Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Tommy was a kid, his father told him a story.

Before Wilbur and Phil went to Utah, and before Tommy stayed behind in the forest, and before Techno went off on his own adventures, the four had lived in a medium-sized wooden cabin in a world adjacent to what would become the Dream SMP. This cabin sat at the edge of a town, surrounded by woods and tall, dark trees, perfect for peace and relaxation (and keeping people from hearing his children scream all of the time, Phil would learn after moving in). 

The cabin was covered in curling vines and weeds, giving it an old, abandoned look, but they were mostly grown there intentionally. Outside of the cabin, a worn path led up the wooden door, and to its left was a small garden, small vegetable plants and flowers growing out of the dirt. Phil and Techno were crouched beside the garden, transferring potted plants to the garden’s soil. Wilbur and Tommy were somewhere out in the forest, no farther out than in earshot, and Phil was content with the knowledge that they were safe as he dug out a space for a potato plant.  

“Daaaaad!” Wilbur suddenly called, and Phil looked up from the garden to see Wilbur sprinting towards him from the woods, Tommy trodding behind him. When they got to Phil, Wilbur grabbed Tommy’s hand and raised it in the air, flecks of mud coming off of dirty spots on his shirt, “Tommy hasn’t heard your wings story yet! You need to tell him the story! You gotta tell him, dad!”

“Or you just want to hear it again.” Techno said, crouching beside Phil as he transferred a tomato plant from a pot to the garden, not even looking up as he spoke. 

Wilbur pouted, “But Tommy said he wanted to hear it! Right, Tommy?” He looked down at him, but Tommy only slowly blinked, a small bead of drool escaping his mouth. Tommy was a late bloomer in the talking department (and thinking department, apparently), which his family would later learn was a blessing in disguise. 

“I’ll tell it later, Wil, but Techno and I have to finish up the garden–”

“No! Tell it now!”

“Wil–”

“Please?” Wilbur gave Phil the biggest puppy-dog eyes he could muster, letting go of Tommy’s hand to hold his hands out in a pleading gesture. 

Tommy stared off into the distance at a crow that had landed on the roof of their cabin. Bird. 

“Ugh, fine.” Phil said, and Wilbur cheered, jumping up and down, “But we have to make it quick, alright?”

“You’re giving in to them?” Techno asked, finally looking up to speak over Wilbur’s cheers.

“Yes.” Phil said with a shake of his head. But, he was smiling, and his smile only grew as he led the boys inside. “I like telling this story.”

They passed through the wooden doors of the cabin to a naturally lit living area, fit with a kitchen and dining area to the left and a sitting area to the right, along with a ladder propped against the wall leading up to the second floor. Phil led the boys through the cabin and sat on one of the rickety chairs in the sitting area, allowing the boys to sit on the big, woolen rug that made up the right side of the cabin. 

The three boys sat in the circle in front of the chair– Wilbur dragged Tommy to sit on his left, while Techno sat on Wilbur’s right, already looking bored out of his mind. 

“Okay,” Phil began, “I’m going to tell the story a bit more gently then you two have probably heard before–”

“No! You gotta tell the full thing!” Wilbur exclaimed.

“Wil, you didn’t even hear the whole thing.” Techno said, ribbing Wilbur in the side. Wilbur yelped and smacked him on the shoulder. 

“You’re lying!”

“Am not.”

“Are too!”

“Boys!” Phil said, “I have to make the story calmer because Tommy is little, okay? He’s barely three!”

“Yeah, well I’m nine, so I can hear the whole story, right?” Wilbur asked, crossing his arms. 

“I think he’s just gonna keep naggin’ you until you tell the whole thing, dad.” Techno said, suddenly smirking.

Phil barked out a confused laugh, “I thought you didn’t want to hear it!” 

“Eh, it’s an interesting story.” His smirk only grew, and Wilbur cheered again, wrapping an arm around Tommy’s shoulders.

“You hear that, Tommy? We’re gonna hear the scary wings story!”

“I wouldn’t say it’s– okay,” Phil relented, “fine, I’ll tell the whole thing, but it’s not my fault if you cry, okay?” Phil finished with a laugh, adjusting himself in the chair.

“Okay!” Wilbur shouted, practically vibrating where he sat on the rug.

Phil took a breath in. Then out. Then,

“Once upon a time…”

- 𓅪 -

…there was a young man who loved to travel. From the highest peaks to the deepest of oceans, he found joy from learning about his world and all of those who lived there. 

However, after years of travel, the man found himself growing tired. While his joy for life hadn’t gone away, his love for exploring mostly had. So, he wanted to settle down– find a spot to live in and relax, or at least until he had the urge to explore again. But that was easier said than done; every place he looked seemed to be full of danger, and all of the towns and cities he came across were full of rude, untrustworthy people; nothing he couldn’t handle, but he never felt like dealing with it. After a couple of years, he started to think that maybe he was never meant to find a home. 

That is, until one day.

Now, there’s an important part of this story that has gone unmentioned… this man was an Elytrian . A human with the capacity to have natural, full-fledged wings. But did you catch that?

Capacity. 

The man didn't have these wings yet, as was typical for his species. Most of his species never even gained their wings, which is why many people don’t know of the existence of Elytrians. 

There are three facets that come with gaining your wings. The man wasn’t aware of these rules, as nobody in his family had ever gained their wings. But, on that one special day, he learned. 

