Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tommy was starting to wonder if the new wings on his back were a hallucination or not. Anything could go at this point. Tommy had hallucinated enough due to hunger and sickness to know when things felt unreal. 

But then again, the shifting of said wings or even the slightest touch upon them was a  constant reminder to him. 

This wasn’t a hallucination or a dream.

 The wings were real.

It didn’t feel real, but whenever Tommy tried to wrap any kind of sense around it, it made his head hurt a shit ton, so he and Dream just chalked it up to Tommy somehow being an avian and was only now showing it as the wings were literally forcing their way out.

Tommy felt kinda stupid for not checking on it when his back had started hurting a few weeks before Christmas, but who could blame him? He certainly hadn’t wanted to ask Dream to look at it and possibly find a new way of hurting him. 

Not to mention everything in his body hurt. He was being exposed to TNT blasts and punches from Dream almost daily, so Tommy had just done his best to ignore it.

Until he couldn’t.

Tommy shivered at the memory of how agonizing the pain had been before his wings were shifting under his skin, burning from the inside and desperately clawing to escape his back.

He had woken up on his stomach, and he immediately felt the searing pain of what had felt like constantly being stabbed in the back by two daggers over and over again.

All Tommy could do was scream and cry in pain. He couldn’t move without making the pain so much worse. Fortunately, for once, Dream had visited that day.

He remembered how Dream had sounded calling his name when he had come out of the Nether portal and heard Tommy’s screams.

How the man had frozen in horror the second he caught sight of Tommy, and how he immediately wrenched his mask off of his face and tossed it to the dirt to get a better look of what Tommy couldn’t see.

Tommy wasn’t ashamed to admit he begged Dream for help. He had pleaded so desperately for the pain to end by any means. He had just wanted that pain to stop.

Tommy didn’t remember much after that. Dream had hastily shoved a potion of weakness and slowness down his throat to get him to stop screaming and to fall asleep as Dream muttered frantic words of reassurance. If it was for himself or the boy screaming in pain, Tommy wasn’t quite sure. The last thing Tommy could remember before falling unconscious was Dream saying a distant apology. Immediately after, he was swept away by inky blackness.

The next time Tommy woke up, it was three days later. His back hurt like a bitch, and he had wings now.

Dream had demanded questions from Tommy about the wings and why Tommy had not told him sooner, but he was just as confused and scared as the older man, and that had been obvious from the confused and blank scared expression Tommy had worn.

That was about a month ago.

As far as Tommy was concerned, aside from the fact that the wings just appeared out of nowhere, they were more of a fucking inconvenience than anything else. 

As the month progressed, Tommy got somewhat used to the wings being there and allowed the wounds on his back to heal. Tommy could now walk to the shore of the beach and back to his shabby tent without much discomfort, but the wings got in his way all the time now, and it was starting to piss Tommy the fuck off.

Tommy had to be so careful of his wings when entering the shitty hole-riddled tent because with even the slightest wrong move, they would either get stuck or knock the tent down completely. 

Which only made his back hurt even more.

It often felt like they had a mind of their own, too. They’d flare up when he was angry or being dramatic with Dream or instinctively wrapped around him and shielded him from the world when he was scared and having a panic attack. They were beautiful: the inside of his wings flashed gold; oranges and reds blending together near the shoulder, almost like a sunset in autumn, or the lava from the Nether. The outside looked almost like dark clouds of smoke billowing up from a far-off forest fire; a dark and angry red paired with smoky black. The tips of his wings were bright as flame.

 Dream had jokingly made a comment of them being just like Tommy: dark and angry on the outside but soft and golden on the inside. He promptly received a punch in the arm as he laughed at Tommy’s blushing face and dodged more weak attacks playfully.

The wings had grown pretty fast, too. When they first emerged, they reached his elbows. Now, when fully stretched out, they were about five inches past his fingertips. Tommy wasn’t sure if that was normal or not. He’d only ever met four avians in his life, the first when he’d been about thirteen and never suspected that anything like this would’ve ever happened.

The others being Phil, Wilbur, and Quackity. Quackity seemed like the right option to go to for advice since Wilbur was dead and had an amnesiac ghost floating around who knows where, and the other was the cause for Wilbur’s death and had practically disowned him the same night.

But the only way he’d ever be allowed to see Quackity was if he asked Dream to allow him to go back to the SMP or to bring Quackity to him. 

And neither of those were going to happen anytime soon.

 Tommy would rather regrow his wings all over again than ask the masked fucker to do something that he could easily hang over his head as a reminder of how kind he was to Tommy and how good of a friend he was when Tommy was being selfish .

And speaking of which, it was unsettling how weird Dream was acting now. He was acting nice to Tommy. Acting like friends do, letting him keep a few of his items and food and even bringing him things that Tommy had grumbled about needing.

 Like a new shirt that would accommodate his wings and some more blankets, all given without a second thought. 

He’d even stopped wearing his stupid creepy mask all the time, saying that he trusted Tommy to see his face since he’d seen Tommy’s wings.  

It almost felt like how they were before L’manberg.

Almost.

It gave Tommy whiplash, how different he was acting from how he was before. Was this really the guy who had, two months before, been ordering Tommy to put all his hard-earned items into a pit and then destroyed them with TNT? It was messing with his mind, making him more confused than he already was.

Currently, Tommy was sitting on the beach, looking out onto the harsh, dark waters of the ocean. The water was choppy and the waves larger than normal. The wind blew cold and harsh. It hadn’t rained in the two months he’d been there, and it had probably been even longer than that since the trees around the area were completely dry and made great campfire logs. 

“A storm must be coming in. Great, the tent’s not gonna do any fucking good for shelter… maybe Dream could let me build a roof over Logstedshire to keep out of the fucking rain.” 

Tommy grumbled to himself as he struggled to stand up. Despite having the wings for a month, he still wasn’t quite used to them. His whole weight had changed, leaving him heavier in the back than he was used to.

Once he had finally managed to stand upright, Tommy walked back over to the tent where Dream was currently cooking up some rabbit he’d caught earlier. Tommy stopped to look at Dream, who was wearing his mask on the side of his head, and just watched him quietly. As much as Tommy appreciated Dream helping him and collecting the things he needed while Tommy was still recovering, he hated how reliant on Dream he was becoming.

Tommy had never needed anyone before. Being forced to rely on someone he had once considered his worst enemy, now his only source of food and supplies, was his worst nightmare.

It made Tommy’s head all fuzzy when he looked over to Dream, whose back was facing him as he cooked the rabbit over the open campfire. 

A small part of his brain went protector-safe-provider-helps us. 

This confused Tommy greatly. The fuck did he mean protector or safe? If that were true, Dream would’ve taken him out of exile, or at least to a better shelter. 

No, he was just getting confused. Sure, Dream had been nicer and was helping him out, but Tommy was definitely not fucking safe here. He slept in a goddamn shitty ass tent that left him exposed to mob attacks, for Prime’s sake. 

Tommy was not safe here and especially not around Dream . Sure, he was acting differently now, but that could change at any moment, so Tommy had to be ready. Tommy had to continuously remind himself of this.

But Tommy did one of the things he did best: ignore it. Tommy just shook his head and violently shoved down those stupid thoughts deep down, never to resurface. He cleared his throat, so Dream knew of his presence.

Dream turned to see Tommy standing there and smiled.

“Oh, Tommy, you’re back earlier than I expected! You tend to get really caught up looking at the water. I normally have to come get you,” Dream chuckled, beckoning for Tommy to come closer and sit next to him.

Tommy did as he was told and sat next to the older man, who handed him a cooked rabbit leg. Tommy took it graciously and began to eat. He had always liked meat more than other foods, not that he was picky; he'd eat anything if it was edible and even some things that were not.

After he quickly finished the leg, Tommy tossed the bones into the fire. After a moment of figuring out what to say, he looked over to Dream.

“Hey, uh, Dream, would it be ok if we put a roof on Logstedshire? It feels like there's gonna be a big storm, and I don’t think my tent could withstand any heavy weather, y’know, with all the fucking holes and everything,” Tommy asked hopefully, looking at Dream’s face to read his expression. 

Dream was surprisingly bad at concealing his emotions through his face. Maybe that’s why he wore his stupid, creepy mask all the time.

Dream thought about it for a moment, looking at Tommy’s white tent in consideration. Then, he nodded. “Yeah, that should be fine. I'll get it set up. You eat a little more. I'll tell you when it’s ready.” 

Tommy just nodded and got another leg to eat while Dream got up and walked to a chest to collect some wood stored in it. He then headed towards the unfinished building of Logstedshire. 

About an hour later, Dream returned, saying the roof was ready.

It was crude and not the best craftsmanship, but it would work to keep the wind and snow mostly out, not so much the cold, but Tommy could manage.

Tommy smiled. “Thanks, Dream, I appreciate it. I wouldn't want to have my wings chopped off cause of some stupid frostbite after getting them so recently,” Tommy tried to joke. Dream didn’t seem to find it funny.

“Yeah… Tommy, about that, while I was off checking on the rest of the SMP, I had the chance to speak with Quackity about Avians,” Dream said calmly. Tommy froze; there was something there that Tommy didn’t like, something that made Tommy’s brain scream danger .

“Oh, uh, did you? What did you ask? What did he say?” Tommy asked. He wasn't sure how he felt about having Dream know information on what he was before he did.

Dream chuckled. “Well, I just asked about some common things, like diet and how to take care of your wings and stuff. I couldn’t really ask in detail cause that would’ve made him suspicious, so I just asked like I was curious about him,” Dream explained.

Tommy nodded and waited for Dream to continue, knowing from experience Dream didn’t like being interrupted when saying something important.

“He said that it depended on the type of bird their

wings reflected, what type of avian they were, and what they needed to grow, but he said most birds were either omnivores or carnivores, but hybrids are mainly omnivores with just a preference of meat sometimes,” Dream explained calmly.

