Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Taking a deep breath in, Tommy took the time at the entrance to his abuser’s cell. Sam stood nearby, next to the switch. He looked every bit of the infamous Warden. Sam looked at him with a spark of concern, a crack in his professional profile, but his worry did nothing to lessen Tommy’s nerves.

He thought back to why he was doing this. He was supposed to be finished with Dream, but Puffy suggested getting full closure. To finally wipe his hands clean. So here Tommy was, muscles both stiff and shaky. His heart rate had nothing to do with the heat coming from the falling lava in front of him. He clenched and unclenched his hands nervously.

“Are you sure about this, Tommy?”

Honestly, Tommy doesn’t think he’d ever be ready.

He’s only in this situation because
Tubbo suggested it after that whole thing with almost dying, almost losing Tubbo, and probably the countless times he woke up screaming and waking Tubbo and Ranboo up in one of their comfort sleepovers. He’s probably tired of waking up in the middle of the night.

Puffy was nice. Tommy wasn’t. In the beginning.

The fluffy bi-colored sheep hybrid was very patient and joked a lot to get him comfortable around her. In typical therapist fashion—even with an unofficial one—she eventually got Tommy to open up about his past on L’Manburg (he hasn’t told her about the time before L’Manburg).

Puffy said he was doing better these days, except for one particular issue and the main reason why he had nightmares in the first place. His therapist suggested that he remind his brain or something that the danger can’t hurt him anymore.

The wall of lava in his face was the result.

No. Tommy wasn’t ready, but who was he if he wasn't constantly fighting? So Tommy would face this head-on. He still had to apologize to Tubbo for being a dick. About exile, the community house, and everything after. There were so many people he still had to apologize to. It was part of his closure journey.

He just needed to get this over with.

Signaling Sam to let him through, the lava parted ways to reveal a tiny, black box in the distance. Tommy stiffened as he made eye contact with Dream. Taking a deep breath, he stepped on to the floating platform.

It wasn’t a smooth ride over and it was especially harrowing when it had no railings. He should suggest safety measures to Sam when he gets back, assuming he’s coming back for a visit. Just Sam. No one else.

The lava below wasn’t helping with his mentality. He keeps remembering the time at the edge in the Nether, his time with Dream and why he was there in the first place. The lava was mesmerizing and scary back then, and it still is now—bringing back unwanted thoughts, so he opted to look straight ahead, which didn’t help much because it was either the lava or looking at Dream.

Tommy’s fist unconsciously reached for his non-existent weapon. When he gets out of this, he is never trusting Puffy about facing his fears again. This was such a horrible idea his ever had.

The platform finally reached the cell and he stepped off onto the black obsidian, some of which were crying rivulets of purple. A metal bar separated him and Dream but not for long. It was time to face the music.

“Tommy.”

“Dream.”

No one said anything for a while and all he heard was the platform returning back to Sam, leaving him with no escape if anything happened. No one said anything yet, so he started.

“Why’d you do it, Dream?”

Dream shifted to another foot, “You’re gonna have to be more specific than that. I did a lot of things.”

“You know what I mean,” Tommy cut off almost immediately after, “Why’d you do…all of what you did in Exile? Why me?”

Dream’s mask was missing so he could see the blatant amusement and slightly crazed shine in his toxic green eyes, reminiscent of his time with Wilbur. Tommy didn’t like the comparison it conjured.

“You…abused me, and you…gaslit me into—“

“Now you’re just making me out as a liar,” Dream interrupted, “I just told you what was really happening. I never lied, Tommy.”

Tommy continued, quieter, “Yes, you did. You made me think no one wanted me. You made me feel alone. You made me want to—“ Tommy cut himself off this time. He took the time to take a deep breath.

“Tommy,” Dream drawled. Tommy couldn’t stop the shiver crawling down his back.

“I didn’t stop them from coming. They did it all on their own. They didn’t care enough to check.” Tommy couldn’t find the words to argue about that, “I might have admin controls but I don’t have the power to make them stop.” Dream stepped closer, sneering, “What does that mean for them, huh?”

Back then, Tommy probably would’ve accepted it as fact. He would’ve listened to Dream’s voice that seemed so welcoming and warm—while secretly shuddering in slight disgust—but he spent a lot of time with Puffy and Tubbo and Ranboo, and he spent a lot of time thinking about his time in Exile. So now, all Tommy could feel was anger.

“You made it that way! You threw away my invitations so that no one but you even knew about my party! You sent Ghostbur into the snow where he could possibly melt into nothing! And you somehow got rid of my letters from Ranboo, making me think they also left me. You played with my emotions, you made me dependent on you for a while, and you made me want to end everything.” Tommy ranted, all the while Dream stood unaffected, which made his next statement drive itself home within him, “You made me alone. You’re not my friend. You never were.”

At one point in their history, they might have been friends once. Not as close as Sapnap or George but enough to joke around with no care in the world. Those days were gone and any hope to get back to those times were dead.

There once was a time when he looked up to Dream and saw him as another cool brother to hang out with. He remembers all those nights by the campfire, telling jokes and fooling around. Times when Dream’s jokes were just jokes and Tommy hanging on his shoulder from laughing too hard.

They had dreams of making a city for people to have fun and live freely. The Greater SMP was what L’Manburg was based off of, but better. The Greater SMP had rules against a few things and Wilbur wanted to fight against those.

Ironic how the guy who always talked about violence being the last option was the same guy who started the war and eventually blew up L’Manburg.

—

The air suddenly shook from a nearby explosion, startling Tommy out of his thoughts. Lava threatened to spill onto him so he took a step back to avoid it. At some point, the metal rails separating him and Dream were down. Tommy felt a pit to his stomach, his anxiety had found a new thing to focus on.

“Sam?” No answer. “Sam, what’s going on?” He called out a little louder. This wasn’t part of the plan. “Sam, let me out!” No answer. “SAM!”

The speaker in the cell clicked to life—

“Due to protocols, no one is to move or be moved until the problem is solved. If the problem isn’t solved yet, you are to stay within the cell for 7 days.”

7 days?

7 days?!

Tommy couldn’t stay in this cell for 7 days!

No no no nononono, this couldn’t be happening right now. Not now.

Tommy ran to the edge of the cell, “Sam,” he called out desperately, “please! Let me out!”

He tried to convey how wrong this was to the only person holding the power to help him.

“Let me out right now, Sam! Please!”

The lava that still parted and shook from the still resounding vibrations, dripping like rain into the open chasm. In the speakers he could hear the Warden’s monotonous voice.

“Sorry, Tommy. Protocols.” Tommy’s stomach dropped with the lever and he could only watch helplessly as the lava slowly started filling up the open space between him and freedom.

“SAM!” Tommy cried out in a desperate—and futile—attempt.

He was trapped.

Dream’s amused voice sent chills down his back, “Well, Tommy. Looks like you’re stuck with me.”

He should never have come here…
_________________

It’s been a few days and Tommy was still stuck in the cell with Dream. He didn’t have his communicator—that one was broken for a while now—nor his things with him. And he was too terrified to do anything but sit next to the lava. He never spoke once to Dream since being trapped in. Dream had made several attempts to get Tommy to talk, but was mostly ignored.

The only time they would be in each other’s close vicinity was when food came down a hole from the ceiling and into their only water source. Tommy scrambled to get to the food first. Sometimes Dream beats him to it, sometimes Dream lets him. Sometimes Dream holds the food as an incentive to talk, above his head. He refused to acknowledge his attempts.

It was getting close to 5 days—if his internal clock was something to depend on—and Tommy was getting so close to breaking something, hopefully it was Dream’s nose. At first, it was just asking questions about the outside world, but it quickly turned into Tommy’s life.

“Oh, I’m Tommy and I’m so desperate for attention, just like a child me-meh me-meh me-meh—“

It had been going on for hours…

“Oh, I’m Tommy and I can’t help breaking everything I touch, like a child~—“

“WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Tommy snapped. “God, you’re so annoying—“

“I’m annoying?—“

“You’re always going on and on and you—you just want to make me talk to you so you could keep trying to control me! Well look, buddy, it’s not gonna work! I know you’re game. You just want to feel more superior than others, that’s why you’re like this—“

“But I am—“

“No! You just want everyone under your fingers so you could control how they act. Well guess what, Dream? It’s never gonna work. You can’t control people—“

“I did it with you, didn’t I?” Tommy ignored that statement and barreled through. He had a lot to say now that he’s talking.