There was a large, deep cave, extending almost completely vertically downward from the surface. It was at the center of a town the man was passing through, and it was used as a resource and mining hub for the town. You could usually see miners coming in and out of it during the whole day, everyday of the week– however, at night, it was barren, and the wooden gate surrounding it was closed off. 

This was the first time the man was passing through the town, so near midnight, he hopped the fence to talk a look down into the cave. He leaned forward, almost as far as he could, and his eyes widened at the sight of the dark void of the inside of the cave. The lamps hung on the walls were extinguished, and there were no minerals left near the surface of the cave to catch the light of the moon. 

Suddenly, at the opposite side of the cave entrance, he spotted a woman unlocking the door of the fence and stepping inside. A security guard . The man was about to quickly leave, or maybe duck behind a rock, before he realized that she wasn’t looking at him. She was fiddling with a handheld lamp, the redstone switch on the side seemingly not working. 

As she struggled with the switch, she took a few steps forward. She wasn’t watching where she was going. 

The man tried calling out to her, but it was too late. She stepped onto air and, with an alarmed shout, fell straight over the steep edge of the cave. 

He couldn’t save her. 

But, something inside of him thought that he could. 

Without even taking a breath to prepare himself, he jumped in after her. 

Now, remember those three rules to get your wings? This is what they are:

First, the reason for your near-death or your desire to live must be for a selfless purpose. If you are doing something evil, or are an evil person yourself, your wings will not save you. 

An explosion tore across the land. The man responsible stood over the wreckage, a blissful smile on his face. Then, he was stabbed, left to watch the destruction of his land as he died laying in a pool of his own blood. He did not deserve his wings.

Second, you must be a good person. Even if you are doing something selfless or something that you think is good, your history will be a deciding factor on whether or not you deserve to be saved. 

A sword swung in his direction, cutting across his shoulder and piercing his armor. He swung his sword back, knowing that he wouldn’t die, as he was much stronger than anyone who would try to fight him. As he did so, withers flew up and around, destroying the nation his family once called home. He did not deserve his wings.

Finally, you must be a brave person. This does not mean you must be fearless, but someone who is willing to confront their fears head on. 

A boy stood, watching as his home was blown up, again and again and again. He sat on the ground and cried.

There are also two other factors– those that don’t matter without the other three, but are the most important: instinct and divine intervention. Obviously, your body will know when your life is in danger, so it will start the immediate process of forming and releasing the wings from the body. And the other one…

Sometimes, there may be a god or goddess looking down on you, and they can make sure you gain your wings.

He helped those in need. He went on dangerous expeditions to fill his need for adrenaline.  The man was a good person. The man was brave. He was an Elytrian, and he was about to save someone’s life. 

As the man fell, he felt a tingling sensation in his back. A spike of pain. The phantom sensation of something growing from his spine. Then, the cave was suddenly filled with light, and he could see the woman falling, deeper and deeper into the cave. The light was coming from his wings. 

He instinctively knew how to use them too, so he flapped his wings to catch up to her, pure white feathers gleaming behind him. As he grabbed her, his eyes widened, seeing that the cave curved up ahead. He didn’t have enough time to turn around, so he flew through the curve, looking for an open space to slow down.

The man didn’t question the fact that he was flying. He knew his ancestors did have wings, and instantly knew that he did, too. 

He came up upon a large group of stalactites and stalagmites covering the top and bottom of the cave, and he hollered in glee while he dived between them, laughing as he dodged and weaved. But, him having fun wasn’t the purpose of his flight, so he managed to turn around and fly back up to the surface.

The woman had passed out sometime between her fall and her rescue, so the man set her on the ground, looking her over to make sure she wasn’t injured. But, then, something peculiar began to happen. The sky almost seemed to darken, and a towering form came out of the shadows, a goddess wearing a long brimmed hat and dress–

“Mom!” Wilbur said, a huge smile on his face. In his excitement he had moved from Tommy and Techno’s sides to right in front of Phil’s feet, jittering in excitement.  

“Yes,” Phil said, smiling fondly, “it was your mother. The security guard happened to be one of her friends, and she came down to thank me. And, that town eventually became my home, where I could stay with her.” 

“That was even better than the last time you told it!” Wilbur yelled, and Techno rolled his eyes, knowing that Wilbur really did just want to hear the story again.

At some point during the story, Tommy’s gaze fell from a crack in the ceiling to Phil, and he was captivated by the story. Now, he still stared at Phil– at Phil’s wings. Even after all of these years, they were still as pure white as his father described them to be. 

Tommy then looked to his brothers; Wilbur, still talking at Phil about the story, and Techno, chin in one of his hands as he zoned out. 

“And someday,” Wilbur was saying, “we could get wings too, right? I want wings!”

Phil nodded, and while he didn’t have the words to express it, he wondered if his brothers would someday gain their wings.

He wondered if someday he himself would get his wings.

Thirteen years later, next to a field on the coast of an ocean, Tommy knew that he never would.

Chapter Text

Exile was numbing. 

Tommy thought this as he laid on the sand, watching the same ocean he’d been staring at for a week now. He’d woken up in the waters again, the farthest out he has ever been, and he was too exhausted to move once he’d gotten to shore. He’d also somehow lost one of his shoes during the swim, him having worn them to bed the night before, and he was bitter about how his shoe collection was now a total of an astonishing half. 

Tommy had been in Exile for two weeks now, and he knew that he was losing himself as the days went on. After burning down King George’s house, and taking the full blame for it, his best friend Tubbo had exiled him under threats of the strongest person on the server, Dream. 

