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Wilbur was hunched over a beaten-up table, his eyes scanning across maps and documents that Tubbo had stolen from Schlatt. Techno was at his side, pointing out geographical landmarks that they could use to their advantage if they took Manberg head-on. “Will, there’s a spot right behind Eret’s tower that they never look at, so we could hide down there for a moment if they have to. They also never use the docks, so it would be wise to set up some sort of backup plan there. I can craft some diamond tools and store them there just in case- heh?” Techno was leaning over the valuables chest, a dull shock on his face. “Uh, did you take the diamonds?” Will made his way over to Techno, who gestured to the diamond-lacking chest.
“I didn’t take them, I don’t have a reason to. If Tubbo took them Schlatt would get suspicious if he suddenly gained diamond tools, so it must’ve been Tommy. Tommy!” Will’s shout echoed through the ravine they now resided in. Footsteps could soon be heard bounding towards them, and then Tommy’s head popped in their meeting room, a wide smile on his lips, though it faded as he saw the angry looks on Techno’s and Wilbur’s faces. He sheepishly stepped into the room, almost tripping over a paperweight that had fallen to the floor. As to why Techno used a bar of gold as a paperweight, he had no idea, but he wasn’t about to question the Blade.
“You needed something? Have you finally realized that I’m the biggest man here and that I can help you with war planning and things? I knew you would come ‘round eventually.” Tommy plonked himself into Wilbur’s chair and kicked his feet up on the table, a happy look in his eyes. Wilbur harshly pushed his feet off and put his hands on the arms of the chair, trapping Tommy under him.
“Where are our diamonds, Tommy?” Tommy anxiously laughed and tried to get out of the chair, but he was stopped by a hand pushing him back down. “I said, where are our diamonds, Tommy?” Tommy gulped and looked up at Wilbur with a forced smile.
“I thought that the base looked drab, so I, uh, decorated it with the diamonds?” At Wilbur’s glare, Tommy became frantic. “I thought that you would like the decorations, Wilby! You’re an artist, I mean, not the physical art sort, but still! I wanted to make you happy, Wilby!” Tommy was panicking at this point, tears slowly forming on his bottom lashes and his mind starting to wander.
I wanted to make Wilby and Techy happy!
Wilbur groaned and yanked Tommy from his chair, hauling him up by the neck of his shirt. “I am not happy with your decorating, Tommy. You can’t ‘Wilby’ your way out of this one. Here’s what you’re going to do, alright?” Tommy nodded frantically, his eyes still locked on Wilbur’s fist which was very close to his neck. “You’re going to take down all of the diamond blocks and bring them back here, and not a single one will be forgotten. You will bring them to me, and then you will properly decorate. I want you to get as many poppies as you can carry and bring them here, and don’t come back until you have at least… two stacks.” Tommy’s eyes widened. Two stacks?! Where was he going to find two stacks of poppies? He nodded at Wilbur even though his mind was still processing the orders he had been given, and he went into the cold ravine to dig out the diamond blocks he had placed.
Almost all of the blocks were high up, so Tommy had to climb the stairs and cross the high bridges to get them. He giggled to himself as his imagination ran wild. He saw every diamond block as a mini Skeppy, and he was a brave superhero that came to save him. He dug block after block out of the wall, his joy only growing. He started to talk to himself as the last block was in his sight. “Don’t worry, Skeppy! The firefighter is here to save you!” Tommy had to stand on his tip-toes to reach the last diamond block, and once it was in his grasp, he stood back on his unsteady feet and fell backward off of one of their bridges.
Tommy didn’t let out a sound as he landed flat on his back. Wilbur and Techno were already mad at him, and they didn’t need a scream to interrupt their meeting. He whined as he stood up and made his way to their planning room, looking down at his diamond blocks with a pained smile. “I got you Skeppy, you’ll be safe back in your little home. When Wilby is gone, I’ll draw some windows on the chest so you guys can see the ravine! Isn’t that cool?” Tommy knocked on the door and waited for someone to open it. Wilbur’s irritated face contradicted Tommy’s own, even though his back still hurt. He thought he might’ve landed on a sharp rock, but he didn’t want to make Wilbur madder than he already was. Tommy proudly held out the diamond blocks, a happy smile on his face as he spoke to Wilbur.
