Archive of Our Own ^beta

When Tommy came down to the living room, he was not in a good mood. First, he had slept badly, which made him a bit on the nerves. And second... Philza and Tubbo had invited a "friend".

Tommy didn't know this weird guy they had befriended. And this fact was perhaps the reason why he had thrown himself into a staring duel with the intruder as soon as he came down to the living room.

Phil had already gone to the kitchen, making tea and whistling softly while Tubbo eyed Tommy and the guest cautiously, as if the blond might bite the newcomer. The latter was quite tall, almost as tall as Tommy. And old, although a little less than Phil's very respectable age. He wore a black outfit and a ninja mask, as well as a sword strapped to his hips. An outfit that Tommy would have found cool in other circumstances, but which currently made him stare at him angrily.
How dare this stranger mess with his friends, his family?! Why did Tubbo speak of him with admiration and Phil laugh while remembering memories!? It was just weird. Tommy had only had to go on a trip for a few months for the two of them to make a whole bunch of new mates.
He wasn't jealous. Just... cautious. Unlike Phil and Tubbo who socialized with the first person they met, without thinking to ask Tommy's pertinent opinion. And that's how he found himself with an intruder in his living room.
This polite bastard had even brought gaples. But bribing him wasn't going to work.

"Hello? Nice to meet you?" Etolé (or whatever his stupid name was) finally said.

However, it made the blond squint as he immediately noticed the accent.

"What country are you from?"

"France," the man replied cheerfully as if it were not a major problem.

Tommy, absolutely offended, turned to his friend hoping that he had also heard this awful information. However, the smaller one did not even blink, looking already perfectly aware.

"Tubbo, you let a dirty Frenchman into our house !?"

Tubbo sighed, between disappointed and annoyed. How dare he give him that look after letting a Frenchman, their natural enemy, into their living space?

"Tommy. Be polite to Étoiles, he is our friend."

"How can you take the side of the Frenchman Tubbo, I thought we were brothers!"

But his lifelong friend ignored him without repentance, turning instead to the other man.

"I am really sorry for his behavior..."

The man laughed, far from being offended.

"That's okay, usually people insult me ​​because my parents are Algerian. At least he recognizes my French nationality, that's an improvement!"

With a condescending gesture, he patted Tommy's head twice then stepped back just a second before the younger one could bite his hand.
Philza chose that moment to return with the tea. Tommy retreated into his chair, staring at the Frenchman's every move throughout his visit.

And when he finally left, promising to see each other again soon, Tommy refrained from showing his teeth. No, he definitely didn't like this guy. And nothing could change his mind.

***

Tommy had just been stabbed. Tommy had just been stabbed and it SUCKS. He was bleeding profusely from his side, trying to run into the woods, zigzagging to lose his pursuers. He hadn't paid attention, entering the territory of the neighboring kingdom without realizing it. And unfortunately, a surveillance squad had spotted him almost immediately to attack him. He had barely managed to knock one of them out when the others had arrived, forcing him to flee. Unfortunately, this led him to go deeper into enemy territory

He ran as fast as he could, his lungs burning and leaving behind him a trail of drops of blood almost invisible in the shadows.

If his pursuers didn't find him soon, they would unleash the dogs after him. But Tommy was surely collapsing before that. His vision filled with black spots as he tried to catch his breath, but he could sometimes hear the telltale cries of their presence. Suddenly, as he felt close to falling, something moved on the periphery.

He turned abruptly and drew his sword, ready to fight despite his weakness. And then...

"...What?" The English accent echoed the French one.

His gaze met Étoiles' who seemed just as perplexed as he was. But what was he doing there, strolling carefree as if he were going mushroom picking in the middle of hostile territory? What if he was a traitor and a spy working for the enemy kingdom?
The Frenchman's gaze finally fell on Tommy's bloody side who did not let go of his weapon. What if the man decided to kill him, taking advantage of finding him injured and out of sight to avenge the insults against his country? The younger leaned against a tree, trying to keep his balance as the world wavered.
Étoiles stepped forward without drawing his sword, and Tommy braced himself for an attack. But he knew that his elder was far too trained in combat for Tommy to survive a confrontation.

A scream was heard, far too close for comfort. Immediately, the Frenchman reacted. He grabbed the trunk of a tree and quickly pulled himself up onto a branch in a smooth movement. Tommy shivered when he realized that he made no sound, a ghost slipping through the leaves and disappearing into the shadows.
He allowed himself to breathe. Okay, so Étoiles wasn't really an enemy. He even seemed to match his country's reputation, preferring to hide than fight. Typical.
Now Tommy would have to run again before he was caught.
He let go of his grip on the tree, praying for the strength to run, when two hands suddenly grabbed him under the arms. Tommy's feet lifted off the ground, flailing in the air for a second before he landed on a branch. He let out a small cry of surprise and pain as the movement pulled on his open wound.

