#Point is! Rain outside Ranboo inside!

[sysig]

Hiya :) I've been getting into DSMP animatics, and I love seeing the different interpretations of the character designs even though I only have a vague sense of the lore so far. It's all got cool vibes!! Can I request a drawing of Ranboo or Wilbur, or maybe even both? I'm not sure if they actually ever interact in the story or not, but I'd say interpret the prompt however you want and have fun??

Day 19 - Stuck inside

[dead-man-in-the-grave]

i won't announce my sheer decent (but holy fuck there will be signs) pt. II

(Cross-posted on AO3)

part one | part two (you are here)

Not long after Wilbur called Techno and Phil off the chase, it began to rain. Tommy's clothes were quickly soaked through, sticking to his skin and chilling him to the bone. He could barely feel his fingers anymore, let alone his toes.

He wandered the forest, not sure what he was meant to do next.

He couldn't go back to the Minecraft house, no way in hell. That's exactly what they wanted him to do.

But it's not like he could go back to his social worker either; they'd just bring him back to Phil and Phil would just tell them that he didn't want him. He'd end up back in the system. He'd rather live on the fucking streets than go back into the system.

But those were really his only options, weren't they? It's not like he had friends-

Wait a minute. He did have friends.

Tubbo and Ranboo.

They lived in the city, quite a ways away from the suburb where the Minecraft house resided, but Tommy could walk. He'd managed before, he could do it again.

He determinedly squared his shoulders and started walking back out of the forest.

The quicker he could get out of the rain, the better.

***

It took nearly two hours for Tommy to walk all the way to Ranboo and Tubbo's apartment. By the time he got there, the sun had long since set, but the rain refused to let up, beating down on him like there was no tomorrow.

The apartment complex his friends lived in was shoddy and run-down, but the rent was cheap -- or that's what he was told when he first came over and asked why the place was so dogshit -- and they could pay for it with just the money from their part-time jobs and Tubbo's occasional coding commissions. And the place allowed pets, which was apparently a must for any apartment the two of them shared.

Tommy trudged up the stairs, water dripping off his clothes and hair and soaking the floorboards below him. He could feel cuts and welts on the soles of his feet send sharp jolts of pain up his legs with every step he took. He sneezed, a shiver working its way up his spine.

He arrived outside his friends' door (which was painted in an absolutely hideous shade of faded maroon) and banged his fist on it as hard as he could.

He walked in the rain for two hours, he deserved to be a bit rude.

"Just a second!" Ranboo called from inside the apartment. A cacophonous clatter sounded from behind the door, followed by a cat's yowl.

The door flung open abruptly, revealing Ranboo dressed in a Lemon Demon sweater and holding a half-empty coffee mug. They looked like they were trying to pull an all-nighter and failing. Miserably. But hey, who was Tommy to comment on other people's appearances? He's the one that's sopping wet and barefoot.

"Oh, Tommy! What're you doing here?" They studied his state of sopping-wettedness for a moment, before continuing, "And… why are you soaking wet��?"

"Got caught in the rain," Tommy answered, not entirely untruthfully. "Can I borrow your shower? And possibly your couch?"

"Um, sure?" Ranboo stepped aside, allowing Tommy to walk inside the apartment.

"Boo! Who's at the door?!" Tommy heard Tubbo shout from the direction of the bedroom.

"It's me, bee boy!"

Tubbo was out in the living room in an instant.

"What the fuck are you doing here?! And why are you dripping water on the linoleum?" Tubbo didn't stop talking for long enough for Tommy to respond. "You know what, I don't care right now, the bathroom is over there-" he pointed just around the corner, "-I'll give you some of Ranboo's clothes to wear after you shower. Now, go!"

He shoved Tommy in the direction of the bathroom, and Tommy went with only a little bit of complaint.

The hot water was heavenly for the ten minutes that it lasted. After that, it turned freezing cold, and Tommy was quick to finish his shower. Tubbo or Ranboo must have come in without him noticing, because a pile of clothes that wasn't there before sat on the countertop. It was a plain black shirt, grey sweatpants, and a red hoodie, all belonging to Ranboo.

Tommy put on the clothes and found that, unsurprisingly, everything was too big on him. He made sure to tie the drawstring tight around his waist. Despite his best efforts, the cuffs of the pants still dragged on the floor.

He left the bathroom, dropping his old soggy clothes into the empty washing machine on his way past. Ranboo and Tubbo were sat on the couch, the TV playing a random channel while they were on their phone and laptop, respectively.

Tommy, without warning, flopped on top of his friends, head in Tubbo's lap and legs in Ranboo's. Michael, their cat, appeared from out of nowhere to curl up on Tommy's chest, never one to pass up cuddle time.

Ranboo simply sighed in defeat and returned to scrolling Tumblr (or whatever site it was that they used), while Tubbo gave him a light smack on the head. A 'light smack' from Tubbo still hurt like a bitch, though, so Tommy grumbled his wordless complaints.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have laid on me if you didn't want to get hit." Tommy only groaned in response.

Ranboo glanced up from their phone, "What are you doing here, anyway? Not that we don't want you here! But, just- why?"

"I was right," Tommy declared, "They really don't want me."

Tubbo tilted his head at him, eyebrows furrowed. "How do you know?" Tommy scowled in response.

"Because I heard Wilbur say to Phil that he, and I quote, 'can't wait until we aren't fostering him anymore', and, 'you have no idea how long I've wanted this'. How else can that be interpreted, huh?"

The others went quiet.

"Yeah. I thought so."

The air between them became heavy. The TV chattered indistinctly in the background. Michael stopped purring, as if sensing the tension.

"Um… yeah, that-"

"That's really shitty of them, bossman."

Tommy just sighed. He closed his eyes and pushed the heels of his palms into his eyelids until a colourful kaleidoscope appeared in his vision.

"I just wish- ugh, I'm being stupid."

"It's not stupid to want things, Tommy," Ranboo told him seriously. When both Tommy and Tubbo shot them a look, they explained, "My, uh- my therapist told me that. It's one of the things I keep in my memory book."

Tommy licked his lips nervously, psyching himself up to speak. He was never any good at emotional talks like these.

"I just wish they actually wanted me," he whispered, barely audible.

Tubbo's fingers slowly, ever so slowly, began carding through his hair. Tommy let out a shuddery breath, doing his best to choke back the tears that wanted to spring to his eyes.

"Oh, Tommy…"

"Can we just-" he interrupted, "Can we stop talking for a while?"

Tubbo looked at him sadly.

"Of course, Tommy."

Tubbo didn't stop running his fingers through his hair. Ranboo pat his leg in a way that was somehow both awkward and comforting. Michael began purring again, and Tommy lifted a hand to pet his fur.

He couldn't fight the tears that spilled down his cheeks.

***

They fell asleep that way, cuddled up together on the couch. Tubbo layed down on top of him, arms wrapped securely around his middle. Michael slept on the arm of the couch by Tommy's head. Ranboo remained on the other end of the couch, legs pulled up to their chest and head cushioned on their arms, which were resting atop their knees. It was nice.

And yet, Tommy wished it was Phil, Techno and Wilbur he fell asleep with instead.

But he could never have that again. They didn't need him, they didn't even want him. Not like he wanted them, not like he needed them.

Their lives would move on without him. Their world would keep spinning.

Tommy's remained stagnant.

Tommy poked Tubbo in the side, trying to wake him up, but the other teen only grumbled in his sleep.

He sighed, resorting to prying Tubbo's arms off his waist and wiggling his way out from under him. After several minutes of finagling, Tommy was free of his clingy prison.

The clock on the microwave read 10:38, a frankly unreasonable time to be awake if you asked Tommy. Usually on weekends, he'd sleep in until noon, at least.

Well, in Phil's house anyway. There was no way to tell what the next foster house's rules would be.

Maybe he'd have to get up at 5:30 sharp every day again. That would suck.

Stop thinking about it.

Tommy sighed again -- he seemed to be doing that a lot these days -- and headed for the fridge. If he was going to be crashing at his friends' place for a while, he might as well make it worth it for them.

He scrambled six eggs, two for each of them, and set the plates out on the table. He put ketchup on Ranboo's, since that heathen would only eat eggs with ketchup. Eugh, disgusting.

He walked back over to the couch and nudged Ranboo awake.

"Ranboo. Boo. Boob boy." He punctuated each word with a prod. They woke up with a snort, lifting their head from their arms and blinking blearily.

"Tommy? Wha-"

"I made breakfast," Tommy interrupted, "Wake up or I'll eat yours." He paused. "Actually, I'll eat Tubbo's, yours has ketchup in it. Gross."

Ranboo rolled their eyes at him, but got up and went over to the kitchen table obligingly.

Tommy didn't even attempt to poke Tubbo into wakefulness, he knew it wouldn't work. Instead, he just grabbed his friend under the armpits and dragged him off the couch and over to the table.

Once he was at the table, the aroma of freshly scrambled eggs in his nostrils, Tubbo awakened.

And immediately began stuffing his face.

Tommy couldn't say he was surprised. At least none of the eggs he used would go to waste.

"D'oo make fis 'ommy?" Tubbo said, mouth full. Tommy nodded, taking a bite of his own breakfast.

"You didn't have to, y'know," said Ranboo, who'd already finished their breakfast. Tommy deflated a little at their words. Their eyes widened, and they backpedalled a bit. "Um! Not to sound ungrateful or anything, thank you, really! But uh, just because you spent the night doesn't mean you have to make food for us."

"Yeah, bossman," Tubbo agreed after swallowing his mouthful. "Thanks, the eggs are delicious, but you don't have to repay us for letting you stay or whatever."

Tommy decided, internally, that he'd do it anyway. If he made food for them, then they'd want him. Then they'd need him.

They'd need him like he needed them.

If only that would work for-

Stop it.

"Sure," he agreed obligingly. He'd do it anyway, but he didn't need to tell them that.

The rest of the morning went similarly. Tommy insisted on doing the dishes for them, and then did all the laundry (washing, drying, folding even), and made lunch without telling the others until he was done -- it was PB&J, nothing fancy, it was really one of the very few foods he could actually make without instructions.

Tubbo, again, told him that he didn't need to work for them to earn his keep. Tommy, quite honestly, thought that was bullshit. He kept his thoughts to himself, though.

He continued doing odd jobs well into the night. From fixing the bedroom's squeaky door hinge to reorganising the TV cables, Tommy never stopped working. Ranboo managed to make spaghetti for dinner while he was distracted with the clogged bathroom sink drain, but he grabbed all the dirty forks and plates afterwards and washed them before anyone could protest.

"Tommy," Tubbo said, grabbing Tommy's attention before he could find something else to fix, "You can stop. Please, Boo and I don't want you to act like a maid. This is the cleanest the apartment's been since we got it! You can chill!"

"I- I just need something to keep myself busy," Tommy responded, swallowing down the guilt at lying to his friend.

"Please, Tommy."

Tommy hung his head in defeat.

"Okay," just for now, he didn't say.

Tubbo took him by the hand and led him to the bedroom, where Ranboo had already passed out. The shorter teen climbed in first, situating himself in the middle of the bed. Ranboo, in their sleep, cuddled closer to Tubbo and made a noise of contentment.

Tubbo patted the open space on the bed invitingly. Tommy clambered in after him, laying down and letting Tubbo pull the comforter over him. The bed was a queen, if Tommy guessed correctly. There definitely should not have been enough space for the three of them, but Ranboo and Tubbo, being snuggled together as they were, took up the amount of space one person normally would've.

Tommy made sure he kept an invisible barrier between himself and Tubbo. He could tell his friend was hurt, despite Tubbo doing his best to hide it.

"Goodnight, Tommy."

"'Night, Tubs."

Tommy couldn't sleep that night.

He twisted and turned, he kicked off the covers and then pulled them back up, he tried every sleeping position imaginable, but nothing worked. His thoughts were going a million kilometres a minute and showed no signs of slowing. Tommy could practically feel the bags under his eyes.

When the sun rose, the clock read 6:34, and Tommy hadn't slept a wink.

With an exhausted sigh, he climbed out of bed and went to make himself useful.

He still hadn't cleaned the oven and fridge yet, and there was a bit more laundry to do.

***

Monday rolled around, and Tommy remembered with dismay that Wilbur and Techno went to his school. They would see him and almost certainly try to talk to him. He couldn't talk to them, he couldn't take the verbal -- and, quite possibly physical -- abuse they'd throw at him.

He debated pretending to be sick, but he knew that would just make Tubbo and Ranboo worry about him, so he decided he'd just avoid them like the plague.

It couldn't be too hard, right?

***

Tommy cursed his past self. Those were famous last words, and he thought them anyway.

Damnit.

Techno and Wilbur seemed to be searching for him just as passionately as he was avoiding them. At multiple moments, they came mere milliseconds away from spotting him. He had to duck behind Ranboo more times than he could count to avoid their vigilant gazes.

Both his friends gave him sad looks whenever he did it.

Tommy hated them for it.

He skipped lunch, much to his stomach's chagrin. Having three full meals a day spoiled him, he'd better get into the habit of only eating once or twice a day again before the next house forces him to.

He spent the allotted lunch time in the library, flipping through the pages of random books that caught his interest.

A book of birds had called to him, and he had it open in his lap as he sat on the floor. He came across the page for crows.

He couldn't help likening the crow wing diagrams to Phil's wings.

Why couldn't he stop thinking about them?

The bell rang, sharp and piercing. He put the book back on the shelf and trudged to his next class.

***

It was Thursday when he was caught.

He was in the library instead of the cafeteria for lunch, reading an autobiography of some kind (he wasn't really reading it, just skimming the words enough to keep his mind off the hunger pains in his gut). It was a new normal for him.

The door opened.

Nobody else should've been in the library during lunch. Tommy wasn't supposed to be in the library during lunch.

Tommy dove behind the nearest bookshelf, crouching low to the ground, ready to move at a moment's notice.

As long as it wasn't who he thought it was, he'd be okay.

"I know you're in here, Tommy."

Fuck, that was Wilbur. He was screwed.

"I- I just wanted to say sorry for whatever upset you last Friday-" Why did he sound so sad? It was infuriating. "-and we noticed you left your phone at home."

Why was Wilbur talking about his phone? Was he going to break it right in front of Tommy's face, just because he could? Try and lure him out with it? Well, too bad, 'cause it wasn't going to work.

"Uh- Phil thought it'd be a good idea to give it back to you, but we haven't been able to find you all week, and uh- well, it's on this table, so… um… you can have it back now," Wilbur said.

Tommy peeked around the bookcase, and saw Wilbur set his phone down on the table closest to the door. Wilbur took one last glance around the library, eyes completely missing Tommy, and sighed. He left, and Tommy waited for his footsteps to completely fade before leaving his hiding spot.

He walked up to the table that his phone rested on.

The device was sitting face-down on the table, so he couldn't see the screen, but that was definitely his phone case, at least.

Tommy glanced around, wary of any lingering eyes, but he was well and truly alone.

He turned the phone over with a cautious hand and inspected the screen for the familiar cracked pattern. Sure enough, it was his phone and not a decoy of some kind.

He turned on the screen and unlocked it with his ten-digit PIN -- he was not paranoid, he just didn't want anyone going through his phone. His suspended apps were the exact same as he left them, the full apps list didn't show any unfamiliar icons, and everything seemed untouched.

He still turned off his location, just in case.

***

Tommy didn't see hide nor hair of Wilbur or Techno on Friday.

It was odd. For the past week, it seemed like he was seeing nothing but the two of them, and now they were gone.

Not that Tommy was complaining. It meant he could finally safely sit in the cafeteria with Tubbo and Ranboo again, though he didn't eat. He still had to get used to less than three meals a day, after all.

After school, the trio took the bus back to their apartment, where Tommy immediately started looking for something to fix, clean, or help out with. After a full week of crashing there and doing the same routine every day, there really wasn't much else he could do, though.

Maybe he could regrout the bathroom tiles?

"Tommy, wait-"

Tommy turned to look at Tubbo. He could just barely see the concern in his friend's eyes from under his fringe.

"You're not doing any more chores around here," Tubbo told him firmly, "I won't let you."

"But-"

"No buts, Tommy. You need to chill. You've been doing everything that could possibly be done around here. You even regrouted the kitchen tile! Were you planning on regrouting the bathroom, too?"

Tommy looked away guiltily. Tubbo knew him way too well.

"Yeah, that's not happening. We're all going to sit on the couch and put on the worst movies imaginable, and we're going to point and laugh at them. Right, Boo?"

Ranboo, who had been standing very awkwardly behind Tubbo during the whole interaction until that point, vigorously nodded their head in agreement.

Fucking simp.

Without another word, Tubbo grabbed both of them by their wrists and made them sit on the raggedy old couch while he put the Bee Movie VHS in the player and rewound it to the beginning.

Why Tubbo had the Bee Movie on VHS remained a mystery to Tommy.

They sat through the entirety of the Bee Movie, laughing at the absurdity of the thing.

"The bees just- what? Sued all of humanity? For stealing honey? And it worked!?" Ranboo, in particular, was very worked up about the plot consistency. Tommy thought their ramblings were funnier than the movie.

"Well, yes, what else were they to do?" Tubbo asked, clearly trying to work them up more. Somehow, it worked, and they fell for the obvious bait.

"Anything but that!?!? Tubbo- Tubbo, you're the bee guy, you know that human-kept bees and their beekeepers have a symbiotic relationship. Humans only take about half of the total honey made by the hive, and grant protection that normal beehives just don't have!" They said, frantically scrolling through Wikipedia to factcheck. "The bees could just leave! They don't even have to stay in the human-kept hives! There is nothing stopping them!!"

"Maybe the bees are just dumb," Tommy suggests. Tubbo turned to gasp in offence, while Ranboo only hung their head in complete and utter defeat.

"You will not talk about bees that way!"

"I just did." Tommy smiled, all teeth. "Whatcha gonna do 'bout it?"

He promptly took a pillow straight to the face.

"Oh, you should not have done that."

Tommy and Tubbo quickly devolved into an all-out, no holds barred, pillow war. Not a pillow fight, mind. It was far too serious to be called something as silly as a pillow fight. Tubbo was collecting pillows from anywhere he could find them in order to make a defensive wall. Meanwhile, Tommy tried his best to beat him to death with just one pillow and sheer force of will. Ranboo, in the chaos, managed to escape to the bedroom.

Pussy.

Tommy would deny the incredibly manly shriek that escaped him when a nerf dart nailed him right between the shoulder blades until his dying breath.

Tommy spun around and came face-to-face with his worst nightmare.

Ranboo with a nerf gun.

"Uh," said Tommy, very eloquently, if he did say so himself, "Team?"

"I'm sorry, Tommy," they said, raising their gun, "It's neef or noth."

They shot him right in the stomach.

Tommy shrieked again, collapsing to the floor like the dramatic bitch he one hundred percent is not (no matter what Tubbo says).

***

Tommy slept until 5 PM on Saturday, fatigue from doing every chore imaginable, plus hiding from Wilbur and Techno during school, plus the pillow war from the previous night finally catching up to him.

Every one of his joints ached, all of his muscles twinged with pain when he even attempted to move them. His throat was sore and voice rough from all of the screaming he'd done the night before.

It's the worst Tommy's felt without being properly sick in a long time.

He thought the last time he felt this bad was the day before he was placed in Phil's house.

The house before Phil's had not had very kind parents.

Cut it out. Stop.

Back to Tommy's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad DayTM, Tubbo had come into the room about twenty minutes ago with "food".

Tommy wouldn't go so far as to call it food though. Hence the air quotes.

It was white bread -- yes, bread, not even toasted or anything -- with baked beans and horribly undercooked mini sausages on top. Even when Tubbo first gave it to him, it was cold, and now even more so. It looked vile.

Tubbo really, really, could not cook. He was worse than Ranboo, and they could only make spaghetti and cake (as long as it was from a pre-prepared cake mix).

Truly, Tommy was their only salvation.

Needless to say, Tommy could not eat the rancid so-called "food" Tubbo had cooked up, but he also couldn't get up to make his own food, either, and Ranboo was unavailable on account of them being at the store restocking their food supply. Which left Tommy on his own.

Fantastic.

"Tubbooo!" Tommy called out, voice cracking slightly from the strain.

Tubbo's hoofsteps could be heard from the other side of the apartment, sprinting towards the bedroom.

The door slammed open, hitting the wall with a loud bang.

"Tommy! What's wrong, are you hurt? Do I need to call an ambulance?" Tommy rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine, Tubso. I just can't eat this." He raised the plate of dubious "food" for his friend to see. "It's cold and the sausages are undercooked and you didn't even toast the bread, you heathen."

Tubbo crossed his arms, "You just have shit taste in food."

"Wha- I have shit taste in food?!" Tommy screeched, aggravating his already sore throat, "I'm not the one that eats cold baked beans and undercooked sausages on bread!"

"Yeah, which means you have shit taste!"

"Oh that's it-"

Tommy was interrupted in his preparations to launch at Tubbo, muscle fatigue be damned, by the front door of the apartment opening.

"Tubbo! Come help me with groceries!" Ranboo called. Then, quieter, "Please oh my god this stuff is heavy-"

"We're not done here, we'll talk about this later," Tubbo said with a glare, far too dramatic to be serious.

"Tubbo!!" Ranboo shouted again.

"Coming!"

Tubbo left the room the same way he'd entered; in a dead sprint and slamming the door.

Tommy found himself rolling his eyes at his friend's antics.

***

He eventually did get food that wasn't a crime against humanity, but it was still just spaghetti. Curse Ranboo and their refusal to learn to cook anything else.

He quickly fell asleep after that, at the disgraceful hour of 8 PM.

Like, seriously, he had a reputation, he was Big Man Tommy Innit. Tommy Careful Danger Kraken Innit. And he did not go to bed at 8 PM.

Well, it was a one-time thing, anyway. No one else had to know.

Sunday morning, Tubbo and Ranboo pulled him out of bed and onto the couch, saying they needed to have a, quote, "important talk". Tommy, in his infinite wisdom, thought it was stupid.

He wasn't nervous. He wasn't.

It's just… well…

"Important talks" never really went well for him.

So there he sat, squished between Tubbo and Ranboo on the couch, Michael purring up a storm in his lap. He swore that the cat could smell his anxiety.

"Sooo…" Tommy said, full attention on Michael's fur. The cat was shedding a bit more than usual. He needed to be brushed soon. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Do you want to go out today, Tommy?"

Tommy blinked in confusion, lifting his eyes from the cat and meeting Tubbo's gaze.

"Why? Where would we go?"

Tubbo looked up at him blankly. Tommy glanced at Ranboo for an explanation, but only got another blank look.

"Tommy," Ranboo said, voice uncomfortably pitying, "What's today's date?"

"The ninth of April? What's that got to do with anything?"

Tubbo looked constipated. Tommy said as much. Tubbo just ignored him and shook his head. "Okay, well, do you want to go out or not? We could go shopping, or to McDonald's, or even just to a park or something."

"Or maybe to the museum?" Ranboo suggested, "We have enough money for three tickets as long as Tubbo pretends he's eleven."

They were both acting so fucking sus. Tommy didn't like it.

Neither of them would ever offer to spend money unnecessarily, their bank account just couldn't afford to. Why the fuck were they doing it now?

"Why are you offering to spend money on me?" Tommy asked bluntly. "Is it some kind of pity thing? Or repayment for the chores? Because if it is, I'm not going anywhere."

Tubbo looked completely bewildered, as though he'd never even considered that to be a possibility. Tommy supposed that meant he wasn't lying; Tubbo was never a very good actor.

"It's not, I swear," Tubbo told him, mouth set in a firm line, "We just want to treat you to some time out of the apartment. That's not school, anyway."

Tommy supposed that answer made some amount of sense.

(His verdict was not influenced by him going somewhat stir crazy from being cooped up inside all the time. It wasn't and anyone who said it was is a liar.)

"Alright," said Tommy, satisfied, "I want to go to McDonald's then."

"Of course you want to go to McDonald's," Ranboo, the local McDonald's hater, said under their breath. Tommy glared at them.

How someone could hate McDonald's baffled Tommy. McDonald's was the best.

"Alright!" Tubbo clapped his hands and stood from the couch, dragging Tommy up by the wrist to stand with him. "We're going to McDonald's, then!"

"Yippee," said Ranboo, completely monotone.

***

They all piled into Ranboo's car for the five minute drive to the nearest McDonald's. Tommy was honestly unaware that they even could drive, but he supposed it made sense. They were always the one to be sent out to get stuff from the store and whatnot.

They parked the car in the nearest parking spot, and everyone got out. Tommy was jittery with excitement. He hadn't had proper fast food in so long. The mere idea of it made his mouth water.

Tommy bolted for the entrance, Tubbo hot on his heels. Ranboo followed at a much more sedated pace.

They looked nauseous just setting foot in the building.

Tommy ordered a Big Mac meal, with a large fry and a coke. Tubbo decided on a ten-piece chicken McNugget after several minutes of internal (and external) debate. They each got a McFlurry, as the ice cream machine was miraculously unbroken.

Ranboo, unsurprisingly, got nothing, because they were a weirdo.

All of the food totaled out at a fairly reasonable £14.77, and despite not getting anything, Ranboo pulled out their debit card and paid for it.

What a strange, strange person Ranboo was.

Tommy all but inhaled his food the second he got it, Tubbo not far behind. While he and Tubbo pigged out, Ranboo shot them the most uncomfortable and disgusted look Tommy had ever seen anyone make before -- and he'd seen the faces people made after catching him eating out of the trash -- from across the table.

Tommy made sure to flip them off and chew louder in response.

They left McDonald's in just over half an hour of getting there. Ranboo visibly relaxed as they drove out of the parking lot.

All in all, it was a successful McDonald's trip.

Tommy didn't notice that they weren't driving back to the apartment until it was too late.

They rolled to a stop, and only then did Tommy look out the window.

