Chapter Text
Tommy was not liking his odds.
“So, what’s your guardian’s phone number?” The lady glanced behind herself and back at Tommy. Pale pink hair bounces with the motion because of the sudden twist in direction. “I’ll need their phone number if they’re coming to get you.” She said while twisting all three locks that kept Tommy trapped inside the bakery. The baker’s soft brown eyes made their way past Tommy, who was kicking his legs, looking annoyed at being caught. If Tommy looked further down her chin and his eyes landed on the lady’s neck, he could spot bits of blue scales and gills. Those weren’t really a problem if the woman was a mermaid. However, if the lady was a siren, Tommy could kiss his hopes and dreams goodbye. (She dyed her hair then; no normal Mer just has pink hair if that weren’t obvious.)
The pink-haired mer casually walked behind the white marble counter and squatted to pull and lift a cardboard box that was filled to the brim with weird-looking candy. She started to put the saturated colorful candies on the shelves while keeping Tommy in view. Anytime his kicks would delay, the fish woman’s eyes would zero in on his face while halting her breath.
Well, shit. Isn’t she just creepy?
And no. Tommy wasn’t stupid. Any other kid younger than him would probably fall for this little trick but not him. Tommy knew without a doubt that the fin lover knew Tommy had no parents, like, what semi-teen attempts to shoplift from a weirdly named bakery? The lady was buying time for when the police showed up to take Tommy off her hands.
But the thing was, Tommy and his brother weren’t on good terms as of late and were in no rush to be thrust back into those cold unyielding arms. Besides, Clay wouldn’t want Tommy getting in trouble when they had no money to pay for any damages Tommy might have caused. If he called his older brother, told him he’d shoplifted, and was not in fact sorry for what he said, then Tommy might be locked in his room without ever being let out again.
And Tommy can’t get arrested by the police either because then Clay would have to come up to the police station, be paranoid that someone will recognize him, and perhaps make do with that threat he made a few months earlier about sending Tommy to a boarding school for ill-tempered children. Tommy still gets chills whenever he sees the “children need saving” ads.
The lady finishes putting the weird candy on the birch wood shelves and starts to unpack a different box of Grandma recipes while giving Tommy a once-over and an expectant look. Because Tommy was actually paying attention to the woman’s attire, he noticed the lady’s black and blue name tag.
Hello, My Name Is
Niki
Eh, name. Not really that creative though.
And the lady keeps staring at him, Tommy raises an eyebrow and the woman zeros in on the motion. Really creepy lady.
What is she expecting? Tommy telling her his older brother’s phone number? Yeah right, she’s as likely as not, she’s trying to have an excuse on why she can bring her phone out with no violent reaction.
To sum it up, she thinks Tommy is stupid.
Tommy is smarter than that.
Tommy slowly stops his feet kicking, he instead starts to pull on his blue sleeves, covering his hands while fiddling with the rim. He lowered his head, not to look pitiful, but to look up past Creepy Niki’s head in consideration. “Um…” Tommy began, he really wanted a pastry, “My- my father’s number is (#-#-#) #-#-# #-#-#. I don’t think he’ll answer though.” Tommy huffed, pulling on his sleeve to cover his whole hand, and leaned on his covered hand. Muttering, “Who would want to hear from their mistake.”
Niki hides her flinch by turning around away from Tommy to grabbing her purse from the counter.
Now, you’re probably thinking that Tommy gave Creepy Niki a random number he saw on a “Looking for a Job?” Poster. Of course, Tommy gave her a random number that was supposed to be a random job number, so it surely was a real number, not one that related to Tommy however. And again, it was for some jobs and at least 75% of employees have kids sooooooo.
Niki dials the number in her phone and holds it against her ear, they wait.
Tommy “glances” around the Bakery he failed to steal from. The bakery’s name was N&P’s. Weird name like Tommy said before, but it’s a bakery so that’s expected. Tommy looks up at the screen of opinions, they are affordable for the daily populous but out of his budget. Fucking dumbass inflation. ‘I should have listened to best friend stealer Ranboob. This was too risky, giving this place zero stars when I get home.’ Tommy silently groans until he hears the 4th ring cut off.