A soft "Shhht" silenced him, Étoiles placing a finger on his own mouth before indicating upwards to encourage him to climb to the next branch. At the cost of another tug on his side, Tommy managed it and stopped beside the Frenchman who had already arrived.
Down below, the footsteps were getting louder. Numb from blood loss and stress, he leaned lightly against the Frenchman as his pursuers sped past their hiding place. Étoiles didn't protest despite the blood that must have stained his outfit.

They waited a few minutes, breathing silently and ears alert to any suspicious noise. But the pursuers didn't come back. Finally, Tommy let out the breath he was holding. His wound stung like a bitch but at least he was alive. Thanks to the Frenchman.

The latter relaxed his tense posture, starting to rummage through his bag. A second later, he handed Tommy a golden apple.

"Here, this should help with your injury."

He took it with a little hesitation. Could he thus accumulate debts to someone he hated? But the man had saved him without a second thought, and Philza always praised the generosity of the ninja who offered many supplies to the less reckless members of the kingdom. And Tommy had to go all the way back home, he had to be in good shape to come back alive.

"Thanks," he finally said through his lips.

Soon, he felt the warmth of the apple radiate through his body, leaving a tingling sensation in his side before calming down.

Étoiles was already jumping from the tree, looking around.

"They'll probably let the dogs hunt you. With the blood, they might find us. We have to move, come with me."

Tommy climbed down a little more cautiously. The man seemed ready to accompany him to the border. Or maybe he was afraid of going back into enemy territory alone, he tried to rationalize. He resolutely ignored the little voice that whispered to him that Étoiles had until then been walking alone in the hostile realm without fear.

They began to walk towards the border, wary of any suspicious noise. Étoiles remained silent even though several times, Tommy saw his gaze linger on his partially healed wound. Fortunately, he didn't comment, although he slowed his pace and offered a second apple when the wound reopened during a too brutal movement.
Tommy refused. In any case, the border was getting close.
To break the silence, Tommy finally asked the question he had been holding back until then

"Why are you here?"

"Oh I'm juste chilling, you know. Stealing stuff, fighting people. Classic day."

The man seemed totally relaxed, smiling lightly at him. Curious, the blond was about to ask another question, when he abruptly stopped.
A frantic bark was heard, approaching too quickly.

"Oh oh," whispered Étoiles.

Their eyes met, understanding each other without a word. They began to run.

Tommy ardently regretted having refused the second apple. He was in pain, the blood flowing freely again from his torn wound. But he remained focused on his goal : reach the border.
Too slowly, however. He saw Étoiles' back moving away at a speed he could no longer follow, climbing a sharp slope without difficulty. The other was going to abandon him. And honestly, he didn't even blame him.

Tommy finally fell to his knees at the foot of the slope, overcome by exhaustion but his sword in hand. Those bitches weren't going to make it out of here with all their limbs intact.

A dog came running up, its nose close to the ground before looking up to stare at Tommy with a growl. But that wasn't the real danger. He felt himself losing hope as he saw the squad of five people following it. All in diamond armor, mocking smiles proving that they considered him easy prey.
He gritted his teeth, pointing his sword.

"Come closer, you bastards!"

And that was exactly what they did.

The gravel crunched. A shadow flew, quiet and deadly.
And suddenly Tommy found himself protected by a figure interposing itself between him and his enemies.

There was a second of stupor. Then chaos broke loose.
Stunned, Tommy found himself contemplating the deadly dance of the sword. One opponent collapsed, quickly followed by a second. The other two ganged up on Étoiles while the last one circled around him, trying to escape his attention to attack Tommy. Big mistake. Full of anger, the young blond stabbed him with all the power of his hatred. Which was a lot. A single blow was enough, leaving Tommy feeling smug. They should not have underestimated him.

Étoiles finished getting rid of the two remaining opponents with vexing ease. The dog had long since fled, terrified. But Tommy, strangely, felt safe in the face of this outburst of violence. The Frenchman could annihilate him in a second if he wanted to. But he hadn't.
Maybe out of sympathy. Maybe out of respect for Tubbo and Philza.

But none of that forced him to gently take Tommy in his arms, holding him against his soft cape and pressing a golden apple into his hand.

"Come on, eat that. You need to heal this wound."

Tommy obeyed despite his exhausted limbs. The warmth returned, erasing the pain. But the energy to heal eventually sapped his last strength. He met the man's gentle gaze, barely finding the energy to mumble,

"You know, even if you're French... I can maybe forgive it."

And Tommy closed his eyes, knowing that Étoiles would protect him.