Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It had been almost a month since Tommy had been exiled.

Firstly, he'd been doing pretty well for himself, minus whenever Dream visits him and blew up the stuff he had worked so hard to get. (He'd feel so lonely when the man left him for weeks to fend for himself) Whatever, the guy was a total wrongen anyway.

Logstedshire was pretty well after he rebuild it from when Dream found his secret stash of supplies. The admin told him he wouldn't be visiting for about a while until he feels that Tommy had learnt his lesson.

Currently, he was out mining again, wanting to replace the tools he had lost.

Tommy, I believe there's a spawner nearby or what sounds like one. Care to check it out?

Secondly, he had gained a Chat of his own now.

The voice, who insisted Tommy calls him Mukuro, had appeared at some point during his exile but only decided to speak up after the whole beach party fiasco.

Understandbly, Tommy had been pissed but calmed down a bit after he explained. Mukuro stayed silent in order to study and recognize who is an enemy and who is an ally, which was pretty limited considering Dream was the only one who visited a lot and the rest of the SMP who mostly visited once so his chat really didn't have much to work on in terms of what side they're on.
Though, Mukuro made it very clear he hated Dream's guts so Tommy decided he was cool.

The end of his iron pick hit onto the piece of stone until it broke down into cobblestone. He continued this until he spotted some mossy cobblestone and the sound of spiders spawning.

Be careful now.

Tommy grabbed a stone sword from his inventory and went to clear the spiders from the spawner.

Mukuro was pretty weird for a Chat but then again, Chats aren't all the same. Each one is unique like how Techno's are constant voices in his head and how Phil's are an entire murder of crows.

Mukuro was just quiet most of the time, only speaking up when needed or when bored.

Sometimes, the voice would tell him stories of what he can guess is from another SMP. Stories about monsters that were worst than Withers or Ghasts. Something the server had widely known as Vindice. They'd capture players and throw them into a labyrinth/prison like area known as Vindicare. Just from how Mukuro had described it was enough to bring a shiver down his spine.

They even had magic there, which Mukuro would tell him to call it as Flames instead. Mukuro had told him that he used to have Mist Flames, which is kinda like illusion type magic.

By that point, Tommy concluded that his version of chat was just ghosts or an ability to hear voices of the dead. All of which are from a different SMP.

Still, he appreciated the company, especially when Dream got too much.

Tommy, behind you!

He twisted his body and slashed at the spider that tried to sneak up on him with his sword. He pulled out some torches from his inventory and placed them onto the spawner, preventing anymore spiders from spawning.

He started to rummage through one of the chests that was in the dungeon room, sorting through the loot there and taking what he can.

Oh, look! A disc. You like discs, don't you, Tommy?

Mukuro was weird but cool at the same time.

He was cruel and sarcastic, often throwing remarks and made blunt comments to Tommy when he does something as well as tease him a lot. He was so similar to Wilbur that way. Similar in a way where his brother had verbally and emotionally abused him in Pogtopia.

If Tommy closed his eyes and tried to imagine what Mukuro would look like while he talked, he can only see Wilbur.

However, he was kind and doting in a stern type of way. After every teasing or remark he makes, he'd be quick to give an explanation as to what he had done wrong or how to improve what he was doing. If he were to perfectly follow his instructions, the voice would give him a genuine compliment on how well he's doing.

Often, he would help Tommy search for ores when he mined, leading him to large veins of them.

He'd alert him if mobs were nearby, often saving him from being blown up by a creeper or shot by a skeleton a bunch of times. He'd also lead the teen to dungeons or mineshafts if he found them, guiding him to chests and it's loot.

To Tommy, Mukuro's presence was like a double edged sword. He was both hurting him and healing him.

He reminded him of Wilbur too much with the way he talked, how he would coax Tommy into doing what he wanted and how sweet his words were.

The only difference between Wilbur and Mukuro, however, is that Mukuro is honest. Throughout all of his conversations with Tommy, he had never once lied to him. Always saying that he wouldn't benefit from lying so much.

Wilbur would lie and manipulate others at any chance he gets if it means giving himself an advantage.

Tommy, I do believe we need to get you something to eat. Your hunger is much too low in my opinion.

"I'm not that hungry though.." Tommy mumbled and he continued walking along the mines.

You are on one Hunger left and you only have four hearts. You need to eat.

"But-"

NOW.

Tommy hurries to the entrance of the mines, not wanting to hear his chat go on hours about maintaining a healthy diet.
____
Tommy is a weak child.

Mukuro had concluded that after observing him for a while.

By all means, he's not useless not helpless. Quite the contrary, he's quite smart as well as resourceful and cunning. He could outwit the strongest of opponents and turn the tides of battle to his favour.

But he was weak.

He didn't have any form of strength that can help him in a fight but he makes up with his ability to adapt and quick reflexes.

Tommy reminded him so much of Chrome when he first found her. So weak and scared of the world. Maybe that's why he's so motivated to make this child a powerful vessel.

With a firm push, a lot of training and maybe some Flame training (if he ever finds a way to activate the damn thing), the kid would be set to take on the world.

For now, he would focus on trying to get the child to escape exile.

Any progress Tommy would make would be set back each time whenever that Dream bastard would come to visit him via him destroying the resources with explosives.

Each time he would leave some kind of mental or emotional scar on the child before leaving and Mukuro would have to comfort him each time because what good was a host if it was insane or dead?

So he tried his best to keep the child sane.

This type of thing was more suited towards Sawada or Kurokawa, seeing as they both were essentially the therapist of their group but they weren't here at the moment so he was going to do it for now.

Especially seeing as the ghost of his brother refuses to acknowledge his suffering as he prefers to float around in his own bubble.

Mukuro would sometimes sing or hum some songs he know to calm him down, seeing as the child often responds to the action. Other times, he would talk to him, trying to pull him out of whatever subspace he was stuck in.

Those were usually the worst since it would be so quiet by then. Everything would be still, unmoving.
He is going to get this child out of this hell, have him nurse himself back to health and rule this god forsaken world.

He's sure Sawada would allow it if he sees the state of it.

No, he did go soft and grew an attachment to this child.