“Hello there, sorry to call at this hour. I’m Niki from N&P’s—yes, the bakery, no—" Niki sighs, tapping her foot against the ground. “Alright, just order online. Can I speak to-” Niki glances at Tommy, her eyes darting at Tommy’s hair and eyes. She opens her mouth, dull fangs peak from behind her lips. “What’s your father’s name?”
Tommy goes over a rack of names he was going over while planning a getaway trip. Who could Tommy possibly use to get out of this situation… OH! This totally won’t backfire on him. Tommy might have forgotten what the job was supposed to be about but he’s positive that Old Crow was having a meeting about some windows so he should answer. With no hesitation, Tommy said, “Phil, Phil Craft.”
Creepy Niki almost drops her phone. Almost drops her phone.
What? Does she know Phil??? How could she know Phil??
Tommy will admit, he never had a proper meeting with the old bag, but his friend could go on and on about how Phil was controllinggggggg, possessiveeeeeee, and a coooolllllllllllllll dad that was most likely bipolar or a complete dirtbag.
Phil is a man who prefers to lay low(as low as a CEO can) and leave a giant crater where his enemies once stood—a man Tommy doesn’t like very much because of his friend but respects to a degree. But that’s about it. Tommy has no idea of what Phil looks like. Tommy suspects he looks a bit like Phil though, mainly because Tommy is an exact copy of his son, Theseus. Theseus had locks of gold and unnatural blue eyes, Tommy had all of that, just dimmed down, add eye bags and a white streak to his hair and you had Tommy. Phil also had two other sons, but Tommy only had nicknames to identify them. Bunny and Big Brother weren't too much to go by. Anyway, Theseus was dead. Deceased. Gone. Imploded. In summary, he exploded. Right in Tommy’s living room.
Now, Tommy wouldn’t say it was the Green Bean's fault because he didn’t do anything other than stand there and be the main reason. So, everyone would think that it was Clay’s fault. Tommy also understands that the sentence doesn’t make sense. Deal with it. He doesn’t want to explain much further.
So he’s been missing for over a year.
Believed—is—to be dead.
And Tommy looks exactly like him.
Niki finishes her talk on the phone, eyes wide in astonishment as she looks at Tommy, “He—I—Your—” She tries but gives up halfway with whatever she was about to say originally, “Y-your Dad. Phil, he’s on his way.” Niki shakes her head, and rubs her temple, “I need some water.” She walks past Tommy and into the back room or kitchen and shuts the door right behind her. Tommy waits for the sound of running water before he snatches a bunch of paper bags off the counter and jumps down, then books it towards the unlocked backdoor(Tommy was smart like that), he makes it halfway out at the same time Niki seemingly realizes that leaving the kid that tried to shoplift from you alone wasn’t the best idea.
Their eyes meet and Tommy sticks his tongue out.
“Hey—!” Niki tries but Tommy is already in the alley behind the bakery and is jumping, rolling out of the way of dumpsters, old people, and heaps of trash.
“STOP!” Niki yelled, her voice hoarse as if it was from disuse—‘god it hurts using my voice like this, I need some more of those pix’—and Tommy is panicking right now because of the amount of shit he had to go through does not make this on his top 3 of traumatic experiences. Why is Tommy panicking then? Because he just fell into a heap of trash, he was mid-jumping over. He can’t even move his pinky toe, for fucks sake!
Well, now he knows creepy Niki is a siren.
But knowing doesn’t mean he took precious against them, that would be racist. And not being racist doesn’t mean he isn’t scared shitless about not being able to control his own body. So, like he said earlier, he was panicking.
‘Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit’ —Tommy tried to move his body, but his mouth didn’t even twitch when he tried to scream. Tommy never knew not being able to move would be so scary. Yeah, he’s been tied up before, however, that does not mean he could barely breathe while tied in rope.