“You. You think you can just toy with people’s feelings and that somehow makes you powerful? Like a god or something?—“

“But don’t you see, Tommy? I am a god.”

That shocking statement of fact caused Tommy to pause in his rant at the absurdity of that sentence, which made Dream continue.

“I’m the admin of this server. I have powers over the normal person. I can control everyone’s data. I can bring people back to life! I. Am. A God.” Dream’s laugh bled into his words as he spread out his arms outwards for emphasis.

Tommy stumbled back in disbelief, “Wha—Do you even hear yourself? A god? Bringing people back to life? You’re completely insane!” The worst part was how unaffected Dream was by all of this. He truly believed he had power over everyone’s lives and could play with them as he saw fit. As if they were nothing more than toys in a toybox.

The even worst part was the fact that Dream was slowly making his way over to Tommy.

…This was a bad idea.

It was already a bad idea coming to the prison alone or at all, but talking to Dream was even worse. Dream was insane and he was trapped with an insane psychopath.

“—Schlatt gave me a revive book—“

“Schlatt. Really? The drunk ram? I don’t believe you. This is exactly why you shouldn’t ever be let out. You’re too dangerous—“

Dream let out a deranged laugh that sent chills down Tommy’s back. He’s heard that kind of laugh before, and things never ended well after. For him.

Tommy took a step back away from Dream, and Dream stepped closer.

“You don’t believe me,” Dream stated, “Why did you send me here in the first place? You had the chance to kill me, since you don’t ‘believe’ in the revival book. But you didn’t. Why is that?” Dream sneered, “Because deep down, you know I have the power.”

“Shut up,” Tommy growled.

“Because you know I can bring back Wilbur.” Dream took a step closer, to which Tommy took a step back.

“Because you know I’m so powerful I might as well be a god.” Dream finished with a dangerous lilt to his voice.

In a rush of emotions, Tommy pushed Dream back—slightly losing breath, “You—You unbelievable son of a bitch!,” Tommy roared.

“You are unbelievably deranged! You think everyone is just willing to be controlled by you. You think just ‘cause you’re the admin of this god-forsaken server, you can do whatever you want? As soon as people stepped foot here, they became trapped in your sick and twisted game with three lives and no way out.

“You’ve got this delusion—“

“Delusion?”

Dream made a final step forward, until Tommy suddenly found himself stuck in a corner.

Dream was right in his face now; staring deep into his eyes now that the mask was gone. He could see the way Dream’s eyes twinkled with excited anticipation; with eagerness. Dream smiled with the same confidence the first time they met. Back then, it filled Tommy with pride and excitement—now it only filled Tommy with dread.

“Why don’t we test it out right now?”

Tommy paled, “W-What?”

“I’ll prove to you that it exists. All you have to do is die.” Dream said so nonchalantly, as if he was talking about a simple task as eating pie.

“And then, I can bring you back and you’ll finally believe me—and when I get out of here, I’ll make everyone believe me, too.” Dream’s emotion rose with every word and Tommy came to single conclusion.

He’s…going to die.

That was the only takeaway he took from this.

He was trapped. With no weapons, or any way of defending himself. He’s going to die again, by the man who took all his other lives and made his last life a living hell.

He…he needs to get out of here!

Pushing past, Tommy ran to the opposite wall—as far away from Dream as possible, calling out desperately to Sam, hoping he was at least listening in to what was happening inside the cell.

“Sam! SAM! Help!” Tommy looked back to see Dream slowly walking towards him. He looked around to see what he could use, but Sam was infuriatingly good at his job. There was only a potato, a cauldron, a book stand, and many different ways Dream could kill him.

No.

He can’t die. Not now. He still hasn’t accomplished anything. He hasn’t apologized to Tubbo yet. He still had so much to do, to live for.

Just when he finally decided to live.

He called out to Sam again with the same empty response. Oh, Gods. He weighed his choices in a panic. He’s fought in several wars. He was Wilbur’s general, his right-hand man. He survived betrayal after betrayal. That has to amount to something. He is not going to take this lying down.

He dodged Dream’s initial swing and used the man’s weight against him to forcefully push him against the corner of the cauldron. Dream caught himself and lunged for another attack. Tommy dodged to the side—

—and found himself plastered to the floor on his stomach; Dream’s hand pressed against his head and a foot on his back.

Unfortunately, no matter how much experience Tommy has amassed; Dream was mountainously stronger. Everything that happened after was a blur—

Only the sounds of Tommy’s pain and screams, and skin beating on skin echoed throughout the cell, with Sam seemingly unaware of everything happening.

Tommy writhed on the ground, but he wasn’t allowed to breathe as Dream sent a barrage of kicks to his ribs. He felt them stomped on and battered and creak with every heavy-pressured kick. As best he could, he tried to curl into himself, however, Dream just grabbed his collar and brought him up, face-to-face, before bringing a heavy fist to his cheek—the impact nearly twisting Tommy’s neck if it weren’t for the wall. In self defense, he tried used his feet in an attempt to break Dream’s hold.

But Tommy felt gravity shift and his back hit something hard. He hissed. It especially hurt because it felt like he hit a corner. Tommy was knocked back down to the ground immediately. Blearily opening his eyes, Tommy could see Dream holding something like a rock—a potato—as Dream held him in place.

Nowhere to run.

Dream relentlessly and mercilessly, repeatedly brought down the potato on his head, and each time, the potato came up red. He cried desperately for Dream to stop, begging for his life. He didn’t want to die yet. Please, not yet.

He could feel the way his body shutting down…and it scared him.

This really was the end.

He was gonna die, by the hands of his abuser once again. And no one was going to save him…

…This was a bad idea, coming here. He should’ve never listened to Puffy. If he could turn back time…

He never should’ve come to DreamSMP.

He watched Dream lift his foot as if in slow motion, so he prayed. To any higher being willing to listen, even if it didn’t amount to much, to not let Dream win. To at least let him rest. He was tired of fighting all the time. He wanted to just get away from all of it. He should’ve taken Tubbo’s hand when he said they should run away. If there was a next life, he would—

—Dream brought his foot down to his head.

Then, all was black.

Chapter Text

In the end, nobody came for him…

Tommy opened his eyes with a gasp and found himself in a vast, empty, open darkness. He immediately remembered what happened to him and started to panic.

“Fuck! Shit, no! No no no no no this can’t—I’m not—am I fucking—Fuck!”

He reached for his hair, pulling it and inevitably causing himself some pain. It was grounding but not very effective. Tommy felt his lungs speed up and even though he was dead, his chest ached stronger with every beat. Must’ve been one of those phantom things if Tommy had the capacity to focus right now.

Blue eyes frantically searched the area for something. Any indication he wasn’t alone, “Hello?” He weakly cried out, his voice echoing out like it was inside a huge tunnel or something.

“HELLO?!” he tried again, his voice louder and even more panicked.

He couldn’t even feel the floor so he wouldn’t be able to move even if he wanted to. He tried swimming but it was hard to tell if you were moving at all in pitch black darkness. The only thing he sees is his body. Surprisingly.

Maybe it’s because of that, he impulsively wraps his arm around himself and curls up into a ball. He shut his eyes only to open them back again. Seeing nothing but darkness was really triggering his claustrophobia and helping at all with his ongoing anxiety. His shirt and hands at least give him some relief.

He took a moment to let it all sink in.

…he’s really dead.

He’s really dead and there’s no going back from this. Dream had done it. He took all three of his lives. Tommy felt angry, absolutely livid but at the same time exhausted and scared. For so long he’d fought to stay alive, to find some meaning after Wilbur died. He stayed alive out of pure spite and cursed at anyone who tried, then he stayed alive because he still had unfinished business. He was always fighting. He had to, but—

—There wasn’t anyone around so he’s allowed to be a little vulnerable, right?—

And he spent the next few hours in the same position, crying and grieving for the life he lived and lost.

Eventually, he calmed down and just let himself drift. He emptied out any thoughts that might just send him back into the spiral so he’s just…acknowledged the fact that he was probably stuck in the vast, empty void. For ever how long Dream decides Tommy should stay dead for.