Chapter Text

Dream had been gone for a while now.

Tommy doesn't know if he should see that as a good thing or a bad thing to happen.

I don't know about you but I'm glad that bastard is gone

"Yeah but.. it's weird. He's never gone for this long."

Perhaps he's planning something?

Tommy practically growled at the suggestion. Despite Mukuro's efforts, he can still feel Dream's manipulation affect him and had grown to see the man as his friend.

Mukuro had yelled and scolded him each time, always reminding him that the Admin wasn't his friend. He was just a manipulative bastard out to break and control him. Sometimes it would turn into full blown arguements but most times, he would listen because Mukuro had been right each time.

He'd point out everything Dream is doing, explaining what he's doing and how it affects him.

He would give out advice for Tommy to follow like how he should make a small farm nearby as an alternate food source, rather than having to wait for Dream all the time, or how he should turn any resources he gets into blocks and hide them in his mines, as well as a steady reminder for him to turn cobblestone into stone by smelting it to hide them better, so that he can give Dream any of leftover materials to destroy.

At some point in their little routine, Tommy had questioned him. "Why are you going so far to help me?" He asked as he placed some cobblestone into the furnace.

Because I refuse to live with such a weak host like you.

You are to do everything I say until we get out of here. Even then, I'm still in charge. Someone needs to make sure you don't accidentally kill yourself.

Tommy can practically hear how Mukuro sneered at him when he talked. Still, he was right. Tommy is very weak, no matter how much of a big man he said he was.

Let's go check the spider spawner again. Maybe we can grind for XP again.

"Okay."

______
"Tools in the pit, Tommy."

Tommy dropped everything he had in his inventory from his iron tools to his armour and some spare gold ingots into the hole. He can practically feel Mukuro's growl vibrate through his head from how loud it was.

They watched as Dream lit up a piece of TNT and let it blow up the items. Then, the admin turned to Tommy with a smile that made Mukuro hiss.

"Okay! Now with that out of the way, why don't we do something together?" He said with fake cheer.

Tommy smiled back and lead Dream to a decoy farm he had where wheat were growing.

The entire time they had hung out, Mukuro kept sassing at everything Dream said, sometimes forcing Tommy to muffle a bit of his laughter to not make the admin in front of him any bit suspicious of him.

Though he did slip and accidentally laughed out loud, forcing him to practically bullshit out a joke to tell.

The day went by before Dream had to leave. When Tommy asked about it, the admin just told him not to worry about it and ruffled his hair.

His Chat immediately told him to wash his hair after the masked man had left.
_____
Tommy was really starting to get worried.

Dream hadn't come visit him for a long while now.

From what he had heard from Ranboo's latest visit, the man had been making more frequent visits to New L'Manburg, practically breathing down Tubbo's and the Cabinet's neck.

It was really worrying.

Mukuro didn't seemed worried though. In fact he seemed almost glad that Dream was gone.

U-ummm.... Tommy? The kettle is already boiling...

He had a new voice in his head now. Mukuro had introduced her as Chrome, who also happens to be his sister.

Chrome was.. nicer to say the least. Almost like how Niki is. She was sweet and always complimented Tommy, always the one to comfort him when the nightmares got too bad.

Tommy walked to the kitchen of his cabin and went to take the kettle off the fire. He can practically feel Chrome's face scrunch up when he grabbed the boiling hot iron kettle with his bare hands.

Tommy.... Wasn't that really hot? I don't think you should've held that with your bare hands....

He heard Mukuro scoff as he prepares himself some tea. He had recently got his hands on some when a wandering trader stopped by.

My dear Chrome, I don't think you should worry about him when it comes to heat. I swear it's like he's part of one of those piglins with how much he resists fire.

Almost gave me a heart attack the first time when he held a iron ingot straight from the fucking furnace with no gloves on.

Chrome's giggles rang through his head.

Sounds like someone Ryohei-senpai would like. He seems like he's quite an extreme person after all.

Tommy tilted his head a bit as curiosity filled him. "Who's Ryohei?" He asked as he poured some of the hot water into the teapot.

He heard Mukuro growl in annoyance while Chrome just sighed.

Something you shouldn't worry about.

Nii-san, you do know that everyone else is going to be joining us at some point, right?

We need to let him know at least.

But I don't want to.

Tommy can just imagine Mukuro pouting right now while he stirred some honey into the pot of tea. Still, he wonders for a bit. Was Ryohei an aggressive voice? Is he mean like Mukuro or is he nice like Chrome?

He remembers her saying everyone else when mentioning Ryohei.

Was there gonna be more soon?

He hopes so. Things are getting too lonely around here even with Mukuro and Chrome's constant company

He listens as the two argued for a bit as he picks out a cup from one of the shelves to pour the tea in.
_____
Tommy.. Tommy we need to leave. Now.

Mukuro watched as the boy hack up some blood. Dream had come to visit again but this time the man had been pissed and almost anything Tommy did had set him off.

He had beaten the child until he was unconscious and then left some health potions for when he wakes up.

Chrome had panicked when she came back from.... Whatever void the hell it is everyone is at.

He remembers arriving somewhere that was just pitch black when he died.

She had screamed profanities and curses that were aimed for the masked man before she adressed the situation. She tried talking to him to keep him awake. Telling Tommy to focus on hers voice as she instructed him to drink the potions to heal some of the wounds.

Mukuro was at a lost on what to do.

He didn't have a physical body nor does he have the ability to posses the child in order to do the work for him and leaves him to Chrome's care.

So he just let's Chrome take care of the child.

However, they needed to leave. If Tommy stayed here any longer, who knows what the admin would do on his next visit. He waited until the potion were taking effect before he spoke up.

Tommy, I need you to listen to me carefully. I have a plan but I need you to listen to everything I say, okay?

Tommy just nodded in response, unable to use his voice at the moment.

Firstly, I need you to mine out those blocks we've hidden. Do you remember where they are?

Tommy nods again.

Good. I need you take them and turn them into tools and armour. After that, pack up some food to take with you. Take all the wheat in the farm as well as the carrots and potatoes. Turn the wheat into haybales but craft a bit of bread too.

