“This is serious! Is everyone here yet?”

“Question, why is he here?”

“Shut up!”

“Okay, but does everyone need to be here? What is this even for?”

Puffy rubbed her forehead, annoyance filling her as the endless chatter filled the room. She began to regret calling everyone in for the meeting she had announced. Finally tired, she raised her voice over everyone else.

“Okay! We’re all settled down now, right?”

“Actually, Puffy, we’re missing someone.”

“Yes, Tubbo?”

“Tommy’s not here.”

“Exactly.”

Puffy watched as the various members on the server showed different reactions. Techno tensed as he averted his eyes, Phil’s lips pushed into a thin line as he stared down the ground in front of him. Tubbo seemed anxious and on edge, obviously worried for his best friend. Niki and Jack both seemed relieved, Sam was obviously distressed. Puffy felt let down as most of the server seemed indifferent or relieved at the news. Finally, breaking the silence, Dream spoke up.

“So what? He’s probably sleeping in or avoiding us. This is Tommy we’re talking about.”

“No, that’s not the issue. Tommy’s gone, guys.”

Puffy noted that she could have worded that better. She didn’t realize how it sounded, not until Tubbo’s eyes watered with tears. Realizing her mistake, Puffy quickly spoke up.

“No! I could have worded that better. He’s not dead, Tubbo, don’t worry. He’s been taken.”

“What?!”

Puffy watched as Tubbo shot up in his seat, Ranboo following in suit. The enderman hybrid did his best to calm his friend down, who was on the verge of hyperventilating. Techno seemed to have summoned a pickaxe without realizing it, and Phil used his flightless wings to instinctively cover both Wilbur and Techno. Sam appeared to be even more alert, his eyes shining with a bit more hope. George seemed indifferent to the news, not really caring. Sapnap narrowed his eyes, obviously still on the fence with the boy. Eret seemed truly devastated at the news, obviously regret showing through his body language. Surprisingly, the next person to speak up to Puffy was HBomb.

“How do you know this?”

Puffy pursed her lips as all eyes returned to her. Some of the eyes, like those of Ranboo, Tubbo and Sam, were filled with unspoken hope. Other’s, like Phil and Techno, were filled with confused rage. Building up her courage, Puffy confidently looked everyone in the eyes as she began to relay the events of the day Tommy disappeared.

--------

Wilbur was terrified. Tommy was nowhere to be seen, much to his devastation. He asked around everywhere, and managed to sneak into dangerous areas, hoping to find the boy. As much as he tried to push the boy away at the beginning, Wilbur eventually caved in and got attached to Tommy. The kid was like a younger brother to him, and now he was gone. Now, confused and hoping for answers, Wilbur had resorted to asking for others around him to join him on his quest to search for Tommy. Much to his dismay, however, only two people bothered to show up at the meeting place.

“It’s okay, Wilbur, we’ll find Tommy.”

“Yeah, then maybe he won’t want to go after me all the time.”

Wilbur hummed as he turned to face the only two who showed. Niki sat on a small boulder, hands on her knees, as Ranboo sat beside her, timid as ever. Shaking his head, Wilbur had to remind himself that it was even a miracle that anyone bothered to show up. Sitting down in front of the other two, Wilbur crossed his legs as he sighed.

“Okay, let’s go over the basics. When did we all last see Tomm-”

“Sorry I’m late, everybody. I just saw some...tasty meat.”

Wilbur quickly turned to see Tubbo, who wielded a knife, fresh with blood. Squinting his eyes and scrunching his nose, Wilbur just silently gave the boy a look. Tubbo just smiled at him, sitting down on the ground beside Ranboo.

“Where were you guys with the meeting?”

Grunting slightly, Wilbur huffed as he let the boy be. He had to keep reminding himself that finding Tommy will have been worth it.

“We were just about to discuss when we last saw Tommy.”

“Oh, easy! I saw him last week! It was kind of weird, honestly. He picked up this weird looking crystal, and then he was pulled away by it? I went to see what was happening, but then he disappeared in a flashing light.”

“I’m sorry, he what?”

--------

“Okay, where is he?!”

Techno and Phil were getting annoyed, their nerves being tested with every passing second. Wilbur, who joined them for lunch, just seemed amused at their interruption. Leaning on his arm, Wilbur smirked as Phil held Techno back, rubbing his eyes as he did so. The three of them watched as their intruders, disheveled and angry, threw accusations at them. Deo stood in between Bitzel and Luke, all three looking beyond enraged at the leaders of the other factions in front of them. Finally having enough, Phil slammed his fist on the table in front of him. This seemed to silence the boys, but it did nothing to calm their enraged states. Clearing his throat, Phil finally spoke up.

“What the fuck are three going on about?”

Deo narrowed his eyes as he stared down Phil, obviously mocking the leader.

“Don’t think you can fool us, you’re about the only ones who would take him. Now, once again, where is he?”

Phil and Techno seemed at the end of their patience, causing Wilbur to clear his throat. Rolling his eyes, the man spoke with an amused voice to the three members of Business Bay.

“Where is who?”

“Do you think we’re stupid? Are you serious? Tommy! Where is Tommy!? Who else would we be talking about?!”