“As for the wing care, he said something about preening and wing exercises like stretches and stuff. He didn’t go into detail about that one, saying that that was more of a personal topic. He said there’s books on that stuff, though, so I’ll see if I can find anything,” Dream said, shrugging, giving Tommy a warm smile.

Tommy nodded as he listened, taking in the information he was given, and making sure to keep it to memory.

“Thanks, Dream that is helpful. I've seen birds before, and I’ve read a bit about it in some nature books, so I think I can at least manage that till we can get some better info on that subject,” Tommy said, giving him a small smile. “It’s getting pretty dark, so you might want to get to your house before that rain starts, or you’ll be stuck here with me,” Tommy chuckled he did his best to not sound forceful, but Tommy just wanted Dream to leave for the night.

The older glanced at the sky and nodded, shifting his mask over his face. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll be heading out. Stay safe, Tommy. There’s extra wood in the chest if you need to patch up any holes in the roof.” Dream called out as he waved goodbye as he stepped into the Nether portal.

And finally, Tommy was alone.

Tommy let out a sigh of relief. He hadn’t noticed how tense his wings had gotten at the end there. He flexed them gingerly and then walked to the tent and grabbed all the things he would need for the move to Logstedshire.

Once Tommy had gotten all the things he needed, he set it up to be as comfortable as it could be in the drafty poorly made building. Tommy sat down in the middle of the room and took a look at his wings.

He knew what preening was, and he knew from seeing Wilbur and Phil doing it that it was special. Preening could be a way of releasing a lot of stress and discomfort from the body, and it meant you were given a lot of trust if an avian allowed you to preen them, or that’s what Wilbur and Phil had told him.

But after an hour of removing broken or loose feathers and placing them in a small pile beside him, Tommy didn’t feel much different.

Sure his wings felt much better with all the uncomfortable feathers gone, but he didn’t really feel any different inside other than just a little bit of eased nerves, but he felt stressed and tired the way he always did when he was alone.

Tommy sighed. “Maybe I’m not doing it right. This is my first time trying it. Wil did say it took a while to get used to it,” Tommy muttered to himself, but it didn’t make him feel any better

Putting that aside, Tommy looked down at the small pile of feathers and picked one of the undamaged ones up. It was one of the orange feathers that looked like the tip had been dipped in gold. 

It was pretty .

A small part of Tommy wanted to keep it to hoard all golden feathers like they were precious metal, but why the fuck would he do that? He had no use for the feathers other than them being pretty. A waste of an inventory slot.

Tommy sighed again, slowly stood up, picked up the pile of feathers, walked to the door, and opened it.

It had started to rain outside, not hard yet, but from the looks of the sky, it would be soon. A soft book of thunder rumbled in the distance. 

“Great, now it’s gonna be even harder to sleep than normal. Fuck you, weather,” Tommy grumbled as he just dumped the feathers on the ground and went back inside quickly shutting the door.

Tommy had no idea what time it was, but it was pitch black outside, apart from the bright strikes of lightning every other minute or so, followed by loud booming thunder that shook the feeble walls of Logstedshire.

Tommy lay on the ground in his sleeping bag with his blankets wrapped tightly around him. Apart from the noise, it wasn’t that bad. The walls could keep out the harsh wind, and while there were a few leaks here and there, they were out of the way and wouldn’t bother Tommy for the night.

A few minutes passed as the storm continued. It seemed to be right over Tommy since the lightning was getting brighter, and the thunder was the loudest he’d heard in a long time.

Tommy then saw a blinding flash of white light and heard the sound of a loud crack as lightning struck the wood, and a fire quickly began to spread. 

Tommy yelled out in surprise and quickly scrambled to escape the sleeping bag and rush outside into the pouring rain, instantly getting drenched as he stared in horror as the fire grew. The building had been made of wood from the area, so it was dry as hell. It would take a while for the rain to put out the growing flames.

“Shit, everything is still in there!” Tommy cried out as he looked through the wide-open door. But he hesitated; he feared his wings would get in the way, and he’d get badly injured. 

What could he do!

“GAH, FUCK IT!” 

Tommy shouted as he tucked his wings in as tight to his body as he could and charged into the burning building. Immediately dashing to grab two blankets along with an iron axe Dream had given him and the compass Ghostbur had given him to remind him of Tubbo. The smoke burned his lungs and made it harder to see. Fortunately, the room was relatively small. 

That was all he was able to get before a beam crashed to the floor right in front of Tommy, just nearly hitting him.

That was his cue to get the fuck out.

Tommy sprinted out of the burning building and skidded in the mud on the ground. Tommy fell to his hands and knees and sighed in exhaustion and relief, panting hard as he coughed.

He’d made it out alive.

Barely.

Tommy just stayed there for a moment with the rain beating down on him as he just took deep breaths and tried to regain composure. It had been a while since he needed to run like that, and it showed.

Tommy then heard a loud flapping of wings and a caw. Tommy looked up to see a large crow standing on the ground before him, its head to the side as it just stared at him, then the items in his hands and on the ground like did you really just risk your life for this garbage?

Tommy’s eye twitched. “I’ll risk my life for whatever I damn well please, you fucking flying fuck that can’t see windows!” he said through gritted teeth.

The crow just cawed again, then picked up one of his golden feathers from the mud and flew off.

Chapter Text

Tommy didn’t know what to do; everything was ruined.

Logstedshire’s fire had finally died down as the rain continued, but nothing was left but a smoldering pile of embers and smoke. Tommy tried to search for anything salvageable and could only find a few pieces of iron and a damaged iron pick.

Fuck.

What the hell was Tommy supposed to do? His shelter was gone along with his stuff, and he was soaking wet with no change of new clothes.

“Could the universe hate me anymore?” Tommy asked, frowning. “Don’t answer that,” Tommy quickly added, glaring up at the partially sunny sky.

Tommy groaned as he then looked down at his clothes. He was freezing and now all the wood was wet. It would be almost impossible to make a fire.

“Dream said he’d be back tomorrow… I can survive till then. I’m Tommy mother fucking Innit! I survived 2 wars. I can survive one day in the cold!” Tommy said loudly, hyping himself up, not particularly caring if anyone heard him.

Tommy busied himself by exploring the areas he hadn’t before by heading north. Tommy had no idea where he was heading but maybe there was some dry wood that he could take back to make a fire to last the night.

Tommy couldn’t help his shivering; he was still in his wet clothes.

What was he supposed to wear? He definitely wasn’t gonna go around the woods buck naked as secluded as this part of the SMP! Tommy would never know if he’d run into a village.

Tommy sighed as he started to feel the temperature begin to drop even more while he continued to walk. Without him noticing, the trees were starting to slowly shift from oak to spruce. Tommy looked around bewildered until he heard a familiar caw beside him.

Tommy jumped at the sudden interruption of silence and stared down at the black crow near his bare foot.

“The fuck you want?”

Tommy demanded, glaring at the crow. The crow, expectantly, said nothing and simply tilted its head to the side seemingly staring at Tommy’s wings. Tommy shifted uncomfortably and tucked the wings tighter to his body.

Tommy realized something. “You're one of Phil’s crows aren’t you. Is he around here?” Tommy asked, crouching to be closer to the crow and offered a hand for it to hop onto.

The crow looked at Tommy’s hand then gave it a little affectionate nibble then hopped onto hand. Tommy raised the crow up and perched it onto his shoulder. Tommy smiled and let out a little trill from his throat which made him pause.

‘The fuck was that? I’ve never made that sound before… Let’s just  ignore it.’ Tommy thought as he continued towards the way he guessed the crow had come from.

The air was getting colder and Tommy was starting to debate on heading back, he was already very likely to get hypothermia with the wet clothes but if he continued it was almost a guarantee.

Tommy sighed and glanced at the crow as he turned around, “I’m heading back to my camp. Uh… You can go back to Phil if you want to.” Tommy said, a little sadly knowing the crow would most likely leave and he’d be alone for the rest of the day.

But then the crow cawed loudly and Tommy heard snapping sounds of someone walking on sticks from behind him.

Tommy whirled around to see a very shocked Philza Minecraft.

Tommy stood there for a moment silently frozen simultaneously as Phil as they just stared at each other in surprise.

Avian!--Avian!--Help!--He-can help!

That weird part of his brain was screaming again. It was like having his head shoved under water. It made his head all fuzzy and unfocused. It was like intrusive thoughts Tommy decided, but they didn’t make him depressed like his normal ones did. It felt like they were trying to help, but they really weren't. Had the thoughts been trying to get Tommy to see Dream as his protector to not get help from Phil? 

No way! 

Tommy just had to remember his coping mechanism for stuff like this! Even if Puffy had said it was unhealthy, Tommy didn’t care. 

He dismissed the thoughts quickly and acted like they weren’t there until they went away on their own.

Tommy just stood there for a few moments longer, made eye contact with Phil, then shook his head. “Nope!” was all he said before bolting back the way he came, ignoring the distressed shouts from Philza.

Tommy pushed himself to run faster. Tommy wasn’t really paying attention to where he was going, he stumbled on rocks and large tree roots thanks to the damned spruce trees.

‘Nope nope nope nope nope.’ Was repeating like a mantra in Tommy’s panicked mind as he tried to remember his way back to Logstedshire, or what was left of it. 

Tommy’s breath was beginning to catch in his chest. It had been over a month since he had to run like this and a first time having to run with his wings. Tommy didn’t know how to run with them properly, the wings kept messing up with his balance. They weren’t completely against his back so they kept getting slightly pulled back as the wind pushed against.

Sure he was also an avian, but Phil always had a way of explaining things insufferable. 

But then Tommy heard a loud swooshing above him and saw overhead Phil using his wings to fly over and then stop on the ground in front of him. Tommy growled, ‘ show off .’

Tommy was tense and pulled his axe out of his inventory tightening his grip around the wooden handle. 

Phil let out multiple soft high pitched chirping noises. 

It was fucking annoying.

 Tommy didn’t change his defensive stance which seemed to confuse Phil. his expression changed from one of mild concern to even more concern and almost panic. More noises came from the older man's throat.