Hours turned to days, and days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months. That’s how long Tommy felt he was stuck in the void for. It was hard to tell the time but with nothing else to do, Tommy counted the seconds.

At one point, he thought he heard Wilbur. Probably Schlatt, too. He’s definitely smelled the scent of alcohol and the sounds of a party or screaming. Even if his loneliness had made him imagine all those things, he’d accept the fact that he finally turned crazy. It was much better than the never ending, heavy silence.

He has been hearing a constant ringing or whistling for quite some time now. It’s a bit annoying, if you ask him. It was soft and hard to hear at first, and he wasn’t sure if it was in his head or not. He usually just ignored it but now it sounded like it was coming closer. He also felt a tugging somewhere in his chest, growing insistently as the whistling got closer, like it was telling him to follow it. He usually ignored that, too—

—-Until the sound of metal screeching reached his ears and in the distance he could see a bright light coming his way—

Tommy blinked. And blinked a few more times.

Tommy rubbed his eyes a few times to make sure he wasn’t seeing things and sure enough, it looked like some sort of train was approaching him. He was about to walk closer to inspect it when—

—a sharp, slightly painful tug had him shouting out in surprise, making him lose his balance and pulling him immediately to the right—

It dragged him through the darkness, the sensation of wind rushing around him and the train was suddenly too far away. Tommy looked over his shoulder and watched as its doors opened wide and tendrils of green shot out in his direction. The tugging became even stronger and Tommy felt as if it was trying to prevent the green strings from reaching him. Unfortunately, one latched on to his leg and started to pull him in the opposite direction.

He cried out in pain as the tugging suddenly grasped harder than before, like it was squeezing his soul. The neon green string wrapped itself even more around his leg. Tommy, stuck between two places, felt himself being ripped apart, unable to reach for anything to stop the deranged tug-of-war on his soul.

Suddenly, something gave and Tommy could only watch as his body flew back behind him, while he went in another direction. Tommy looked back to where the tugging was taking him. He didn’t get a chance to panic about losing his body when a sudden, searing bright light filled the darkness, engulfing everything in sight. There was a loud, angry whirlwind screamed—

—And then, it stopped.—

Hypervigilant, Tommy opened an eye, and froze.

The first thing he noticed were the trees. Tall, overshadowing trees reaching into the warm sunlight. The sound of leaves rustling in the gentle wind. Soft grass underneath his feet.

That was the second thing he noticed.

However, the sight in front of him overpowered whatever swivet he should’ve felt. It had been such a long time since he last saw anything but darkness and he relished it as best he could.

It was until he noticed a clearing up ahead that he started to move. Moving past the trees and small undergrowth, he carefully made his way out of the foliage.

In the clearing, the sun was brighter and he brought a hand up and squinted to see past the harsh light.

In the center of the clearing, a small, stony cottage sat, covered in black and purple flower vines. Surrounding the house was a vast field of flowers with a small stream of water cutting through. There was a gazebo off to the side of the small garden, covered in numerous plants and rocks, a stream leading up and around the gazebo, creating tiny waterfalls into a small pond.

In front of the gazebo was a small, flat platform, on top of said pond, held garden tables and chairs. A stone path in the water connecting the small patio to the cottage.

It looked cozy and peaceful—

—And lived in.

But who—

“Hello, Tommy.”

Startled, Tommy spun around to meet the new voice that entered the previously empty clearing—but a murder of crows suddenly gushed up from out of nowhere. A thousand birds all flew upwards, black feathery appendages in his face and loud, explosive caws in his ears.

Wha-What’s happening?

“I’m sorry life hasn’t been kind to you and I know that you’ve had enough, but if you could…please do me one last favor.” A kind woman's voice spoke, pleading. It wasn’t anyone Tommy recognized, though.

Tommy tried to squint past the cloud of black covering his vision, holding his hands up to block the birds from his face.

“Please find the revival book. I’ll grant you a second chance. Live however you want, but don’t let the book fall into the wrong hands. The one you call Dream, is playing with things he shouldn’t mess with.”

The big mass of darkness creeped even closer and grew in number. The noise grew louder and louder, resounding within his mind. It almost sounded like chatter.

“It’s shameful to have thrusted this upon you after everything you’ve been through, but I hope you will listen to my request just this once.”

The birds finally parted enough to reveal a tall woman shrouded in black. A huge black hat with a hanging veil covered her face, but the wind pushed it aside to reveal her sad, remorseful, smiling face.

“And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry…my child.”

That was the last thing Tommy heard before a rushing sensation, like he was falling, overcame him and all he could do was let out a scream before black completely engulfed him.

____________________

Tommy woke up with a jolt.

He rose in a panic, breathing hysterically. His blue crystalline eyes darting around for the lady and the birds—

Caw!

—Tommy whipped his head upwards and immediately froze. There, in the trees, sat a whole bunch of crows, staring down at him with black beady eyes. They sat silent, as if waiting for him to do something. Normally, he’d have no problem fighting a bird but when they outnumber him, he feels as if he were the prey in this situation.

Slowly, he got up, never taking his eyes off them for a second, and quietly moved away from the center—

—before promptly falling over backwards to the ground—

The crows cawed as he rubbed his skull and finally noticed something wrong.

His knees were closer than he remembered. And they looked…pudgy and soft, minus the dirt and scratches. Tommy’s eyes furrowed, before pinching himself hard. Feeling the pain he gave himself, he immediately brought his hands closer to his face and examined them. Soft, infantile hands instead of scarred, calloused ones covered his vision.

Tommy cursed internally before giving himself a quick once-over. Looking up, he finally noticed how everything looked bigger and more spacious than he was used to. Either he shrunk or the world got a whole lot bigger, and everything told him it was former.

“What the hell?” He spoke before slapping his mouth. He sounded young and raspy, what in the nether is happening?

Suddenly, a crow flew down in front of him, causing to jump back startled. The bird did nothing but tilt their head and took off for a few feet ahead. They looked back over the shoulder before taking off again. The crows above also cawed and flew in the same direction and Tommy took the hint to follow them.

Seeing as they weren’t there to hurt him, he dropped his initial guard and let himself be led by a bunch of birds in a random direction. He was in the void, but then he wasn’t. There was a train, strings, and tugging. Then there was a garden and a tall lady dressed in black. And crows.

Looking up, Tommy observed as the crows started playing with each other. There were some looking back to see if he was still following before flying up ahead, and there were some circling around him, as if shielding or watching him. Was this her doing?

He’s heard stories about a similar lady that looked like her from Phil. If his guess is correct, he most likely just met Lady Death.

Prime almighty.

Tommy let out a deep sigh. So Lady Death talked to him. She also said something about second chances and a mission. She wants him to find the revival book and keep it away from the wrong hands. But something about that was bugging him.

If he remembered correctly, Dream told him once that he burned the book when he finally memorized the spell. If the book still exists…

A loud caw broke him out of his thoughts. Looking up, he suddenly found himself in front of a flowing crystal clear river surrounded by rocky shores.

It was beautiful. The way the sun shone onto the water, reflected as white shiny specks. The area was well-balanced between light and shade and the smell of fresh water filled his nose everytime he inhaled.

It didn’t look too deep but it could knock him over if he wasn’t careful. He noticed some birds diving into the water and coming up with fish. Now that he thinks about it, when was the last time he ate anything? Smacking his lips together, he might as well get a fire started. Wouldn’t want to get sick from food poisoning. That would be a lame way to end his new life. With that, he walked away from the river and into the trees once again.

Inside the forest, he searched for dry grass and sticks to use as kindle. The task went faster with the crows helping him out, who followed after him instead of fishing. Birds apparently knew which stick was dryer as evidenced by the number of times the crows threw whichever sticks he just gathered onto the ground.

In a huff, he just let them gather the sticks for him while he searched the ground for some mushrooms and berries. It would make a nice gift for the other crows as well, and it wouldn’t hurt to get on their good side. He remembers someone saying that crows have a very good memory and if he ever annoyed one, they would hunt him down to the ends of the world and annoy him. They were big fans of revenge and were really great hunters, so no, it wouldn’t hurt to have them like him.

It was a mundane task that mostly required no thinking at all, so Tommy hummed as he went along. Some birds flew above him, acting as a look out, cawing a diving to stop him from walking any further. He gave them the first berries he found. They seemed to like it a lot, judging by the trills and coos they let out. One even went as far as to land on his shoulder and nuzzle him. Tommy smiled and gave the crow on his shoulder a tiny scratch under the chin.