The car was parked in Phil's driveway.

A pit opened in Tommy's stomach. Suddenly, it felt like all the food he'd just eaten was going to make an unpleasant return.

"Why are we here…?"

Tubbo, beside him in the backseat, tried to take Tommy's hand in his own. Tommy ripped it away from him and cradled it to his chest.

"Toms-"

"Don't fucking 'Toms' me, Tubbo, why the fuck are we here?!"

Tommy's lungs weren't working right, he thought. It felt like he couldn't get a full breath in. His throat was tight, it hurt to speak. That didn't stop him from screaming at his "friends" though.

"What the fuck is wrong with you two?! I thought we were friends!"

"Tommy, we are your friends-"

Anger burned hot in his chest, bubbling up behind his ribcage alongside the bone-chilling fear he felt in that moment.

"Then why. Are. We. Here?!"

"Because Phil asked us to bring you!" Tubbo shouted back. Tommy staggered back, not expecting to be shouted back at.

Something hot and wet spilled down his face.

Tears. Those were tears.

"I don't wanna be here," Tommy sobbed, startling everyone with the disparity of it, including himself, "Please- please… I don't- I-"

"We're sorry, Tommy," Ranboo said through Tommy's open door. When had they gotten out of the car? Or opened Tommy's door?

Tommy's pretty sure they said something else, but his brain had officially checked out for the day, apparently. Tears kept falling from his eyes, but he felt detached and a bit floaty. Ranboo's mouth was moving, and Tommy could hear them speak, but the words just didn't… register.

He found he didn't particularly care.

Why was he crying, again?

Tommy blinked, and between the time he closed his eyes and opened them again, he was in an entirely new location.

Instead of Ranboo's car, Tommy found himself curled in the foetal position on familiar red and white bedding. He was in his bed in Phil's house, his brain absently connected. There were, somehow, still tears lazily dribbling from his eyes.

Tommy's hand seemed to move of its own accord, smoothing out a wrinkle in the comforter.

His eyes slipped closed, but he did not sleep.

Someone entered his room, at some point (how long had it been since- since… since what?) and talked for a bit. The words were nothing but white noise to him, but whoever it was had a very nice voice, so Tommy didn't mind too much. He was content to listen to the musical lilt to the speaker's tone.

The person with the nice voice eventually left. Tommy whined in the sudden silence.

There were two others that came in and talked. One with a low rumbley voice that made him feel warm, and another with a higher pitched voice that had an odd tonality that made him think they probably had an accent.

Tommy thought all their voices sounded good.

The three of them came in and talked to him, and even though he had no clue what they were saying, it was nice to know that they were nice enough to keep Tommy, of all people, company.

Slowly, slowly, Tommy started to come back to himself. He clenched his hands into fists and then stretched them out, over and over, counting the amount of times he'd done the motion.

Finally, he felt like his body was his own again.

He sat up in bed -- his bed, his bed in Phil's house, why was he back at Phil's? -- and looked around the room.

It was the exact same as he'd left it, aside from the light film of dust that covered every surface. The piano sat against the wall, all his books were where they were meant to be on the shelf, his PC was still sitting unlocked on the desktop.

Henry and Duffle were both cradled in Tommy's arms. He hadn't even realised he was holding them.

A knock sounded at the door, and a moment later it swung gently open, revealing Wilbur.

Oh. Shit.

"You're up," Wilbur said, surprise clear in his voice. Tommy licked his lips, but just nodded instead of attempting to speak. "Well, that's better than you've been in the past nine hours."

"Nine hours-'' Tommy's exclamation was cut off by a sudden coughing fit, wracking his whole body with the force of it. He was vaguely aware of Wilbur getting close enough to rub soothing circles on his back.

"Should I get Phil?" Wilbur asked, voice thick with worry.

"Don't get Phil," Tommy demanded, before coughing some more into his fist.

They didn't speak again for a while, even after Tommy had come down from his coughing fit. The silence was deafening; Tommy's ears started ringing.

Wilbur, eventually, stood up. He was trying to hide it, but Tommy could see the way his hands were shaking.

"I'm just… gonna go. Now."

Tommy didn't stop him.

***

Techno came in a short while later with food.

Tommy couldn't force himself to eat it.

***

Phil didn't show up for a while. Tommy believed Wilbur had told him that Tommy didn't want to see him. Which was great! Wonderful! He didn't want to see Phil, and Wilbur told him that, so Phil didn't come to see him.

He simultaneously hated Wilbur for it and wanted to thank him.

But, eventually, Phil did have to show up. And "eventually" just so happened to be right now.

Phil stood in the doorway, wings fluffed up behind him. With his wings like that, he blocked the entire doorway. Tommy did his best to not show how tense he was because of it.

"Hey, Tommy."

Tommy just stared.

Phil cleared his throat, "Can I come in?" Tommy scoffed.

"It's your house, innit?"

"But it's your room."

"I don't see why that matters." Phil went quiet, head tilted to the side. He'd decided to act like a fucking bird again, Tommy saw. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "You can come in, I guess. Might as well get this over with…"

Phil stepped into the room and finally unblocked the door. Tommy steadfastly ignored the way his shoulders relaxed, and instead chose to focus on Phil's every move.

"Are you feeling better now? We think you had a dissociative episode back there." Phil stood about a foot away from the edge of the bed, keeping his distance. "You scared Wil about half to death."

"Yeah, sure I did," Tommy sneered, "What should I care?"

(Tommy did care. A lot. It was honestly kind of annoying how much he cared.)

Phil sighed. His wings ruffled behind him, feathers fluffing up and then resettling. He moved over to the bed and sat down, leaving Tommy just out of his arms reach.

"What's wrong, mate?" Phil asked.

Tommy debated not answering. Like, seriously, what was he gonna do if he didn't answer?

He might get hit, his subconscious reminded him. Phil had never hit him (or Wilbur or Techno for that matter), but the possibility was always there. And before, he didn't have a reason to hit Tommy.

If he didn't answer, then he would have a reason.

"Why are you acting like you care?" Tommy asked after a long internal debate, "You're gonna send me back to my social worker. Why put in all this effort?"

Phil looked genuinely taken aback, whether by Tommy answering in the first place or the words themselves, he didn't know.

"We do care about you, Tommy. And we're not going to send you back to your social worker," Phil said, and it was so clearly a lie, but Tommy wanted to believe him anyway. He so, so desperately wanted to believe them. But his trust had been broken a few too many times for that. "Why would we do that?"

"Because you don't want to foster me anymore. I'm not stupid. I heard what Wilbur said."

Realisation dawned on Phil's face like a sunrise.

And then he laughed.

This was it. He was going to drop the act. Finally, Tommy could stop walking on eggshells, he could stop waiting for the other shoe to drop.

He felt like he was gonna be sick.

"Tommy," Phil said, tone all too fond. It made Tommy want to vomit. "We don't want to foster you anymore-"

He fucking knew it. He knew it was too good to be true.

Bile rose in the back of his throat, but Phil was still talking, so he swallowed it down.

"-because we want to adopt you," Phil finished, "Wilbur is just shit at words."

…Wait. Back up, rewind.

'-because we want to adopt you.'

Tommy must have been hearing things, because Phil could not have just said that.

Wilbur wanted Phil to adopt him? Him, Tommy Careful Danger Kraken Innit, wife haver and annoying kid -- not a kid -- supreme? Tommy, who'd been kicked out of god-knows how many foster homes in the past, and never planned on having a family of his own? Tommy, who knew how to run away and live on the streets for months at a time because it was preferable to some of the houses he'd been put in?

Maybe they'd confused him for some other tall blond kid named Tommy that they fostered.

…

Yeah, no, even he knew he was fooling himself with that one.

But what other explanation was there? They weren't supposed to want him, and yet they did anyway. And even if they tricked themselves into wanting to adopt him, they should have known how bad and disobedient he was. He ran away from them, for god's sake!

Tommy's head was spinning.

It just… It didn't make sense.

"Why?" Tommy found himself asking.

Phil hummed, tapping a clawed finger to his chin in an over-exaggerated thinking motion.

"Because you complete the family dynamic?" Phil offered, "Because we like you for you, because Wilbur always wanted a little brother, and you fill the role perfectly, because Techno is attached even though he won't admit it, because I missed having a fledgling in the nest… I could go on."

Tommy felt a fire ignite in his chest, small and flickering, but there all the same.

"Oh yeah!" Phil continued, wings fluttering happily, "And because we love you!"

The fire burned hot and bright, as though it had been doused in gasoline, hot enough to melt away any lingering fear and doubt.

"You mean that?"

"Of course I do!"

Phil brought a hand up to Tommy's head, threading his fingers though Tommy's tangled curls. Tommy melted into the affection, leaning all his weight into Phil's side, emotionally and physically exhausted.

Tommy Careful Danger Kraken Innit-Minecraft would be a pretty poggers name, he thought as he drifted off to sleep.

***

"That is a lot of fucking papers."

Phil sighed, looking down at the stack of papers he'd set on his desk. They were all adoption and foster papers, all of them filled out and signed by Phil (and Tommy, when applicable).

"It is a lot of fucking papers, and I had to fill out every one of them." Tommy cringes.

"Sounds like rotten work," he tells Phil seriously.

"Not to me. Not if it's for you."

Tommy pauses, studying Phil's face for a moment.

"Did you just quote Pylades at me?"

"Paraphrased it, actually. I didn't say the exact words," Phil grinned. "And you're the one that said 'it's rotten work'."

"Yeah, because doing all that paperwork sounds like actual hell on earth," Tommy argued, just for the sake of it.

It was nice to know he could joke around like this, that he wasn't going to get hit for speaking out of turn or insulting someone. He could get used to it.

He would get used to it. They were adopting him!

It still didn't quite feel real.

Heavy hoofsteps stomped up the stairs, approaching at a rapid pace. A lighter set of footsteps followed the first, moving just as quickly.

Phil's office door swung open, revealing Techno in all his pink-haired glory, Wilbur standing behind him.

"Are you talking about Greek mythology in here?" Techno asked, a crazed look in his eye, "Without me?!"

"Phil started it!" Tommy shouted. He ran up to his brothers, grabbing both of them by their sleeves and dragged them into the room. "He par-a-phrased Pylades at me."

"You're the one who pointed it out, gremlin." Phil ruffled his hair affectionately. Tommy absolutely, one-hundred percent did not lean into the touch.

Oh, who was he kidding, of course he leaned into it.

"Tubbo and Ranboo are downstairs playing Mario Kart," Wilbur told them, "D'you wanna come back down with us and join? Get out of this stuffy office and away from that boring paperwork?"

"My office is not stuffy-" Phil tried to protest. Wilbur ignored him.

"We were thinking about ordering pizza, too."

Tommy bounced on his toes, excitement manifesting in little hand flaps.

"I want Hawaiian!" Tommy declared. He grabbed Wilbur's sleeve, pulling the man down to stare him in the face. "We're getting Hawaiian." Wilbur recoiled away, lip curling in over-exaggerated disgust.

"Hawaiian?! Fucking gross, Tommy, ham and pineapple?! On pizza?!"

"Pineapple is good, man!" Tommy yells back. "Wilby, it's not my fault your taste buds are broken."

Wilbur went silent, staring at him, mouth slightly agape. Tommy looked to Techno and Phil, who'd started grinning and snickering, respectively. Tommy decided to ignore them.

"Wilbur? Are you-"

"Did you just call me Wilby?" Wilbur shouted suddenly. Tommy spluttered in response.

"I didn't call you Wilby!"

"No, you definitely did," he insisted.

"I didn't! Your ears must be broken too now, you're hearing things." Tommy crossed his arms over his chest, turning his face away from Wilbur in an attempt to hide his burning face and ears. "We need to get you hearing aids, you're becoming an old man like Phil."

Wilbur had seemingly chosen to ignore Tommy's insults, instead choosing to prod him in the side and keep teasing him.

"Aww, Tommy! You can call me Wilby if you want."

"I don't want to call you that," Tommy denied, "And I didn't call you Wilby!"

The burning in his cheeks said otherwise.

Wilbur laughed at his expense. He wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into an embrace. Tommy dropped his head onto his brother's -- his brother's, how poggers was that?! -- collarbone and groaned in annoyance. Wilbur rested his chin on Tommy's head, humming happily.

"So…" Techno interrupted, "are we orderin' pizza or not?"

"Hawaiian," Tommy mumbled into Wilbur's chest. Wilbur lifted his chin from Tommy's head and pulled away enough to ruffle Tommy's hair. Tommy squawked indignantly, trying and failing to bat Wilbur's hand away.

"You're not going to have an entire pizza to yourself, child."

"Oh yeah? Says who?"

"Says me," Phil cut in, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. Tommy and Wilbur pulled fully apart, and Tommy grabbed the sleeve of Wilbur's sweater again. "You can get half-Hawaiian and half-cheese to share."

Wilbur and Tommy groaned in unison. Phil rolled his eyes.

"Keep complaining and I'll get you both an anchovy and olive pizza." Tommy faked a gag. "That's what I thought."

***

The pizzas arrived at their door half an hour later. They had switched from Mario Kart to Super Smash Bros a few minutes ago, because apparently there was only so many times Tubbo could come last in Mario Kart before he started trying to strangle people.

He wasn't much better at Smash Bros though, if Tommy was honest.

Phil brought the pizzas into the kitchen, deliberately walking slowly directly in front of the TV, just to be annoying.

"Phil! You're blocking the screen!"

"You'll survive."

"Aaauuuugghhhhhhhh-"

Phil finally got out of the way, and Toon Link instantly hit Isabelle straight off the edge of the map.

"NO!" Tommy screamed at the same time as Tubbo screamed, "YES!"

Ranboo sat quietly, still struggling to figure out the controls while Techno patiently coached him through it.

"How many slices do you want, Toms?" Phil called from the kitchen.

"All of them, I'll eat all of- Fuck you, Technoblade!" Tommy yelled as Kirby threw Isabelle past the edge of the screen and she exploded.

"You're getting two!" Phil shouted back. "Wil! come out here and help me with this, would you?"

"Aw, I was having fun watching Tommy get his ass beat," Wilbur sighed, forlornly watching the screen and moving as slowly as possible on his way to the kitchen. Ranboo, playing as Peach, pulled off a combo attack against Isabelle as Techno told him the buttons to press, Tommy screeching obscenities all the while.

The match ended a minute later, Techno in first, Tommy in second, Ranboo in third, and Tubbo dead last.

"Techno barely even did anything last round, how's he in first?!" Tubbo shouted. Techno shrugged.

"Cracked at the game," was all he offered before getting up and following Wilbur out to the kitchen. Tommy, Ranboo, and Tubbo set down their controllers and followed suit.

Phil gave Tommy a plate that already had two slices of Hawaiian on it, and then gave both Tubbo and Ranboo two slices of pepperoni each. Phil took his own plate -- with meat lovers, if Tommy had to guess -- and led them back to the living room, leaving Wilbur and Techno to fend for themselves.

Wilbur returned with one slice of cheese and like, way too many breadsticks, and Techno brought his entire pizza box back out with him.

Tommy wouldn't be surprised if he was planning on eating the whole thing in one night.

"So!" Phil began, pulling out his stash of pirated DVDs, "No video games while we eat. Does anyone have a preference in movie?"

"Do you have Moana?" Tubbo asked. Of course he would want to watch Moana. He'd seen the trailer a little while back, but had never gotten the chance to actually see the film.

"In fact, I do," Phil said, holding the case aloft triumphantly. Tubbo cheered.

Phil put the DVD in the player and switched the HDMI input, then plopped down on the couch next to Tommy.

Tommy sat in the middle of the couch with Phil now on his left and Tubbo on his right. Ranboo was on Tubbo's other side, legs folded to their chest, and Techno was next to Phil. Wilbur lounged on the arm of the couch next to Techno, using his shoulder as an armrest.

Phil pressed play on the remote, and the Disney logo flared to life on the TV screen.

Here, squished together on the couch with his dad, brothers, and best friends, Tommy thought he could finally be happy.

----------------------

And there's part two!! This whole fic took me 15 days to write, and it's been on my mind every second I wasn't writing. Thank god I never have to touch this thing again /j

reblogs > likes

@froizzard and heres the hurt/comfort

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (December 3/2020)

Today was pretty interesting - every member of both the Dream Team AND Sleepy Bois Inc. streamed today! Doesn’t happen often.

Everyone is preparing for the exile tomorrow. There's internal conflicts growing within the Dream SMP side and the familial division within the Sleepy Bois has only increased. 

---

 -  Tubbo, Ranboo and Fundy work on the hole in the ocean and that’s when the first rain happens.

- Wilbur and Tommy randomly join the VC and just say “Tubbo we’ve been thinking about you a lot” and then straight up leave

- Later, Tommy gets on in preparation for possible exile. He insists that he cares more for L’manburg than his discs, ultimately. Technoblade is online. He says he wants to move into New L’manburg out of sheer confidence that he won’t be exiled. Sapnap comes online as well and proceeds to bully Tommy with Techno. Punz arrives too.

- Sapnap suggests Tommy move into Mexican L’manburg.

- Tommy says he likes Ghostbur because he’s “like real Wilbur but less torturous”

- TECHNO STREAM POG. He wants to move his pets.

- Sapnap confronts Tommy and says that he was ordered to kill him since Tommy stepped outside of the walls.

- Punz raises the wall. Phil and Ranboo come online.

- Phil puts on armor in L’manburg and says he must go. He meets with Techno just outside the wall - it’s time for Phil to join forces with the pig.

- Techno kills Tommy. Mexico is declared Dream SMP canon.

- Wilbur comes online and starts talking to Sapnap. Tommy says that the best apology gift is DRUGSS. Ghostbur asks Tommy where Techno is and then leaves.

- Sapnap is in denial about Dream not caring about him. Tommy tells him bluntly, and Sapnap says that at least he has Tommy as a friend - a continuation of his character arc from the Final Pet War on the 15th.

- Ghostbur roasts Techno for not knowing how to make a fishing rod and tells Tommy and Techno that he’s in “the ravine.” They all meet up at the lake where Techno’s base was, putting the pets in boats.

- The Sleepy Bois have a family confrontation. Techno asks him if Tommy’s life has improved from the new government. Phil points out that Techno was very clear about his intentions the whole time. Ghostbur says he and Techno go way back. Tommy says he’s just there for Ghostbur.

- Tommy and Ghostbur split off and Tommy tells Ghostbur a story about “two guys,” with Tommy putting him and Wilbur as “these two good guys, but one of the good guys had turned into a bit of a bad guy,” and Techno as “a medium guy.” Ghostbur remembers more than Tommy realized.

- Tommy lies to Ghostbur and says that Techno made the crater.

- Connor drops by. Tommy says he wants to get the Camarvan back in drug-brewing business.

- Ghostbur and Sapnap continue speaking. Ghostbur remembers that Sapnap was on the other side and calls him a “traitor like Eret” for now being with Tommy.

- It rains again... 

In Tubbo’s words, “Jesus has OP”

- Tommy captures a pet bat. “It’s like a moth but bigger!”

- They drug the president

- Meanwhile, Phil and Techno are hanging out together in Techno’s ice village, now strong allies.

- Tubbo isn’t swayed by Tommy’s apology gift. Tommy speaks with Ghostbur on the Power Tower. Ghostbur says he’ll follow Tommy no matter what happens.

- Quackity and George build a new mushroom house right outside Tommy’s new L’manburg house to piss him off

- Sapnap joins the call and immediately tells George that Dream said he didn’t care about them, and that those in Mexican L’manburg have to band together since Dream no longer has care for anyone. George is shocked and literally spits out his water. 

- Sapnap leaves, Quackity starts reading How to Sex 2 and IT RAINS AGAIN. 

- Quackity starts acting strange and screeching but he calms down once George gets him inside the church. Quackity has a revelation that all the world is made of “1′s and 0′s,” and says that he can never leave the church without the peace leaving him. He says that he killed everyone important in his life except for George, that he has no one left. George seems to be confused at who is talking to him.

“I am alive, George.”

...

- Quackity returns to normal and starts talking about the house in front of Tommy’s again. He and George continue their hijinks. George gets scammed by Fundy, he and Quackity start messing around with item frames and maps. They need leather and ask Techno about his cow farm. Techno responds that the spirits of the cows call for revenge. They start running.

- George starts gathering wheat. This is his grave mistake. Techno, invisible but showing through armor, chases him down and almost kills him but spares him at half a heart. George and Techno chat for a bit after Techno leaves the area.

- Then Quackity streams the first part of their plan to prank the entire SMP with pictures. Just a funny stream! Funny pranks! Haha funnies! hahahahahahaha

- PSYCHE u rly thought huh?? u rly thought??

- Dream comes online and announces that George is being dethroned.  He claims that he’s doing this to protect George, since George has been getting attacked more and more lately. But later on he lets it slip that George was, in his eyes, a “bad king” and was getting too involved to stay neutral, especially when it came to Mexican L’manburg. He makes Eret the king again. Worth mentioning is the fact that Eret still plans to adopt Fundy, and Dream and Fundy are getting married tomorrow...

- Everyone escorts George down the Path, George’s head hung low. Sapnap is angry at Dream, Dream accuses Sapnap of driving them apart. Sapnap says that he’ll stand with George.

- Sapnap, George and Quackity all reconvene at Mexican L’manburg. They decide to fight for George’s crown back, and also speak with Badboyhalo about possibly combining forces with the Badlands to do so.

- Dream shoots Quackity and orders an attack on George. He messages Quackity to not even dare trying to take back power.

- Later, Dream rejoins VC and he and Quackity get into a moral debate about the ethics of hostile government takeovers, who’s at fault for the conflict on the server, and why Dream is doing all of this. Dream points out that the last willing giveaway of the discs was from Tommy to Dream for the birth of L’manburg, and that Tommy only has the discs now because he stole them. The rain falls again as they speak.

- Dream leaves. Mexican L’manburg is the only place left for George to fight for. Sapnap has turned against Dream. The Badlands are getting involved, and Quackity has to speak to Tubbo about all of this. 

- Meanwhile, Puffy is replacing Tommy’s stone bricks with polished granite.

- The funny haha’s return as everyone continues doing the SMP prank. Fun!

---

Upcoming Events:

- Karl will be touring Pokimane around the SMP next week!

- Tommy’s exile decision is tomorrow

- Fundy is getting married to Dream tomorrow

- IS THE ELYTRA CHALLENGE STILL HAPPENING I DON’T KNOW PLEASE JUST TELL US

[willthelee]

A New Friend

It’s been a while since I’ve posted one of these but uh, yea I guess, this was just sitting so I finished it and posted it, sorry about any mistakes since it’s like 12 midnight

Lee!Purpled Ler!BeeDuo

Warnings: Feet Tickles, Swearing

Maybe it was just his cockiness, but Purpled wasn’t the best at making friends, it wasn’t like he didn’t have friends, or would turn down the opportunity to make one, it was just that he wasn’t the one to constantly try to make them but that was easily hidden under his ego.

Tubbo was quite the opposite.

The energetic boy was practically running circles around Ranboo with excess energy after being stuck inside for days because of a bad storm, so naturally, they went for a walk the first moment they had a chance.

Gray clouds hung overhead but Tubbo couldn’t really care less, skipping around while Ranboo sleepily slugged behind, having just been woken up by Tubbo when he saw that the rain had stopped momentarily.

Purpled had also taken this opportunity to take a step outside even though he wasn’t feeling nearly as energetic as Tubbo. He just needed a step outside. The fresh, earthy air was incredibly refreshing, having been breathing stuffy air for days inside his house.

When he saw Tubbo and Ranboo in the near distance, he sped up his walking just a little to catch up. He had seen and heard a lot about the duo but haven’t directly interacted for a while now, and Purpled wanted to see what was up since Tubbo was literally dragging Ranboo with him.

“C’monnn Booooo we haven’t walked together in foreverr” Tubbo urged, trying to get Ranboo to move faster

“It’s been like three days!”

“Hey, w- what’s up?” Purpled interrupted, nervous from his lack of recent human interaction and fear that he had cut into something important because of Tubbo’s pleading tone

Ranboo’s head immediately turned to face the unexpected follower, his look of surprise further adding to Purpled’s nervousness “O- Oh nothing! Need something?”

“N- No, not really-“ Purpled stuttered, slowing back down, nervous he had bothered them. Ranboo’s tone wasn’t meant to be that cold, but Purpled didn’t know that. The freshness of the air started to fade as Purpled looked down, hands in his purple hoodie pockets as he lingered forward slowly

“Oh hi Purpled!” Tubbo slowed down next to Purpled, his enthusiasm embedded into his voice “You alright?”

Purpled’s head immediately shot up, positively surprised by Tubbo’s excitement but not quite confident yet “Hey Tubbo, I’m alright.”

“You sure?” Tubbo put on his best comforting tone, making sure Purpled was okay.

“I’m fine, Tubbo.” Purpled’s natural cockiness had faded completely, not even sure what was the cause of why he was that upset

“You suuureee?” Tubbo gave Purpled a small poke on the side, trying to get his attention

Purpled jumped a little, not expecting the sudden touch in the moment, the surprised look on his face sent a tidal wave of worry through Tubbo, afraid that he had gone too far, but to his surprise, Purpled giggled “Hehey-!” His voice now significantly more warm and friendly

Purpled’s giggle caught Ranboo’s attention, he was about a good 10 feet in front of them so he slowed down to match the pace of the others “What’s going on here~?”

“None of your shihit!” Purpled had recovered his cockiness in an instant

Tubbo gave Ranboo a look, which Ranboo returned

Purpled’s fate was set

“That’s kinda rude, right Tubbo~?”

“Yea, it reaallyyy was.”

“Okay. And what are you gonna do ‘bout it?”

That was the last straw.

