#sleepybois

~-~-~

Based on “Four Is a Crowd” by BeeinaHailstorm on Ao3; link to that at the bottom in the note

~-~-~

         Tommy used the back of his hand to wipe away the blood coming out of his nose, taking only a second to get himself together before hitting his opponent back with twice as much force.

The other boy fell with a solid thud, and the crowd waited with baited breath as he laid there. After ten long seconds, every onlooker cheered when the loser remained on the ground.

The show runner, Quackity, lifted Tommy's arm above his head, giving the blonde a potion in his other hand. "The winner is Theo!"

Tommy gave them all a bow before walking away, meeting up with Tubbo at the edge of the ring as he took a seat.

"Great job, boss man,", the short boy grabbed the empty potion bottle from him after he drained it, "You still up for the team fight we've got?"

"Of course, not about to get taken out by a pussy like that."

The pussy in question, some new kid that'd been coming around the circle for the last couple weeks, was being dragged to the edge of the tree-line so the next fight could start. The dim lanterns lining the area were giving a sharp definition to the two who'd gotten in the middle of the circle next, the crowd immediately clamoring in excitement for more blood.

Tommy decided to use the break he was getting between the fights to get a quick power nap, tapping Tubbo's knee a few times to signal it to him before getting comfortable.

It only took a minute or so for him to pass out, the lack of any decent sleep the night before making it easy for him to drift off.

He appeared in one of his only sources of comfort almost immediately; a small cabin in the middle of an endless forest.

He poked his head in the door, not at all surprised to find his soulmates inside given how late it was.

Most people only had one soulmate, two if they were incredibly lucky.

Tommy had three.

He didn't know their names, or what they actually looked like, but he knew more than enough about them based on all of the time they'd spent together.

They'd meet in the dreamscape nightly, and, although they weren't able to share any direct details with eachother like names or locations, he knew that the three of them had already found eachother by the time he came around.

He knew that they were incredibly close with one another.

"Hey, the child finally decides to join us!", his Blue soulmate chuckled, grabbing him in a headlock when he walked into the cabin.

He also knew that they cared about him.

"About time, I was starting to get worried mate,", the Green one chuckled, putting down a book, "It's getting pretty late."

"Sorry to say, I'm only here for a little while right now; needed a nap."

The Pink one raised an eyebrow at him. "Bruh, it's like midnight, why are you only taking a nap?"

         And because they cared about him,

"Not able to yet, still got some shit to do before I can actually get to bed."

He absolutely refused to tell them what he was up to.

Pink was the one that'd actually taught him how to fight a few years ago when he'd asked about it, but as far as the man knew, Tommy was only fighting off village kids that had been bullying him.

The three of them knew absolutely nothing about the circle, and he intended to keep it that way.

Blue sighed, adjusting so he was resting his arms on Tommy's head. "Forever busy, aren't you? I swear, you'd fit right in at the       ."

He wasn't able to understand the last word the man had said, meaning that the universe had deemed it far too incriminating for him to be able to know.

Tommy took a step forward, letting Blue's arms fall and laughing when he nearly took a tumble to the floor. "Maybe work on your balance before fucking bullying me, asshole."

"As always, eloquent usage of your words."

"As always, you're bald and sad."

"Fuck you."

"And see? That's where I learned it from."

"No, you learned it from Birdza; as did I."

Green made an offended noise that could best be described as a squawk. "Hang on a fucking second, you were already swearing like that when I finally found you."

"And he proves my point."

"Listen here, you little shit-"

"I'm gonna set up a swear jar for you guys,", Pink snorted, resting his head on his hand, "Might force you to learn some new words."

The three of them responded with 'fuck you' said in nearly the exact same way before all of them broke out into a bout of laughter.

Tommy squeezed himself onto the sofa between Green and Pink, eagerly listening to all of them as they told him about how their day had gone.

Blue had just started explaining that he was getting ready for a trip when Tommy could feel himself waking up, letting out a sigh to interrupt the man.

"Gonna have to put that on hold, big man; got shit to do."

Blue looked concerned for a moment before letting out a dramatic sigh of his own. "Of course you leave when I'm the one speaking. I see how it is."

"Shut the fuck up, I'll be back later probably."

"That 'probably' better be a 'definately', you don't get nearly as much sleep as you should do,", Green gave him a glare that had no real heat behind it.

"Yeah, alright dad, thanks for the old man wisdom."

Something else was said that he wasn't able to hear as he fully woke up, and he sat up right again on the bench with a yawn.

         "You ready for this?", Tubbo asked, standing.

Tommy nodded as he got to his feet as well, stretching with another yawn. "Yeah, I needed that. Would have been nice if you woke me up sooner, though."

"I was trying, you weren't having it. Honestly, you're lucky I didn't shove your ass off of the bench."

He rolled his eyes. "Sorry, was having a conversation."

"Yeah, well now you can win so you have something else to talk with them about."

"Bet they'd be real fucking proud of me, bee boy."

"I know my soulmate's going to be incredibly hyped about it, actually wished me luck last time I saw him."

"Really? Must actually have some faith in you for once, don't let them down."

They walked into the ring, standing to one side as they looked at their opponents.

Just like the other guy Tommy had fought, the two of them were newcomers to the ring. Unlike the other one, they actually knew how to fight.

One was a tall creeper hybrid, while the other was a short woman with fluffy white hair. Their height difference mirrored the one between Tubbo and Tommy in an honestly comical way, the fact that they shifted to stand across from them according to that only making it funnier.

"Alright everyone, shut the fuck up,", Quackity stood between them, silencing the crowd, "Main event; clingy duo vs the sticks in the mud."

Tommy kicked at the man's ankles. "Q, we've talked about the fucking team name."

"Listen, if I don't let anyone else pick what I call them, then you don't get a say either. You're lucky I let 'Theo' slide."

Real names weren't allowed in the circle, everyone either used nicknames or paid enough attention to know when someone was talking to them. Same went for the crowd, absolutely no names allowed unless they wanted to get their ass beat and sent home without their shoes.

The smarter or more well off members usually wore masks, but the rest of them just went with it and hoped it didn't come back to bite them in the ass.

The two that they were up against were part of the first group. both of them wearing masks that covered the lower half of their faces.

"Are we going to get on with it or not?", Tubbo asked, folding his arms.

         "Blame your teammate dude, not me. This one's a pushback; stay in the circle if you wanna win. Everyone ready?"

They all gave a confirmation, the only one hesitating being the creeper dude.

"I have some reservations about fighting children, Q."

The ring was silent for a long moment before the crowd broke out in excitement, and Quackity laughed as he stepped out of the circle. "Oh man, you just fucked up."

Immediately, Tommy went after the tall asshole, catching the man off guard as he made it incredibly clear he wasn't happy with being called a child. "Bet everyone looks like a child to you, you geriatric dickhead."

"I'm in my twenties?"

"Old, absolutely fucking ancient,", he tried to punch the guy as he insulted him, trying to use one of the techniques Pink had taught him, "Bet you have dentures and shit, need a cane to walk your old ass to bed."

The white haired one kicked Tommy's feet out from under him, nearly knocking him out of the circle.

He managed to catch himself on the creeper guy's arm, pushing himself back and headbutting the dude at the same time. He backed up against Tubbo, and the two of them took a moment to catch their breath before pushing forward at the same time to knock their opponents out of bounds.