At that time, Tommy knew Clay would save him. ‘What did Clay say?! What did Clay say?! What did Clay say?! What did Clay say?!?!’ But Tommy had to remember, that was past Clay, Cletus. Present Clay, ‘What did Clay say?! What did Clay say?! What did—’ would leave him to defend himself, and then, he’d save him when he’s already died. Tommy could hear the crunch of an empty water bottle given out under someone’s foot. Tommy couldn’t see who. His breath quickened, and his vision started to blur. ‘What did—’ But his best friend would be there before torture could be an option. Before Tommy would wake up. Before Tommy could worry. His Best friend and he were tight like that. Best friend was awesome and cool, and—‘What Tubbo say—to do? Tubbo—WATCH!!’ Tommy started to focus, realizing he was about to pass out from the lack of oxygen, from the lack of breathing. If he can move his eyelids, he can move his fingers. All he needs to do is calm down.
Now, Tommy can’t do the five senses exercise right now, but he can do the less healthy way that works for him: focus on pain.
In summary, Tommy bites his lip, hard, so hard that he’s sure it’ll scar. One more thing to make him look less like Theseus’s clone!
Tommy calms his heart with the familiar taste of iron and the sound of blood dripping down his chin and onto the hard cobble. It seems like the command is warring off. Hmm, Creepy Niki’s commands are strong, but the time limits are short… Tommy files that information in the back of his brain until further notice.
Tommy’s finger twitches, and he tries again, and this time he reaches that tiny locator button on his watch; his location was sent to Tubbo. Tubbo should be on his way. Hopefully.
“Gods, Thes—kid.” Creepy Niki pants, her hair bounces left and right as she bends over, hands on her knees. “You’ve given me a run for my money." Tommy soon adds, “Hmh odem (And orders).”
Tommy can’t see Niki; his face is on the ground, facing toward it. (Which is cleaner than the trash under him.) But he heard her voice in his left ear, the same area as his watch…
Niki didn’t see him pressing the button, did she? No. That’s impossible. Or at least very unlikely. The siren’s eyesight is weaker than the merfolk’s, and that’s saying a lot when humans can barely see a clownfish unless they have special goggles, meanwhile, the sea folk have already gobbled it up. Although it’s the same for sea folk above water, they need special prescriptions to see because of the sun. This means that because sirens are deep sea creatures, they are practically blind above the water- but she was very focused on Tommy earlier, spotting the little twitches of his eyebrow and fingers… well Tommy did make her run a few minutes ago, her adrenaline must be coming down now because her breaths have slowed, and her heart have also returned to its original pace. She might’ve been born from land sirens, sirens who mingled with humans and had hybrids.
Theseus looked at Tommy as if he were the insane one. “Are you serious? You never learned about the Great Marriages?” Theseus often remarked on Tommy's lack of common sense, as if Tommy had not been a lab rat until Cletus came back for him.
Tommy frowned; he had never heard of such a thing, and it didn’t make sense to him. Why would a group of people marry so young? Why would they willingly bond themselves to someone who could potentially be a better specimen than they were? Someone who could try to eliminate them? Tommy didn’t think any of the doctors were married. He had heard about a “girlfriend,” but that didn’t last long. “No, none of the doctors ever spoke about such things. They talked about reproduction, but not about committing yourself to someone for life until death.”
Theseus shifted uncomfortably in his seat, likely made uneasy by Tommy's response. “M-my apologies, Mr. Friend. I didn’t mean to make you feel unnerved,” Tommy began, but Theseus was already shaking his head. “It’s fine, Theodore. You… didn’t have a good childhood. It’s fine.” Theseus said this with the kind of reassurance Tommy had missed, and it sent butterflies fluttering in his stomach.
Theseus turned to look at Tommy, a bright grin spreading across his face. At that moment, he resembled the sun in a way that Tommy never would.
“Well, that’s what I’m here for: to help you understand,” Theseus said kindly, then turned to gaze at the setting sun. “Back in the 17th century, many races desired each other’s resources. Humans proposed marriage contracts, and every race loved the idea. They began arranging marriages, and many people, even those without noble blood, became involved. Eventually, people began marrying for love, and it became the norm. However, that changed with XD, a dragon hybrid who studied witchcraft and started burning towns and kingdoms. As a result, hybrids became banned, which meant no more interspecific marriages.”