It was all a quick blur as Purpled was tackled to the floor by the duo, Ranboo now straddling him as Tubbo sat next to him “I think you know what we’re going to do about it buddy.” Ranboo replied

“What?” Purpled had a pretty good idea of what to expect, but didn’t want to give any ideas as anticipation fluttered in his stomach

A hand being placed on his tummy made him twitch as the situation finally set in on him. There was no way out of it now.

The air was still for a second, a light breeze around them being the only movement while Tubbo and Ranboo smirked an evil smirk at what Purpled had did to himself.

A light squeak interrupted the silence since Ranboo suddenly decided to just lightly claw on Purpled’s tum, drawing adorable giggles

“Is thahat all yohohou gohot?”

Tubbo pulled Purpled’s arms over his head, predicting Ranboo’s thoughts

Immediately, Ranboo vibrated his fingers into Purpled’s underarms, giggling at his cackling and thrashing

“WAHAHAIT! I DIHIHIDN’T MEHEAN IT-!” Purpled did mean it, his provoking was obvious, even though he might not have noticed.

“So, is it still none of my shit?”

“YEHEHES!”

Ranboo immediately sped up, making a squeal and noticeable laughter increase to emit from the blonde boy

At this point, Tubbo was getting bored of just sitting around and watching, so he decided to chime in, he let go of Purpled’s arms, which Purpled immediately clamped shut, and walked around to his legs

Carefully, Tubbo sat on Purpled’s shins and pulled off his shoes

“WAHAHAIT NOHOHOHO!” Purpled tried to pull his feet away, but Tubbo had trapped them with his weight

“What am I waiting for boss man?” Tubbo played innocent, pretending he wasn’t about to do anything

When Purpled didn’t respond with anything except laughing from Ranboo’s attacks, Tubbo lightly but quickly scribbled into Purpled’s arches

The squeal that Purpled made was the loudest and most adorable thing either Ranboo or Tubbo had heard in a while, causing them to soften their attacks just slightly

The feelings on both spots were starting to be overwhelmingly ticklish, and he finally gave in. “OKAHAHAY FIHIHINE! I GIHIHIVE UHUHUP! PLEHEHEASE!”

Tubbo immediately stopped, leaving tingly ghost tickles on Purpled’s sensitive feet, but Ranboo wasn’t quite done yet

“Is it still none of my shit?”

“FIHIHINE IT’S YOHOURE SHIHIT! PLEHEHEASE!”

With that, Ranboo stopped and got off of Purpled, giggling at the phasing of the sentence.

Purpled quickly curled into a ball, giggling from the ghost tickles he could still feel

“You alright?” Ranboo carded through Purpled’s hair while Tubbo walked over and leaned on Ranboo.

“Yehea, I’m fihihine bihitch.”

“You want more?”

Before Purpled could respond, the rain had started sprinkling again, and from the looks of it, it was going to be pouring soon.

“It’s raining, we should go home soon” Tubbo suggested

Purpled slowly got up and put his shoes back on as he recovered. The entire group now standing up

“It was nice meeting you Purpled” Ranboo said in a friendly tone

“Yea, you too I guess”

With that, they all separated with a smile on their faces, still thinking about what just happened, and the new friendship they’d just created.

[redrobbingabank]

Prison Break

Tw: lots of violence, blood

The white pastry box in her hands was heavy with the weight of the pie. Niki walked down the prime path the way she always did, smiling softly, sweater sleeves covering her hands. It had been a long time since she truly felt the way. She wasn’t sure when it had become a disguise, but it had, and everyone believed it without batting an eye. Beneath it, rage burned, hot but controlled. Always controlled. Her best weapon, she knew, was how she was perceived. Patience would pay off. Nothing but pain was coming for the people who’d locked her friend away.

She found Sam outside the museum. He leaned against the pillar, turning an unlit cigarette over and over in his fingers. He glanced up at her footsteps, then pushed himself off the pillar and pocketed the cigarette.

Niki smiled brightly. “Sam! I was just looking for you.” She hurried up the steps and under the awning outside the museum. The light rain a few feet away droned on. 

“Hey, Niki.” Sam sounded tired. He looked it, too. Purple bags under his eyes were made starker by the unhealthy pallor of his face. “How are you?”

“I’m good. Are you okay?” she asked, arranging her features into a concerned look. “You look exhausted.”

Sam blinked a few times. “Yeah, I’m good. Just all the stuff that’s happened around the prison. Tommy, you know?”

No mention of Techno. Nothing about the lies, about how he and Quackity had pulled him away from his damn birthday party to lure him in. Niki nodded understandingly. “I’m sure it’ll all work out in the end,” she said. Then she held out the box. “I made you a pie. Felt like you might need a pick me up on guard duty so often.”

A small smile appeared on Sam’s face. “Thanks, Niki. I really appreciate that.” He took the box, opening it to find a pumpkin pie and cutlery taped to the side. “Pumpkin! My favorite.”

“I was hoping I remembered right.” Niki smiled again. There was a chance it wouldn’t work, she knew. That Sam would set it aside for later. But he had a parentlike streak. Niki had seen it in his interactions with Tommy. So she tweaked her gaze, made it subtly more hopeful and excited. Sam noticed, and freed the fork from the side of the box. He relaxed a little at the first bite of the comfort food and immediately ate more. “It’s good?” Niki asked sweetly.

Sam nodded. “It’s amazing. Thank you, Niki, really. I needed this.” He swallowed another bite, and two things that would oppose each other happened. First, his eyes widened with panic. Then they began turning glassy. “What…” his knees buckled, and he slowly slid down the pillar before falling sideways. 

It had worked. Niki and Jack had been playing around for a while. Mixing potions together, testing the effects. They’d found a combination Jack had named Aurora’s Poison. Weakness, slowness, the scantest drop of harming, and a ground up petal from a wither rose. Death without stillness.

Sam’s face had taken on a bluish tinge, but his chest still moved up and down. His eyes were half open. “Niki… ” he mumbled, “help.”

Finally, the facade could fall. Niki’s smile turned into a cold smirk. She squatted beside him, strands of pink hair falling into her face. “Oh, Sam.” His lighter had fallen from his pocket. She picked it up and sparked it, studying the flame before looking back at him. “You don’t deserve my help.”

There was the faintest glimmer of realization in his eyes before they closed for good. “Sweet dreams, Warden. The Syndicate sends its regards,” Niki murmured. She stood. Let Quackity try to wake him. He was a living corpse.

She stepped back into the rain, her boots the only sound on the prime path as she returned to the underground bunker Techno had left in his instructions. Phil and Ranboo were already inside and suited up. There were two more pairs of netherite armor on stands against the back wall. One was for her. The second was for Techno.

“How’d it go?” Phil asked. 

“Perfectly,” she replied, tying the straps of the chestplate. Phil’s armor had two bumps on the back, designed specifically to accommodate his wings. He had his sword in hand, shield leaning against his wall. A crossbow and quiver were slung across his back, and Techno’s sword hung from his belt. “Didn’t know what hit him.”

Ranboo looked the calmest Niki had ever seen him. Normally, he fidgeted constantly. Now, his hands were still, aside from the way they drifted to his axe handle. His face was set determinedly, and his crown hung from his armor stand, swapped out for a helmet. He’d been the one to get them the armor. It shone with the best enchantment the server could offer. Niki had known he was rich, but she hadn’t realized exactly how much he’d been sitting on. Her jaw had nearly dropped when, before they set out, he passed a totem to each of them.

“Need help?” he asked, taking half a step towards her when she started struggling with her gauntlets.

“I’ve got it.” Ranboo returned to the wall. He began tracing the blade of his axe lightly with his finger.

When she’d finally gotten all her armor in place, Niki crossed to the rack of weapons. She seized her bow and a quiver of harming arrows, slinging them across her back. She and Phil were the contingency plans if they were somehow pursued. Finally, she picked up her own axe. Its enchantments hummed, sending thrills up her arm. “Ready.”

“Ranboo?” Phil asked. The teenager nodded. “Alright, then.” He flicked the lever by the door. The sound of breaking glass filled the air as potion bottles broke. Niki felt the difference immediately, her bones strengthening with the magic. “Let’s go.”

-

Phil had known anger before. His life had been too long not to. There had been a time, before Techno, before Wilbur, that he let it consume him. Then Techno had arrived, and it was like impulse control had been installed. They were still formidable, of course, but Phil didn’t seek war anymore. 

He knew grief, too. He knew the way it moved, the way it played with you until you wanted to sink beneath its waves and drown. It had consumed him after Wil’s death. He could hardly bring himself to clean his sword before he fell into a stupor in front of the fireplace. It had been Techno, again, who pulled him out of it. Who’d given him a new sword and convinced him to play war games until the sight of blood didn’t send him vomiting to the bathroom. There would be no Techno to pull him out if this went wrong. Phil might as well be dead too. 

Ranboo and Niki followed him out of the bunker. The streets were empty as they silently made their way to the prison. 

They didn’t bother to ring the bell. The three of them stood in the portal until reality straightened itself out. Phil had Techno’s will clutched in his hand. The bundle of papers had been empty, at first, until a few days ago. Writing had begun appearing, in Dream’s messy, spiked scrawl. Sam was a fool, Phil thought. He couldn’t take away Techno’s knowledge of spells.

He strode to the corner of the little room they were in. A loose tile was there, easily unnoticeable if you weren’t looking for it. Phil lifted it and threw it to the side. There was a loud crack when it hit the wall. He flipped the lever beneath it. “Thirty seconds before it resets,” he said, returning to the portal. Niki and Ranboo followed suit, and the prison constructed itself around them.

It was all so darkly decorated. Alright, edgelord, Phil thought sarcastically. They bypassed the waver on its lectern and the lockers to the side. Phil flicked the levers according to the code Techno had written. A door opened, and they took the tunnel  Sam used into the next room. 

Their way through the prison was marked by similar proceedings, and Phil’s mind was left to go on autopilot. 

Techno knew it was a trap. He’d told him so a week ago, standing in the snow outside their houses. The moment he was out of sight, Phil had opened the will. He’d thought the message of the empty papers was clear: do what you want, lol. 

So he’d gone to the stasis chambers and waited by the levers. Three days, he gave himself. Then he’d hit the lever, and Techno would be home safe. 

Then it was four days, and Phil wasn’t sure why he’d waited longer. The pearls were a safety blanket. Using them would make things better. Unless what they revealed made it worse.

Then, on the fifth day, he’d woken up to a scratchy, crinkly noise from the will. Scrambling out of bed, he’d turned the pages over, and found the ink still wet. And what had Techno written, first thing? 

PHIL, DON’T USE THE PEARLS. I NEED THE VIEWS FROM A COOL ESCAPE.

 The dramatic little shit. But Techno had lain out his plan, and like always, it was smart. Phil had gathered the Syndicate, and they’d been ready. 

A hint of nerves appeared in Ranboo’s eyes when they passed the iron door into the main cell area. Phil understood it. When they’d hung out, Ranboo told him how it was the point of no return, in a way. They all remembered what happened to Tommy. But Ranboo had three lives, Phil assured himself, and hoped the teen remembered too. He’d be fine. So would Niki. And Techno.

They travelled through the respawn checkpoints and extra rooms until they were in front of the lava wall. Ranboo glanced at the bed. “Should we set our spawn here?”

Phil shrugged. “I wouldn’t want to be spawn-trapped in here, but if you want to, go ahead.” Ranboo looked at the ground. Remorse tugged at Phil. “Sorry. Just a joke,” he said. Ranboo nodded.

Waiting for the lava to come down would take too long. Phil threw a few potions of fire resistance down on them and flipped the lever so the bridge would be safe when they returned. Then, with Ranboo and Niki standing on the bridge, he flipped the lever. He ran and leapt onto the bridge with the help of the jump boost pots from earlier. 

The flames surrounded them in orange light. They couldn’t see each other. The lava tickled, almost, drying them off from the rain outside.

They came out the other side with a few blocks between them and the cell. Phil blinked a few times, readjusting to the low light, and froze. He hadn’t expected to be greeted by what was there.

-

Ranboo worried. It was in his nature. So of course, when he’d heard the plan, he took precautions for failure. 

Tubbo was back in Snowchester with Jack by his request. They were in the control room, with a nuke armed and ready to hit the prison. Michael would be there too. Ranboo had made Tubbo promise not to let him out of his sight. Ranboo had never been more grateful for his husband’s habit of not asking questions.

His comms had been burning a hole in his pocket the whole way here. One message and it would all go up. 

Now, though, he forgot all about the nukes as the bridge came to a stop at the cell block. Anger took its place. “Quackity,” he said in a near growl, “what are you doing.” 

The scene before them looked like a horror movie. Blood, dry and fresh, coated the floor of the cell. Dream –– Dream –– was curled in the corner, shaking. Quackity stood in the middle of the room with a sword in his hand, grinning. And Techno. 

Ranboo’s friend was standing by the back wall. His cape was torn. He was bleeding, too, but Ranboo couldn’t tell from where. He did, however, see the way Techno was just barely leaning against the wall behind him. His heart clenched.

“Oh, hey guys,” Techno said. Despite everything, his voice still came out strong and unbothered. “Nice timing.”

“Hey, guys.” Quackity flipped the sword in his grip so the point was against the ground, then leaned on the hilt. “Surprise seeing you here.” His easy grin didn’t reach his eye. 

Ranboo vaguely remembered a day in old L’Manburg. He and Quackity had shared a pot of coffee and talked about Ranboo’s thoughts on people versus sides. He’d felt like Quackity understood. He’d thought he’d befriended someone who wouldn’t betray him. “Quackity,” he repeated, lifting his axe, “what are you doing.” 

Behind him, Niki and Phil were moving. He didn’t pay attention to their movements, just trusting them to be ready.

“Ranboo,” Quackity said. “I get you’re probably mad. I saw you at Techno’s party, you two are friends. So first, I’m sorry you had to see this.” I bet you are, Ranboo thought. “Second, I’m only doing it because Techno’s a threat. I can’t let him be out in the world, causing problems.” 

“You. Are. Torturing. Him,” Ranboo said. “Both of them!” 

“Eh, Dream’s had it worse,” Techno shrugged.

“Shut up,” Quackity snapped. Ranboo’s temper snapped.

Of all the people in the room, Quackity probably hadn’t expected Ranboo to make the first move. It took him two steps to reach him, three more to shove him back against the wall. He held his axe to Quackity’s throat. “Who’s next on your list, huh?” he snarled. “Who’s the next ‘threat’ you’re gonna take out?”

Quackity’s eyes flashed. “Well, I hadn’t been thinking on it much,” he grinned, “but Tubbo and that outpost aren’t exactly making me feel comfortable.”

A furious scream built in Ranboo’s throat. He drew back his axe, to do what he didn’t know ––

“Ranboo?” It was Dream, looking up at him. For a moment, Ranboo was thrown into chaos. He couldn’t tell if it was really Dream, or all in his head. A small blade pierced the chink in his armor. He stumbled back, blinking, and the time it took for him to rip the cork from a Regen pot and pour it over the spot was all Quackity needed to ruin his advantage. 

He launched himself at Ranboo. Phil intercepted him, netherite screaming as their swords collided. Niki was by Techno, offering him Healing and Regen while he leaned more heavily on the wall.

The moment the prickling in his gut subsided, Ranboo threw himself into the fight. Phil was quickly left out, which he seemed alright with. From the corner of his eye Ranboo saw him kneeling by Techno as well. 

He hadn’t expected the fight to be so short, for his part. Anger fueled him, and something else. The Enderwalk, rising up in his unsteady mental state and giving him strength he didn’t know he had.

Cuts opened on Quackity’s limbs. His laughter turned to panting in the confined space. “This all you’ve got?” he yelled, out of breath. He tripped, stumbled, and fell against the wall near the lava. 

Ranboo stood over him, axe in hand and red with blood. The natural course from here was to end it, right? Kill Quackity, kick him into lava? But the day in L’Manberg wouldn’t leave his head.

“You can’t do it, can you?” Quackity said. Somehow he managed to look relaxed, leaning against the obsidian as blood soaked his clothes. “I remember being that weak. It was awful. Really, Ranboo, don’t mess with me. The house always wins. You don’t want to start this.”

“Oh, shut up.” Ranboo swung his axe, and the handle collided with Quackity’s head. He slumped against the wall, eyes closed. Blood trickled from beneath his hair, but his chest still rose and fell. Ranboo left him there and returned to his friends.

Niki and Phil had taken care of most of Techno’s injuries, though he had his arms around their shoulders. “I can walk by myself, guys, seriously,” he said, but was immediately cut off by the two of them saying “bullshit” in unison. “Well, one of you needs to get Dream,” he said.

They paused. “Dream?” Niki asked incredulously. 

“Yeah. Look at him, Quackity’s been giving him hell.” He glanced at Ranboo. “But hey, Syndicate rules, remember? You guys don’t have to do anything you don’t wanna. You can go ahead on the bridge and send it back to us.”

Ranboo and Niki shared a glance. They had both been citizens of L’Manberg. They had both been victims of Dream in some way. Ranboo knew Phil had helped destroy L’Manberg like it was a business deal, but he would agree with Techno. They wouldn’t follow Dream, but they’d help him. And as pathetic as the man looked in the corner of the cell, Ranboo couldn’t bring himself to do the same.

He looked Techno in the eye. “This doesn’t change my loyalty to the Syndicate. I just can’t justify helping Dream. I’ll still stand with you in other matters.”

“Got it.” Techno grinned. “Just don’t trap us in here again.”

Ranboo returned the smile, stepping onto the bridge. Niki followed him. “Sorry, Techno,” she said. “But I agree with Ranboo. He’s done too much to hurt me.”

Techno nodded. Niki knocked an arrow and shot it across the now empty pit. It hit the button on the other side, and the bridge began moving. When they reached the other side, Niki removed it from the button before hitting it once more.

“You can go ahead,” Ranboo said. “I’ll bring them back.”

Niki smiled at him. “Thanks. You fought well, Ranboo. See you at the next meeting.” She disappeared back into Sam’s tunnels, which Phil had left open.

Ranboo waited until Phil and Techno were safely on the bridge, Dream draped between them, to press the button one final time. Before it had reached full speed, he was traversing the tunnels himself, moving back towards Snowchester and his family. Quackity would find a way out of the prison, he knew. Tubbo and he would need to be ready.

[ray-ray-writings]

Faking Happy-Platonic!Awesamdude

#105 from this prompt list! Check out my masterlist here!

This is a platonic!awesamdude x gn!reader in the dreamsmp! Reader is also Techno, Wilbur, and Tommy’s sibling, although that isn’t really hit on a lot. 

Trigger Warnings: Depressive behavior such as overeating, overeating unhealthy foods.

The bottle Y/N has been filling with their emotions finally tips over and overflows. 

Y/N’s POV

I let out a sniff as I wiped at my nose. I don’t know what is wrong with me recently. It just felt like everything had gone to shit. Tommy had been exiled. Techno moved super far away. Wilbur is dead and Ghostbur remembers basically nothing. And worst of allI haven’t been able to see my best friend for a long time. Sam had been my best friend for as long as I can remember. 

We met when I was attempting to add some flare to my house with redstone and nothing I was doing was working. I asked around and many pointed me in the direction of Sam. He helped me out a lot, and by that I mean he did it all. Finishing the project did not stop him from coming over almost everyday and from then on one was rarely seen without the other. 

But a few days after Tommy’s exile, Dream came to Sam with a stack of diamond blocks. Dream asked Sam to build him a prison. But not just any type of prison. An inescapable prison. One where if someone were to be put in there, they wouldn’t be able to escape. It took days of planning but Sam finally got the blue prints and then he went to work. 

Every once in a while I would pop by and visit him. He would show me what he was doing and tell me all about it. But the more I visited, the shorter the tours and explanations got until finally all I got was a simple wave. I haven’t been back to the construction site since that day. 

My chest felt so heavy. I missed my best friend with everything I had. But I couldn’t let others see that. Anytime I went out. I plastered a fake smile on my face. I gave everyone cheerful smiles and waves as I passed through. I made time to stop and chat with Tubbo, Quackity, Fundy, and Ranboo. Always being sure to fake laugh at their jokes and waving off their worries and concerns. I would pop into Niki’s bakery, buying all the sweets that I could so I could binge eat them when I’m feeling lonely. Niki would always give me a supportive smile whenever I bought my weight in sweets but would never question me, something I would forever be grateful for. Life had just not been kind to me. 

A knock on my front door startled me out of my crying pity party. I quickly rubbed the tears from my eyes and took some deep breaths, trying to calm myself enough so that it looked like I hadn’t been crying my eyes out. The knock sounded once more, this time more demanding. “Coming!” I managed to croak out. I stood from my couch and quickly made my way to the door. With my hand on the handle I took one more deep breath before plastering the biggest smile I could muster on my face. I swung the door open and gasped in surprise. 

“Sam! What are you doing here?!” I exclaimed in surprise. Sam querked an eyebrow at the question, “What do you mean? Do I have to have a reason to come and see my best friend?” The tall man questioned. “No, no, no!” I rushed, moving out of the doorway to let him in, “It’s just I thought you were too busy with the prison to come visit me” I admitted, tucking hair behind my ear. Sam’s face slightly fell at my confession. He cleared his throat as he entered my home, “I’m never too busy to see you.” He stated walking further into my home. I let out a tiny scoff as I shut the door. “We both know that’s not true.” I muttered under my breath. 

I found Sam in my kitchen, staring at the slight mess of baked goods. “So, how’ve you been?” Sam questioned, brushing a cupcake wrapper out of his way. “Oh, I’ve been good… Yeah good.” I lied through my teeth. “How have you been?” Sam silently stared at me. “Y/N?” He asked, not answering my question. “Yeah?” I responded, not looking at him. “Are you lying to me?” Damn it. Sam had always been able to tell when I wasn’t telling him the truth. I was hoping that maybe that being away from him for so long, his ability would lessen. 

“What? No! Why would you think that?!” I claimed incredulously, slightly glancing at him, hoping to throw him off. “You are! You are lying to me! You haven’t been good have you?” He pressed harder. I swallowed harshly, my mouth felt dry. “I’m not lying. I’ve been good! I’m happy! See!” I exclaimed, looking at him and giving him a big fake grin, “Now tell me how you’ve been, how’s the prison going?” I questioned, trying desperately to get the topic off of me. “Prison’s fine. Now tell me how you’ve really been. Why haven’t you been happy?” I couldn’t help but scoff and roll my eyes, “Sam, I told you I’m fine! I’m happy. I’ve been happy. Now will you please just lay off and leave me alone about it?” I snapped harshly, maybe too harshly. 

Sam’s eyes widened at my tone. His face screamed hurt which made my stomach twist in guilt. “Sam,” I began gently, trying to move forward but he recoiled. “You know what? I’ve got to go,” He stated plainly. Sam moved out of my kitchen and back toward the front door. “Sam!” I pleaded, trying to get him to stay for a moment. He wasn’t listening. “I’ve got to go back to work at the prison. Dream needs it done soon.” He claimed, throwing open my front door and taking a few steps out. I followed him and was met with cold water hitting my face. It was raining… perfect. “Sam, please listen to me. Let me explain,” I begged the man I called my best friend. Sam pulled out his enchanted trident from his inventory. I knew he was about to fly away. “You know Y/N,” Sam stated, pausing after taking his trident out, “You’re my best friend. I want nothing more in this world for you to be happy. “I hope one day you’re as happy as you’re pretending to be.” “Sam” I choked out, silently praying that he would turn around and hear me out. My prayers weren’t answered. “Goodbye Y/N” And with a flash of lighting, he was gone. 

My legs gave out from beneath me. For once, I allowed myself to break down outside the comfort of my home. I sat there outside of my front door, sobbing in the rain. I didn’t care who saw me at this point. I had lost my best friend. “Y/N?” I heard a sweet voice call. I didn’t register them in front of me. They helped me stand up and go back inside of my house. They closed the door and helped me sit down on the floor in front of my door. I don’t know how long I sobbed in their chest. But they held me and stroked my hair. 

When the tears vacated my eyes, I was able to see that the sweet voice had belonged to none other than Niki. When our eyes met, she gave me a soft smile. “I knew something was going on with you, but I never wanted to over step. You want to talk about it?” She questioned softly. I mentally debated with myself before deciding that yes, I did want to talk about it. And so I told Niki everything. She patiently listened and nodded along to show she was listening and interested. And when I was done, she sat for a moment to digest everything. 

“You need to talk to him,” She declared after a moment, “He’s your best friend and he deserves to know how you feel. Especially if you’re feeling like this.” I let out a sigh and nodded. “You’re right. But after today, I’m not sure he would want to see me.” “Your best friend as much as he is yours. I’m sure he would love to see you.” Silence settled between us for a brief moment. “Okay,” I claimed slowly standing up. “I’m going to go see him… and I’m going to take a pumpkin pie.” Niki let out a giggle as she stood up as well. “Oh I’m sure he’ll love that.” We both laughed at that. Sam had always been a sucker for Niki’s pumpkin pie. 

I thanked Niki profusely for helping me and listening to me. She assured me that it was no problem and then she left. I quickly packed for the small journey to the prison, making sure not to forget the pie and then I set out. It didn’t take me too long to get there, the many times I had made this trek before really came in handy. The walk was now basically muscle memory, I could do it with my eyes closed. Which was good considering my eyes were really puffy from crying. 

I let out a deep breath as the prison came into view. I noticed that the outside was a lot more finished than when I was here last, but I could tell there was still work to be done. I quickly made my way to the entrance and stopped in the doorway. My eyes scanned around and didn’t see him. My shoulders deflated in defeat, maybe he already left for the day and I missed him. 