Quackity clapped as he walked up, raising Tommy's arm for a second time that evening. "And Theo and the bee claim victory! Knew it was gonna be a quick one, nice work guys."

"Obviously; no one gets to call me a fucking child and get away with it,", Tommy scoffed.

"You're literally the youngest person here."

"Die."

"Oh no, your prize money disappeared."

"You better fucking not-"

Tubbo interrupted him, elbowing him in the side. "Gonna head off, boss man, need to make sure I get back before anyone wakes up."

"See you, remember to grab your half of the shit we won."

He was eventually approached by the people they'd beaten, the short one getting his attention with her hand extended. "That was good! Wasn't expecting you to beat us like that, you two work well together."

"... Thanks?", he accepted the handshake, looking her over, "Where the fuck did you two come from, anyways?"

"He's been friends with Q for a while. We found out about this place and thought we could slide in." "Right."

"How old are you? I'm sorry for asking, but-", the creeper hybrid started in the most awkward way he could manage.

         "Why the fuck does it matter?"

"I wasn't told he let kids fight here."

"I will properly kick the shit out of you if you call me a child again."

"No more fighting for the night, everyone's already had more than enough of that,", the short one laughed, "I'm also kinda curious about that, though. We're not asking to be rude, just interested in learning more about everyone here."

He debated for a moment before rolling his eyes. "I'm fifteen, is that good enough for you?"

They were both silent for a beat too long. "And how long have you been fighting here?"

"Alot longer than you, so mind your own fucking business."

"Sorry, like I said I'm curious. We'll leave you alone for the night, you should probably head home and get some sleep."

"Right, whatever; goodnight."

He collected what he was owed from Quackity before leaving, and went back into the village to scout out a good place to get some sleep for the night.

He settled on a loft above the front door of the bakery, since something had pried off the boards the asshole that owned the place put up to keep him out.

The exhaustion hit him as soon as he was settled, and he managed to fall asleep pretty much immediately.

Pink was the only one in the dreamscape when he got there, and he sat down next to him with a huff. "Where are the other two at?"

"Work stuff."

"Holy shit, and Blue was getting on my ass about not taking breaks; it's only like four in the morning."

"Which is why I'm wondering why you're just now settling in,", the man closed the book he was reading, "Or is this just another 'nap'?"

"Hopefully I'm here for a while, but we'll see what happens."

"Y'know, it is actually worrying how little we see of you sometimes; especially when we usually sleep at different enough times that at least one of us should be running into you more often."

"Not sure what to tell you, mans is busy,", Tommy shrugged, seriously hoping he'd drop it.

"You're fifteen, you shouldn't be that busy."

"You used to be busy with shit all the time when you were my age, maybe you should mind your own business."

He said it in a joking way, but Pink probably picked up on the fact that he was starting to get uncomfortable and changed the subject.

"What've you been up to lately? We got to talk about our stuff earlier, but you had to go before it was your turn."

He shrugged again. "Usual shit. Managed to snag myself one of those little thumb piano things finally."

"      's gonna be excited about that one, he told me you were trying to get him to show you how to play something."

"Don't tell him, I want it to be a surprise. Hoping I've heard him play enough shit that I can learn it by ear and play it for him."

         "Now I know that's gonna get him. He'll probably cry,", Pink chuckled.

"Holy shit, that's going to be great. Especially if I play one of his songs, he'll absolutely lose it."

"You need to make sure we're all here for that, I have to see how he reacts."

"Of course, that's a family experience."

They sat there in comfortable silence after that, the calm being jarringly ripped from him when he was shocked awake by a very polite bucket of chilled water and a shove to the ground.

He managed to get away before the baker could actually do anything to him beyond that, making sure he still had all of his stuff in his bag once he managed to get away.

Tommy sighed as he looked at the rising sun, accepting that he wasn't going to be getting any more sleep until it was dark out again. There weren't any fights at the circle that night, thankfully, so he could scope out a better spot and hopefully get a full night's sleep before he had to worry about that.

He was able to buy himself some breakfast once the shops that actually let him in were open, which was a pretty decent start to the day after the violent awakening. He also managed to get into the library without the librarian seeing him, so that meant he could go hide in a back corner and read for a while before he was noticed and thrown out.

His soulmates had been the ones that taught him how to read and write. It had mostly been Green, but the other two helped by reading with him when he needed help. Of course, it'd happened after he embarrassed himself by accidentally revealing he couldn't read when trying to help with a recipe, but he'd been surprised when they didn't tease him over it and helped him.

It honestly made him feel bad when they did things for him, because they clearly had enough going on in their lives without worrying over him.

That's why he lied to them, or left out important details that he actually could share in the dreamscape. They didn't know about the fight circle he was a part of, didn't know he was homeless, didn't know he was an orphan.

He'd never outright told them anything to the opposite of that, but lying by omission was still lying.

Tommy ended up dozing off while he was reading, finding the dreamscape empty and sighing as he laid down on the rug. He knew it was a bad idea to sleep in the library, considering how much the hag that ran it absolutely despised him, but he also knew that he needed the rest.

         He was also hoping he would run into one of his soulmates while he was there, but there was no such luck before he was being forced to wake up and 'vacate the premises before he is thrown into the village jail posthaste'.

Next time he was able to get in there, he was going to find a thesaurus and absolutely obliterate her.

The librarian was the type of woman to use big words to sound smart, rather than being smart.

She was almost like Blue like that, except he actually used his brain, and it was fun when he broke out the words that no sane person generally used.

Tommy decided it was late enough he could probably go bug Tubbo without anyone complaining, so he made his way over to the farm the other boy lived at.

He knew that Tubbo's parents didn't usually check on him after noon, so that was the prime time for him to show up and either help him with his work or make it harder for him because it was funny.

The short boy was in the cow pens when Tommy found him; Tommy's favorite place.

"Tubbo! It's been so long since we last saw one another,", Tommy said as he leaned in the doorway, absolutely beaming at the other boy as he cleaned up cow shit.

"You literally saw me last night."

"Legally, I will say that that was not me."

"Yeah, and legally I was in bed by eight,", Tubbo snorted, "Grab a pitchfork, if you're going to be hanging around you should help me."

"In a second, wanted to say hello to my other best friend first."

He walked past Tubbo, going right up to one of the cows.

The cow, likewise, immediately bumped his head into Tommy's chest.

"Hey, big man; how has your day been?"

"I can't believe Henry gets asked that, while I'm left here cleaning his shit up. You're ridiculous,", Tubbo let out an incredibly exaggerated sigh, leaning on the pitchfork he'd been using.

"Sounds like someone's jealous of you, absolute legend you are."

Henry very clearly did not care, giving him another headbutt before going back to eating the hay or whatever that was in the feeder.

"Are you done now?"

"Yes, man needs his meal and that is far more important than me in the grand scheme of things,", Tommy debated for a moment before getting the other tool and helping, "Suppose it'd be rude if I didn't at least handle some of this."

"I wasn't being serious."

"That's what you always say, and yet every time I'm helping you with your chores."

"That's your choice, not mine,", Tubbo's back was to him, but it was clear by his voice he was smiling.

         The rest of Tubbo's chores were easy enough for the two of them to finish, and that meant they were free to just hang out until Tubbo's parents were expecting him back.

They didn't dislike Tommy, but it was clear whenever they saw him that they weren't particularly thrilled with him hanging around. He could only wonder how they'd feel if they knew that Tubbo was the one who got him involved in an incredibly illegal and dangerous fighting ring. Would that make them feel better about him?