It took him a minute and a bit of stumbling but Tommy had managed to get up and start walking into the mines, grabbing an iron pickaxe hidden in one of the chests near the entrance. The process had been slow due to how tired the child probably felt but he managed to gather as much as he can and placed the blocks into his inventory. There had only been a few blocks but it was more then enough for him.

Next, Tommy went to both his temporary and his hidden farms and harvested all the crops there as well as converting some of the wheat into haybales and into bread like Mukuro had told him to.

He has been limping the entire time, Mukuro had noticed.

How badly had Dream hit him? He wondered as he watched Tommy start to craft a diamond sword and some iron pickaxes as well a set of mismatched armour made with what was left of the resources.

The child had begun putting on the armour, strapping everything in place.

Now we run. Use the compass and go to the opposite direction of where the arrow is pointing. Go.

Taking one last look at Logstedshire, Tommy turned around and ran.

Chapter Text

How long had it been since Tommy had left exile?

If he had to guess, probably a couple of months or more. He doesn't really care though. He was healing and that was more than enough for him to worry about.

After running for what felt like thousands of blocks away from the Greater SMP, he had lived out in the forest with only chat and the occasional wandering trader as company. He felt lonely but at least he's doing better now.

At some point during his journey, he had lost the "Your Tubbo" compass when he was running from a group of pillagers.

His days were mostly quiet, spent in a routine he became familiar with. He wakes up, tends to his farm and animals, do chores and maybe relax for the rest of the day. He would chat with Mukuro or Chrome when things had gotten too quiet.

At the same time, they would both constantly remind him to eat, sleep, drink and such. Just the general self care stuff that Tommy would always forget when he goes gathering or mining for long periods of time.

Mukuro had commented how useless Tommy is at remembering basic stuff like that.

He sighed as he struck down his pick onto the wall of the cave. He had decided to go strip mining for the day because he needed some diamonds to make tools and maybe some armour as well as a bit of redstone.

Chrome had been the one to request for the redstone as she wanted to make some auto farms with them so that Tommy would have an easier time in getting resources he needed.

If she wanted redstone, then she will get redstone.

Because while Tommy was fond of Mukuro, he had to admit, Chrome was the one who he would do anything for.

She was just really nice, okay? So what if he liked that part of her the most? Sue him.

He continues mining before having to retreat when he heard Mukuro asking if he had eaten yet.
_____
A small indigo flame appears for a second in the palm of his hands before it got snuffed out.

Mukuro groans in frustration.

Tommy just stays silent.

They had failed again.

Chrome disagrees, saying that before they couldn't even produce a wisp of these precious flames so to her, they've progressed rather nicely now that they can produce a bit of the indigo fire in his hands.

Still, he can't help but feel a bit disappointed. It didn't matter how much he practiced, he could never have the fire last long enough to form something.

Chrome: Why don't you go take a break today, Tommy? You did use a lot of energy after all

Almost immediately, Tommy plopped back onto the floor and got himself comfortable as he laid there. He listens as Mukuro rants, mostly to himself, as to why everything they tried wasn't working so far.

Mukuro: At first I thought, maybe it was because of the world? With their magic bullshit and whatever but you, my dear Chrome, had proved that otherwise.

Chrome: Don't look at me. Even I'm stumped on what to do.

Mukuro groaned.

Mukuro: This world is so confusing.

Chrome: Well, we can try the other method where we use EXP to make flames.

Mukuro: Chrome, we don't have a spawner here to make an EXP farm yet so unless you're asking Tommy to go slaughter some animals, which I have to remind you is something he doesn't like to do, I suggest we abandon that method for now.

Tommy had gotten up from the floor as he made his way outside. He wanted to check on the animals he had been keeping for the past week.

He entered one of the pens and was greeted by Rosie, a pink sheep he found, slamming her entire weight into him.

Tommy squaked and fell onto the ground with the sheep on top of him.

He swears, this isn't a sheep. Rosie acts completely like a dog would. Maybe she was one in her previous life.

As he sat up and pet the sheep to distract it, he hears Mukuro laughing his ass off while Chrome giggled. He scowls at them.

"Oh haha. Very funny, you two."

Rosie just licked his face as a cow, Chrome had named her Daisy, approached them and nudged the hyperactive sheep away from him.

He smiled at Daisy as his hand went to her head and pet her. "Thanks Daisy." He said.

She just gave him a soft moo and nudged her head into his hand. Rosie copied what Daisy did and headbutted Tommy's side.

"Okay, okay." He said as he turned his attention back to the pink sheep as he listens to Mukuro as he begins a banter with Chrome about something, which he tuned out as he continued petting his pets.

Life felt good for once.
______
Ryohei was loud.

Before his arrival, Mukuro had told Tommy to brace himself for a new addition to his Chat yet no matter time he was given, he can never withstand how loud the newest member could've been.

Ryohei came in shouting and Tommy can just imagine him bulldozing through a concrete wall with just a few scrapes of damage. He was completely different from Chrome and Mukuro. He can practically feel the energy radiating off from his voice alone.

Ryohei was loud and always yelling but he's also considerate and would always lower his voice whenever Tommy flinches from loud sounds. He would tell Tommy to do stuff, extremely fun stuff as he had explained, which would often lead to him being exhausted by the end of the day.

But each time, he would feel happy even if he became so tired that he could no longer move.

Ryohei reminded him of Tubbo with how loud he is and how he always drags Tommy away to do a bunch of shenanigans together.

Sometimes, it would end up getting them hurt which would lead to Mukuro yelling and scolding them for being so reckless but Ryohei just laughed in response and said "We're just having some fun, pineapple head!", Which lead to an entire arguement between the two.

Chrome reassured Tommy that they're fine despite the sound of a physical fight going on between the two but obeyed when she instructed him to patch up his wounds. At some point during their fight, she had to interfere and like the Girlboss that she is, took them both down and handed their asses to them.

He gets along very well with him and something about Ryohei just clicked with him. Though his request for Tommy to call him "Onii-san", which Chrome (bless her and her seemingly infinite well of knowledge) translates to Big Brother, was a bit weird.

He liked Ryohei a lot.