But, Tommy didn’t blame Dream for what happened to him, or what Dream had done to him since then. He probably deserved it. Still, it didn’t make it all any less tiring. 

As he laid with his face pressed against the sand, he imagined himself flying over the water, letting his hand graze its surface before diving back into the air. He let his fingers flay out in front of him, wiggling them above the water and imagining they were himself. After a moment, he let his hand fall with a sigh. 

He’d been thinking about wings a lot these days. He wanted to take off into the air, leaving everything behind. But he’d never done anything remarkable to earn his wings, anyway. None of his family has. He thought to himself that maybe he should just stop playing in his stupid fantasies because it’s not like they’d ever amount to anything. 

Tommy groaned as he sat up, and he tried to wipe some sand off of his shirt, but his hand just caught on a tear in the fabric. He only took a glance at the rest of himself before standing up, not wanting to focus on his dirty clothes, his matted hair, his missing shoe, his gray eyes. 

He moved from the shore to tnret, the tent Ghostbur made before he vanished. He wasn’t entirely sure where the ghostly form of his brother had gone, but Tommy wasn’t surprised. Wilbur had abandoned him when he died, him leaving again wasn’t entirely unanticipated. Then, beyond the tent to the path, under the poles of light he’d made going up to Logstedshire, another Ghostbur creation. He passed the wall of logs to the small cottage Ghostbur had built, one Dream looked at with disdain and therefore Tommy didn’t sleep in.

But, there was something he kept inside. Or, rather, under. A few feet from the door, he dug into the ground, hitting a hidden ladder he’d placed there the previous day. Tommy climbed down to the small cavern he’d made, containing just a small couple of chests on the ground. He… he didn’t mean to keep things from Dream. After all, he was Tommy’s only friend– all of his others had left him, and nobody had visited in weeks, unlike Dream. He cared about Dream. Sure, you guessed someone could blame Dream for him being exiled– but that was mostly Tubbo’s fault! Dream was a good guy! Right?

But even with that, he knew Dream wouldn’t be happy with the things he wanted to keep, so he had to keep them a secret. He opened the chest and his face grew a fragile smile at what greeted him, a couple of pictures of him and his friends. Him and Tubbo at the beach. L’Manburg. Him and Wilbur as kids. He couldn’t remember the last time he had smiled so genuinely. Not like now, and not like he had in the pictures. 

That’s why Tommy had a plan today. Recently, he hadn’t been making any plans for daily activities, usually just waiting to see what Dream wanted to do. But it had only been making him feel down , so he knew he’d have to find something else to do before he did anything… unsafe .

Tommy felt a pang of hunger in his stomach, but he didn’t feel like eating anything. Maybe I already am being unsafe, he thought. 

His plan was to find his other precious belongings and bring them to this room, just so Dream won’t make him get rid of them. He loved Dream, really, but he was proud of all of the things he’d collected. He didn’t want to get rid of them just yet. While he’d gotten used to Dream’s routine of blowing up his stuff, a small, small part of him still got annoyed at seeing all of his hard work destroyed. So, secret room! 

He spent a second to breathe and find the motivation within himself before he exited the room, then headed back to the rest of his exile. Sandy shore next to a field, tents, chests everywhere, pictures hung walls, his failure of a beach party. His home.

God, he couldn’t do this anymore. 

He walked over to a pile of chests he’d laid out on the ground a couple of days prior, all labeled with was in them. He reached into his valuables chest and pulled out a bunch of ores– iron, gold, diamonds. He’d have to work quickly since he didn’t know when Dream would come see him for the day. 

As Tommy transferred his stuff back and forth, his eyes and mind wandered back to the ocean, and then to his lack of wings, even though he had been trying his best not to think about it. He remembered that as a kid, Phil would sometimes take Techno and Wilbur flying, letting them hold onto his back as he flew above the big lake by their house. He’d never gotten a chance to because he didn’t know how to swim, and Phil was worried that he’d fall.  

He wondered if Techno or Wilbur ever looked across the water and thought about getting their own wings. He knew he sure did, watching them fly from the edge of the lake while he picked at grass. Did they know of their futures? How they would cause so much destruction, so much pain? Betraying L’Manburg, betraying him. The explosions, the withers, the pit. Even his own father had caused him so much more pain then he could have ever imagined, stabbing Wilbur after he’d blown up L’Manburg. 

But… he still loved them, didn’t he? They were family, his flesh and blood. Could he really never forgive them?

The balance between “I hate them because they did terrible things!” and “I love them because they’re my family!” teetered in his mind, and he’d almost missed Dream walking in behind him as he exited Lodstedshire, just having finished putting all of his special belongings in the chest.

“Hi.” Dream said, and Tommy flinched, whirling around to see him. He was dressed in a green hoodie, black fingerless gloves, and his smile mask, as was usual for him. Tommy felt a weird surge of fear and glee spike through him, but the emotions were nullified by the numbness that had persisted for the past week.

“Hey, Dream.” Tommy said quietly, and he waited for him to tell him to throw his armor in a put so Dream could blow it up, or hit him, or give a sickeningly sweet smile, or–

“How are you?” Dream said, and Tommy sighed. That stuff would come later.

“Um, I’m good. How are you?” Tommy replied, fidgeting in place. 

“I’m alright.” Then, it was almost awkward for a moment. Tommy wondered if Dream was getting bored of coming to see him everyday. 

