Chapter Text
The next day, Tommy left the house early. He couldn’t stay there. Niki would probably search for him here, and the house left him with a trapped feeling he couldn’t bear. As he walked down the streets, Tommy had to admit, he hated it here.
When he had first moved to the Arctic empire, he hadn’t liked it at all. His father had changed after they took Kristin away, but Tommy had been surprised to hear they were moving.
“It’ll only be for a short time. Something temporary”, Phil had said. That’s why Tommy had refrained from making many friends. What was the point in them if he would be gone again soon enough?
And yet, right about now, he was very glad he had made at least one friend. With his mother and father taken away, both for reasons he couldn’t really understand, he only had one more place to go.
Tubbo.
Tommy knocked at the door of the wooden house. Flowers decorated the walls and the entrance, reminding him of its purpose. He didn’t have much time to think about it though. The door opened and a small brunette poked his head through the door. A smile found its way onto the boys face.
“Tommy! I can’t let you in, I’m busy with work right now. What do you need?”
“Uh… I’m ‘omeless, Tubso. I need a place to stay.”
Tubbo frowned deeply. Tommy could see how the cogs in his brain started to pick up their speed.
“You know where my hut is. Can you bring some food? We can talk in the afternoon once I’m done.”
“Sure. Thanks, Tubbo.”
“No Problem, bossman.”
Tubbo proceeded to shut the door right in front of his nose. Tommy would have been hurt, but he knew his friend would have let him in if he could. Sadly, Tubbos boss wasn’t the kindest. As Tommy walked down the street, he reminded himself of the terrible situation his friend was in.
A few years back, Tubbo had lost his family in what he always referred to as an accident. Tommy didn’t know what that meant, but he never pushed Tubbo to elaborate. All he knew was that Tubbo had been very young and the lone survivor of a family of five. From then on, he lived at the mercy of other families until he was old enough to sustain himself. He had been ten when he had started working for this beekeeper. That was 7 years ago. The man had granted him an old, wooden hut outside of town to live in, and Tubbo had gratiously accepted the offer. The job paid him barely enough to eat, but it gave him a shelter and was the closest to a home he had.
Tommy shuddered at the thought. He pushed his thoughts back and headed into his house. He grabbed his clothes and filled a bag with mainly potatoes, but other food as well. He also stole some of Phils clothes for Tubbo. When his eyes grazed Technoblades old cape, he hesitated. It was warm and fluffy, and Tubbo only had one bed. With a frustrated sigh, he stuffed it into his bag. After he got everything, he marched out of town towards the hut, making himself comfortable.
Tubbo POV
The day went by achingly slow. Tubbo couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to Phil. The man had always had something mysterious about himself, but he always put his family first. Hell, he had even put Tubbos well-being before his own more than once. He knew the man wouldn’t leave Tommy behind willingly. Something weird was going on, and Tubbo was aching to find out what.
When his work was finally done, he excused himself and left the house. He loved bees, but the work was exhausting and barely rewarding. Not to mention he was out of food and hadn’t eaten since yesterday’s breakfast. He dragged himself to his hut, already excited to fill his stomach with food and his mind with the news Tommy had for him.
He approached the hut. It wasn’t much, four by four blocks at best, but it had a roof and walls, so he wouldn’t complain. It was enough to fit a bed, a chest, and a nightstand with a lantern on it. He didn’t have much stuff anyways.
“Hey Tubso.”
Tubbo frowned when he heard Tommy. The blonde sounded so broken. He sat outside the hut in the grass and tossed a piece of bread at his friend.
“Why didn’t you say anything? You could have eaten at our house.”
“I just finished my supplies today.”
Tubbo was a good liar. Not that he was proud about it, but it was helpful at times like this. Tommy seemed satisfied, and Tubbo decided to move on to a more important topic.
“So… what happened to Phil?”
“He was arrested.”
“What?!”
“Remember I told you about that weirdo that broke into our house?”
“Oh no… did you shelter a criminal?”
“No… apparently he’s the crown prince or some shit.”
“The WHAT?!”
Tommy flinches. Tubbo stares at him with wide eyes.
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not. Well, at least that woman said he is.”
“What woman?”
“Uhhh, Niki was her name.”
“The princess?!”
“I guess?”
Tommy looked confused at him. He clearly didn’t understand the weight of the situation. Tubbo however, couldn’t help but to feel jealous. Blame his poverty, but he would kill to step foot into the royal castle. He tilted his head, sighing. One thing still didn’t make sense.
“So why did Phil get arrested if you helped the Blade?”
“He claims that Dad tried to murder him. It’s total bullshit.”
“Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know! They didn’t believe me. They treated me like a child.”
“Well, technically, you are!”
“Shut up! I am a big man!”
“Sure, bossman.”
Tubbo laughed, but Tommy only gave him a weak smile. It upset Tubbo. He started to tickle Tommy to make him laugh. Tommy whined softly and shoved him, gently. They both got up, chasing each other, running around the forest. Eventually, Tommys occasional giggles turned into laughter. It felt good to hear it, took some weight off Tubbos shoulders. The world was shit, but at least they had themselves. After a while of playing, they settled down in the soft grass, just talking and laughing. Suddenly, a smirk started to form on his lips. An idea had sparked in his mind, chaotic and exciting. Maybe a little dangerous.
“Hey, Tommy?”
“I know what we have to do now.”