He misses hanging out with Tubbo.

Chapter Text

While Tommy couldn't easily summon 'Mist' flames, summoning 'Sun' flames wasn't much of a problem for him.

He watched in awe as a bright yellow fire cover his hands and slowly slithered further down onto his arms. He watches as his scars start to heal up and disappear from his skin, leaving no traces of it ever being there.

He heard as Ryohei give a shout of joy and yelling out "It worked! It worked!" while Chrome clapped in excitement. Mukuro, while annoyed at Ryohei who had started rubbing the fact that he was right at his face, was impressed and even voiced that out before quickly backtracking and hurled an insult to Ryohei's direction.

It was during one of their experiments when Ryohei, like always, barged in mid conversation and suggested he try to summon other flame types. Saying that while it's true that Tommy can practically be a conduit for every flame type, he might not have the strongest affinities with certain ones and might struggle with them.

Understandbly, he was confused until Chrome had explained to him that due to how malleable his soul is, he can channel different flames without having to experience it's drawbacks.

In other words, he was similar to a 'Sky' but with a very noticible difference to it.

His soul had no colour and was transparent as glass. Something that made his flames different from others.

(Chrome had went somewhere for a bit and came back with a discovery that Tommy has something called an 'Aurora Flame', which is a type of sub category for 'Sky' Flames.)

They had discovered this piece of information during Exile when it was just him and Mukuro. The other had been researching if he can unlock some part of Tommy's soul that makes the flames.

When he had found one, he immediately jumped to the chance and, after a bit of preparation, went in for the kill.

It had felt weird at first, feeling Mukuro poke and prod at his very soul. Still, he guessed listening to the other ramble on whatever was on his mind as he explored was a good way to distract Tommy from the discomfort.

Then came the part where Mukuro had unlocked his flames.

It was complete and utter hell for him.

Tommy remembers screaming from the pain until his throat was raw as Mukuro began to panic and tried to fix.... Whatever the hell he did. He remembers as his hands clawed onto the sand of the beach as he screamed more. He sobbed as the pain grew more unbearable for him.

Mukuro: Please. PLEASE hang on Tommy. I'm almost done here. After this, we don't have to do anything for the rest of the week. We can just chill and snack on whatever we have in the chests.

He could only sob in response.

Tommy curled into himself and whimpered when he felt the intensity of the pain rise, which was now close to the feeling of fire crawling all over his skin.

It continued on like that for a few minutes as Mukuro tried to calm him down, despite sounding panicked himself.

Mukuro: Shhhh... Shhh. It's okay Tommy. It'll be over soon. Just a little bit more and we can take a long break after this, okay?

And just as he said that, the pain had disappeared as if it was never there in the first place. He felt as the numbness spread into his entire being while he sagged onto the ground in relief.

True to his word, Mukuro didn't make Tommy do any tasks for the entire week except a few times as he reminded him to eat and drink before letting him laze around in his bed.

Thank God Dream didn't visit for that one week.

Chrome and Ryohei had found out about that particular moment and they both had different reactions.

Chrome pretty much yelled and scolded Mukuro for pulling such a risky move while Ryohei was more worried for Tommy as he would continuously ask if he has been okay after that and if he ever felt pain each time they had to use flames.

He had reassured them both that yes he's okay and no he doesn't feel any pain from using his flames.

Anyway, they started experimenting again after confirming that it doesn't truly hurt Tommy from using it. Apparently they don't trust him when he says he's okay.

It was pretty messy at first, especially since Tommy didn't know what to do, not to mention Ryohei's instructions were unhelpful most of the time but after a while, he managed to get a hang of it.

He does still try to summon Mist Flames though, mostly to see if he can but gets disappointed each time.

Still, he had to admit, having Sun Flames do help a lot, especially in terms of growing his crops better and quicker. Winter was coming after all and he needed to stock up on some food and maybe trade off some in the nearby village for profit.

Tommy picked up a hoe from his chests and went outside to his farm, wanting to put the Sun Flames to work on his crops.
_____
Tommy was coming back from his trip to the village.

He had just finished trading a lot of his crops and had over three stacks of emeralds, which he turned into blocks.

Chrome made a comment about how 'Mammon' would take a liking to him due to how good Tommy had been at handling the trading. Ryohei immediately agrees to her statement while Mukuro just stayed quiet.

He also bought a few things from the village like a cake (Ryohei insisted that he buys one to treat himself with), a few enchanting books and some new clothes for his wardrobe.

A second ago, he had just entered his cabin and began emptying his inventory so that he can sort out his items.

Now, he was crouched down onto the floor, hands cupping over his ears to block out noises from outside as he focuses onto the conversation happening in his head.

Chrome: W-what! How did you get here!? We haven't prepared a place for you yet!

Mukuro: Goddamit and here I thought I'd have a bit more peace before you arrive but I guess Limbo hasn't been nice to you, hasn't it?

Ryohei: Hahaha! Welcome aboared the Tommy Train!

Tommy can practically feel the smug aura of the newcomer and can sense that whoever this person is as they smirked, probably with their teeth showing off and gave them some feral vibes.

Wao.

Chapter Text

It was begin to get noisier than usual in Tommy's chat. Most of it coming from Mukuro.

Mukuro: EAT SHIT AND DIE.

Hibari: Go to hell.

Mukuro: ALREADY WENT THERE, ASSHOLE.

It got even more weird when Ryohei started to act calmer and became a mediator amongst the two as to make sure their arguements didn't turn to something worse. Chrome was just unbothered by it all and continued on without acknowledging the existence of the other two.

It was a very weird week as they all got used to the newest member.

Tommy just continues sewing a tear on one of his pants as he listens to Mukuro and Hibari argue again (mostly one sided on Mukuro's part since Hibari wasn't always responding).

It was pretty entertaining at the very least.
____
Hibari must've did a complete one over on him when he stood in front of a mirror because he was suddenly being subjected into a training program.

Dear Prime was the man brutal when he trained him.
Tommy either had to keep up or suffer from the consequences. He didn't even know what the consequences are but he didn't want to know due to the tone Hibari carried in his voice whenever he issues an order for him to follow.