“Do you want to help me build that tower?” Tommy pointed to a log tower he’d been building the day before on a hill above Logstedshire. Tommy thought that he could maybe use it as a storage room, but it was mainly just a project to keep him busy. 

Dream looked towards the tower and shrugged, “Sure. I only have 64 logs on me, though.”

“That’s fine.” 

The two made their way over to the tower, and looking up at it, Tommy thought it would be nice if he could fly up to the top instead of having to build up there. He squashed that thought as quick as it came. 

The tower was short, only a couple of blocks long and wide, but Dream didn’t comment on his lack of progress. Instead, he towered up to the top of the tower and began building it up higher. Tommy climbed up, too, and then they began to idly chat. About the weather. Things. Life. Mostly Dream life, since Tommy didn’t have much to say. 

“...and Sapnap was like, oh, Dream, you gotta be the best man at my wedding, my fiances, my country, blah blah blah, and I just think it’s just so stupid that he wants that from me when he literally– uh, are you okay?” Dream had hopped down from the tower, leaning against it as he talked. But he noticed that Tommy hadn’t, still sat on the edge on the top, staring off into the ocean beyond the trees. 

“What?” Tommy asks, snapping to his senses. He jumped down from the tower, and a fierce pan shot up his legs. “Sorry, I zoned out. Uh, no, actually. I feel like shit. Guess I’ve been a bit lonely recently.” 

Dream glanced out towards the direction of the ocean and sighed, “Are you thinking about that wing stuff again? Because it’s never gonna happen, Tommy.”

Tommy had told Dream a bit about his family’s wings after he’d asked why Phil had them. He also knew the wings were the reason why Tommy kept zoning out, and Dream was getting increasingly annoyed every time that it happened. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Tommy muttered, walking past Dream, “But it just– sounds so cool, y’know?”

“Phil probably made that story up to entertain you guys as kids. I’d never even heard of Elytrians before Phil.”

“Yeah, probably.” Tommy said. He and Dream walked down to Logsted, and he sat down inside against one of the log pillars and started fiddling with some blades of grass.

Dream looked down at him, a pained look crossing over his expression, before smiling.

“Well, Tommy…” Dream walked over to the side of the cabin, “put your stuff in the hole and then we’ll–”

Then, Tommy watched as Dream dug straight into this secret room.

Shit. 

He heard Dream open the chests he kept down there, and then silence, as Dream presumably stared at the chests contents.

“D-Dream?” He called, and he stood up and walked over to the top of the hole, staring down at Dream as he looked at the chests. Then, Dream looked up at him, and he could feel him blanking staring at him from behind his smile mask. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

“...Dream? Um. You okay? This is– uh, do you want me too… do you want–” Dream began to place TNT inside of the room, lighting it with a flaming arrow, and Tommy jumped back as Dream climbed out, “No, don’t do– no, d– no no no, my things!”

Tommy didn’t even have time to grab any of his stuff before it exploded. He felt the heat of the explosions, the smell of charcoal, his things turning into a plume of ash. He continued to stare at the wreckage as Dream walked past him, further into Logsted. It was silent for a moment. Then,

“Tommy, drop all your stuff. All of it.”

“No–” Tommy spun around, looking as Dream dug a hole into the ground. He stared at his inventory, almost completely empty. He felt the burn of an arrow fly past him, and he yelped, “Oh, shit, okay– why? No, I just have armor for you, why–”

“Tommy, you made chests– ”

“Look at this!” Tommy began to throw his armor into the hole. 

“You hid chests under your base full of stuff so that I couldn’t take it.” 

“No, I–”

“I might not have ever found out about it–”

“I’ll throw my sword in there–”

“Because you were lying to me! No, everything. ”

“But I threw my sword in there too–”

“Ev-ery-thing. How about you get into the hole, Tommy? ” 

Tommy shakily gasped and began to dump the rest of his belongings in the hole. When Tommy was done, he had nothing on him except for the clothes on his back. 

“I’m really sorry,” Tommy said, looking at Dream, “I didn’t think…”

“You didn’t think about what? ” Dream stalked towards himself, and Tommy stumbled back, feeling his back hit the wall of the cabin. “You thought about everything, Tommy.” He turned around and dropped some TNT in the hole, followed by a flaming arrow. 

“Dream, I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry–” Tommy was panicking, now. Wondering what was going to happen. What Dream would do to him. He broke away from his position against the wall and walked around Dream towards the entrance of Logsted. He just exited before Dream called after him. 

“Come here and watch, Tommy.”

…What? Tommy glanced back towards Dream. Then, his eyes widened as Dream began to place more TNT around Logsted, not just his secret base. 

“No, Dream! I’m really really sorry–”

“Tommy, it’s time for you to start over.” Then, Tommy stumbled back as Dream set the TNT alight. 

For a split second, Tommy didn’t know what was happening. Then, he snapped back to reality to feel himself on the ground, thrown back from the blast. His ears were ringing, and he looked up to see… nothing. Nothing but a big crater in the ground and a bunch of smoke.

Everything was gone. Everything he worked towards, all of his belongings, everything from Ghostbur– it was now nothing but empty space. Dream walked from the crater, undamaged because of his armor, and stood next to Tommy on the ground. Tommy gasped as Dream pulled at his arm, forcing him to stand.

Tommy took a few steps back, looking at Dream in terror. 

“Tommy, I thought that we were friends.” He began, now making his way over to his Nether portal. Traveling through the Nether, an alternate dimension connected to his own, was the fastest way anyone could home see him if they wished. It was also his only reprieve from his exile, him being able to walk a short distance around the portal in the Nether under Dream’s guidance.