“Would you cut that shit out? It's fucking annoying.” Tommy finally snapped, surprising Philza into silence. “Do-do you not understand what I’m saying?” Phil asked. He looked like Tommy had just kicked his puppy in the face.

“No? Why would I, you’re just making weird ass bird noises.” Tommy snarled. He was tired, cold, and felt like shit. Tommy really didn’t want to get in a fight with Phil.

Phil continued making his weird bird noises as he tried to approach Tommy. Tommy took a step back and raised the axe. Tommy didn’t couldn’t drop eye contact from the older man. Tommy couldn’t help but notice how wide Phil’s pupils were dilated with a weird dark glint within them.

“STAY BACK! STOP MAKING THAT SOUND !” 

Tommy shouted almost desperately, his breathing picking up, his heartbeat beating loudly against Tommy’s rib cage. He felt like a rabbit caught in a snare, he couldn’t breathe.

Tommy could feel the infuriatingly familiar sting of tears forming in his eyes. Tommy’s head was really starting to hurt from both the weird voices and a bad headache. It wouldn’t stop. 

The world was starting to spin and it made Tommy feel like he was going to vomit.

Tommy loosened his grip on the axe and it eventually fell to the ground with a loud clatter, which fortunately brought Tommy back to reality where he saw Phil much closer than before.

Tommy cried out in surprise and hastily stumbled back accidentally tripping over a large root sticking out of the dirt and falling onto the ground.

Tommy yelped when he hit the ground and looked up to see a frantic looking Philza as he advanced closer.

Tommy wasn’t paying attention. He made a sound. Hell, he didn’t even notice when he let out a strained and terrified sounding chirp, but he did notice how Philza immediately froze in place. His weird chirps stopped as well. Tommy saw how he straightened up and how there was a pained expression on his face as if Tommy had been the one to scare him!

Tommy stared at Phil for a few moments not even blinking as if both feared the other would make a sudden move. 

They stayed in a stalemate till after what felt like hours but must’ve only been a minute Phil let out a single broken hearted sounding chirp.

Before turning around and walking away.

Tommy stayed frozen on the cold hard ground of the forest. Tommy had no idea what had just happened but he didn’t want to move until he was a hundred percent Phil was gone.

Tommy finally let himself take large gasps of air as if he’d been drowning. Tommy shivered in the cold but continued to stay seated.

After what must've been almost half an hour Tommy shakily got up and almost fell down again. Tommy steadied himself on a tree then began the long trek back to Logstedshire.

The sun was maybe about an hour from setting. Tommy grimaced, he definitely didn’t want to be out when the mobs could begin to spawn. Tommy hurried his pace and started to notice the spruce trees lessen around him and sighed in relief as it was a sign he was closer to “home”. 

When Tommy saw the remains of Logstedshire Tommy smiled and jogged over and finally felt his body relax. Sure, he wasn’t completely safe from mobs or the elements but he felt much safer than in that forest.

But then Tommy heard a branch snap from behind him which made Tommy go pale.

Tommy slowly turned around to be greeted by the form of Dream with his arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face. 

He was back early.

“Where have you been Tommy?”  

Dream asked calmly but there was something terrifying in his tone. It was the Dream before Tommy got his wings.

Tommy opened his mouth as to say something but only the same terrified chirp he’d made with Phil came out

But this time, Tommy recognized the sound coming out from his own throat.

Chapter Text

Tommy slapped a hand over his mouth.  

Why the hell did he make that kind of a sound!  

Dream faltered for a moment after hearing the strangled noise, he then stood up straight and stared at the trembling boy, his piercing green eyes watching him carefully. 

Tommy stared at Dream terrified as he stood there frozen in place as the Dream approached him slowly.

“It’s ok Tommy, you’re alright. I just want to know where you had gone and, well, what happened to Logstedshire. It looks like there was a fire of some kind.” 

Dream said calmly, he truly sounded like he was concerned for Tommy, but every fiber in Tommy’s body screamed not to believe a word that came from the older’s mouth. Even the voices that had once sung Dream’s praise screamed at him.

Danger!

Tommy’s heart rate picked up again. God this much panic in one day couldn’t be good for his health, but Tommy couldn’t think about that right now he needed to respond to Dream.

“Oh, uh, y-yea, um, it stormed really hard last night and some lightning hit the roof and it caught fire. Dry wood n’ shit, I guess.” Tommy said lamely, unsure of what else to say since it was the truth.

“I had just gone to explore to try and get new resources cause, y’know, I thought you’d be back tomorrow so I thought I’d need stuff to make it through the night.” Tommy continued, scratching at the back of his neck and looked away from Dream who continued to stare at him, a bead of sweat dripping down his neck.

Dream was silent for a moment as he processed what Tommy had said. Dream nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer, and Tommy let out a sigh of relief he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in.

“Well you do seem to be in pretty rough shape. Your clothes are soaked and you seem to be shivering.” Dream said calmly, motioning at Tommy. Tommy looked down and saw he was, indeed, shivering. Whether it was because of his fear or how cold he was, Tommy wasn’t sure.

“Uh, yea, most of my extra clothes were burned in the fire and I was stuck in the rain for quite a while so they couldn’t fully dry off.” Tommy mumbled, digging his fingernails into his left arm till they left little crescent shapes in his skin.

Dream hummed softly as he nodded again, then gently pulled Tommy into a hug. 

Tommy let out a confused sound and stiffened, his wings puffing up slightly in surprise. Dream had never been a very touchy guy, not when Tommy’s back was healing, and, hell, not even when they were actually friends before L’manberg.

Dream paid no attention to how stiff Tommy was. His hug tightened slightly and Tommy bristled a little, but didn’t move. Tommy's exhaustion was finally catching up to him, and despite all the warnings going off in his head, Tommy ignored them and leaned a little into Dream’s embrace, resting his forehead onto the taller's shoulder and staying there. 

Even Dream seemed surprised, pausing for a moment but then rubbing Tommy’s back slowly in a calming way, minding to be careful of his wings. 

Dream sighed after a minute of silence and held Tommy out at arms length, gripping Tommy’s shoulders gently.

“You really worried me Tommy. If it weren’t for there being no notification on the community comms, I would have thought you’d been killed.” Dream said with a concerned tone.

Tommy looked down guiltily. Fuck. He shouldn’t be feeling that way, it wasn’t his fault Dream came earlier than he expected. The feeling of danger and panic was slowly fading, though it hadn’t completely gone yet, but for some reason his head felt so much more unfocused than usual.

“Sorry Dream,” he mumbled. “I-I didn’t think you’d be back so soon so I thought it would be ok to try and get resources so I could make it till you came by tomorrow,” Tommy said tiredly.

Dream stared at him for a moment, then put a hand up to Tommy’s forehead, only to pull it back almost immediately. “Prime, you’re burning up. We need to get you out of those clothes,” he said quickly.

It took Tommy a moment to process what Dream had said, but nodded and accepted the set of warm clothes he was given, and quickly got changed.

Tommy felt horrible. He felt like his brain was pounding out of his skull and he felt like his head was under water.  

It wasn’t a big surprise he’d gotten a fever. He had just been in the cold and pouring rain for a whole night. It would’ve been more of a shock if he hadn’t gotten sick.

Tommy stood there awkwardly as Dream crafted him a new bed and tent, but once they were all set up, Tommy almost immediately fell onto the bed and lay there for a moment, too tired to do anything. 

Tommy then heard Dream enter the tent and held out a small potion bottle with a blue liquid swirling around in it. “Here. This’ll get you to sleep and hopefully help you fight off that fever,” he said calmly.

Tommy took the potion and downed it in one gulp, trying not to get any on his tongue. Slowness potions always tasted the worst with a slight numbing after-effect. Tommy made a face before handing the empty bottle back to Dream and resting his head back onto his pillow.

Dream chuckled and put a blanket over Tommy’s body, then exited the tent. “Sleep well Tommy. I’ll be back in a few hours to give you another potion, so you get better soon. We were lucky I had those ingredients on me,” Dream said, but Tommy wasn’t really paying attention anymore. The potion was beginning to take full effect, and Tommy was out like a light in no time.

~_______________~

Technoblade had been feeding his giant wolf army when Philza came walking out of the dense spruce forest surrounding their joint homes. But something seemed off about him as the winged man approached the Piglin hybrid. Phil looked pale and was upset, if his puffed up wings meant anything. 

Technoblade frowned and turned to face Philza. “You alright there Phil? Did something happen?” Techno asked. Techno had known Phil since he was a kid alongside Wilbur, but the former two had always been a bit closer. Techno had become Phil’s protege, and after that, they shared almost everything with each other.

Phil looked up at Techno and he could immediately tell something really was wrong. He looked like he had when Tommy had just joined them and had gotten badly sick; just tired and scared for the future. This immediately set alarms off in his mind, along with Chat.

“Dadza sad”
“EEEEE”
“Oh no Phil’s upset”
“Comfort him”

Techno shook his head slightly then approached Phil more carefully, awkwardly opening his arms to offer a hug which Phil gladly accepted.

“What’s wrong, Phil?”  Techno asked again more softly, feeling Phil’s grip on his cape tighten slightly.

“I didn’t know. HE didn’t even know.” Phil mumbled softly, but Techno’s sensitive ears still caught it.

“Wh-what? Who? Who are you talking about? Ranboo?” Techno asked confusedly as Phil shook his head and pulled away, his wings puffing up again. 

“N-NO! Tommy! Tommy he’s a… he’s an avian. I just saw him in the woods. He looked so fucking beat up and and he had wings that where far too small, but when I asked him he acted like he’d just found about it when his wings popped out,” Phil rambled frantically before taking a shaky breath. 

“Gods, Techno, the pain I went through when my wings finally came in was excruciating, and I knew they were coming and had medication! Tommy must’ve not had anything.” Phil continued, covering his face in his hands. “They should’ve been out by now. He’s almost 17. If I had known. I would’ve never let him go.” Phil sobbed. 