“I saved every Skeppy! I did it, Wilby! I’ll get the flowers now, ‘kay? Oh uh, Wilby? The closest poppies are in Manberg, so did you want me to go there?” Wilbur dropped the diamond blocks and glared at Tommy, his voice loud and cruel as he spoke.
“I don’t care where they are, just get them! It might be better for us if you get yourself kidnapped, it'll get you out of our hair for once. Just leave, Tommy, and I don’t care if you come back!” The ravine was silent as Wilbur’s words clicked in Tommy’s head.
Wilby doesn’t care if I get hurt?
The tears from before finally spilled out of his eyes, and Tommy’s lower lip wobbled before he spoke. “Wilby? You don’ want me here? I- hmn!” Tommy’s cries and sniffles were the only sounds in the ravine, but Wilbur held his ground. He knew what Tommy was playing at- he was using the little brother card to get out of trouble. Wilbur pointed his finger at the staircase leading to the surface. Tommy ran out, his sobs getting quieter as he went closer to the surface. Wilbur sighed and pushed his hair back, returning to the meeting room where Techno was waiting for him.
“So, that went well.”
Wilbur glared at techno before slumping down in his chair. “He was using the ‘Wilby’ card to get out of stealing our diamonds, and I wasn’t having it. Little gremlin could use some reality.” Techno stared at his lap, his eyebrows pinched together. Wilbur knew that Techno was thinking about something, and something important if the tongue poking out of his mouth was any indication. Wilbur thought that it was probably nothing, so he let Techno think while he mapped out possible attack and defense points on the map.
Five minutes passed.
Ten minutes passed.
Twenty-five minutes passed.
Wilbur was fed up. “Alright, spit it out. What are you thinking about?” Techno was silent for a moment before looking at Will with a panicked look in his eye- one that Will hardly ever saw.
“Wilbur? When does Tommy call you Wilby?” Wilbur scoffed at Techno before answering.
“He calls me that when he wants to be an annoying little shit, that’s when. The only other time he does is when he’s- no.” Techno nodded grimly at Wilbur, whose face was filled with pure worry and regret. “Techno, oh my god, he only calls me that when he’s little. I told a little kid that I didn’t care if he got kidnapped, I told a five-year-old that- oh god. We need to go after him, I sent him into Manberg!” Wilbur shot out of the room and started to run from chest to chest, grabbing normal gear and little gear alike.
In his hands were bandages, gapples, and healing potions, but so were action figures, a fluffy red blanket, and a stuffed elephant that Tommy took everywhere with him. “Techno, it’s almost been a half hour! What if Schlatt found him? What do we do? He’s our little boy, our little Sunbeam! We need to go to Manberg now, so prepare for a fight.” Wilbur turned around to see the Axe of Peace in Tecno’s hands, a grim expression on his face.
“We’ll get him back, Wilbur. I’ll make sure of that.”
Tommy didn’t know where he was going, he just knew that he was running and that he was upset. Tears were streaming down his face as he tripped over a branch, scraping his knees and dirtying his hands. The sun was going down and the mosquitos were coming out, and Tommy frantically waved his arms around to make them go away. He ran and ran, his pace only faltering when a soft light peered out from behind Eret’s tower. “Tubbo! Tubbo! Are you there, Tubso?” Tommy whined as he clumsily made his way into the center of Manberg, rubbing his eyes and calling out for his best friend.
Schlatt was coming up behind him, a sneer on his face at the nerve of this kid. He was peeping through the gaps of the stalls for the festival and playing with his hair, hiding like no one could see him. Schlatt silently came up behind him and harshly grasped his shoulders and talked to him from behind. “Kid, what the hell do you think you’re doing here? I banned you and Wilbur for a reason, and last time I checked, you used your visa when you were touring around that blue-haired freak. So tell me what you think you- the hell?” Schlatt spun Tommy around, and he came face to face with a crying child. Tommy looked up at him, fresh tears spilling out of his eyes.