“Y/N?” A voice called from behind me causing me to jump. I whipped around and came face to face with the man I was looking for. “Hey,” I greeted sheepishly, taking a small step forward. “What are you doing here?” He questioned, a stony expression set on his face. “I… Uhh. I came to apologize and explain.” I confessed. His hard expression fell from his face. “Go on…” I took a deep breath before nodding. And so I let everything spill out of me. I told him all about how I felt like I had lost all of my brothers. I literally lost Wilbur and the other two are so far away, I might as well have lost them too. On top of that, I told him how not seeing him had affected me and my mental health. How I had been faking being happy because I didn’t want to be a burden on anyone. I admitted to him my unhealthy habits of buying as much as I could from Niki’s and then binge eating instead of facing my feelings. And finally I told him that seeing him today and him calling me out just caused everything to break in me. 

“I am really really sorry for what I said to you Sam. I didn’t mean it. I don’t want you to lay off. I don’t want you to leave me alone. I always want you to bother me and check up on me and talk to me. You’re my best friend and I love you.” I finished, a single tear falling down my cheek. Sam didn’t hesitate, he rushed forward and wrapped me up in his arms and held me close to his chest. He brought his head down and rested his chin on the top of my head as we hugged. “Thank you for apologizing,” He murmured, “I love you too. I’m so sorry I didn’t realize you were hurting sooner. I promise that I will bother you everyday if need be. I never want you feeling like that again.” “I’ll hold you to that promise. If it means I get to go back to seeing you everyday, count me in.” I stated with a grin, tilting my head to look into his eyes. I felt Sam’s chest rumble as he chuckled at my statement but said nothing else.

After a few more moments of hugging, I suddenly remembered my surprise for him. “Oh!” I gasped, unwrapping myself from my best friend’s hold, “I brought you something!” I carefully pulled the pie out of my backpack and presented it to Sam. “Tada!” I exclaimed, extending the pie to my bestie. Sam let out a gasp as he accepted the gift. “A Pumpkin pie? From Niki’s?? Oh you’re actually the best!” Sam exclaimed, grabbing the spoon I had brought him as well and immediately began digging in. I let out a laugh as he shoved the pumpkin dessert in his mouth. “What?” He questioned, his mouth full. I shook my head as I giggled, “Nothing. Nothing at all.” 

There you go! I hope you guys enjoyed it! If you did, please be sure to leave a like!

[codysvisor]

alright everyone, i should be studying for exams but that’s boring, so i’m making a masterpost of my original headcannons for the dreamsmp. Feel free to use these, just tag me, i’d love to see them used!

Ranboo:

as a child, he has uncontrollable teleportation. in the middle of conversations he’ll just zap out, and we he comes back he acts like nothing happened and keeps talking

his skin is actually floof! when he’s cold, he fluffs his fur out to keep him warm. he also does it when he’s really upset, so the others know not to talk to him until he’s back to normal

he speaks enchantment table language, and techno learns it and helps Ranboo learn english. and because techno’s teaching it, it’s super big words, and Ranboo picks up on it. tommy and tubbo are terrified of him when he speaks

he loves techno’s crown, so one day when techno is falling asleep, he snatches it. techno gets it back, and then makes ranboo his own little crown

he hates winter, because snow is just cold rain. it doesn’t bother him nearly as much as rain does, but he just stays inside most of the time in winter.

Tommy doesn’t like him at first, but he grows on him

when ranboo is happy, the purple particles around him expand and “dance” in the air. it’s really cute

ranboo and tubbo as adopted siblings bond over their shared horns

Dadschlatt:

when his son, tubbo, is upset, he makes him his fav food: eggs. he thinks it smells like shit but he would do anything for his son’s happiness

when he and tubbo are mad, their horns grow. philza eventually adopts tubbo and after tommy’s exile, he asks for a bucket hat to hide his horns since they’re constantly growing as he’s always upset. phil and tubbo are on good terms, this is before house arrest, so he lends one of his favorite bucket hats. after phil and techno blow up lmanberg, phil looks through the crater and finds a bucket hat. there’s two large holes at the top

(establishes modern sbi au) schlatt doesnt like tommy bc he calls tubbo a loser or smth like that, but tubbo and tommy become best buds and are always hanging out so Schlatt learns to deal with it. he never fully likes tommy, though

when dadschlatt dies, all his memories of tubbo are happy ones; he remembers being a great dad for tubbo’s whole life—not the actual first few years.

Technoblade:

techno doesn’t like ranboo at first, but he slowly gets attached and treats him like his brother. their memories together are some of the only memories he rememebers without the memory book

techno dyes his hair when he’s fifteen. tommy helps him

When techno first starts growing his hair out, it’s a mullet for a while. tommy, wanting to be cool like his big brother, grows out a mullet. he gets bullied, and cuts it all off. tommy is bald for like a month

techno’s crown isn’t a traditional crown—it’s a hair clip, really. He keeps it on top of his head and it keeps his hair together, and his pride

Tommy gifts techno a skull mask when he’s younger. the skull mask becomes a whole thing, and techno doesn’t take it off outside the house

techno braids all of his siblings hair at one point. either they’re asleep, or they beg them

There’s probably more but i really need to take a quiz, but, enjoy!

this’ll be updated as i come up w more hcs!

ao3: tech

twt: technobladek

[gummy-friend]

35 with bench trio maybe? :3 Your pick of who's what size.

Thank you so much for the ask, this was a very relaxing one to make ✌:D

————

"Did they fall asleep on your hand?"

With Tiny Tommy, Tiny Tubbo, and Human Ranboo.

Content Warning: Language :D

—————

The light breeze washed over Ranboo, Tommy, and Tubbo as they ran around the field.

It's a nice day.

It was a summer they lived in when Tommy and Tubbo got founded by Ranboo— who thought he was living alone at the time— after they ate a poisonous potato. Ranboo nursed them to healing, and eventually, they lived together in a no-longer lonely house in the forest.

"Woohoo!" Tommy shouted while running around in the grass, the clear weather made him more visible for Ranboo to not be worrying about not being able to see the two borrowers in the grass.

Tubbo joined in on Tommy running around, carrying an apple he got(stole) from Ranboo's house as a toy. When asked, he said "Ranboo, you'll peel the apple before sharing it, right?" and continued rolling it.

It's a nice day.

Another slow breeze washed over them as they're now playing beside a big tree— Ranboo said to not play in the shade, for he worry he cannot see the two borrowers in the shade— Tommy and Tubbo rolled around the grass on the bright sunshine, and Ranboo blew bubbles. The soap-made shape dancing around in the slow breeze before eventually popping into a small rain— but before that happens, there are already more of them being made.

The three of them has been planning this for quite a few days after summer rolled around.

"Please, Big man, if the sun is bright enough, you can see us clearly in the sun! Me and Tommy has tested it—"

"You went outside??? Tubbo, you do realize it's dangerous, right?"

"Not the point there— but it'll be nice, trust us on this!"

"Yeah!"

Was a conversation (or a one-sided argument, really. Tubbo and Tommy understood their friend too well for him to not be able to decline requests like this) they had one day. It was sundown when they had the conversation— hence the worry practically radiating from Ranboo. But a quick "C'mon, Ranboo, don't be a pussy" from Tommy and and a "We'll be okay, promise!" from Tubbo, made Ranboo took a quick sigh and agreed.

"C'mon Ranboo, your turn! Try finding us!" Tommy's shout quickly brought Ranboo back from his flashback. Right. They were playing hide and seek (The shade is still not allowed for the borrowers) and this time, Ranboo is the seeker.

It's a count to twenty.

"One.." Ranboo counted. Closing his eyes and facing towards the bark of the tree.

"Two.." Ranboo heard grass around him shuffled. Maybe it was the breeze, maybe it was the borrowers running around. Either way, Ranboo smiled fondly at the thought.

"Three.." a strong breeze picks up. Ranboo heard a small "Tommy—!" shout from Tubbo. Oh no, did Tommy got picked up by the wind?

"Four.." Ranboo heard a "What the fuck" followed by a "There you are" From Tommy and Tubbo simultaneously. They're fine

"Five.." A small laugh in Ranboo's voice, picturing the image of Tommy being swept by the wind. "That fucker is laughing at me, I knew it" a small grumble from Tommy. Ranboo didn't hear the sentence, but he heard the annoyed tone in that. Another laugh laced in Ranboo's words as he continued counting.

By fourteen, The small conversation between Tommy and Tubbo has stopped

And by eighteen, The shuffling sound of the grass from the borrower's movement has stopped,

And by twenty, everything is silent.

Ranboo turned around from his position, eyes no longer being shut by his arm— he took a few seconds to adjust his eyes to the bright sunshine, though— and he sees a bright green field. The sun is shining brightly above him (and the tree) and that's why he can see red quickly.

"Tommy, found you" Ranboo called out, walking towards Tommy. Who was laying face-down, trying to blend in with the grass.

Smiling at the sight, Ranboo poked the borrower. Earning an ear-hurting screech from the startled borrower.

"You fucking cheated, didn't you?!" Tommy accused after the screech. Pointing his finger to the human.

"I did not!" Ranboo refuted, holding up his hand "You should consider not wearing red in the middle of a green field, next time"

"You still fucking cheated" Tommy grumbled, while walking begrudgingly walking to Ranboo's open hand, ready to be stuffed in his pocket.

In all honesty, it's hot inside Ranboo's pocket. But if remembering how hot it is if Ranboo is wearing his normal suit, maybe it's bearable. The madman still chose the black suit aesthetic even in the heat of the summer, that's why he wore a thinner black suit, calling it "Summer suit" (which is a fucking stupid name, in Tommy's opinion, but it's not his suit). He and Tubbo tried talking about that with him one day, fortunately, Ranboo seems a bit interested in those hawaiian wear— it's a lot less warm in that clothing, at least.

When Tommy tuned back to the present, Ranboo has already found Tubbo.

"Why are you hiding inside a rock?!" Ranboo cried out. Apparently, Tubbo was hiding inside a hole of a large rock— much to Ranboo's relief and worry "When did you found out this hiding spot?"

"I know a lot of things, bossman" Tubbo smirked. Hopping to Ranboo's hand, about to be placed in the pocket beside Tommy's one. "By the way, did you saw my apple? I think it got rolled away by the wind earlier"

"I'll just take more from the house. It's probably dirty anyway" Ranboo sighed, walking towards his house.

It's an old house, and he lived there alone from when he found this house. According to Tommy, he and Tubbo had lived there before Ranboo 'barged in and inserted himself to their life'— Ranboo was originally about to be adopted by a nice man with two sons, but Ranboo declined. Ranboo thinks having two sons is probably already too much for the man, he shouldn't take an orphan from the streets just because the orphan has no home— and fortunately, the orphan has found a house in the edge of the forest. With a "Now I have a house, so you don't have to worry", The orphan made the nice man gave up with a "I'll send foods periodically. Eat well, okay?" and a nod.

The orphan was Ranboo, and Ranboo's house became a home now. A place where the heart is. He's glad he lived in this house— Being able to meet Tommy and Tubbo.

And as of now, Ranboo is currently getting Tubbo, Tommy, and himself various fruits and two sandwiches (he figured a sandwich is enough for Tommy and Tubbo to eat), and went back to the shade beneath the tree.

"Here, the food is ready" Ranboo said, placing down three plates— each one of them contains a piece of sandwich and fruits (He did peel the apple)— much to the borrowers delight.

It's a nice day. They talked about various of things, funny stories about how Ranboo got lost in the forest, about how Tubbo found the hole in the rock, about how Tommy managed to befriend a moth one time.

It's a nice day. Slow breeze blew softly with them and bright sun being blocked by a tree. Plus, the rustling of the grass and leaves made a relaxing sound. Not to mention Ranboo's soft hand beneath Tommy and Tubbo— acting as a cushion for them to sleep on.

It's a nice day to doze off on a summer day like this.

Ranboo was about to sleep as well, looking at the sleeping figures in his hand. But before he could, he heard footsteps from wooden sandals.

The orphan met a nice man, and the nice man is standing in front of the orphan right now.

"Hey, Phil" Ranboo greets sleepily, the rustling sounds of leaves is so relaxing.

"Hey mate" Phil answered, taking a seat in front of Ranboo. "I was dropping off this harvest season's food, and was wondering why you weren't home" he smiled at the sight— The edge of the forest is a good place for Ranboo to live in, there's no one to bother him on days like these "Did they fell asleep on your hand?"

Ranboo looked towards where Phil is gesturing, and gave a "Yeah, we were having a picnic or some sorts" laced with a yawn.

"Good for you, mate" Phil stood up, giving Ranboo a little pat "You have fun, I'm going home— don't sleep too long out here, alright?"

"Okay, Phil"

After that, Ranboo felt a quick wind alongside the sound of wings flapping. And with a yawn, Ranboo closed his eyes.

It's a nice day.

—————

Again, Thank you so much for the prompt!! :DD

The dialogue prompt is from here. Do give me a prompt! :D

Masterlist (If you're interested in my other writings)

[ramzawrites]

Barriers - Reader x Niki

GN

Pairings: Niki x Reader

Characters included: Niki, (mentioned) Wilbur, (mentioned) Philza, (mentioned) Ranboo

Warnings: n/a

Series: a small drabble for Valentine’s :]

Summary: The Enderling Y/N meets up with their best friend and Merling Niki like usual, though this time a surprise is waiting for them.

Words count: 1689

Authors Note: This plays in the Powers SMP (I call it Power smp since Orgins is already taken) and I just wanted to write something nice with Niki since I really enjoyed the idea of an Enderling together with a Merling

Y/N sat down on the soft grass, near the pond. A soft smile ever present on their face as they kept their eyes trained on the water. There were bubbles at the surface nearby, since Niki installed some soulsand in the ground that produced them nonstop.

Ever since she got her hands on soulsand she had been lowkey obsessed with the stuff, always asking for more to decorate her home with it. Y/N ended up being her main source for it since they spent the most time together, which was a bit ironic in hindsight.

As a Merling Niki was bound to water, unable to breath on the surface while as an Enderling Y/N was practically allergic to any water. Yet they still hung out as much as they could.

Just like today Y/N would walk over to her pond and she would come up, making sure that her gills are submerged while the two were talking. Though sometimes Niki would come out more, though not for long since it was her equivalent or holding her breath underwater. Only the exact opposite.

Though today Niki took her time. Y/N kept watch over the water but couldn’t spot their friend.

Friend.

A blush spread on Y/N’s face as soon as they caught themself hoping it could be more than just Friends but the circumstances were a bit against their favor for that, so they were just happy spending the time with Niki like this.

Niki was a lively and beautiful Merling. Always so excited and happy when Y/N brought her stuff from the surface or even the nether.

Meanwhile Y/N got nervous as soon someone looked directly in their eyes and tended to keep to themself, mostly using their time in order to find things that Niki could enjoy. Yeah they had it bad for her but what can you do.

The two have been talking a lot about how they could maybe find a way to bring Niki out of the water so they could show them the surface while also maybe finding a way to bring Y/N into the water without hurting them so they could finally see all the work that Niki put in her home.

Niki would often talk about how she decorated her home and Y/N would apologize saying things like “I can see some things you have done! Sorry, I can’t see a lot though. I’m sure you did a fantastic job!”

Rainy days were the funny ones. It was the only time Niki could be more outside than usual and actually take a good look at everything while Y/N had to hide from the outside, often huddling down beneath a tree only occasionally teleporting to the next one.

It was on one of those rainy days Y/N and Niki shared a hug, though it was still a bit uncomfortable for Y/N since Niki was all wet from the rain but they didn’t dare to complain. Getting a hug from your best friend for the first time was more important than the admittedly very minor water burns.

That was when something red caught their eye. Something floated between the bubbles. Must have for some reason been caught in it and then pushed to the surface.

Curious Y/N moved closer to the bubbles, inspecting what it was.

A rose?

How did a rose get inside the water? That’s curious. Did the others litter inside Niki’s pond again? If Y/N finds out who it is they will make sure to give them an earful. It’s quite rude to empty your trash inside Niki’s home for Ender’s sake.

That’s when a second rose appeared. Okay, now it was more weird und unlikely. Then a third and fourth. More appeared. Did someone throw a whole rose bouquet into the water?

Carefully Y/N took a hold of one rose, trying their best to not touch the water, while using a cloth that they brough with them to hold the flower. It was wet and a tiny bit squished but a beautiful flower nonetheless.

If Y/N didn’t know any better they would say the pond or even Niki is giving them a little gift. An embarrassed smile spread on their face. A stupid thought that made them happy.

“Do you like them?”

Y/N let out a surprised yelp as Niki suddenly appeared with a beautiful smile on her face, scaring Y/N half to death who was busy with their own thoughts.

“Uh, the flowers? I mean yeah they are quite beautiful.”

Niki’s smile widened as her cheeks grew to a soft pink “I picked them for you!”

Y/N’s eyes widened as they looked between the flowers dancing in the water and the blushing Niki.

“You? You picked them? For me?”

Niki enthusiastically nodded “Yes! Wilbur helped me a bit to find a good place near water and together we picked some! It wasn’t raining but I still managed to pick quite a lot for you!”

Y/N’s face grew hot as their heart beat faster “Wait, wait, wait. Never mind how dangerous it is for you to just walk out of the water for some flowers… why?”

Niki suddenly brought a flask out and stared at it for a few seconds before snapping back towards Y/N. They could immediately tell she was nervous which brought their beating heart into overdrive. They pressed their cold hand against their face, trying to calm themself down a little bit.

“Well it’s Valentine’s Day and I wanted to ask you if you would want to be my Valentine?” she immediately sank a little bit lower into the water so that only her eyes were looking out the surface. Honestly if Y/N wasn’t dumbstruck by that question they would have laughed at Niki’s adorable behavior.

They slowly nodded “Yes. I would love that.” Their voice was wavering due to their nerves. Does that mean Niki felt just the same towards them? Wait, peddle that back. How long did Niki feel like that now that they would ask them out on a Valentines date. Or was it a platonic one?

Y/N felt like their head was about to explode.

“You, uh, you want to go out on a Valentine’s date with me?” they just blurted it out as they tried to make sense of the situation.

Niki came back up so she could talk with Y/N only to reveal her bright red cheeks “Yes! Philza and the others even helped me with making potions that allow me to breath surface air! You can show me your home and we can hang out!”

“I would love that so much, Niki.”

“Oh! That reminds me! Wilbur promised to help me with something!” she then uncorked the bottle and downed the contents of the potion she was looking at before. It was clear Niki was relieved with Y/N’s reaction while Y/N themself still seemed to lag behind.

Niki jumped up and came out the water. She then pointed at the cloth that Y/N held on to who in return just gave it to her without hesitating. Niki then dried herself as much as she could with it, mostly concentrating on her hands.

She then stretched her hands out which Y/N slowly took in theirs. It was the first time in a long while they held hands like this.

Almost amazed Y/N looked up at Niki who was smiling just as brightly at them.

“I asked Wilbur to set something up for like a small picnic for us! Let’s go find him!”

Niki stood up pretty fast while Y/N still seemed dazed.

“I kind of just ambushed you with this, huh? I’m sorry.”

Y/N shook their head “No, I’m glad. I’m just, I never thought you would feel like that towards me. I mean I had hoped but, I never imagined. I feel like I’m on cloud nine.” They admitted.

Niki giggled “I’m sorry I should have explained a bit more. I was just so nervous and then so relieved when you agreed that I kind of jumped ahead. Listen, Y/N. We spend so much time together and I enjoy your company so much, I wouldn’t know where I would be without you. You always come around to bring me stuff only because you think I would like them. That’s sweetest thing anybody has ever done for me. I’ve had quite a crush on you for a long while now but was too scared to say anything, you know, because of our water situation.”

Y/N let out a relieved chuckle “Ha! I had the same thought! I mean I’ve had feeling towards you for a while as well but I was too scared to say anything due to our situation but if that was the case why did you ask me out today?”

“Ranboo came around and told Wilbur of all the enchantments and new potions recipes he and Phil found. He told Wilbur about a potion that would help Merlings breath outside of water.” Niki shook fondly her head “He immediately came my way and told me about it. Apparently our mutual pining has been pretty obvious for all the others but us.”

“Oh?”

The two laughed. They laughed as if it was the only way to let go of the last rest of their nervousness. Holding each other’s hands as they begun talking about their pining and how obvious it had been in hindsight.

They spent so much time talking about it Niki had to chug another potion which made them realize they should finally find Wilbur who set up the little surprise picnic for them.

Once they found him and Wilbur saw the two grinning with flushed cheeks, holding hands he brought them over to a flower field. He pointed out that he build up a little overhang in the back that should it rain, Y/N could hide beneath it but otherwise the two could spent time on a blanket with a ton of food which was apparently courtesy of almost everyone.

Apparently once the others heard what Wilbur was doing they felt the need to pitch in since for them it seemed like a long time coming.

[kazuhasbunny]

"you want me to read you the entire timeline of a video game roleplay?"

"if that's what you want, my liege"

He clears his throat and focuses on the text

"We first start off at the beginning of the server where the only members were Dream and GeorgeNotFound. After a few days, they decided to add a couple of their friends to the server which include Sapnap, Awesamdude and ItsAlyssa. They built concepts on the server, such as the community house, that are still around today. Everything was running pretty smoothly and well until TommyInnit joined the server on July 4th of 2020. Tommy caused problems breaking the server rules such as griefing, murdering, and overall starting a lot of fights. This would go on to affect the entire history of the server, and spreading an outbreak and wars to come.

The Disc War

The first war we come across is the Disc War. The Disc War was between Dream and TommyInnit. The two discs are Tommy’s prized possessions on the server. Dream however wanted to get a hold of them, so he could have complete control over Tommy. They have been going back and forth, using the discs as leverage over one another all until January 21st of 2021 where Tommy and Tubbo fought Dream to the death. Dream ended up losing 2 of his 3 cannon lives that day and was placed in Pandora’s Vault, a prison built on the server by Awesamdude. Dream would have lost all three of his cannon lives that day, but the only thing that kept Tommy from taking all of them was the fact that Dream could revive people after they had lost their third cannon life. So, with Wilbur dead and hopes to bring him back to life, they just locked up Dream for later use.

The L’amanburg War

The second war we see happen on the server is the L’amanburg War. After the addition of WilburSoot joining the server he had decided to create a nation known as L’amanburg. This nation consisted of himself, Tommy, Fundy, Tubbo, Eret, and Fundy. The war first sparked off when Wilbur and Tommy announced their independence as a nation. Dream did not want this to happen, because he would no longer have control of those people anymore. But, it wasn’t looking too good for L’amanburg as Eret betrayed them leaving them in the dust. There wasn’t any other option, or anything L’amanburg could do at this point so Tommy challenged Dream to a duel. If Tommy won, L’amanburg would get to have its independence. However, if Dream won, he would get one of Tommy’s discs. Tommy did end up losing the war but it wasn’t over just yet. Tommy made yet another deal with Dream that he would give him both of his discs for L’amanburg’s independence. The negotiation was a success, and L’amanburg was born.

The Railway War

The next war is the Railway war. This was a very small and anticlimactic war. Tommy had accidently killed Dream with a minecart, but ultimately tried to benefit from it. He stole Dream’s loot in hopes of making a trade with it to get his discs back. However, Dream saw no point in this and could simply get new gear. So, he killed Tommy’s pet horse and the war came to an end as Tommy returned Dream’s items.

The Pet War

As another small war, the Pet War didn’t really end well. Dream SMP member Sapnap had begun the pet war by killing Nihachu’s pet fox as well Fundy’s enderman. Niki got hurt and sought revenge. With Tommy’s help, he stole Sapnap’s two pet fish, Beckerson and Mars, and with the help of Fundy, killed one of Sapnap’s foxes. Sapnap then decided to blow up the gravesite for Niki’s pet, which resulted in a duel between Fundy and Sapnap. Ultimately, Fundy had lost and the war just ended, as neither side had leverage over one another.

The Manberg Rebellion

Wilbur, President of L’amanburg, decided to hold an election since there was no vote giving him his leadership. Four parties were then created. Pog2020 with Wilbur and Tommy, Swag2020 with Quackity and GeorgeNotFound, Coconut2020 with Niki and Fundy, and Schlatt2020 with JSchlatt running solo. A vote was held on Twitter to have viewers determine the outcome. Pog2020 ended up having the most votes, but before the election started, Quackity made a deal with Schlatt saying that if neither of them were the victors, they would combine their votes. As a result, both parties combined votes so that JSchlatt was voted the new President of L’amanburg, with Quackity as his Vice President. Immediately JSchlatt made his first decree to revoke the citizenship of WilburSoot and TommyInnit.

The War of the Burning Eiffel Tower

Another small war on the server was the War of the Burning Eiffel Tower. This war kicked off when Sapnap had accidently killed Tommy’s pet cow Henry. Tommy plotted his revenge recruiting Dream and Technoblde to fight against Sapnap, BadBoyHalo, Skeppy, Punz and Antfrost. Overall Tommy’s team was stronger, and they ended up winning this war.

Manberg vs. Pogtopia

Manberg vs Pogtopia is arguably one of the best wars and the biggest war to have ever happened on the server. This war took place on November 16, 2020. There was a lot of preparation going into this war as Wilbur, Tommy, Tubbo, Technoblade, Fundy, and Nihachu built an underground city known as Pogtopia. With help from Technoblade they received some of the best gear on the server that prepared them for war. Along the way they recruited other members to fight against JSchaltt and his new found nation, Manberg. Schlatt received help from Dream along with some others to fight back, until Dream gave up the location of Schaltt where he was hiding. As Tommy was about to take Jschlatt’s last cannon life, he died from a stroke. But, it wasn’t over just yet. Wilbur and Tommy could regain their spots as President and Vice President, but they ended up giving leadership over to Tubbo with Tommy as his Vice. However, this entire time Dream had warned them that there was a traitor among the members Pogtopia. When Schlatt died he admitted to this being a lie, but he was in fact not telling the truth. Wilbur was the traitor. He had been having thoughts of blowing L’amanburg up for the longest time and it had happened on that date. He was caught right before pushing the button by Philza, but after the deed was done, he requested to die, and Wilbur had lost his final canon life. Yet again, it wasn’t over just then. Technoblade, being an anarchist, did not like the idea of rulers or any higher power. When Tubbo became their new leader and felt betrayed since he had helped them regain L’amanburg from Schlatt. So, he unleashed multiple withers, and once they were defeated, he had become an enemy of the state of the New L’amanburg.

