

‘I’m going to be the guard, and you can be the prisoner,’ he said mischievously, before shrugging. ‘I am the taller one, after all.’

Lani smiled. ‘Okay fine,’ she said. ‘You take me through the prison, until we get to Tommy’s cell.’ She then frowned. ‘It may take a while to find…’

‘I know where it is already,’ Tubbo then said.

‘Perfect! Then we can break Tommy out!’

‘How do we get back out then?’ Tubbo then asked with a frown.

Ranboo then spoke up, nervously. ‘You could probably lace the guard’s drinks with sleeping stuff.’

Lani snapped her fingers. ‘Great idea!’ She then frowned. ‘We then wait until guards swap over and wait until Ranboo comes and gets us when the guards have fallen asleep. We then take Tommy and…’

‘How do we get through the castle?’ Tubbo asked, voicing what everyone was thinking, although he did feel a rising sense of hope and excitement coursing through his veins.

Ranboo hummed. ‘Maybe we could use the vent system?’

Tubbo stared at him. ‘The vent system?’

‘That’s perfect!’ Lani yelled, high-fiving a shy Ranboo.

‘Shush!’ Tubbo whispered, putting a finger in front of his mouth. He then sighed. ‘Okay. We leave through the vents, pop out in…’

‘My bedroom!’ Lani spoke up. ‘No one will suspect me.’

‘Great. Then we escape through…’

‘The window.’

‘How many stories high?’

‘You know exactly how many. Also, we both know that this isn’t our first time doing this-’

‘What?’ Ranboo asked in shock, staring at the two royals.

Tubbo just waved a hand at Ranboo in a shooing motion. ‘Fine,’ he told Lani. ‘Then what do we do with our lives?’

Lani smirked. ‘We start a revolution,’ she shrugged.

Chapter 32

Chapter Text

Wilbur struggled to leave his bed.

Techno and Phil had told him what had happened with Tubbo and Tommy, and Wilbur could hardly bear the stress anymore. Tommy, his little brother, was not only in the middle of a castle, but he was a thief in the middle of a castle.

And now, he was a criminal in the middle of a castle prison.

Wilbur had been lying in bed ever since he heard the news. At first it was a safety precaution, in case he fainted, but now it was less about his lightheaded-ness, and more about his motivation draining out of him.

Tommy was the main reason why he got out of bed every morning and worked hard at his jobs to earn money to get food. Why did that gremlin child have to leave him?

Wilbur rolled over for the first time in hours, his eyes teary as they were met by the sight of Phil and Techno quietly sitting at his old table, coffee in each of their hands. Wilbur supposed that Phil and Techno had moved the small, makeshift curtain Tommy and Wilbur had built around the bed out of the way to keep an eye on him, which made a small part of Wilbur feel a little bit better.

Phil seemed to notice Wilbur’s new position and he frowned at the brunette before walking over, Technoblade close behind him. ‘How are you feeling?’ asked the kind man, but Wilbur just shook his head.

‘How could this have happened?’ he whispered, wanting to drag his head into his hands, but not having enough energy or motivation to do so.

Phil patted Wilbur’s back gently. ‘He’ll be fine, Wil,’ Phil told the brunette, his voice calm and reassuring as always. ‘I can’t imagine they could do anything to him, and that Tubbo kid seems to have his best interest at heart!’

‘Unless it was staged,’ Techno muttered. He then looked up to see two pairs of eyes staring at him, and quickly continued on with his thought process. ‘It just seemed a bit odd with the timing of Tubbo’s arrival and then the timing of the guards, especially since Tubbo is-’

‘Shut up!’ Wilbur said angrily, rolling onto his back. Wilbur flung his arm over his head and sighed. ‘I don’t want to hear it, Techno.’

Technoblade just shrugged, seeming angry that he had been told off. Wilbur supposed that was a trait Techno had obtained after years of being spoiled by Phil.

Wilbur then rolled back over, trying to avoid showing his tears to his father and brother. ‘I’m gonna take another nap,’ he mumbled, listening as Techno left immediately. Wilbur then waited for Phil to leave after a while, before relaxing.

How could this happen?

-----

-Flashback-

Tommy read through his mother’s book, tears running down his face as he held it close to his chest.

-----

Tommy was twelve, and was extremely bored of these ‘manner lessons’ he was taking with Phil.

It had all started when the man had taken Tommy and Drista out the day after bringing them to Erthe to buy the two children new clothes to replace their singular outfits. It didn’t go as well as Phil had obviously hoped, however.

Yeah… they hadn’t even made it 50 steps before turning back around.

Apparently, it wasn’t ‘socially acceptable’ for Tommy to growl at passing people, for some unknown reason, and apparently Drista wasn’t allowed to brandish her sharpened sticks at anyone that was even close to their odd group of three.

Phil had then quickly dropped Tommy back off at his house, before taking Drista to meet the group of girls she was so excited to see. Tommy had felt upset by this, and it showed when he refused to speak to both Techno and Wilbur, but he quickly pushed those feelings down as Phil came through the front door.

Phil had said that they’d start easy with simple manners when walking down the street. Tommy immediately proved him wrong about teaching these kind of manners being easy.

Even Techno, who usually tried to stay out of everyone’s business, was tempted to ask Phil if he was okay after he had tried to teach yet another lesson of manners to Tommy. The man usually prided himself in being extremely patient, but Tommy’s constant questions over the simplest of things quickly got on his nerves.

Although it was a bit eye-opening, as the boy asked things Phil had never even thought about.

‘Why should I have to show respect to a stranger?’

How do you even answer that? Especially while simultaneously trying to teach a child about staying away from strangers.

Tommy just pushed through though, even though, unknown to anyone else in the household, he wasn’t blind to Phil’s frustration with him.

Tommy secretly wanted to push this man to his breaking point to see how he’d react. He wanted to make sure Phil had good intentions, and that his sister would stay safe-

Although, Drista didn’t hang out with Tommy nearly as much anymore.

At first, she was home every night, and would even spend full days with Tommy, but slowly she started spending everyday with her other friends, then started staying nights. Eventually, Drista was away more than she was with Tommy, with the only conversations the two had when they got to talk being filled up by what Drista was doing with her friends.

Tommy was jealous; he knew it, but every time he saw Drista’s eyes sparkle when she left for her female friends, or when she talked about them, Tommy was reminded that this was what he wanted for Drista;

For her to be happy.

Tommy sighed as Phil started talking about how to hold a fork correctly, handing one to Tommy. Tommy then realized that it had been around a minute since he had asked a question.

He couldn’t have that.

Tommy quickly zoned into what Phil was saying, inspecting the fork.

‘...You then out your thumb-’ Phil was saying, but Tommy quickly cut him off.

‘You put your thumb where?’ he asked annoyingly, and he watched as Phil’s eye twitched.

‘Why interrupt me to ask about what you would’ve heard if you hadn’t interrupted me?’ Phil asked tiredly with a sigh.

Tommy then shook his head with a mysterious smile. ‘I wasn't sure what you were going to talk about. I can’t read minds,’ he told the older blonde in a voice that is typically used when a person talks to someone stupid.

Phil sighed again, before continuing and Tommy quickly zoned out, copying the actions Phil was making with his hands.

Tommy missed Drista, but she was happy now, so it was okay.

Or at least, that’s what Tommy tried to convince himself of as he clutched his mother’s book close to his chest, tears running down his face.

Chapter 33

Chapter Text

Tubbo was worried as he sat on Ranboo’s shoulders, unscrewing a vent with a stolen knife from dinner.

It was fairly late, although not late enough that Tubbo, Lani and Ranboo were expected to be in their rooms. Lani was keeping an eye out on one end of the corridor, making sure no guards passed by as Tubbo prepared the vent for their mission, while Ranboo kept his eyes on the other end of the hallway.

Tubbo grunted softy, twisting the knife hard and opening the vent, before handing the vent cover to Lani. Tubbo also passed down the screws and knife, before pulling himself up into the vent with as much strength as he could muster, while Ranboo pushed from beneath him. He then watched as Lani was lifted by Ranboo, before she replaced the vent cover, securing it with light screws that could easily be taken out with your fingers.

‘You ready?’ Tubbo heard Ranboo whisper, and he made a noise of conformation. He was nervous, especially since he had to put all of his faith into the information that the three had gathered not so long ago.

Ever since Tubbo, Ranboo and Lani had started coming up with ideas to get Tommy out, they had done a lot of preparation for the big day, with them messing with the vents being a part of the preparations.

They had to make sure that the blueprints they had gotten weren’t false.

---

‘Do you really think that Karl will have blueprints to the vents?’ Ranboo asked yet again, his long fingers fidgeting nervously.

Tubbo rolled his eyes, having heard this question so many times as the trio of him, Ranboo and Lani all walked on their way to the previously mentioned man’s office. Karl Jacobs was the creative director, and was most likely the one to have blueprints to anything in the building, especially since he would often have a lot of meetings with architects both within the castle and just in the city.

Lani gave Ranboo a reassuring pat on his lower back, seeing as she couldn’t reach much higher. ‘It’ll be fine,’ she started, before her eyes caught sight of something ahead of them. ‘Hey! There’s his office now!’ she smiled.

Tubbo swallowed nervously, seeing that his short sister was right. Sure, he had been angry at Ranboo only moments ago for doubting their plan, but he also felt a sense of dread when standing face-to-face with the door.

Oh well. Here goes nothing.

‘Karrrrrrrrll!’ Tubbo whined from behind the door, quickly switching into one of his characters. ‘Karl Jacooooooobs!’

The door opened to reveal the brunette, who was smiling warmly at the trio. ‘Hey Tubbo what’s up?’

‘Tubbos being all ‘Big Crime’ right now,’ Lani sighed, putting on an impressive performance. Tubbo wasn’t too surprised though, seeing as she was often very dramatic. ‘Do you think you could let him do his thing for a second. We’ll be out of your hair quickly,’ she said with her sweetest smile.

Karl glanced at Tubbo and the boy knew he’d have to put it on more. His mind flickered to the practice he had done with his sibling and friend, but that information as quickly slipping.

Improve time!

‘Karl Jacobs, if you do not let me in right now, I’m going to marry Ranboo, and you’ll cry knowing that you were the cause of this great man’s downfall as I torture his with puns every day of his life-’

‘You already do that,’ Ranboo sighed, before frowning. ‘Wait! Why are you-’

‘Don’t make me marry him, Karl!’ Tubbo continues, spouting whatever came to mind. ‘Don’t make me platonically marry him-’

Karl just burst into laughter. ‘Fine,’ he smiled. ‘Come in, but I’m in a meeting with Purpled right now.’

Ah, Purpled. Just great.

Purpled was well-known for being very perceptive, often picking up traits of people quickly. This was very useful in his occupation in real-estate, although not as helpful when Lani, Tubbo and Ranboo were planning on stealing blueprints right from under Karl’s nose.

Yeah, having an extremely perceptive person in the room wouldn’t be best for that.

‘hEllO pUrPLeD!’

This was going great.

‘You’re actually mistaken, sister dearest, as I am big LAWWWWWWWW!’ Tubbo turns to Karl, pointing his finger at him dramatically. ‘And you have DOMINOES COOKIES!’

‘What?’ Karl laughs, but Tubbo just continues.

‘I’m a lawyer, you know. And you know what you are, big guy?’ Tubbo’s eyes catch Purpled’s, which are slowly drifting off of him. ‘You’re a bitch, Jacobs, just like Purpled here!’

‘Excuse me?’ Purpled says, his hand covering his chest in fake hurt. ‘I am no bitch!’

‘Yeah, well I’m a lawyer, and I can tell a bitch when i see one!’ Tubbo says proudly, doing a spin.

Tubbo continues for a bit, yelling random words at them in the deepest voice he can muster, but he can tell that the two are getting bored of him. He slaps both his hands on his knees loudly, sending the signal for back up from Lani to his sister.

Lani goes straight to action.

She collapses on the floor, right between all of them, before rolling around on the ground.

That was unexpected.

‘Are you okay, Lani?’ Purpled asks, holding a hand out to help her stand up, but she just smirks at him.

‘Oh, so you think that just because I’m a girl that I need help? That I can’t get up on my own?’ she asks, propping her head up on the palm of her hands.

‘What?’ Purpled asks in confusion, but Lani starts talking quickly.

‘You know maybe I wanted to fall over, hm? You shouldn’t always assume, Purpled. It paints a bad picture, and let me tell you, that picture is not the colour-’

‘Are you about to make a joke about my name?’ he asks.

Tubbo quickly looks over to Karl, assuming that Lani has Purpled covered. ‘Did you know that I’m above the law?’ he asks, making eye contact with the creative director.

Karl coughs nervously with a laugh. ‘I guess that’s true,’ he says.

…

The moment is so very over, but Tubbo doesn’t break eye contact as he stares with a completely straight face at the man in front of. Karl giggles nervously, looking around as if something could save him now.

He wishes-

Click. Click.

The sound of a pen.

Ranboo had found the blueprints, and now they coud leave.

Tubbo smiled as Lani stood up and they waved, leaving the room with quick goodbyes.

Purled and Karl just stood there, not quite sure what had just happened.

---

And so, with Lani and Ranboo’s distraction practiced and the blueprints successfully stolen and checked, all that was left was for them to break Tommy out.

Chapter 34

Chapter Text

-Flashback-

Tommy knew that he had f*cked up as soon as he saw Phil’s face.

He had been an absolute nuisance ever since Phil had taken him, constantly playing pranks. He didn’t know why he did it really, aside from the fact that it was fun, but he had once overheard Phil telling Techno and Wilbur that it was because he was ‘speed-running the childhood he had never had’, whatever that means.

Maybe he was, but he had another idea why.

He wanted to push their limits. He wanted to see how far he could go before they broke, revealing their true intentions- because they had to have bad intentions! No one would pick up two - or one, he supposed, trying to push away the reminder that Drista hadn’t hung out with him for a week - children and decide to take care of them without bad intentions!

But he was starting to get doubtful at the three week mark, although that didn’t stop him from causing trouble.

Phil had also told Wilbur and Techno that Tommy might just be lonely, unsure what to do without Drista. As if…

Okay, even he would admit that that was a likely possibility- but it was probably wrong!

Well either way, he was about to find out if he had reached the limit. After all, he had just completely upturned every last thing in the kitchen, including three bags of flour, one and a half cartons of eggs, all of the fruit and vegetables, and the meat, leaving only Wilbur’s small collection of jars that held things such as pond water and sand.

‘Tommy, mate…’ Phil started, staring at the state of the kitchen, before groaning. He then turned to Tommy furiously. ‘What have you done?’

Tommy looked around at the mess he had created, before looking back at Phil.

‘Just spilt some flour.’

Probably should have thought before he spoke.

Phil stares at Tommy, before laughing, although Tommy could tell this was not a good laugh. Phil was obviously pissed, especially when he spat out the words ‘you’ve really gone and done it’, with a shake of his head.

...Definitely should have thought before he spoke.

‘Why’d you do it mate?’ Phil then asked, no longer laughing as he stared angrily into Tommy’s eyes.

Why had he done it? Well that was embarrassing.

Phil’s stare hardened when Tommy didn’t answer, causing the kid to gulp.

‘Hey look, I'm sorry Phil, alright?’ he says quickly, putting on the best ‘puppy-eyed’ expression he could pull, making his voice go higher. ‘I’m really sorry, Phil. I promise-’

‘Why’d you do it?’

Ah sh*t.

Tommy really didn't want to have to explain to the man that he had spilt a bit of flour, and instead of cleaning it up, he decided that the best way to cover up the accident was to purposefully cause more chaos and wreak havoc.

Phil just sighed when Tommy wouldn’t explain why he’d done it, massaging his temples with his fingers. ‘Clean this sh*t up,’ he says. ‘We’ll talk later.’

Oh f*ck.

Tommy then watched as Phil walked out of the room, head still in his hands. There was a moment of silence as Tommy stared around at the mess he had caused. Why does he sabotage himself like this, he doesn’t know.

Is this what he had wanted? In theory, yes. But now that it had happened, he wasn’t so sure what to think.

Obviously Phil was going to kick him out then, right? And then he'd go to Drista to hang out with her and her friends-

But they probably wouldn’t want him there, would they. There was a reason why he wasn’t invited along with Drista. Besides, what if Phil stopped him somehow from seeing Drista forever! What if he stopped Drista from seeing her own friends!