Techno could only watch Phil unravel in shock and disbelief. Tommy, an avian? That didn’t make any sense. The last time Techno saw Tommy was the day of the festival, and the kid certainly hadn’t had wings then. But from how distraught Phil was, it had to be true.

“He seemed so scared of everything, Techno. His chirp, I…” Phils words died in his mouth, but Techno understood what he was trying to say. And what they had to do.

They had to get Tommy and make sure he was safe.

Chapter Text

When Tommy woke up, he felt his stomach lurch, turning his head to the side of his new bed as he immediately threw up. Ugh, not a good feeling. He groaned and wiped his mouth off on his sleeve once his stomach was empty, shakily lay back in bed. He’d probably need to clean that up, but he was still feeling shaky from heaving, so there was no point in trying for now.

Tommy then heard footsteps heading towards him. He looked over to the tent entrance to see Dream entering with a bowl of something in his hand, freezing when he saw the bile on the ground. When he looked towards Tommy, he heard a mumbled “‘m sorry.” as Tommy tried to blink away the fuzzy edges in the corner of his eyes, but failed.

Dream just shook his head, “It’s not your fault, Tommy. You can’t control that kind of stuff and it’s better out than stuck in your throat and suffocating you.” Dream said in a joking manner, hoping to lift the mood. It didn’t make Tommy feel better. So Dream carefully stepped over the vomit and helped Tommy sit up. He hesitated to fully hand him the bowl without the other dropping it.

Tommy didn’t understand how to feel. He had always had a love hate relationship with getting sick. He’d always loved the attention he had gotten when he was, but the way he was feeling wasn’t worth it, especially if the one doting on him was Dream.

Tommy needed to remember what Dream had done to him, though. How this man had taken two of his canon lives already. Tommy looked down at the bowl in his lap and saw it was potato stew. He smiled sadly.  It reminded him of his piglin brother. He sighed and carefully lifted the spoon to his lips and took a bite, the warmth good for his cold body.

Tommy hadn’t realized how cold he felt, shivering and wrapping his blanket around him before he took another bite. He could hear Dream chuckle and looked up to see the dirty blonde smiling, this weird glint in his eye that Tommy didn’t like. He decided to push that feeling aside, after all, he should thank Dream for his help he figured. “I, uh.. thanks for this Dream. I’d probably be in a worse spot if you hadn’t come early.” Tommy said, smiling weakly.

Dream frowned at that a little and raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t early. I told you I’d be here today.” Dream spoke calmly, not sounding upset, just confused... And maybe a bit annoyed? Tommy looked at him for a second, and no, no, he didn’t. Did he? Tommy wasn’t sure, but it’s not like it mattered. “Oh, s-sorry, guess I got mixed up- y’know, the days kinda mix together. It's a bit hard to tell since I don’t have a clock or calendar or anything.” He laughed nervously; he hoped he didn’t sound like he was being ungrateful. Tommy didn’t need those things, though they would be nice.

Dream’s smile returned, and he nodded, seeming to understand. “That’s fair I guess.” Dream spoke as he took Tommy’s now empty bowl. “I think I want to check up on your wounds. I don't think anything’s wrong, but you had been running, and it looked like you had fallen a bit, so it’s better to just double check. I’ll be right back with a med kit and something to clean up the mess.” He explained, quickly leaving the tent and what sounded like rummaging around in chest before returning with a small med kit and a towel.

Dream first cleaned up the puke before motioning for Tommy to turn around. He did as told and carefully lifted his shirt up so Dream could get a better look. “I’m gonna touch your back, just a bit and move them just to get a better look. I won’t do anything else.” Dream said calmly, waiting for Tommy’s approval. Tommy hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

As Dream looked for any open tears in the scaring, Tommy just focused on the tent wall in front of him. He knew this was for the better, but Tommy still really didn’t like Dream touching his back. Even if he was being careful. He was scared that Dream might switch in an instant and hurt his wings, possibly tearing out the feathers or just chopping them off entirely.

Tommy hadn’t noticed when his breathing had picked up and become more shaky. Dream had though, and after plucking one loose feather from Tommy’s wing, he retracted his hands. “It’s ok Tommy, I’m done. You’re all good, no tears. I’d say you’re pretty much completely healed.” Dream spoke soothingly, and Tommy’s breathing slowly returned to normal.

“S-sorry- it-it’s not you, I just don’t like getting touched.” Tommy mumbled, trying to excuse his panic. He turned back around to face Dream, the older man just nodding before he heard a buzzing from his comm. As he checked it out, he grit his teeth and put his mask back over his face. “I need to go. A little argument’s going on in L’manberg and I need to calm it down. I’ll be back tomorrow morning. I left more food in the furnace just outside. You’ll be fine for the rest of the day, right? Just sleep some more and you should get better. I put a bit of regen in the stew so you’ll be feeling better in no time.” Finally done, Dream looked at Tommy with his scary white mask. Tommy just nodded and then Dream was gone.

Tommy sat there for a while. Finally, he decided to lay back down on his back, looking up at the tent ceiling and listening to the wind moving around him. Slowly but surely, he fell back asleep.

~_______________~

Techno watched in silence as Phil paced around his living room frantically getting things ready for Tommy’s arrival. Techno knew better than to get in the way of Phil’s instincts taking over. The piglin sighed and looked out the small window towards where Phil had said he saw Tommy.

Techno wasn’t sure how to feel about seeing the teenager again, they hadn’t left on the best note and Techno was still a bit bitter about L’manberg but from what Phil had told him of Tommy’s appearance Techno could put aside his pride aside for just a bit. As much as the kid got on his nerves, he was a part of Techno’s sounder and nothing could break that.

“Awwwww softnoblade”
“Brotherblade”
“BEDROCK BROS”
“EEEEEEE”
“We should get Tommy now!”
“What if he’s not in the same spot as Phil saw him?”

Techno groaned as chat started to spike up, but Techno had to agree with that last one. What if Tommy was somewhere else, far away from the forest Phil had seen him in? Techno glanced towards the winged man who was packing things into a bag he’d be ready to leave soon, better to not mention his thought it would only make the avian more anxious.

“Alright mate, I’m ready, let's go. It might start snowing again and when I last saw Tommy, he was soaked, so it’ll be better to get him before he gets frostbite.” Phil said, turning to look at Techno. He was smiling, but it was obviously forced. The blonde’s dark wings being fluffed out was the give away at how anxious he really was.

Techno just nodded and followed Phil out the door. Techno ran through the forest with a few of his wolves searching for Tommy’s scent while Phil and his crows took to the sky.

It felt like hours passed as the two men searched for their loved one. Techno looked up into the darkening sky and grimaced until he heard Phil shout and fly quickly to the ground. Techno was almost scared the avian would crash.

“TECHNO I I FOUND A CLUE I THINK I FOUND HIM!” Phil said excitedly as he held out holding out a golden feather. Techno examined it, fighting his instincts to grab it from Phil. It was definitely not from any of the birds in the area. “Where did you find it?” Techno asked, looking at Phil’s relieved face.

“One of the crows had it and I bet they know where Tommy is!” Phil said , grinning as the crow in question landed on Phil’s shoulder. Techno nodded and as the crow flew off, the two men ran after it, eventually coming across a clearing near a beach with a burnt down building and a test with a light on inside.

Techno scanned the area for anyone else but saw nothing and so carefully he approached the tent, glancing inside and seeing Tommy on a small cot and sure enough, he had wings. Techno sighed in relief at seeing the boy was alright but then frowned as he saw the boy was breathing a little heavily.

Techno awkwardly entered more into the tent and reached for Tommy’s forehead, and quickly pulled back. The kid was burning up. Techno grit his teeth. This wasn’t gonna be fun for Phil, who was already deep into mother hen mode. Techno sighed, then carefully wrapped Tommy up into a cocoon with his blanket, making sure to not hurt his wings.

Techno was surprised at how Tommy stayed sleeping, but he could question that later right now they needed to get the boy to his house and then questions could be asked later.

Techno exited the tent and walked to Phil, who had rushed to them, inspecting Tommy’s face and making worried chirps. 

Chapter Text

Phil feels like everything is going horribly wrong. And with everything he means every single wound, bruise and scar on his son. On Tommy. 

He could tell he was deep in his instincts, still though, he couldn’t care less. This was his fledgeling , with new, so painfully new wings. So tiny they made his heart hurt. And he was sick, Phil knew it the moment he locked his eyes on the boy. Tommy’s breathing was shallow, his face was pale yet flushed on the cheeks, he was shivering with multiple blankets. 

So, with all of that. 

Everything was going wrong. 

Phil couldn't even begin to explain his worry when he approached his son, he looked so tiny, so fragile in Techno’s arms. Tommy should never look like that, he should be going on adventures with his friends, discovering something new each day and living his life. Not like this. They needed to get him back home. Now. 

So Phil told Techno exactly that. His apprentice simply yet solemnly nodded, eyes locked on his little brother, protectiveness and worry seeming to bleed through them. 

With that, they started the track back to the arctic. They couldn't run now like on the way here. with a sick boy in their arms, that was just asking to wake him up . So they had to walk the whole track back. 

Neither of them uttered a word. 

At least…

Not until Tommy did. 

Techno didn't know what to think while walking. So instead, he kept checking on tommy. He checked his pulse, his temperature, his wounds. He felt his anger growing every second. Still, he forced himself to remain calm. 

Balance, you need balance to keep him safe .

It was silent, with the exception of their footsteps on the ground that was slowly filling with snow and the sound of Tommy's shallow breathing. 

Then a new sound entered. 

“No, stop. Please.” the blonde spoke quietly, voice hoarse. 

Techno’s heart stopped. 

He didn't know Tommy could sound so broken. So miserable. 

A new blinding red hot anger surged through Techno as he quickened his pace. To hell with taking it nice and slow. He was starting to think that Tommy was too sick to wake up and even if he did he’d be too out of it to do anything about it. 