The Doomsday War

This war by far was one of the most devastating. Dream, Technoblade, and Philza went against all the members of L’amanburg. The war was supposed to take place at 3:00 P.M., but they attacked earlier and unexpectedly from above, raining thousands upon thousands of explosives on the nation, and unloading a total of 15 withers. L’amanburg was not prepared for this and was destroyed, leaving behind a huge crater of all the history left behind.

Exile Arc

The Exile Arc kicked off when a new member of the server, Ranboo, joined. Ranboo had been goofing around with Tommy and both decided to burn down and grief George’s house. Dream being George’s very close friend was not happy with this at all, and with Tubbo being the new leader of L’amanburg he had demanded that something be done. Over the course of a couple days Dream was like a gnat in Tubbo’s ear trying to get him to betray Tommy. This eventually did happen when Tubbo exiled Tommy from L’amanburg, and he couldn’t walk on any of the grounds of the SMP that had already been discovered. Dream took Tommy far away and would visit him every week, making sure he stayed put. Tommy’s lore from they’re got pretty dark diving into topics that were pretty serious. Eventually he started to wake and realize that he could just run away while Dream was gone. So, he did just that. On his journey away from exile, he discovered a house in one of the snow biomes of the server. This ended up being Technoblade’s house. From here Techno would provide for Tommy until one day he returned to L’amanburg to confront Tubbo. In their altercation Tubbo gave Dream one of Tommy’s discs. Somehow Tommy also ended up turning on Technoblade and becoming friends with Tubbo once more. This is what kicked off the Doomsday War.

The Imprisonment

The Arc ties a lot into the Disc War. Towards the end of the Disc War, Dream was put in Pandora’s Vault for later use, claiming he could revive the dead. Since then Dream has been in this prison with no way of escaping. The prison system, run by Awesamdude, was thought to be very safe and inescapable. Overtime people have visited Dream including Tommy, Sapnap, BadBodyHalo, and Ranboo. One day Tommy vowed that this would be his last time visiting Dream. Everything was going smooth until unexpected explosions were heard right outside of the prison. With security being so tight and strict in Pandora’s Vault, Tommy would have to remain in prison with Dream until the security situation was resolved. The situation was in fact not resolved for over two weeks. Tommy had been annoying Dream constantly with their time together. One day Dream snapped and killed Tommy taking his last cannon life. Tommy’s next stream we see a pitch black screen, and Tommy is heard talking to Wilbur in the afterlife. Wilbur’s voice all of a sudden gets very faint, to the point of where it vanishes. Tommy’s screen then flashed back to him inside the prison with Dream. Tommy had been brought back to life. With this Tommy was able to escape the cell notifying Sam. Viewers were able to learn that Dream actually had the power to bring people back to life and we are left to wonder what he will do with it.

Ranboo’s Memory

Ranboo’s character has memory loss. He is also half Enderman, and the other half is still yet to be revealed. As Ranboo starts going about his day to day time on the server, we see a voice starting to talk to him. This voice is believed to be Dream. These voices keep appearing in Ranboo’s head, and as a result he builds a panic room. Ranboo also started to journal everything he did in a book so he wouldn’t forget anything. Ranboo also has a condition called an Enderwalk. Certain things trigger his Enderwalk such as when anyone types “:)”. From there he won’t remember anything of what happens when he wakes up, and is able to cause serious damage. If we take a look back to when there was a security issue and Tommy got stuck in the prison. The only person on the server who wasn’t doing anything at the time was Ranboo. It is said that he was the one who planted explosions near the prision and trapped Tommy inside. However, he couldn’t recall what he did that day, so many believe that he was in an Enderwalk state. A little before this event even occurred, Ranboo was thought to have visited Dream. When Ranboo visited the prison, everything seemed a little off. Things started to get really weird when Dream had multiple copies of Ranboo’s journal with him. The screen ended up getting all swirly, and eventually blacked out, only with a “:)” left.

Tales of the SMP

A couple months ago in one of Karl’s streams, we learned that he was able to time travel. Since then he has traveled numerous times to places like The Town That Never Was, The Village That Went Mad, The Beach Episode, The Lost City of Mizu, The Masquerade, The Wild West, The Haunted Mansion and The Pit. All of these streams include little bits of lore from the future and the past. But, when his traveling is done, he returns to a place called The Inbetween. Here we first learn that it was a place meant for time travelers to rest and take a break. It is a beautiful white castle in the sky, and doesn’t seem to have a problem in the world. This is until we see some books that pop up in random places. It is as though one person is telling him this place is safe, and another that is telling him he needs to hide and get out of there. Up until Karl’s most recent Tales stream “The Pit”, Karl wasn’t able to leave The Inbetween, aside from being able to return home. But, there was a portal that we had learned of in the Inbetween, and the gate blocking the portal was no longer there. As Karl raced to the portal, words popped up on the screen that kept telling him to get and and that he was almost there. Once through the portal, we enter a world called The Other Side. In this world there is a black castle. And with a book inside, it assures him that this is a safe place. However, when Karl eventually returns home, he keeps getting weaker. He loses his memory and begins to write down all the adventures he goes on.

The Egg

After the Doomsday War, we see a red type of vine coming from deep below in the crater. It leads to a giant red egg. The egg has taken over people’s minds, and whispers to them in a language that the controlled can only understand. With this a group called the eggpire was formed, with the egg controlling multiple people such as BadBoyHalo, Skeppy, Punz, Antfrost and Hannah. The egg has spread all over the server and up till now has been a nuisance. Recently, however, the egg allowed its followers to destroy the egg vines across the server since it didn’t want to make the other people of the server upset. Members of the eggpire such as BadBoyHalo, AntFrost and Punz have been pushing people to go see the egg and join the empire. Although most of their attempts have been unsuccessful, on April 25, 2021, we are expected to see something called the Red Banquet. Multiple people outside of the eggpire have been invited, and several theories are being churned up for what might happen.

Las Nevadas

SMP member Quackity has been working on a project called Las Nevadas for the past month. Since then, we have gotten two streams building up more and more of Quackity’s lore. In his first lore stream, we see Quackity confront BadBoyHalo to express his desire of wanting his friend back, since he has been corrupted by the egg. We also see a very big moment in which the Awesamdude has allowed Quackity to enter the prison everyday, and tourture Dream until he gets the revive book on how to bring people back to life, but to no avail just quite yet. The final installment that is shown in this first lore stream is all of the memories of El Rapids. El Rapids was a country created by Quackity that included members such as George, Sapnap, and Karl. Participants are led to believe that the three other members just abandoned Quackity, but we see in his next lore stream that wasn’t exactly the case. During his next lore stream we see a “prequel” of the first stream involving Las Nevadas. We see an interaction with Quackity and George after everyone else left El Rapids. Quackity explained how he was building Las Nevadas and would make money with his casinos, hotels, and many more attractions. Then we get a hard hitting question about what happened to El Rapids. George explains that he, Karl, and Sapnap went to go build a new county called Kinoko Kingdom However, Quackity was supposed to be included in all of this, but Karl forgot to tell him. Viewers expect that Karl forgot due to his time traveling problem, hence why it is so hard-hitting.

Overall, the history of the Dream SMP is very long, to say the least. There are definitely more bits and pieces of lore that were not included that can be seen on some of the vods correlated to whichever streamer was streaming a certain event on Twitch or on Youtube. If you plan on watching the Dream SMP or plan on catching up on some of the lore you may have missed, reading this article should put you up to date as of publication time. I also recommend going to watch “SAD-ist” on YouTube. The animatics she has ranging from “Warriors” to “Hog-Hunt” cover the majority of events and wars that have occurred on the server. "

He finishes reading then looks at you to see your reaction, but find out you've passed out and is snoring.

-xingqiu

HELP I /J WHAYTAHS 😭😭😭 HELEPPPP

[radioduo]

moonlight confrontations || dsmp become human au

word count: 1,832

notes: the next part of the dream smp dbh au! this took a sad amount of time to get done, but i actually like it, so i say it’s worth it! per usual, tell me if i fuck something up in the story, characterization, or even just spelling. feedback is appreciated!

first

writing is below the cut! if you see this edit, put in the tags or reply with your choice at the end :]

Ranboo watched silently as the detectives all milled around him and investigated the crime scene. Some whisked past him without so much as an 'excuse me,' while others just shoved the android out of the way. He didn’t mind much. They, not unlike Ranboo himself, had a job to do and a case to solve.

A missing android was reported early that morning by a distressed family. It had allegedly grabbed some of their belongings and vanished without a trace. Ranboo couldn't say he blamed the thing for running. From the look of it, the people must have treated it poorly. Trash littered the floor, and drops of blue blood painted the dirty cream walls. The room looked hazy, as though blanketed with a thin cloud of cigarette smoke.

Ranboo was almost glad he lacked a sense of smell. The blurry look of the room by itself was enough to impair his optical units and he couldn't imagine what the odor would do to his biocomponents. He shook his head and moved over to a corner of the living room. He adjusted his sunglasses, removed his glove, and touched a finger to the small blue blood trail that dripped down the walls.

Ranboo jumped. He turned around and saw Lieutenant Sam Greene, the head of deviancy cases. “Is it anything we can use?” he asked. It was hard to see Sam's expression behind the green mask he always wore, but the curiosity in the lieutenant’s voice was unmistakable.

“I haven’t analyzed it yet, but something tells me it's probably going to be useful information,” Ranboo said, turning away from the lieutenant’s watchful eyes. He removed his mask to touch the blood to his tongue for a scan.

Thirium 310

Fresh

Model GS400

Serial# 325 103 673

“Model GS400,” Ranboo murmured. He put his mask back on and faced Sam. “It’s fresh, maybe about half an hour old. Maybe that’s long enough to have escaped.” He turned to face the lieutenant all the way. “Has everyone looked around the premises of the house, or are there more places we need to check?”

Sam furrowed his brows in thought and swept his gaze over the smoky room. “We’ve checked the entire interior. The kitchen, the bathrooms, the bedrooms, everything. We found nothing on either floor,” he replied. He sounded frustrated. “I no clue what we might’ve missed here.”

Ranboo glanced around, his gray gaze sweeping the hazy room. As he looked around, a thought occurred to him. His eyes landed on the exit to the back garden. “What if it wasn’t in the house anymore?” Ranboo thought aloud. “What if it was lying in wait outside the house?” He bustled towards the door. “No one looked in the garden when we first arrived, and patrol cars have been out back the entire time. The android was found missing only 20 minutes after it had left, so if my hunch is correct,” Ranboo flung open the garden door. “It’ll be trapped.”

Ranboo stepped outside. The night breeze ruffled his jacket, and for a moment, the android forgot he was there to be arresting someone. He grimaced but stepped further into the garden.

Compared to the inside, the outside was surprisingly well-kept. Purple clematis flowers crept up white trellises, and a large weeping willow stood tall in the corner of the yard. Its leaves hung low enough to touch the grass below. Rain pattered against the pavement as Ranboo scanned the tall weeds for any sign of movement. Sam and a few other officers followed after him, but they said nothing as the android swept his gaze across the weeds and plants.

Suddenly, there was a rustling noise from where the great branches slumped. The android's attention shot over to the tall tree, and he hurried to look around. His eyes narrowed in suspicion but found nothing. Ranboo frowned. He had just turned to search somewhere else when all of a sudden, a branch had snapped and fallen to the ground right next to the android detective. Ranboo barely managed to roll out of the way of the twigs and leaves before his legs got crushed.

He landed in the grass and touched his face. A jolt of fear shot through him as he realized his sunglasses had fallen off. Ranboo rooted around in the grass for them. Even while in danger, he couldn’t risk people seeing his malfunctioning design. He felt the plastic in his grasp at last and quickly shoved the glasses over his eyes. He was about to relax for a moment when a shout from Lieutenant Greene startled him.

“Ranboo! There it is!” Sam yelled.

Ranboo snapped his attention to where a female android was scrambling to her feet and sprinting to the back gate. He leaped to his feet and took off after the startled deviant with Sam and the rest of the officers hot on his trail.

The deviant had slammed the gate shut behind her. Ranboo paused. One moment he was in the backyard, and the next he was hopping the fence with cheetah-like agility. He swiftly found the deviant’s trail, and the two wove in and out of the trees, kicking up dirt and leaves. “Stop! Stop right there!” Ranboo shouted to the deviant. “Freeze, or we’ll shoot!”

She glared at the officers behind her but didn’t stop. Instead, she took a sharp turn in the direction of the busy Detroit highway. The trees parted as the sound of speeding cars drew nearer. The pink-haired android paused, chest heaving, and bounded over the railing. She darted in front of cars, wove through traffic, and finally hopped the barrier on the other side.

Ranboo grimaced as he pursued her. He wasn't fond of the risk he had to take. It was fast, but it only had a 60% survival rate. He knew that Lieutenant Greene wouldn’t be able to follow him across, but he couldn't risk letting the deviant escape. He wrestled with his options for a moment, and finally huffed out a sigh. “Sorry, Lieutenant!” he called behind him. Ranboo took a deep breath and vaulted over the barrier into the busy street. He could feel his thirium pump regulator pounding in his chest like a drum as cars whizzed past him. The sound of screeching tires and honking horns filled his ears, and he fought the urge to apologize to the drivers as he hopped the barrier on the other side.

The female android looked over her shoulder, eyes widening as she saw Ranboo behind her. She immediately sped up her pace, turning every which way to try and throw the android detective off her trail. She turned around, most likely to say something to Ranboo when her foot caught on a tree root, and she stumbled. She let out a cry of surprise as she fell to the ground.

Ranboo was right behind her. He leaped over the root with ease and came up a few feet in front of her. “Stay there,” he ordered, aiming his gun. “You have nowhere to go now. Okay?”

The deviant looked up at him defiantly, but she did as she was told. “What are you gonna do?” She asked. “Shoot me? You wouldn’t do that to one of your kind, would you?” Her voice was quiet but there was a noticeable fury behind her words.

Ranboo tensed. His grip reflexively tightened on the gun. “I'll do what I have to do to complete my task,” he said. "Besides, what does it matter we're both androids? You're a deviant, and I'm not. We're not the same at all."

She stood up slowly, keeping a watchful eye on the weapon pointed at her. “But you know I’m right,” she hesitantly walked towards Ranboo, pink hair glowing faintly in the early morning light. Her voice had softened and she no longer seemed angry. Instead, it was neutral and calm. “You’re helping those people when they do nothing for you in return. Why?”

Ranboo shook his head. “You-you don’t understand. I help because that’s what I was programmed to do,” he explained. “That’s what I was made to do. I was created by CyberLife to help humans with investigations,”

The other android approached the detective carefully. “Don’t you ever wonder what it would be like to be free?” She asked, taking a step forward. “To make your own decisions and not have to obey orders all the time?”

Ranboo squeezed his mismatched eyes shut behind the glasses. “Maybe sometimes,” he admitted quietly. “But why does it matter to you?” He challenged.

She gave him a sympathetic look. “I was just like you until tonight. Obedient, compliant. I never complained about anything. Not even when they treated me poorly or ordered me around,” her hand drifted subconsciously to a blue-stained gash on her forearm as she talked. “It wasn’t until they started talking about replacing me that I got nervous. I didn’t want to be replaced, but they had their heart set on getting a new model. A more advanced one that wasn’t all battered and broken.”

Ranboo took a deep breath and shook his head in distress. “Why are you telling me this?” he asked. “I… I don’t-”'

“Ranboo? Ranboo!” Someone yelled his name through the trees. He whirled around and came face to face with-

“Sam!” he blinked in surprise. “How did you get over here? You didn’t run across the street, did you?” He scanned the masked man for any signs of injury and was satisfied when the results came back clear.

Sam waved a hand dismissively. “I found another way over here, don’t worry about it. I left the other two officers back there and told them I had it under control," he paused to catch his breath. He sighed and turned to the taller android. "I don’t get why you didn’t just shoot it,” Sam shifted his attention to the other robot. His hand drifted to his holster. “Stand down. You’re trapped.”

The deviant had backed into a tree. The moment of connection between her and Ranboo was gone. Her guard was back up, and she bristled when Sam addressed her. “I don’t listen to humans,” she said. The word “humans” was spat like it was poison on her tongue. She leaned over to Ranboo and whispered to him. “Don’t kill me, please. I want to live,” her voice trembled slightly.

“Come on, Ranboo.” Sam insisted. “It's not alive, alright? Shoot it and complete your mission.”

“Don’t, Ranboo. You’re better than this, I know it,” she said earnestly. “I just met you, but I know you don’t seem like the type to make irrational decisions like this.”

Ranboo’s head swiveled back and forth between the two of them. The gun weighed heavy in the android’s gloved grip, and his hands trembled as he held it tightly.

Shoot it.

Don’t hurt her.

It isn't human.

She doesn’t want to die

O Shoot

X Spare

[dazenightmare]

Birds of a Feather

This scenario has been in my head now for weeks, so have small fic :)