Tommy hated it, but he felt like an idiot. A selfish idiot.

What had he done-

‘Need a hand?’

Tommy looked up in surprise to see Wilbur looking at him from the stairs, leaning against the railing with a co*cky smirk. He then felt dread sweep through his body. Wilbur had come to make fun of him. Great.

‘I don’t need your pity help,’ Tommy snarls, leaning against a bench, he then quickly moves away as his back gets coated in flour-covered egg. Gross.

Wilbur just smiles, before sighing. ‘I wanted to talk to you,’ he says, still leaning against the railing.

‘Well please, be my guest!’ Tommy replies as he angrily opens the dirtied cupboards around him in search of cleaning materials. ‘Not like I have anything else to do aside from listen to you whine and complain.’

Wilbur just shakes his head with a smile, as if Tommy had only been joking. He supposed that it was a joke, but he meant it.

‘Tommy I think you are a smart kid. You lived looking after another kid younger than you for all your life, and you’re alive to tell the tale!’ Wilbur starts with a smile. Tommy frowns. He doesn’t know how to feel about the other man’s pride. It doesn’t really make sense to him.

‘Tommy, I think Phil and Techno are going about talking to you the wrong way,’ Wilbur says, causing Tommy’s frown to deepen. ‘They’re treating you like you are a challenge to deal with, but I think you’re just misunderstood.’

‘Thanks,’ Tommy spits out as he scoops flour into his hands, before walking over to the bin and dumping the powder carelessly.

Wilbur laughs at the boy’s sarcasm. ‘You know I don’t mean it like that,’ he didn’t, ‘but I’m just saying that I think you should instead be treated like everyone else.’

Tommy bites his lip, looking over at Wilbur in confusion. He hadn’t really noticed that he wasn’t being treated like everyone else, but now Wilbur had pointed it out, it was obvious. Techno and Phil would always check up on him, making sure that he was putting effort into learning how to be ‘normal’ and would always expect him to be up to something bad.

Suddenly he felt a craving to be treated normally, and he was surprisingly grateful that Wilbur were talking to him as if he were just another person.

‘I think that’s why you’re lashing out,’ Wilbur then continued. ‘I think that as soon as Phil and Techno stop looking at you and watching you, you feel so free that you do something like this.’ Wilbur gestures to the mess around Tommy.

Tommy stared at him a while longer, before seeming to snap out of his trance. ‘f*ck you, bitch!’ he said angrily, turning back to the uncooked beef on the ground. ‘You don't know anything about me!’

Wilbur just laughed.

Chapter 35

Chapter Text

Tommy felt so lonely.

Was this how he was going to die? Was he going to be sentenced to death for slipping a word? A singular word and his life was over?

The boy curled in one himself.

Never before had he felt so lonely, as if he were exiled from his own home. He imagined the bars as an ocean, with him sitting on a beach, not able to go into the cold ocean and swim without sinking and drowning.

…

All there was was silence. He felt so lonely. Where was Wilbur? WHere was Phil and Techno-

Click Clack.

…

Click Clack. Click Clack.

...who was that?

---

The plan was simple-

Okay, it wasn’t really. But they were ready.

Tubbo smiled up at Lani as Ranboo came into the dining room. Lunch had just finished, so Ranboo was allowed to come and pick up Lani to continue acting as her personal servant, as was daily procedure.

Lani smiled back, before both siblings looked over at the tall servant. They gave him a smile, watching as the tall boy’s eyes crinkled and their cheeks rose, signifying that they were smiling behind their black and white face mask.

Tubbo and Lani then stood, walking with Ranboo out of the dining room, leaving Schlatt and Quackity, who were having too in depth of a conversation to notice the tension and excitement between the three minors.

Everything was going according to plan as the trio split up, with Tubbo heading down the corridor that would lead him straight to the prison, while Lani and Ranboo went to the spot marked out by the three that would cause the prison guards to come to them, away from where Tubbo would break into prison.

Tubbo gave a quick salute to the two before leaving from view.

The brunette slowly walked down the corridor, already familiar with the place, along with any places where he could hide from view. The trio had already scouted out all of the corridors the day before, making sure that their plan would run as smoothly as they could get it to run.

Tubbo stopped by a vent and smiled as he heard the faint sounds of shouting. Ranboo and Lani had strategically placed themselves by a vent that ran to where Tubbo’s corridor was, meaning that Tubbo could tell when the distraction would begin.

And with that, Tubbo began quickly walking to where the prison was located.

---

Ranboo was eternally grateful for the mask he wore, as it hid his smirk as Lani spurted the most brilliant, imaginative insults, holding her arm as she made a commotion.

‘Ah! My wrist! How could you do this you tall, not-so-loudmouthed, quiet, extremely not talkative, freakishly huge manchild!’

Ranboo rolled his two different coloured eyes in exaggeration, feeling pride as guards rushed to help the princess.

‘Where are you hurt?’ he heard one of them ask worriedly, holding her wrist gently as to not cause ‘more’ harm.

‘My wrist,’ she whined, stomping her feet to increase the drama of her performance, if it could be increased from 100%.

‘Do you need to be carried to your room, princess?’ another guard asked worriedly, patting her back. Ranboo glared at the female guard patting her ‘comfortingly’, noticing that her hand was slowly climbing downwards inappropriately.

It was pure coincidence that this simple action would act as a better way for their plan to go than anything they could have come up with, but Ranboo hated it. He hated that this could be used to their advantage.

Either way, he was going to report it.

‘Hey!’ he shouted. Everyone stared at the tall boy in shock, as it was the first time he had ever spoken loudly within the castle before.

‘What is it-’ the woman behind Lani started, but before she could finish, Ranboo interrupted her, his glare fierce.

‘I’m reporting you to the Kings,’ he said angrily, walking up to her and grabbing her wrists.

‘For what?’ She challenged, trying to pull away from the servant, but Ranboo had a strong grip.

Ranboo stared at her, before baring his teeth.

‘For taking advantage of a child’s vulnerability. I watched you reach for her inappropriately. Come with me to the Kings, or I'll research your background enough to ruin you- ’

Ranboo cut himself off with slow breathing, trying to calm down. He felt pride in the scared expression of the woman.

Coward .

Ranboo turned and started walking with her, before glancing down.

Poor girl.

---

Tubbo peaked around the corner of the corridor he was in, spotting the door-

But there was an immediate problem.

Sure, most of the guards had left to see what the commotion had been, but one guard had stayed behind. The guard was a woman with brown, curly hair that was down, with the top part of her hair held up in a bun. She was wearing the normal guard outfit, although she had many roses decorating her hair, causing her beauty to stand out, along with making her seem more intimidating, as the thorns were so obviously still on the flowers, yet she had managed to avoid being cut.

Tubbo recognised this woman to be Hannah. She was a really kind person, but he knew that she was really strong and good at fighting.

Tubbo felt intimidated as he quickly thought through the plan they had come up with in case a guard, which was to tell them of an emergency somewhere else in the castle.

‘Hannah!’ Tubbo called, coming up to the woman. He watched as she smiled at him kindly, standing from where she had been leaning on the wall.

‘Hey, Tubbo,’ she laughed. ‘What’s up?’

Tubbo put on a worried face, tuning in to his inner acting passions. ‘Hannah, I think Dad wanted to talk to you!’ he says quickly. ’I overheard him talking to someone and he seemed pretty mad, so I thought I’d come and get you!’

Hannah’s eyes widened, before she nodded quickly. ‘I’ll go see if anything’s wrong,’ she said quickly, before giving him a salute and smile. ‘I’ll hopefully see you around, Prince Tubbo,’ she told him, before running down the hallway.

Tubbo smirked to himself as he watched her leave. ‘Hopefully not too soon,’ he whispered to himself, before turning to the door that led to the prison.

Click Clack. Click Clack.

Someone was coming.

Tubbo turned around, unsure what to do, before the sight of a girl with brown hair pulled into a messy, yet cute bun above her head came into sight.

It was Lani… but she was crying.

Tubbo opened his arms, and the two siblings hugged.

‘What happened?’ he whispered worriedly as Lani sniffled into his shoulder.

Then slowly, as she explained, Tubbo opened and closed the door behind them,using the lock picking skills he had learnt from Lani’s overly tall personal servant, Ranboo, entering the prison.

He was furious, but he knew Ranboo would handle it.

For now, he’d comfort Lani and save Tommy.

He quickly ran down the corridor to where he knew Tommy was located, holding Lani’s hand tightly. He had sat with her on the floor for a few minutes, comforting her, before they both agreed she was fit to continue.

Tubbo was glad it hadn’t gone further than her hand trailing to her mid-back, but he knew Lani would be affected for a little while.

Tubbo let out a big breath as they turned the final corner to Tommy’s cell-

But someone was already there.

Chapter 36

Chapter Text

Wilbur huffed as he drew the cloak he was wearing more tightly around himself, watching as hot air flew from his lips and into the cold wind. He was being brought by guards to talk to the King, having told them that he had needed to speak to Schlatt urgently.

He had been patted down for weapons as he had arrived, but they had found nothing, not as if there was anything to find anyway. Tommy and Wilbur only owned one knife, and they need that for cooking, so bringing that with him would do Wilbur more harm than good.

Wilbur then watched as the doors opened to him in shock, staring at the King.

He had never seen the King in person, only knowing him as King JSchlatt, or more commonly referred to as just ‘Schlatt’.

But now he was looking at the King in the flesh, Wilbur was shocked to recognize his face.

-----

-Flashback-

Tommy fiddled nervously at the dinner table, feeling the stares of both Phil and Techno on him.

He couldn’t stop thinking about what Wilbur had said, with his words playing on loop constantly in his mind in the hours between talking and sitting at the dinner table.

No one was eating at first, with Phil watching Tommy silently, while Techno stared at his plate. The only person who had actually grabbed any food was Wilbur, who was calmly eating as if there was no tension in the room.

Tommy waited for a bit, but when it became apparent that nothing was happening he grabbed a spoonful of whatever was in front of him from the takeout place Phil had dropped by. After all, they had no supplies to make dinner.

‘Tommy…’ Phil started, causing the boy to freeze mid-way through spooning rice onto his plate. Phil had his hands clasped in front of his mouth, his blue eyes staring straight into Tommy’s vibrant ones.

‘Phil, let the kid eat,’ Wilbur said in between mouthfuls, causing the grown man to glare at him.

There was more awkward silence, with neither Phil nor Techno taking any food, leaving Tommy and Wilbur as the only ones eating. Tommy stayed staring at his plate as he ate slowly, feeling really awkward. He spared a glance at Wilbur, who was happily spooning more noodles into his bowl.

God, could this get anymore awkward?

‘Tommy, we need to discuss the way you’ve been acting…’

Wilbur made eye contact with Tommy, showing the first serious face Tommy had ever seen as the boy nodded discreetly.

And in that moment, Tommy knew what he needed.

‘I agree, Phil,’ he said, obviously surprising both Phil and Technoblade with his level of maturity which he was bringing forward. Tommy never usually showed his seriousness, often opting to instead make jokes or start fights as opposed to facing his problems, but now he was here, facing the problem head on.

Phil obviously hadn’t expected that, but he didn’t need to say anything as Tommy continued.

‘I think the reason why I’m acting like this is because I don’t have enough freedom. You and Techno are too overbearing while also not being considerate enough.’ Tommy sighed, trying to phrase his words correctly to convey his true feelings. ‘It’s like you guys are constantly trying to keep me in check by constantly watching me, yet, at the same time, you guys don’t care how I feel.’ Tommy then looked up at Wilbur, who was no longer eating, but instead was simply nodding at him, showing pride at the way Tommy was handling things.

‘The only person who has considered my feelings is Wilbur-’ Tommy begins again, but he is interrupted by Phil.

‘That’s not true,’ he denies angrily, shaking his head. ‘We care about you-’

‘No!” Tommy interrupted angrily, his hand hitting the table. ‘You care about me not making a fool of you.’

‘That’s not true!’ Technoblade said, speaking up for the first time. ‘Phil has been nothing but caring a great father-’

‘He is not my parent,’ Tommy snarled. ‘My mother was a strong, beautiful woman. She was the strongest woman ever and I-’

‘You’ve never even met your mother!’ Techno shouted, causing Tommy’s eyes to widen. ‘How would you even know anything about her-’

Suddenly Techno was interrupted by a bang, and all eyes went to Wilbur, who had managed to stab a knife into the handmade, wooden table. Wilbur was glaring at Techno furiously.

‘Shut up, Technoblade,’ the brunette said, before grabbing the knife and pulling it out of the table with a grunt. ‘You have no right to say that to Tommy.’ Wilbur then sighed, placing the knife down, before looking up into Tommy’s bright blue eyes. ‘The boy is right anyways,’ he told them, to the obvious dismay of Philza and Technoblade. ‘You two never ask how he feels and never give the boy any freedom. Of course Tommy will cause chaos whenever you give him the smallest amount of freedom! He’s a kid, and all you do is suppress him.’

Phil rolled his eyes. ‘So the answer to the chaotic force that is this child, you say we give him more freedom?’ he said with a soft chuckle, as if Wilbur’s idea was pure insanity.

Wilbur glared at his blonde father. ‘Yes,’ he stated firmly, showing Phil that he was not joking around.

Tommy just looked down as the table was engulfed in more awkward silence, with Tommy being the only one eating anymore.

Eventually, though, they all grabbed food and ate.

That night, as Tommy laid on the bed he and Drista were supposed to share, the boy let out tears he had been holding back for so long. He didn’t cry often, with the only time he ever really let out his emotions being in the dark when he couldn’t sleep, and he was sure Drista wouldn’t wake.

But in that moment it was all he could do from screaming into his pillow as he tried to muffle his sobs beneath the sheets he’d been given. It was all true, and no matter how many times he tried to remind himself of how much Phil had done to him, Tommy could tell that his life was falling apart.

Drista was gone.

His freedom to be himself was gone.

And now, the trust the others had held for him was gone.

How could this happen?

---

A little over a year had passed from that fateful night, with things slowly getting better as Techno and Phil gave him more space, while also making an effort to ask more about how he was feeling, just as requested. Tommy and Wilbur had also grown closer, with the brunette and blonde finding that their personalities and senses of humor worked well together, especially earlier on when Phil and Techno hadn’t tried hard to get to know Tommy.

Tommy had also learnt a lot more about manners, with Phil teaching Tommy the last of what he needed to know of table manners, as well as simple courtesy in speech and greetings, etc. Tommy was grateful, but it was hard work learning all of this, especially since he could tell that both Phil and Techno would get frustrated with him for not understanding things.

Wilbur never got upset though, acting as a firm figure now in Tommy’s life as he laughed when Tommy was rude, making a joke of it as opposed to feeling the frustration his father and older sibling felt.

Tommy was eternally glad, reflecting on the pride he saw in Phil’s face as he finished each ‘section’ Phil had planned out. It was a good feeling knowing that someone else was proud of you, as he had never had an opportunity to feel that before.

Tommy turned the corner as he walked down the street towards the market where they bought their things from. This wasn’t the first time Tommy had been sent out, although he wasn’t often sent to get groceries. Tommy knew that Techno and Phil still didn’t trust him. It was obvious, but it still hurt.

Tommy then froze, staring as he spotted a suspicious group, hiding in the shadows to the side of the market, watching silently as people walked past. The group of people wore black cloaks, with an odd symbol working as a clip to hold the piece together. The symbol included lots of red lines that seemed to form the shape of a wolf against a black, circular background.

Tommy watched as the group mumbled among each other, before realizing how obvious his position was. He went to hide behind a pillar, but stopped, however, as a thought came to him.

He was supposed to simply grab the things they needed, before heading straight home- and he had fully planned on doing that! He didn’t want to prove Technoblade and Philza right by acting out, but at the same time…

When was Tommy ever really one to follow rules?

Tommy gave a small smirk, walking into the crowd, before stopping in front of a market stand. Tommy pretended to be interested in the abundance of spices in front of him as he peered to his side, glad to see that his ‘hiding in plain sight’ idea seemed to be working.

Tommy continued this process, making sure to move between market stands as too not seem too suspicious as he watched the group, waiting to see if they did anything weird.