Phil had frozen up when Tommy had spoken but quickly caught up, with a small glance from Techno he noticed his pupils had become small slits. That won’t be fun to handle when they get home. A territorial bloodthirsty mama bird, wonderful.

Fantastic.

Techno grit his teeth and tried to walk even faster as Tommy groaned in pain and mumbled more concerning things that Techno was doing his best to tune out (“I'll be good, stop, dont, I'm sorry please (they made his heart ache so badly, who had done this? )) but it was so much harder than normal due to Tommy being in so much pain, but the snow falling was growing heavier and was piling up quickly making it harder to move quickly without jostling Tommy to much.

Fortunately Techno could see the faint lights of his and Phil’s home through the blizzard. Techno heard clicking chirps from Phil which meant as a warning even towards Techno. Shit the closer they got to their home the deeper Phil would fall into his instincts. Seeing the circumstances, the older man wouldn’t even recognize Techno and see him as a threat to Tommy.

“Phil I know you don’t want me holding him but we need to get home then he’s all yours to fuss over.” Techno huffed glancing at Phil who had tilted his head before nodding and quickly taking off into flight and heading towards their home, probably going to prepare the nest for the new fledgeling.

Techno was still speed walking through the thick forest, making sure that his precious cargo would stay unharmed. The blonde had fallen silent again, techno wasn't sure if that made him less or more worried. 

Finally they made it, passing the stable and all the dogs that Tommy had loved so much. Techno made it to the porch and quickly entered the house to be greeted by Phil shoving all kinds of soft and warm things into a makeshift nest in the middle of his living room. Techno stared for a moment then just sighed and continued walking in being hit by the comforting warm air of the house. It was then that he felt Tommy relax ever so slightly, although his shivering hadn’t stopped.

 Techno carefully set Tommy down in the middle of the nest, quickly being followed by Phil who scooped Tommy into his arms and held him closely, softly cooing and chirping to the young boy. Techno smiled slightly then, when he was about to walk away assuming Phil wouldn’t want him near Tommy for a while, Techno heard a slightly louder angry chirp and looked towards them. 

Phil was glaring at him and gestured for him to enter the nest as well. Oh. he was also a fledgling in Phil’s mind right now, oh boy. Techno relented after a moment and carefully climbed into the surprisingly comfortable nest of the floor Tommy in the middle with Phil on his left and Techno on his right.

Techno sighed and looked at Tommy. Looked at the wounds and bruises and hurt that littered his body. He pushed a stray lock of hair that had fallen in front of his behind his ear. I promise you Theseus, I will never let this happen again.  

Dream was fucking tired. Sadly, he needed to put energy into his act to make this work.

In the beginning of TommyInnit’s exile, he thought that the right way to (train him) make the boy behave was punishment and praise. Praise him when he did what you wanted, punish him for anything else. It was easy, manageable. 

Then, the wings came.

Dream was at a loss, he had no idea that that was even possible this late in life. He was lucky that it happened when it did though. 

Because if it had happened even a moment sooner, his (now adjusted) plan wouldn’t have worked.

Any earlier, and he either would still be with his beloved friends or the obedience wouldn’t have kicked in yet and he would have a rogue avian on the server.

Any later and he would have been seen as a threat by his instincts. 

That just wouldn’t do.

So, dream thought while walking back to his newest experiments home, he had to put in the effort.

He hated acting all soft and mushy with the kid that ruined his server. 

Sadly, he needed Tommy’s instincts to make him follow him. Instincts are very complicated, even as a fully fledged admin he had to admit that he never truly understood them. They were buried deep inside a player's code, at their core. They could take over a person's life.

So, with logic, if dream controlled Tommy’s instincts, he controlled Tommy.

Which also meant he controlled all those who followed Tommy. Which included his rival Technoblade, because no matter how much the piglin denied it he cared for Tommy greatly.

Dream sighed as he stepped through the nether portal being greeted by a cold gust of wind and snow. Dream clicked his tongue in annoyance at the snow. This might make Tommy’s fever worse which wouldn’t be good if he lost his life too. Even if Dream could revive him, Dream didn’t want it to come to that.

Dream sighed and hurried towards the small tent he left Tommy in. 

When he finally reached it he opened the flap of fabric that acted as the door. 

Rage and fear are unlikely to be felt at the same time. 

He felt them now, however. 

Because Tommy

Wasn’t 

There. 

Fuck, what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t train the perfect comrade (soldier) if he couldn’t find the person (child) he was helping (torturing). 

Dream scrambled around logstedshire, trying to find any leads on where Tommy could be. Anything would be better than nothing. 

Hell, he would even be okay with finding a body. That way he could at least bring him back (and manipulate him into believing he was the only one who cares, to make him Tommy’s hero. Endepted for life). Anything would be better than nothing. 

He looked on the beach, in the little attempt at a garden, even the forest surrounding him. Nothing. 

He looked around for hours when he returned to the tent. When he arrived the sun was 2 fingers over the horizon. Now? Now it was in the middle of the damn sky, taunting him. 

The weather decided to turn around and be burning hot today. Ironic seeing it was the bad weather that made Tommy so sick. It was almost like the gods were happy that his player was not where he wanted him to be anymore. 

He grabbed his hair tightly, no, this could not be happening, it simply couldn’t. He needed this player. The player who creates attachments, who fought multiple wars and against all odds won, the player who is hot headed and kind hearted and everything Dream stands against and vice-versa. 

If he controls TommyInnit, he controls his server. He is too valuable to lose and somehow he did . 

He loosened his grip on his hair, letting his arms hang at his sides. He stood up straight because he is the admin . He can’t lose his cool because the last time he did, it cost lifes. He had to be calm, he reminded himself. He had to be in control of everything. Including himself . 

After all,

He had a player to catch. 

His greatest enemy, who he was about to turn into the best weapon he’s created yet. 

(After all, it was him who created wilburs insanity, him who was the reason as to why Jschlatt turned into a tyrant, and it was him who led The Blade himself into the temple, the temple where he became a sacrifice to the god of war. The reason for the voices.)

Another manhunt for Dream, he thought as he smiled to himself. 

Might as well make it fun. 

The ground was soft. Too soft. 

For some reason that was his first thought, that the ground was too damn soft. 

He shifted his head, so that he could lean into the pillow better (since when did he have a pillow?). 

Everything was fuzzy, it’s like he looked away for a moment and his mind was filled with honey. His eyes were stuck together for some reason, and he was too tired and fuzzy to do anything about it. 

Tommy had no idea what was going on but frankly he didn’t even care. Maybe he was just having a hallucination about feeling warm and comfortable, Techno once told him you start to feel warm when you are dying of hypothermia, maybe that is what’s happening now.

Tommy took a moment to process that thought before feeling the familiar sting of tears welling up in his eyes. He didn’t want to lose his last canon life like this. He was scared to possibly see Wilbur in death. Scared of his hope that Wilbur has a peaceful afterlife being broken. 

Tommy flinched when he felt a hand gently wipe away his tears, causing his muscles to ache even more. Tommy turned his head to look around, eyes still closed, heavy as lead. “Dream?” Tommy mumbled out his voice sounding almost whiny. Tommy didn’t want Dream to be the one to be with him in his last moments.

Tommy then heard muffled voices but there was more than one, what? Why did Dream bring another person with him when he never did before?

Maybe he brought someone to laugh at him as he died, yeah that sounded like something Dream would do. 

(No, Dream is his friend )

Was he though? Dream did so many shitty things to him and his loved ones and he caused two of his canon lives to be gone … well three if this really was the end.

(But he was nice after your wings)

No no he wasn’t not really. He made comments that were subtle but Tommy always caught them but kept his mouth shut just to keep the nice treatment from being taken away. 

“I miss Phil.” Tommy mumbled as the surroundings grew darker and Tommy slowly fell into a deep sleep.

He didn’t notice the wet drops of tears falling on his hair.

Chapter Text

Blankets, pillows, throwovers, even old hoodies. All of these things were needed for a perfect nest. And a perfect nest was needed for his fledgling. After he had flown his way towards his and Techno’s house, he started searching for everything. 

Every time he closed his eyes he could see Tommy behind his eyelids. The way he was laying limp in Techno’s grip, the way his lips were pale and he was shivering, the way his face was sunken and his (once perfectly fitting) clothes were now nothing more than rags falling over him. 

Worst however, was the burn mark on his (precious, his youngest) son's neck. The thought of it alone made his blood boil and his instincts sharpen. 

It was a fucking smily face .

Dream. 

Dream was the one who had done this to his son. To his boy. 

He was quick to reign himself in however. No matter how much he wanted to turn himself back and fly towards that bastard, he values the safety and peace within his family with much more importance. 

Once Tommy was back to health and safe and happy however, there was nothing standing between him and justice. 

Nothing. 

With that thought in mind he continued on with his search for every soft and comfortable item in the cabin. He shoved away the things standing in the living room, like the couch and low table, and placed his found nest-necessities right in the middle. He even dragged Steve over, much to the polar bears confusion.

Before he could think of anything else, he heard Techno barge into their home. His brother in his arms. The blonde twitched, then relaxed even further into techno’s arms. With broad steps, he walked across the room in a brisk pace, gently laying the fledgling down into the nest. 

Phil quickly gathered his son in his arms, instincts in overdrive. Chirps and trills coming from his mouth without him trying to put a stop to it. Tommy didn't even react, not even a twitch. 

Though it didn't show, it broke his heart.

Then, he noticed that the third presence in the room was walking away. Oh hell no. 

A louder, angrier chirp left his lips. When techno turned around he pointed his finger first to techno, then to the nest. The man’s eyebrows shot up but then, realization came in his eyes and he slowly walked towards the middle of the room. 

When he laid down on Tommy's other side, Phil felt his instincts calm down. Both of his boys were in the nest.

All was well. 

Well, as well as things could be. Considering the circumstances surrounding the fledgeling. With worried eyes but calm hands he put a few blankets over the shivering boy, though the shaking had calmed down quite a bit after entering the warmth of the house. He checked his pulse, which was luckily still going steady and did a quick scan of his body, checking for any wounds that needed medical assistance. 