This one seemed a bit bigger than the rest and their feathers seemed to shine iridescently. Their eyes also seemed to hold a different spark than everyone else. They were also the only crow brave enough to come so close. If they like Tommy’s shoulder that much, who was he to stop them?

Gathering enough sticks and food, he heads back with the rest of the birds to their campsite. He starts a fire and preps the fish given to him by the crows. In turn, he shared what he gathered and watched as they munched on their snack happily. He passed some onto the crow on his shoulder, who refused to leave for even a second for some reason. Their feathers puffed up and lowered their head in appreciation, eyes never leaving his.

Tommy gave them a happy grin. If this one was going to stick around Tommy now, he might as well come up with a good name for them. He can come up with one once he finishes eating.

The fish was just about done cooking when he heard a rustling behind him. In immediate alert, he got up from the ground and grabbed a nearby rock and a leftover stick for defense. The crows around him all screeched but he wasn’t sure if they were happy sounds or not. The crow on his shoulder was also cawing but it wasn’t one of the sounds he was familiar with. It made him tense up even more.

The rustling grew closer and closer, just until the footsteps and rustling stopped at the edge of the treeline, just out of sight. Gripping his stick and rock firmly, he gathered his courage.

“Wh-Who’s there?” Silence. He raised the rock over his shoulder, “Show yourself, bitch!” He finished with bravado.

More rustling happened and Tommy spotted a shiny glint appear within the trees. In a panic, he threw his trusty rock in that direction with a frightened yell—but a hoofed hand caught it before harmlessly throwing the rock to the side. The figure, then, stepped out of the shadows revealing them in all their full glory.

Tommy's breath hitched.

Pink pastel hair emerged, cascading down their shoulder in a single braid. A white poet shirt tucked into brown waist-high pants. Legs tucked into dark brown leather boots, moved even further into the light. Tommy fought the urge to step back as the figure revealed an iron sword in their hand.

Looking back at the figure’s face, shaky eyes stared stubbornly into burning red ones. A pair of tusks jutting out of their mouth added to the intimidation factor and Tommy could feel himself growing weak.

This was Techno.

The most feared being in Hypixel, was currently staring him down. But if Techno was here, then—

“Techno?”

—Another figure emerged from behind the hulking man. A familiar striped hat covering golden blonde hair. A pair of shining black wings hanging visibly on his back. The figure paused, surprised, outstretching his hand.

Tommy stood frozen.

Stood in front of him were the two men he wanted to avoid if possible. They were powerful in their own right and when the entire town of L’Manburg, both old and new, tried to fight them, they didn’t stand a chance. And that was without Dream helping them.

Why were they here?

Tommy couldn’t help but swallow nervously as he stood there by the riverside weaponless, small, and powerless.

“A child?” Phil said in confusion.

He inched forward, but Tommy took an immediate step back. Phil noticed his cautiousness and tried to say something; probably to reassure him, but Techno stuck a hand out.

“Wait, Phil. Do you smell something burning?” He sniffed the air. That’s when Tommy realized—

“My fish!”

He ignored the flabbergasted men and the startled squawk from the crow on his shoulder, who flew off into the air as he turned his back to save any bits of his lunch from its fiery death. Tommy nearly cried when he saw one of the fish’ side completely black, but he carefully peeled back the skin to see if the meat was still safe. Letting out a sigh of relief when the inside revealed to be slightly dry but mostly okay to eat. Turning his attention back towards the pair, he scowled.

“You nearly made me lose my lunch, you pricks!”

Phil had the decency to at least look embarrassed, raising an awkward hand to rub his nape, “Sorry about that, mate,” then dug into his inventory to pull something out, “We’ll give you some bread to make up for it.” Techno seemed to oppose the idea, but eventually let it happen.

Suddenly, the sudden appearance of his father and older brother/uncle never happened and Tommy sat down completely by his small campfire. Phil and Techno took this as their invitation to sit down as well. Tommy thinks it’s rude to assume but that just means he doesn’t need to share his fish since they’re uninvited guests to his tiny camp. They sat in silence. Tommy scarfing down without a care in the world, taking the bread Phil offered and practically inhaled it, until Phil decided to speak up.

“So, what’s a child doing so deep in the forest?” Phil wore his trademark smile, the one that made you think that everything is fine and made Phil always seem so trustworthy.

If Tommy were anyone else, he probably would’ve fallen for it, like he did at one time. Since this was Tommy’s second rodeo, he’s not going to believe it for one second. Phil made the mistake of thinking Tommy was an ordinary child.

“What’s it to you?” Tommy raised a brow.

Phil leaned forward a bit, arms leaning on his knees, hands clasped together and his head tilted to the side, “I just think,” he started slowly, “a child like you, alone, is too open to the dangers of the forest.”

Tommy rolled his eyes and scoffed at that. As if the forest had anything to actually hurt him. Any seasoned soldier and/or adventurer knew the dangers of the woods. He’s pretty lucky he hasn’t run into a creeper or lingering skeleton, but he suspects the birds had something to do with that. They’re always following after him without asking them to and he’s been following them since he woke up, which had been for some time now and not a single soul other than; a chicken or occasional bee, ever came close.

“ ‘m not alone. I got the crows with me.” He gestured a hand towards the murder nearby, “I’m fine, old man.” The nickname slipped out from habit.

Techno snorted while Phil looked bewildered, “I’m not that old, mate. I just meant that someone must be worrying about you, is all.”

Once upon a time, Tommy might’ve had the occasional figure trying to care for him, but he proved too much for them and dropped him off the handle to fend for himself. It happened too much that Tommy was practically numb to it all. He learned to not expect much from those older than him, regardless of what they said and how they always held the topic of age over his head to make decisions for him. He’s learned—rather, he relearned why he never trusted adults in the first place and that Tommy can only protect himself.

“Kinda sus you’re asking a child if they have parents, not gonna lie,” Tommy countered, “We’re practically strangers, y’know? Private info and all that.”

Phil just smiled good-naturedly, “Right. We haven’t introduced ourselves, have we?” Raising an arm, he pointed to himself, “I’m Philza, but call me Phil,” before pointing to his companion, “And this is Technoblade. Techno for short.”

And it was so familiar to their first encounter, so sue him if he was feeling nostalgic amidst all the angst and thrill, “Philza? Technoblade? Those are some shitty, weird ass names. Your parents probably ran out of creativity once they saw your faces.” Tommy thought he took it too far, but Phil’s raucous laugh and Techno’s disgruntled expression more than made up for it.

“Why don’t you tell your name then? It can’t possibly be ‘worse’ than ours.” Techno grumbled, speaking for the first time.

Tommy decided to oblige him, “I’ll have you know, my name is absolutely poggers. The absolute best name to give someone,” he watched as Techno rolled his eyes before doing a little dramatic fanfare, “My name’s Tommy. Tommy Danger Careful Kraken Innit.”

Chapter Text

Phil looked to be too happy about the situation.

Techno looked too tired to even react to anything anymore.

Tommy was just there for the ride.

At some point, Phil invited Tommy to travel with them for a bit, just until the next village. Something about settling his nerves or along those lines. Tommy doesn’t mind, he has nothing else to do. If he had any lingering doubts he was in the past, the fact that Phil or Techno (and his shorter-than-normal stature) don’t recognize him completely set it for him.

Contrary to popular belief and the narrative Wilbur kept telling, Tommy wasn’t found under Wilbur’s home or on the streets. He was actually created in a lab and escaped three years before meeting Wilbur. He was actually found by Phil and Techno.

Without knowing what he went through, they were the only ones to treat him with care and kindness (the world was harsh to homeless orphans). Since they were the first, Tommy wanted to keep them close and that opened the door to meeting new people who were also different. But maybe he wanted to keep all the people who were “different” too close and slowly they started slipping past his fingers.

If Tommy’s remembering correctly, this journey would shortly end and that’s when he would meet Wilbur. He’s not sure whether he wants to meet Wilbur. It could mean doing everything again.

Tommy’s not about to subject himself to something he already knows wouldn’t work out. If he goes, then building L’Manburg would be inevitable and he would have to see Wilbur spiral again. He’s not sure if he could watch it happen a second time.