“But it’s not banned today?” Tommy asked, recalling the sight he had seen earlier that day: a leopard holding hands with an avian and their kits and fledglings playing together on a playground. They looked… happy.
Theseus glanced at him, his eyes hinting at something deeper. “Theodore-"
Tommy’s eye twitched at the memory, he didn’t like those flashing bits of memories long gone, they always came at the worst times. Like right now, anyway, Tommy didn’t see any glasses around her neck or in the bakery, safe to say she didn’t own any. Tommy could hear footsteps across the pavement, one he recognized.
“Tommy!?” A voice squeaked a few feet away from him.
Oof, looks like his best bud was closer than expected, he must’ve been stalking a dog(or Tommy).
“Oh uhhhh, hello?” Niki hesitates, stepping back away from Tommy.
It's just pure silence, not even horns beeping in the distance could be heard.
“Dis iz uccward, izn-t?(This is awkward innit)” Tommy could feel the shared glance towards him in confusion.
Tubbo-(tosses his head and-) lets out an annoyed groan, before something-(his arm) whizzes through the air. Someone (Niki) gasps in surprise before a loud shriek is let out, and Tommy can hear someone(Niki) tumble onto the ground coughing harshly. Niki is right next to Tommy, but Tommy can’t see her because his face is in the trash. Tommy feels someone, Tubbo, Tommy knows, reach under his shoulder and pull him up, dragging him out of the alley.
Tubbo curses under his breath, and Tommy snuck a peek behind him, is it his fault that he’s a bit curious about what Tubbo did? Tommy’s face was smushed into the concrete for quite the long ass while.
Creepy Niki looked like she was having drawbacks.
She was on the ground clutching her chest as pink fog flew in and out of her gills, and her pupils were super dilated. The ring of- okay, Tommy’s 100% sure that her eyes are brown. Not amber or red or whatever that color is. Anyway, one of Tubbo’s Bee-tic’s stingers was implanted inside Niki’s arm. Most of it swollen like that one biscuit cloud mascot. Tommy hisses outwardly at the sight. That has to feel like bee--ing stung by an actual bee… (Tommy doesn’t think that one was so bad. He thinks Theseus would have chuckled at it. Probably.)
Niki uses the hand not ripping her apron, to yank out the Bee-tic and crushes it in with her bare hand. She still didn’t look up though, instead, she kept her gaze somewhere ahead of her. Seemingly given up on chasing Tommy. At that moment, Niki growls and attacks a nearby raccoon that was trying to get a high-tier grade non-rotten burger a few feet away from her…
Or she could be too lost in her instincts to care about Tommy getting away.
Tubbo doesn’t wait for the world to correct a mistake that leads Tommy to being captured again. He yanks Tommy around a corner, making Tommy close his “Crazy Bakery Baker: Niki” file away for further use. “Stand up, you bright red light, and run*!” Tubbo whisper-yelled, while still dragging Tommy, making his command hard to accumulate. Once they exited the alleyway and onto the sidewalk, they stood at the crosswalk, waiting for the oncoming traffic-filled street to clear so they could cross.
Now, Tubbo would normally have gone a different route, if it weren’t for the fact that they’ve barely scratched the surface of all the ins and outs of Sector 5 yet and Tubbo wasn’t going to ask for anyone’s help. Even if Dream was on his tail.
Tubbo continued to drag Tommy to a different crosswalk down the road and they waited again.
“…Tubbo…” Tommy stands with his arms in his armpits, it’s supposed to be somewhere in the mid-summer, but Tommy can tell he’s been asleep for way longer than he intended.
“Yes, Tommy?” Tubbo answers back, holding Tommy’s arm in a death grip. An extra precaution so Tommy won’t just disappear like he did last time they stayed in one place for too long.
“…Why are we standing here?”
“…You have eyes Tommy, use them.”
Of course, Tommy had eyes, he uses them somewhat daily, it's just-“We’re a few houses away from the alley, Tubs. Don’t you think-“ “That bee-tic is equipped with a tranquilizer that neutralizes the intended vict---target… haven’t tested it yet but I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Tubbo leads away from Tommy as he murmurs the last part, trying to disguise it as looking for something across the road. Tommy still heard him, and his eyes widened in response. “What the fuck* do you mean, 'I haven’t tested it yet but I’m sure she’ll be fine.’ Tubbo- we’re not murderers!!!” Tubbo slaps a hand over Tommy’s mouth to shut Tommy up.