Now, it was turning to nothing, too, as Dream destroyed it. 

“No, we are friends! You’re my best friend!”

“You were lying to me,” Dream walked back over, again crowding Tommy’s space, “You hid things in a chest knowing they were things I wouldn’t want you to have. And you hid it in a way that I would never find it. The only reason that I did find it is because you walked in there and I was mining down to tell you to drop your stuff in a hole.”

“And I was going to! I was going to drop my stuff! I did! ”

Dream sighed, “Listen, Tommy. You can’t go to the Nether. No one can come and visit you until you… learn . To listen. You have to start over.”

Tears formed in Tommy’s eyes. God, he wanted this to be over. He wanted to go back to the start of the day, where he could just lay in the sand and stare at the water. It wouldn’t be peaceful, but it would be better than this. Anything would be better than this. 

“Tommy. Don’t– do that. Y’know, I exiled you for a reason. And… Tubbo exiled you for a reason. And you didn’t listen. You didn’t listen to the rules. The rules were simple! I just wanted your armor and your weapons everyday. That was it! And I didn’t even take it, one or two days. I even gave you armor once. But you have to somehow wiggle your way out and try and defy me for some reason. And keep a secret stash.”

“Dream– I wasn’t planning on going for very much long,” Tommy admitted, now fully crying, “I mean, I’m– look at me , man! I’m– fuck, and it’s not your fault! It’s just because– it’s my fault. Because I’ve been doing this for so… Y’know, it wasn’t–”

“Tommy.” Dream started, and the air around them seemed to still. “You would never actually… y’know. You’re here for a very long time, Tommy.”

Fuck.

“But you need to start over. Get new stuff. Build a new place, here in exile. But next time, don’t make the same mistake, and it won’t happen! I’ll visit you, but no one else can.”

“Everyday?” Tommy murmured, looking down at the ground. Dream took a step back.

“Maybe not everyday, but at least once a week, sure.”

“But– what about…” Tommy trailed off, and he watched as his tears hit the ground below him. “I just… wanted a place where I could keep my stuff. Mine. Can’t we just– pretend this never happened?”

“Sorry doesn’t cut it, Tommy. Listen, I’ll leave you here to–”

“But what about the Nether? My friends?”

“God– okay, no one can come to the nether, no one can come here, you are alone. As soon as I think you’ve changed and become someone I think wouldn’t hide and lie and… try and revolt. Then, people can visit you again, and you can go to the Nether again. But, for now, no. No one can. I was being very lenient! Yesterday, I even let you walk around the Nether more than I usually do! But then, I find out the next day—”

“I’m so sorry.” Tommy said, and then he sank to the ground, his legs giving out from under him. Dream sighed.

“Tommy, think about what you did.” Then, just as suddenly and quickly as he arrived, Dream left, and Tommy didn’t even bother looking up as he walked away. Out of exile, out of where he could never leave. 

He felt the grass beneath him, tickling his arms. Cold air moved around him, bringing chills to his body. God. God. Logsted. His things. Even his spirit was gone, blown up or washed away in the ocean.

An idea came to him, slowly, a thing that had been brewing for the past few days. Something he felt was coming. 

“You would never actually… y’know. You’re here for a very long time, Tommy.”

He got up and grabbed some blocks from the pit of Logsted. Then, he began to build up.

Dream isn’t right. He wouldn’t be here any longer.

The air felt colder and colder the higher he got, and the wind only seemed to pick up, making his eyes water. But he couldn’t cry. Not anymore. 

He couldn’t keep doing this.. The pain, the abuse, the– feeling of betraying his best friend, of hurting him, of all of his things being blown to bits. He couldn’t do it again. Not now, not ever. 

He glanced down at his exile one more time before breaching above the clouds, blocking his view. 

Fuck, he was alone. So, so alone.

His only friend, Dream… is gone. His only friend– he was his friend– he was his friend. His only friend this entire time. He did so much for Tommy. He came and visited him every day, and they’d laugh and be sad and– so much. And he’d… take his things. And make him throw everything into a hole. 

Tommy ran out of blocks just as the evening began, the sky growing darker.

Dream’s last words were I’ll see you every week… every week to come and watch you.

“Now come and watch me.” Tommy muttered, staring at the horizon. “Every week to… come and watch me.”

But then,

“...watch me?”

Dream would come to watch him. Not to hang out, or be friends, but to watch him. 

Tommy thought of the destroyed Logsted below him. The ruined Nether portal. All of his things, blown to nothingness. 

But, they were friends! 

Weren’t they?

No, no that wasn’t it. Dream didn’t want to be his friend. He didn’t want that.

He wanted to watch him.

Tommy laughed a bit out loud to himself with the realization. He couldn’t just die, now! He couldn’t get Dream win! He– he wasn’t sure how he’d beat him, or what he’d do, but Dream wouldn’t win. Not in a million years. 

Maybe he was Dream’s friend. But, Dream certainly wasn’t his.

He can’t die now. Not yet. 

He glanced down at the ground and spotted a small pool of water through the clouds.

To get himself ready to run and leap off the edge into it, he took a preparatory step backwards.

His foot hit air. 

He swung his arms out to try and steady himself, but it was too late. Tommy fell backwards off of the tower.

For a half-second, Tommy was confused. But then, just as the air around him hugged his body as he rocketed towards the ground, he realized the truth of what was happening.