Not like it mattered, he couldn't really give less of a shit what they thought of him. He gave them a little more respect, since they were his best friend's parents, but he saw them the exact same way as the rest of the assholes in the village; people to tolerate when it mattered, but otherwise avoid.

Which was why they immediately went into the woods to mess around for a while once Tubbo was free to leave the farm, so they could do their usual routine of mildly harassing the wildlife to waste some time.

Tommy was almost stung by bees when Tubbo picked up a hive and tried to hand it to him, they got a little too close to a nest of possums and had to run before getting bit or something, Tommy caught a fish with his bare hands in a stream and tried to get Tubbo to kiss it before that devolved into an argument about parasites.

All of that was the usual for them, including where they ended up by the end. There was an old tree at the edge of Tubbo's property that was against the forest, and it was large enough that they could climb and sit in it relatively easy.

It also had a great view of the sunset, so that was usually where they ended up after hanging out if they weren't heading to the circle.

Tommy yawned after he picked a branch to settle on, leaning his back against the trunk of the tree. "Holy shit, I'm fucking exhausted."

"Because you didn't get any sleep last night, dumbass."

"That's not my fault, it's because of that fucking dickhead in town."

"I'm going to set fire to his bakery one day, I swear."

"... Maybe don't escalate it to that,", Tommy sighed, yawning again, "Wouldn't be opposed to lighting his trash bins again, though."

"Fuck yeah! I love when we can find a middle ground on shit like that."

They idly chatted about random things that hadn't already come up throughout the day for a while, both eventually quieting and watching the sunset.

         It didn't take long for Tommy to find himself in the dreamscape after that, and he sighed before making his way into the cabin.

Blue was the only one he saw when he got inside, and he was in the small kitchen area making some cookies. "Sunshine! I was hoping I'd see you."

"The other two around anywhere?"

"Nope, only me for now. Why, did you need them for anything?"

"No, was just curious,", he walked over, dragging along one of the chairs from the table, "Although it is earlier than you usually end up passing out."

Blue sighed, rolling his eyes. "Right, never got to tell you what's going on yesterday. I'm going on a trip relating to my 'job', and they're making me get as much rest as possible before I leave. Personally, I think I function better on less sleep, but I don't make the rules."

"We should see who's able to stay awake longer, bet that'd be funny."

"No, because then I wouldn't be able to see you for a few days, and there's no fun in that."

"True, no point going on if you don't get berated by me on a semi-nightly basis,", Tommy went to grab one of the cookies off of the counter, getting his hand swatted at.

"Wait for them to cool, you'll burn yourself."

He gave the man a flat look. "This is literally a fucking dream. You didn't even have to bake them, they could have just been in the fucking pantry."

"Listen here, you little red gremlin,", Blue flicked him in the forehead, "They're my cookies, and I get to decide whether or not they've got to cool. So suck it up and wait a few minutes."

"You don't get to call me a gremlin."

"I'll call you whatever I like, child. Small gremlin child, absolute goblin boy."

"Fuck off, I may be sleeping in a tree, but that doesn't make me a gremlin."

Blue paused after hearing this, his playful expression replaced with concern. "Wait, you're in a tree right now?"

"Does it matter?", he rolled his eyes, going for a cookie again and having his wrist grabbed this time.

"Red, why the fuck are you in a tree? Are you alright?"

"Yes, I don't fall asleep somewhere unless I think it's safe."

"Ok, but why are you in a tree and not home-"

"I was hanging out with a friend, alright?", Tommy pulled his arm back, "Are you done interrogating me?"

"Is he going to be waking you up?"

"Probably not, he usually lets me stay the night if I fall asleep here."

Blue was still giving him a concerned look, not saying anything. Tommy rolled his eyes again.

"If you're going to pull the 'pity and concern' shit, I'll go spend the night in a tree here as well."

         "No, I'm-", Blue interrupted himself with a sigh, "I just want to make sure you're alright, the shit going on with you has me worried sometimes."

"I know, Pink was telling me this morning."

"Speaking of that, what happened to make you leave so suddenly? He spent half the day stressing over it."

"Forgot about that, fuck. I- Someone decided to wake me up, wasn't exactly much warning for it."

"I'm surprised you managed to stay awake as long as you did, then; considering        said you were only here for a few hours at most before you left,", Blue turned to take more of the cookies out of the oven.

"Caught a nap a little while before noon, only woke up from that one because the librarian kicked me out."

"Come on, we didn't teach you how to read so you can fall asleep in the library of all places,", Blue chuckled, "But at least you got some rest, I can let that slide for now."

"How very nice of you. Can I have one of these stupid fucking cookies now?"

"I suppose, but go for one of the ones that've been sitting there for a while."

"Again, doesn't fucking matter; we are asleep."

"Again, my cookies; feel grateful I'm sharing."

"Based on how the other two talk about your cooking, I think I'm grateful I'm not having these while I'm awake."

"Fine, I'll keep that in mind when we're finally together. You won't get anything I make, hope you enjoy missing out."

"I'll gladly miss out on food poisoning, thanks."

Tommy decided not to mention how he already felt like he was missing out, being the only one not there with them.

It was probably better like that, though. He loved his soulmates, but it was very clear that he was the add-on to their already complete family. It would be stupid for him to want more, when them including him there was more than enough.

The rest of the night really wasn't anything special, the other two eventually joined them and helped him bully Blue for his dumb cookie logic in the dreamscape.

He was actually able to wake up at his own pace the next day, the sunlight beaming down on his face as he calmly stretched. Tommy was still in the tree, alone now obviously, but he decided to stay there for a while before actually starting his day.

He messed around his little thumb piano until he was bored of it, deciding to forego going to the village to get anything to eat and instead heading into the forest to punch trees for a few hours in preparation for the circle later in the night.

         Tubbo joined him out there after the sun was down, and they practiced some of their group techniques one more time before heading to the fight club.

Other people were already there before them, but they were right on time to catch the first fight.

Tommy and Tubbo got to go about five matches in, losing after Tommy took a particularly solid punch to his jaw and got knocked on his ass at the edge of the ring.

"Sorry man, don't have enough potions to pass around tonight,", Quackity shrugged, giving him a pat on the back as he shoved him out of the ring.

"All good, probably be fine after a nap or something."

"Yeah, I think that's what you're supposed to do after head trauma; don't pass out anywhere in the way."

Tommy gave him a nod, following Tubbo off to the side and getting into the usual position for sleeping at the circle.

He tapped the short boy's knee to make sure the message was fully received before falling asleep, also needing to wipe some blood from a gash on his forehead before he was really able to drift off.

He was surprised to see Pink was the only one in the dreamscape when he got there, although that didn't stop him from going over to the man and immediately sitting against his side.

"You ok? You only do this when you're sick or something,", Pink looked down at him, face it's usual neutral.

"Got a headache, is all. If the bald bitch were here, I'd force him to sit with us as well. Where the fuck are they?"

"Well,", it was clear he was trying not to laugh at the 'bald' nickname for Blue, "Blue's out on his 'trip', and Green is too worried to actually sleep. He'll be fine once he gets confirmation blue got there alright."

"And you're not worried something is going to happen to him when he's travelling somewhere at like one in the morning?"

"Nah, he can handle himself. If he were alone, I would probably be a little concerned, but he's got a bunch of        with him."

"The stupid fucking info shit is annoying,", he leaned more weight onto the man with a sigh.