“Shut up. Shut the fuck up Tommy, we don’t want to get caught over something so fucking stupid.” Tubbo whispers harshly in Tommy's ear before stiffening. He then takes off his red bandana and ties it around Tommy’s head, making sure to tuck Tommy’s almost shiny hair behind the folds. “Don’t be too obvious.” He says, then takes a step back and laughs manically like a madman.
“Good one, Bobby!” Tubbo’s acting skills are shit. Tommy wants to smack him upside the head, then turn tail and run.
“Tu-”
An annoyingly tall, lanky man jumped out of a black SUV and onto the sidewalk right next to Tommy and the still-horribly-laughing Tubbo. The man had bushy brown hair that was barely hidden under a maroon beanie, a long-sleeved turtleneck, black skinny jeans, and a pair of black leather boots.
“I’m tired of waiting! Niki wasn’t answering her phone, for all we know, Theodore could have been kidnapped again--” The man looked pissed but was pulled back by the collar by a different man who was still inside the SUV. “Wil, don’t act so--”
Tommy saw only an arm, but one arm, a single arm, told Tommy way more than needed. For one, the arm was burly and beefy, not the bodybuilder kind, but it could still snap Tommy and definitely* Tubbo in half like a twig. Plus, it was pink. The most unintimidating color a big boss man could wear. Then again, that’s the most popular racist answer anyone could give. Why? Because a piglin followed right after the arm.
A cut laugh broke through, followed by a “Techno!” as the piglin also stepped out of the car.
The piglin wasn’t as tall as the first loud prick, he reached the other’s chin. He had long pink hair that was woven into a seemingly traditional braid. The piglin had long white lashes and blood-red eyes, howling--Annoyance, Joy, Hope, Sorrow--and a button nose with not-so-normal tusks that peered through the corners of his mouth.
Tommy blinked in surprise at the sudden arm, then blinked again as Tubbo abruptly stopped laughing, grabbed Tommy’s wrist, and began running across the road, giving up on waiting.
Tubbo had said something, but Tommy was distracted by the now three men in front of the ice cream shop.
The third man had long hair, the color of straw, it was not as long as the piglin’s, but it did flow nicely over his shoulders. Tommy also noticed how the third man was shorter than the first two, probably even taller than Tommy by just a few inches, or just at the same height. The man also had shiny gray eyes, ones that looked a bit too familiar for Tommy’s liking.
Tommy noticed then, that not one, but all of the three men were staring at Tommy, who was unintentionally staring right back. He could tell they were all looking at one key factor that Tommy had, one that often got Tommy out of trouble but was also troublesome, his big baby blues, blue pearls, sapphires, blue rubies, etc, etc.
Again, Tommy’s eyes were like Theseus’s but dimmed down, however, that doesn’t mean they weren’t mesmerizing. Tommy had to use his eyes to weaken a threat before, and for some reason, it worked. But they only work when activated, and he hasn’t activated them yet.
Very weird…
Tommy felt a pang of anxiety crackle against his body and smiled nervously, then he thought better of it and began actually running with Tubbo.
Tommy won’t know this until much, much later, but—
He made a mistake.
A big one.
Tommy took another step, up the spiraling staircase that seems to never end if you pay attention to it too much, you’ll reach the end once your legs give out and you're gasping for air.
Tommy loth—dislikes that smug green shit turd.
That piece of meat wouldn’t take “No” as “No, I don’t want to go with you. Leave me alone.” And tried to manhandle Tommy in his car. To take him away and lock him up. To keep him safe in a room with nothing but a bed and books that he had already read, with 3 meals sent to him a day.
To be ignored until he’s no longer a responsibility.
Until Dream has no more weaknesses.
But Tommy wasn’t created to sit still.
Tommy wasn’t created to be held for long.