No, no, no, he can’t die! He can’t! He decided he didn’t want to, he– god, no !

In the couple of seconds he had before he knew he’d hit the ground, his thoughts raced. He wanted to fight back against Dream, make him pay for everything he did. He wanted to protect the server, make sure nobody had to go through what he did.

Selfless. 

Maybe Tommy wasn’t good. Maybe he was bad, too, for all of the chaos he had caused. But from now on, he only wanted to be good. That’s all he needed.

Good.

If he died right now, he’d never get to see his family again. Fuck, what does he think of his family? He’s mad at them, sure, but… they’re family. He wants to protect them. God, if he could just see Wilbur again, even in his ghostly form, or Techno, covered in the blood of his enemies, or Phil, barely the same man he used to be, his wings torn in the explosion where his son died, never to fly again– he’d hug them. Because he needs them. And they need him.

Brave. 

Barely a story from the ground, Tommy felt a warm feeling in his spine. In a blink, that warmness grew. Then, a tearing sensation, and an added weight to his back–

Inches from the ground, Tommy shot off sideways, something behind him catching his air. He screamed and, instinctively, he pushed off upwards, back towards the sky he just fell from. 

Aftering flying halfway up the tower, he took the chance to look at himself, spinning around in the air. Flashes of bright, hot light filled his peripherals, but now he saw what else was there; white. White feathers.

Did he–

Tommy laughed, finally realizing what had happened.

He had his wings. 

Chapter Text

Tommy had his wings.

Beautiful, glorious things. Tommy knew he’d have to look in a mirror later to properly admire them. Wide-spread lines of pure white feathers, now all glowing with new embedded power. Now, he was a full-fledged proper Elytrian, and he couldn’t be happier.

Had he really been selfless enough to get them? Good enough? Brave enough? Tommy wasn’t sure, but even so, he knew he’d try his damn hardest to be. But first…

Tommy grinned, taking off towards the ground. Instinctively, he knew how to use his wings, which enabled him to dodge the tower he had built and fly towards the trees past the remains of Logsted. He flew through them, dodging and weaving, just barely slamming into a tree before veering off to the side. The trees created a dark cover, but his still glowing wings lit the trees up enough for him to miss every single one.

He hooted and hollered, mouth aching from his wide grin, before getting out the other side of the trees. Then, he flew out toward the ocean, and he let his hand fall to graze the top of the water. Tommy was sure he’d never felt that at peace. The wind blowing through his hair, the reflection of the sun on the water, the warm contentedness that had wormed its way into his chest. 

In his fun, he could almost forget what got him his wings in the first place. He flew back upwards and looked down at the wreckage of Logsted, some parts still smoking from the explosives. Then, up towards the tower he fell from, darkened from the evening. What does he even do, now? A part of him wants to return to the ground, let Dream come again and apologize over and over again. That part of him still cares about Dream, and right now, he doesn’t even know what he thinks of Dream. 

But, at the same time, he knows he has to leave. He can’t handle another day of exile, not after today. But where to go? 

Maybe… a couple of days prior, when he was fed up with everything, he briefly left his exile, sprinting towards the tundra past the field. Before he came to his senses and ran back, he spotted a large, wood cabin in the snow. He only knew of one person who’d come out here, purposefully isolating themself. His brother, Techno. 

Would Techno let him in? Probably not. 

…But could he sneak in?

Well, it was worth a try. But when he got there, it looked like someone had been there very recently. Or rather, multiple people, if the scattering of footprints in the snow was anything to go by. The doors of the cabin were open, and when Tommy looked around, it looked like somebody had left the cabin in a hurry. Potion bottles littered the ground, and a pair of glasses next to the open door... he guessed that Techno didn’t have the time to put them on.

There were also some splatters of blood on the ground, which made Tommy shiver in fear. What had happened here?

With this, Tommy felt there was only one place to go. Maybe for shelter, maybe to investigate what had happened here. Either way, he knew had to return to his old home. L’Manburg. 

He decided to fly back to exile and then fly to L’Manburg from there. He let himself do a few loops in the air, getting used to his new wings. How did Phil feel when he first got his? In his story, he described the fun he had when he first got to fly… part of him wishes he could have been there to see it. 

What was Phil even doing right now? He knew he was under house arrest in L’Manburg, but did it last? Was Phil involved in what had happened at Techno’s house? Fuck, how much was Techno involved? Was that blood… his?

The part of Tommy that gave his discs up from L’Manburg screamed at him, saying that his family were traitors and didn’t deserve any of his sympathy. They probably even deserved whatever was happening to them right now.

But the other part…

The other part missed building snowmen with his siblings. Missed painting canvases with his father. Missed his family. 

If something was happening in L’Manburg right now, what would he do?

…He didn’t know.

The back of L’Manburg came into view, and he looped around to the front before flying into a tall tree for cover. There, he was able to see what was happening on the ground below. 

Next to the platform near the front of the L’Manburg that housed the podium, there was an additional platform. On it was a small cage, and above, an anvil hanging from a pillar of blocks. Tommy wasn’t sure what it was supposed to be for until he saw somebody inside of the cage, a group of people surrounding them. Techno.

He looked similarly to the last time Tommy saw him– light pink hair that glowed in the sunlight, freshly dyed. He wore a shirt black pants, making him look prince-like. But, he was missing his reading glasses, and all of the weapons and armor he usually carried with him. 