“Wilby? I don’ have a visa, Wilby kicked me out, he kicked me out!” Schlatt stared down at Tommy with confusion. He was stumbling over his words and speaking softly, the exact opposite of his normal personality. He called Wilbur ‘Wilby’ and said that he kicked him out, only furthering his confusion. Schlatt took his hands off of Tommy and grabbed his communicator, contacting Tubbo as Tommy continued to sniffle.
JSchlatt- kid get your ass down to the festival stalls and kick Tommy outta here
JSchlatt- something is wrong with him
Tubbo- is he acting weird?
JSchlatt- yeah how the fuck did you know
Tubbo- keep him there I’ll be there an a bit
Schlatt sighed at his communicator and looked back over to Tommy, who was looking at him with wide eyes. Schlatt noticed that he was actually looking above him, right at his horns. His shaky hands reached out to touch them, but Schlatt slapped them down. “Don’t touch my fuckin’ horns.” Tommy was rubbing his hands from where Schlatt slapped them down, but his eyes were still on his horns.
“Sheep? Goat, like Tubso?” And now he was calling Tubbo Tubso? He had no idea what was going on, and he could only hope that Tubbo was coming soon and that he could fix whatever this was. “Pretty sheep, fluffy sheep, pointy horns, fluffy hair, fancy suit~!” Tommy was singing to himself as he looked at Schlatt, who was now gaping at the kid in front of him. Tommy gasped as he heard footsteps fun down the walkway, and he barreled into Tubbo, who welcomed him with open arms and a wide smile. “Tubb- Tubso! Here! My goat, my sheep! Goat-goat!” Tubbo ruffled Tommy’s hair before taking his hand, and he walked him over to Schlatt. “Look, he’s matching!” Tommy was pointing at his horns, and Tubbo had to stifle a laugh at Schlatt’s annoyed face.
“Tubbo, can you tell me what’s going on here?” Tubbo sighed and picked Tommy up effortlessly, frowning at how light he was. He was balanced on his hip, and Tubbo smiled at Tommy’s happy gasp.
“Schlatt, can we be inside for this conversation? It looks like someone here is getting a bit tired.” Tommy pouted and shook his head, determined to find out what was going on and to have Tubbo help with his Wilbur problem. Schlatt shrugged and led them to his home- a small cottage carved into the hill. Tommy gasped at the lanterns that emitted different colors, his eyes locking on every one individually. Tubbo put him down on the couch and ushered Schlatt into the kitchen, away from Tommy’s curious ears.
“I know you weren’t here for the first war, but it messed all of us up. It hit Tommy the hardest. We both had to grow up too fast, and we lost our lives in the process. To deal with his trauma, Tommy uses a coping mechanism called age regression. His mind reverts back to the state of a child- when everything was happy and good. He needs it to get away from adult stress.” Schlatt stared at Tommy, who was looking around his living room and touching every knickknack he had. Tubbo sighed. He was so traumatized that he had to be a kid again to destress? He felt awful. “I don’t understand why he’s here, though. Normally Wilbur takes care of him when he’s little.” Schlatt perked up at the mention of Wilbur’s name.
“Wilbur? The kid said that he kicked him out. Are you saying that Wilbur kicked out a little kid?” Tubbo had a hand over his mouth, nodding as tears formed in his eyes.
“I knew Wilbur was unstable, but I didn't think he would do this.” Tubbo was properly crying now, but Schlatt was still apprehensive. They could both be lying- a ploy to get into his head and weaken Manberg. He walked over to Tommy and crouched down to his level. “Schlatt? What are you doing?”
“Tommy? Tubbo said you were regressed, whatever the fuck that means. How old are you?” Tommy frowned at the swear but lit up at the question.
“I’m five! I’m only five years away from being ten.” As he spoke, his voice was smug and proud. Schlatt chuckled at his attitude, sitting down next to him on the couch. He stiffened when Tommy tucked himself under his arm, but he didn’t push him away.
“Can you tell me what uh.. ‘Wilby’ did, Tommy?” Schlatt frowned as Tommy shrunk into himself. He started playing with his hands as he answered the question.