Once, he failed a task Hibari had ordered him to do, which filled him with dread. It was an activity that establishes discipline into Tommy but it was just too difficult for him, even with Hibari's careful explanation.
Instead, he was just told to find what he did wrong and do it again.

Hibari: You're still a fledgeling so I don't expect you to succeed right away.

Hibari: Now do it again.

It lasted for a month where Tommy had to deal with both flame training and normal training, both being orchestrated by Hibari, who seemed to find their flame training methods lacking and was annoyed by the fact that they didn't have normal training to make him more stronger than he is.

Whatever, he just think the guy is a bitch.

Anyway, he felt exhausted for that entire month of constant training as well as him straining his body to the limits but it was rewarding when Tommy felt how much stronger he had gotten and a much better control over his flames.

He wanted to try out his newfound control over his powers. Before, he can barely just make them appear and it was mostly just small wisps of it with the occasional sparks that accompanied it.

Now he watched as his hands was engulfed in fire as it crackles dangerously close to his face. It didn't burn him but it did give him some much needed warmth.

Hovering them over a single oak sapling with Ryohei reminding Tommy to be very careful when using so much Sun on the sapling since it can potentially sprout out from the ground in an instant and might bring him up with it.

He watched as the sapling grew in size. It started off slow at first but then it would begin to speed up until it reached its full growth.

Hibari: Good job.

Tommy beamed in happiness.
________
It had been a couple of months since they've discovered Tommy went missing from exile.

Ever since then, Dream had been coming over to L'Manburg and would continuously hound him and his cabinet about any progress on their search for Tommy.

He's dangerous without any supervision, the admin insisted.

Tubbo was sure Dream just wanted Tommy back so that he would continue to be under his thumb, ready for the admin to hurt and manipulate whenever he wants.

Yes, Tubbo had connected the dots after about three or four times when Dream came to the whitehouse in the past and he's not at all happy about it.

It had been months after that and Tommy was nowhere to be found. Quackity even had an argument with Dream the other day when he came barging into the white house and demanded for their weekly report on the search.

Everyone was just exhausted by that point.

Still, some people kept looking like Ranboo, Puffy, hell even Ghostbur kept looking for the loud blonde.

Tubbo sighed to himself as he looked down at the paperwork on his desk. Just a stack more and he would be done. He can finally take a break.

The goat hybrid picked up his pen and started to fill in the documents.

Wherever Tommy is, Tubbo hopes he's okay.
________
Tommy was having a good day.

Ryohei had taught him how to make ginger tea and had him bust out some yogurt, granola and sweet berries from last week's shopping spree to make his breakfast. The rest of the morning was spent by conversing with Chat as they planned what to do the entire day.

After breakfast, he and Chrome went to building a honey farm near his base but they both had underestimated how much redstone they needed to complete this project.

Who knew redstone components would be very expensive to make?

So he went mining.

With his fortune three pickaxe in his hand, Tommy went down to the mines to do a bit of stripmining for some redstone. Hey, maybe he'd even get some diamonds too!

He had spent at least an hour or two in the mines but after getting at least a couple of stacks, he left with a satisfied look on his face and almost immediately dived back into the project.

Chrome: Now make a line from this dispenser to the last one

Tommy obeyed, carefully spreading the redstone dust until all six dispenser was connected by the red line. He clapped his hands clean from the dust as a bit of red still stained his fingers.

Chrome: you did place down the minecart with the hopper in it, right?

"Yup! It's placed and ready to go!"

Chrome: Okay! Now let's test it and see how it goes!

The project was a success and Tommy couldn't be more happier.

Until his heart dropped as a voice he was familiar with called out to him from behind.

"Tommy?"

Chapter Text

Tommy stood in front of the stove as a kettle of water was placed on top of the fire.

As he waited for the water to boil, he took some tea bags from his cupboard and dumped them into two mugs.

One for him and the other..

The other was for Karl.

Yes, Karl had been the one to find him in his humble cottage in the woods.
_______
"Tommy?"

Tommy's body stiffened at the voice calling out to him. For a second, he contemplated in running away. Maybe even attacking them to get them to go away.

But it could also mean Tommy would be found out and then reported back to Tubbo. Or worse, he'd be reported to Dream.

Oh god, he doesn't want that. He doesn't want to see Dream again after all that.

He felt as his body shook from the idea alone. His breath were short as he gasped, trying his best to choke back a sob.

"Tommy? Hey, hey calm down. It's just me." The voice said again, this time it was notably closer than before.
He feels a hand hover close to him, hesitating for a second.

"Can I touch you?"

It had taken an embarrassing while for him to calm down, even with Chat whispering to him. It had been Karl who calmed him down by sitting him down and led him through a breathing exercise.

Ryohei: I LIKE THIS GUY!

He winced a bit at the volume but found himself agreeing with what the other said. He'd never admit it to the guy's face but Karl was pretty pog in his opinion, which wasn't much but at least there was that.

"Uh, Tommy? The kettle is boiling."

Tommy snaps out of his train of thought, hearing the sound of whistling.

"Oh right." He grabbed the kettle and poured the hot water into the two mugs. He can just feel Karl's eyes stare at him as he placed the kettle back down and brought the two mugs to the table.

One was placed in front of Karl and the other in front of him.

They stayed silent for a moment, passing a small jar of sugar between each other and adding some to their teas to stir.

There was some silence between the two, both not knowing what to say.

"So.... How'd you find my house?" Tommy asked, picking the mug up to take a sip from it.

Karl kept quiet for a second before answering. "Honestly, the only reason I was out this far is to look for you." He said.

"Oh?"

"Mhm. Ever since you went missing, Dream's been going insane. He keeps barging into the White House and make demands that we stop what we're doing to go and look for you." He picked up his mug. "Kept saying how you were dangerous when you're unsupervised or something along the lines." He took a long sip.

Tommy scoffed. Yeah, he was the dangerous one. Totally not the psychopathic telletubby.

He hears Chrome scoff as well.