“I’ve been meanin’ to ask but…have you noticed the number of crows around you?” Techno’s voice cut through his thoughts.

Tommy looked up to see the inquisitive look on Techno’s face before shrugging.

“Not sure, Big Man. I woke up and they were just there so I let them.” Or they kept him. Either way, ever since he woke up, the crows only ever helped him.

Tommy knows it looks suspicious being followed around by crows. It’s a dead giveaway that he’s somewhat connected to Lady Death, since crows are her spiritual animal or something. It’s especially weird for a child to have that sort of connection. But the crows, despite being messengers of Death, are also wild animals so Tommy let them do their own thing.

Tommy looked towards the birds that surrounded them. Some seemed to circle farther into the trees, and others seemed to just fly and not come back. Tommy assumed that since he woke up surrounded by them, Lady Death sent them to somehow help him. He’s not sure how, but it’s definitely related to the Revive Book.

They just seem like regular, chaotic birds to Tommy (his only reference were the ones near Phil). A bit unreliable if he was being honest.

A black blur and a rustle of feathers were Tommy’s only warning before a heavy weight settled on his head. The sudden and unexpected change in gravity nearly caused Tommy’s child-oriented body to fall forward. A large hand grasped his arm at the last second, before being pulled upright and steadied by another on his back.

Stunned, the man-turned-child looked up to see Techno resolutely looking anywhere but him.

Tommy was shocked by the gesture, before shaking his head. A squeeze in his chest when he realized that this was how Techno usually was. After all that time in L’Manburg and Pogtopia made him forget a crucial part of his former brother.

This was the Techno that made him stay with everyone, one of the reasons why he stayed, with Phil and Wilbur, and having a roof over his head. But later in the future, that would eventually change. Had changed. But Techno wasn’t the only one that changed. Tommy did as well. All that time apart made them shift and eventually become an unrecognizable version of themselves.

It’s a little weird after all this time, but not unwelcomed. Tommy feels a little guilty that he prefers this Techno over his. It’s practically cheating after all the history they both had gained. Maybe this time, he’d treat Techno differently.

Grateful and a little embarrassed, Tommy muttered a little “thanks” and walked a little further ahead. He missed the small twitch of a smile shot in his direction.

Tommy grumbled under his breath about “stupid birds” and “his head wasn’t a nest” as he caught up to Phil. The man, looking like he hadn’t a care in the world, smiled down at him. Tommy’s stomach did that weird looping thing. It’s been a while since Phil smiled at him like he wasn’t a dark cloud in his horizon.

A bit awkward, Tommy cleared his throat, “So, big man. Where are you taking me?” He lifted a hand to move the crow into his arms rather than balancing precariously on his head. He also gave them a tiny scritch on their neck for their troubles, to which the tiny crow cooed in appreciation.

Phil smiled before responding, “It’s a town called Tarven. Just a couple days from here. It’s a town Techno and I visit every time we come back.”

Tommy hummed thoughtfully, “That far?”

Phil, facing forward, replied, “We are deep in the forest, mate. Of course it’s gonna take time.”

Tommy thought that was the end of it, but Phil had more.

“If you’re in the forest…are you…alone?”

Tommy paused. He turned an inquisitive eye towards Phil, “Why do you wanna know?” To be honest, he thought it was a bit weird Phil was being so attentive, but he also knows it’s a bit weird for a ten-or-something year old child to be alone in a forest.

Phil thought as much and voiced it out, repeating his previous reasoning. Which, okay, fair. Tommy’s just not used to having anyone besides maybe Tubbo and Ranboo care about him so much (anymore). Well, it’s also true that dodging the question was not an option…

Tommy took on a thoughtful look,

But Tommy didn’t respond back. Instead, he was deep in thought.

A connection? Was it because of the crows? It’s a bit weird to say they feel a connection. Did Phil guess Tommy also had a connection to Lady Death? Tommy guesses it wouldn’t be hard to miss it. It’s not everyday you find a child in a forest, surrounded by crows which coincidentally symbolize his wife, Tommy was practically waving a huge sign above his head for everyone to see.

But that reason wasn’t enough for him to accept Phil’s sudden kindness and he told him as such.

“Whatever, I’m still not obligated to tell you anything.”

Phil was silent, but he sighed and let it go. Tommy stayed a closed book, stubbornly not letting anything spill. The crow in his arms, turned its head up and gave him a quick head tilt, looking straight into Tommy’s eyes before flying off to join the rest of the crows above the treetops. Tommy just watched the direction they flew in.

“Is there anything you can tell me?” Phil asked, carefully.

Tommy glanced up at the older man in confusion, “Why are you so curious about me? I’ve noticed it before but you’re a bit pushy, man.”

Techno snorted at that, twin pair of blue eyes shot backwards, “You have no idea.”

One pair turned offended, while the other looked amused, “Wha—That’s not true, mate!”

Tommy scoffed, “I don’t know, big man. You seemed very set on taking me with you.”

Phil’s eyes immediately turned to Tommy, who gave him a raised eyebrow, daring him to deny it. The older man was left sputtering, “Wha—Who, in their right mind, would leave a child alone in a random forest?!”

“Or a cave.” Techno added in a deadpan voice.

Phil looked intermittently between Techno and Tommy, before turning forward in a huff, “So I have a bleeding heart. Sue me.”

Techno and Tommy shared a look, then chuckled as they caught up with Phil, who only walked faster. The whole previous conversation was completely forgotten.

Eventually, nightfall came and both men got busy setting up camp. Phil was in-charge of setting up dinner, and Techno was given the task of doing a quick perimeter check, as well as gathering firewood. Tommy sat awkwardly to the side with a bunch of crows sat next to him, watching as the two worked in tandem, effortlessly and efficiently. Tommy ate all his fish he gathered with all the bread Phil gave him. He cursed his lack of hindsight to preserve some of it for later. Now he had nothing to eat.

Well, except for the mushrooms and a few berries. Oh well, beggars can’t be choosers. He was about to plan out how to make mushrooms and berries work together when Phil suddenly called him over. Getting up from the crowd of birds around him, he quickly made his way to the unmade campfire.

“What’s up, Big Man?”

Phil was surrounded by pots and cooking utensils, and a sack of what Tommy thinks are ingredients. Are they cooking something?

“Would you go with Techno and gather some firewood? I’m going to wash these in the river nearby.” Phil held up a pot filled with various vegetables.

Tommy nodded but hesitated. Phil stood silent but curious as Tommy seemingly finished contemplating. Then, Tommy reached into his pockets and pulled out the bunch of mushrooms he had collected earlier today. In a cupped hand, he pushed his hands forward, towards a bewildered Phil.

“Here. I have some mushrooms if you want to use them.” Tommy muttered.

“Mate, what’s this for?” Confused, but nonetheless accepted the offering.

“It’s for the bread you gave me. Consider it my payment or something.” Tommy took back his hands and stuffed them into his pockets, feeling a little vulnerable.

“Tommy, I gave those as an apology. You don’t need to give this to me.” He was about to hand back the mushrooms but Tommy immediately pushed Phil’s hands back, nearly making him drop the mushrooms.

“Consider it my contribution, then. I don’t wanna take your food without giving something in return.”

Phil just looked at Tommy, his brows furrowed and Tommy could feel Phil’s eyes burning into his soul. The gears were slowly turning and Phil’s face was unreadable, but he never gave anything away. Phil just smiled, “Thank you, Tommy.”

Tommy nodded and promptly left the area. He could feel Phil’s eyes burning at the back of his head, but he ignored it as he met up with Techno, who was just about to leave. The Piglin hybrid looked up as he was knelt by his tent’s pegs, seemingly understanding why Tommy was there. He got up from his position and nodded his head towards the forest and walked into it without saying anything.

Tommy silently followed along, tripping a few times since he was unused to having a smaller body. His mind sometimes thinks he’s taller and it made a few embarrassing moments on their journey. Tommy casually laughed it off and he was inherently labeled as “the clumsy child”, which Tommy most arguably denied, and at the same time, made Phil and Techno watch him very closely.

Tommy was annoyed by this, but ultimately resigned to his fate. If he had to guess, judging by the length of his limbs and the way his reflection looked in the river, he’s around the age of ten. It had to be since he still remembers the yearly update the scientists gave. Depending on the times after escaping, it’s within three years that he first met Phil and Techno.