"Can't really help that."

"I know, I'm upset with the universe not you."

Tommy was about to ask what Pink had been doing before he got there, but he felt himself being shaken awake and let out a frustrated noise. "Someone's waking me up, that's fucking bullshit."

"Who would be waking you up this early?"

         He wasn't able to answer, Tubbo successfully getting him up by knocking him off of the bench. He glared at the short boy, about to go off at him before Tubbo dragged him to his feet.

"The fucking royal guard is here."

That woke him up the rest of the way. "We need to fucking leave, then-"

"If they catch us running, it'll be worse on us."

"Bee boy, if they catch us at all it's going to be a fucking problem."

Looking around showed that the circle was already surrounded, guards closing in on them as the commander of the group walked into the center.

Tommy knew as soon as he saw the man that he didn't need to stay to hear what he was saying, he would rather one of the members of the royal guard shoot him while he was running or something over being seen.

Tubbo tried to stop him, not able to grab him in time as Tommy booked it toward what looked like the thinnest part of the line of guards.

He was caught by the short woman he'd fought a couple days ago, getting knocked down and pinned to the ground.

"Sorry kid, can't let anyone leave yet,", she stuck some leather wrist cuffs on him, "We need to sort some stuff out and ask everyone questions first."

"Holy shit, I'm not surprised you're a fucking narc; that other fucker was practically wearing a sign saying he was a guard."

"You've got quite the mouth on you, huh?"

"Fucking die."

"Puffy,", the leader of the group was talking in their direction, probably to the woman with her knee in Tommy's spine.

He got confirmation when she answered the man with a nod. "Your highness."

"Where's the minor you found while conducting your investigations? Is he present this evening?"

"Right here, actually. There's a few others we have suspicions about, but this is the one we have a confirmation on,", she carefully helped Tommy back to his feet, "Tried to make a run for it."

He immediately shrunk back now that he was fully visible, the surprise and recognition on Blue's face being enough to let him know that there was no point in trying to get away again.

"Bring him to the private tent we've set up for questioning, I'll be there shortly."

Puffy nodded again, and Blue turned back toward the rest of the crowd as she started dragging Tommy away. "You don't have to worry, the prince is just going to ask you some questions about what goes on here and what you've seen. You're not going to be in any trouble outside of whatever punishment your parents give you over this."

         He didn't say anything in response to that, fighting the urge to look back at his soulmate as he dragged his feet all the way to a little military tent that'd been set up just far enough away it couldn't be seen in the dark of the woods.

The cuffs on his wrists were moved to his front, and attached to a table in the center as he was sat in the most uncomfortable chair he'd ever had the misfortune of coming across.

It was very clearly an interrogation set-up, it didn't matter if Blue said it was for 'questioning', it was identical to the town guard shit house they took you to when they thought you stole something that wasn't perishable.

He was stuck there with Puffy in an incredibly awkward silence for who knows how long before Blue finally got there, and he made sure to not look at the man as he entered.

"You're dismissed, go help with questioning the rest of the group,", Blue directed Puffy, waiting for her to leave them alone in there before immediately going to Tommy to take the wrist cuffs off of him, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Sitting here, currently; you're fucking eyes work."

Blue was very obviously in shock, and there were so many emotions being expressed on his face that Tommy didn't even know where to start.

"But you shouldn't be here, this isn't how we're meant to meet one another."

He shrugged, looking away from Blue again.

"This is ridiculous,", the man was probably pinching the bridge of his nose like he did when he was frustrated, audibly dropping himself in the chair across the table from Tommy.

They sat in silence for an uncomfortable amount of time, and he knew exactly what Blue was trying to do. Tommy hated silence, all of them knew that. That was how all of his soulmates got him to talk when something was bothering him, and Blue was hoping it would work now.

But Tommy was stubborn, and he was clinging to some small thread of hope that he would be able to get out of this and things could go back to normal.

And Blue probably realized this as it stretched on into minutes, letting out a sigh as he readjusted how he was sitting. "Right, fine, I can see how this is going. How about this? I'll properly introduce myself, now that we've met eachother, then we can have a chat."

         Tommy still didn't say anything, but he looked at Blue so he knew he had his attention.

The man took a breath, sitting up more in his chair. "I am Wilbur Soot Craft, eldest prince of the Antarctic Empire."

He clearly expected an overreaction or something to that, so it was hard for Tommy to keep his face blank at the indignant noise Wilbur made when he shrugged.

"Are you going to tell me your name now?"

Tommy shrugged again, and it was clear Wilbur was starting to get annoyed.

"Come on, you can't just sit there and say nothing the whole time."

He absolutely could and would.

Wilbur gave him another minute to respond before folding his arms. "I- Fine, you're not going to tell me about yourself, that's... That's alright. I'm here to sort out that absolute mess of a fight pit you're apparently tangled up in, would you at least be willing to help me with that?"

"I'm not a fucking snitch."

"I'm not requesting that you 'snitch', I'm only trying to figure out how the man in charge of it handles things like gambling and recovery for those involved so we know how to prosecute him."

"That's literally snitching."

Wilbur pinched the bridge of his nose again. "Red, please."

The man actually using the nickname like that hit much harder than it'd probably been intended, and Tommy had to dig his nails into the palm of his hand to keep himself from reacting.

"How long have you been involved in this?"

He didn't respond.

"Have you taken part in the gambling aspect of it at all outside of anything won from participating?"

Tommy was making a point of looking down at the table.

"Are your parents aware of this? Do they know about you sneaking out to get the shit kicked out of you?"

"I haven't got any."

He wasn't sure why he decided to respond to that specifically, but it clearly wasn't what Wilbur had been expecting.

"Is there any form of guardian you've got that should be told about this?"

"Closest thing I've got is Green, and I have a feeling you're going to tell him shit regardless of what I say."

"Sunshine, I want you to be completely honest with me; is there anyone, and I mean literally anyone, that you're staying with, or someone that would want to know about what's happened here?"

"Don't use that fucking nickname for this,", he said quietly, shrinking in his seat.

"This is serious, please answer me. I'm trying to help."

Tommy shook his head, looking down at where he had his hands clasped in his lap.

"Red, I can't do anything if you don't talk to me."

"That was my answer, alright? I don't."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

         He shrugged, wishing he were anywhere else in that moment.

He would have taken getting chewed out by the librarian, hell he would have rather gotten grabbed by the town guard for something serious if it meant he was able to avoid this.

"This whole time, you've been- Red, do you even realize how bad this looks for you? What kind of shit you're tangled up in?"

"I've been doing what I had to, not my fault this is the only way I could get by."

"But why didn't you say anything to any of us? We could have-"

"Because I don't need your fucking pity!", he stood and slammed his hands on the table, way too tired to be getting talked down to, "Holy shit, clearly I'm able to get by-"

"By participating in an illegal fucking fight pit!", Wilbur was standing now as well, towering over him.

Tommy refused to back down, sneering as he held eye contact. "Well I'm sorry, 'your highness', it must be hard for you to see how the fucking peasants live from your high horse. Not all of us have the absolute fucking privilege of waking up knowing we have somewhere to go back to and shit to eat; the majority have to survive by doing shady shit like this."

"You don't- We could have helped. I want to help you now,", he put his hands over Tommy's, "Let me help you, please."