Chrome: Piece of shit needs to stay away

Ryohei: WOAH no need to cuss there Chrome

Karl continued on. "I'm still pissed that no one thought it was a good idea to tell me about that meeting. Hell, I wasn't even aware your exile happened until Dream barged into my office, screaming at the top of his lungs!"

"Niki's on the same boat as me and she wasn't happy about it." He sighed softly.

"Well, both the fact that they didn't think she was important enough to be called and the fact that they exiled you over griefing of all things. I can't remember the last time I had a fully intact house before someone decides to pull a prank on me. Especially the TNT ones."

Tommy sat in silence as he listened to Karl's rambling, feeling a comfortable sort of peace falling on his shoulders.

They spent the next hour or so just talking to each other.

Karl updated him on what was going on in the SMP and Tommy told him how he's handling the new life out in the wilderness, cabin in the woods style.
____
"So what now?" Karl asked, lifting a slice of pie into his mouth. At some point during their talk, Tommy had to make an entire pot of tea and broke out the pastries to share.

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked.

"Well, technically since I've found you, I have to report back to Tubbo and tell him about my discovery. Something you probably don't want from the looks of things." He said before giving a slight shudder.

"Or worse. I could be dealing with Dream and my god, he's acting like a psycho with how much he's been lurking." Karl turns his attention to Tommy as he waits for an answer.

Tommy took a second to consider it, carefully weighing the option given to him.

Mukuro: I vote we go for Silence.
Mukuro: I've had the most interaction with some members of the server and I can confirm that they're shit

Chrome: Yeah, not to mention telling Tubbo about Tommy's whereabouts would lead to Discount Mike Wizouski to finding him as well

Ryohei: Hmmmm...

Hibari didn't seemed to be awake, based on how quiet it is and the soft snoring he hears from the background.

Even then, he already had his answer.

"Let's just keep it between us, okay Karl? I don't think I wanna face them just yet. Plus, being out here has given me a new... Insight or whatever," he motions to his head. "Helps clear the head, ya know?"

Karl nods in acknowledgement before they both went back into silence and enjoyed the rest of tea.
____
"Bye Tommy!" "See ya Karl."

He watches as Karl walks away and disappear into the distance before going back inside again to clean up.
He liked talking to Karl. The man was a calm presence in his life that he appreciates a lot. Even if at times, the other would be almost as chaotic as him when it comes to pranks.

He hopes Karl would come and visit him again.

Chapter Text

Karl contemplated on visiting Tommy again before he decides against it.

He had already been to the other's house the other day and didn't want to risk someone tailing him.

After he had discovered the blonde living in a birch forest that was far away from the Greater SMP, he would go and visit him. They'd mostly chat and update each other on what's been happening.

And god does he want to vent.

Not only did a good portion of the Cabinet disappeared, without warning might he add. But he was also stuck with doing their paperwork for the entire morning. Thankfully, he finished it in until it was noon from how much he powered through it like a champ.

He made sure to take some stacks off of Niki's pile, seeing as she still has her bakery to run. She gave him a grateful smile for that.

He was also stuck with ALL of their chores for the week because apparently, whatever it is that they're doing? It would take them a week.

They'd better have a good fucking reason or else, he'd murder them all. Canon deaths be damned. He's not getting himself stuck with cleaning out the entire White House while about four of the Cabinet was out there.

Thankfully, Niki helped light the workload, even if she grumbled and complained as much as he did.
______
Now, he sits in a chair in the middle of a meeting room.

Why?

Because he was being interrogated by the Cabinet (minus Niki, though he's not quite surprised) and Dream. He glared at them and they had the gall to look sheepish.

He was in the middle of organizing through the storage room when Fundy asked him to come to attend a meeting and when he reached where the meeting is held, he was escorted (read: shoved) into his seat.

He had a small suspicion as to why he was called here and prayed that he was wrong.

"So when are you gonna tell us that you found Tommy?" Dream asked.

Ah so he was right.

"Maybe for another month or so. Especially since a certain four decided to dump all their work on me without saying anything." He grumbled.

For a moment, Karl wonders how Dream found out about him finding Tommy. Was he too obvious? Geez..
Tubbo sighed softly. "Look Karl, I'm sorry that we just left suddenly but you have to understand the severity of this. Tommy is supposed to be in exile-"

"But he is. He's nowhere in or near L'Manburg so it's fine. Not that I know since I wasn't even told about it in the first place." Karl growled out.

He had to physically stop himself from shaking when he felt Dream's eyes glare at him.

"Karl, Tommy is dangerous when he's left alone. Just look at what he did to George's house." Dream said with a hint of anger in his voice.

Karl scoffed in response. "Oh so when George's house gets a tiny bit of damage, the entire server goes to hell but anyone else's house is fair game? Is that how it is? Oh how wonderful." He groaned in annoyance when Dream showed a bit of agitation in his posture.

"Ugh, ya know what? Just bring us to him. He needs to go back to exile-"

"The agreement said Tommy would be banned from entering or being near L'Manburg. He's nowhere near nor is he in L'Manburg. He's just back out there, living a peaceful life in a cottage." Karl argued.

"So no. I'm not leading you to him." He says but yelped when he was suddenly shoved back into the chair. He looked up and saw Fundy holding him down, who then quickly avoided eye contact when he saw Karl look up at him.

"Again. Lead us to Tommy. He needs to go back to Logstedshire." Dream says again.

"WHAT THE FUCK!? The agreement between you guys was that Tommy wouldn't be allowed in L'Manburg anymore until he learns his lesson! Why does he have to stay in one place!?" Karl questioned, voice getting louder and louder.

"Because he's dangerous when he's alone Karl."

"Yeah and you fucking aren't?! You're literally the most dangerous person on this server aside from Technoblade. Why the fuck are you the one watching over him?" Karl tried to pry Fundy's paws off of him but the fox had an iron grip on him.

"Fundy, let me go!"

"Karl-"

Karl let out a loud groan. "UGH! Just fucking admit it Dream. I've noticed it for a while but now it's really fucking clear." He meets Dream's glare with his own. "You're really the type to fucking get off on power trips, don't you? I know I'm slow but I'm not fucking stupid!"

Tubbo flinched when Dream slammed his fists onto the table as he stood up.