The first winter he remembered because it was his first time seeing something white and cold but different from the lab’s floor, walls, and ceiling. The next winter was trying to figure out where to stay after the pillagers ransacked the village he was in. He also saw the sky glow for the first time. It was also the coldest he’s ever felt. The third winter was a festival full of lights and music.

Despite it being winter, he’s never seen anything look so warm and inviting. He knows now that it was probably a Winter’s Eve festival where people buy and give people gifts. Wilbur taught it to him once after staying in their home for a year. That year was also the most fun he ever had since leaving his old life behind.

Tommy was brought out of his memories when a single caw sounded from above. He doesn’t need to look up to know the birds are still following him around. He doesn’t understand why either. If they could talk, asking them would be easy. He’s never had crows follow him the first time around and Phil never felt a “connection” to Tommy either. Tommy was the one who followed them out of the forest and forced them to let him stay.

“Alright, so we’ll do a quick perimeter check around the camp then we’ll gather the resources for the fire. Y’know sticks, grass…anything burnable.”

“Why not let the birds handle it?” Seeing as they did it before, maybe they were willing to help this time around.

“Heh?”

In response to Tommy’s simple request, many cried out in indignation, or at least, Tommy could tell they weren’t happy with it. The boy spun around and faced the crowd behind him.

“Why not? You did it before!” More unhappy caws. If he had to guess, it was either because Techno was here and was capable of doing it himself, without Tommy’s help. Or it’s because these were greedy little fucks that won’t do a simple task for nothing. Cautiously, he tested each option.

“Is it Techno?” A resounding choir of caws echoed through the trees. “Is it because you want something in exchange?” Another round of caws. Tommy, unable to understand what the caws mean, grew frustrated. But Techno understood something apparently and placed a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, breaking him out of his frustration. Just a little.

“Why don’t you stick out your arm? Let them come to you. They’ll tell you what they want.”

Tommy, skeptical, decided to listen to the resident Disney Princess with more experience and stuck his arm out towards the crows. At first nothing happened and Tommy was starting to doubt this was a good idea, but one of them finally decided to swoop in and was quickly followed by a bunch more. All headed in Tommy’s direction.

“Uh, Techno—AAAH!”

Flurries of black feathers filled his face, reminiscent of another time this happened. The collision resulted in Tommy falling backwards onto the leaf-covered ground and a bunch of crows crawling all over his body. It was loud and heavy and Tommy couldn’t find a patch of sky amongst the black cloud in front of him. He waved his arm around, trying to shoo them away from his face but was useful as water off a duck’s back. Tommy could hear Techno letting out an uproarious laughter.

“You dickhead! Come help me!”

All that was seen was a blob of black, and a pair of skinny and pale arms sticking out, wiggling about. Every inch of Tommy was covered and he could feel them climbing up everywhere. In his shirt, in his hair, in his pockets. Tommy was down and defenseless, and this sonofabitch is laughing.

“Come help me, you fucking prick! How dare you fucking laugh at me!”

Snickering, Techno decided to be merciful, “Aren’t you a little young to be cursing?” He grabbed one of Tommy’s hands and lifted him out the pile. Tommy came out looking like he was about to bite someone’s head off. Black feathers littered his hair and made his already-rat’s-nest of a hair into a more permanent bird’s nest. Tommy was furious but Techno thought his fury was adorable. He slowly lowered Tommy onto safe ground and watched the crowd fight over something.

Turning around, Tommy also watched the crowd in distaste and noticed something, before smacking a palm to his face. Dragging it down to his chin, he grumbled angrily.

“That’s what that was about? A bunch of berries?” He gave them the Tommy Stink-eye, “You greedy little fucks, there was a better way of asking instead of pushing me down to the ground, y’know?” All he got were relatively happy and unhappy caws.

Some berries fell to the ground and the crows were after them like it was their last meal. Tommy, so done with the situation, pulled out the rest of the berries that managed to stay in his pocket. It wasn’t a lot but it would still work.

“Okay, you gremlins!” He shouted over the caws, and numerous eyes faced him. “I have a few berries left. Those who find dry sticks, grass, and anything to build a fire, first,” he emphasized, “Gets a berry.”

Instantly, the crows darted off in every direction, leaving the area completely silent. Tommy let out an annoyed sigh before pocketing his remaining berries, then turned to face Techno, who looked equal parts amused and surprised.

“That worked?”

Tommy, deciding that he’s had enough chaos for the day, stomped right past Techno to continue patrolling. He heard Techno chuckle before heavier footsteps followed after his. Tommy continued to grumble under his breath the entire time, which endlessly amused Techno and made Tommy grumble even harder. Tommy grumbled as he stomped through the forest, grumbled as he picked more berries, and grumbled as he and Techno made their way back to camp. Phil was already back and was coming to greet them.

“Hey, mate. What happened to—“

“Not. A. Word.”

He left the pair and sat on a long by the unlit campfire, crossing his arms and angrily tapping his feet. He heard Phil talking to Techno but he didn’t care enough to pay attention. He was waiting for the sound of a thousand feathers.

Suddenly, in the reddening sky that was just turning a darker shade of indigo, a black cloud appeared and Tommy pointed with as much authority he could conjure, to have the crows put whatever they gathered into a pile a little ways far from him. The birds surprisingly complied and dropped their collection in the designated spot.

Tommy got up from his log and made his way over. Inspecting the pile, he saw a few pieces that weren’t meant to be there, but he took one look into the expectant eyes of the birds and decided that everyone gets a berry. Maybe several. He did pick a lot this time.

Grumbling, he took out the berries from his pocket as gently as he could—

—and threw them to the ground. Making it rain berries. The black menaces all flew towards the berries, some starting to fight but mostly kept the peace. He took out the remaining berries he couldn’t reach, out of his pocket and some crows flew closer, finding spots on Tommy’s arms, shoulders, and even his hair. Tommy took the flock that landed on him, back to his log and watched them eat happily from his hands.

“What was that about?” Phil’s voice sounded shocked, probably felt the same as Techno did when he first witnessed it.

Tommy just sank into his seat and grumbled, “You don’t wanna know.”

And Phil left it at that. Seeing as Tommy was a bit preoccupied, he started on dinner by himself. Techno was doing a last-minute check on their supplies. By the time Phil and Techno finished whatever they were doing, the birds had their fill and flew off into the trees. One large crow suddenly flew in from a different direction and landed on Tommy, head tilting at the mess on Tommy’s head. Recognizing who this one was, Tommy gave them the stink eye, as well.

“Where the fuck have you been?” The crow only cawed before heading up to fix what they could about Tommy’s hair.

Tommy sighed. Phil chuckled and brought a bowl of stew. Techno walked out of his tent and made his way over to the campfire, taking a seat across Tommy’s on a rock. Phil handed Techno a bowl of stew before making himself and Tommy a bowl and sat next to the child, his black wings dragging behind him as he sat down. Techno examined the contents.

“Mushroom stew? When did you have time to find mushrooms?” He questioned Phil, to which Phil shook his head.

“I didn’t. Tommy gave them to me. I just added the milk, vegetables, bits of meat and whatever else we had leftover.”

Techno turned towards Tommy, “Thanks, kid. Haven’t had mushroom stew in a while.”

Tommy ducked into his stew, muttering, “No problem.”

Dinner was silent but comfortable. The crow, who he failed to come up with a name for, was silently picking out Tommy’s hair out of its tangled mess, or that’s what he felt they were doing. They were messing with something on his head.

Techno collected the bowls and announced he was retiring for the night after he got them washed.

“Alright, be careful, mate.” To which Techno scoffed.

Tommy could hear him mutter, “I’m not a kid, Dad,” before heading to the river to wash up. Then, it was just Phil and Tommy. And an unnamed crow.

“You seem awfully close with the birds, mate.” Phil started in the peaceful quiet.

Tommy scoffed, “They’re just tiny chaotic gremlin pricks.” A harsh peck. “Ow! What? You’re definitely one of them. You weren’t even there. Where were you anyway?” The crow just hopped down onto his lap and cawed. Tommy rolled his eyes, “Yeah, that’s helpful.”