The sincerity in his voice was enough to make Tommy stop, but the boy refused to back down. "You don't- I've heard it before, you don't mean it. You'll- You're going to get bored, or annoyed, or you're going to realize I'm not fucking worth it and-"

"Red, you know that's not the case. We'll do everything we can for you, I will personally give you the fucking world. You don't realize how much it hurts to see you like this, it's not right."

Tommy pulled back one of his hands, feeling like he was proving the man's point when he had to wipe blood from his face. He avoided eye contact, sitting back down. "It's what I'm used to."

"It doesn't have to be how things stay,", Wilbur moved around the table, not letting go of his hand as he kneeled next to him, "Come back to the castle with me. Let me help you."

He didn't answer, looking down at the man's hands that were gently holding his. A glance at his face was next, and all he could see was concern. There was no sign of it being fake, nothing behind it telling him it was only for show.

         Tommy looked back at the table, thinking for a long moment before slowly nodding.

He could see the smile on Wilbur's face out of the corner of his eye, warmth practically radiating off of it as he stood and wrapped Tommy in a hug.

The feeling was just as comforting as when it happened in the dreamscape, but so much more real. It felt stupid to think of it like that, since something happening right there was obviously going to be more present than a dream, but there was no better way to describe it.

"We can head back immediately. I want you to be seen by a healer to make sure there's nothing serious, and after that you can get cleaned up before meeting the other two."

"If you're one of the princes, then are they...?"

"Yes, Green is the Emperor, and Pink is Technoblade."

Tommy was quiet for a while, not getting up from his seat. "What's going to happen to everyone else that was caught out at the circle?"

"Well, based on the investigations of my guard captains, the only people that should be getting in trouble are the man in charge and any participants that are found to have a substantial enough criminal record outside of it."

"Q actually vets the people he lets in, and he'll kick anyone out that tries to use weapons and shit,", Tommy was looking at the table again, "This was just meant to be some entertainment, no one's ever gotten seriously injured from it."

"I'll be sure to add that to my personal notes about the situation, and I'll pass that statement along to the other two that are a main part of this investigation."

Tommy let out a half hearted chuckle. "It doesn't sound right for you to be all serious and shit, professionalism doesn't suit you."

"Silence, child,", Wilbur hugged him again, "Come on, I'll get you set up in the carriage, and we can go as soon as I give Puffy and Sam their orders."

He nodded again, following Wilbur out and in the direction of the road that was closest to the circle.

Alot of the people that had been there that night were spread out in the woods in groups talking to the guards, about half of them in cuffs while others stood there looking ready to die. All masks had been removed, and Tommy couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh at the sheer anguish and fear on the faces of all the rich kids that liked to watch.

         They stopped next to a carriage, and Wilbur talked to the guard standing next to it as Tommy scanned the people scattered about for Tubbo.

The short boy was standing against a tree, part of the group getting talked to by the creeper hybrid that had been with Puffy. He caught sight of Tommy about the same time he was spotted, immediately looking concerned.

Tommy tried to gesture to him that it was alright, but the distance was making it hard for him to express that well. He grabbed Wilbur's cape as the man was going to walk away, immediately getting his attention.

"What's the matter, are you alright?"

"I- Can I talk with someone quickly, before we leave? I want to make sure he knows I'm not going in the fucking gulag or something."

"Is it someone else here?"

He nodded in Tubbo's direction, and Wilbur looked over at that group with his brow furrowed. "Is that another child involved in this?"

"He's the same age as me. I just want to make sure he knows I'm alright."

Wilbur looked torn for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I've got to talk with the man over there questioning that group. Is your friend also- Does your friend also not have a place he's staying?"

"No, his parents are part of the village nearby. It was a tree on his property I was sleeping in yesterday."

"There's so much shit you need to clarify for me later,", Wilbur dragged a hand down his face, exhaustion showing for a moment, "Stick close to me, please, I don't know if I'd be able to handle you wandering off."

"Bold of you to admit that out loud."

"Shut up and follow, child."

If it were anyone else, he would have gone off at him for speaking to him like that, but Wilbur could get away with it and he knew that.

He stayed next to the man as they walked over, fighting the urge to hide behind him so he could still be seen in his peripheral.

Tommy immediately went to Tubbo once they were over there, the two of them looking over eachother for injuries.

"Are you alright?"

They asked it at the same time, both trying to speak a few times before Tubbo let Tommy go first.

"Are you alright? Haven't been man-handled or anything?"

"I should be asking you that, considering you were absolutely fucking bodied earlier. He hasn't done anything to you, right? Because I don't give a fuck that he's a general or some shit, I'll-"

"No, he- Bee boy, he's one of my soulmates."

         Tubbo froze, looking past Tommy at Wilbur. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, he's taking me back to the castle with him to meet the other two."

"And you're going?"

"... I am, yeah."

"You're not fucking with me here, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Do you want to go that far out?"

He didn't give an answer, looking down at the ground. "I want to at least meet the other two as well,", he eventually said quietly.

Tubbo looked at him for a long moment before giving him a hug. "Be careful, man."

Tommy returned it without hesitation. "You too,", he squeezed tighter, letting out a chuckle, "No wonder Q calls us 'clingy'."

"You're the only clingy one here, boss man."

"Fuck off, you're holding on just as tight."

Wilbur walked into Tommy's view, looking hesitant to break them up. "I'm done talking with my generals, if you're ready to leave."

Tommy held onto Tubbo for a little longer, both of them letting go at the same time.

He put a hand on the short boy's shoulder, giving some parting words. "Pin this shit on me if your parents bitch about it, I'm not helping you with any extra chores they give you."

"No, I'll tell them Q got me involved; I'm assuming the fact that we won more often than not will keep them from being too upset with me."

Tommy turned to offer Tubbo one last wave as he followed Wilbur back toward the carriage, his friend giving a wave of his own before Tommy turned around to watch where he was going.

He got in without saying anything.

Wilbur sat across from him, one leg over the other; meaning he was nervous. "Is there anything else you would need to sort out before we go? Any belongings you need to collect from anywhere?"

"No, I keep all of my shit on me,", he gestured toward the bag tied to his waistband.

"Right,", Wilbur knocked on the glass behind him, signaling the driver to go, "The ride should take roughly five hours, we'll be back around sunrise."

Tommy nodded, looking out the window as they left the crowd of guards and circle participants behind.

"Are you alright?"

He looked at Wilbur again. "Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Because, I'm- You're not normally like this, I can tell something's wrong."

Tommy thought for a few moments before shrugging.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I'm- I'm just tired, mostly. And overwhelmed."

He hadn't meant to say the second part out loud, but it was too late to take it back now.

         "I'm sorry, this is probably alot to take in."

"Doesn't help I got my shit rocked not long before you got here,", he set his head on his hand, elbow resting against the bottom of the window, "Pink is probably worried again, considering that's the second time I've had to wake up suddenly while I was talking with him."

"... What actually happened yesterday morning?"

Tommy made eye contact with him for a long moment, debating if he should tell him or not.

"You don't have to-"

"Person that owned the place I'd settled down in found me and kicked me out. Went to hide in the library to try again after that, but the librarian caught me and threw my ass out as well. She doesn't think anyone that doesn't own property in the village should be allowed in there."

"What the fuck-"

"Her excuse is something about taxes, but personally I just think she's a bitch."

Wilbur chuckled when he said that. "Sorry, I don't find any of that funny; only your assessment of it."

"It's alright."

The conversation died after that, and he went back to staring out the window.