And he was was glad that he did as he watched one of the members snatch a girl walking past, shoving her to their friends before acting as nothing had happened as the other members of the group hid the now unconscious girl.

Tommy stared in shock for a moment, before one of the people’s eyes locked onto his. He then ran, not even realizing that he was fleeing within the crowd until after he was already sprinting out of the marketplace.

Tommy then soon found his way back to Phil’s place, tired and out of breath as he knocked on the door loudly. The door was then answered by Phil, who was frowning at Tommy’s empty hands.

‘You took so long,’ the older man started as Tommy caught his breath. ‘Why are you-’

‘Sus-Suspi-cious… group… market… kidnapped girl-’ Tommy huffed, heaving in between words and even syllables as he tried to relay what he had seen and share the urgency of the situation to Phil.

‘What?’ Phil asked in shock, trying to piece together what Tommy was saying, forgetting about the lack of groceries.

Tommy swallowed, regaining his breath enough to speak the words ‘I saw a group of suspicious people at the market wearing cloaks with weird symbols. They kidnapped a person.’

Phil’s eyes widened as he ran forward, hugging Tommy out of worry. Tommy just stood awkwardly, largely unused to hugging.

He hoped this would be the last he’d see of these people.

---

It wasn’t the last he had seen of these people.

Every time Phil would go to the market, he’d come back and start whispering to Techno. At first Tommy had simply speculated that it may be about the creepy people had seen, but after overhearing one of the conversations, he knew it to be true.

And Tommy was much less than thrilled when he realized that Phil still had no clue what to do about the group, even after it had been a month.

Tommy was also worried about Drista, however- especially since, according to what little Tommy could hear of Phil and Techno’s conversations, the group, which was apparently getting bigger by the day, was targeting children.

Tommy didn’t have to hear it from Phil, though, as he noticed that Phil and Techno were slipping back into their old ways back when Tommy had been younger. They were more protective, sure, but they both didn’t think of his feelings as they scolded him for opening a window or when they yelled at him for wanting to go outside.

This time, however, WIlbur was also more protective of Tommy, constantly keeping an eye out for the boy and following him while acting as if it wasn’t creepy or overprotective.

Tommy was grateful for this kindness in a way, but at the same time he was so sick of being watched-

So one night he ran away.

He opened his window, unscrewing the screws of the wooden planks Phil had installed to keep things in or out of the room through the window, before grabbing the small sack he had stolen from Techno that had previously been filled with potatoes, but was now filled with the many metal scraps and bits of food Tommy had managed to accumulate while living with Phi.

Tommy didn’t quite know where he was going as he walked down the dark streets of Erthe. He looked around, before turning a corner, only to be met with a wall.

Wait, a wall?

Tommy looked up in confusion, and stared in shock as he noticed he had run straight into one of the cloaked people.

In fact, it was the same person he had made eye contact with little over a month ago.

Tommy stared for a moment, before sprinting off in a different direction in hopes to find a place to get rid of his follower. He ran around corners nervously, constantly feeling an urge to check behind him, which was not helped by the increasingly loud sound of footsteps from his follower behind him.

Tommy kept running, finally succumbing to his urge to look behind him, only to run into another person.

It was not his day.

Tommy looked down at the person he had accidentally pinned to the floor, only to be met with the face of a brunette wearing what looked to be a christmas hat, the brightest orange hoodie Tommy had ever seen, and sunglasses.

What a weird guy.

Tommy then looked back behind him, only to see the guy who had been following him being punched in the face by a boy wearing a dark blue jacket. Another two kids then came up from behind the man, this time both a brunette and a blonde, kicking him where it hurts most, as well as in his lower back.

Eventually the man ran away, glaring and cursing at the kids who had nearly beat him up.

Tommy stared in shock at the four kids in shock, before realizing that he was still pinning the sunglasses-wearing guy. He quickly scrambled off of him, muttering a small ‘sorry’ as well as his thanks.

The boy in orange just laughed. ‘Don’t worry,’ he smiled. ‘My name is Deo. This is Wisp, Bitzel and Luke!’

Tommy stared at the three before smiling warmly at them.

‘My name’s Tommy!’ he said shaking the hand of Deo, before turning to the rest of them.

‘You lot are pretty cool! Mind if I hang out with you for a bit?’

The four smiled as they became a five.

Chapter 37

Chapter Text

Tubbo stared in shock at the sight of Slimecicle, standing over Tommy, who was sitting in his cell.

This was not at all part of their plan.

‘...need you to tell me if you remember your parents,’ Tubbo heard the glasses-wearing man ask Tommy from where he stood with Lani. He glanced quickly at his sister, only to see her looking just as worried as he felt.

‘Philza?’ Tubbo heard Tommy ask, and the brunette could just hear the smirk on the blonde’s face. ‘Yes, I remember Philza. Afterall, I don’t have memory loss issues-’

‘You know that isn’t who I meant,’ Slimecicle interrupted him, shaking his head as he held his notebook tighter.

Tubbo squinted at the man, trying to get a better look at him before noticing the almost slimy texture of his skin, which was shimmering in the dim lights of the prison due to it’s moistness. Tubbo then pulled a face, turning his attention back to the dark shadow of Tommy’s figure.

‘Biological parents?’ Tommy asked, before shaking his head. ‘Nothing I’m afraid.’

Slimecicle nodded, before tapping his notepad with the end of his pen.

‘How many more questions are you planning on asking me?’ Tommy whined, his figure drooping to the floor in a surprisingly childish manner.

Slimecicle smiled, before glancing at his notebook. ‘Last one,’ he laughed, as if him and Tommy were old pals having a quick conversation.

‘What have you been talking about with Prince Tubbo, and what are your intentions with him?’

For a moment Tubbo felt terror at his name being mentioned, and he could see Lani flinch from the corner of his eyes. He then thought over it a bit, unsure whether to feel worried about Tommy’s answer, or grateful he could hear it so he could cover for Tommy if need be in the future.

‘We don’t talk about much at all,’ Tommy spoke truthfully. ‘And either way, it’s none of your business, bitch.’

Slimecicle just laughed. ‘I’m not having your bullsh*t, Tommy,’ he smiled, even though Tommy hadn’t been lying. ‘What lies have you been feeding the prince?’

‘Nothing, I promise.’

‘Tell me right now or I’ll get you in the ankles.’

‘I swear! I haven’t- wait what?’

‘Just spit it out, you child.’

‘Oi, dickhe*d!’

Tubbo sighed silently. The conversation was getting nowhere and the two just seemed to be getting louder and louder.

It was time to put an end to this.

Tubbo looked around for something to throw to distract Charlie, before remembering his lock picks-

But when he reached down for them, all his hand hit was his empty hoodie pocket.

...f*ck. He had dropped his kit at some point, but hadn’t noticed due to the wool surrounding it.

He quickly pointed to his empty pocket, before motioning for Lani to follow him. He watched as her eyes widened, horrified by the amount that had gone wrong so far.

The two quickly retraced their steps, before coming across the small, wool-covered tools.

Tubbo and Lani shared a grin, before racing back to where Tommy’s cell was, only to watch as Charlie Slimecicle left in the opposite direction.

Perfect.

‘Tommy,’ Tubbo whispered as he ran up to the lock. Tommy’s eyes widened, before he started smiling softly.

‘Tubbo,’ he whispered back. ‘Lani. What are you doing here?’

Tubbo quickly knelt by the lock, again unwrapping the lock-pick tools-

Only to find one missing.

‘No no no,’ Tubbo whispered, grabbing onto his hair out of stress. ‘I’m missing an important lock-pick…’ he muttered.

Lani and Tommy stared at him, before Tommy suddenly looked over to the metal bed in his cell. He then quickly shuffled over to it, before pulling out a small pouch, the items inside making a soft noise.

The boy then opened the pouch, and Tubbo’s eyes widened as he saw the safety pins inside.

Tommy smirked. ‘Would this be of any use?’

Tubbo stared at the pins before snatching them happily. ‘This is perfect, Tommy!’ he laughed, before taking one out.

Tubbo then quickly bent the safety pin out of shape, trying to replicate the missing tool as best he could.

Then he got to work.

Push, Click, Turn.

Pull, Turn, Push Click,

...small breaths. He could do this. Just like Ranboo taught him.

Turn, Click, Turn.

Push, Click, Click-

The lock came undone in his hands.

Tommy was out.

-----

-Flashback-

After that night in which he had snuck out, staying the night with the group he had dubbed ‘Business Bay’, Phil, Wilbur and Techno had gotten really angry at Tommy. Wilbur had been more understanding out of the three of them, but overall, tensions were high in the household.

That being said, after Tommy had told them all about how Business Bay had saved him, and after they had met the boys, Wilbur and Phil had both apologized for their anger, going so far as to allow him a little more freedom. Of course, he was restricted to only being let out of the house when with Business Bay, but he was perfectly fine with that!

Techno didn’t apologize for sh*t, although he didn’t make fun of Tommy for incorrect usage of grammar for a whole day, which Tommy took as the greatest apology of all.

This went on for a week or so, and Tommy felt that maybe he had never been happier in his life, although he would still look back on those years spent with Drista so fondly.

That all changed, however, when a public announcement was sent out, reading:

DEAR CITIZEN(S) OF ERTHE

You are now obliged to give any and all minors to the government within 14 days of this message being sent out, for them to be trained under the government’s military program, Preparing Of Generations (POG).

If you are found to be housing any minors, or children under the age of 18, then you will be fined, and force will be applied in the situation.

If the child is useful in another service, such as farming and resource gathering for the city, or of a high enough class, then a payment must be put in place for a permission slip, allowing that minor to stay with their current guardians.

This announcement is formally approved under the rule of Josh (A20)

Chapter 38

Chapter Text

Tommy was curled under the blankets of his bed as he heard a knock from outside of his room.

He was twelve, and had been with Phil for only around a year. In that year, Phil had constantly been asking him whether or not he wanted to be adopted.

Of course he had, but he had to wait. He had to wait for Drista to be comfortable with Phil.

…

She would never be comfortable with Phil. She didn’t even know him.

There was no use in waiting any longer-

‘Tommy?’ He heard Phil whisper to him.

‘Come in,’ Tommy mumbled, but it was muffled from beneath the covers of his bed.

Phil slowly opened the door, before shooting Tommy a soft smile.

‘Tommy , I know I’ve been asking a lot lately, but I just thought I’d remind you of my offer-’

‘I accept,’ Tommy mumbled.

Phil stared for a moment, before frowning. ‘You what?’

‘I accept your offer Phil. I’d… I’d like to be adopted.’

Phil stared at the boy, before smiling. He quickly ruffled the boy’s hair, muttering goodnight to him before leaving in excitement.

Phil failed to see the tears running down the boy’s face, but Wilbur didn’t miss the sounds of his sobs.

Chapter 39

Chapter Text

Wilbur stared with wide, teary eyes as Phil placed the bags of foods such as bread, water, soups, stews and even a large variety of vegetables and fruits on the small table in the middle of his house.

It had been years since Wilbur had seen this much food, and it was overwhelming.

Phil and Techno had gone shopping immediately after Phil had managed to convert his Erthe money into their city’s currency. It took a little while, but Phil was easily able to explain that he wasn’t not a part of the ‘POG’ program of Erthe, instead weaving tales of the areas he had come from after leaving Erthe many years ago.

What a liar.

Wilbur reached a hand out to one of the containers of soup and the tears building at his eyes leaked down his face. The food was so warm!

He just wished Tommy could enjoy this with him. Where was the boy anyway? Well, he was obviously in prison, but was he hurt? Was he being under-fed again? Did he have someone to care for him? Did he-

Wilbur quickly shook himself. He had been spiraling a lot recently into worried thoughts about his younger brother.

‘Phil,’ Wilbur whispered as his eyes reached a bag of sugary treats hidden behind the stew and fresh bread. ‘Phil this looks amazing!’

Phil smiled gently at the boy, and Wilbur was too busy staring at the minimal amount of food in front of him to notice the sadness and pity behind Phil’s eyes.

‘It’s not a problem mate,’ he said warmly. ‘Let’s eat, shall we?’

Wilbur nodded numbly. He went to reach for more containers to help set up for dinner, but Phil beat him to it.

'Just sit down, mate,' he smiled. Wilbur nodded and turned around, missing the pitying look in Phil's eyes.

Wilbur was silent as Phil brought out 4 ceramic plates from a box, placing 3 of them down in front of the two chairs and makeshift stool. Wil watched as the fourth plate was placed aside, another reminder of the person who was missing from the dinner table.

Phil then started scooping stew onto each person's plate, along with a slice of freshly made bread. No one mentioned the size difference between Wilbur's heaped plate, as opposed to Phil and Techno's meals.

Wilbur shakily picked up a spoon, before dipping it into the mass of liquid and vegetables sitting in front of him. He then brought it to his lips, blowing lightly on it before putting the spoon in his mouth.

It tasted like heaven. Wilbur felt his eyes roll upwards at the beautiful taste of stew in his mouth. It had been so long since he'd had a proper meal, let alone a heated one.

Before either Phil or Techno could ask about the quality of the food, Wilbur had eaten another few spoonfuls of stew, and was now biting into his slice of bread dipped in sauce.

Phil smiled, although with a tinge of sadness. He hated to see his kid like this.

He couldn't wait to get Tommy back.

---

Tommy stared down in shock at the short, ‘bee-boy’, as Tommy had dubbed the Prince mentally. He could hardly believe that this sweet brunette and his even sweeter sister could pull off something as crazy as this, although the more he thought about how crazy and psychotic the two were when away from any press and media, he found himself a little less surprised.

But still! They were breaking him out of prison!

Apparently Ranboo was helping too, although Tommy, for some unknown reason, didn’t really like the thought of Tubbo spending a lot of time with Ranboo to hatch this plan...

God, what was wrong with him?

‘Where are we going?’ Tommy whispered to Lani as Tubbo speedily, and surprisingly sneakily, led the way.

‘We’re going to the Guard’s break room and sleeping quarters in the prison,’ the brunette smiled innocently in response. ‘We plan on sedating the Guard’s coffee right as they swap over, and using that room to meet up with Ranboo, who won’t have to worry about the Guard’s coming after him!’ Lani then giggled. ‘We were originally going to have me and Tubbo dress up as a guard and prisoner, but we couldn’t get the outfits and Tubbo is a bit too recognizable-’

‘Shush,’ Tubbo whispered to them as they came to a stop at another corner.

‘Wait…’ Tommy whispered. ‘How are you planning on stopping the guards from seeing Ranboo? Won’t they just swap over?’

Lani shook her head. ‘No, we sedate the guards so that they don’t swap over and the guards that come back to the break room…’ a sinister smile came across Lani’s face, ‘we’ll just have to knock them out.’

Tommy stared at her, before huffing out the words ‘what the f*ck’ in shock. He was silenced however by Tubbo placing a finger against his lips, glaring at both Tommy and Lani.

‘Be quiet,’ he whispered.

‘We’re at the Guard’s room now.’

-----

-Flashback-

Immediately Technoblade had been signed up for the slip.

He was an extremely useful asset to Erthe with his potato farming, which he excelled at no matter the conditions.

That then left Wilbur and Tommy. Phil obviously wasn’t a minor, but both Wilbur and Technoblade were.

‘Just listen to me!’ Tommy yelled. Everyone stopped and turned to the minor, finally giving him the attention he needed. Tommy sighed, running a hand through his blond curls.

‘Why would they use POG, a term from 2b2t, for a government program?’

Everyone stared at him, lost in thought about what he had said.

'That's a good point,' Techno muttered. It doesn't make much sense that they would use that term. Not unless…'

Techno trailed off, his eyes widening, and Tommy felt his heart rate pick up.

'Not unless what?' He asked, panic rising within him.

Techno swallowed, before continuing nervously. 'Could the person in charge of the program be from 2b2t?'

Tommy glanced around as he noticed the eyes of his family on him.

'It could be possible…' Tommy whispered. He then remembered the book his mother had made on 2b2t.

'I'll be back in a moment,' he said quickly, before running up to his room.

He quickly reached his hand under his pillow for the book his mother had written before unconsciously biting half of his lip in thought.

He couldn’t bring himself to show the book to anyone…

But this could be important.

Tommy sat on his bed slowly, thinking of the pros and cons and… well, there really weren’t many consequences at all. It was mainly just sentimental value holding him back.