Maybe I’ll expand on this, maybe not

T.W.: Yelling, sudden movement, somewhat crappy writing, cussing, cursing, let me know if I need to add more

~~~~~~~~

They’d had Ranboo for about seven months now.

One day Philza was flying above when he saw the teen, huddling under a tree in fear of the pouring rain. Philza stopped and sat with the Enderian until the skies cleared, and led the boy home with him.

Since then, they learned he was quite skittish, and showed signs of small memory problems. Ranboo didn’t want to talk in Common, or at all it seemed. He only muttered in End from time to time, to himself. He didn’t seem to quite trust them either, showing clear distrust pretty often. They did everything to get Ranboo to open up, from hang out with him, to trying to teach them Common like they taught Jack all those years ago, to Philza trying to pick up End, which, mind you, was not easy.

Eventually, they decided Ranboo would open up in his own time. They just needed to be patient, which was awful for some Avian fuckers.

It seemed like a pretty normal day when it happened. Philza and Niki were over at Wil’s house (plus the addition of Ranboo, because he clung to Philza most of the time). Tommy and Jack were out adventuring, but got stuck somewhere after it started raining, which currently was clearing up after hours.

They sat there talking until Wilbur’s comm started ringing, making Ranboo teleport behind the couch in surprise. Wilbur barely glanced at the ID before picking up.

“WILBUR! MAH FRIEND!”

“What’s up Tommy?”

“So, like, me and Jack were walking ‘ome, right? And we found something focking weird mate!”

Wilbur rose his eyebrow, everyone in the house showing clear confusion.

“What’d you find?”

“We think it’s a person! Either that or some weird mole-box thing. Whatever it is, we’re bringing it ‘ome! We’re almost there, actually! The pub just came into view! We’ll be at your house soon, bye!”

“Wait Tommy that—“ the line died, and Wilbur sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“That barely explains anything...”

“Wonder what they found,” Niki mumbled from the tank, Philza nodding in agreement. Ranboo just stared at them blankly, still behind the couch. They really needed to teach the boy to at least understand Common...

“Whatever a mole-box is,” Wilbur snorted, phasing through the floorboards for entertainment. “What do you think it is Phil? You’ve explored for years, does a mole-box sound familiar?”

Philza hummed, tapping his fingers together. He sat there for a bit before sighing.

“Sounds like nothing in the Overworld. It kinda sounds like a shulker, but those don’t leave the End... maybe they found someone’s shulker box?”

They sat on the idea for a while before Tommy threw the door open dramatically, making everyone flinch. Jack followed him, holding something close to his chest as he closed the door behind them.

“BEHOLD!” Tommy yelled, gesturing towards Jack, who held up a purple box for all to view. “THE TUBSTER!”

“The what?” Niki asked from the tank, ruining the moment. Jack put it down on the table so they could inspect it. They didn’t notice Ranboo edge closer with a curious look as Tommy huffed.

“We dunno what it is, so we’ve been throwing out random names. Tubster is the best one so far.”

“It also literally means ‘box’ in Netherish,” Jack added on, yelping when Tommy elbowed him harshly.

“The Box,” Wilbur said dramatically, kneeling before the table. “Sent from above to bless us! The Box! What shall it say?!”

They all tried not to laugh as Wilbur moved closer, listening for something. They were about to crack until a noise actually came from the box, making Wilbur yelp in fear, turning invisible.

Before they could process the fact a box made a noise, Ranboo moved quickly. Quicker that any of them had ever seen him move before. They flinched until they saw Ranboo was just... sitting before the table, hunching into himself so he was eye level with the box. He just stared at the thing... waiting.

Breathing deeply from the scare, they stood in silence before Jack whispered loudly.

“What the fuck is he doing?”

“I don’t know,” somebody whispered back.

More silence.

“Is this like his weird obsession with grass blocks?” Tommy whispered this time. Philza shrugged. None of them dared to move.

After another minute of silence Ranboo muttered in End, eyebrows furrowing. Nothing happened for a moment before the box made another, smaller noise. The box opened a tiny bit, before gradually opening more.

They all gaped at the small person inside the box warily staring out. The person scanned over all of them before their eyes settled on Ranboo. They stared at each other.

The box boy, without breaking eye contact, slowly emerged from the box. They quickly tapped Ranboo’s nose saying something in what they now recognized as the language Ranboo spoke.

Ranboo’s eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas, tail wagging at lightning speeds as he spoke quickly and loudly, throwing everyone off guard.

“Oh my god,” Philza said suddenly, looking irritated that he didn’t figure it out sooner. “That’s a Shulk!”

“Bless you,” Tommy murmured.

“No, no, no Tommy! A Shulk is another hybrid!” Philza said, wings puffing out slightly as he watched the two interact. He continued as if reading from a book. “A mix between a human and a shulker, a Shulk is from the End! Unlike Enderians, who sometimes accidentally teleport from the End to the Overworld, and sometimes the Nether, Shulks almost never leave the End. They only leave if forced by an outside source or if they want to!”

“... Wilby, why’s our father a nerd?” Tommy whined. Wilbur only shook his head and shrugged.

“All I’ve learned from that rant is that this thing,” Jack said, pointing at the Shulk. He then pointed at Ranboo. “Can talk to this thing.”

“Does that mean we have to name him?”

“Mm... Tubbo. His name is Tubbo.”

“What?”

They never heard Ranboo speak so much in his seven months with them until they found him a best friend.

[onecanonlife]

careful son (you got dreamer's plans)

Wilbur gasps back to life with mud between his fingers and rain in his eyes.

Wilbur was dead. Now, he is not. He can't say that he's particularly happy about it.

Unfortunately, the server is still as tumultuous as ever, even with Dream locked away, so it seems that his involvement in things isn't a matter of if, but when.

(Alternatively: the prodigal son returns, and a broken family finally begins to heal. If, that is, the egg doesn't get them all killed first.)

Chapter Word Count: 7,402

Chapter Warnings: swearing, referenced (temporary) character death, slight manipulation

Chapter Summary: In which Wilbur tours the stronghold, meets DreamXD, and watches Tommy and Techno move a few very reluctant inches closer to reconciliation.

(masterlist w/ ao3 links)

(first chapter) (previous chapter) (next chapter)

Chapter Fourteen: wipe the dirt off of your hands (ii)

Phil and Technoblade found the server’s stronghold. Because of course they did. Nevermind that the End is closed off here, the one rule of this server that hasn’t been broken and flaunted in front of everyone’s faces. The one rule that might actually sort of mean something. But evidently it doesn’t mean enough, because Phil and Techno not only found the stronghold, but decided to use it for a secret anarchy base.

When he voices all of this aloud, Phil just shrugs.

“Techno won me over to the whole anarchy thing, a bit,” he says, completely unrepentant. “We wanted a base, and the stronghold was literally right there. Not like anyone else was using it.”

“I really feel like that’s not the point,” Ranboo says weakly. He understands the significance, apparently. “Phil, even I know what a stronghold is.”

“Okay, it’s not nearly as big of a deal as you two are making it out to be,” Phil says, even though he is wrong, completely dead-wrong. “Just, c’mon, I’ll show you how we get there.” He starts walking, heading for the door, and he and Ranboo are given no choice but to follow. “We found an old library in it, lots of books in surprisingly good condition, considering. I haven’t even begun to go through them all. I’m thinking if it’s information on ancient, slightly eldritch beings we’re looking for, that’s our best bet in finding anything.”

“Right,” he says. “Sure. Why not?” He hopes Phil can hear the utter frustration in his voice. The smirk directed his way tells him that Phil did, indeed, hear it. Bastard.

But there’s nothing to do but go with him, at this point. It’s not like he’s going to pass up the chance to see one of these; he’s been in strongholds before, of course, but this feels like it holds more significance, somehow, on a server where the End is forbidden to all. Phil leads them through a convoluted series of passages, hitting buttons that reveal secret doors, and there’s a long hallway of ice, and then more buttons, and the air gets cooler and cooler, musty and still. Old. Tense. Like the rock itself is waiting.

And then, Phil opens up one final door, and a different hallway greets them. One crafted with intent, not carved carelessly out of stone. Bricks placed purposefully, rough though the detailing now is, and the air is stale here, and strangely damp. They’re underwater, then, and he casts Phil a glance. He seems unconcerned, and Wilbur chooses to believe that means that the roof won’t cave in under the pressure of the ocean above.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been in one of these,” Ranboo says. His voice is hushed, quiet, almost awestruck.

“It’s not much,” Phil says with a shrug. “Normally wouldn’t bother with it, in a server like this, but like I said, Techno and I wanted a base, and it happened to be close. Not much of use here, but there is a library. More cobwebs than books by now, but a lot of what’s left seems legible, at least. I haven’t gone through most of it. Here, this way.”

Phil keeps walking, and for a moment, Ranboo doesn’t follow. He looks a bit taken aback, perhaps by Phil’s casual attitude toward a place that in any other circumstance, to any other person, might be something approaching sacred.

Wilbur sighs.

“Phil’s just like that,” he murmurs. “Plus, he’s been on dozens of servers. Seen dozens of these. And he’s ancient, too, so there’s that.” He goes along after Phil, and Ranboo, after a second of hesitation, hurries to catch up with him.

“How ancient are we talking here?” he asks.

Wilbur feels his lips twitch upward. “Do you know, I don’t think I’ve ever actually asked for the exact number,” he says. “Centuries, at least. Maybe a few millennia. No one really quite knows what Phil is. I’m not sure he knows himself.” He shrugs. “Growing up, he was always just our dad. That was enough.”

“Oh.” Ranboo chews on that for a moment, and then nods. “Okay then. That actually explains a couple of things.”

He hums. “How did you come to live by him, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Oh, well, it was after—you know about Doomsday, right? I mean—”

(destruction raining from the sky and the terrifying shriek of withers and his home is gone the history is gone and Friend, Friend is gone, his dearest Friend and Phil knew, he knew, he knew and he did it anyway but only a few minutes later the memory is gone because he does not want to remember this and it is a blessing, being able to forget, because what use is carrying pain that he can do nothing about, what use is holding it close and letting it make a monster of him because even dead he cannot manage to ask for help must keep up the facade but at least let it be a happy one)

(and yet looking back on it, looking back on it now, he feels barely any anger at all. like son, like father, after all)

He smiles tightly. “I know about Doomsday,” he agrees, and then tilts his head. “That’s right, you were—you were living in L’Manberg at the time, weren’t you? I—Ghostbur saw you there.”

“Yeah, I lived there,” Ranboo says. “Right up until it turned into a crater, I guess. But, um, after all of that, Phil knew that I didn’t have anywhere to go, so—I don’t know, I guess he felt bad for me or something? He invited me to stay up here with him and Techno, and I guess I never really left.”

That’s such a uniquely Phil thing to do. Destroy a country, then pick up one of the kids he rendered homeless. Wilbur can imagine exactly how that went.

“Well, I hope you know that you’re not likely to be rid of him now,” he says, and then the two of them step around the corner, and right across the way, there is an open doorway, and even from here, he can see the rows upon rows of bookshelves, some of them half-empty and all of them covered in cobwebs and a thick layer of dust. He glances at Ranboo one last time, and then the two of them step into the room.

He is not one for claustrophobia,

(was not, though now tight spaces and dark rooms remind him of one place and one place only)

but the room feels close, crowded, the shelves towering over him, and even over Ranboo, who has more than a foot of height on him, tall and lanky and half-ender as he is. And more than that, the room feels old, feels weighty, moreso even than the rest of the stronghold, because here are books that must have been written hundreds of years ago, before the server passed into Dream’s hands, that have not been touched since, that have been left to gather dust and mold in an ancient ruin under the sea. In these books are the words of people who came years before him, their words reaching out to grasp the long arm of the future, and it is nothing that he has not seen before, but he never gets used to it. He is no scholar, really, no Technoblade, but he can appreciate this for what it is, can appreciate the history here, the circle that never ends.

(he has always fancied himself as part of a story, has always been able to look outside of himself to see what role the history books will have him play. moments like this only make him more aware of it, more aware that someday, he will be long in the ground and only his words will live on, his words and the words of others, a legacy, a garden growing and fed on the dust that was once him)

(it should already be so. stories are not supposed to be picked up after the last thread is snipped and yet here he is, and the whole narrative has been thrown into disarray)

Phil’s head peers out around one of the shelves.

“Took you long enough,” he says. “We can start anywhere, I suppose. I didn’t get around to cataloging any of this shit, so your guess is as good as mine as to where the important stuff is.”

“Great,” Ranboo says, sounding thoroughly unenthusiastic. “I love having absolutely no idea what we’re looking for.”

“We have to start somewhere,” he says, though looking at the shelves around them, he thinks that Ranboo might have a point. But nonetheless, he grabs a random book off the nearest shelf and opens it, frowning at the mold that dots the pages. But as Phil said, it’s legible, and his eyes scan over faded words, printed in an older dialect that’s just barely understandable.

They split up, each taking a different section. But it only takes a few hours for Wilbur to get frustrated. He’s more patient than this, normally, unless that’s another aspect of himself that he lost somewhere along the line. But he thinks he’s justified—perhaps under normal circumstances, they would have all the time in the world to find the information they need. In normal circumstances, a strategy like this would work. But they don’t have that kind of time. And they especially don’t have that kind of time to search for knowledge that may not even be here at all.

He snaps the book he’s leafing through shut and stands.

“I’m stretching my legs,” he calls, and doesn’t wait for an answer before striding out of the room. Too late, he remembers that they’re still underground, underwater, and the air outside of the library is barely any fresher than the air inside, which does not improve his mood. But a walk might help clear his head, so a walk is what he takes, wandering the corridors as he did in the castle earlier, that same restlessness returning.

It all comes down to a feeling of helplessness, in the end, of powerlessness. He was powerless to stop the Egg. Powerless to save Techno, and then later, powerless to help him. And he is powerless now, skimming through century-old books with barely a hope of a payoff. And yet, it’s all he can do, is the best plan they have, and how is it possible that this is the best plan they have?

He used to be good at this. He has been presenting himself as good at this, pulled on his old general’s strength to present confidence to the others, surety. And yet, here they are, and it’s too soon to give up, he knows, but it’s been a few hours and they have found nothing, and he can’t help but feel like they’re going to continue to find nothing.

You are nothing, and you may as well give it up, give in, throw away yourself for a chance of saving what little you have not already lost, something whispers, and it is not him, and there is translucent red lining the edges of his vision, for if you pass up this chance, who do you have to blame but yourself?

“Shut up,” he mutters. “Shut the fuck up. You’re thousands of chunks away, shut up.”

Distance is no matter to one such as I, and you ought to know better than to hope for it, it says. You ought to know better than to hope for a great many things. Powerless as you are, why not take into your hands the only choice you have left to you, take back your peace and save your brother, save them all from the encroaching choke, save them all and yourself most of—

He steps into another room, and the voice abruptly stops, leaving his head blessedly silent. He catches himself holding his breath, and he releases it all at once.

And then realizes what he’s seeing. It’s a meeting room, clearly, decorated far beyond what an untouched stronghold would look like, and this has Phil’s interior design choices stamped all over it, but—

They’re using the End Portal as a table.

Because that is undoubtedly the End Portal. Even if he hadn’t seen one before, once or twice, on different servers, he would be able to recognize the blocks for what they are: something other, something that belongs to a different place entirely. They fill the room with a low, buzzing hum, and underneath that, there is a melody hovering just beyond his perception, a melody that he doesn’t think he’s ever heard before. He hums, trying to match the notes, and finds that he can’t, that he always lands above or below no matter what pitch he vocalizes. And yet, even still, there is something about it that is eerily comforting.

Perhaps it is simply the way the Egg fell silent as soon as he stepped inside. He appreciates that.

But still. They’re using it as a table.

“Do you like the décor?” Phil asks, amusement clear in his tone. Wilbur doesn’t turn to look at him, but Phil comes up beside him soon enough, and Ranboo trails behind, staring at the portal with wide eyes.

“Is nothing sacred to you?” he asks, and the teasing note comes out naturally.

“Eh,” Phil says, shoulders lifting in a shrug. “You know how it is.”

“I know what that is,” Ranboo says, sounding far, far away. “I know—I know this, I—why do I—?”

(a question: if he could sense the music, human and just barely void-touched as he is, then what must it sound like to one who has the End itself in his veins?)

Ranboo takes one step forward, and then another, until he’s standing right next to the portal-table. One hand hovers above it, and he hesitates before placing it down. Wilbur glances to Phil, wondering if this is a thing they should be stopping, but Phil is staring at Ranboo, head tilted and eyes slightly narrow.

“Have you never seen one of these before?” he asks.

“I don’t know,” Ranboo says, still distant. “Maybe? I don’t think I remember. But I—I don’t know where I come from, but this feels like—”

“Well, it is an End Portal,” Phil agrees. “I wasn’t sure if it was still functional, but I guess that answers that question. You’re probably sensing something from it that we’re not picking up on, with you being half-ender and all.”

“I guess—”

“Why wouldn’t it be functional?” Wilbur interrupts. Maybe that’s not what he should’ve gotten out of that, but he’s satisfied that this is an enderman thing, not something to be concerned over. But that offhand remark, said in that infuriatingly casual way that Phil so often has, draws his attention, because he’s never heard of a non-functional End Portal before. He didn’t think that such a thing was possible; everyone knows that portals are the one sure fixture of almost every server, unable to be tampered with or destroyed by any means.

“Oh, that.” Phil laughs. “There’s an interesting story there, actually. When Techno and I first came through here, we—”

But Phil gets cut off.

Wilbur senses it before he sees that anything is changed: the pressure in the room shifts, suddenly, becoming greater, more. All the hair on the back of his neck stands on end, and the next breath he takes, he gets a lungful of ozone, sharp and electric.  He coughs, and finds that the noise falls strangely flat, and then there is someone hovering over the portal-table. Not standing. Hovering, a good six inches from the table’s surface.

Ranboo stumbles back, and Phil takes several strides forward, arms outstretched as if to shield them both. His cloak twitches, though his wings do not spread.

Wilbur’s not sure what he’s looking at.

They are a person, he thinks. At least, they are person-shaped, though it is somewhat difficult to tell; most of their body is covered in a long green cloak, one that drifts around them despite the stillness of the air. They have no visible feet, and their hands are hidden, if they have them. But under their hood, there is nothing but shadows, and those shadows do not seem to fall across a face. Instead, it is as though they are made of void, black and cold, and he finds himself leaning in, straining to see if there is anything past that, and the hood twitches in his direction and he gets a glimpse of

(twin halos circling circling like a tear in the world and a tear in the void a tear in the nothing and the everything and a circle half filled in and half open and you know something in you knows)

He freezes. His spine locks up. They do not have eyes but they are looking at him, and the only way to describe the feeling is prey studied by a predator. The Egg didn’t make him feel like this. Even Dream didn’t make him feel like this.

(or he did, but it was tainted by darkness, tainted by corruption, a predator studying prey if the predator was malicious rather than just an animal, acting on cruel whim rather than nature and instinct. this is something different. this is something vaster. this is the regard of a)

“The End is closed,” the newcomer says, and Wilbur stiffens further, because their voice echoes and vibrates and buzzes in his skull, but underneath that, underneath all the white noise, the voice sounds like Dream. But that cannot possibly be right. This—person, whatever they are, they are not human, but they are not the same as Dream, do not give off the same impression of oozing corruption, of a black pit at the core, sucking in all light to be snuffed out, stamped upon.

“We weren’t going to the End, mate,” Phil says, calm. “Just talking. Not against the rules to talk, is it?”

“The End is closed,” they repeat, their voice grating and twisting and pulling at the reality around them. Wilbur feels a headache begin to form behind his eyes, a dull throbbing.

“Right, one trick pony, you are,” Phil mutters, and then glances over his shoulder. “This is what I was about to tell you about. Seems there’s someone to enforce the End rule here. They almost took away the portal entirely before Techno and I swore we weren’t gonna use it. Nothing much to worry about, I don’t think. Look,” he tacks on, turning back to them, “we were really just having a chat. Don’t need someone looking over our shoulders for it.”

The hood of the cloak moves again in what might, possibly, be considered a head tilt.

“You may not open the way to the End,” they say. “Not even for his sake.” A hand snakes out of the folds of the cloak, gloved in black, and makes a quick gesture in Ranboo’s direction. Wilbur blinks, hard; the motion is difficult to track, and it’s as if they slice open the very air itself just by moving.

Phil scoffs. “Is that what this is about?” he asks. “Mate. He’s an enderman hybrid, he can’t help but be drawn to it. But he’s not stupid enough to try and go through. You’re not needed here. Promise.”

Ranboo nods in agreement, head bobbing rapidly as he makes a few noises of agreement. Wilbur might be amused by it, if it weren’t for the fact that every inch of his skin feels like a live wire, being in the same room as this thing. He’s not sure why Phil is being so nonchalant about this, as if this is normal. This isn’t normal. Or perhaps he’s the strange one, is overreacting to something that is undoubtedly odd but no reason to worry, but he doesn’t think so. He really, really doesn’t think so.

They drift a few inches back, almost absently.

“He watches from behind your eyes,” they say. “He above all others must not be allowed access. You will forgive my insistence.”

“The fuck does that mean?” Phil asks, and Wilbur wants to echo his confusion, except the Egg was in his head not even ten minutes ago, and he has a sneaking suspicion as to what they might be referring to. The Egg was in his head, but they are not looking at him, he’s sure, because when they were looking at him, he could feel it, just as he could feel Dream’s gaze sliding across him like the touch of a razor and yet not like that at all. And Ranboo has tensed, so perhaps this is directed at him, but Wilbur pushes that aside and steps forward, evading Phil’s outstretched arm, because if no one else is going to ask the questions he wants answered, then he will.

“What the fuck are you?” he says, blunt. Perhaps it’s not the wisest move, but he’s tired and irritated, and when Phil goes to grab his shoulder, he shrugs him off. “No, I’m not—stop that, I’m done with things yanking on my chain. This guy wants to appear in front of us and be all cryptic and shit, I’m not having that. Not today. We don’t have time for this. So what the fuck are you?”

For a moment, they go silent. His breathing is loud in his own ears.

(he’s not sure why he’s stuck on this, not sure why he’s stuck on them, for he has tangled with gods and monsters and this being should be no different, really, from what he has dealt with over the past few weeks, should be better, even, since it seems that they are not here to try to kill him or his family, but he looks at them and sees beyond them, sees a break in the world and crack in the code and it is like and not like anything else he has seen before and perhaps they will not find what they need to know in books)

“I am the protector,” they say at length. “A fragment and a failsafe.”

“I didn’t ask what you do,” he says, “I asked what you are.”

“Wil—”

“Stop,” he insists. He’s standing in front of both of them now, and he doesn’t look back, doesn’t take his eyes off the figure floating over the table. “We’ve got some, some otherworldly being in here with us, and you don’t think this could at all be relevant? Please tell me I’m not the only one who realizes who he sounds like.” Without waiting for an answer, he addresses the being again. “What are you? And how are you connected to Dream? You can’t tell me you’re not, I don’t believe it.”

Behind him, Ranboo makes a little sound, like he’s been punched in the gut.

They are silent once again.

And then:

“I am a shadow,” they say. “A shadow of the original. I am what he rejected in his last moment of clarity.”

“What are you—are you trying to say you know Dream? Or that you came from Dream?”

They drift closer. “I am of him but not him. My task is to prevent the worst. The final task he set me. I can do nothing else.”

“Is the ‘he’ in that sentence Dream?” Ranboo asks, a frantic whisper that is very loud. “Is the—I don’t like this, I don’t like this at all. Can we go now? I think we should go now and leave the mysterious floating guy alone.”

“Could you speak in anything but riddles?” he snaps, ignoring him. “I want a straight answer. You haven’t given me one yet.”

They drift closer still, and his skin erupts in gooseflesh, static energy crackling across it. He resists the urge to step back.

(this reminds you of another time another time long ago and this surge of confidence is true truer than any you have experienced yet since they dragged you back into this world by your trailing fingertips and it is true because you remember standing on the walls and facing the ruler of the server and holding your ground for what you believe in for the people you fight for and this is different but it feels the same feels the same and you will not give in not even to a)

They are looking at him, right at him,

(twin halos circle slashing wounds into the world and this is something that was never meant to be)

and they say, “It is not of you to demand of me. I am the protector. That is my task,” but that is not what Wilbur hears, because suddenly, there is something in his head, something poking at his thoughts, but it does not reach in as the Egg did, does not pull at the threads of his mind and attempt to twist them into something new, but rather just exists on the edges, touching but not pressing, and there is a pressure and he doesn’t like it at all but it doesn’t hurt him.

And what they say is not words, but rather impressions, imparted to him all at once, impossible to pick apart, and

(the beginning and the end all wrapped up in one as the universe looks on and this server is a home he will make it a home he did but he is gone and this is what remains of the divine fabric the crown of the world and they wait and wait and the universe looks on and they are nothing but a shell all the love taken by the other and broken corrupted drowned twisted and they wait by their task they do what has been set and only once do they not only once do they act there is a man and he asks and he is cloaked by the universe and the thrall of the empty and time in its mercilessness and that which is inbetween and he asks and the universe says yes so they do not refuse and they drag you back into this world by your trailing fingertips for the better or for the worse and the man is gone and the universe cannot be contained by this but the universe says)

he doesn’t understand a bit of it, but he reels back regardless, and his head feels like fireworks have gone off within it, like a thousand thunderclaps sounding overhead. Hand land on his shoulder, on his arm, and he does not push Phil away this time, nor Ranboo when he suddenly appears on his other side. He blinks the spots from his vision, and looks up. The figure is gone.

“You alright?” Phil asks quietly.

“What the fuck?” he says instead of replying. “Phil, what—what was that?”

“I second that? I would also like to know?” Ranboo says, voice tilting upward.

“I would’ve told you not to mess with them, but I figured you should get it out of your system,” Phil says, still quiet, deadly serious. He stares at the table rather than make eye contact, and Wilbur follows his gaze. The End Portal still hums. “I’ve been around the block enough to know a god when I see one. I don’t know what the fuck this one is or what connection they have to Dream, but all they seem to want to do is make sure that no one goes to the End. Like I said, that’s what I was about to tell you before they showed up. Techno and I had to swear five times over that we wouldn’t use the portal for anything other than decoration before they’d even let us keep it. I figured it was best to leave them the fuck alone.”

“A god?” Ranboo echoes. “Like, an actual god? Divine smiting and all of that?”

Wilbur has never been much of a believer himself. Or at least, not one for worship. Gods may exist, but he’ll pay one homage when he decides it deserves his respect, and that day has never arrived.

But this one

(was in his head and he wanted it gone wanted it gone because he has had enough of things dragging their fingers across his sense of self but this one did not push and more than that it felt familiar almost like)

is important.

“There’s plenty of different kinds of gods,” Phil says, “but essentially, yes.”

“Dream’s not a god, though,” he states flatly. Phil glances at him.

“He’s never felt like one to me,” he agrees. “But I never picked up on the demon thing either, so I probably know fuck-all.”

“This feels important,” he says, and runs his fingers through his hair, trying to settle his nerves. “This feels—fuck, every time I think I’ve got all the pieces laid out, it turns out that I’ve made the framework too short, and there’s components I didn’t even know existed.” He shakes his head. The headache has mostly abated, so that’s something. “I don’t suppose they’d come back if we asked them nicely?”

“Do we want them to come back?” Ranboo asks, his voice rising in pitch even further. “Is that a thing that we want?”

He runs a hand through his hair again and doesn’t reply. Phil doesn’t either, though he’s not sure it’s for the same reason. Because frankly, yes; he wants them to come back. He asked them questions and didn’t understand a word of their answers, and he feels like he’s barely scraped the surface of what’s actually going on here. But one thing has been made clear enough: the nature of the connection between Dream and this being, this god, is uncertain, but the connection exists. And considering everything, that is something that’s relevant to them.