“Who’s this little one?” Phil suddenly asked. He shifted closer to get a better look, making his huge wings shift around and behind Tommy like a blanket or a curtain. Tommy suddenly remembered all those times he hid under Phil’s wings whenever he needed to hide from whoever he pissed off that day. If only those times lasted.

“Uh, I haven’t given them a name. I don’t even know if they're a boy or a girl. Don’t want to misgender them, y’know? That’d be rude.”

Phil nodded seriously. “Can I see them?”

And Tommy responded with a nod of his own, “if they’ll let you.”

And let they did. Phil gently picked up the large crow and studied their face. The crow got turned sideways and upside down as Phil did a whole examination. Tommy imagined it wasn’t fun being manhandled and spun around like some sort of toy, his feathered friend looked at him and somehow told him they weren’t having fun and that they didn’t appreciate him laughing at them. That made him chuckle even more.

“She’s a female, Tommy. Quite bigger than the ones I’ve seen, but she’s definitely a girl.” He handed back the crow to Tommy and Tommy finally had a name.

He stared into the crow’s eyes and grinned, “I’m gonna call you Lizzie.”

Lizzie, in turn, shook her feathers and blinked. Tommy’s grin grew even larger. He’s assuming that means she liked the name, or at least didn’t downright chew him out for it.

Phil smiled happily next to him, “That’s a lovely name, mate. But unfortunately it’s time for bed. Which begs the question: Do you want to sleep in your own tent or do you want to share with somebody?” Tommy looked confused so Phil elaborated, “I can lend you my tent. I’ll just share with Techno, he doesn’t mind.”

Tommy fidgeted, absentmindedly stroking Lizzie’s feathers. On one hand, he wants to have the privacy that comes with a tent. But the memories of sleeping alone in a tent brought back unpleasant memories that made him clutch Lizzie closer to his chest as he bit his inner cheek.

“He can sleep with me.” A deep rumble voice entered the area. Tommy's eyes spun around as Techno packed up the utensils and faced the blond duo. “You have your wings and I’m a runnin’ furnace. It’s gonna get cold tonight so he’s better off with me.”

“What’s wrong with him sharing with me?”

Techno looked him dead in the eye, “You strangle-snuggle.”

Phil sputtered out, “Wha—I do not! That’s not even a word, mate.” Tommy looked between the two and nodded before making his way over to Techno. “Wha—Tommy?!”

The young blond looked back with an equal tone to Techno’s, Lizzie looking back at Phil with an equivalent expression, “I prefer having air in my lungs.”

Indignant, Phil shouted, “I do not strangle-snuggle!”

Chapter Text

It was the dead of night.

And Tommy was still awake. Infuriatingly so.

It’s been hours since his tent buddy fell asleep and Tommy had been constantly tossing and turning with no progress of ever reaching slumberland.

Now Tommy’s grouchy.

He would’ve made it everyone’s problem if he knew they wouldn’t kill him if he tried. While he would’ve bothered Techno then and would most definitely bother him now, Tommy wasn’t about to poke the bear if he didn’t need to.

His mind was racing after all the past events finally caught up to him.

It’s a bit fucked up that Lady Death decided to use a traumatized, recently-killed teenager who’s always messed up everything and made everyone hate or try to kill him. He couldn’t save Wilbur from his own mind. He couldn’t give Wilbur L’Manburg. Not the way he wanted. He couldn’t protect the last thing he had of Wilbur, what made Lady Death think to choose someone like him?

He’s…not cut out for this.

Tommy cautiously turned to glance at Techno before silently making his way out of the tent. Quietly pushing the tent flaps back and taking a tentative glance backwards, he steps out into the open.

Tommy shivered against the cold night air, but he made his way to the dying fire—the light that kept the monsters away from camp. The forest was silent except for the kindle and the far-off groans of the undead, not close enough to cause worry.

Tommy still fed the dying embers and after a few seconds, the fire roared back to life. The boy sighed as the warmth embraced him and he looked into its fiery glow.

The fire reminded him of a cabin covered in snow. He remembered the way Techno took care of him, even though he was looting him in the first place. Tommy built a small cave underneath Techno’s chests and would only come up if he needed to. Techno caught him right when he needed to restock.

Against all odds, Techno let Tommy under his wing. He took care of his wounds and helped him when Dream came for a surprise visit. He was understanding and willing to help. Tommy never said it, but it was nice having someone take care of him again. It was like things were back to how they were again, minus a crazy maniac hunting him all the time.

Tommy frowned.

All the events that happened after, now that he thought about it, could’ve been avoided if everyone just talked to each other. But everyone was just too prideful and showing weakness was just asking to be killed.

But, if he had the chance, he would’ve tried.

He let out a tired sigh.

Stuck in a place familiar and unfamiliar, Tommy curled his knees up to his chin—watching as the fire continued to burn along with his emotions. Time travel is not all that it’s cracked up to be. This never would’ve happened if he didn’t antagonize Dream so much.

Stupid Dream and his thirst for power.

He didn’t notice someone was with him until a blanket was plopped onto his shoulders. Tommy jolted and spun around to see who was awake.

Pink flowing hair that glinted in the firelight.

Fiery-colored eyes bore into azure ones.

Techno.

And a familiar, feathered figure in his hand.

Lizzie.

“Your bird wanted me to find you.” Techno’s tired, baritone voice cutting through the silence.

Lizzie hopped out of Techno’s hand and flew down to Tommy’s knee. Black eyes shining with intelligence, tilted their head to the side before burrowing herself into Tommy’s neck. Tommy let out a small smile. Lizzie was another mystery. She acted differently from the other birds.

All the crows were clingy fucks, but Lizzie was a different kind of clingy. From the beginning, she was a bit more protective towards Tommy. She kept the crows in place and made sure they didn’t hurt him too much. Tommy’s still not sure why the crows are with him, why he needs them in the first place but Lady Death sent them to him for a reason. Tommy can appreciate the company, at least.

He glanced up at Techno, who watched the interaction with mild interest, “Thanks.”

Techno just nodded and then proceeded to do something unexpected.

He sat down next to him.

Tommy’s eyes widened as Techno, instead of walking back to the tent, sat down on the log—wearing an uncomfortable face, his hands fiddling with the fabric of his pants. Tommy was shifting, as well. He’s not in the mood to have a conversation right now.

Techno wasn’t either, apparently.

“Wanna hear a story?” Tommy’s head turned towards Techno, who looked anxiously anywhere but him.

He’s surprised by Techno’s actions, the big guy wasn’t usually one to start the interaction. But Tommy wouldn’t say no to a free story.
The blond wrapped the blanket tighter around himself and got settled in. Techno, himself, shifted in place and cleared his throat.

The hybrid’s favorite stories were from a collection of Greek Myths, and heroes, in particular, were his favorite to preach. His favorite hero to preach to Tommy was the story of Theseus, since he always compared him to the tragic hero. He was expecting this Techno to do the same.

But Techno surprised him a second time when he, instead, told the story of Atlas; the titan who held up the sky. He fought for the Titans and lost, doomed to an eternal punishment given by Zeus, the King of Olympus; Home of the Gods and Goddesses. Atlas was especially punished because he became a general to an army against Olympus and Zeus, and his brother Menoetius was killed then sent to Tartarus with all the other titans to be sealed away.

Atlas was banished to the farthest west to forever hold the sky on his shoulders.

“Why the sky?”

Techno paused in his storytelling to think of an answer, “Maybe it’s because it’s to keep the Sky and Earth from making anymore titans, but it’s also a lesson.” He paused for it to sink in, “It means the weight of responsibility and the consequences he needs to bear after taking such an important role in the war.”

The responsibility and consequences of one’s actions.

Tommy looked down. He thinks he probably relates to this Atlas dude more than Theseus. Sure he sacrificed a lot for his country, like giving his two lives and his discs for L’Manburg’s independence. Enough to be considered the hero of his country, only to be betrayed and casted out by the same people he gave up everything for; the same way Theseus once was.

But he was more of a follower than a leader. He followed Wilbur, then Tubbo, then Dream, and Puffy. He followed a lot of people and ended up here. He wasn’t a hero. He never considered himself as one, probably out of fear or truth. Heroes never got happy endings and Tommy probably didn’t want to follow the same path. But people labeled him as one and was sneered at, saying his “heroic” mentality was the cause of great misfortune. His misfortune.