This is getting too deep, anyway, Tommy, thinking quickly, grabbed a nearby brick and smashed his wrist with it. He was aiming for Dream’s hand but missed and, well… It worked how he wanted it to, so it doesn’t matter that much. Of course, Dream tried to reach for his arm, and Tommy quickly yanked it back while trying to hit Dream’s jaw with the brick in the same hand. Dream dogged but took Tommy’s jacket sleeve with him, pulling it a bit too hard, ripping Tommy’s jacket, and on his way off, caught Tommy’s wrist. Tommy spun his body and twisted his arm in a way that shook Dream’s grip off, but he had already dislocated Tommy’s arm in the process. Before Dream could get a hold of Tommy again, Shadow, a daytime hero, threw a punch at Dream that sent him back quite far. That was enough time for Tommy to scurry out of there and make it ho- to Tubbo’s apartment.
However, without the adrenaline, with just the cold blanketing his bad arm, it feels like his wrist is on fire.
It hurts.
It hurts so much.
So much so that Tommy believes that the pain is almost close to what Tommy used to experience. Almost.
Tommy might’ve been hit with Shadow’s power, even if he didn’t see his skin blackening or turning to ash. Tommy never heard of Shadow’s power working inside-out, and neither did the illegal wiki page tell him anything but, “His powers burn the victim into nothing or ash. The victim will feel every second of it. Unless Shadow uses only 10% of his power, the victim will only cease to move because of immense dizziness.” So, it was completely useless.
Still, Tommy hoped that wasn’t the case.
He dragged his body, which became boneless with each step onto the last one, and he rummaged, with his good hand, in his favorite(now ruined) red jacket for the spare keys Tubbo had given him. Keys that seemed to always know when he needed them because they were never there. He groaned.
Tommy didn’t want to knock on the door.
He wanted to sleep.
To crash on their—Tubbo’s gray-stained couch and just cry. Cry until his eyes are sore. Until his body can’t bear to be awake any longer. Til he falls asleep with puffy eyes and lumpy limbs.
Tommy does none of that, instead, he’s on the welcome mat outside Tubbo’s door. Curled up with his jacket covering him like a blanket, a thin and quite small blanket. A blanket fit for a toddler. A baby.
Something small, something weak.
Tommy falls asleep on Tubbo’s doormat.
Tubbo should thank him for covering this cringy doormat. Smells like dish soap and bleach, comfortable.
Tommy slept, dreaming about getting wives and taking names, everything he always wanted. Everything he could ever want, everything he—everything Theseus wanted. Though, Theseus already had what he wanted, what he wished for. A family. People to love, people to love him in return.
“My older brother wanted to call his girlfriend. She was in the hospital because of a bunch of stupid not pog fucking asshole bitch ugly single no bitches not pog guys decided to drive drunk and crashed into her. My brother was angry at them, and he sued the men. Of course, my brother won the case, but while he was in court, his girlfriend died…” Theseus trailed off, looking at the night sky as if it were something he would never see again. “My brother locked himself in his room… he didn’t come out of his room for three months.”
Tommy didn’t know how to respond. He was never really comforted when he was misbehaving, usually, he was electrocuted until he acted right. Tommy doubts that’s how friends comfort each other… OH! Tommy almost forgot about how Dream comforted him when he was smaller.
Tommy wrapped his arms around Theseus and sighed into his ear. “Your sadness will pass, and the happiness will bloom. You just have to be ready for it.”
Theseus shivered and pushed Tommy back, “Bro, that was weird, don’t do that.”
Tommy frowned. “That is how my brother comforted me when I was upset about failing my test.”
Theseus rolled his eyes. “Your brother copied the pose from a couple.”
“A couple?”
“People who---” Theseus whispered the answer in Tommy’s ear.
Tommy’s face scrunched up, and he did a full-body shudder, “EW!”
Tommy awoke to a magazine whacking across his forehead. Which didn’t help his headache or his sore muscles. Tommy wished he’d thought better and said fuck to the free tacos. Those tacos are what led to his downfall—stupid, delicious, meaty, beauties. Tommy swears that the tacos had some sort of drug in them. Couldn’t that Mexican Dream make less drugged tacos? Fuck those were good— “Ack—!? T-tubbo?” Tommy groaned, “The fffffffffffuck?” He hissed and held his head in his hands as Tubbo cursed at Tommy for the… what, millionth time?