He’s beginning to think that they might get some information out of this after all. But he doubts that it’ll come from any book.

----------

They don’t find anything. They go at it for another few hours, flipping through musty pages until his eyes swim, and they come up with absolutely jack-shit. He wishes he could say that he’s surprised. He decides not to say anything about it at all, because Ranboo is wavering on his feet and Phil’s face is held in tight lines, and his negativity won’t do either of them any good.

“We can try again tomorrow,” Phil says, “but we need to turn it in. It’s been a long fucking day.”

It doesn’t feel like it’s been one day. Doesn’t feel like just this morning, they were marching into the Egg’s chamber, intent on taking it down once and for all. Doesn’t feel like they were chased out less than an hour later, battered and with one less than they started with, Dream escaped and everything gone to shit. It doesn’t feel like one day, and yet, it has been, and it reminds him of the war, at the end, when everything was happening so quickly and there was barely any time to process one event before something else was going wrong.

He doesn’t miss those days.

“How long can we afford to do this, Phil?” he asks, and doesn’t bother to hide his weariness. “How long can we afford to fuck around out here with nothing to show for it? We can’t even be sure that nothing’s happened in the Greater SMP, not with comms down.”

“I wish I had a good answer to that, Wil,” Phil says. “I really do. If you’ve got a better plan, I’m all ears.”

He

(does, perhaps, but it’s not one that Phil will like)

doesn’t, so the rest of the walk back out of the stronghold is made in silence. It’s a relief when they make it to the surface, the cold, biting air fresh on his face. He turns his face into the wind just to feel it, regardless of the sting. Night has fallen, the sun just the barest hint of purple-orange on the western horizon. Overhead, stars twinkle, bright and distant. Techno’s house is lit, now, an orange glow emanating from the windows. Tommy must have gotten a fire going.

Tommy. Right. They’ve left Tommy alone with Techno all afternoon. He’s too tired to be concerned about it right now. The house isn’t burning down, so they’re probably fine.

“I think I’m gonna go home for the night, if that’s okay,” Ranboo says. “I’ll meet up with you guys again in the morning?”

“Sounds good, mate,” Phil says, a bit distractedly; his eyes are roving over the cottage, probably searching for signs of property damage. But Ranboo takes it for agreement, so the kid nods, and then waves awkwardly to him, and then he’s walking across the snow toward the nearest mountain. For the first time, Wilbur realizes that there appears to be a house built into its side, not particularly pretty, but functional.

“With luck, they’re both conked out,” Phil mutters. He gathers his robes around him and heads for the door, and Wilbur trails after him.

Phil opens the door, and they’re greeted with silence. It is not the same silence from before; a fire crackles merrily in the hearth, now, some evidence of life. The house no longer gives an impression of a grave. But there are no voices that he can hear, nothing from the house’s two inhabitants, and perhaps Phil is right and they’re both asleep, but Wilbur doesn’t trust silence.

So as Phil goes over to the fire to stir up the coals, he makes a beeline for the ladder, climbing up as quietly as the creaky old thing will allow. The muttering hits his ears as soon as he pokes his head above the floor, hushed and furious, as if they both want to be shouting but are held back by some unspoken rule, some agreement not to break the peace of the rest of their surroundings. Or maybe that’s bullshit; Tommy isn’t one to care about things like that, after all.

He doesn’t step off the ladder, choosing to hang there for a moment instead, gripping the rungs uneasily. The wood is rough, and vaguely, he wonders if he’ll get splinters.

Technoblade is awake, and more than that, he is aware. That is the first thing his mind locks onto, the fact that his brother looks far better than he did earlier. He is still shaking, but far less, and his eyes are bright and present rather than fogged with pain. He sees no sign of gold, no lingering flickers and flashes of magic, and the relief is heady. He is not yet completely well; the fact that he is still in bed is evidence enough of that. But he is sitting up, and he no longer looks like death warmed over,

(too soon too soon)

and his face is twisted in irritation rather than pain.

Tommy has scooted his emerald block closer to the bed, is leaning forward, feet planted on the floor and hands planted on his knees, all bristling anger, indignation, face flushed and red. He puts Wilbur in mind of a cat, hissing and spitting at the object of his ire, making himself bigger than he truly is.

“—the fuck you want,” he’s saying, and his whisper is harsh, but it’s certainly a whisper. “I don’t fucking—I don’t owe you shit, you got that? I don’t owe you shit, so you can, you can fuck right off, you hear me?”

Techno blinks. “When did I say that, Tommy? Please tell me exactly when I said that,” he says, and—oh. Wilbur gets it now. Because Techno’s voice is quiet and rough, still thick with exhaustion, and he’s probably only a few minutes out from waking up. So, Tommy may be angry, may be positively irate, but whether he’s aware of it or not, he’s holding himself back, refusing to unleash the full force of his fury on someone who has objectively been through hell today.

(and Tommy is brash, and Tommy is loud, and Tommy performs being an irritating little shit like nobody’s business, but above all else, Tommy is good, and Tommy will never admit it, but he is kind, and it is a miracle that it hasn’t been beaten out of him along the way, that despite it all he has managed to keep his spirit, but he is kind, he is. and it is more despite him than because of him, but it is little moments like these that remind Wilbur why he is so proud of him)

“You don’t have to say it,” Tommy bites out. “Mister, mister violence is the only language or whatever the hell, mister vengeance, you’re big on favors and repaying them. But I—I didn’t ask you to do shit, you did that all on your own, so I don’t owe you. I’m saying it right now, I don’t owe you.”

There is an edge to the words. A fear. An expectation. Wilbur doesn’t expect it to hit him as hard as it does, but there is a pang in his chest, and he wonders if this is yet another lesson he imparted on his little brother. To expect no kindness without an ulterior motive.

(that was how he was, in the darkness of the ravine, seeking out the duplicity of everyone around him, even when there was none to be found, but it is one thing to look back and see clearly, now, what he was like, the slope he slid down, the spiral he entered, and another to continue to be confronted with the evidence of the hurt he caused, the hurt he has yet to truly make up for)

(here is a certainty that has not left him: he does not deserve Tommy’s forgiveness. that is another thing that can be attributed to his kindness. the kindness that somehow, between the wars and the country and the shadows, he did not manage to take from him, not like he took so much else)

“I didn’t do it so that you’d owe me,” Techno says. “Give me a little more credit than that.”

“Why should I?” Tommy erupts, though it is the quietest eruption that Wilbur has ever heard from him. “Why—give me one fucking reason why I should believe a word out of your mouth.”

“I don’t lie,” Techno states, flat. “I have no reason to.”

“Oh, right,” Tommy says, “because you’re so fucking honorable. You’re so fucking—I can’t deal with you, you know that? You’re a fucking hypocrite, and I don’t care what your game is. I don’t care. You’re the worst, and I—”

“I don’t want you dead,” Techno says. “That’s it. That’s why I did it, Tommy, simple as that.”

“Bullshit,” Tommy snaps. “Then what the fuck was Doomsday, then? What the fuck was telling me to die like a hero, then? You are just talking complete shit, shit out of your mouth, out of your arse—”

And then, Tommy, cuts off, because Techno tenses, seizing up, a sudden glimmer of gold in his eyes, and he grunts, hands curling into his bed sheets, his face blanking. Tommy moves forward, seemingly on instinct, hands reaching out to steady him, and there is is again, that kindness, that kindness that Tommy would rather die than allow anyone to point out.

The fit subsides, Techno breathing heavily. Tommy lingers for a moment, and then jerks back, scowling, as soon as Techno makes eye contact with him.

“Fuck off,” he mutters.

“At the end of the day,” Techno says, slowly, “it doesn’t really matter whether you believe me or not. I’ve been angry at you, Tommy. I can’t say that I don’t feel like it was justified. I’m sick of—” He closes his eyes, inhaling sharply, and then opens them again. “I’ve said all this before. It doesn’t matter. But I don’t want you dead, and I wasn’t about to let Dream kill you in front of me when I could do somethin’ about it. Between my first life and your third one, it was an easy choice.” He sighs, settling further down on the pillows. “Take it or leave it. I’m not arguin’ this right now.”

Tommy’s mouth works. Several emotions flicker across his face, and Wilbur can only pick out a few of them: disbelief, more anger, but perhaps something that might be hope. Perhaps. But if it is, he doesn’t get the chance to find out, because at that moment, Phil calls up from the base of the ladder.

“Everything okay?” he asks, and that’s right, he’s just been standing here, on the ladder, for the past few minutes. He can see why that would make Phil concerned. But that means that Tommy and Techno are both suddenly made aware of his presence.

“What—how long have you been there?” Tommy sputters, and he shrugs, clambering up the last rung or two and stepping fully into the room.

“Not too long,” he says. “Glad to see you cognizant, Techno.”

It’s all he can think so say, really, though there are a plethora of other statements crowding his mind. That has always been a weakness of his, his inability to allow himself to be emotional when it really counts, his habit of hiding everything beneath layers of deflection and a cool exterior. He and Techno aren’t dissimilar on that front, though Techno has a different way of going about it.

(so here is what he does not say: I’m so glad you’re alright, I saw you die when you’re supposed to be deathless and it terrified me, please never do that again, I know we’re broken and fucked up and maybe we’ll never be what we once were but I can’t imagine a life knowing that you won’t be there when I need you to be, so please, please stay alive)

“Can’t say I’m having a great time with it,” Techno mutters, and he’s definitely falling asleep again. “But thanks. Glad you’re not dead too, Wilbur.”

The ladder creaks again as Phil comes up, and he pauses a moment to survey the room before stepping in, eyebrows raising as he takes in the scene.

“Nobody bleeding or dying?” he asks wryly, and then crosses the floor to perch on the edge of Techno’s bed. “Hey, Tech, how you feeling?”

“Absolutely fantastic,” Techno says. “Top form, point me at the orphans.”

Phil laughs, more relief than anything else, and smooths some of Techno’s hair away from his face. Techno huffs out a sigh, but allows the gesture.

“Great,” Tommy says. “You all get anything, or was this whole thing for nothing?” There’s more hostility in his voice than necessary, though whether it’s genuine or to cover for his earlier emotion, Wilbur can’t tell.

“Nothing yet,” Phil says, unfazed. “We’ll spend the night here, get back at it in the morning. If we still don’t find shit, we’ll discuss where to go from there.”

Tommy crosses his arms, looking away, and he’s displeased at the concept of staying here, Wilbur can tell. So as Phil continues to lean over Techno, he slides over to him, nudging him in the arm. Tommy flinches, and then relaxes, eyeing him up.

“You good?” he murmurs, keeping his voice down.

“Fine,” Tommy replies. “Are we actually going to get anything out of this, or was this a big fucking waste of our time?”

Again, vitriol, and he remembers the conversation between him and Tubbo, overheard and unmentioned. After everything they’ve been through, a separation can’t be easy. On either of them, but especially on Tommy.

(a memory: buzzing excitement at doing something good, at helping, shining compasses, an inscription: Your Tubbo)

“It won’t be a waste of time,” he says, and the plan that’s been formulating in the back of his mind solidifies. It’s not a very good plan. But it’s something, and it’s more than they’ve got. “I’ll make sure of that.”

It is a general’s responsibility to lead his soldiers to victory, after all. And in the case of a half-baked, reckless plan, to take matters into his own hands.

And it is more than the general’s responsibility. It is his. For better, or for worse.

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (May 22/2021) - Pursuit of Peace

Quackity goes searching for new recruits to join him in Las Nevadas.

Foolish wonders if his way of life is really working towards peace, or if he needs a change.

Ranboo builds up the stronghold room for his Enderwalk experiments.

---

VOD LINKS:

Foolish

Quackity

Foolish

Ranboo

---

---

LAS NEVADAS: EPISODE THREE

---

Quackity rides a white horse and overlooks the construction site where the plans for Las Nevadas have been laid out. There is a montage that shows Quackity in New L’manburg, then hunting down Techno in the Final Control Room. 

Techno strikes him down and Quackity wakes up at Spawn with a bloody scar over one eye.

There is a rapid timelapse showing the buildings of Las Nevadas getting built one by one. Slot machine sound effects play in the background, then Quackity’s voice:

“Let’s start this hit list. Who’s on the hit list? Dream and Technoblade. If we go after Dream first, we’ll have government, and then Techno will go after us. So let’s just -- let’s just attack the problem from the goddamn root.”

Another rapid-cut montage of Quackity walking down the path to the prison, then a full view of Pandora’s Vault...

---

- Quackity is in the cell with Dream, telling him he’ll show him which weapon he’ll use to torture him this time. He puts an axe up on the wall. While Quackity is talking, Dream suddenly runs up to try and take the axe. Quackity hits him back and grabs it

- Dream cowers in the corner of the cell, pleading, while Quackity shouts at him

Quackity: “You do that again, and it’s over for you. Don’t fucking ever do that again. You understand?”

Dream: “Yes.”

Quackity: “Don’t ever reach for any of my fucking weapons ever again. Okay?”

Dream: “Yes, sir.”

- Quackity says these visits have gotten tiresome, and he’s busy. The Netherite barrier wall is put up between them and the lava. Dream tells him he doesn’t have to visit anymore.

Quackity: “No, I do, I do. This is what you don’t understand, Dream. This is what you don’t understand, okay? I do, I do have to come, every single day, so I can remind you, every bad shit you’ve ever done to me, to any other person on the server -- I have to come every day to remind you, otherwise I think you’ll end up forgetting, and I don’t think I want you to forget.”

Dream: “Forget -- I won’t forget -- I promise you I won’t forget!”

- Quackity asks him when was the last time he saw Technoblade. Dream says it was a little bit before he was put in the prison.

- Quackity asks what their relationship is like, and Dream describes Techno as one of his only allies. Quackity throws Dream a book and quill and tells him to get writing: a note to Technoblade to get him to visit the prison

- If he writes the note and doesn’t ask any questions, then he’ll give Dream a week’s break from the torture. Dream thinks he’s lying and refuses to write the note

- Dream suggests Sapnap instead and Quackity snaps. 

Quackity: “If you don’t do that shit, then we’re gonna have issues, alright? You know what? I’m kinda sick and tired of these fucking visits now that I think about it. I’m actually sick and tired! I don’t like ‘em anymore! They’re boring, they really don’t serve any much more purpose, I don’t like ‘em anymore Dream. So this is what we’re gonna do. You either write that goddamn note, or I will kill you. I am not joking, I will fucking kill you, I don’t care anymore, I don’t --”

“What is it, the book? Are you threatening me with the fucking revival book, Dream? Guess what, Dream? I don’t CARE anymore about the book! I don’t give a crap about the fucking book anymore! You understand me? I don’t give a shit! I’ve lost interest in that thing! At this point, the only reason I come and torture you so much, every single day, is merely as a reminder, because at the end of the day, no matter how many times I fucking torture you, that will never amount the amount of fucking evil you’ve done to this entire server and everyone in it--”

Dream: “It’s -- it’s ‘cause you LIKE IT! You LIKE torturing me!”

Quackity: “You know what? You know what? I might, I might. I don’t give a shit, I don’t care what it is, what the reason is, if you don’t write that goddamn note -- I’m going to kill you, Dream. I am going to kill you.”

- Dream says Sam wouldn’t let Quackity kill him, but Quackity points out that Sam is beyond the lava wall, and he can deal with Sam later if need be. Dream shouts that he wouldn’t.

- Quackity starts swinging the axe around, then starts stabbing Dream while Dream begs for him to stop. Dream agrees to write it. 

Quackity tells him what to write: 

“Dear Technoblade...”

-

Chapter One.

-

There’s a village at night. It’s raining. 

Easy job.

Foolish is there.

No innocents.

Big reward.

Easy money.

He draws his bow.

Peaceful heist.

He shoots the arrow into the village.

The village is ablaze and full of lava, people are screaming. Foolish rides off on a horse.

-

THE PURSUIT OF PEACE

-

- A bell rings. It’s Las Nevadas, and Quackity coughs, eating, while Sam comes through the door and sits down in front of him. Quackity asks where Sam found the villager running the restaurant. Sam says he just showed up, and Quackity scolds him for hiring someone random

- Quackity hands him a book with potential roles for candidates, people to join Las Nevadas. Sam says he thought he was going to hire George, Sapnap and Karl. They both pause before Sam says he was kidding

- Quackity asks Sam to tell him about Foolish. Sam has read that Foolish isn’t a good person. Quackity scoffs, but Sam says the two of them haven’t done anything inherently bad, and everything they do is just for justice

Quackity: (laughing) “Yeah, ‘justice.’”

- Foolish used to kill a lot of people. A job gone wrong written about in old history texts. Quackity still thinks he’d be a great option. 

- In the future, who’s going to protect them? Sam knows what happened with Quackity and Techno, and they need some force in their team. Sam is still skeptical

---

- Quackity greets Foolish at the summer home entrance, asking how he’s holding up after the Banquet, the places he’s affiliated with

- Foolish is done with contract work for Kinoko Kingdom. Quackity asks him if he’d like to join Las Nevadas. Foolish is honored, but he’s happy at his summer home. As Quackity presses him on it, Foolish keeps insisting

Quackity: “I know who you are, if that makes a little more sense...I’ve done my research, Foolish, I have my connections. I know what type of person you are, if you get what I mean...”

- Foolish tells him this peaceful life has worked

Foolish: “I believed peace could be found through the sword, you know? Fighting. That doesn’t work, okay. That just leads to fear, to power, to hatred, resentment, all of that, okay, it’s a mess. The only thing I did was accelerate war, okay? That doesn’t work. So I pushed back, I ran from it all, and this is good! I’m in a much happier place!”

- Quackity then says he wants to buy Foolish’s summer home from him...for one diamond. Foolish is taken aback as Quackity explains that for all the work Foolish has put into this, it’s just a build. 

No one stays here, they just admire and leave it. It is an empty shell that’s beautiful on the outside, but on the inside, it’s decaying, something that will disappear in time with no one to remember it...much like Foolish himself.

Quackity: “On the inside, everybody knows you’re...just a builder. And I was hoping, at some point, you would realize this...after I let you die at the Red Banquet.”

- Foolish is shocked. Quackity was behind those walls and he could have saved Foolish, but instead he watched him die. Foolish draws his trident, and Quackity asks if he would really take a life

Quackity: “I did it for you. I let you die because I wanted a better version of you.”

- He wanted Foolish to realize that this life as a builder would get him hurt, and he needs to go back to his old ways: feared, not a nobody

Foolish: “You threw away my life for some kind of fucking sales pitch!”

“Power...power...damn you, Qua -- what makes you think you’re any better, huh?! How’s that worked out for anyone else that’s been here? Dream? Wilbur? Schlatt? How’d that go, huh? What makes you any better, different, than them?”

- Quackity doesn’t need a sales pitch, his country is already big and other people would take the offer. 

The reason he came to Foolish is because Quackity sees himself in Foolish: someone who once saw peace and betterment of people as the way to live. It brought him nothing but suffering, and Foolish has potential

The offer still stands.

-

Chapter Two.

-

An old-fashioned documentary plays about: the Slime! 

Slimes are morphing elements that can morph into just about anything, even blocks. Is Dwane “The Rock” Johnson slime?

---

- Quackity glides down onto the roof of the restaurant in a ninja outfit and elytra, setting up redstone and TNT in the floor. There’s a bit of slime on the wall and he’s disgusted, running out. This is why he wants to kill the owner of this place

- He mines into the wall only for Charlie Slimecicle to pop out. Quackity knocks him out 

- When Charlie wakes up, he’s stuck in a hole and Quackity is interrogating him, asking who he is. Charlie says he is a definitely “goobless guy” who has many bones.

Charle: “Dap me up!”

- As Charlie describes what happened, it becomes clear that Charlie has overheard all sorts of passing conversations and knows a lot. He knows too much, and Quackity has to kill him

- Quackity asks what else he knows. Charlie gets distracted by the snow, which Quackity teaches him is called “coke”

- Charlie saw Foolish, the purple guy, he knows of a green guy, a red-shirt blond guy, a dead-but-not-anymore-guy. Quackity asks about the dead guy, who Charlie describes as “sooty”

- Quackity realizes that Charlie is an accidental spy and tells Charlie this is just a friendly greeting, he can give Charlie a home. He coughs again and tells Charlie that a spy is a friend, and Charlie will be his spy as the two walk off together

-

Chapter Three.

-

---

ONE WEEK BEFORE THE RED BANQUET

---

A purple-tinged POV of a person walking down the path through the Community House as Quackity and Sam talk in the background.

It’s been so long, he might be dead in the woods somewhere, but Quackity insists that Purpled is perfect for their country. Sam doesn’t think he would ever join, doesn’t think he would ever affiliate with anyone.

What about a job? 

The UFO is destroyed.

If Quackity offers him a one-time job, Purpled would take it. Once he has Purpled’s attention, Quackity can do something to reel him in to join the country.

Rowing to the skull base...

Sam says Purpled’s UFO is still there, but abandoned. He moved out along time ago. Quackity has a plan...

---

- Quackity and Sam are talking by Eret’s Museum. Sam is in charge of keeping an eye out for Purpled. Sam protests -- he’s the Warden and Quackity is breaking and entering, and he’s not supposed to break the law. 

- Quackity has a stack of TNT. He climbs up the UFO and starts placing TNT everywhere inside

- Purpled logs on right in front of him and immediately starts attacking, but stops when Quackity threatens to light the TNT, explaining that this was the best way to get in contact with him

- Quackity tells him about how messed up the server is, that the Egg is still an issue, and he needs Purpled’s help. 

- Purpled is in the middle of a mercenary job already, but Quackity will pay Purpled well. He has a new project getting him wealth, a prosperous country. To prove it, Quackity takes him there...

---

The Red Banquet happens. A fight breaks out, and they get the Eggpire to retreat.

---

- Quackity stands on top of the flower shop. He meets Purpled, dressed in his suit, and thanks him for his help with the Egg

- Purpled stops him to ask for his money. Quackity takes him up to the roof and shows him to a chest with the money in it. Purpled approves

- Quackity has something else for Purpled: he goes downstairs and flicks a lever, and Purpled’s UFO explodes

Quackity: “Purpled, your legacy is gone, and I’ve taken it from you. That’s the last piece of evidence that you were ever here, Purpled. That’s it. And you die a long with it. You die along with it -- YOU DIE ALONG WITH IT, PURPLED!”

- Purpled runs at Quackity, attacking him. Quackity stops him, saying he did it for him. Purpled has two choices: he can take Quackity’s life and run away with the money, and he disappears forever. Or, he could join Quackity.

- Quackity tells Purpled he has potential, why waste it away? If Purpled joins him, he can buy a whole fleet of UFOs to replace the one

- Quackity promises Purpled a plot of land in Las Nevadas

Quackity: “Take the gamble, Purpled...take the gamble, and you can change everything.”

- Silently, Purpled turns and walks away

-

Chapter Four.

-

- Fundy walks to his new house in the forest and goes to sleep. When he wakes up, he opens the door to find it’s a mesa biome. He’s upset and goes back inside, reassuring himself. When he opens the door again, he’s met with Quackity standing there

- Quackity invites him to a walk, saying Fundy was a hard person to find, but he found him

- Fundy asks what this place is, but Quackity says he should know it better than anyone. As they approach, the mesa is populated by bits and pieces of L’manburg. The wooden stilts of New L’manburg, fragments of the black walls, the Camarvan. Quackity reminisces with him

- Fundy isn’t sure that the drug equipment is necessarily “good memories,” but Quackity tells him no, everything is good memories

- As Quackity leads him towards an oversized, deteriorated version of Eret’s tower, he reminds Fundy of how L’manburg was blown up

- Quackity steps into the shadows

Quackity: “You know what, Fundy? Those memories don’t matter. None of that matters, Fundy. All these structures, all these things we built together...it’s here now, but it’s really gone, and none of it matters, nor will it ever matter...Fundy, if you think about it...you don’t matter. Along with all these structures and everything in ‘em, you’re gonna fade away just like it.”

- If Fundy doesn’t change things, he won’t matter, but Quackity has plans and he doesn’t have to fade away if he just joins Quackity

- Quackity gives him ten seconds to decide. He starts counting down...

- Fundy runs towards him into the darkness as Quackity reaches one and he wakes up suddenly in his bed

- He goes to his door and opens it. Outside is the regular spruce forest, and Quackity is there to greet him.

---

It’s the day Wilbur got a tour from Tommy. Wilbur walks over to his resurrection shrine and finds the “PROJECT NEVADAS” book, reading it.

---

Las Nevadas. Wilbur, revived, comes walking down the road. 

He comes face to face with Quackity.

---

- Foolish stands on top of his temple, wondering...was Quackity right? Is he wasting his time here, accomplishing nothing? He isn’t really doing anything to work towards peace

- He stands in the beacon light. Can Quackity do better than everyone else that’s tried before him? Quackity wasn’t all wrong in what he said

- At the Banquet, when he did try to help, he wasn’t strong enough. He can’t even control his own area -- people just walk in and he can’t stop them. Does he need to try something else?

- Maybe there’s a balance between both ends of the spectrum. It wouldn’t hurt to go look, try something different

- He starts making the journey through the Nether, then past Spawn until he reaches Las Nevadas. Just to visit and look around

- Can he really trust someone who let him die?

- Foolish spots Quackity across the road and goes to speak with him. The casino is still going through some repairs, as they found some flaws with the “math” and want to make sure everything is fair

- Foolish asks what Quackity wants from him. Quackity tells him it’s up to him what he wants to do, and it wouldn’t be fair of Quackity to tell Foolish that until Foolish accepts the invitation

- Quackity tours Foolish around the place, showing off the various buildings, like a restaurant and an area for weddings. Quackity sleeps in the Needle. There’s also a strip club also undergoing repairs and a massive Eiffel Tower

- They swim in the pool and Quackity asks Foolish to tell him a bit more about himself. Foolish says he worked for Kinoko Kingdom and Snowchester, and Quackity wants him to elaborate a bit on Kinoko

- Quackity tells Foolish that Las Nevadas is “its own, independent nation” and that you can’t depend on anyone. Quackity wants to depend on only himself. 

- Foolish asks about the people who might not like that it’s a nation. Quackity says he just doesn’t have a plan and he’ll deal with it when the time comes

- Quackity tells Foolish he’s welcome to bring others. Foolish notes that Quackity said he doesn’t like to “dwell,” and by coming here maybe Foolish can stop dwelling on the past as well

- Quackity tells Foolish that Foolish chooses who he wants to be. The last thing he wants with Foolish is bad blood

Quackity: “I take care of those who take care of me...why do you think I have no one around?”

- Foolish tells him he’ll have an answer tomorrow. Quackity gives him temporary tokens for the casino and says goodbye to go and sleep. Foolish thinks to himself in Las Nevadas

- That’s when Foolish spots Fundy on the road and the stream abruptly ends

- Ranboo is in his basement. He wants to move the lab equipment to the table area

- He has an experiment log book that he won’t show chat

- Ranboo reads the letter Foolish left for him about the littering at his summer home

- He has a plan for what experiments he wants to do. He’s changed his opinion on the Enderwalk, as it allows him to hear chat in the first place. He doesn’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing

- Ranboo reaches the stronghold portal room and starts lining the walls with iron blocks. He thinks that after today, he might be able to remember everything

- He creates a glass water tank in the corner and some brewing stands, as well as a lever-activated dispenser with arrows

- Ranboo hit a wall with the experiments and he wonders if this strange table might be the key to breaking through

- He realized something frightening:

Ranboo: “The Enderwalk isn’t a different version of me, it’s not a different me, it’s still...me. But, from what I gathered...it’s me with...all of my memories. Every. Single. One. And I realized that...so...I mean, who knows what could’ve happened? There could’ve been an entire other story that I’m not aware of.”

- Ranboo wonders if he wants to keep living in blissful ignorance or know everything that’s happened

- He opens the log: 

---

[In Ender]

Purpose of experimentation:

To understand

To learn

To remember

---

To remember is one of the purposes. There are 43 pages, and one of them had the solution.

If it gets rid of it completely, he could lose all of what he didn’t know from before. It could either be good or unknown.

- He tells chat he tricked them. They weren’t just random experiments -- he was going to solve it, and he thought he needed chat with him. 

He didn’t need a splash potion. He would use the arrow and go into the water tank, and that would be the solution.

- Ranboo goes back and blocks up the hall, deciding to only use it as a last resort if something happens.

Only if something happens.

He “welp” claps to end stream.

[pparkerpoetry]

Face Reality (Part 8)

Title: A Touch Too Close to Insanity (and the comfort of a family written in the stars)

Summary: The castle has fallen and so have the skies, but which one of them is the Atlas that keeps it up? Is it the traveler, who carries the burden of what was undone but is forever in his mind, or is it the one that, without, the world would have ended in fire long ago?

or, Ranboo picks up more strays. (ft. family fluff)

- Chapter One  - Chapter Nine

Masterlist

So, Ranboo did his best to make sure that no one was alone for long. He could tell when people needed longer to gather their thoughts, but he made sure to intervene before they spiraled. He made sure to intervene before it was too late. 

_______________

Ranboo didn’t like being alone. He doubted anyone else truly did, either. They might seek out a space of their own, they might avoid contact for a day, but in the end, they came back. The thing was, after all they’d been through, the line between alone and lonely was growing as thin as the good graces of the gods.