But sentimental value meant a lot to him-

Knocking.

Tommy’s head snapped up as he realized someone was knocking on his door, before realizing that there was also a voice.

‘Tommy, it’s me, Wil. Are you okay? You’ve been gone for, like, ten minutes.’

Tommy frowned. Had it really been that long?

‘Coming!’ he shouted, before standing. He then walked to the door and, before he could stop himself, opened it quickly and thrust his prized book into Wilbur’s hands.

‘Take it,’ he whispered, feeling pain and regret within him.

‘It was my mother’s…’

Chapter 40

Chapter Text

Quackity stared out across the balcony of the castle he shared with Schlatt, a cigarette in one hand a bottle of whiskey in another.

Life had been frustrating recently, he thought as he stared down at the lit up city below him. Everything had been a bit too much. He knew that he shouldn’t go back to cigarettes and alcohol, but he couldn’t help himself. He was just so lost.

‘Sir?’ he heard someone say from behind him. Quackity turned slowly, drawing the cigarette away from his mouth.

‘Charlie?’ Quackity said, staring at the brunette. ‘What’s up?’

Slimecicle pushed his glasses further up his nose as he opened his notebook. ‘I just came to give you some of the notes I took on the prisoner, Tommy Innit.’ Charlie then hesitated. ‘Are you… alright?’ he asked hesitantly, averting his eyes.

Quackity stared at the detective, wondering how on Earth someone so kind and polite could interrogate others with ease. ‘Yeah, I’ll be okay,’ he sighed, turning back to face the city. ‘Thanks… for asking.’

Slimecicle shrugged, before walking to stand next to Quackity. ‘Is it hard being the leader of the country?’ he asked curiously. ‘I’m just asking because you seem to handle it so well.’

Quackity chuckled, taking a swig of whiskey, before sighing. ‘Yeah, it is,’ he said. He didn’t elaborate any further, but Slimecicle seemed to understand what was left unsaid, as he nodded.

The two stood in silence for a few moments, and Quackity felt a feeling in his chest begin to blossom. He began to feel a warm feeling that he had never experienced before as he stood next to the brunette detective.

Slimecicle remained oblivious as he stared over the edge of the balcony. Quackity was quickly cut from his thoughts, however, as Slimecicle hoisted himself onto the railing. The glasses-wearing man sat on the slim metal pole, his legs dangling over the edge.

Quackity’s eyes widened, and he quickly put his arm in front of the detective, before dragging him by the back of his jacket. ‘Get away from there!’ he yelled in panic, dragging the brunette down to the ground. Whiskey and cigarettes fell to the floor, the bottle smashing and the lit cigarette going out.

Slimecicle just laughed, however, sending a warm smile up to Quackity.

‘Oh, Quackity of Essempe,’ he said breathily, still recovering from the fall.

Quackity blushed for the first time, and a small, distant part of him realized that this is what happiness felt like.

It was unfamiliar.

---

Tubbo, Lani and Tommy, crept quietly towards the Guard’s room, with Tubbo in the lead, and Tommy at the back. They all leaned their backs up against the wall as Tubbo opened the door slightly.

Creak .

Tubbo felt like stabbing something as the door made a slight noise. Luckily, however, it seemed as though none of the Guards had noticed from what Tubbo could see.

Tubbo quickly thought over what they needed to do as he watched three guards play poker, all with a big mug of what smelt like coffee each. He searched the room quickly for a source of liquid, such as a tap, and his eyes quickly landed on a coffee machine in the corner right by the door.

Tubbo quickly turned to Lani and Tommy, relaying what he had seen, and the two nodded.

‘I’ll go in,’ Lani whispered nearly silently. ‘I’m the smallest!’

Tubbo and Tommy immediately began shaking their heads, although it seemed to be for different reasons, as Tommy quietly spoke up with his own plan.

‘I’ll go in,’ he said quietly. ‘I’m a thief. This is basically my life.’

Tubbo and Lani glanced at each other, before nodding, and Lani quickly handed Tommy the small vial of sleeping medication she had gotten from Ponk before coming along.

Tommy flashed them both a smile, before sliding his way along to the door. He peeked inside, obviously coming up with a plan, before swinging the door more open suddenly.

Tubbo felt panic rise within him suddenly, but was surprised when he noticed that the door didn’t make a sound.

He calmed himself, reminding his own brain that Tommy knew what he was doing.

As Tommy slipped into the room silently, Tubbo quickly creeped over to the door, peeking through to watch the thief work.

Tommy quickly hid behind a bench, which was conveniently placed between him and the table on the other side of the room, where the guards were playing poker.

Tommy then watched them play for a few minutes, and Tubbo started getting impatient. Why did he need to watch them for so long? Nothing was going to change!

Until it did.

The guard who had the coffee machine in his view, reached for his mug, taking a long sip of coffee. In this time, Tommy quickly reached up to the coffee machine, opening the water compartment and dropping the small tablets of medication into the water. He then quickly shut it and hid behind the counter just in time for the guard to put his mug down. He then slid back over to the door.

‘That was so risky,’ Tubbo whispered as Tommy silently shut the door behind himself.

Tommy smirked. ‘That’s the fun of it,’ he muttered. ‘Let’s go hide!’ he said quickly.

The three then rushed behind a few pillar near the entrance of the Guard’s room and waited.

-----

-Flashback-

Tommy was fully silent as he watched the three people he had come to know as family stare at the contents of the book that was such a prized possession of his.

‘This is insane, Tommy,’ Technoblade muttered, his eyes quickly travelling across the pages on how to craft the weapons of 2b2t. ‘Do you know how valuable this is?’

Wilbur glared at Technoblade, who shrugged. ‘What?’ Techno muttered.

Wilbur shook his head, opening his mouth to most likely insult his brother, but his attention was grasped by the next page, which contained a detailed map of the 2b2t land around where Tommy had lived. Of course, There wasn’t too much land to cover, and lots of that area would have changed in the time Tommy had left, but it was still a fascinating map.

‘Woah…’ the brunette muttered, causing Philza to chuckle.

Tommy gulped, breathing loudly before speaking up. ‘Around the back there should be some pages on… on 2b2t signatures.’ Tommy then quickly remembered some of the signatures that were more unfriendly and quickly rushed to inform his family by saying ‘warning, some of them are a bit-’

He was cut off, however, by Wilbur’s cackling, and Tommy watched as Techno quickly averted his eyes and Phil visibly refrained from slamming the book shut.

‘What the f*ck is this?’ Phil asked, pointing to what looked to be a black and purple penis.

‘The obsidian dicks,’ Tommy recited. ‘My father was one of them.’

‘Is there information about your father in this book?’ Phil asked cautiously.

Tommy’s back stiffened and he looked away. ‘You don’t have my permission to look into that,’ he muttered. That story was for him to know, and was only shared to Drista.

A traitorous part of him wondered if Drista had already shared the entire story with her friends.

Chapter 41

Chapter Text

It was eight minutes before the next guards came, and by that time, all of the guards inside of the guards room had already fallen asleep.

Tubbo felt Lani tap his shoulder to signify the armored citizens' arrival, and he quickly turned from the game he had been teaching Tommy to have a look.

Seven. There were seven guards, similarly to the seven guards that had been in the Guards room.

They had only found out about the other guards when they came out for coffee. Tubbo couldn't be more thankful.

'Are you guys ready?' Tubbo whispered, picking up the sword he had grabbed from the guards' weapon room. Tommy and Lani nodded, lifting their dagger and slingshot respectively.

Tubbo smirked at Lani's slingshot. The girl had insisted upon grabbing a blade like the two boys, or even using a crossbow, but Tubbo had completely disagreed. Tommy then had weaved a few stories of how powerful slingshots are, and how he had seen them be used as more powerful weapons then even recurve bows or broadswords.

Lani wouldn't part with the tool after that.

'Let's go,' Tubbo whispered, before leaping from the pillar he had been hiding behind.

The next minute was chaos.

Little pebbles from Lani's slingshot littered the floor from where she had both missed and hit her shots, causing there to be a large slipping hazard for both the teens and their enemies. Tubbo felt as if he were dodging mines in the ground as he warded off the beast of a man who was swinging his own sword at the brunette.

Tubbo fought as best he could, frantically trying to recall every single strategy he had been taught when growing up. He parried and striked, swung and blocked, jabbed and dodged, before finally managing to hit the fatal hit in the man’s stomach.

The man grunted, kneeling as he stared at the wound he was bleeding out from.

Tubbo felt horrible. They weren’t supposed to kill anyone; only knock them out.

Out of the corner of Tubbo's eye, he watched as Tommy darted both above, below and around three of the guards, occasionally giving and even receiving hits.

Lani had taken a few steps back, and was hitting two guards with a barrage of pebbles that were being shot at high velocity.

Tubbo quickly ducked under the sword swinging toward his chest, just as Lani hit a guard in the temple, knocking them out.

'I got one!' she yelled, causing Tommy to turn to see the commotion.

And in that moment, Tommy was knocked over, causing the boy to land painfully hard on both of his hands, dropping his weapon in the process of falling.

‘Argh!’ He yelled in pain, kneeling to cradle his wrists as tears leaked past his eyes.

‘Tommy!’ Tubbo yelled, running past the boy to ward off the guards from taking any cheap shots at the boy.

‘I’m fine,’Tommy grunted, pulling himself up. Tubbo could see Tommy's sweat shine, even in the dimmer lighting of the prison.

'Look out!' Tubbo heard from behind him, and before he could even turn around the guard right in front of him was hit directly in the centre of his forehead, knocking him backwards.

'Thanks,' he huffed, swinging his weapon quickly before kicking randomly to the side. He felt proud as his foot came into contact with the stomach of one of the guards.

'Do you really think you can beat us?' A guard sneered from behind him. ‘We’ve trained our whole lives for this. You guys are just kids.’

Tubbo quickly turned to see the guard swinging a bat at Tommy, although, more specifically at his wrists and arms.

'Leave him alone-' Tubbo started, before getting elbowed in the side of his head.

Tubbo stumbled away as his head throbbed horribly. He quickly lost track of what was happening in the fight, only to have a guard kick at his knees, knocking him over.

'Ow,' he muttered as he landed on his knees, his arms out in front of him to prevent him from collapsing. This was quickly proven to be futile, however, as a boot came down on Tubbo's back, locking him in place.

Tubbo then quickly remembered a move he had learnt from one of the members of the castle who had been teaching him combat.

His teacher had been kind, his dimples always seeming to be showing as the man smiled down at Tubbo, rubbing his hair affectionately.

'You are doing better everyday, Tubbo,' he had smiled, his teeth showing off their almost shark-like appearance.

Despite the scary smile, the man in gold robes' eyes showed nothing but kindness as he watched Tubbo hop awkwardly and eagerly from one foot to another, his sword in his hands as he fidgeted.

'Do you think my Dads would be proud?' He had asked naively.

The regal-looking man falted, light fading from his eyes as he looked away from the optimistic boy.

'I wish I could tell you, Tubbo,' he had said. 'But everything is in your hands. The ball is always in your court, boy, and you must never forget that.'

Tubbo had never quite understood the words at the time, thinking that Foolish had not answered his question, and had instead settled on confusing the boy.

Slowly he had learnt to understand, though; especially in this moment.

The message that the man they had all so affectionately called 'Foolish' had been trying to convey to Tubbo was that no matter how often it may seem as though he has no power in a situation, he always would. It was just up to him, and solely him, to make sure that he was in control.

Tubbo suddenly jerked to his left, throwing the boot on his back's owner off balance. Tubbo quickly pushed up as quickly as possible, getting a firm grip on his sword as he swung around. He watched silently as two of the guard's collided and tripped on the balls littering the ground, before swinging his sword towards them, getting them both in the face. He then quickly flipped the sword around, hitting them both in the temple with the hilt of his sword.

Tubbo then turned, seeing Tommy hit down the last guard from behind that Lani had been shooting at.

‘We actually got them all!’ Tommy smiled, putting his weapon away before high-fiving Lani in delight with both hands.

Tubbo smiled at the two as they hugged out of shock, sheathing his sword in the holder. They had actually done it. They had taken down all of the guards!

Tommy then turned and he and Tubbo high-fived too, but Tommy quickly pulled away, cradling his wrists.

‘Are you okay?’ Lani asked quickly, grabbing the boy’s hands to look at them.

They were badly swollen, and one of his hands was quickly becoming discolored, turning all different shades of blue, purple, green and yellow.

‘Did you break something?’ Tubbo asked, peering over Lani’s shoulder.

‘We’ll have to reset your wrist. It's dislocated,’ Lani said worriedly.

‘What does that mean?’ Tommy asked, looking up at her in panic.

Lani sighed. ‘Your wrist needs to be iced, but we need to keep going. In the meantime I will have to reset it.

‘What does that mean-’

Tommy was quickly cut off by his own scream as Lani jerked his hand back, causing it to pop back into place.

‘Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!’ Lani whispered, trying to calm Tommy as he began hyperventilating.

Tubbo watched in horror, before taking a deep breath to calm himself. ‘We need to go.’

‘Tommy needs ice-’

‘Don’t worry about it,’ Tommy quickly said, cutting her off. ‘Let’s just get going.’

Lani stared at him disapprovingly before nodding.

‘Let’s go.’

Chapter 42

Chapter Text

A silent city sat, watching as the two men stared each other in the eyes, eyebrows casting shadows over their angry faces as one stood over the other, who was pinned against a wall.

‘You can’t kill me,’ the one against the wall asked, staring the other down as a crazed smile spread across his face. ‘You can’t kill me, because I can bring him back!’

The other stared, anger obvious in his movements as he glanced at the large number of people surrounding him. He took a deep breath, shaking his head.

‘But is that even worth it?’ he asked quietly, his expression lifting from anger to grief. He didn’t mean it. He knew it was worth it. It had to be. But the implications were something he didn’t want to face.

‘There is another way-’

Tommy sat up suddenly in shock, his breath heavy as his eyes widened. He looked around him as he took deep breaths, his eyes adjusting to his surroundings.

The kid sighed a breath of relief as he saw Drista still next to him. He was glad that that Phil guy hadn’t come by and taken either of them in his sleep.

What an odd dream he’d had.

Chapter 43

Chapter Text

Wilbur smiled and shut his eyes, patting his stomach, which finally felt as though it had been filled. It had been so long and Wilbur missed the feeling.

'Wilbur,' Phil started. 'You went to the castle the other day to see King Schlatt…' he started.

Wilbur sighed, slowly opening his eyes. He didn't really feel like talking, and instead wanted to just sleep.

It was true that Wilbur had seen Jschlatt in person, and it would be an understatement to say that he was shocked when he recognized the man.

Wilbur was well known for loving both listening to and playing music. He was quite skilled with the guitar, which he had always used to busk in order to earn enough money to survive when he was younger. The habit didn't die, however, when he moved in with Phil at Erthe, and many loved to listen to the boy as he moved between pubs, bars and even cafes with his guitar. Wilbur missed that guitar a lot. It had been too long since he had last used it.

WIlbur remembers a man coming into one of the pubs. He looked like a foreigner, but it was hard to see due to the hood over his head and the length of his cloak. Wilbur wasn’t too fazed though. Many people in Erthe were from all different places, including him.

During WIibur’s break, after he had finished singing a few of his own songs, as well as a few covers, the man came up to him. He sat down without any invitation, clasping his hands in front of him.

From this close up, Wilbur could see the man’s face. He had cold, chocolate brown eyes that bore holes deep into Wilbur’s skull, as well as light stubble along the bottom of his face. These short hairs were both brown and silver, so Wilbur could easily assume the man was many years older than him. It was the same face as the King of Essempe’s, although Wilbur hadn’t know that at the time.

‘Your music is very good,’ the man muttered quietly. ‘Would you ever want to leave this place, by any chance? I could offer you a better place and income than being a wandering barb could ever earn you.’

Wilbur considered it for just a second, before shaking his head. He really couldn’t leave Phil. The man meant alot to him, and he saved Wilbur. Wil could never let him down.

‘I can’t accept,’ the boy started, before frowning. ‘Who are you?’

The man huffed. ‘I’m an important person,’ he said, his head tilted as if he was trying to show Wilbur just how important he was. Wilbur noted that some of the man’s nose hairs were also silver, and he quickly tried to remove that thought from his memory.