Wilbur’s amusement left his eyes. Techno quirked an eyebrow as Phil sat up, confused. Sure, the three declared Business Bay as enemies and all that, but they all agreed on one thing: Tommy was amusing. The three of them had formed some form of attachment to the young teen, and they enjoyed teasing him. It was obvious that Wilbur viewed the boy as his younger brother, Techno treating him as such, no matter how much he denied it. Wilbur straightened his posture as he narrowed his eyes at the three boys, who haven’t settled down yet.

“Tommy is missing?”

“Of course Tommy is missing! Why else would we be here? Now, where is he?”

SLAM

All six occupants in the room quickly turned to the entrance, all at their wits end with no answer of where Tommy is. There, panting for air at the entrance of the room, stood an exhausted Wisp. As soon as he stood up, he seemed to be relieved at the sight of everyone who was in the room. Finally catching his breath, he finally spoke up.

“Business Bay! Perfect, that makes all this so much easier. Wilbur’s here too! Great, no more running around.”

Deo grit his teeth, not in the mood to deal with any of this.

“What do you want? We’re in the middle of something.”

Wisp nodded his head, obviously returning to his manic state from earlier.

“Right, sorry, but this is important.”

“Well? What is it?”

“Tommy fell off of the Business Bridge and disappeared in a flash.”

--------

“What are we going to do with the boys?”

Phil pinched the bridge of his nose, obviously in distress. Smiling at the distressed blonde, Kristin put a hand on her husband’s as she leaned on his shoulder. The two sat alone in the main foyer, watching the flames flicker from the fireplace. Humming, she traced shapes of all kinds on the back of Phil’s hand. Peering up at him, she spoke up with an amused tone.

“It’ll all be sorted out, Phil. We still have enough time left to rule, and we have three children. Techno, Wilbur, and Tommy are all finding their way. They have each other’s backs, and they have ours, just as we do them. The kingdom will have their new king in the future, not to worry.”

Phil chuckled as he peered down to his wife, who playfully nudged his shoulder. As per usual, his wife was right. His sons were allowed to enjoy their freedom at the moment, they didn’t need to worry about becoming kings, not yet. They still had so much to learn, so much to see. Smiling down at his wife, Phil leaned down as Kristin laughed, lifting her head to meet his. They were, sadly, quickly interrupted. The two jumped as the double doors slammed open, causing them to bump heads. Rubbing their foreheads, the two rulers turned to see who had run into the room in such a hurry. A servant was hunched over, out of breath, trying to speak to the two. Phil and Kristin stood up, concerned at the sight. Suddenly, Wilbur and Techno ran in, relieved to see their parents. It was obvious that the two were terrified, worried beyond belief. Walking over to her sons with haste, Kristin cupped their faces in worry.

“What’s wrong, boys? Why do you two look unease? And where is your brother?”

Wilbur appeared to be heartbroken at her words, tears welling up in his eyes. Techno was obviously in pain, no matter what his expression seemed to exhibit. Kristin hesitated for a moment, slowly lowering her hands. Wilbur quickly grasped her hand, terrified as desperate. Techno, on the other hand, loosely held onto her other hand. Phil made his way to his family, worry filling him as well.

“Boys?”

Kristin pursed her lips together, sharing a look with her husband. Returning her gaze to her sons, she put on a stern tone as she spoke up once more.

“William, Technoblade, what’s wrong?”

Wilbur couldn’t speak, he couldn’t bring the words to leave his mouth. Finally, unable to keep it in any longer, Techno spoke up. His quiet, emotional voice left Kristin and Phil shocked. His words, however, would haunt them.

“Tommy’s gone. He was taken from the grounds.”

Phil sucked in a breath, not believing what he heard. There was a moment of silence, only a moment. Then, piercing the silence, was Kristin’s heartbroken scream as she fell to her knees.

--------

Jack hummed as he sat on the porch, watching the rain fall from the sky. Niki and Tommy had momentarily left, both taking advantage of the fact that Niki could roam the overworld. The two promised that they would finally finish the “special gift” they had planned for the blaze hybrid. He didn’t mind being left alone, not at the moment. This was one of the few moments that he enjoyed sitting back, watching the droplets hit the ground. He wasn’t in any pain, and that’s all that mattered. The overworld was large, that was something that he learned quickly. It seemed endless, covered in diverse lands and structures. It was full of different kinds of people as well, something he found interesting. He was glad to have found Niki and Tommy, grateful even. His mind wandered to the name of their group. The Misfits, as Tommy had dubbed the three of them, fit nicely. They truly were viewed as the “weak-links” of the group, no matter how dumb the reasons were. So what if Niki could only leave the water when it rained? She had a huge advantage in the lagoons and oceans! It was because of her that he even had a safe way to enter her secret ocean base. And Tommy? Jack didn’t understand why the others thought that his ability to glide, float and increase his speed, were all dumb abilities. It was because of Tommy that Jack was even able to come up to the overworld, and his abilities to glide truly did help him complete that with haste. No matter, the three of them were amazing. Only time would show everyone else that as well. Before he could continue his train of thought, however, pink hair caught his eye. There, running from the forest, was Niki. Panic filled her eyes as she ran up to Jack, who stood up from his spot on the porch.

“Niki? What’s wrong?”

Standing up straight, Niki’s panic seeped into her tone of voice. Jack was growing concerned, even more so when he couldn’t spot Tommy anywhere. Did the boy get injured? Did he run out of food?

“Niki?”

“There was this purple gem! It was so sparkly and pretty, so unique and new! Tommy picked it up to hand it to me, but then it pulled him into the air! Before I could even react, he disappeared in a bright light!”