The members of L’Manburg, Tubbo, Quackity, Fundy, and the newest Ranboo, stood around or near Techno, all wearing white aprons covered in red paint that was supposed to look like blood. They also wore some armor and held weapons– swords and axes, mainly.

Quackity, President Tubbo’s current right-hand-man, stood closest to Techno, making sure he didn’t have any plans to escape. He was speaking, his voice rising in anger.

“Drop all of your fucking shit, Techno, I don’t have time for this. We know you're hiding something.” He said, arms crossed. Instead of being intimidated, Techno simply raised his brows. 

“Bro, I literally don’t have pockets. Does it look like I’d be hiding somethin’?” He asked, and it was true– no part of his outfit would be suitable to hide stuff in. Except, Quackity reached forward through the bars of the cage and pulled out something hidden in the ruffled fabric that hung from the collar of his shirt– a totem of undying. Tommy had a vague familiarity with them, but he’d never actually seen one in real life.

“Welp, there goes my only plan. Ghostbur, I’m going to die.” Techno looked to his right, and down below the platform he stood. Ghostbur! Last Tommy heard of him was before the beach party he had where nobody showed up. Not even his ghostly brother who promised to be there.

While Tommy was still pissed, he couldn’t help but admit that he was slightly happy to see him. Ghostbur could be annoying– he had no memories of any of the bad stuff that happened during his life, and he was a bit frustrating to talk to– but Tommy missed him. A lot. 

Instead of properly responding, Ghostbur gestured to a blue-dyed sheep that stood next to him. “I named him Friend.”

“That’s fantastic, Ghostbur, that’s fantastic.” Techno said, rolling his eyes. 

Were they really going to execute him? Tommy felt himself leaning forward, ready to call out, but then he spotted something that almost made his heart stop. Two figures hidden in the shadows… Punz and Dream.

Tommy started to hyperventilate. What the hell were they doing here? Oh fuck, what if Dream saw him? Dream raised a hand, and Tommy flinched back before realizing that it was just his pointing towards the commotion, like a signal. Punz nodded and dropped to the ground.

Then, interrupting the brief speech Tubbo was about to begin, he began to fight the members of L’Manburg. He also began to place TNT on the ground, and then the screaming began, everyone panicking and trying to get him to stop.

He noticed Dream sneak around, almost under the tree he perched on, and begin to free a horse from its prison in the ground– Techno had a small horse stable at his cabin, so he figured it was probably his.

Tommy was so focused on staying still that he almost missed a scream from the heart of the country;

“Pull the lever, Big Q!”

Techno was going to die.

On the server, each person had a number of times they were allowed to die before it became permanent, like a cat. Phil always had one. Tommy and Wilbur were born with three.

Techno had one. Just like his father.

In a split second, Tommy made a decision. Even if Techno had hurt him and had damaged him beyond repair, he was not about to let him die.  

“TECHNO!” He screamed, diving out of the tree towards him. Techno looked at him and his eyes widened, mouth dropping in shock. Tommy held out his arms, and a look of realization overtook him before the anvil began to fall.

Techno jumped.

Tommy flew over the cage and grabbed his arms, pulling him to safety just as the anvil hit the ground. The cheers of L’Manburg turned into murmurs of confusion as Tommy and Techno crashed into the ground.

They landed on the ground below the houses of L’Manburg, and Tommy groaned in pain; he had landed directly on his wing and it fucking hurt. 

The pair sat up and looked at each other, Techno’s eyes widened as he stared. “You… you have your wings.”

“Tommy has his wings!” Tommy felt arms hug him from behind, and Ghostbur jumped up and down, Friend long forgotten. Tommy laughed, reaching up to cling on to his arms. Techno began to laugh a little too, but mostly in disbelief. “Dad, look, Tommy has his wings!”

Tommy looked up above him to see someone he hadn’t noticed before. Phil, his father, standing on the balcony above them. And Tommy saw the warmest smile Phil had ever given him. “You have your wings.” He said, full of pride. Tommy thought that he could maybe see tears brimming at the corners of his eyes. 

“Tommy?” Somebody asked, and Tommy looked up to see Dream standing on top of the platform with the cage, hands on his hips. He choked out a gasp and stood up, leaving his brothers stranded on the ground. 

“D-Dream.” He stuttered out. Dream hopped down and took a step towards him. Tommy took a step back. 

“Looks like that wings thing was actually true. Congrats, I like them.” He said, and Tommy couldn’t tell what the tone of his voice was. Mocking? Angry? Proud, maybe?

“Aren’t they great?” Ghostbur said, standing up. 

“Yeah, ‘makes me wonder how you got them, though. Why’d you leave your exile, Tommy?” Dream said, and Tommy felt like he’d been splashed by cold water. A deep chill ran through him, but no. He had to hold his ground.

He opened his mouth to respond before another voice– “Tommy?” cut him off. He looked up to see Tubbo and the others on the platform, all looking at him with expressions that varied from confusion to shock to upset. Tubbo looked the most confused, and Tommy glared at him. He was the one that called for the lever to be pulled to kill Techno, after all. 

But, he needed to focus on Dream now. Dream, who was still staring at him, Punz joining him at his side a few feet away. 

“I left because–” Tommy began, realizing he needed to be careful about his next words, “Because you hurt me. You’re my friend, y’know? And I– I wasn’t going to let myself be hurt by a friend.” 

“That doesn’t mean you were allowed to leave. Right, Tubbo?” And Dream looked up behind him, causing Tubbo to jump, glancing around as all of the attention was suddenly focused on him.