“I decorated with diamonds and Wilby wasn’t happy, so then he told me to get poppies instead! But I didn’t know where they were, so I asked him,” Tommy sniffled. “He told me that he didn’t care if I got taken away! He said ‘e didn’ care!” Tommy wept into Schlatt’s side, not caring or not noticing how tense Schlatt was. Schlatt’s hand was running through his hair slowly, and Tubbo was at his other side, rubbing his back. Schlatt was battling with himself. He exiled Tommy and Wilbur, but he knew that Wilbur was really the one calling the shots. Tommy would do what Wilbur wanted, and if that meant going to war, he would go to war.
Schlatt contributed to the trauma the child at his side faced, and he wasn’t going to let any more inflict itself onto Tommy or Tubbo.
“Hey, Tom? Has Wilby yelled at you like that before, or is this the first time?” Tommy rubbed his eyes and looked up at Schlatt.
“He’s yelled at me before. He says that a lot, but he’s never said it when I’m little. Why?” Schlatt took a deep breath, and he could hear Tubbo do the same. “Did I do something wrong?” Schlatt started to pet Tommy’s hair harder, drawing him further into his side. Tommy wasted no time snuggling closer.
“Tubbo, could you join me in the kitchen for a minute? You’re gonna need to get off me, kid, but I’ll bring some blankets for you to warm up in, alright?” At Tommy’s nod, Schlatt went to his closet and grabbed at least five blankets, throwing them all on top of Tommy, who let out a happy screech. Schlatt smiled at the wriggling pile of blankets on the couch but frowned as he ushered Tubbo into the kitchen.
“Even though I think the kid is annoying, I can’t let him go back to Wilbur. When he’s normal he’s not going to like it, but I can’t let him go back. I’ll lift his ban and let him into the country- hell, he can join the White House if he wants to. I know that he just follows Wilbur’s lead, but Will has gone off the fucking deep end. Tommy can and will stay here as long as he needs to.” Tubbo was smiling at Schlatt, tears in his eyes at the thought of getting his best friend back.
“You mean it? He can come home?” Schlatt nodded, and he staggered back when Tubbo ran into him and hugged the air out of his lungs. Schlatt awkwardly patted his back, chuckling as Tubbo only hugged him tighter. Weight was on his back, and Schlatt twisted around to see that Tommy was leaning against him, a blanket was thrown over his head like a cloak. When he spoke, his voice was soft but excited.
“I can stay here? I don’t have to go back? Wilby won’t yell anymore?” Schlatt turned around and embraced Tommy fully while rocking him back and forth. He wasn’t a monster, and he wanted big and little Tommy to know that. Only his coworkers knew what he was really like, and only they knew that the tough-guy persona was just that- a persona. Tommy would learn that too as he stayed safe in Manberg. Tommy’s pocket buzzed, and he took out his communicator, holding it in both hands. When he saw the picture of who was calling, his face lit up, then fell. “Wilby is calling.” He held out the phone for Schlatt and Tubbo to see and sure enough, there was a picture of Wilbur on his communicator with his name below it. Tommy started to panic, resting from foot to foot and flipping the communicator in his hands.
“Tommy, can I talk to Wilbur?” Tommy shook his head and held the communicator to his chest, making Schlatt sigh. “How about this. You talk to Wilbur while Tubbo and I listen. Is that okay? We don’t want you to get hurt.” Tommy hesitated then nodded, clicking the call button on his communicator and flinching at Wilbur’s loud voice.
“Tommy? Sunbeam, where are you? Are you okay? You need to come home as soon as you can, alright? Me and Techy are out looking for you. I have Mr. Ears with us!” Wilbur held up the stuffed elephant to the camera, and Tommy let out a gasp.
“You gotta let him go! Mr. Ears doesn’t like you, Wilby!” Wilbur let out a nervous chuckle from the other line.
“You’re so silly, Sunbeam! Mr. Ears loves me, just like you do! Remember all our adventures together?” Tommy nodded and bit at the hem of the blanket he was wearing, looking away from the camera. Schlatt grinned at him and Tubbo gave him a thumbs up, making him smile. “Is someone there, Sunbeam? You know we talked about strangers.” Tommy nodded again, but he smiled at Tubbo and Schlatt.