Only a seemingly old wound on his arms needed some bandages. It was clear that those burns didn’t heal quite right. Which was of no surprise considering the beach they found him at. 

The sight of the burn mark was still nauseating, but Phil managed to put that aside. 

Techno seemed to be murmuring soft words to Tommy, words of comfort and protection. Secretly Phil knew that if Techno wasn't doing that, Phil would not be able to help Tommy the way he was. He knew that if there wasn't another person present, he would be falling apart by the seams. So with that, he was grateful for Techno's presence. 

After a bit more checking, he positioned himself behind the fledgeling, putting his folded knees behind Tommy's head, which was already being supported by a pillow. With his fingers he started combing through the matted hair. There was sand in it, and needed a proper shower with shampoo as well. Yet, considering the fledgeling was still unconscious and he didn't want to move him more than necessary, this would have to do. 

After a long time of combing through the thick matts, the silence being filled with shallow breathing and the occasional reassurance from techno, or a worrying mumble from tommy. 

Tommy's head moved more into the side of the pillow. This was the first movement he showed besides the rise and fall of his chest. 

Then, tears started falling from his eyes. 

It was frightening for a few reasons. First, Tommy would either not cry or be bawling. There was no inbetween. It was rare, but when he would cry he would be all over the place. His breathing would be loud, he would be sobbing and Phil would try his best to help him put himself back together. 

Now? Now Tommy was silent. The room filled with tension as techno and phil both stared at Tommy's face. Techno’s arm moved forward to wipe away the tears.

Tommy flinched at the gentle contact and Phil let out a sad chirp, his poor baby, his little fledgling he never knew was his own kind. How could he not know … because Tommy never showed any signs of it other than his fascination with birds and that they seemed to like him. 

Phil was thrown out of his memories by the soft confused mumble of Tommy asking for … for that damned green teletubby. Phil growled slightly which caused Tommy to move away from him. Phil stopped and went back to his soothing yet worried chirps even if Tommy was strangely not reacting to them just like when he’d first seen him in the forest.

“Phil, keep your cool, we'll figure out what to do with him once Tommy is stable enough and we know he’ll …” Techno faltered in his words not wanting to say what they both feared. That the little avian wouldn’t make it through the night.

Phil just nodded and resumed petting Tommys head, it felt as if the boy was made of cracked glass and one wrong move would make it that he'd fall apart, never to be repaired. “Please, my love, don't take another child from me.” Phil pleaded, internally begging. For the first time, he wished not to have to see his wife.

“I miss Phil.” Tommy said just louder than a whisper and that was the moment Phil couldn’t hold it in. Tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks into Tommy’s head, Phil held Tommyy close and muttered soft apologies and pleads for him to recover.

Techno was at war. 

Well, that wasn't exactly a surprise per se, seeing as he has blown up multiple counties over the years. He was kind of always at war. 

But this time was different. He was at war with himself. 

It was strange, he always knew what to do and if he didnt, the voices sure did. But now? 

They were silent. 

There was this second of silence, after realizing what Tommy had said. 

Then there was pure pain.

He thought he knew pain, but this hit him harder than a wither ever could. 

He knew that there were two options. One: he goes after dream right fucking now and take him out of the equation once and for all. He hasn't been friends with the man for a long, long time. So it wouldn't be surprising nor, would it be something he would regret. 

Two: he stays here and watches over Tommy. 

For some reason he did not know what to do. He did want to go after that fucking monster (a statement that the voices agreed with full heartedly) but at the same time, he couldnt leave his little brother. The little brother that was hurt, so terribly hurt. 

The only brother he had left. The one that would have died if no one had come for him.

The brother he had left alone. 

He would right his wrong, he would stay here he decided. Protect tommy. 

And well… if someone clad in lime-green came across them? It would just be a win in his book. 

His mind went back to the present, to his unconscious brother and his crying father. How did everything go this bad? How had Tommy even ended up in that prime-forsaken place? He was supposed to be happy and laughing in L’manburg. Instead? He was suffering. 

Techno felt his right hand curl up into a fist, as if he were to be holding the sword that would strike down any of Tommy's injuries like they were enemies to defeat. However, he knew things didn't work that way. So, with a sigh, he relaxed his hand until it was flat and laid it on top of Phils shoulder. 

“I'm going to make something to eat.” he said, making the older man look up to him to look him in the eyes. “Maybe some broth, at least something that would be light on his stomach for when he wakes up.”

Phil merely nodded. 

Leaving Tommy's side was harder than killing ever was. 

It was slowly how he awoke. Strange, he didn't even remember falling asleep. 

The first thing that returned was touch. He felt softness all around that made those strange voices all happy, he suppressed that. He didnt need those thoughts. 

Next was smell, it smelled like old books and soup, he couldn't exactly tell which one. Something went off in his mind, this wasn't the smell of the beach.

Then came taste, and gods. What has died in this mouth after pissing there. It tasted awful, like pure death. He didn't even know death had a taste, guess it does. 

Hearing was up next it seemed, and he could hear hushed voices talking. Seemingly to each other. That was also strange, he thought he would be alone. Why wasn't he? 

His eyes seemed to be glued together.

Everything hurt. God he forgot what it felt like for his body to be fully relaxed and it made him realize how much pain he was in, guess he wasn’t dead then, he shouldn’t feel pain if he were dead, this would be the only time he’d be thankful for being in pain.

Tommy tried to turn his head and groaned in pain. His head hurt, badly. It felt like he had large rocks weighing his head down. Tommy then felt warm soft hands caress his face and he flinched trying to shy away from the touch. Ever since the beginning of his exile and even when Dream’s treatment changed his love for physical touch faded and it now made him feel nauseous.

More hushed voices could be heard but their words were still unintelligible to him. It felt like he was underwater and everything was muffled and garbled.

After a little while of trying Tommy was finally able to open his eyes and saw two worried sky blue eyes and golden shaggy hair hanging over him Tommy stiffened and shot up, a little too fast actually seeing that he slammed his forehead into Phil’s. which only caused more pain to his head making Tommy clutch the place where their heads collided.

Tommy groaned then heard rushed footsteps coming closer and opened an eye to see a worried looking Technoblade in all of his pink glory while looking as if he’d lost a few years.

He tried to look around but he quickly felt nauseous by the movement. Phil must have seen this because he swiftly grabbed something and put it in his lap. Tommy took it -in his opinion- with grace, and dumped anything that was in his stomach. It was mainly stomach acid but that didn't really matter. 

He felt someone holding his shoulder and when he looked up, he saw phil. Tommy was still heaving breaths mind you, so it took him a second to realize that techno was also beside him now, holding up his hair.

He tried speaking, but after opening his mouth nothing came out besides a shallow breath. It was only then that he realized that breathing was really hard actually. Like really, really hard. He started panicking, grabbing at his chest and trying to breath while hearing his own raspy wheezes in his ears. 

He noticed another hand on his shoulder, but he couldn't pay attention to it. How could he? When his head was starting to feel light and panic started consuming his mind as a whole. 

The hand left, instead it was placed underneath his chin. Very, very gently (Tommy noticed the gentleness, loved and hated it at the same time) lifting his head and making him look into the eyes of his dad. 

Tears sprung into both pairs.

Phil was trying to say something, but Tommy couldn't hear him. Only the sound of his still panicked breathing reaching his ears. Then, Phil took the hand away from his chin and (gently, oh so gently it almost hurt) grabbed his hand and placed it over his dads chest. Then he placed his own over Tommy’s. The younger of the two could feel the steady rise and fall of the other's chest, and if he really concentrated, he could even feel his heartbeat. 

That alone managed to help him take a deep breath, and sound slowly started tickling into his head. 

“So-eed to-take- brea- '' it kept going like this but Tommy could get the gist of it. So he focused on the steady rise and fall of Phils chest and looked into his fathers eyes. The man nodded and gave a small, pained smile.

After many minutes passing by, the only sounds being his shaky attempts at breathing and Phils reassuring words. His breaths slowly started calming down, bit by bit. He didn't know how long it took. However, he did notice that techno has taken the bowl to the side, still close by if needed. He was merely looking at the two, fear and fright, close but not the same (as Tommy knew very well) in his eyes. 

He was now taking, slow, deep breaths and his hearing has improved greatly. He could now actually hear the sweet nothings that were being said to him. 

“You're doing great.” 

“Keep going, just like that.” 

“You're doing such a good job mate.” 

Eventually, when he felt ready enough and his breaths were steady and calm, he slid his hand away from the blouse that his father was wearing and put it in his lap. His throat was still achingly dry and he could still taste the bile that came out through his mouth. 

“Can i-” he stopped, he barely recognised his own voice. It was so raspy. After thinking for a second he settled on moving his hand as if he were holding a glass of water and pretend to drink from it. 

Luckily it seemed to do the trick, as Techno stood up and, seemingly a second later returned with a glass of water. The youngest took it with shaking hands. Techno, seeing this, attempted to help by settling his hands over the hands of his little brother. 

He flinched. 

It wasn't a heavy one, hell, it was well concealed. But nevertheless, The blade saw it, as well as phil. He quickly pulled his hands back, not wanting to make Tommy's panic return. 

The room of the cabin was filled with silence while Tommy slowly started taking sips of the cold but not too cold water. He had learned through the wars that if you drank it too fast when you were thirsty, your throat would spit it right out and that was a pure waste of perfectly good water. 

When he was finished he set the cup on the ground and wrung his hands together. He honestly had no idea on what to do. Last he remembered he was on the beach and now he was in some strange wooden room with a lot of blankets and the like. Not to mention his father and brother. 

His mind started worrying, had they seen the scars? He must have passed out, would they see him as weak now? Of course they would, what else would they think? They left him and Wilbur because he was weak after all, and this only proves their point. 

Quickly, he made up his mind. He has already been enough of a burden as it is, the least he could do was to leave and go back to…

Dream!! 