He couldn't help dozing off at some point, finding himself in the dreamscape. He didn't have the strength to deal with either of the other two, so he wandered off into the surrounding woods to hide until he inevitably had to wake up again.

No one came to find him while he was out there, so either Wilbur had stayed awake, or he was giving him space.

He didn't know which one he preferred.

Time passed far quicker than he would have liked, and it wasn't long before he was being gently woken up in the carriage again.

"We're here, Sunshine."

They were already stopped, so he hadn't gotten to see it as they rode up to it, but even then, the small part he was able to see was huge.

He kept his head down as Wilbur talked with some of the guards, ignoring the fact that they were looking at him.

He followed Wilbur after that, walking behind him and holding onto his cape so he knew he was still there. Not that he needed to, the sound of his ratty shoes on the castle floors was loud enough.

He felt bad for whoever cleaned those, since he could see the dirt trail he was leaving behind himself.

         Tommy ended up walking into Wilbur's back when the man stopped without warning, looking up and immediately hiding behind him even more when he saw Pink walking toward them from the other end of the hall.

"I thought you were planning on staying out there for a while, did you really get it sorted out in a night?"

"No, I'm leaving it to Puffy and Sam  for now; something more important has come up."

Tommy couldn't help but feel guilt hearing that, since he was clearly distracting Wilbur from what he was supposed to be doing.

"Mind explaining?"

"Later, for now-"

Wilbur was shoved to the side, and suddenly Tommy's other soulmate was directly in front of him.

He tried to take a step back, finding Pink's hand on his arm.

The other prince's name was Technoblade, if he remembered right, and it suited him. Same as him being a piglin hybrid, the traits fit him well now that Tommy was able to see what he really looked like.

Wilbur stepped in, making his brother back up. "Give him some space, Techno; alot has happened tonight."

"Were you part of the pit he went to deal with?", Techno asked, completely ignoring Wilbur.

"... Yes."

"Is that why you asked me to teach you how to fight?"

"Yes."

"Did you at least win?"

Wilbur gave the other man a shove. "Techno!"

"Usually, yes, not tonight."

"How often is 'usually'?"

"Ask him after I've gotten him to the infirmary,", Wilbur sighed, "He needs to have that gash on his face checked, and I want to make sure he isn't concussed or anything."

"Wait, you might have a concussion and you were sleeping earlier?"

"I told you I had a headache,", he shrugged, avoiding eye contact now.

"Bruh, that's the last thing you do after you get hit in the head with something."

"Well it wasn't 'something', it was a fucking fist."

"Right, speeding this along,", Wilbur gently put his hand on Tommy's back, continuing to guide him in the direction they'd been walking, "You can talk later."

"Phil's gonna freak out when he sees him, y'know."

"I know, that's why I want to make it so he doesn't see him like this."

In a single sentence, Tommy was back to feeling horrible about what was happening. He knew he didn't belong there, he'd already known that when he saw them in the dreamscape.

It was clear that the three of them had their own shit going on, which was even more apparent now that he knew they were the fucking royal family, he wasn't part of that. He was only meant to hang around in the dreamscape, supplementary to what they had going on before he showed up; not a part of it.

         Tommy was the absolute last person that should be brought around the palace, and he shouldn't have been there making the prince stress out over him and whatever reaction the Emperor was going to have to him being there.

That was another thing that had Tommy worried, but before he was able to properly start panicking over it, they reached the castle infirmary.

Tommy spent the majority of his time in there looking down at his hands, only paying attention toward the end when the guy checking him out went to shine a flashlight in his eyes and asked him a few questions.

It was determined that he probably didn't have a concussion, which was comforting, but he had to sit still while the person examining him cleaned up the cut on the side of his face and that felt less than great.

He also had a bunch of bruising along his jaw that felt worse than it looked, which the guy dabbed with a potion covered rag. He held back on telling them about the ones on his torso, since he knew from experience that they would go away on their own.

After that he was made to drink a potion, and it tasted far better than any of the sludge that usually got passed around the circle when someone managed to brew something for the night.

The next stop was in the living quarters, and Wilbur was extra careful to make sure they weren't seen before ducking into what Tommy was assuming was his room.

Wilbur let out a sigh once the door was closed, sitting on the edge of a desk. "Alright, we should be in the clear,", he gave Tommy a smile, "Once you've cleaned up, we can actually introduce you to Birdza; last thing we need is his old man bird brain freaking out at the sight of you covered in blood."

"Not that much blood, mostly dirt."

"Right, which I can't imagine it's comfortable being caked in."

"Normal, really. I would have gone to the river or something to clean it off if I weren't here."

"Well thankfully, you are here, so you can have a proper bath. Do you know how to work redstone heating mechanisms?"

He gave the man a flat look. "I slept in a fucking tree last night, do you seriously think I've ever been shown how to use redstone?"

"I didn't want to assume,", Wilbur looked like he felt bad about asking, and Tommy immediately felt the guilt rising from the pit of his stomach again.

"I- No, it's alright. But no, I have no idea how that works."

"I'll run a bath for you, then. Someone can show you how it works later so you can use it on your own. It'll take a moment, so you can have a seat in the meantime if you want."

         He didn't, mainly because he was absolutely covered in dirt and he knew whatever he ended up touching was going to get covered in it as well.

Wilbur disappeared into a room attached the bedroom, and Tommy decided to look around to keep himself distracted from his incredibly loud thoughts.

He didn't touch any of it, but from where he was standing he was able to see some of the stuff the man usually had with him in the dreamscape; a pile of familiar books next to his bed, desk covered in what looked like unfinished songs and poetry, his guitar.

It was all very distinctly Blue, it was very distinctly Wilbur's.

Wilbur didn't take long to return, the sleeves on his stupid uniform rolled up to his elbows. "Should be all set. If it's too warm, just add more water; it's fairly cold by default,", he crossed the room as he spoke, going over to what looked to be a closet, "You should be able to fit into some of my clothes, do you have a preference on colour or anything?"

"No, just... Whatever, I guess."

"Alright. There should be towels and all that in there, let me know if you need anything."

"Ok."

The bathroom was ridiculously large, not that he was surprised by that at this point. Just like he wasn't surprised by the sheer amount of different soaps Wilbur had in there; he would have bet money the majority of it was for his hair.

Tommy stuck to only messing with the bar soap, using whatever was already in the water on the mess that was his hair. He managed to get a brush stuck in his curls as he tried to sort that out, biting back a yelp when he had to yank it free again.

The time it took him to actually clean up was almost embarrassing, but he figured they'd prefer he take a little longer removing the dirt over him continuing to track it all over the place.

He figured out how the drain worked once he was done, cringing at the ring of grime that was left behind.

Wilbur had set clothing by the door at some point while he was cleaning up, and he dried himself off best he could before putting them on. All of it was big on him, and he had to tighten the belt he was given to practically the last loop for the pants to stay up.

"There you are!", Wilbur walked up to him as he exited, smile wide, "That's far closer to what I'm used to. Probably going to need to have one of the royal stylists help with your hair later, though; that's still fairly matted."

"Fuck you, you're matted."

He didn't even know what that word meant, but he was too tired to care if his insults made sense.

         Wilbur let out a small exhale through his nose, placing a hand on Tommy's shoulder. "Are you ready to meet Phil?"

Tommy was looking down at the floor. "As ready as I was to meet Pin- Technoblade."

"We can wait, if you want. You can get some rest first, and-"

"No. I'm- I'm alright, just nervous."