“They’re not strangers, Wilby, and I am home! You yelled at me and I ran all the way home, and now I have blankets and two sheep friends. Say hi!” Schlatt grimaced as Tommy turned the camera around, showing Wilbur exactly where he was and who he was with.
“Sunbeam, I need you to get away from them right now. They’re dangerous and mean, you know that! I thought you listened to me when I talked, Tommy. Wilby isn’t happy right now. Stay there and come out to me when I’m at the door, and if you do, I’ll let you have Mr. Ears for a bit.” Tommy glanced at the door longingly and then looked back at the communicator, where Mr. Ears was in view of the camera. He whimpered and stomped his foot, tears brewing in his eyes. Tubbo had been around little Tommy long enough to know that frustration meant slipping further, so he went over to him and sat him down on the couch. He gently took the communicator out of his hands and handed it to Schlatt who glared at Wilbur through the screen. “Schlatt. Hand Tommy over now, and no one will get hurt.” From the couch, a whimper was heard. Schlatt cleared his throat.
“There is no way in hell I’m letting you take him ‘home'. He is more than welcome in Manberg, but you, Wilbur, are not. You yelled at a child and told him that you didn’t care if he came back, and he told us that this isn’t the first time this has happened! Your god-complex havin’ ass isn’t getting him back. He’s not a dog, Wilbur, you can’t just sit him outside and expect him to obey after that. You don’t treat him like a person from what I’ve seen, but I will.” The line was silent as Will took in what Schlatt said. At the first line he spoke, Schlatt wanted nothing more than to reach his hand through the communicator and throttle him.
“He told you about what we said? He wasn’t supposed to do that. Put Tommy back on the comm, I need to speak with him.” Another cry from the couch, this time followed by soft shushes and recurrences. Schlatt snarled at the communicator and walked to the door, sending Tubbo a nod before he went outside.
“Keep the kid here, and keep him safe. Keep yourself safe too, Tubbo. Don’t let him go outside, and keep him distracted. Got it?” Tubbo gave a firm nod and threw his arm around Tommy, playfully shoving him into his chest. Schlatt was happy at the giggles he heard from Tommy. A smile was on his face, but Schlatt frowned as he opened his front door and made his way into the center of Manberg. Schlatt made his way up to the podium and was unsurprised to see Wilbur and Technoblade staring at him with angry eyes, crossbows loaded as they pointed at his heart. Instead of looking at the crossbows, Schlatt looked at the toys in Wilbur’s arms. “If I recall correctly, neither of you have permission to be here. Scram.” Wilbur and Techno held strong like Schlatt knew they would.
“Give us back our Tommy- our Sunbeam. Hand him over now and no one gets hurt.” Schlatt huffed at Wilbur before stepping closer.
“He’s not a fucking hostage, Wilbur, and he’s not your property either. The kid came to me crying, knowing damn well that I’m the ‘bad guy.’ He said that you kicked him out and said that you didn’t care if he came back, and he said that this has happened before. I’m not letting you verbally abuse a child Wilbur, whether he’s five or sixteen.” Wilbur glared at Schlatt, who glared at him right back. Techno and Wilbur’s crossbows were still pointed at his heart, but Schlatt paid them no mind.
“I don’t abuse him Schlatt, he’s my soldier and he needs discipline. Since when are you a saint all of a sudden? You don’t even know my- Sunbeam!” Wilbur dropped his crossbow and jumped off the stage, hitting the ground with a loud thud, and ran to Tommy, who was running to the podium. Tubbo was following close behind him, a hand grasping a nasty-looking bloody nose. Techno jumped down and ran to Wilbur, giving Schlatt a shove while he did it. Schlatt took the stairs as fast as he could before running to Tommy and Tubbo, who was staring at Wilbur and Techno. Wilbur swept Tommy up into his arms, swaddling him in the blanket he brought while he did it. “Sunbeam, I was so worried! You ran off and I was so scared! Are you okay? Tubbo, did Schlatt do that to you? Techno, take Tommy home while I patch up Tubbo.” Tommy was wriggling out of Wilbur’s hold, falling to the ground with a thud, and running back to Tubbo, hiding behind his back. Wilbur’s gaze hardened. “Sunbeam, we don’t have time for this. Go home with Techno, now.”