As he listened to Techno’s deep voice telling another Greek story, he watched as the light from the fire started to dim—due to his eyelids finally closing. He never felt the arm wrap around him, keeping him attached to something warm. The soft vibrations he felt with his head made him feel floaty as his mind finally succumbed to sleep.
_________________

When Tommy woke up, it was hours later; based on the amount of light hitting his eyes, and he could hear voices outside of his consciousness. Still too tired to open his eyes, Tommy let his mind slowly wake up. There were things moving around and someone was talking excitedly. He felt a weight on his shoulder and something warm underneath his head.

“Awww, mate. Look at him.” A voice squealed. Tommy furrowed his eyebrows.

“Phil, no. We aren’t keepin’ this one.”

“But he’s so tiny, and he looks so attached.”

“You mean you’re attached. Kid probably doesn’t want some random dude,” Phil let out an offended gasp, “takin’ ‘im in. Where are we even gonna put ‘im?”

“He’s not luggage, Techno.”

“No, he’s an orphan. You know how I feel about orphans, Phil.”

“He’s technically not an orphan if we take him in.”

“Phil—”

“And he’s got crows! It’s definitely a sign from—”

—“Gods, you’re so loud…” Tommy groaned, trying and failing to go back to sleep.

Seeing as his mind was fully awake now, Tommy sat up, stretching and yawning into the morning sun, all the noise he previously heard, stilled. Tommy took his time to acknowledge how refreshed he feels, probably due to the lack of nightmares. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he faced the rest of the group.

Two pairs of eyes stared back at him.

Tommy, immediately guarded, “What?” He brought the blanket Techno gave him last night, higher.

“Nothing, mate. Hungry?” Phil presented a plate of bread, cheese, and berries. Not the most nourishing of meals but it’s enough.

Tommy took the plate, along with the cup of milk, and dug in.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, save for some crows that decided to steal some food off their plates.

In other words: chaotic.

Lizzie had the decency, at least, to keep to herself. The other crows? Not so much.

Phil, struggling to keep the murder of crows that weren’t his, under control, grumbled and finally threw down a single bread for them to fight over. He watched them attack the poor piece of food with much gusto, dive bombing and ripping it to shreds.

Techno, with his huge size and intimidating tusks, seemed to serve as crowd control. Tommy, being in near vicinity to Techno, was also spared from the chaos. Luckily enough. Which left Tommy to fully appreciate the mess in front of him with a shit-eating grin.

With a huff, Phil turned to Tommy, “Why are your crows such chaos freaks?”

To which Tommy just shrugged, “I don’t know, big man. I’ve only known them for a couple days. Maybe they were always like that.”

“Or they probably reflect their master.” Techno interjected.

Tommy, indignant, twisted his head to face Techno, “Oi! I’m no one’s master!”

Techno raised a brow, “But you admit to being chaotic?”

“I’ve been called a gremlin.”

An hour or so later, they were back on the road to Tarven. Phil and Techno walked alongside each other with Tommy sandwiched in the middle. He was hanging out with the crows that took it upon themselves to use him as a resting spot.

Lizzie sat on his shoulder while others sat in his hair and any other free open space. Tommy busied himself by throwing berries into the distance and watching the birds go after it, each time throwing in a random direction.

The crows following him were weird. Sometimes, they follow him like some sort of hive-mind. Other times, they’re doing their own thing. Like now.

Compared to the first time he woke up in the past, where the crows covered the trees in an ominous shade of black and dark green, the number that surrounded him dwindled to only a handful of birds. Currently, there were two on his left shoulder, one on his head, Lizzie to his right, and about five flying ahead searching for the berries he threw; the more playful ones.

When he ran out of berries, he examined the trinkets the crows gave him. He was surprised by bits and pieces of a broken iron pickaxe. If he could smelt some of it, he’d have some iron ingots.

“—ommy some clothes—” Phil’s voice tuned in. Tommy immediately clocked in as soon as he heard his name. Based on context clues, he got the gist of what the conversation was about.

“Aye? I don’t need no new clothes, man! I’m perfectly fine.” Tommy spoke up. He was wearing a worn white shirt and gray shorts, sure; but they were still usable. It’s also not like he had the opportunity to change out of it, but he’s not about to stand down and take it while they slander his perfect image.

But Phil and Techno only looked at him in twinned disbelief and slight disgust from Techno.

“Mate, you can’t possibly think what you’re wearing is appropriate. You look like you climbed out of the garbage!” Phil argued vehemently.

“Raccooninnit.”

Tommy spun around in outrage to face the huge tower of a man, a tiny fist shaking in the air. Techno looked unbothered but amused.

“Oy! I’m not a fuckin’ raccoon! How dare you call me that!”

Phil just burst out in raucous laughter while Techno chuffed. Meanwhile, Tommy just continued to spit out words, creating noise in the otherwise quiet forest.

Too quiet.

Tommy’s guard was instantly up. It’s too quiet and the air was tense. All sounds disappeared as if holding its breath. Why?

Tommy’s months of soldier experience told him that silence was never good. It meant an ambush. And ambushes meant someone will most definitely get hurt. Tommy reached instinctively for a sword but met open air.

Techno and Phil continued to walk deeper into the path with Tommy in tow. They looked casual, but to those who knew them, like Tommy; they were one split second away from cutting anything that moves.

Tommy followed their lead. His eyes darted through the trees, across the shadows for anything suspicious. His nerves on high alert.

The sound of whistling

Tommy immediately spun around in that direction only to find a sword in his face, cutting down the arrow that was headed his way. Eyes wide, he looked up as Techno charged forward with a yell and Phil unsheathed his sword before grabbing Tommy and hiding him behind a bush covered tree.

“Stay down and stay quiet,” was all he said before jumping into the fray. Black wings shot through the crowd that suddenly appeared after the first shot and Techno’s strong figure barreled through the enemies that came too close. He grabbed someone’s shield from the ground and used it to push through. Phil, on the other hand, took to the trees and swooped down, taking one of the men and throwing him against another crowd from a high altitude.

The trees were covering the sky but that didn’t stop Phil from unleashing devastation. Techno moved in tandem with Phil’s attacks and both worked together to cut down their numbers.

Tommy was so distracted that he almost missed the sound of a slashing metal cutting through the air. He felt the air shift differently and his instincts told him to duck. An axe found its way into the tree’s trunk where his head would’ve been and he scrambled out of the bushes to get away from his assailant, but his short legs tripped over the other in the process, making him fall face first to the ground.

Tommy immediately rolled to the side as the axe that was once in the tree, found itself planted to the ground. Tommy looked up to see angry black gleaming eyes and grey-tinted skin. He pushed himself up off the ground and ran towards another tree.

Tommy leaned into the tree’s trunk, panic overriding his system, flashbacks to when he found himself at Dream’s mercy, as he searched the ground for anything to use, eyes frantic and lungs burning.

A gust of wind and several black blurs rushed forward, past Tommy’s tree and attacked at the Illager’s face. The Illager cried out in pain as the murder of crows continued its relentless attack. Screaming out in rage, the pillager grabbed randomly into the air and successfully captured one of the attackers. A pained shriek alerted Tommy and he quickly abandoned his search for a weapon to peer beyond his tree post.

Tommy watched as Lizzie was mercilessly thrown to the side and in a fit of rage he ran out from behind his tree, using an arrowhead he found on the ground, and stabbed the illager in the leg. He heard them cry out before feeling a rough hand on the back of his shirt, pulling him into the air.

Tommy grabbed his collar to lessen the hold on his neck and kicked his feet towards his assailant’s face, to no avail. He was thrown on the ground, disoriented, and dragged back, tied up, to the center of fighting and onto a ravager’s back.

The one that captured him let out a roar and some of the other pillagers suddenly fell back, the others were left to hold back Phil and Techno for their retreat. Tommy, suddenly wrapped under someone’s arm, let out his own yell.

“Phil! Techno! HELP!”

The fighting pair suddenly turned their gaze towards the retreating ravager and towards a young blond in their midst before fighting back even harder. Tommy tried to wriggle harder to loosen his captors grip.

Changing tactics when it didn’t work, he curled up into a ball and used his feet to push himself away, seeing as his hands were trapped. His captor only growled and all Tommy saw was the butt of an axe headed straight for his head and then…black.