"Is there anything I can do to help? Anything at all?"

He shook his head, not trusting his voice with an answer.

"If you want to hold off, or wait to talk to anyone, just say the word and we'll come back here. I'll literally barricade the door to keep people out."

Wilbur took the hand off of his shoulder, holding it out to him now as an offer.

And Tommy took it. As childish as it felt to hold Wilbur's hand as he was led somewhere else in the castle, he was clinging to it like a lifeline.

They went down a few hallways, ending up in a stairwell that had guards at the bottom, middle, and top of the staircase as well as two more posted directly outside of the singular door where the passage led.

Wilbur had greeted every one of them that they'd passed, not even stopping to knock before entering what turned out to be a small study. "I'm back!"

"Already?", all Tommy could really see of the short man were his wings, the large mass of black feathers blocking the rest of him from view with his back to them, "Weren't you using that as your excuse to get out of the castle for a while?"

"Wh- No, I got involved because I wanted to be sure it didn't go any deeper than some bored villagers kicking the shit out of eachother."

"Mhm,", Green clearly didn't believe him.

"Fuck off, old man."

Phil laughed. "Why did you cut your trip short, mate? Something happen?"

"More like someone, had a very interesting encounter in the incredibly short time I was there."

There was a stretch of silence, where it was clear he was waiting for Wilbur to continue.

Phil eventually turned around, whatever he was going to say dying on his tongue as he laid eyes on Tommy.

They made eye contact for a few minutes before Phil started walking over to them, and Tommy's grip on Wilbur's hand tightened the closer he got. It took everything in him not to hide behind Wilbur like he had been earlier, and Tommy stayed where he'd been standing as the Emperor stopped and looked up at him.

They stared at eachother for another long moment before Tommy ended up cracking, laughing as he looked at the man. "Holy shit, it didn't occur to me how short you actually are."

         Green started laughing after that as well, pulling him into a hug. "I'm not that much shorter than you, you little shit."

"I think I should be calling you that, you're fucking tiny,", he hesitantly returned the contact, not letting go of Wilbur's hand.

Wilbur stepped closer to accommodate for that, also chuckling. "Phil's short because his brittle old bird bones are hollow. They need to stay compact so he doesn't explode when he flies into a window."

Phil responded to the statement by smacking Wilbur with one of his wings, attention staying on Tommy. "I can already see that you're wearing Wil's clothes, did he show you where your room is or did you stop in his?"

"My what?", he turned his head so he could see Wilbur, a small smile on the man's face.

"I wanted him to settle in some before giving him a proper tour; the room was going to be what I ended it on."

"I- You've got a room for me?"

"Of course,", Phil finally moved back, beaming at him, "Might need to get some sheets and shit in there for the bed, but it's been there since you first popped into the dreamscape with us. Obviously, if you'd rather only use it like a guest room, that's fine. I'm sure your parents wouldn't want you here all the time, but we'll figure out something that works."

Tommy tensed, his face probably giving away how he was feeling.

"What's wrong?"

"He- I found him in participating in that fight ring, Phil,", it was clear Wilbur was just as tense as he was, "He doesn't- There's not-"

"I don't have parents,", Tommy interrupted Wilbur's stuttering, feeling almost degraded by how he was dancing around the subject.

Phil's eyebrows shot up. "Is there anyone-"

"No."

Wilbur gave Tommy's hand a squeeze. "I already asked him about all of that before bringing him back. He's- He doesn't have somewhere he was residing in that village."

"Holy shit, just say I'm homeless and get on with it."

"I'm- Sorry, that's- I didn't want to-"

Phil ended up interrupting this time, what sounded like a chirp escaping him before he cleared his throat to cover it. "So, would you like to, and you are allowed to say no if you really don't want to, would you like to live here in the castle?"

"I- You don't have to-"

"We want you to be here, I'm not asking because I feel like I have to,", Phil put his hands on Tommy's shoulders, "Holy shit, I've been trying to figure out where you were since you first showed up at the cabin, and finding out you haven't got somewhere else to go is fucking heartbreaking."

"... It's not that bad."

"Red, you spent yesterday night in a tree,", Wilbur cut in.

         He pulled his hand back from Wilbur. "Alright, and it was the same as if I were in a bed, so it's fine."

"You being out in the fucking elements is absolutely not fine."

"I get by, it's not the end of the fucking world."

"'Getting by' isn't living! It's not- You shouldn't have to worry about any of that shit, you're a child!"

"I don't need your fucking pity!", he moved to the side so he was farther away from Wilbur, "I'm- It doesn't fucking matter what you think about it, because it's what I'm used to! I don't give a fuck what your opinion about the shit I have to deal with is, because it's not your fucking problem!"

"You shouldn't have to be used to it! I don't want something to happen to you because you're 'used to' living an absolute fucking nightmare like that."

"It must be so fucking easy for you to look down on me-"

Phil chirped again, this time clearly intentional since he'd done it to shut both of them up. He looked at Tommy, his face full of concern. "We're not looking down on you, and none of it is pity. You're both clearly exhausted, so why don't you go get some rest and we can talk about this after? Like I said, you don't have to stay if you don't want to, but I don't like the idea of you going back to living out on the streets or in the woods when I can prevent it."

Tommy didn't look at him, eyes trained on the ground as he tried to think of any response he could give. "I could use some sleep, yeah."

"I'll ask castle staff to make up the bed for you in your room, do you want breakfast or anything before heading back there?"

He shook his head. "Alright, just flag someone down if you need anything. I've got some things to take care of, or I would be walking there with you. I promise I'll make sure I'm free for a while after you wake up, ok?"

Tommy nodded, risking looking at Phil after and seeing the gentle smile on the man's face. There was still very clear worry in his eyes, but it was obvious he was trying to hide it.

Phil followed them out into the hall to talk to one of the guards, giving Tommy one more reassuring smile before returning back to the study.

The guard that'd been spoken with disappeared down the stairs ahead of them, and Tommy followed Wilbur back to the living quarters. The man was clearly dragging his feet the entire way, trying to say something but stopping himself before he got anything out.

They went to a different room this time, some maids rushing out and bowing their heads at Wilbur as him and Tommy walked up to it.

"This is your room,", Wilbur said quietly once they got to the door, gesturing inside, "Like Phil said, flag someone down if you need anything ."

"Right, thank you."

They stood there in silence for what felt like ages, with Wilbur eventually looking away. "I'll... see you later, goodnight."

         He retreated to his own room after that, softly closing the door behind himself.

Tommy's room looked pretty similar to Wilbur's, actually; minus all the little stuff. It had the same furniture in it, same layout of bathroom and closet, a window at the far side.

The bed was freshly made, and he sank into it as soon as he sat down. It was incredibly hard to stop himself from instantly passing out, and he barely managed to crawl to the center before finding himself in the dreamscape.

He employed the same tactic as earlier, hiding in the woods to avoid anyone else that may be there.

Unlike while he'd been in the carriage, his solitude didn't last the entire time.

Wilbur walked out to the tree he was sitting against eventually, looking incredibly tense as he stood there with his guitar in hand. It was strange to be able to see him fully in there, but it felt right enough to not be jarring.

"Do you mind if I sit out here with you?"

Tommy thought about it for a long moment, tucking his knees to his chest and resting his arms on top of them. "I can't fucking stop you."