“Thomas Innes! What the fffuck—” Tubbo gripped his long shaggy hair unconsciously, “—have I told you about coming here with broken bones, bruises from whoises, and marks from the god of broke relationships and shitty neon green at the crack of dawn!” Tubbo started, animatedly waving his arms about, a deep scowl etched into his face. He looked like a newly-widowed who has to find their missing son and the ghost of their husband. Tommy never saw Tuboo like this. It was kinda scary. “We don’t have the shit to help your injuries!!” Tubbo groaned, er, maybe… growled? Tommy really didn’t know, and really didn’t want to know. “Thomas, what if the landlord saw you and called the police?! What then? Is looking exactly like ‘you know who’ isn’t enough to—I don’t know—maybe be more careful around the police, or the rich, or any adult for that matter! For fucks sake—!”
Tommy flinched, shuddering at Tubbo’s rise in pitch, but Tubbo didn’t pause; he gently snatched Tommy’s wrist. Not too fast for Tommy not to see what he’s doing, but fast enough to be effective, and lightly tugged Tommy’s arm, the arm that was dislocated. “T-tubbo…” Tommy loudly hissed, and Tubbo seethed. “SEE!? Your hurt! It was that fucking green Teletubby wasn’t it!”
“OI!” Tommy’s other hand clasped Tubbo’s wrist and squeezed, Tubbo’s mouth clamped shut, eyes still dilated, but instead of glossy, its focus and locked onto Tommy. “I didn’t break any bones.”
Tubbo glared, grip relaxing.
“I only dislocated my arm. It’s fixable. Tubbo, you can relocate my shoulder, please…” Tommy stuttered, he forced his shoulders to relax, and looked into Tubbo’s eyes.
Tubbo’s glare stung, and so did the word that came out of his mouth.
“Thomas, stop lying to me.” Tommy’s heart skipped a beat. Tubbo knows him too well. It’s almost dang. They’ve only known each other for how long? Tubbo met Tommy a year and a half ago. How did he know him so well? “I—I can’t—Huff.” Tubbo puffed, he got up from kneeling on the ground, and he sat on the couch next to Tommy, Arm still in hand. “Alright, Tommy, don’t be a pussy and sit still. It’s going to hurt like a mother you never knew, leaving you in a dumpster.”
Tommy snorted at the attempted joke before cursing when Tubbo started pressing around Tommy’s arm, taking mental notes on where Tommy felt the most pain and making mental notes on the places Tommy seemed most affected by. He made his way down, down to his swollen wrist, “C-could you. Um. Not press too hard?”
Tubbo’s eyes flicked up to gaze at Tommy before smoothing his thumb over the bruising bump of Tommy’s wrist. Gently, he gripped Tommy’s wrist and sighed, “Tommy, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry for—for acting the way I did.”
“You wouldn’t hurt me—”
“I wouldn’t. You know I wouldn’t hurt you intentionally, or harm you to the point where it… it feels like a punishment.” Tubbo huffed again, using his other hand to tangle in his hair. “Tommy, we’re… best friends..?”
Tommy nodded, knowing that sometimes, Tubbo just needed reassurance. Tubbo’s life was filled with empty promises and unwanted attention. When Tubbo needed to confirm something, Tommy was the one to do his research, double-check it before confirming. Tubbo just needed reassurance, and Tommy was made to reassure.
Tubbo nodded before his glare turned dark, not the creeping and BAD kind of dark, just the, we both know, kind of dark. “Don’t make me do something I’d regret, Tommy.” He sighed for the fourth time. Damn, Tommy should buy a counter to keep track of how many times Tubbo sighed like that because of him, “After I patch you up, straight to bed rest for you.”
Tommy jerked forward, and Tubbo almost scrambled back from it being unexpected, “What??? Whyyyyyyyy?????” Tommy whined, not noticing how Tubbo’s grip tightened to the point where the blood had stopped flowing. Tubbo noticed, though.