Tommy was shaking behind Tubbo, but he managed to step to his side. “You told me to go away, Wi-Wilbur! Yelled at me ‘n stuff! Don’ wanna go back to the ravine, wanna stay here.” Wilbur was glaring at Tommy now, but his glare soon turned to Schlatt, who was standing behind Tommy with a hand on his shoulder.
“Sunbeam, I don’t know what Schlatt told you, but he lied. You need to come home, now.” Schlatt’s hand tensed as Tommy shrunk at Wilbur’s tone. Schlatt leaned down to Tommy and spoke in his ear.
“You can do this, Big Man, I know you can!” Tommy turned his head and spoke into Schlatt’s ear, whispering as quietly as he could.
“Wilby is scary sometimes. When his eyeballs go all mad like that he takes away my things. It’s too cold in the ravine so I need my blankie, but he says no some’imes. Cold ‘n scary ‘n yells ‘n mean!” Tommy was yelling at this point, sobbing in Schlatt’s arms as they sank to the floor. Wilbur made a move to go to Tommy, but at his cry of fear he hesitated. Schlatt stood with Tommy in his arms, Mr. Ears in his hands as Tubbo held onto the blanket.
“Do you see what you did to him? He obviously doesn’t wanna see you- he’s terrified over here! Leave and go back to your fu-frickin’ cave, and don’t even think about coming back.” Techno stepped towards Schlatt and Tommy, puffing out his chest as he took the Axe of Peace out from behind his back.
“Or what.” It wasn’t a question.
“Or we’ll tell the whole server about what you did to its golden boy. We’ll tell them all about how he was so scared of his own president that he ran to the arms of the enemy for help. Even people that like you will see how you treated a child and turn on you in a second. Leave; I won’t say it again.” The trio stood their ground as glares were thrown their way, but they ended up smiling as Wilbur grabbed Techno by the arm and dragged him out of Manberg. When they were out of sight, Schlatt grinned at Tubbo, who was still holding onto his nose. “I would say that went rather well. Hey, do you two want some hot choco- oh.”
Tommy was limp in Schlatt’s arms, blinking slowly and nuzzling into his chest. Schlatt chuckled at the sight and hoisted Tommy higher into his arms. “Is someone tired?” Tommy gave a sleepy nod and turned away from the setting sun and yawned. “I’ll make you a comfy bed, alright kid? Just hang tight, we can get you hot chocolate in the morning.” Tommy grinned dopily and nodded, his eyes sinking further. “Tubbo, you want some hot chocolate? We have things to discuss.”
“I would love to, Schlatt.” They set off to Schlatt’s home with a tired toddler in their midst, chuckling to each other the whole way home.
Deep in the Pogtopia ravine, Wilbur was pacing in the meeting room, Techno watching him intently from his seat. Wilbur was muttering to himself as he walked, holding another stuffed animal of Tommy’s in his arms. “Tommy obviously isn’t okay, they must’ve brainwashed him or something. He wants to stay with his president, Wilby, and Techy. Did you hear him call me Wilbur? He never calls me that when he’s little. We need to do something.” Techno nodded from his seat, glancing up at Wilbur with something sinister in his eyes. He reached into his pockets and pulled out several vials of lavender liquid, smiling at Wilbur who stared at him wordlessly before breaking out into a mad smile.
“God, Techno, you’re a genius! When did you find the time to make sleeping potions?” Techno shrugged.
“Neither you nor Toms have the best sleep schedule, so I made this in case you really needed to sleep but couldn’t, nor wouldn’t. I don’t mind that the purpose has changed, as long as we get our Sunbeam back.” Wilbur uncorked a vial and took a whiff, shaking his head at the extremely strong lavender smell.
“Don’t worry, we will. When we do, we won’t let him get away again. I’ll make sure of that.”