Wilbur settled down against the other side of the tree, waiting a few minutes before playing some music. The gentle guitar was better than silence, but it did nothing to alleviate the tension.

Wilbur probably felt the same, since he eventually decided to say something. "I used to live on the streets as well,", he was still playing as he spoke, "It was in a port city to the West, slightly larger than where you were staying. I would pickpocket people who I didn't think lived there, and always managed to weasel my way out of trouble with a few well chosen words."

Tommy didn't say anything, he wasn't sure how to respond.

"I was doing well enough at it to survive, but fuck was it hard. Especially at night, the breeze that comes off of the ocean is fucking bone chilling and there were only so many places I could hole up without issue."

The music stopped, and it took him a moment before he continued talking.

"Lived like that for fucking ages, and even though I was so fucking close with the other two here, they had no idea. Didn't help that Phil managed to find Techno, made me feel like I didn't matter all that much."

He started playing again.

"I didn't think I was worth it for them to find, all the shit I'd done. I thought they were better off without me, actually avoided them in here entirely for a few days because of how upset I was. Of course, that only served to make them even more concerned about me, and it didn't help that Techno was only about ten at the time; he had no idea why the fuck I was gone."

"What ended up happening?", Tommy asked quietly.

         "Phil eventually figured out where I was hiding, asked if everything was alright and tried his best to get me to open up to him as much as I was able to with the stupid fucking restrictions on information shared in here. I didn't want to tell him anything. Even ignoring how fucking stubborn I was at the time, I didn't want him to pity me. I felt like any sort of concern or care he had was solely because I'd gone missing for a while, and he wouldn't really care if I explained my situation to him."

Wilbur stopped playing again, and Tommy could hear the guitar being set on the ground.

"They eventually ended up where I was, I saw them get off of a boat and fucking ran. I couldn't stand the idea of them seeing me like that, so I hid in someone's loft for an entire day to make sure I wouldn't run into them."

"If you hid from them, how the fuck did you end up at the castle?"

"Turns out Techno saw me when I'd spotted them, and Phil was staying there until they found me. In the dreamscape that night, Techno ran up to me all excited. 'I saw you, I saw you!' and he was describing me, and,", Wilbur chuckled, voice quivering some, "Something about the genuine excitement in his voice absolutely fucking broke me. Because he'd probably only gotten a quick glance at me, surely he wouldn't have been that happy about it if it'd been any more than that. But I couldn't hide forever, obviously, and they finally managed to get me when I was out trying to steal some coin for food."

He adjusted how he was sitting, taking a deep breath.

"I picked a bad mark, because I was stressing out over them, and I was sloppy enough to get caught. This fucker made a big scene out of it, lifting me up and shouting about 'this fucking rat he just caught' before he tossed me to the cobblestone road. A whole fucking crowd gathered, dickheads were blocking my exit so I was trapped there with this absolute-"

He took another breath, calming down some.

"I didn't have any way to get out of there, this guy was beating me to the enjoyment of a crowd, and then out of the mess of people comes Phil. Used his wings to part them, and immediately got between me and the guy who was kicking the shit out of me. He was pissed; said 'That's my son there, mind explaining what the fuck you're doing?'. Of course, the guy tried to justify it, but I think he could tell from Phil's voice that it was a losing battle."

Wilbur picked his guitar back up, strumming random notes.

         "He got me out of there after that, took me back to the room he was renting at a nearby inn to help me get cleaned up. Techno had been waiting in there for him to get back, and Phil had to literally peel him off of me to deal with my injuries. I broke down and told him my situation almost immediately, felt like I was bothering him the whole time."

Tommy was tightly gripping his upper arms. "What'd he do when he knew how you'd been living?"

"He let me finish talking, and then he hugged me. He told me it was going to be ok, knew it was hard for me to go through that,", he choked up some, "Said he was proud of me for getting through it. After that, him and Techno properly introduced themselves to me, and he asked if I wanted to go with them."

"So then you-"

"I told him no."

"What."

Wilbur chuckled at his reaction. "After all of that, even knowing he wasn't upset at me and still wanted me to go with them, I was scared. That was the only place I'd ever known, stealing shit was the only way I knew how to get by. I had no fucking idea what would happen if I went with them."

"Why the fuck would you- What'd you end up doing?", Tommy turned to look at him.

The hand he had on the neck of his guitar was incredibly tight, and if it were a real instrument, it would have probably broken. "Phil said he understood, but asked me to at least spend the rest of the time they were there at the inn with him; for his own peace of mind. I wasn't going to turn down sleeping in an actual bed for the first time in... I don't even know how long, so I agreed. Ended up tagging along with them when they went out to do things in town, Phil would buy me shit and promise it was fine, I had fun. It was fun to be with them, and it felt right. More than just being here, it felt like that was how it should have been."

Wilbur lowered his guitar again.

"And we got to the end of the week, and they were going to leave. But I didn't want them to. I wanted them to stay, I wanted to stay with them. They got their stuff packed, and I sat there the whole time watching feeling absolutely hollow. Walked with them to the very edge of town, didn't say a thing the whole time because I was worried I'd start fucking sobbing if I did,", he let out a sad chuckle.

"Sound like you're about to start crying now, as well."

"I might,", Wilbur agreed, taking a moment before continuing, "He asked me again if I wanted to come with them, and I tried so fucking hard to say no. I didn't- The idea of leaving still scared the shit out of me, but the idea of them fucking leaving me alone there again was so much worse. I had no clue we were heading to a fucking castle until we got here, Phil absolutely lost it at my reaction. Was the funniest shit he'd ever seen, if you went off of how hard he'd been laughing."

         "And you were alright once you were here? You weren't still... It wasn't horrible or jarring?"

"Oh, no, it absolutely was. I was fucking miserable for ages; couldn't find my way around, hated the castle staff even though they hadn't done anything wrong, almost exclusively left my room at night when everyone else was asleep. I was regretting every moment spent here that wasn't with one of them. But I eventually got into a routine."

He set his guitar down in his lap, leaning back on his hands.

"The captain of the castle guard, Sam, took to helping me adjust whenever Phil was busy. Techno and I would follow him around and mess with him, he'd pull pranks back sometimes as well. He even came up with this little character to give us tasks and keep us busy; it was nice,", he sighed, "As hard as it was to adjust, I managed to do it. I don't miss how things used to be, at all. Looking back on it is fucking miserable, and the few good things that were there are completely outweighed by what I've got now."

"But didn't you have any friends there? Anyone that misses you now that you're here?"

"Not anyone I can't go and visit, no. They know I'm better off here, and I'd gladly take some time to see them there over struggling to survive behind some fucking bins somewhere so I can spend time with them on a weekly basis."

Tommy didn't say anything to that, turning back and resting his head on his arms again. They sat there in silence for a long while until Wilbur eventually started back up with the guitar, and Tommy couldn't help but smile at his choice of song.

"You haven't played that one in a while."

"I felt like it fit the situation, given how much you like it."

"Helps that you let me name it, as well."

"Yes, but Mellohi fits it quite well."

He waited until the song was over, moving to sit next to Wilbur. "I think I'd like to hear it while we're awake at some point, as well."

"For sure,", he put his arm around Tommy's shoulders, "That's absolutely something that can be arranged."

~-~-~-~-~-~

Fic this is based on: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29528487/chapters/72554385

~-~

First fic I’m crossposting on here and Ao3! any tips for making it easier to read on tumblr is greatly appreciated, i never know what i’m doing ever