“SHIT! Sorry,” Tubbo let go. Tommy ignored the emptiness. Tubbo looked up from Tommy’s wrist to his eyes, a knowing glare back on his face. “You know why! And no pranks or stupid shit either. I will tie you to the bed.”
“Tu—”
“I. Will. Do. It.”
Tubbo said it with such confidence that Tommy had to throw out his plans on visiting Eret for the apology flowers. Scaling the in-progress wall, and probably falling off of it, returning with ruined flowers and a broken leg.
Tubbo’s glare intensified.
Tommy looked away, a nervous smile creeping up his face.
“Tommy.” Tubbo rubs his temple, “Look, I really don’t appreciate you getting hurt all the time. I also don’t like the fact that, oh so ‘good’ brother of yours somehow has eyes everywhere near the 12th district. He—he keeps getting so close to taking you back.” Tubbo huffed once more, his hands moved, and suddenly he was hugging Tommy. The hug was firm, delicate, and precious. Something they both needed. Tommy’s eyes stung, but he blinked the feeling away. he wouldn’t interrupt Tubbo, he can’t, he couldn’t.
“I don’t want to go back to not hearing from you for days only to finally see you dying out on my welcome mat.” Tubbo's breath and body shuddered at the thought, unwilling to imagine it.
Tommy bites his lip and thinks for a bit before huffing himself, “Tubbo, come on, it’s not like my regeneration is malfunctioning, I can handle a couple of fights.” Tommy said while puffing out his chest, not too much though, he didn’t want Tubbo to let him go, “I can handle Dream, and he didn’t even get close to kidnapping me. Shadow stepped in right before I punch that fugly bitch in the face, but that doesn’t matter because Shadow kicked him right in the face!”
Tubbo sighed, rubbing circles into Tommy’s back, “Still Tommy.” Inhale, exhale, “I don’t want to wake…and your… on the news. You're on the news because you're dead, you're on the news because you’re a villain,” Tubbo’s arms trap Tommy in, it’s not like Tommy was going anywhere anyway, but it’s getting a little too tight. “You’re on the news because you're missing, you’re on the news because you're involved in something bad, you’re on the news because you couldn’t keep your dumb mouth shut and know the police are looking f-for you.” Tubbo’s voice cracked.
“Drea—Dream is a really important person right now, Tommy.” Tubbo’s voice trembled, “If people found out he had a—a-a younger brother, o-or had a kid that looks exactly like…him, then they w-w-would take you.” Tubbo heaved, Tommy flinched but didn’t move any further, not wanting to jostle the clearly sick Tubbo. Tubbo’s face was up against Tommy’s shoulder, but the tone in his voice, the unlikeliness, and the hurt, the pain, and the sickness… Tommy gulped.
Tommy knew that Tubbo, even with having nothing to do with Tommy’s past, and coming into Tommy’s life the moment everything was calming down, would be at risk. If Tommy was found out, taken away, then it would be only a matter of time for Tubbo to be found out as well. Whether it be him being found first, Tubbo launching an elaborate plan to get Tommy back, or sleeping in one of Tommy’s happy places. They would find him, and would shackle him, and Tubbo, Tubbo wouldn’t care as long as Tommy was fine. If Tommy were happy, then it wouldn’t matter where they were. It was stupid. Because when that promise was made, it was for both of them, they together would be affected by it, and if Tubbo was free, then it wouldn’t matter if Dream said sorry and changed his ways. Tommy wouldn’t stand for it. He couldn’t.
When Tommy was about to open his mouth, speak his mind, remind Tubbo of the promise that they both made each other, he felt his shoulder growing damp, he noticed Tubbo trembling saw Tubbo hurrying to wipe his tears. “O-oh shit—sorry.” Tommy looked at Tubbo’s eyes, which were red as tears wouldn’t stop falling. Tubbo quietly cursed, trying desperately to hide his face, moving further and further from Tommy.
Tommy grabbed Tubbo with his good hand to stop him from leaving.
“D-damn it. F-f-fuck. I—I just…” Tubbo hiccupped, “I had a scary thought.”
Tommy pulled Tubbo into a reassuring and firm hug.
“I’m sorry for making you think that.”