Wilbur smirked. ‘Yeah?’

The other sighed, looking down. ‘Even if you don’t accept my offer-’

‘Which I don’t.’

‘...I would still like to give you this money,’ The man smiled, before handing Wilbur a small bag of coins.

WIlbur peered into the bag, staring at the coins with what looked to be this man’s face on them.

He must be seeing things.

‘Thank you,’ Wilbur smiled, holding out his hand for a handshake.

The man shrugged, shaking WIlbur’s hand.

‘It’s fine. You kept me from drinking myself into no longer remembering or thinking, so I should be the one thanking you.’

Wilbur sighed at the memory. He remembered dreaming about that man that night; about what his life may look like while Wilbur lay in his warming bed. He dreamt that the man was being harassed by his wife, with a baby that would only cry. WIlbur imagined that the parents were forced to work hard, and then all the money would be spent on the man’s drinking.

Wilbur quickly tuned back into the conversation he had been having, replying by saying ‘I made it all the way to the throne room and saw him and everything before I was stopped and told to come back later.’

Techno snorted. ‘How did you even make it that far?’ he asked.

Wilbur shrugged. ‘I went by the guards and told them that I was Philza’s kid and that I needed to talk to the king about Tommy.’ Wilbur paused, before sighing, shaking his head sadly. ‘It got me all the way to the throne room, but then when the guards told the King about who I was he sent me away with the promise that I could ‘come back later,’ he scoffed.

Phil laid a hand on WIlbur’s shoulder. ‘We'll get Tommy back soon. I promise Wil.’

Techno smiled. ‘That raccoon couldn’t stay trapped like that anyways. It’s impossible for him.’

---

Tubbo sat nervously in the guards’ room.

They had moved all of the guards’ bodies into the room and into a pile in the corner, just in case a guard walked by and noticed the bodies spread out around the room.

Randboo would be here any second now. He was supposed to be following the guards just a few minutes behind to make sure he doesn’t get caught up in any of the conflict.

‘When’s that bitch gonna be here?’ Tommy muttered, shifting the ice on his wrists slightly with a wince. They had managed to find some ice in the bottom of the small freezer compartment in the fridge in the corner. Lani had quickly wrapped the ice in a small hand towel, before handing it to Tommy with strict instructions to rest it as much as he could before they left with Ranboo.

On cue, Ranboo peeked his head around the corner, looking around tentatively before spotting Tubbo. With a wide smile, Ranboo waved, jogging up to the door.

‘Ready to go? Are you guys all okay?’ the tall boy asked before any of them could even say hello.

‘Yeah, we’re ready,’ Tubbo replied, smiling at the lanky boy's caring words. ‘Tommy hurt his hand though.’

Tommy just rolled his eyes. ‘Hello, Bitch Boy!’ he said to Ranboo, causing the other to shake his head.

---

Tommy grimaced as he stood, the wound in his side sparking pain all the way up to his shoulder. He felt like such an idiot; he had gotten so hurt when everyone else had been left completely unscathed.

At least it seemed as though the others wouldn’t notice the bleeding and bruised cut.

Chapter 44

Chapter Text

Ranboo held Tubbo’s hand as he led the group through the series of tunnels that made up the prison. Ranboo had memorized the maps of the vents and apparently, on the way to meet up with them, he had looked around for them, explaining why he took longer than expected.

Tubbo had no idea how Ranboo had somehow seemed to manage to remember where to go, especially considering the boy’s memory issues. All of the walls looked the same to Tubbo, and he definitely felt quite lucky that the guard’s quarters were so close to the entrance and Tommy’s cell.

Tubbo glanced back at Tommy as Ranboo peered around another corner. The blonde boy was lagging behind a bit, his teeth gritted in obvious pain. Tubbo frowned at the slight limp he had, but he supposed that Tommy may just be struggling to run with the makeshift sling Lani had made for him from the coats of one of the fallen guards. With this sling, both of Tommy’s arms lay out in front of him, buried beneath fabric. This reminded Tubbo of the way that some of the members of surrounding villagers would bury their hands in their robes.

‘Here we are,’ Ranboo says, pointing to a vent above them. ‘I’ll boost you guys and then climb up.’

Tommy scoffs, rolling his eyes. ‘I could do that too,’ he says with a pout. ‘Bet I could lift all three of you.’

‘Not with your injured wrists you couldn’t,’ Tubbo said with a smirk, causing Tommy to stutter, before looking away.

Tubbo then grabbed Lani by the ribcage, helping her into the vent as she used Ranboo’s knee as a stool. He then quickly followed, his arms straining as he lifted himself into the cramped ventilation shaft. Tommy then followed, but Tubbo noticed that, instead of just using Ranboo’s knee to boost himself up, Ranboo was lifting the boy into the vent. Despite Tommy’s huffs and swearing, Tubbo joined in, helping the blonde by grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him in after him.

Finally, Ranboo pulled himself up, bringing the vent cover with him and leaving it in the vent. He shuffled to face forward, his long limbs bent awkwardly in every direction to fit properly.

‘Go straight and take your second left,’ Ranboo called out to Lani, who was at the front of their little line.

Lani shouted back, ‘right’, and the four continued to shuffle onwards through the vents.

Tubbo looked back again to see that Ranboo and Tommy were far behind him and Lani, with Tommy struggling to shuffle with only his legs to get through. In the meantime, Ranboo had pulled out the blueprints of the vents and was holding them in one hand while helping push both himself and Tommy with the other.

‘Lani,’ Tubbo began whispering, ‘Lani, let’s slow down-’

‘Shush!’ Lani said quickly, putting a finger over her lips, before continuing to crawl a bit forward. She then stopped and Tubbo saw that they were right over another vent cover.

Tubbo leaned over the vent to see a hallway of the prison. As Tubbo watched, he noticed guards were collected nearby. He looked up at Lani, who mouthed the word ‘listen’ to him, and he quickly turned his attention towards the guards.

‘-all asleep,’ one of the male guards was saying. ‘We think that they have been drugged, but they could have easily just fallen asleep on the job.’

‘And the others?’ a female voice asked.

There was some shuffling, before the man replied, ‘knocked out. There were heaps of stones on the floor and a bit of blood.’

Another man sighed. ‘We’ll have to report to the chief,’ he whined. ‘Then he might report it to the Kings.’

‘Let’s just go,’ another said. Footsteps could then be heard as the guards traveled down the hallway, and eventually everything went quiet.

Tubbo looked behind him to see that Ranboo and Tommy had caught up and were both listening as well.

They all glanced at each other. They had been caught much earlier than they had hoped.

Ranboo then sighed. ‘We should just continue,’ he said, rubbing his face with his free hand. ‘We need to go straight and turn at the third left. There should be a ladder there.’

-----

-Flashback-

Tommy and Wilbur were leaning over one of his maps of the surrounding areas of Erthe. On the map, Wilbur had outlined in a neat scrawl the names of the cities on the map, and the two had managed to draw a rough border of 2b2t from Tommy’s book.

The family had quickly found that Tommy’s book was similar to a scrapbook in the way it was laid out. The three older men of the house had found a small map tucked into a makeshift pocket, along with two discs that were pushed into similar pockets. Tommy was oddly protective of these discs, not even risking playing them in the jukebox in the corner of their kitchen when Phil offered.

Tommy frowned at the place Wilbur was pointing to on the map laid out in front of them. 'Essempe?' He asked curiously, raising one of his eyebrows. He pulled a funny face as he looked at Wilbur, causing the man to snort out a laugh. 'Why would we go there?'

'Well, it's one of the closest places to Erthe!' Wilbur said, an excited smile creeping onto his face. 'It's also surrounded by forest! Although, the area is reported to have many bushfires… that being said, it rains a lot less than it does here and there should be a lot more kids your age, or maybe a bit older.'

'I'm not a kid!' Tommy huffed, before frowning. He looked at the Essempe’s surrounding lands, the large amounts of forest and greenery causing worry within Tommy’s mind. ‘How bad are these bushfires?’

Wilbur faltered, his expression showing hesitance at Tommy’s words. ‘Well… I think they only occur for a little while every two or three summers. Not really something to worry about, especially if this whole... thing blows over.’

Tommy sighed as he nodded. He really hoped that it would end soon. Things were getting scary and with every passing day it was becoming more and more clear that Wilbur and Tommy would need to leave quickly.

There was a knock at the door and Wilbur and Tommy looked at each other with a frown. Techno and Phil were out at their jobs, so it was just Wilbur and Tommy, and neither of them had invited anyone over.

Tommy went to open the door, but Wilbur quickly grabbed him by the collar, pulling him back.

‘They could be here to bring us away for training,’ Wilbur whispered. ‘Let’s pretend like we’re not here and-’

There was another sharp knock on the door and Wilbur quickly started motioning Tommy towards the stairs.

‘We’ll go up here,’ he explained, his voice nearly inaudible. ‘Then we can hide in Techno’s room.’

‘Techno’s?’ Tommy asked in a hushed whisper, his brow furrowed.

Wilbur nodded as they reached the top of the stairs, another knock accompanied by a yell echoing through the house. ‘Techno has weapons,’ he explained. ‘I also used to hide in his room as a joke to piss him off during hide and seek games.’

Tommy gave a smirk, but it quickly turned into a scared look as there was another shout.

Wilbur quickly opened the door, searching the room with his eyes before pointing at a small box in the corner. ‘Hide in there,’ he said, ‘I’ll hide in the cupboard.’

Tommy nodded, although he felt a tightness enter his chest at the thought. He was a bit claustrophobic, so the idea of hiding in such a small box frightened him.

He quickly moved over to the box, glancing out of the window as he did at the group in cloaks below them. He was about to move on, but something caught his eye.

A blue mask with white ovals stretching horizontally as ‘eyes’, with the holes in the mask for eyes making the makeshift mask look a little derpy due to them being too far out.

That stupid mask-

Tommy was interrupted as Wilbur pushed him towards the box and Tommy quickly snapped back into action, opening the lid of the box. He then stepped inside and crouched down, finding just enough room to lie on his side. Tommy then shut the lid, and rejoiced in noticing that there was a small space to look through.

There was a moment of silence, before a door burst open below them. Tommy could hear footsteps, and he felt the tightness in his chest get worse and his breath quicken.

Tommy quickly lost track of time, as well as of what was happening. He noticed as someone entered, and his throat started to close out of fear.

He then coughed, trying to loosen his throat a bit before freezing. He peered out of the hole and it felt as though time had stopped. The man in their room had frozen, glancing around to find the source of the noise. Everything was silent.

The man then left, seemingly having convinced himself that he hadn’t heard anything.

Tommy breathed a sigh of relief and, as the front door shut, he opened the lid of the box he was hiding in, stretching as he did so.

Wilbur opened his door with an angry look, shaking his head at Tommy. ‘You seriously coughed?’ he asked, an eyebrow raised.

Tommy flushed, turning away as his hand went to his neck out of embarrassment. ‘It wasn’t really my fault, Wil. A boy coughs when he needs to cough. Only a puss* would- would- would-’ he stuttered before sighing.

Wilbur just rolled his eyes.

Chapter 45

Chapter Text

Tommy took a deep breath as he shuffled further through the vents at Ranboo’s command. The boy was behind him, trying to help him by pushing him and lifting him when it came to ladders, but all it did was spark pain in his side.

It was already really painful going through these vents. He had one leg in front of him, reaching out and sliding the rest of his body with the aid of his back foot, which helped push him. It really sucked having both his hands unable to do anything. He had definitely tried, but either wrist could support even the slightest bit of weight, so he was stuck with his arms in a sling.

They reached another ladder and Tommy glanced back at Ranbook timidly. There wasn’t really a way for Tommy to climb the ladders on his own, and he knew that, but he hated asking Ranboo to help him, especially when Ranboo should be focusing on where they are going without having to worry about him.

Tommy was slowing everyone down.

Ranboo quickly put the map in his pocket and grabbed Tommy by the hips, his thumb brushing the skin around his wound. Tommy sharply sucked in his breath at the pain roaring through his body and flinched, but Ranboo just continued to lift him with the help of Tubbo, who grabbed Tommy by the shoulders.

He got it. They needed to go quickly. They had already been discovered before they had even left that level in the vents, which was much sooner than they had hoped for. People would be looking for them everywhere.

‘Take your first left, Lani,’ Tommy heard Ranboo whisper from right behind him and a shiver ran down his spine. He hated having someone behind him when he couldn’t turn around. It sucked how small the vents were…

They were quite small, weren’t they? Much smaller than when they first entered, surely?

Tommy quickly shook his head, but the thoughts would not disappear. He was sure of it, the vents were getting smaller. Soon they would be completely trapped and they wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. Ranboo would get trapped first with his long limbs and body, his arms and legs would break and then so would his torso as the walls, floor and ceiling got closer and closer until Ranboo couldn’t lie comfortably and then they would start breaking his body and-

‘Tommy,’ Ranboo whispered soothingly in his ear. Tommy quickly snapped out of his thoughts and realized that he had come to a complete stop. Lani and Tubbo were shuffling further up in the vents, but Tommy had slowed Ranboo and himself even more.

‘S-sorry, big man,’ Tommy muttered, trying to clear his brain. He took a few more steps and shuffled further, but the thoughts quickly started coming back to him.

‘It’ll be okay, Tommy,’ Ranboo whispered just as soothingly from behind Tommy, ignoring the boy’s apologies. ‘Just take a deep breath. I am right behind you. We are nearly out, okay?’

Tommy nodded, but he could already feel his breath shortening and his throat closing up. What would happen to Tubbo and Lani? Surely Tubbo would attempt to save Lani, but how could he? What would-

‘Shh’ Ranboo whispered, reaching his hand out and rubbing Tommy’s back as they continued through the vents. ‘You’re okay, I’m okay, Tubbo and Lani are okay. We’ll be out soon.’ Ranboo then drew in a breath before calling out to Lani in a louder whisper, ‘turn right and the next vent should be the one to your room.’

Lani turned around and gave them a smile and two thumbs up, and Tommy felt himself calm down slightly. They were almost out. They would be okay.

Lani and Tubbo then came to a stop and Tubbo was bent over a vent cover. He quickly unscrewed it, before jumping through.

Lani followed and Tubbo caught her as she fell, allowing her to land safely.

Next was Tommy. The blonde glanced back at Ranboo, who gave him a comforting smile. ‘It’s not too far down, Tommy,’ he told him. ‘You can jump easily.’

Tommy nodded, before shutting his eyes and before he could think any more, he jumped down.

As soon as he landed, pain shot through his sighed and he winced, stumbling forward. He glanced down as Lani turned on the light in the room and saw that he had bled through his shirt. He started to panic and, as Ranboo jumped through the vent, he quickly covered his side with one of his elbows.

Lani then turned to them. ‘This is where we part,’ she smiled. All you need is the cloaks I prepared in my wardrobe and then I can lower the rope down the window.’

Tommy turned in shock, before smiling.

They were nearly out.

-----

-Flashback-

‘You’re sure it was Wisp you saw?’ Luke asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tommy nodded. ‘I’m certain,’ he told them, shifting his weight on the stool he was sitting on.

After the home invasion, Wilbur had quickly messaged Techno and Phil, as well as Business Bay, minus Wisp, after the insistence of Tommy. They were all sitting in the living room/kitchen, spread out across the stools at the kitchen that Phil had brought out, as well as at the table.

‘It was definitely Wisp,’ Tommy continued, taking a sip from the glass of water in his hands. ‘He may of been wearing a cloak but I can recognize his stupid f*cking mask anywhere. He was with the men that are capturing minors to work and train.’

Timedeo rubbed at his temples with a frown. ‘I was certain we could trust him,’ he said, ‘ but I guess not.’

‘Could he be spying on them?’ Phil asked, but Deo shook his head.

‘He would have told us,’ he replied. ‘There is no other explanation. He is with them.’

‘I can’t believe he would betray us like this,’ Bitzel muttered and Tommy slammed his fist down on the kitchen counter.

‘This is bullsh*t!’ he said angrily. ‘Doesn’t Wisp see that? It’s Bullsh*t!’

‘They could have threatened him?’ Luke muttered, but they all still felt betrayed. Wisp had still left them behind and if he was being threatened, he should have told them.