"Karl." Tubbo hissed at him but he ignored it.

"I am NOT leading you to Tommy."

Dream reached out to Karl, who flinched back when he realized what was gonna happen. Then, the doors swung open.

"Get your hands away from him, Dream."
_____
Niki had been in a bad mood all week.

Seeing Karl, someone who had been more helpful to her than the entire Cabinet had been, getting threatened by them and Dream just worsened her mood even further.

(Were they in kahoots? Is that what's been happening this entire time? She knew she should've stepped up when Tommy gave up his position as president. Wilbur's legacy was in shambles and she just stumbled into some kind of conspiracy)

She had her sword out and pointed it at Fundy. "Let him go." She ordered, watching as the fox immediately let go of the brunette who scrambled to get to her.

She felt Dream's eyes on her and she gave him a withering glare.

"Niki."

"Hello Dream. Here to bother us again?"

Tubbo stood up from his seat. "Niki! Please stand down. We can't afford pissing him off and you know this! And Karl, please just lead us to Tommy." The ram hybrid pleaded as his figure trembled a bit.

"No means no Tubbo. I'm not leading you or Dream to him. He's clearly following the agreement so I'm not gonna just-"

"No! You lead us to him right now! I know I'm his best friend and everything but I'm getting sick of cleaning up after him-"

At the corner of her eye, she sees Karl face twist with rage before he shouted out.

"HE DOESN'T EVEN REMEMBER YOU!"

Chapter Text

Oh god.

Oh god he fucked up badly.

The room fell into silence as everyone stared at Karl with shock written on their faces. He physically froze up as his brain panicked, thinking up what to say.

"W- what do you mean? What do you mean when you said Tommy doesn't remember me?"

Oh god Tommy please forgive me for what I'm about to do.

"W-when I found him, I tried asking him about exile and everything. You know, since I didn't know the details and wanted to hear from his side but he looked at me confused and asked me if he knew me." Karl lied to them.

"So I interrogated him a bit. He doesn't remember anything, Tubbo. I asked him about you, about L'Manburg hell I even asked him about Wilbur." Tubbo looked at him with a small look of hope in his face but Karl shook his head.

"Nothing. He doesn't remember anything other than his name and age." He said.

For a moment they all stayed silent, which Karl appreciated because it gave him a moment to think up how to continue, maybe think about how he's gonna break this news to Tommy.

"Take us to him." Dream spoke up and Karl felt his anger flaring up again.

"DUDE. I just said I'm not gonna take you to him! Are you deaf or something!? Plus I'd sincerely doubt you can even get past his door." He said.

He hears Fundy from his side. "Why's that?" He said, confused by the whole thing.

Karl rolled his eyes. "Obviously he wouldn't just instantly trust anyone who just pops at his doorstep unless it's like a wandering trader. His words not mine by the way. When I first tried approaching him in his cottage, he refused to even open the door."

"It's been like, what a month? And I just got the privelage to enter his house to have tea with him. He'd probably revoke those privlages if I just showed up with a bunch of people he's never met before."

Tubbo tried speaking up but was silenced by Karl. "I know what you're about to say. But he does know us! No. No he does not. This would probably be his first meeting with you even if you've known him for years." Karl said.

He watched as Tubbo try to form a question to ask but gave up and slumped his shoulders.

Karl shuffled towards the direction of the door. Niki saw this and followed him, wanting to get out of this situation from how thick the air had gotten with tension.

"Look, I'm... I'm just gonna leave, okay? C'mon Niki."
_____
Karl groaned when he got outside while Niki leaned against a wall from one of the buildings. He crouched down with his back against the wall, arms crossed over his knees.

Neither of them said anything for a bit.

Karl did his best to clean the mess he had going on his brain as he thought up ways to handle the current situation in front of him.

Prime damit, what possessed him to say that!?

"....so Tommy really doesn't remember anything?" Niki asked with a soft voice.

Karl looked up at her and nodded.

Might as well go for it.

"Barely anything. Sorry." He said. She shook her head. "It's fine. It's not your fault anyway."

They went into a comfortable kind of silence again. He stole a glance at her and saw the sad look on her face.

....this is a bad idea but Karl was never known to make good ones anyway.
_____
Tommy grinned.

Hibari: Why are you grinning, fledgeling?
Hibari: Did something good happen?

He hummed in agreement. "Karl just messaged me and told me he was coming over in a bit. Good thing I was in the village today so I got a really good spread for us to try out this time around."

Hibari: Hn..
Hibari: I don't see why you like that herbivore so much. He doesn't seem strong.

"Ey! Don't diss the man like that! Clearly you haven't seen him during the war-!"

Hibari: I have and it did not impress me.
Hibari: I've watched through your memory and I have to say
Hibari: His performance during that was terrible and I'm still surprised to know he's still alive.

"Okay so he may not be the best fighter but Karl is still a really cool guy."

Hibari: He has some room for improvement, I'll admit

"Tommy!"

Tommy looked up and his grin widened when he saw Karl in the distance but faltered when he saw Niki by his side.

He watched as the other turned to the pink haired girl for a bit and told her something, which she replied with a shake of her head, before he runs up to Tommy.

"Okay, so we need to talk."

"Karl, what the fuck?"

He watched as the brunette raised both his hands in a surrendering motion. "Wait, wait! Hear me out first!"
Tommy shifted the bags in his hand and nodded, signalling him to continue. He glanced at where Niki stood and when he met eyes with her, she gave him a small wave.

"Dream and the Cabinet just cornered me a few minutes ago," Tommy looked up at him in surprise. "But it's fine! Well, not exactly fine considering I just told them you had amnesia... Don't get mad please... It was the best I could think of in such a short amount of time.."

Tommy blinked in confusion before he shuffled the bags he had to his right arm, balanced it and placed his hand onto Karl's shoulder.

"Is alright, King. You did your best and I'm sure we can work something out. Still doesn't quite explain Niki though?" He motions the pink haired girl, who seemed to be distracted by Rosie in her pen.

"Oh, uh I told her to come with me so that we can visit you and for her to meet up with you for the first time."

"..... Right after you had the arguement against the whole Cabinet and Dream? You decided to come here?"