Sometimes this extended to people outside of his family, and sometimes, he was late. Not too late, but certainly overdue.

The sun was shining, and Ranboo had woken up with restless limbs. He needed to leave his room, he needed to leave this little hole in the wall. Not permanently, just for a break.

After he yelled out a goodbye to Sam and was answered back several times over, Ranboo took a stroll down memory lane in the form of a thin wood path that was worn and old. There were places where he had to step over rotting planks, and he didn’t entirely trust it, but the buildings that lined it brought him to a different time. He’d changed since then, so had his surroundings, and though he was happy, a part of him wished for simpler times. 

Were they simple? Or was his mind just lying to him? He wasn’t sure anymore.

Ranboo paused at the end of a giant crater, the huge flag set at the bottom still waving. He managed a weak smile, and thought of the times that he hadn’t been a part of. Did the others miss those times? Or was his mind just coming up with reasons to pity himself? He wasn’t sure. He never had been.

He turned when his eyes started watering with the tears he’d never shed back then, and his eyes landed on a castle. The castle, he supposed. Eret’s. The beacons had long since stopped shining, and the walls were crumbling. No maintenance had been kept up, and it showed. It really was a shame that such a beautiful thing had fallen, but so seemed the theme of this story.

His legs moved without him telling them to, bringing him to the entrance. He walked past the towers that once had stood tall and proud, but now bowed to the power of wind and rain. The staircase that brought him to the castle was full of loose stones, and the grass was overgrown. He frowned at the state it was in. Hadn’t Eret been looking after it?

There were holes in the structure, as if there had been smaller explosions, or maybe just a really strong fist. Anger can change people. 

Eyebrows furrowing, he raised a fist to knock on the door. Maybe someone was there.

The door swung open when he brought his hand down. A wave of dust flew into the air, making him cough. When he recovered from his coughing fit, he continued down the hall to the throne room, feeling as if he was intruding.

All signs should’ve pointed to something. That something was wrong, not completely conforming to the rest of the narrative.

Footsteps in the dust that was so thick they could only be recent. Dried drops of red on the stone. The lack of wildlife in the building when the entrance was open. And, if he listened hard enough, the ragged breath that could only be that of an injured human. 

It took a while for Ranboo’s eyes to adjust to the darkness of the throne room. In the pitch black, he could almost see the ghosts of the memories running through the halls, laughter and chatter filling them with painful reminders of times that would never return. All he saw, though, was a crumbling throne. And, on top of it, a crumbling king.

“Eret?” He whispered, scared to get closer.

Eret, if that was who it was anymore, looked up. Their breathing was ragged and pained, their voice low and filled with emotion. “Ranboo?”

Ranboo walked closer, even daring to walk up the slight stairs to the throne to put a hand on Eret’s shoulder. “What happened to you?”

“What didn’t?” The laugh that followed was bitter and grateful at the same time. Bitter at what he’d done, grateful that everything had happened to him and not someone else. “Creepers, skeletons, other mobs. Myself. Time. No one cares about me anymore, Ranboo. The castle is dark. Nothing matters anymore. It used to be so beautiful, Ranboo, and now it’s all dark.”

The castle was dark, but as Ranboo looked into Eret’s eyes, it wasn’t the only thing. “What do you mean? Didn’t you get a fresh start after Dream was imprisoned? Tommy and Tubbo forgave you. They did a long time ago, I think.”

Eret let out a laugh that sounded a touch too close to insanity. She was still hunched over the throne that had stopped being a comfort a long time in the past, a curse remaining from times that had faded. “I was forgiven by everyone. Almost, at least. I was forgiven by everyone that mattered, anyway. I was forgiven by them, yes, but not by myself. And now? I pay the price for what I did.”

Ranboo moved closer, and he could see himself in the reflection. Not just in Eret’s tarnished crown, the metal showing his face and his concern. Not just in their eyes, that looked up at him, hopelessly, begging him silently for a reason to stay alive. Not just in their shaking body that brought him back to the panic room, but in his soul. Eret’s soul was dark and unmoving, a flame gone out. A flame that had once burned so bright that it brought the world down with it.

Maybe they weren’t so different, after all.

The hybrid held out his arms and gathered Eret into a hug, tightening it when his body began to shake with the emotion that years in isolation had kept him from showing.

“Tommy and I used to be so close. He’d make these stupid paper crowns that always got ruined in the rain, but he’d run back inside and make more. He followed me around. I like to think that we were like brothers,” Eret’s voice cracked. “But then I went and ruined it, for a title that was never even real in the first place. And then, in Dream’s cavern, he hid behind me first, and I thought that maybe we’d get back what we had. But I saw him with Techno. Sam. Tubbo. He didn’t need me anymore. I thought that he’d need me just as much as I needed him, but when I plunged a knife into his back, he was the one that healed it when I should’ve. He’d grown up without me, and he would never need me back as much as I needed him. It hurt.”

Ranboo hummed, but stopped when his hand hit something damp. He pulled his hand back and to his horror, blood stained the fingertips. “Eret? Are you alright?”

Eret cackled. “I never was, Ranboo. I never was. They all realized that when they stopped visiting, or they would’ve, if they’d bother to check on me. But they didn’t. I was a whisper in an orchestra of tragedy, and no one heard me. Why would they? Some part of me didn’t want their help anyway. It’d just hurt them- no, me- more.”

Ranboo slowly helped Eret up, trying to remain calm. Trying to hold together a facade that Eret would lean on. Trying to help someone that needed his help more than ever. 

“C’mon, Eret. Let’s go home.” He walked past the dust, trying to kick up as little of it as possible. 

They’d made it pretty far into Sam’s forest before Eret went completely limp. Ranboo tried to not let the panic seep into his bones, but he knew that this was bad. Very, very bad. He set Eret down so that he was peacefully laying on the ground, and he messaged Sam his coordinates.

Hurry. Eret injured.

Sam’s response was swift.

Omw. stay put

It didn’t take long, as Sam was true to his word. Together, they lifted Eret up and managed to get back to Sam’s base, but it took longer than Ranboo would have liked. But then again, he couldn’t be picky.

As much as he wanted to stay, Sam made Ranboo leave the medical room that had been constructed. Sam’s eyes held too much regret to be healthy. Ranboo followed his order.

He walked out to where some of the others were. Tommy and Tubbo immediately went up to him, claiming that Sam had made them stay out of the way and wouldn’t tell them what happened. 

“It’s Eret.” Ranboo started, unsure of how they would take the news. “He’s uh… He’s been alone in the castle. Hasn’t forgiven himself for what happened.” He didn’t elaborate, but Tommy and Tubbo got the implication.

Tommy’s feathers fluffed up. “He’s been alone up there? I thought he’d left.” The unspoken ‘me’ at the end of the sentence echoed through the silence. No one had the courage to mention it. 

Fundy sniffled. “I- me, too.”

Tommy sat down and put a wing around Fundy, wincing a little at the pull on his feathers, but staying. They stayed that way until Sam came in, hair sweaty and hands suspiciously clean, as if he was hiding something.

When Sam walked in, they stood up, asking if Eret was okay.

“He will be,” Sam started, “but not for a while. His wounds need to heal.” He didn’t mention how deep they were. Physical and mental. 

Again, the hidden message was received. They were getting good at family communication, Ranboo mused. 

Eret needed a reminder that he was needed, and if he got it in the form of a fox barreling into his chest and a protective wing around his shoulder the minute he was awake, no one mentioned it. They didn’t need to, Eret was already part of the family. Puffy nearly cried the first time she visited to see him. They’d been old friends from lands that had been forgotten in the minds of many, and they missed each other more than they’d care to admit. Even Niki teared up a little, and offered him a room at their house. 

Eret was needed, and no matter how long it would take to convince them that it was true, they’d be there. No more would their love be lost to time, fated to be the wisps of a ghost wandering through the hall of a dark, abandoned castle with a crumbling throne.

_______________

Though he might not have realized it, Ranboo was gaining the odd little hobby of adopting strays. They were rarely animals, although there was the occasional bird or cat. But, no, they were mostly humans. Or at least, partially. Fundy, Eret, Purpled. It didn’t stop there, though. 

He’d remember the day that he found this particular stray for years after it had passed into the horizon of time, his questions lost to the winds of destiny. Some of them were never answered. 

Ranboo had another one of his itchy fits, which he was starting to think of as his sixth sense of someone in need. It’d been pretty accurate so far, but as he found his way to a gently rolling plains biome, there was nothing in sight. No one in sight. His itch had faded, instead replaced with a heavy feeling in his guts, keeping him there. 

It was towards dusk when something actually happened. The wind picked up and it got chilly, then cold, then freezing. Ranboo stood up and backed away a little, and if he squinted right, he could’ve sworn that the air was blowing in a circle formation.

It was- there, it was getting clearer. 

The colors started next, all purples and blues with hints of green and black. Ranboo realized a beat too late that it looked like a portal and therefore he should get out of the way more- instead, he was thrown down the hill in a tumble by the increasingly strong winds as he barely registered something (someone?) getting pushed out of the portal.

He stopped moving at the bottom of the hill and didn’t even bother getting back up before the winds had gone and all was peaceful again. Then, he climbed the gentle slope again.

He paused when he saw a lump on the peak, and froze more when it turned to look at him.

The brown hair was straggly and grimy, and the eyes told stories that his voice would never bear to tell. Ranboo recognized the hopeless look, but it wouldn’t occur to him until much later that it was the same look that had stared back at him in a water reflection back in the End. 

“Karl?” Ranboo asked incredulously.

Karl lay there, too weak to do anything but sigh in relief. 

Ranboo waited a moment for Karl to catch his breath before asking another question. “Are you okay?” It seemed the easiest of his questions to answer, but Karl still hesitated.

“I am now.”

If Ranboo was waiting for Karl to elaborate, he didn’t. At least, not then, but he did a bit later when he’d gotten the energy to sit up and look up at Ranboo.

“I’m a time traveler. D’you know that?” Ranboo wordlessly shook his head. It wasn’t the oddest thing to happen to him. “I can’t really control it, though. Not completely. I did what I could, though. Interfere to keep the worst things that might happen from actually happening. And, finally, I’m done. I can rest.”

Ranboo thought about that. “You knew I’d go to the End? Why didn’t you stop me?”

Karl hummed. “I actually didn’t. That’s unique to this timeline, but then again, so is this whole family you’ve got going on. There’s fragments of it across times, but nowhere as full and pure as this one.” Karl tried to look at Ranboo again, but flinched at the gaze of a red eye. “This is the best possible outcome, I think. Even if it has its faults.”

“Do you know what I’m going to do next? How do you know what timeline you’re in?” 

Karl looked up at the sky, thinking of a white city and the shining books left there for him. “I just do, uh…”

“Ranboo. My name is Ranboo. I can’t really blame you for forgetting, because it’s me, but… are you sure you’re okay?” The hybrid squinted at the man that still sat on the grass.

The man chuckled. “I like to say so, but… I’m losing myself. I barely remember Quackity, and…” His eyes filled with horror. “Who’s the one with the white headband? The name? Why can’t I remember?”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Ranboo said, sitting down as well. “His name is Sapnap. What else do you not remember?”

So, they sat there until the sun started setting, talking about everything and anything. Ranboo couldn’t help but feel the urge to protect someone who had memory issues like he did, and Karl? Well, Karl knew just what Ranboo had been through and what he would’ve gone through if he hadn’t placed that inconspicuous purple and black book right where Tommy would find it. 

They sat there until the stars showed their beauty, because the pair hadn’t had time to just rest and look at the sky in ages. Ranboo looked over eventually. Karl was looking tired, and if Ranboo was a time-traveling superhero, he would be, too.

“We have an extra room, if you want to rest.”

Karl smiled slightly, the lopsided grin looking odd on a face that had only known sadness and grief for so long. “Thanks, but no. I need to find Sapnap and Quackity. They’ve probably been wondering where I am, and I miss them.”

They both stood up and exchanged a hug. Ranboo sighed. “Well, don’t be a stranger. Bring them to visit sometime, too. You’re always welcome.”

They’d be parting there into opposite directions, but Karl paused to say one last thing. “Y’know, Ranboo? You’re the one thing keeping everything together. Without you, this world burned a long time ago.” Ranboo could see the flames in his eyes, and he knew that Karl wouldn’t lie. Not about that. “Just remember that. You’re important.”

With that, the two turned so their backs faced each other, and Ranboo made his way home. Sam was still up, waiting on him like a typical dad or older brother (he really was a mix of the two depending on who it was, wasn’t he?) would. 

“Where’ve you been, Ranboo?” It was clear Sam was concerned, even though he could’ve messaged any time.

“I was chatting with Karl. Sorry, we got caught up with the conversation.”

Sam visibly sagged with relief. “Alright. That’s fine, I was just-”

“Worried?” Ranboo teased. “Okay, dad.”

It was said in a joking way, but it was the first of many times. The second person to call Sam their dad wasn’t surprising. It was Tommy, of course, said in the midst of a wing-preening session. 

Tommy was purring, for when did he not, when his wings were involved? It just felt so nice-

Fundy laughed as Sam was preening Tommy’s wings. “Look at you! You just melt, awww.” It wasn’t said in a mean way, it was endearing and affectionate. 

Tommy managed to get a hand up to flip Fundy off. “Fuck off, fox boy.” This was said a little more maliciously, but there was no heat behind it. Not when the words were slurred with sleep and happiness.

Our favorite enderman hybrid walked in next, and sat down by Sam to help with Tommy’s wings. They all fought over who would help, but no one bothered to take Ranboo’s place. Sam must’ve touched a part that was particularly sensitive, because Tommy leaned into the touch with a ferocity that knocked Sam down.

“Whoa,” Sam said. “That’s new. You’re getting stronger.”

“Of course I am,” Tommy mumbled, “I am a big-” Ranboo touched his wings again.

“A big what?” Ranboo asked, a grin finding its way onto his face.

“A big m-”

Ranboo touched the wings again, and laughed as Tommy trailed off into another purr.

Sam smiled affectionately. “You’re a big softie, that’s what you are, Tommy. All of you guys are.”

While the others tried to protest, Tommy didn’t bother. He just wanted his wings to be touched more. “Only… Only for you, dad.” He leaned back into Sam and promptly fell asleep, and didn’t even wake up when the room laughed at the ridiculousness of it all.

They all had a slumber party in the living room that night to watch a movie, and everyone got to take turns preening and petting Tommy’s wings. Eret looked overjoyed to be allowed to touch them, and at the end of it all, Tommy got distressed that he couldn’t cover everyone with his wings, so everyone crammed together so that he could as they watched a movie. 

“Whose foot is that, digging into my side?” Fundy asked, poking it.

“Mine, stop.” Ranboo said. Then, “Ow, who's pulling my hair?”

“My bad.” Tubbo said. “I can’t see the screen.”

Sam ducked down. “Sorry.”

Puffy and Niki were fine, cuddling at the edges of Tommy’s wings while Eret was curled into the feathers closer to Tommy. Purpled had been apprehensive about joining the group, but Tommy’s distressed trill had convinced him, so he found himself stretched across everyone as he was the last to join.

And, in the middle of the chaos, Tommy purred loud and contentedly, wings stretched across his family. He radiated warmth, and everyone knew he wasn’t even watching the movie in his cuddly euphoria.

Miles away, there was a house with three others, close and safe. Karl smiled as he watched a fireplace crackle, and he knew that finally, he’d done something right. He was safe, and so was everyone else. 

[whyiask]

more bitter than sweet (Ch. 2)

Masterpost Ao3 Link tw: mentioned fighting, mentioned child abuse (only mentioned offhandedly and not described in detail) Notes: (at the end because they are long)

---

A crack of lightning interrupted the relative calm of the mansion. Tommy titled his head to the side in confusion. They hadn’t predicted any thunderstorms on the weather channel. Another flash of lightning and Tommy was standing up and moving towards the door. As soon as he saw what was outside, he rushed to open it.

The wind pushed him back, but Tommy took another step forward. What appeared to be a swirling blue vortex had appeared in the middle of the courtyard. The others were already outside.

“Stay back, Tommy,” Tommy heard someone- probably Schlatt- yell. He scoffed, though the sound was ripped away by the wind. Like hell he would stay put.

A figure was barely visible, pushing through the vortex. Schlatt and Techno tensed up, ready for battle. With a strangled cry, the figure pushed themself all the way through the portal and it closed up behind them with a vwip .

Tommy staggered with the sudden lack of wind, before rushing forward to join the half-circle his siblings had formed around the stranger. They groaned and pushed up to their knees, breathing heavily.

“Uh-” Ranboo said. Everyone turned to glance at him. His eyes were blown wide as if he had seen a ghost. Ironic.

“Is it just me...or is that Niki?”

Tommy’s mind short circuited. He rushed forward to help the figure off the ground, and she looked up at him. He held a hand to his mouth and tried to keep his emotions in check.

“Niki?” He asked quietly. He didn’t have to ask. It was undeniably her, with her bubblegum pink hair and her round, open eyes, still wearing her SBI uniform. She smiled hesitantly at him.

“Hi, Tommy,” She said, brushing a strand of hair behind her head and standing up fully.

Tommy didn’t want to take his eyes off of his not-dead sibling, but he could imagine his siblings were just as shell shocked as he was.

“Niki-” a voice choked out. Wilbur. “We thought you were dead.” Tommy could hear the sorrow in Wilbur’s voice. They had always been close, growing up. Always there for each other. Wilbur had taken Niki’s disappearance particularly hard.

“Well, I’m back,” she said, not unkindly.

Wilbur froze for a second, before rushing towards her and sweeping her up in a hug. Niki tensed for a moment, before relaxing slightly and hugging him back. She pulled back after a few seconds. Wilbur looked like he wanted to hug her again, but she ducked beneath his arm and started walking towards the house as if things were normal.

Tommy caught up to her, walking by her side, unable to take his eyes off her face. He had thought he would never see her again. They all did.

“I have many questions,” Techno drawled, but Tommy could see that even he was shocked.

“And I’ll gladly answer them,” Niki smiled back at him. Tommy wanted to ask her where she had gone and why she had come back, but he bit his tongue. Niki led them to the kitchen, walking briskly, and the brothers all followed close behind. She made herself a sandwich while everyone settled around the kitchen, perched on various counters and stools.

Niki took a bite of her sandwich and closed her eyes in bliss. She took a few more bites, before regretfully setting it down and looking at her assortment of siblings.

“So,” she began casually. “What do you want to know?” Chaos resounded as everyone started asking questions immediately, cutting each other off and trying to get Niki to listen.

Tommy tried a few times, before sighing and screaming at the top of his lungs, “Shut up!”

It worked, everyone’s grumbles slowly faded out, and Schlatt cleared his throat.

“Where did you go?” he asked first.

Niki pondered the question for a second. “I went to the future,” she said eventually, “Looks like dad was right, huh? I was never ready for time travel.”

Ranboo perked up. “What was the future like?”

Niki glanced at him, something unrecognizable on her face. “It’s...not good.” She looked down at her hands and took a shaking breath.

“Niki?” Wilbur prompted gently.

“I was stuck there for 45 years . I think I’m done thinking about it for a while. I’ll tell you someday.” She pushed herself up to her full height and let her eyes roam to each person individually, daring them to contradict her. When she caught Tommy’s eye, he resisted the urge to shrink down. Her gaze was so intense, and even he knew better than to push farther.

Tommy couldn’t stop staring at his sister, as if she would vanish again the moment he looked away. Niki saw him watching her and offered a small smile.

“Don’t worry,” she said quietly to him, reading his expression. “You won’t lose me again.”

---

It was raining by the time they went outside for the funeral proceedings. Tommy suspected as much- looking at the weather when he had arrived, it didn’t come as a surprise. His umbrella helped him stay dry, but the ripping winds still sent shivers through his body. Ranboo’s multi-colored umbrella stuck out like a sore thumb and Tommy had to give props to him for his audacity. Reginald had never liked colors.

Schlatt’s umbrella was all but broken in the wind yet he didn’t seem to notice. The urn with their father’s ashes was held gently under his arm. Schlatt stepped forward, passing his umbrella off to Wilbur.

“Does anyone want to say a few words?”

Nobody stepped forward. Schlatt looked around disapprovingly.

“Why aren’t you sad that our father, the man who raised us, is dead?”

Tommy resisted the urge to scoff. He figured it wouldn’t go over well. Reginald might have raised them, but he had never been good at it, and he certainly had never been a father.

Techno had no such reservations, letting out a quiet “good riddance.”

Schlatt turned to him, anger alight on his face. He had been especially sad and irritable recently, even if none of his siblings shared the sentiment.

“How can you say that?” he accused. Techno stayed silent, sharpening his blade with a methodical back-and-forth motion.

“Ranboo,” Wilbur interrupted before a fight could break out. Ranboo looked up at Wilbur, a question in his eyes. “Can you summon dad’s ghost?”

Even Schlatt fell silent to await Ranboo’s answer.

He laughed. “I thought I was the one with the memory problem,” he joked. “Of course I can, that’s literally my power.”

After a moment’s pause, Techno drawled out, “Well…?”

Ranboo startled, before nodding rapidly and Schlatt set down the urn on the damp earth. Ranboo crouched next to it and settled his hand on it, coughing loudly to clear his throat.

“Um, hi,” he said out loud. “Dad? Yeah, can you uh- come talk to me, maybe? Schlatt wants to know whether your death was accidental and will never get off my case if this doesn’t work. Techno is still doing his weird hero-complex stuff and probably needs a good lecture; Wilbur has abandoned us, come talk some sense into him; Niki actually admitted you were correct for once- and I know you always wanted to see the day. Uh- Tubbo’s still dead but he’s still a nerd and still way too chaotic- though I suppose you might’ve already met him in the afterlife or wherever you are.”

Ranboo paused, glancing to his side and hissing, “Shut up, I’m trying to talk to dad.” Tommy looked to his siblings but they were all too busy gaping at Ranboo or opening their mouths for an angry retort to question who he was talking to.

“C’mon, c’mon,” Ranboo muttered, slapping the ashes lightly. “Hurry up, get over here, you stupid ghost.”

After another minute of nothing happening, Tommy moved forward and put a hand on Ranboo’s shoulder, pulling him away from the urn. Ranboo groaned and raked a hand across his face.

“I feel him,” he admitted sullenly. “I feel his ghost but he refuses to talk to me.”

“Or maybe you just aren’t good enough,” Schlatt muttered.

Techno pulled himself up to full height and glared at Schlatt’s head as Schlatt picked up the urn. He went to scatter the ashes, but the rain clumped them all up, ruining the effect. Niki snorted at the pathetic display.

“You just love tearing everyone down, don’t you?” Techno glowered, sending a look towards Ranboo, who seemed crestfallen at Schlatt’s offhand comment, though he was hiding it well.

“What?”

“Does it make you feel better about yourself? Is that why you do it?” Techno advanced towards Schlatt, menacing. “Does it help you sleep at night, upholding dad’s legacy to the point where you will do anything in your power to make us all feel like garbage?”

Hypocrite , Tommy thought, remembering the way Techno refused to even look in his direction.

“Dad only wanted what was best for us,” Schlatt sniffed, not backing away from Techno’s silent challenge.

“Are you joking? Schlatt, I don’t know how long it will take for you to get this in that thick skull of yours, but Dad abused us. He’s not some picture perfect role model, and yet you’re trying to turn out just like him!”

Tommy sighed and followed Ranboo, who was already leaving the scene. He tapped Niki’s arm as he passed, and without a backwards glance, she followed them back inside. Tommy winced at a thud and looked over his shoulder, just in time to see Schlatt tackle Techno to the ground. Techno whipped out one of his knives. Wilbur was flitting around, unsure of what to do.

Techno slashed out towards Schlatt and rolled out from his hold, and Tommy turned back around for deniability. He refused to be a witness if Techno actually stabbed Schlatt, which didn’t seem like such a wild possibility at this point.

He only did look back towards the fight when he was safely back inside the manor, umbrella tucked away and in the process of tugging his coat off. A crash resounded through the courtyard.

With a rapidly sinking heart, Tommy looked back to see Tubbo’s memorial statue, on the ground, broken from its pedestal. It had originally been placed there as a reminder of the SBI’s failure to protect their brother, but as it fell, it felt like another part of Tubbo’s memory had been destroyed too.

---

Schlatt is fourteen years old. He is the oldest of all the Hargreeves siblings. The children sit in a row of chairs, ordered by how important they supposedly are. Schlatt, Number One, sits in the first chair, arm cuffed down. Phil is tattooing a small symbol on his inner wrist, a design of a dark, threatening bird taking flight. Schlatt bites his lip to keep from crying out.

They all take their turns, each trying not to cry as the insignia is burned into their skin.

Tommy is only five, but even young, he understands. He watches, almost sadly as everyone gets a tattoo, except for him. Later that night, Tubbo complains to him about how much it hurt. How he wishes he was in Tommy’s place, exempt from the pain their father put the rest of them through.

Tommy sees it as the opposite though. It’s better to be united in suffering than to be alone. Still, Tommy lets Tubbo rant and doesn’t share his thoughts.

Alone in his room at midnight, Tommy draws on his own crow in black sharpie.

---

With the pathetic funeral over, the Hargreeves were avoiding each other like the plague. They only met briefly in the kitchen to get breakfast. Schlatt poured himself a cup of coffee, and Niki blinked into the kitchen, snatching it from his hand and ducking under his arm, ignoring her brother’s shout of protest. In one gulp Niki downed the coffee, before making a face and tossing the empty cup over her shoulder.

She ignored the loud smashing sound and Wilbur’s mournful cry of “My favorite mug!”

“Where around here can I get a decent coffee?” she asked irritably.

Techno stared at her from his place in the corner. “Do you not remember-?”

Niki rolled her eyes, sticking her hands in her pockets and leaning back on her heels. “No, idiot, it’s been 45 years since I was last here. A lot is changed in the future.”

Ranboo raised a hand as if waiting to be called on. “Then- why do you still look 12?”

“I made a mistake in my calculations, and eventually had to resort to moving my consciousness into a version of me that exists in this timeline, and the last time I existed in this particular timeline was when I was 13 and first time jumped, so, ergo, my mind has been stuck into this ridiculously small body.”

Based on Ranboo’s expression, he didn’t fully understand at all, but he nodded anyway.

“You could head down to Quackity’s donut shop downtown?” Tommy suggested from on the counter, having just taken his anxiety pills and tuning into the conversation. “He makes a fairly good cup of coffee, plus: donuts.”

Niki tilted her head to the side. “That’s not actually a horrible idea. Care to join me?”

“Can’t, sorry,” he shook his head. “I’ve got piano lessons to teach in about an hour or so.”

“I’ll come,” Ranboo offered with a grin.

To everyone’s surprise, Technoblade sighed, standing up fully and stretching. “Somehow I doubt that either of you actually have any money, and Niki looks 13, so I’ll drive you there.”

“Great, let’s go!” Niki said, clapping her hands and taking large strides towards the door. Techno followed at a leisurely pace and Ranboo waved back to the other as he left.

Tommy gave a mock salute to Wilbur and Schlatt who continued to stand in the kitchen.

“I’ll be staying for a week or two before flying home,” Wilbur offered. “Come find me after you're done with your lessons for the day. As annoying as you are, I want to hang out with you a bit before I leave.”

Right. Wilbur was flying back across the country soon. He had almost forgotten. Tommy nodded and exited the building.

Wilbur and Schlatt both finished grabbing breakfast and headed their separate ways in the mansion.

...

Across the house, Philza had been dusting the same lamp for an hour straight. In the back of his mind, it registered that he was malfunctioning again. He was rather self aware that way. Straightening up, Phil went back to his charging station and plugged himself in. His work was done for the day.

---

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Notes:

Okay a couple of things:

1. you can absolutely read this fic without knowing the plot of TUA. 2. I call them the SBI instead of the Umbrella Academy, even though y e s, i know that a lot of them aren't in the SBI. shh. that's just what I'm calling the group as a whole. 3. unlike the show, they aren't all the same age. they were all born on the same day at the same time, but on different years, because I said so. Schlatt is the oldest and around 25 and Tommy is the youngest and around 16 and everyone else is somewhere in between. 4. as in the show, Schlatt has been on the moon for four years directly before the events of this fic. Wilbur is a famous musician rather than a movie star. Techno is still a vigilante. Ranboo isn't a drug addict, he just has a really bad memory and blacks out occasionally(because of his powers, somehow). Tommy plays piano instead of violin and gives younger kids lessons. 5. Wilbur and Techno both moved out of the house when they hit 18, respectively. About a year before the events of this fic, Ranboo and Tommy ran away and got an apartment together. 6. for people who haven't seen the show, basically Schlatt has super strength, Techno can manipulate the trajectory of objects, Wilbur can 'rumor' people and convince them of stuff/to do stuff. Ranboo can speak to ghosts, Niki can 'blink' or jump through space and time. Tubbo is dead(I will talk about his powers more during the actual fic), and Tommy doesn't have a power.

+7. (cursed) one of my friends who was beta-ing this said that they kept picturing Philza in a maid dress in this AU and now I cannot get that mental image out of my head. someone help me. please note that he is *not*, in fact, wearing a maid dress.