Wisp was a traitor, and he would never be forgiven.

Chapter 46

Chapter Text

They had all changed into the cloaks provided to them by Lani to help camouflage them as silently as they could while Lani grabbed the rope and began lowering it out of the now open window.

Tubbo glanced to his side to see Tommy hunching his back even more than usual, causing the cloak to close around him, glancing between Ranboo and Tubbo from underneath his hood.

‘You alright, boss man?’ Tubbo asked with a frown, watching Tommy as he nervously fiddled with his cloak.

Tommy looked taken aback, before stuttering out ‘Yeah, I’m- I’m- I’m just nervous, that’s all. It sucks having no hands.’

Tubbo nodded and he saw Ranboo out of the corner of his eye tilting his head sympathetically.

‘You should be ready to go!’ Lani said as she finished tying the rope to one of the legs on her bed frame that held her bed up. She had also piled a large number of heavy objects on her bed in hopes of keeping her bed stable. ‘Just try and lower yourself down and use the wall to help you. Also, Tommy I need you to wrap your legs around the rope tightly and try to slowly lower yourself. It will be hard, I understand. Call out if you need help and either me, Ranboo or Tubbo will help’

Ranboo nodded his head, pushing back up his glasses that had slipped down his nose slightly. It was obvious that he had already convinced himself that, if Tommy was in trouble, he would definitely be there to help him. ‘I’ll go first,’ he told them.

Tubbo nodded. ‘Okay! Let’s go.’

Ranboo started towards the window, but suddenly stopped, turning towards Lani in what Tubbo could only assume was shock from behind the sunglasses he was wearing.

‘Will you be okay without me? I’m your servant after all! I’m so sorry Lani-’

Lani just laughed however, giving the tall boy a large smile. ‘It’s okay, Ranboo! You need to help Tommy and probably Tubbo. They need you more than I do.’

Ranboo stared at her for a second, before nodding. ‘Thank you,’ he muttered, turning back to the window.

Ranboo sat on the window sill, reaching his long, lanky legs out in front of him and wrapping them around the rope tightly. He then took a deep breath, before reaching out and sliding off of the window sill.

There was a moment where Ranboo just hung there, and the bed gave a slight creak, but nothing else happened. Tubbo felt himself breathing a sigh of relief, and he could hear Ranboo, Lani and Tommy do the same.

Slowly, Ranboo lowered himself down with a series of loosening his legs and then tightening, before then moving his hands down.

Tubbo and Tommy watched as he made his way downwards, occasionally grunting with the effort and glancing up worriedly.

‘You’ve got this, Big Man,’ Tommy whispered to him, and Ranboo gave him a quick thumbs up, before clutching back at the rope.

Tommy went to move forward, beginning to lift his leg, but Tubbo quickly stopped him, putting his arm in front of him. ‘I’ll go next!’ He told him, ‘That way Ranboo and I can both catch you if you fall.’

Tommy shook his head, his curly blonde locks flying from side to side. ‘I’ll need someone to help me onto the rope,’ he told Tubbo. ‘Ranboo’s a big man. He can catch me on his own. I’m sure of it.’

Tommy’s indirect way of saying he trusted Ranboo with his life. Sweet.

Tubbo nodded before walking with Tommy towards the window sill, waiting until Ranboo had made it around halfway down the wall, using dusk as his cover.

'We've got you, Big Man,' Tubbo told Tommy, watching the boy as his legs started twitching nervously. 'Will you be okay?'

Tommy scoffed, although it was shaky and quickly cut off. 'I'll be just fine, Tubs. Don't worry about me! I'm a huge man!' he told the boy. It was a ruse, however, and they both knew it.

Tubbo rolled his eyes, although the worry and concern in his chest barely lightened.

Tommy sat on the window sill while Tubbo held him by the shoulders with one hand and brought the rope closer to the blonde. The boy slowly wrapped his legs around the rope, tightening them before testing whether they would move up and down, when they didn’t, Tommy gave Tubbo a grin, leaning forward and sliding himself off of the edge.

With a jolt, Tommy dropped a few feet before catching himself awkwardly. The boy hunched over, his shoulder resting on the rope as it swung widely away from the wall, and Tubbo could see that ranboo had stopped his descent to look up.

‘Are you okay?’ Tubbo whisper-yelled down to him out of fear.

He watched as Tommy’s blonde mop of curly hair swayed in what Tubbo could only assume was a nod. ‘Yep!’ He called. ‘I just had to wrap my feet around the rope, but I’ve got it now.’

Tommy then started loosening his grip a little, moving in sudden, short increments until he was around halfway down and Ranboo had reached the bottom.

Tubbo then sat on the edge of the window, grabbing the rope with his arms and legs before glancing behind him at Lani.

‘Thank you,’ he told her, nodding with a smile.

She scoffed, but it was slightly strained. ‘Of course. I’ll see you later-’

But she cut off as both of them seemed to realize the truth of the situation.

Neither of them had thought this plan through. Not fully anyways. Would Tubbo ever return to the castle? Would Lani be losing her brother, and Tubbo his sister? Could this be the last time they see each other? Would they-

‘I love you, brother,’ Lani said, tears in her eyes, and Tubbo nodded.

‘I love you too. I’ll see you again, sister.’

And then, he launched himself out of the window.

-----

They were running through the streets, heads ducked down as Tommy led Ranboo and Tubbo through alleyways and down narrow streets. The blonde glanced behind him to see that Tubbo was staring around the city he was meant to inherit one day, while Ranboo was more interested in making sure that he was following behind Tommy closely, asking every few minutes if he still knew where he was going.

‘I know where we are going, Ranboo,’ Tommy told him yet again, the tall man noticing the boy rolling his eyes at him. ‘We’re going to my brother’s library. From there, we will go to L’manburg and-’

‘L’manburg?’ Tubbo asked curiously, his eyes lighting up as he learnt more and more about the lower parts of his city.

‘It’s a group I founded involving me and my thieving pals. It’s safer to stay together and being together prevents any unnecessary competition, especially with the Dream Team out there.’

‘Dream Team?’ Tubbo asked, but Tommy was shaking his head.

‘Not now. We’re here.’

Ranboo looked up at the library. It wasn’t altogether magnificent. It was a wide building compared to the others around it, indicating it was built earlier than its surroundings, and the two story building gave off the vibes that it would collapse into itself if it weren’t for the two taller and skinnier buildings either side.

‘Let’s get going!’ Tommy told them, cutting off Ranboo's observation of the building as he dragged both him and Tubbo into the building.

An older looking man sat at the reception, his blonde hair partially hidden behind a green and white striped bucket hat. He wore a long green robe and his face had wrinkles either side of his mouth that looked to be caused by excessive grinning.

Ranboo had the feeling he recognized this man, but brushed it off.

‘Hello, and welcome to-’ the man began, before cutting himself off as he looked at the three that had entered. ‘Tommy?’ he says, looking at the blonde teen in front of Ranboo in shock.

‘Phil!’ Tommy called back, running before jumping into Phil’s arms, knocking the man off of balance for a moment.

‘You’re back! You’re safe!’ Phil said as he laughed, pulling Tommy away to look at his face. He then looked down at his arms, which were still tucked into the sleeves. ‘Um…’ he started with a frown. ‘You choose a new style, mate?’ he asked with a laugh.

Tommy laughed, the noise slightly hurting Ranboo’s ears at it reached high notes he could never dream of. ‘Actually I hurt my wrists. Dislocated them or something. Lani reset them.’

‘Lani?’ Phil frowned, before glancing behind Tommy. His eyes widened as he saw Ranboo and Tubbo for what seemed to be the first time. ‘Prince Tubbo!’ He said in shock. ‘And…’

‘Ranboo,’ the tall boy responded, nodding his head with a smile. ‘I’m Princess Lani’s servant.’

‘Is she with you?’ Phil asked, looking around behind and to the side of Tubbo and Ranboo.

Tubbo shook his head and Phil nodded with a quiet ‘ah’.

‘Hey Phil! I got the-’ a deep voice started, before it also cut off.

People really needed to start finishing their sentences.

‘Tommy’s here?’ he asked, and now that Ranboo could see him, he was shocked by the man's appearance. He had vibrant, pink hair that was braided, along with a white shirt, brown pants and a big red cape that was lined with fur and gold. He had a sword that was attached to his belt with a big emerald that was buried in the hilt and both his nose and his jawline were sharp, looking as though it never ended in somehow both an attractive way, but also looking threatening and strong in the same way a wild boar does.

Techno then turned, calling out someone’s name. The person replied with a grumble and, after some shuffling and some muttered curse words another man appeared at the staircase.

The man had brown, scruffy hair that covered his forehead, as well as his left eye, curling delicately at the ends. He wore glasses that were thin and rounded, as well as a deep red beanie. The sweater the man wore was a rich mustard colour that glowed in the light and looked stylish in the shadows, as well as black jeans.

Very different to the vibrancy of the man who had called for them.

‘Oh my god,’ the brunette whispered, looking at Tommy. His lip began to wobble as Tommy flashed him a sad, yet wide smile.

‘Wilbur!’ the kid said, spreading his arms out wide.

‘Wilbur I’m home!’

Chapter 47

Chapter Text

Tommy rolled over, head pressing into Wilbur’s chest as he breathed a deep sigh. Wilbur looked down at the blonde, his deep brown eyes looking at the child with a soft expression. He was sure that Tommy was awake- he could tell by the boy’s breathing, but it did not stop either of them from continuing to press into each other, huddling for both warmth and comfort. There was no embarrassment in the embrace. No awkwardness. Just peace.

Home.

Wilbur’s mind began to wander to the boys that Tommy had brought with him. There was prince Tubbo, which would be more of a shock if Wilbur hadn’t already met the boy. He was young and spirited, sometimes not knowing when he was going too far, but he was also very loveable.

Ranboo was more odd, surprisingly.

He was the servant of Princess Lani and everyone’s first impression of him was his extreme height. Wilbur was a tall person, but Ranboo was on another level. The boy was really sweet though, although he didn’t have the best of memories. Wilbur knew what that was like though, with some of his past memories as a young child being lost to him. At first he had thought that he had just lived a very happy life, but later he had realized that he would block out the bad memories from his childhood.

Tommy shuffled again, his arms wrapping tighter around Wilbur, as if trying to prevent him from leaving. That wouldn’t happen. Never again.

Phil had to buy more blankets for Tubbo and Ranboo, as Wilbur and Tommy only had two originally. Wilbur and Tommy would typically share one, or two if it was winter, with Phil using the second one when the two had first arrived. Technoblade had insisted.

Now, however, Each of them had their own blanket, except for Wilbur and Tommy who were still sharing.

Wilbur shifted, wrapping his arm more tightly around Tommy. The boy hummed quietly, tucking his head even closer to Wilbur.

He was safe now.

---

Tommy couldn’t stop smiling as he sat down on his bed, bowl of porridge in his hands.

Wilbur was sitting next to him, with Phil and Techno at the small table and Tubbo and Ranboo on the floor. At first Tubbo had been a bit shocked that he would have to sleep on the floor, as well as sit there to eat, but he wasn’t too bad and he didn’t complain much.

That didn’t mean he didn’t complain at all however, as every now and then Tommy could hear him whispering to Ranboo how dirty the floor was or how much his backside hurt.

‘I want to go down and see L’manburg today,’ Tommy told the group as they ate, bowls and spoons clinking, along with an occasional squirt from the bottle of honey or tinkling from the jar of brown sugar. ‘Maybe introduce Ranboo and Tubs to the crowd.’

Wilbur nodded with a smile, quickly swallowing before saying, ‘they’ve missed you a lot, Gremlin child.’

Tommy smiled at the brunette, leaning closer to him as he spooned the rest of the porridge into his mouth.

‘L’manburg?’ Ranboo asked hesitantly, glancing between the brothers.

‘The group of thieves I am a part of,’ Tommy responded, covering his mouth as he finished eating when Phil gave him a look. ‘Maybe I can head out with them tonight-’

‘No,’ Wilbur told him. ‘You can’t go out with them again.’

‘What?’ Tommy asked, looking around at him with a raised eyebrow. ‘But why not? It’s not like we don’t still need money, especially with Ranboo, Tubbo, Phil and Techno here.’

‘Tommy I can’t let you get caught again,’ Wilbur told him, standing to wash his bowl and spoon. ‘I don’t mind you being friends with them, but no going out to steal.’

Tommy frowned. ‘Then how do you expect us to earn money, Wilbur. You know that what you earn isn’t enough to sustain six people.’ Tommy then glanced at Phil and Techno. ‘Or four, I guess. What are you two planning on doing?’

Phil and Techno glanced at each other. They hadn’t really thought this far yet.

Wilbur sighed, bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes. ‘I know I can’t sustain you, Tubbo and Ranboo, Tommy. I know that. But what else can I do? I can’t let you go out again.’

‘Well-’ Tommy started, but he had nothing to say. It wasn’t like Tubbo and Ranboo could get jobs and Phil and Techno probably had to leave back to Erthe.

‘Erthe isn’t safe, is it?’ Tommy asked quietly, glancing sadly at Phil and Techno.

They shook their heads.

They all knew that there was hope for a better life after this. Tommy, Ranboo and Tubbo had been so focused on getting out and Phil, Techno and Wilbur had been so focused on finding a way to break Tommy out that no one had thought of what would happen next, because Tommy and Wilbur would go back to having nothing, with added stress on that, and Phil and Techno would have to return to Erthe.

This was not the happy ending Tommy had hoped for.

---

Quackity watched from his throne as guards scrambled around the castle, searching for the missing prisoner and prince. Schlatt was sitting next to him, a deep frown on his face and a bottle in his hand.

When guards had hesitantly reported that they couldn’t find the thief, and that there were knocked out guards in and outside the guard’s room, Quackity’s first feeling was fear, whereas Schlatt’s was obviously fury.

Immediately he had sent for Tubbo, only for the guards to tell the Kings that they couldn’t find the prince, which only sent the royalty into more fear and outrage.

‘Bring Lani!’ Schlatt had then barked, taking a swig of beer.

Lani was then brought into the room by two guards, kicking her legs and yelling, and Quackity sat up straighter.

‘And her servant?’ Schlatt asked.

‘Missing, your Majesty.’

Schlatt banged his fist onto the throne. ‘Leave!’ he yelled, causing the guards to run.

‘Lani, do you know where Tubbo is?’ Quackity asked quietly.

Lani just shook her head, a smirk reaching her face. ‘No, but I know you’ll never find them.’

Schlatt stood. ‘Guards! Find the Prince!’ a crazy, alcohol-induced smile donned his face as the man spread his arms. ‘When you find him, let me know. We’ll hold a festival for his return.’

Chapter 48

Chapter Text

Tubbo was apprehensive as Tommy and Wilbur lead both him and Ranboo to L’manburg’s hideout. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he didn’t know all that much about Tommy, despite having given everything for the boy-

He had given everything for the boy.

Tubbo hadn’t really registered the fact until that moment. He didn’t regret it, though. Definitely not. He felt that Tommy, as well as many of the other citizen’s Tubbo had watched King Schlatt harm, deserved better, and he supposed this was his way of standing up to his father, but it was still hard.

He and Ranboo had been there for the conversation that morning, afterall. None of them knew what they were going to do now. Tubbo had no home to go back to and the idea that he had caused Tommy and his brother more financial strain by burdening them with his and Ranboo’s presence wasn’t a pleasant one. Tommy had reassured them that it would be fine after breakfast as they got ready, with Ranboo wearing some of WIlbur’s clothes that fit tightly on his, whereas Tubbo wore some of Tommy’s, but they both knew that the blonde didn’t even truly believe the words himself.

Tubbo brought himself out of his thoughts, however, as he looked around apprehensively at the creepy, dark entrance to L’manburg. When Tommy had described it to him and Ranboo, he had explained L’manburg as a tight-knit loving family, with every moment cherished, but the setting caused doubt in Tubbo’s mind.

He didn’t doubt that Tommy wouldn’t hurt him, but that didn’t stop him from feeling anxious.

As they reached the bottom of a staircase, however, Tubbo and Ranboo were met by a cozy room with a round table of spruce in the middle, along with a few doors leading to other rooms. There was a bookshelf in one corner, with a comfy looking chair and small red rug on the floor and shelves were littered with decorative trinkets.