"Yeah....? Oh.. oh. WAIT FUCK-"

"Karl you fucking idiot."

"I'M SORRY."

Chapter Text

They had decided to trail behind Karl and Niki.

A few minutes of silence after the confrontation, Dream had made a break for the door to follow Karl. Quackity trailed after him, saying something about how he doesn't trust the admin with one of his fiance's. Fundy following quickly after with Tubbo hot on his heels.

During the trip, they had all came to an agreement of keeping confrontation off the table. At least until they confirmed that Tommy had really lost his memories like Karl said.

Surprisingly, even Dream agreed to it, which just made Quackity glare at him with obvious suspicion.

They've settled on crouching from within the forest as they utilized the shrubbery and trees to keep their location hidden as they watched the two walk up to the cabin.

They watched as Karl walked up to Tommy while Niki stayed behind a bit. They seemed to be talking for a bit before Karl yelled out a "I'm sorry!", probably from panic from how he's acting.

They could see Tommy as he blinked before he laughed, which calmed the brunette down a bit.
He then made his way to Niki and probably started introducing himself to her from his body moved and the fact that they both had shook hands a second later before he ushers the two inside.

No one moved a second before Dream left his hiding spot and moved to get closer to the house.
____
Remember when they all decided to get closer to the house?

Yeah, that was a big mistake.

"Fuck! How many traps does this man have around his house!?"

Quackity hissed out as he struggles to untie himself from a snare trap hidden within the tall grass.

Fundy gave a muffled squeal when he accidentally set off a bear trap, luckily he didn't get hit by the trap as he scampered away from it, only to set off another one as well as an arrow trap.

Dream gritted his teeth as he pulled out his sword to cut the net he had been trapped in but there wasn't a single loose thread from him cutting. "What the hell is this net made of!?" He growled out in annoyance. "I've been trying to slice through this shit nonstop for the last five minutes and there's isn't even a single lose thread from me cutting!"

Nearby, Tubbo clung onto Ranboo as the enderman hybrid struggled with his hold onto the walls of the pit fall trap they both stepped on. At the bottom of the pit are a variety of dripstone facing upwards, all with the intent of piercing through anyone that falls into it.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A soft voice spoke, causing everyone to look up at it.

Tommy looked down at all of them with a blank look on his face and Karl was by his side, who looked torn between wanting to help them and a more spiteful part of himself wanted to leave them there.

"Hey, Karl. Be a dear and grab," He motioned to Fundy, who was still dodging the many bear traps, arrows and the occasional deadfall trap designed to crush something bigger than small animals. "Fox boi over there. He looks like he needs some help avoiding some of the smaller traps."

"Those are your smaller traps!?" Quackity exclaimed in shock as Karl moved to pull Fundy away while Tommy pulled out a lead from his inventory and threw it down to Ranboo and Tubbo.

Tubbo immediately grabbed onto it and tightened his hold on Ranboo as the other finally lost his grip onto the walls, causing the two to fall but was saved by the lead that the goat hybrid held onto.

Tommy gave a soft grunt as he pulled them up with Niki, who had left the house to see what was going on. Tubbo didn't let go of the lead until they reached even ground.

Quackity let out a yell as he collided into the ground after Karl had untied him from the snare.

Then, Tommy moved to free Dream from his trap when Niki grabbed onto his hand.

"Oh no. Just leave him there, Tommy. He can find his way out of this." She said with a smile on her face.
Tommy blinked, probably in confusion. "But my nets are made from.." he trailed off before Niki shook her head and tugged him into following her.

Karl trailed behind them, stopping for a second to look at the Cabinet.

"..... I quit my positionin the New L'Manburg Cabinet. Also, please leave. You guys aren't really wanted here." He glanced at Tubbo who had a blank look on his face.

"I'll.. I'll tell you guys if he's ready to take any new visitors, okay? Just leave for now." He said before he went to catch up with the two.

_____
"So..... Why the fuck was there a duck, a goat, some Oreo looking motherfucker, a fox and a bitch wearing a dinner plate for a face in my backyard?" Tommy asked as he served a plate of pastries.

Niki paused when she lifted her mug to take a sip. For a second, she contemplated whether she should lie or tell him the truth. From what she had gathered, Tommy's exile had caused a major strain in their friendship.

Not to mention, explaining those five to him would lead to them having to explain the entirety of L'Manburg and the wars that followed it.

Plus, she doubts Karl had told Tommy about it yet.
So she thinks up the next best thing to tell him.

"Have Karl told you about L'Manburg?" She asked.

"I mean, he works there, right?" Tommy answered as he picked up a strawberry tart and took a bite out of it.

"Yup! Four of those guys who popped into your backyard are part of the Government of L'Manburg. Me and Karl included." She said.

"I just quit actually." Karl said as he nibbled onto a sugar cookie.

"Wait, really?" Tommy turned to look at him.

"Yeah.." he mumbled.

Niki raised an eyebrow. "And you didn't tell me? Dude, I would've quit too if you quit! No way am I doing all their work so they can go fuck off somewhere." She said, leaning back onto her chair.

"Anyway, the guy wearing the dinner plate for a face is Dream and he owns a majority of the SMP. He's the admin around here." She continues, reaching to grab an orange tart from the plate of pastries.

"Okay. Interesting. But why the hell were they here? I don't think some country's government and an admin would waste their time going so far on the forest." He asked.

"Well..." She glanced at Karl and he shrugged, not knowing what to say.

"We'll tell you next time, okay? It's a lot to explain and I don't think we have much time for that. Especially since it's gonna get dark soon."

Tommy gives her a look as if to say, 'there's something you're not telling me but I trust you so I won't question it'.

"Sure." He shrugs before picking up a bun and hands it to her.

"Try this one. It's really good."

Chapter Text

Okay so let me cut through the chase here.

I'm gonna be discontinuing this fic as well as Innit's Cafe but don't worry! I plan to rewrite it all with some brand new plot.

Things were... Tough for the past year or so which just made me lose my inspiration to write.

Still, now I'm back and I'm hoping to make a break for it! :D

I'll see ya in the new book!