“Um, right, but–”

“See? Now let’s go home, Tommy.” Dream lurched forward, almost grabbing Tommy’s arm before Techno stepped in between them. 

“That’s not gonna happen, Dream.” Techno said, his stare cold.

“W-What? Techno, I was about to save you!”

“So? Now, I don’t know what happened between you two, but by Tommy’s reaction, I don’t think it was any good. You’re not taking him.”

“Y-Yeah, I agree!” Ghostbur said, moving to stand by Techno’s side. Techno smiled at him.

“W– Techno, you owe me! I was about to save you!”

“What?” Quackity yelled out, and the whispered conversation between L’Manburg’s citizens was torn apart as they all turned to stare at Dream.

“You never saved me, Tommy did.” Techno said, smirking. Dream sputtered for a moment, and Tommy took the chance to take a breath. Fuck, fuck, what was going on? This wasn’t– 

“Look, I just need to bring Tommy back to his exile. We had an agreement.”

“Under any legal binding?” Phil suddenly said, now leaning over the railing, fire in his eyes. 

“Well, no, but–”

“Then case closed. You can’t take him.” Phil said, and then he jumped from the railing, landing in front of his sons, wing and broken wing spread in front of them. He glared at Dream from behind his brimmed hat, giving in eyes a shadowed quality in the fading light.

“Isn’t he under house arrest?” Ranboo asked, and Phil shot him a glare, making him tense up.

“Under any legal binding?” Phil asked

“Uh, I don’t think so?”

“CASE CLOSED!” Ghostbur cheered, raising his arms in the air. Tommy let out a surprised laugh.

“Tommy… you’re seriously not going to leave me, are you?” Dream asked, speaking around Phil. And suddenly, the air seemed to shift, the brief calmness Tommy felt suddenly diminished. 

“I–”

“Don’t let him get in your head, Tommy.” Techno said, still staring at Dream past Phil’s shoulder. 

“You’re seriously going to go with them? They’re terrorists, Tommy! Wilbur’s a ghost, Phil is under house arrest, and Techno was about to get executed because of what they did to you! They hurt you! And the rest of this country! You’re seriously about to betray them? Betray me?”

Anger filled him, the most anger he had ever felt. Tommy couldn’t stop the words even if he wanted to.

“Yes, because I almost killed myself!”

Silence. 

Pure silence only disrupted by the wind and Friend eating grass in the distance. Phil, Techno, and Wilbur all turned around to stare at Tommy with wide eyes. Tommy shoved past them all to get right in Dream’s face, causing Dream to lean back away from him.

“You wanna know how I got these wings? I got these wings because I fell from a fucking tower that I made to kill myself! Because of you! And yes, you’re right, my family’s all terrible people. But I’m terrible too! And even with all the terrible stuff they’ve done, I still love them. So, yes, I’m gonna go with them. And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Dream stared at him. His family stared. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Punz staring, and Tubbo and the rest, too. Tommy didn’t know what he felt about the rest of them. Tubbo, his best friend, had exiled him. Quackity and Fundy, both dear to him, almost like brothers– but they were involved in the near murder of his brother.

Dream. He didn’t know what he thought of Dream. But he knew he loved his family, which is why they had to leave. 

Techno seemed to have the same idea, stepping forward to grab Phil’s arm. Tommy lunged back and grabbed Ghostbur, and they began to flee, Techno and Phil running and Tommy carrying Ghostbur through the air.

Ghostbur cheered as shouting began below, but Tommy ignored their cries. He ignored Ranboo, and Fundy, and Quackity and Tubbo, and even Dream. Because he loved his family. And they loved him.

The group attempted to stop them, but they had given up by the time they were in the range of Techno’s house. Phil and Techno slowed down as Ghostbur and Tommy crash landed in front of them– he really needs to practice his landings– and Ghostbur reached over to give Tommy a hug.

“That was so fun! Oh, this is the best time I’ve ever had!” He said, and Tommy hugged him back, squeezing him as tight as he could. “Phil, Techno, let’s have a cuddle pile!” Ghostbur said, reaching out toward them. But, as Tommy saw, Phil and Techno weren’t moving forward. They seemed to be having a silent conversation with each other with their eyes, grave looks on their faces. Then, they walked over, Ghostbur moving to allow Phil to sit on Tommy’s left and Techno to sit on Tommy’s right.

“Tommy… what did you mean when you said you almost killed yourself?” Phil asked, as gently as he could. But it still shook Tommy, down to his very core.

“I– I… I built up a tower. And I… slipped.”

“You slipped.” Techno said, tone disbelieving. Tommy looked to him in a panic.

“I really did! I swear! But building up there…”

“You didn’t intend for it to be an accident.” Phil finished, looking at Tommy with a deep sadness on his face. 

“Yeah.” Tommy said, and he began to cry. Heavy tears fell down his face, and he leaned into Phil’s side, sobbing into his shirt. Phil cooed and wrapped an arm around him, his chin resting on top of Tommy’s head.

“Oh, Tommy... It’s okay, little bird, it’s okay…” He murmured, “I promise it’s gonna be okay. Dream’s never gonna hurt you again, I promise.”

Techno reached out to lay a hand on Tommy's back, and he felt Ghostbur watching them, a sad smile on his face.

Tommy didn’t know if he was ever going to be okay again.

But, with his family by his side, he knew he was going to try.

He was selfless. He was good. He was brave.

He was Tommy, and that’s all that mattered.