Oh prime, was he stupid! He was never supposed to leave the beach! And now, he was with his father and brother in who knows where. He had to go back! Oh no, Dream would be so mad. 

While this was happening in Tommy's mind; the only thing techno and Phil could see was Tommy staring off into space. They looked on with worried eyes, at a loss on what to do. It was when Tommy's eyes (not his expression, his face was emotionless. Who did this?) turned into panic that they decided to act. 

Techno looked at Phil, and Phil returned it. Who should step in? Both pairs of eyes were saying. 

Phil was the one who decided to act, putting himself in front of the boy. Tommy blinked, but nothing more. 

“Tommy, mate, what's wrong?” no response. 

“Toms, please. C’mon kiddo, what is going on in that mind of yours?” brows furrowing. 

“Can you hear me toms? I love you so much, please, come back to me.” 

That did the trick, Tommy sagged into himself. Phil immediately surged forward to catch the falling teen, who started muttering words filled with panic. 

“I'll go back, I'll go, I’m sorry, please he’ll be so angry, please let me go, I have to go back, he’ll be angry with me, please dad, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, he’ll be angry-” on and on it went, every word hurting Phils heart, every he’ll be angry burning him with rage and sorrow. He had no idea what Tommy had been through but he knew that it had to have broken a part of his spirit. 

He promised himself, at that very moment, that he would help Tommy put the pieces back together. Then fill the cracks with gold. 

Phil caressed the back of tommy’s head, hoping against all hope that it would bring even the slightest bit of comfort. “Shhh mate, youre alright, youre okay.” he tried, it worked in some ways, he supposed. Tommy had stopped muttering, instead he was crying. The only way phil knew this was by the way his shoulder became wet and by the shaking of his kids shoulders. 

He felt powerless, he didnt know what to do. Instead of showing that, he simply hugged Tommy even closer to himself. Then, looking out of the corner of his eye, looked at Techno. The man looked weary, his eyes pained. Phil knew that the man wanted nothing more than to join their hug, yet refusing to let himself join in because he was scared of scaring tommy. After tommy’s flinch, that he attempted to hide but couldn’t from the two others present, phil couldn't blame the man. 

Still, he motioned his head, silently saying come in mate, its okay . After a second of hesitation, he stepped forwards and joined into the hug. Tommy looked up, his eyes red and puffy. When he saw techno we opened his mouth to apologize once more. His brother merely looked him in the eyes and, with one arm that was around phil, lifted the other. The invitation was clear. And tommy took it.

Chapter Text

Dream was traveling. He was on a boat, on his way to L’manburg. 

That stupid country, that incredibly reckless nation that thought they could go against his protection. Every time he thought about the land, his eyebrow twitched behind his mask. The anthem as well, has always gotten on his nerves. The brutality and tyranny of their rulers . What tyranny? All he did was protect everyone, help. Somehow, they took it for granted. They wanted war, refused to lift the white banners and went to fight. 

The idiots. 

They could never win, even now with the so-called ‘independence’ he still remained in control. 

Their new president was laughable. Really? What were they thinking? Tubbo, the guy who couldn't get himself out of a box, who did what everyone else wanted because he couldn't decide for himself. It's almost as if they wanted to make it easy on him. Well, nevertheless, it worked out. They could have their country, he could have his control. 

Here he was, on his boat, on his way to that forsaken nation. Sure, he could use his admin privileges to teleport there, it would be laughably easy. But when he arrived he wanted to look like what they would describe as ‘in distress’ and ‘human’. So, he had to put up another act. 

They needed their admin after all, they needed him if they wanted to survive. He was just looking out for all of them, for the greater good. So what if he didn't want to hold up his moral compass. At least he did what needed to be done. At least he got rid of the trash and trained it into a good dog that listened. All he did was for them. These acts just made sure that they knew that. 

He was already prepared for what he was going to do: he would run up to them, exclaiming that he needed help, that something went terribly wrong. Then he would tell them that during his leave Tommy had been taken by force. He needed their help to find the people who did it because he was so lost on what to do. 

It would play out so well, he knew that. With running, he would bring a sense of urgency. After all, he was the admin, he was calm. Him needing help? It was unknown over there, that way would make sure they would send him to wherever the president was having his current mental breakdown without trying to hold him back. By telling them that Tommy was taken while he was gone, it would ensure his innocence. Tommy having been taken by force? Well, the beach didn't look all that great, with all the holes from explosions and all, it would explain away everything he did behind their back. Him being oh so lost on what to do will urge people to take his side later on, when possible cracks started forming in his plan. 

Telling them that he needed help getting Tommy back from the person who took him, well. He was planning on having an easy win, and numbers certainly made things a lot easier. Especially if he needed to make a sacrifice here and there.

He knew that he had to make plans for if his original plans didn't work, contingency plans. He learned the hard way that someone or something would always mess his perfection up. That just wouldn't do. 

His plans, made from his threads that he commands, are perfect. He would command what would happen where, everyone would follow because they know the truth. They and everyone else are better off this way.  

In the middle of the sea he started thinking, he could just use his powers and get Tommy back. He could just use commands and the ones that took him would die instantly. 

There was a small problem though. 

Tommy. 

He was uncontrollable, chaos in its purest form. Moros incarnate . 

Yet, at the same time, creating affection and attachments everywhere he goes. 

The duality confuses Dream. 

He didn't like that. 

When he took Tommy to exile, he tried so hard. He did everything he could to let Tommy be normal, be molded into what he wanted. To let Dream understand him. 

He trained him, used everything he could think of to help. Nothing worked. Everything he got was an ungrateful brat that wouldn't listen and was constantly on edge. 

He had finally made a breakthrough. With the wings there was a promising future on the horizon. He could almost reach it. Everything would be perfect

Then Tommy disappeared. 

Dream knew that he wasn't in a good enough state to leave himself, that there was no way in the void that he could have left. Even if he physically was strong enough, he had broken Tommy enough in the mind that he would stay where he was. That was his first step and he had succeeded that far at least. 

He kept pushing the pedals, kept making them go in circles. It made him sweat, going through the long seas with just a fishers boat wasn't an easy task. He smiled to himself though. It would make his act much more believable. 

Possibilities of what may have happened haven't been lost in his mind. Maybe tubbo came by, that would create disaster. Part of the reason as to why he would up the panic, that way the boy would feel guilty and give Tommy back. The same could be said for anyone in L’manburg, it would be simple if it were to be that way. 

If it wasn't someone from L’manburg, he would be a bit more troubled. Not much. 

The first person his mind came to was Technoblade, Phil following right behind him. They would be the first people to defy him if they got the chance after all. Then he dismissed his worries. 

Phil disowned Tommy and Technoblade hated his brother. Even if they decided that for some reason Tommy would be better off with them, Tommy would be fighting them at every chance he gets. He hated the duo. He would probably run back all on his own. 

Anyone else didn't care enough for his little Moros.

Dream granted himself a small smile, even if it was behind his mask. 

This would be effortless .

It was supposed to be a good day. 

That is what tubbo said to himself. Now perhaps he tries telling himself this every day. It didn't work. It never works.

Every day was a bad day. 

There was so much work to be done. He wasn't meant for this, he grew up on the battlefield, either that or on a flowerfield, running among the bees with Tommy screaming because “the bees are going to sting me Tubbo! Have mercy!”. Instead, he had paperwork until dawn came and it started up again. It was too much. 

He was carrying a big stack of paperwork, moving towards his office when he heard the commotion. Running steps upwards the marble stairs. Tubbo sighs. 

Another problem for the president it seems. 

When he turned around he saw someone he did not expect. A man, clad in a lime-green hoodie with a mask that had a smiley face. He seemed to be panting, splashes of water coming up his sleeves, some patches that have already dried up overtaken by salt. He was in for a ride, Tubbo could see. 

“Tubbo! Oh thank the void! I need your help-” dream cut himself off, bending forward and panting. Tubbo tilted his head in vague  concern. Nothing more. 

(he was so tired, he wanted to quit every day. He couldn't. He was a founder, the last one left because he sent Tommy away and that was his fault too. He didn't know the last time he slept for longer than 10 minutes. He was so tired, he missed Tommy so much. Ranboo helped but he just couldn't fill the hole inside for his best friend. Everyone had expectations that were higher than he could even dream to reach. But he was a founder. He was the president. He had no choice.) 

Still, he tried to remain calm and be sympathetic. 

“What’s wrong Dream, do you need anything?” Okay, his tone was perhaps a bit more harsh than intended but to be fair he was running on 20 minutes of sleep over the past 2 days. 

Dream, luckily, didn't seem to notice this as he just went on with his rant after catching his breath. 

“Someone took him. Someone took tommy.” 

The stack of papers fell. A dull thud echoed around the hallway. 

“What?” the boy said, almost whispering. 

“I was just gone to get some supplies, I swear I didn't leave for that long!” Dream sounded panicked, it sounded wrong. “But when I came back, he was gone! And the whole place was completely destroyed and I searched for ages but I couldn't find anything!” 

Dream just kept on ranting, but Tubbo could barely hear a thing. 

He isn't allowed to be weak, when you're weak you die, be strong. 

“Well, where do you think he is now?” he tried. He tried to be on top of things, to be the leader. But dammit he was freaking out because his best friend that he has already sent away is so much further from home than he had thought and he thinks he might be going insane.

Dream looks to the ground, seemingly in guilt. 

“I- I don't know. The best I could come up with was either Phil or Technoblade if i'm honest with you. It's why I came here. If it really is them, I'm going to need your help.” 

Tubbo’s eyes sharpened. The soldier in him made his body go straight. He looked at dream, his former enemy, the one he fought for so long and let out his hand. 

“Well, it's a good thing we are here then. Tell me what you need.”

Tubbo took Dream to his office and told one of the staff to bring the fallen paperwork to it as well. He would finish that later. 

Phil and Techno. The angel of death and the Blade. Tommy’s father and brother. 