Tubbo tried to ignore the thought that a lot of this stuff would have been stolen, although he found the idea of Tommy trying to smuggle a large round table kind of funny.

At the table, a man with green hair, along with a black face mask with ventilators in it, sat with a notepad and pen in his hand, looking up at those entering.

‘Welcome to my home, boys,’ Tommy said to both him and Ranboo, a proud look on his face. ‘There is a sleeping area on the first left, a closet with the microwave through the other left door, as well as a toilet on the right, although we don’t have any plumbing so unfortunately it’s a drop toilet and is very stinky in there.’

Tubbo didn’t want to know what a drop toilet was.

‘Tommy?’ the green-haired man said as he fully registered the blonde’s appearance.

‘Sam!’ Tommy smiled, running up to the man who stood to start making his way to the boy. The two embraced and Tommy smiled, before letting go with a laugh. ‘How are you, Big Man?’

‘I’m good! Wilbur told us all what happened. How did you escape?’

‘I’ll tell you later, good friend, when the others get back,’ Tommy told him with a smile, before turning back to Tubbo, Wilbur and Ranboo. ‘In the meantime, this is Prince Tubbo and Ranboo. Let’s just say they helped me escape.’

Tubbo smiled, holding his hand out. ‘Hello, boss man.’

‘Sam’’s eyes widened as he turned from looking between Tommy and Tubbo, before bowing hesitantly. ‘Doesn’t he know? You know, about the stealing?’ The brunette heard Sam whisper to Tommy.

‘He’s cool with it,’ Tommy said casually, causing Sam to frown at him.

‘Then welcome to L’manburg, your highness.’

Tommy grinned at Sam, before wincing as his side flared up. Sam immediately frowned at him and Tubbo gave the boy an odd look. ‘Are you okay, Tommy?’ he asked, looking the boy up and down for injuries.

Sam seemed to be doing the same thing, however, as he quickly shouted ‘Tommy! You’re bleeding.’

Tommy’s eyes widened and the boy quickly moved his sleeves over the now noticeable dark patch that was growing on the boy’s clothing. ‘What?’ he said dumbly, not quite processing what was happening.

‘Tommy’s you’re injured?’ Wilbur asked with a frown, moving towards the blonde.

Tommy took a step back, shaking his head. ‘My- my wrists… yeah my wrists…’ he muttered, but it was a weak defence.

Wilbur took another few steps towards the boy, causing Tommy to back up further. Wilbur huffed, shaking his head. ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he told Tommy. ‘Let me see the wound.’

Tommy stared at him, before sighing, admitting defeat as he allowed Wilbur to lift his shirt.

Tubbo let out a soft gasp at the badly bandaged wound and Wilbur let out swears as Tommy continued to bleed. ‘This looks like a big wound, Tommy,’ the brunette said as he began to unwrap the bandages. ‘When did you even wrap this?’

Tommy shrugged, hiding his face in his shoulder. ‘Medical kit in the bathroom,’ the boy muttered, his face a flaming red. ‘Can’t everyone just f*ck off?’

‘Tommy what the f*ck? When did you get this?’ Tubbo asked, staring at the now revealed wound in Tommy’s side. It was caked in dried, brown-ish blood, with bright red dribbled down his pale skin. Sam quickly came from one of the rooms with a medical kit, handing it to Wilbur, and Tubbo wondered in the back of his mind when the green-haired man had left in the first place.

‘You shouldn’t hide wounds, Tommy,’ he told the boy, his voice almost sounding sad or even disappointed.

Tommy stared at Sam with wide eyes, before quickly turning his head the other direction, obviously trying to distance himself from the man. ‘It’s none of your business when and where I got the wound from. I don’t want your pity.’

Tubbo couldn’t help the frustration churning in his gut, but before he could say something that he would regret, Wilbur spoke up.

‘Tommy this is a really clean cut. The kind of cut you could only get from a blade…’ he started, staring at the boy with horror-filled eyes.

Then it hit Tubbo. The fight with the guards. Tommy had been in pretty close quarters with the guards and a lot of them seemed to have focused on him during the fight. He must have been more injured than he let on. He quickly relayed the information to Sam and Wilbur, who looked at Tommy with expressions of anger and disappointment, which Tubbo knew was just their way of expressing their fear for the boy.

Tommy just glared at Tubbo.

---

Wilbur couldn’t believe it. Tommy had gotten into a sword fight with trained professionals, and not only had he dislocated his wrists, but he had also managed to get a huge wound in his side that the boy didn’t bother mentioning to anyone!

He was lucky he didn’t get an infection, and a dark part of Wilbur wished he did so that the boy would maybe get it through his thick skull that his stubbornness was idiotic and could get him killed.

Wilbur didn’t really feel that way though. He knew he was just worried for Tommy, but that didn’t stop him from not going easy on the boy, giving him the punishment of not being allowed outside of the library at all until his wrists healed.

Wilbur knew that could take heaps of weeks. He couldn’t find it in himself to care too much though outside of having a little bit of pity for the boy. He just hoped that Tommy would learn his lesson.

With everyone living in the house together, however, money was starting to become an issue, even with the money Phil and Techno had brought with them. Wilbur would have to start working soon.

So, as much as he wanted to keep an eye on Tommy until he was certain that the boy was no longer injured and had completely learned his lesson, he would leave for work, starting with the night shift at his new job down at a restaurant.

He tried to convince himself that Phil and Techno would look after Tommy as well, or maybe even better than Wil could. He didn’t do a very good job though, and a very selfish, dark, possessive part of him whispered that only he could look after Tommy properly.

He could only pray Tommy would still be there in the morning, healing and happy.

---

Tommy waited until the breaths of his housemates were all slowed before swinging his legs over the edge of his empty bed.

Thank the gods that WIlbur had a night shift.

Tommy very carefully stood up, minimizing the sounds of the old, rusted springs in his mattress as much as he could, taking a deep sigh of relief when no one woke up. The boy then inched his way over to the table, trying to avoid stepping on any of the creaking floorboards. Yet again he was thankful for memorizing which ones were the loudest.

Grabbing his cloak that was lying messily on the table after he had left it there when changing earlier, Tommy shuffled towards the stairs, fully relying on the support of the rails to make his way down.

He then quickly rushed to the door, grabbing the bell as he opened the door to stop it from ringing while he slid through the small gap he had created.

The freezing, outside air rushed to his face and Tommy smiled, having successfully made his way out of the library without waking anyone up, to his knowledge.

Wilbur wasn’t going to stop him from helping him out, especially since they needed money now more than ever.

This injury definitely wasn’t going to hold him back either. He wasn’t a puss*.

Tommy wrapped his cloak around his shoulders, sticking to the shadows the buildings cast onto the street in the bright moon light, making a sharp right turn into an alleyway.

Tommy continued to maintain his pattern of sticking to and moving with the shadows of the city until he reached far enough away that he was confident that he could both easily get home, while also not stealing from his neighbors.

Tommy peered into the tinted windows of the building he was walking past, taking note of the easy to pick locks that would lead him straight into the house. He also took note of the valuables, and which ones he would be able to grab that wouldn’t make it too obvious that the family had been robbed, while Tommy still gained a large enough profit.

He also made sure to check for signs of pets. He had learnt from his past mistakes.

When deeming the house fit, Tommy snuck paperclips out of his pocket that he had been folding to fit the shape of lock picks. It was a good way to pass time while he waited for the others to fall asleep.

After making quick work of the window, Tommy cautiously stepped onto the bench, before sliding to his left and landing softly on the ground.

He then pillaged the sh*t out of anything he could find, while also leaving enough that it wouldn’t be immediately noticeable.

Now all he had to do was give the money to Wilbur and…

Oh. He didn’t really think this through.

Chapter 49

Chapter Text

Tommy walked towards the marketplace, his head low and with every pocket in the coat he wore filled with the loot he had gathered. He figured he would buy a few things from the market, knowing that at least one of the stalls would be open - as it usually was even at this point in the night.

Tommy heard a noise from behind him, but he kept walking. He didn't want to look suspicious and, although it pained him to not look around to make sure he wasn't about to get stabbed in the back, he knew this was the safer option.

One of the lessons he had definitely learnt the hard way.

Tommy turned the corner quickly as soon as it came, despite not needing to make the turn, and quickly turned his head to check behind him as he kept walking. As he suspected, the person turned into the same alleyway as him.

Tommy recognized that green jumper.

Tommy halted, fully turning his body around to face the man behind him. His face was masked by a circular, clay disk with a smile painted on it to protect the man's identity. He wore baggy jeans, ugly black shoes and held his hands in his pockets. He looked creepy with his silhouette backed by crappy yellow lighting from the lanterns lining the streets. Tommy hated this man, the man who called himself 'Dream'.

‘What do you want?’ Tommy said quietly to the man as the other came to a stop.

‘Tommy!’ the man greeted, his voice sounding cheerful. Tommy couldn’t at all reciprocate the emotion. ‘You’ve been gone for so long, care to share what you’ve been up to?’

Tommy frowned, glaring at Dream. ‘None of your business, Bitch,’ he responded snarkily. He hadn’t been really able to let his true nature show for a while, needing to be on Tubbo and Ranboo’s good side. It was honestly refreshing in a way to let loose like this.

Dream’s disposition changed immediately, turning from falsely happy to falsely upset. ‘Now, Tommy, that’s no way to talk to an old friend,’ he said. Tommy knew this dance though. The two had waltzed to this beat so many times. Dream was trying to guilt-trip him, and Tommy wouldn’t give the man what he wanted.

‘Where are your friends,’ Tommy said instead, changing the subject. He knew that Sapnap was in jail, but 404 was still up and about, as well as…

Eret.

Eret, the man who had betrayed L’manburg, selling them out to the Dream Team and giving them information of their plans and whereabouts. The betrayal had hurt all of them, but mostly Tommy, and he remembered being unable to leave the library for a week after. He had sobbed into his pillow. He resented the man for betraying him- for making him feel so useless.

Eret’s betrayal was found out when he had led Tommy, as well as Fundy, to an alleyway, where Dream, 404 and Sapnap had cornered him, attempting to take his life. They had revealed themselves too quickly, however, and the two members of L’manburg had only just escaped with injuries and tears streaking down their faces. He had gone straight to L’manburg, conveying the news to the rest of them, with an injured Fundy next to him. Fundy had left L’manburg a while after that, applying and getting a job at the castle to work for Schlatt. Tommy missed him.

Tommy had only forgiven Sapnap for that day, as well as 404 partially, after finding out through Sapnap that the two hadn’t been aware of what they were doing, with only Dream and Eret being aware of the mission to kill Tommy. Tommy remembered seeing Sapnap standing back, not participating. 404 had followed Dream’s orders.

‘404’s around,’ Dream answered Tommy, bringing him out of his memories. ‘Trauma,’ Captain Puffy had once informed him when he had been visiting the bakery Wilbur worked at. ‘Weakness,’ Tommy had corrected her to himself.

‘So then. What do you want?’ Tommy asked, crossing his arms. ‘Are you here to ambush me again? Or are you here to steal my possessions?’

Of course, Tommy could never forget when he and Dream had first met. Tommy was carrying the disks that were typically kept in his mother’s book in his pockets as a comfort item when the masked man had stolen them from him. Tommy had chased the man down, only for Dream to turn on him and propose a compromise. The compromise was that Tommy would work for Dream, and he would give the disks back. Tommy had flat out refused, punching the man in the gut, before kicking him in the balls and stealing his disks back. Tommy remembered that feeling of adrenaline when stealing. He still felt it.

He did regret telling Dream his name then, but appreciated how the man kept it to himself. Or so it seemed. It appeared pretty out of character for the man.

Dream had always seemed to have it out for him, although it always struck Tommy as a bit too intense. Of course, Tommy hated Dream, but Dream acted almost… obsessed with the boy at times. He pushed it aside, however. He was probably blowing it out of proportion.

Dream laughed at Tommy’s comment. ‘If you’re willing to hand my disks over, then I’ll happily accept.’ Another annoying habit. Dream acted as if Tommy’s disks were his. It frustrated him greatly. ‘I just want to know where you’ve been.’

Tommy raised an eyebrow, his brain going a hundred miles per hour thinking of an answer. ‘I went to visit Sapnap in the prison,’ he ended up telling Dream. ‘Man seemed pretty worried over his pet fish. I think he was called f*cking Mercury or something-’

‘Mars,’ Dream corrected, before sighing. ‘I think you’re lying to me Tommy. You know you shouldn’t lie to me.’

‘Shut the f*ck up you green bastard,’ Tommy replied. Graceful, as always.

‘Just tell me the truth, Tommy.’

Tommy just walked past him, bumping shoulders as he continued out of the alleyway. ‘f*ck off.’

Dream’s laugh followed him as he turned the corner.

---

Tommy entered the library, hand quickly grabbing the bell above the door to stop the noise from waking up the sleeping members of the household. He then slid inside, shutting the door slowly before carefully releasing the bell.

In one of his hands, Tommy was holding a crate that held multiple non-perishables, such as a few tins of beans, soup and diced tomatoes and a bag of flour, as well as a carton of eggs and some milk. He had tried to grab items that would not be too noticeable amongst the other food in their pantry, while also being useful. Usually Tommy wouldn’t have ever dreamt of buying the low-priced crate, often choosing to instead just the items in his hands or use the basket Wilbur had brought from Erthe, but he hadn’t exactly expected to pick up any items from the market when he had set off, and it was far easier to carry so many items in the crate he’d had to pay extra for.

It wasn’t too much in comparison to the money he had just gotten.

Tommy carefully made his way up the stairs, his eyes drooping due to exhaustion and his shoulders slumped in front of him. Tommy’s posture was never great, but it was made worse by the weariness he was feeling. Tommy shed the jacket he was wearing, emptying some of the pockets but leaving others with money in them. He then moved to the refrigerator, quickly putting in the milk and eggs while praying no one woke up due to the light. He guessed he could always play it off as grabbing a snack…

Although they couldn’t really afford that.

Tommy then put the rest of the materials in the pantry near the back, before moving to where he and Wil slept, aiming to shove the crate under the bed. When Tommy slipped past the curtain, however, he was met by an awake Wilbur, whose arms were crossed and who had a dark scowl on his face.

Tommy froze, his body going stiff as his hands dropped to his sides, one of his hands still holding onto the crate. Wilbur was awake. Wilbur knew. Holy sh*t Tommy was such a dumbass.

‘What the f*ck do you think you are doing, huh?’ Wilbur growled quietly, and this was it. Tommy was going to die at the hands of Wilbur.

‘I-’ Tommy started, but his brain faltered and he couldn’t figure out what to say, still frozen. Wilbur could see the crate. He knew, he knew, he knew- ‘Sorry, Wil,’ Tommy muttered. He would hang his head, but he couldn’t look away from Wilbur’s disappointed face. He was disappointed in Tommy. Tommy had f*cked up and now Wilbur was dissappointed-

Wilbur sighed, shaking his head as he shuffled back on the bed. He then laid down and Tommy stared at him in confusion. ‘Come lie down, Toms,’ Wilbur told the boy, patting the space next to him, and Tommy complied, dropping the crate to the ground as he did so.

Tommy started on the farthest side from Wilbur, but after Wilbur reached a hand around Tommy’s thin shoulders, the boy quickly curled up in his older brother’s arms.

‘I’m sorry Wilby,’ Tommy said, accidentally letting the childish nickname Tommy had for Wil slip. ‘I’m so sorry.’

Wilbur just sighed. ‘I know, but I told you to stay put, Toms. I know you worry about me, but let me worry about you too, okay?

Tommy nodded with a pout. A part of him was embarrassed about how childish he was acting, but he quickly shoved it down.

The last thing Tommy heard that night was ‘we’ll talk in the morning. You're not leaving again, though.'

Chapter 50

Chapter Text

When Tommy woke up, memories of the night before quickly filled his brain. He sat up suddenly, glancing to the side where Wilbur, Phil and Tubbo were sitting talking quietly. As he looked at them, he made eye contact with Wilbur, who was sipping on a cup of water and staring at him with a raised eyebrow and apathetic eyes.

He was f*cked.

Tubbo and Phil caught on a few seconds later that Tommy was awake, and the two greeted him with waves. Tubbo had a smile on his face, whereas Phil had a disappointed frown. Wilbur didn’t have any readable expression on his face outside of the raised eyebrow.