He put his head in his hands, elbows leaning widely on his desk. It all made sense, at least after Dream explained it in detail. Tommy was sick, probably still is. The angel and blade hated Tommy, they have made that much astoundingly clear. Killing Wilbur, telling Tommy to die. What else could it be? 

Tubbo was scared, he was so scared for what fate could be in store for his friend with every second that he was with those terrorists. He didn't know anything. He didn't know what state Tommy would be in, how they got to him, how they took him without leaving a trace to follow, what they were planning. 

While all of those questions were nerve wracking and terrifying in their own right, it was the last one that scared him the most. Their possible plans. Before everything, he would say that they wouldn't hurt Tommy, that they would help him. 

Now? Now he thought that was out of the question. 

They hurt him so much, (the pit, the explosions, killing his brother ) nothing was reliable with them anymore, nothing except pain.

Tubbo grit his teeth as he clenched his fists till his knuckles turned white. 

How dare they. Why? Why would they do this, what caused them to kidnap Tommy and take him away to void knows where?

 Tubbo looked at his wrist and saw the red bandanna he always wore since Tommy had given it to him even while he … exiled him.

This was his fault.

Tubbo had been the one to exile Tommy, basically causing his kidnapping.

This was his fault. 

So he would fix it. 

He stood up, every bit the president, the founder, the leader that he was. He would make this work, he would right his wrong. Dream looked startled, then stood up as well. Tubbo extended his hand once again (with the flair one would associate with Wilbur Soot, with the importance another would compare to JSchlatt). He opened his mouth, his decision made. 

“Looks like it's a good thing L’manburg is still standing. I will help you with getting Tommy back to us.”

Behind his mask, Dream grinned. 

Effortless indeed.

Chapter Text

Tommy. He was hugging Tommy. 

His little brother. 

Techno felt ashamed, he didn't even remember the last time he hugged the young boy in his arms. He felt the guilt eating him alive for taking it this far. 

He knew that Tommy feared him and Phil. he knew that the voices had taken over during the pit (when he came back there was so much blood. What had he done?) and during the battle with the Withers. He regretted his words so much, because he was very aware that the shaking boy that he was holding had a very big chance of dying. 

He tried to calm himself down, tried to reason with himself. Tommy was safe and Techno would never let him go again. 

Protect the child

Blood for the blood god!

What happened to him? 

It was that teletubby for sure

Blood

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!!

Guys chill we gotta be there for Tommy

Brotherblade!

BEDROCKBROS :D

Techno had to suppress a hiss. He could feel the headache already but he couldn't risk scaring Tommy any more than he already had. The flinch was very much imprinted into his mind. He may be scared but he was also angry. He was so angry that someone managed to hurt Tommy so badly. 

Even now, swallowed in a hug they would normally have to wrestle him into. Techno could feel Tommy holding on for dear life, his fingers digging into the fabric of his poet's blouse. The blonde was shaking slightly, from what he thought to be shock. 

One thing didn't make sense to Techno. Why on earth was Tommy even on that beach? Last he heard, he was at L’manburg. Of course, he didn't exactly keep up with the latest news. That still didn't explain why or how he was there. With all of these wounds too, not even mentioning his wings. 

The sensible part of him told him to wait, told him to find the answers rather than brute forcing his way through to them. But he had too many questions, too many things in need of answering. He needed to know what happened, what actions were taken to hurt his little brother so he could plot his revenge accordingly. 

So, after a few minutes, Techno drew back. 

Tommy immediately seemed to panic, silent tears. silent, why were they silent?  Forming in his eyes as he opened his mouth to ramble even more apologies. 

So, Techno carefully placed his hands on Tommy's face, one on each cheek. With a gentleness he wasn't aware he had, he started brushing away the tears. Tommy bit his lip harshly as even more tears fell. The older of the two was quick to place his thumb with a soft gesture underneath his lip and tugged a little, stopping any harm to be done. 

The blonde looked at him with big eyes and Techno bent down so he and Tommy were eye to eye. Then, in a very slow manner, Techno moved forward so that their foreheads could rest on one another. Tommy seemed to pick up on what he was planning, and moved his head forward as well. Their foreheads met and he could feel his younger brother sigh a breath of relief. Techno closed his own eyes. It has been years since they've done this. He and Tommy used to do this all the time, mainly to comfort the younger. When he and Phil left however, he found that that was one of the things he missed the most. This connection that was just between the two of them. 

After all, blood and chaos aren't all that far apart from each other.

Techno felt how hot Tommy’s forehead was and made a note that it seemed his fever had gone down a little but they were not out of the woods yet. Techno could hear Tommy’s shaky breath as he calmed down and slumped forward, leaving his brother to catch him into a hug. 

He placed one hand behind his head, the other around his torso. The blonde's head rested on his shoulder, tucked away in his neck. Still, Techno could hear 3 words, so soft spoken that they sounded between a breath and a whisper, trembling like the limbs that he was holding together for the boy was falling apart. 

“Please don't leave”

Techno’s heart stopped. 

It was like the world stopped spinning for a few seconds. When it resumed its course, it was anger and the need for retribution that consumed his mind once again. 

Tommy was tired

It had been around two weeks since he returned to stay with Phil and Techno and they’d been their usual selves if not treating him as if he’d shatter like glass, Techno grumpy and aloof but always accepting when Tommy leaned on his shoulder as they sat next to the fire, and Phil always giving a cheerful smile and ‘it’s gonna be ok mate.’ 

They treated him so well. 

So why did Tommy feel so awful? He tried to keep it hidden but he was scared of everything now. Even just getting up from his designated spot in the nest Phil had made taking up half of the living room just to go to the kitchen made his heart start to beat just a bit faster.

 Why? 

Everything was fine now he’d gotten away from Dream he knew neither his father or brother would allow him to come near. Tommy hated this feeling of just … constant fear.

In all reality Tommy had gotten used to the feeling a long time ago even before exile but today was just a bad one he guessed.

The snow had been falling harder than usual Phil was out stealthily collecting his stuff from new L’manberg, and Techno was out feeding his wolves but only because Tommy had insisted, Techno probably wouldn’t have.They’d been so sensitive around him since his fever had caused them all to cry and Tommy had finally felt safe.

So why didn’t Tommy feel safe? 

Why was he so tired from just existing? Tommy sighed and stood up shedding the layers of blankets he’d been under in the nest and carefully stepped out slowly walking into the kitchen. He didn’t really know why he did but he knew he was bored of being in the nest the Phil had created, it was comfortable and soft but … it felt weird

Somehow wrong.

A voicing in his head just wouldn’t stop screaming it and Tommy was just too tired to keep it quiet today.

…

Maybe it would’ve been better if Dream or his fever had just killed him … would that be easier?

Yes ? No? Gods Tommy had no idea anymore he just wanted everything to shut up and let him go home.

But where was home? If it wasn't new L’manberg, and it wasn’t here, where was it?

Tommy looked around the small kitchen at the chests of food and ingredients then the sink, then the counter, then where the knives were kept.

Tommy stared at the kits of the sharp blades. How did he know they were sharp? Do you remember whose house he was in? Of course they were sharp. Techno always hated having to struggle even cutting a sweet potato so Tommy knew those blades would be just as sharp as any sword Techno kept on him.

Meant it wouldn’t hurt much if you get cut from them something Tommy often forgot as a kid and was a cause of many of the small scars on Tommy’s hands and fingers.

Tommy sighed and shook his head pulling back the hand he hadn’t even realized was reaching out for one. It wouldn’t do anything but make it even harder to be alone if he did anything to himself even if it WAS an accident.

Tommy looked at the chests again and slowly opened one, finding a stack of golden apples Tommy took. He didn’t care if Techno would get annoyed, in all honesty he’d probably be happy Tommy took something that was food and wasn’t practically forced on him.

Tommy placed the stack of gapples in his inventory then exited the kitchen as he heard the heavy footsteps outside on the porch. Better to be in eyesight when someone entered so they didn’t freak out.

To Tommy’s surprise it wasn’t Techno but Phil who entered the cabin brushing off the snow from his cloak and wings and quickly shifting his eyes around the room in search of Tommy.

“Mmm Right here Phil … got hungry.” 

Tommy mumbled, making his placement known as he wandered back to the pile of blankets.

Phil smiled warmly at Tommy and made a few more of those bird chirps he’d been doing nonstop since he saw Tommy’s wings. 

Tommy didn’t say anything else as he just got back under the blankets knowing Phil would soon join him.

Tommy liked cuddling with Phil and always had, it just felt right and safe even now when it was… much harder to allow himself to initiate it. but Tommy was feeling off so maybe he’d be more comfortable with it today.

As soon as Phil had taken off all his winter gear and hung it up he swooped into the nest making sure to slowly wrap himself around Tommy.

Tommy hesitated but snuggled in after a moment and felt Phil freeze for only a moment before carefully hugging his youngest son tightly but not so much Tommy felt trapped.

No Tommy felt safe and warm as the darker thought of earlier began to fade away along with his consciousness.

Techno arrived not long after Tommy had fallen asleep. Phil watched the piglin enter and immediately noticed his tighter expression which send a wave of anxiety through Phil.

“What.” 

Was all he needed to ask for the Piglin to know he wouldn’t be able to hide whatever was upsetting him, Techno shook his head. 

“It’s nothing I thought I saw tracks in now but … when I got closer the snow covered em up so I couldn’t tell if it was a mob or … someone else.”

Techno said in a hushed tone as to not wake Tommy up,  Phil grit his teeth and let out a quiet but sharp chirp or frustration. He hated being so unable to do anything more than keeping a watchful eye around his fledgling.

“How was getting Theseus’ things?”

 Techno asked, pushing Phil out of his spiraling thoughts. Although with how Phil’s expression darkened it seems it wasn’t the best question to ask?

“There was barely anything to get.” Phil growled. “Almost everything was gone other than random useless blocks, That teletubby bastard must’ve taken it.” 

Phil snarled, pulling Tommy closer to him, being careful now to wake them.

Techno just sighed and nodded looking out the window towards the main SMP frowning.