Oh god. What made him think that sneaking out was a good idea again?

‘Tommy, you’re awake!’ Tubbo said, making his way over to the blonde. Wilbur told us what happened.’

Tommy glanced between Wilbur and Tubbo before trying to send Tubbo the most confident smile he could muster. ‘He did?’ he asked.

Tubbo nodded. ‘Said you ran away in the night, stole from someone’s house and then bought some groceries.’ Tubbo then frowned. ‘Which was stupid of you.’

Tommy’s smile fell and he looked away from Tubbo, betrayal curling in his chest.

‘You shouldn’t have done that Tommy,’ Phil said. ‘We’re trying to keep you safe by having you here. You’re injured and there are guards everywhere looking for you.’

Tommy nodded, used to these kinds of talks from Phil. It had been a while, though, since Phil’d had to give him a talk though. It had been a long time since he had seen Phil up until recently.

‘Well…’ Tommy started, not one to typically apologize, but he was cut off by Ranboo, who was walking up the stairs.

‘Tommy!’ the tall boy shouted, running over to him. ‘Are you okay?’

Tommy shrugged. ‘I feel fine,’ he said. As soon as the words left his mouth, however, Ranboo punched him relatively lightly in the shoulder, causing Tommy to let out a yelp, glaring at his attacker.

‘What the hell did you think you were doing?’ he asked, his voice panicked as Tommy rubbed his shoulder with a scowl.

‘I was thinking about how I was going to feed six people,’ Tommy grunted with a frown.

There was a moment of silence, but Phil and Ranboo’s hard looks didn’t stop. Tubbo was looking at him with a grimace, while WIlbur still had no expression on his face.

Techno then walked up the stairs and he stood, standing at the top of the staircase as he leant on the railing. He didn’t say anything.

Wilbur’s voice finally cut through the silence, calm and seemingly undisturbed. ‘Did you have fun?’ he asked innocently, staring straight through Tommy.

Tommy looked down. He hated it when Wilbur talked to him like this and his brother knew it. They had been living together for a long time now afterall.

‘I saw Dream,’ he blurted without really thinking. As Wilbur’s previously straight face showed a hint of anger, Tommy quickly continued. ‘He didn’t try to hurt me or anything! He was just wondering where I had been and stuff.’ Tommy muttered the last bit as Wilbur’s glare didn’t lessen.

There was a moment of silence,before Tommy tried to reason with his brother again. ‘Wilbur-’ he started, but Wil cut him off.

‘Tommy, what do I have to do to get you to listen to me?’ he asked, setting his cup down harshly on the table, causing Tommy to flinch. Phil rested his hand on Wilbur’s shoulder in an attempt to calm him down, but the brunette just shrugged it off.

‘Tubbo, Ranboo,’ Phil said quietly. ‘You should go downstairs.’

Tubbo looked like he was going to protest, but Ranboo just nodded, taking Tubbo by the arm and down the stairs. Tubbo wasn’t a big fan of being bossed around, but he didn’t have a choice really. He had to accept that he wasn’t the prince of the kingdom anymore.

‘Tommy,’ Wilbur continued. ‘What would you have done if someone caught you?’ he asked. ‘I wouldn’t have known where you had gone and Schlatt would immediately pay the person who found you a fortune before then having executed you in a second! He’d then come here and Take Tubbo, probably execute Ranboo and myself before throwing Techno and Phil in Prison.’

Tommy stared at the ground, tears pricking his eyes. He hadn’t really thought about what would happen to his family and Tubbo and Ranboo if he had gotten caught. He had only been thinking about what would happen to himself if he got caught and about feeding everyone.

‘Tommy, you selfish idiot,’ Wilbur growled at the boy, causing a tear to slide down the blonde’s eyes. ‘Look at me, Tommy. This is about more than just you, okay! We have both our lives and Tubbo and Ranboo’s and Phil and Techno’s lives at stake here-’

‘I know!” Tommy shouted. ‘But I can’t just sit around and let everyone starve to death. I can’t just sit back and watch you overwork yourself to death, Wilbur!’

Wilbur glared at Tommy, opening his mouth, but Tommy was standing up and making his way to the staircase.

‘And where the f*ck do you think you’re going?’ Wilbur snarled, moving to follow Tommy.

‘Away from you!’ Tommy yelled, and he ran down the steps. He booked it for the door, only to be grabbed by Techno on his way down. Tommy snarled, biting Techno on the arm causing the muscled man to let go out of shock. Tommy quickly made his way to the door, sparing one last glance at Ranboo and Tubbo. He had dragged the two into danger, taking them from their perfect lives into his sh*tty one.

As Tommy was about to turn he watched as Tubbo mouthed a word to him.

‘Selfish.’

Tommy ran.

-----

-Flashback-

Tommy and Wilbur were completely packed and ready to go. They planned to make it as far as they could on foot trying to be stealthy until they found someone who was selling anything they could ride faster on, such as a horse or mule. They took enough coins to keep the people they passed lips shut about them being minors from Erthe, all that was left was the goodbyes.

Tommy offered for the Business Bay to come with them, but they refused. It became really personal for them when Wisp betrayed them, as he had been a childhood friend for the three of them. Tommy could only prey they would be okay.

Tommy had also wanted to bring Drista along, but he hadn’t seen her in such a long time that he didn’t know where she lived, whether she was alive or if she even remembered him.

He had been such a bad brother to her, and now he couldn’t even say goodbye.

Tommy teared up as he hugged Phil. Saying goodbye was hard, especially for Wilbur, who was sobbing into Techno’s shoulder. Techno also looked teary-eyed not that he’d ever admit it-

Oh god. He wasn’t going to see Techno again for so long.

Tommy held onto Phil tighter as the older blonde patted him comfortingly on the back. Tommy then turned to Techno hugging him as well. Techno gave Tommy a soft smile.

It was bittersweet, but more bitter than sweet.

‘You two should get going,’ Phil said regretfully as Wilbur moved from Techno to hugging Phil. ‘Techno and I will miss you both a lot.’

Wilbur let out another round of sobs, nodding into Phil’s chest. Tommy gave Techno one last squeeze before letting go. ‘He’s right,’ he said quietly to Wilbur. ‘We’ve got an adventure in front of us.’

Wilbur nodded sadly, looking between Techno and Phil one last time before giving them both their last squeeze.

By morning, they were gone.

Chapter 51: The Finale

Chapter Text

Tommy was sprinting down the street, running between people in desperation. He wasn’t thinking clearly, he just had to get out.

Tommy made himself slow down, however, as he noticed stares on him. He couldn’t blow his cover and prove Wilbur right. He couldn’t.

Tommy eventually found himself running through back alleys and walking through streets that were becoming increasingly less crowded as he continued to make his way to the outskirts of the city. He didn’t pay attention to his surroundings. He knew he should but he was just so confused.

He didn’t know how to feel. Everything felt helpless and no matter what solution he tried to think of, it backfired.

Tubbo had called him selfish. It hurt so badly because it was true.

He had tried to do the right thing by going and buying food, but in the end it had only made things worse. God, he was such an idiot!

As Tommy walked, he didn’t notice he was the only one in the street. He didn’t notice the group of people at the end of the street watching him. He didn’t notice until he was surrounded that he had reached a dead end.

Tommy looked up and took a step back in shock as he came face to face with a clay mask. It was Dream.

Tommy took a good look around and now he saw the deserted street, the dead end and the people. Dream was there, along with 404, Eret and a boy and a girl.

‘Tommy!’ Dream said in a tone of voice that sounded as if he was welcoming him. ‘It’s great to see you! This is 404 and Eret. You know them already. And this is Callahan and Allysa.’

Tommy frowned as he looked up at the new people he hadn’t seen before. He didn’t recognize their names. ‘Dream…’ he started, confused about what was happening. Yet again he had been so absorbed in himself that he wasn’t thinking about those around him. He was so stupid and selfish. Just as Tubbo had said. ‘Dream what’s going on?’

Dream laughed, smacking Tommy on the shoulder as if he were a good friend. Tommy tried to take a few steps back, but Dream’s grip just tightened painfully.

‘Tommy, I think now is as good of a time as any to tell you something.’ Dream’s voice grew sickeningly cheerful. ‘Something important. Something I bet you will want to hear.’

Tommy frowned at him. ‘Dream seriously. What’s going on?’

Dream laughed. Why don’t we start from the start, Tommy-’ he started, but a sharp cry from 404 cut him off.

‘Dream,’ he said with a strong British accent. ‘We’ve got company.’

Tommy looked up to see Schlatt surrounded by guards walking down the street. Beside him stood Quackity, who was next to the detective that had interrogated Tommy for answers. Tommy wondered how the street was still deserted, and decided that this was definitely a set up…

But if it was, then why did 404 sound so… alert. Almost worried.

‘Dammit,’ Dream growled. ‘Let’s hope this doesn’t cause too much trouble. He then looked to Allysa. ‘Everything's in place, right?’ he asked her.

The girl was wearing a plain black face mask, making it hard to read her face. She nodded at Dream.

‘Hello, Dream,’ Schlatt said with a falsely warm smile, his arm stretched wide and god did Tommy want to run at the sight of the man, but Dream was still holding his shoulder painfully tight.

Tommy noticed movement behind Schlatt, and his eyes widened in horror as he saw Wilbur, Ranboo and Tubbo being held by guards. Behind them Technoblade and Philza were chained by the wrists tightly.

He was such a f*ck up.

‘It appears you have something I want,’ Schlatt said, still putting up an obviously fake smile.

Dream suddenly pushed Tommy to the ground and Tommy yelped as his knees painfully scraped at the ground. He glared up at Schlatt and immediately got a sense of deja vu. When all of this started. When he had first been caught what felt like months ago. His blue eyes staring into Schlatt’s black ones.

He wished Tubbo could help him out of it this time.

‘And what would that be?’ Dream asked.

Schlatt shrugged, taking out a flask at his hip and downing it, ignoring the glare his husband gave him. ‘I can give you whatever you want for him.’

‘He’s not for sale,’ Dream said, his voice neutral.

Schlatt glared at him, dropping the pretense of cheerfulness. ‘Then I’m gonna have to take it from you.’

Tommy flinched as Schlatt called him an ‘it’. God he hated this. They were trading him as if he were some kind of object. As if Dream was his owner. It made him want to gag.

‘Let my friends and family go and I will come with you,’ Tommy said, trying to keep his voice calm.

Schlatt wheezed out a laugh, before coughing roughly. ‘You think you have a say in what’s happening, boy?’ Schlatt said insultingly.

Tommy glared at him. He tried to stand, but Dream pushed him to his hands and knees.

‘Callahan,’ Dream said quietly, and before anyone had even realized, Tubbo was in the hands of the brunette boy Tommy had never seen before. Tubbo gasped as a knife was pressed into his neck. Tommy looked to the guards that had been holding Tubbo. They had been knocked out when no one was paying attention. Silent but deadly.

Schlatt’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at Tubbo who was squirming uncomfortably in the arms of the boy named Callahan. Tommy made eye contact with Tubbo, but he looked away when he saw the pleading look in those brown eyes. f*ck, this was so bad.

‘I think you should continue on with your day,’ Dream said to Schlatt smugly. ‘Unless you want to hand over your prisoners?’

Schlatt went to speak, but was interrupted by his own coughs. The man seemed disorientated and, after a moment, it clicked in Tommy’s brain as to why.

The same realization that Tommy had come to had occurred to Quackity as well, apparently as he shouted in shock. ‘Are you f*cking drunk, Schlatt.’

The man grinned sloppily at Quackity and Tubbo whimpered. sh*t. This wasn’t good for anybody.

Schlatt suddenly frowned, looking disturbed. ‘What the f*ck,’ he muttered, swaying slightly as he coughed again. ‘Does anyone smell toast?’

Those four words caused everyone’s eyes to widen, staring at the King of Essempe as he crumpled into a heap, clutching his heart.

He muttered something quietly to Quackity, who stood, stunned in shock.

It was silent for a few moments, until Tubbo screeched.

‘Did he just have a heart attack?!’

Tommy was dumbfounded, and everyone else seemed to be as well. He glanced up at Dream, hoping to gauge his reaction, but the man seemed calm, almost happy.

In fact, all of Dream’s men seemed pretty laid back about all this.

‘You planned this,’ Tommy whispered, staring at Dream. ‘You planned for him to have a stroke.’

Dream snarled. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Tommy,’ he growled, but there was a note of ecstasy in his voice. ‘He was a heavy drinker. That’s probably what caused it.’

'How the hell did you make him have a stroke??' Tommy stared.

Dream just smirked.

In the background Tommy could hear Quackity complaining about Schlatt’s last words. He could see the guards looking at Quackity who was still in shock in confusion. He could see the smug grin left on Schlatt’s face and he could hear Wilbur calling his name, but he wasn’t focused on that. To Tommy it was just him and Dream.

‘What do you plan to do with me?’ Tommy whispered, his voice quivering in terror. Dream didn't reply, but instead moved his to the side of his head, allowing Tommy to see his face for the first time.

-----

-Flashback-

Tommy and Wilbur walked along the road towards the city Essempe. Outside of the gate stood a man in green and black robes. His eyes were green, his hair was a dirty blonde color and he had freckles on his cheeks. There were also guards in armor surrounding the man.

The blonde man eyed them up and down, sneering at their appearance before sighing. ‘Let them through,’ he ordered, staring Tommy in the eyes.

Tommy remembered WIlbur thanking the man, but Tommy never said anything as he held a staring contest with the green-eyed man as they passed.

-Flashback End-

-----

Tommy stared into those same green eyes, completely shocked. ‘You…’ he started, but he was speechless.

Back then, Tommy had asked him what was up, but Dream hadn’t replied, only sneering at him.

Tommy then moved on.

Dream is staring Tommy directly in the eyes as his man holds a knife at Tubbo’s neck

Schlatt had died from a heart attack, but the chaos ended with Callahan holding Tubbo by the neck.

“I have been watching you Tommyinnit. Ever since you arrived both here and at the castle. I allowed you in, and all you have done is cause chaos. I let you come in, even though you were supposed to be in Erthe, but you have only disappointed.”

'What do you mean, you Sicko?' Tommy asked in confusion.

'Did you even try to take care of my sister?'

Tommy just stared. 'What?' He said, his voice cracking. 'What are you on about?'

'My sister,' Dream starts. 'Drista.'

Tommy just continued to stare. 'I'm sorry?'

'You abandoned her, Tommy. While you found a loving home you left her in the dust.'

Tommy frowned. 'That's not true,' he said, his chest closing in as he stared at Dream. How did he know any of this.

'You were supposed to look after her, but you've always been disobedient.' Dream's eyes were wild. 'I thought maybe I could fix you with POG, but you just never could do what you were supposed to.'

'With-' Tommy couldn't even comprehend what was happening. 'What do you mean?'

'YOU JUST CAN'T DO WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO!' Dream yells in his face, and Tommy flinches. Dream turns away from him, and Tommy takes this moment to stand up.

'I'VE BEEN WATCHING YOU FOR YEARS, TOMMY! YOU WERE PERFECT.' Dream took in a deep breath as he turned back around. Tommy was barely aware of the concerned eyes watching them. He noticed that Callahan and Allysa had fled, but could barely feel the relief of Tubbo being free. 'A poor, lonely and unloved boy who would sacrifice himself for his sister.' Dream frowned.

'All I needed was for you to finally break.' Dream continued to admit. 'Once you were broken, I would sweep you into my arms and you'd be obedient to me. There aren't many boys as special as you Tommy. I need you. And you need me.'

'What the f*ck' Tommy said. He felt like throwing up.

'NO ONE CAN SAVE YOU NOW TOMMY!' Dream screamed, pulling a dagger from his belt. He began to move towards Tommy who was stumbling over himself as he backed away. 'YOU'RE MINE-'

It was as if all noise had been cut off. Silence filled the street as Dream gasped, looking down at the blade sticking out of his chest. He turned his head, only to be met with the blazing eyes of Wilbur.

'f*ck you,' was all Tommy's saviour said, before Dream's eyes glazed over.

'You're safe from him now Tommy,' Wilbur says, discarding Dream's body. 'Let's go home.'