Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Nether.

A place that is said to be worse than hell itself. Tommy still remembers when he was in exile, the blonde went there with Dream. Standing on the bridge built to cross the lava river, the blonde liked to stare at the lava river with a dull and emotionless gaze. Always thinking what if his foot slipped or thinking about what it would be like to fall into a river of lava. The sight of molten rock flowing over his body and burning him alive. It was a very frightening thought as well as very exciting in his mind.

Now the blonde opened his eyes in a Nether, he did not know how he got to this place, but when he saw this Nether, Tommy felt that this was not the Nether he had frequented during his exile. Everything looks different but feels familiar in his memory. This was not Nether who was in S.M.P—but Nether who was in his hometown, a hometown that made him regret leaving the place he considered home. Regret leaving the place that gave him comfort to enter this damn S.M.P.

Why did he get here?

Is he dreaming right now?

Those dull blue eyes looked around him, but froze for a moment at the sight of the extremely familiar figure in front of them; His eyes widened when he saw the figure of a boy of about fifteen years of age, dark brown hair like Wilbur's, and shoulder-length like his father, Phil.

A figure he hadn't seen in a long time—

The figure he missed so much—

The figure he desperately wanted to apologize to—

“—?"

He couldn't make out his voice, it was as if there was water in his mouth—holding himself to make a sound, calling out the figure's name;

—The figure he called an older brother.

He tried to scream—trying to call out his name, telling the boy to turn to him, realizing that he was there. However, all of that was nil. The boy seemed oblivious to himself. His feet walked up the barrier of the lava bridge, staring at the lava below. Tommy stared at him in horror, not liking what the boy was about to do.

No, please stay away from there! He tried to scream, but he couldn't. Please, listen to me —!

All those screams ended in silent screams, he didn't like this. He wanted the boy to see him, to be aware of his existence. However, as hard as he tried to make the boy aware of his existence, his voice could not be heard by him. All of that frustrates him; makes him miserable.

Why,

Why did he have to dream about this?

Why after all this time, all this came back?

Does he regret everything that happened so much that he has to remember everything that happened in the past?

 Perhaps-

Perhaps he began to realize a regret after fleeing his hometown, regretting that he had chosen this shitty S.M.P over his family. Allowing his second brother to go crazy and die as a madman, making his father kill his son with his own hands, betraying the trust of a pigman who he considers a friend; mentors; hell—even brother.

Tommy hates all this,

 He hates to cry.

However, he couldn't help it. Remembering all the regrets he regretted, he couldn't help but miss his family, for the warmth of their embrace, for the warm smile he always received when he woke up in the morning, for the familiar greetings they used to call him.

 He missed all that.

 Oh, Ender.

Tears began to roll down his face, the feeling of fear of losing the figure in front of him was starting to Fright. He knew what the boy in front of him would do, and he didn't like it, he didn't want to see it. He was scared; so scared. It's ironic, even though he had said he wanted to jump in that fiery river, but now when he saw a familiar figure standing in front of him, Seeing what's in front of him makes him think again; maybe this was how everyone felt when he said that he wanted to try to jump into the river filled with lava.

 Ah-

 If that was the case, perhaps—

Perhaps, he could try to stay away from the lava a bit,

So, please! He closed his eyes tightly, pleading to the current void of the Nether, Please listen to me—

 "Toms?"

Those dull blue eyes suddenly opened wide, gasping for breath. Sweat was now all over his body, his heart was beating fast, and his palms felt a little sticky from the excessive sweat of his hands.

 "Hah, hah...!"

The room was quiet, only the faint sound of the birds singing outside was heard. The blonde fell silent, having difficulty focusing on his surroundings. He tried to calming his breaths in an attempt to slow his breathing. After a few minutes, he held his face with both hands. Enduring the pain that suddenly felt in his head at this time.

 "Ugh, fuck!"

To be honest, the dream he had wasn't the first time he'd had it in the past few months—and probably won't be the last. However, his dreams always bring up Wilbur, and maybe if he is in a bit of bad luck enough he can dream of Wilbur and Dream at the same time. This was the first time he had dreamed of a different person, especially his eldest brother; twin brother of Wilbur.

Tommy closed his eyes tightly.

 Does this dream mean something?

He took a deep breath, the blonde got up from his bed. Walk into the bathroom. Those dull blue eyes stared into the mirror in his bathroom, noticing that on his head was a red horn that protruded slightly behind his shoulder-length messy blonde hair. He sighed again, this often happened to him when he was feeling depressed or stressed.

How did he get that horn?

Well, all thanks to a green man in a trashy smile mask and his goddamn revival book that brought him back from the dead. He also didn't know how this horn got to be on his head, when he woke up again from the dead, the horn had appeared on his head every time he was in a stressful situation.

Tommy washed his face and when he was done he came out of the bathroom. Replaced his pajamas with his iconic red and white shirt. His hands brushed through his messy hair and tied it in a short ponytail.

Calming himself for a moment, Tommy was ready to start his day.

To be honest, Tommy didn't know what to do today. He stares lazily at the path he was walking now, he was bored; feeling not excited; and tired. He doesn't have the same energy he used to have—like Tommy in the Disk Wars; or even in the L'Manberg revolution...

That Tommy had disappeared—

Has died with the destruction of L'Manberg.

Now Tommy was just a burdensome, useless; and weak boy.

Tommy shook his head, trying to shake off the negative thoughts. From a distance, he could faintly see the prison building that looked large and majestic, the place where a monster was currently confined there. The monster he once considered a friend; the monster who had killed his second brother's ghost figure to resurrect the brother he didn't want to see—no longer wanted to be in his life… but it was all his fault too, he shouldn't have allowed Ghostbur to join in on his mission—no; he shouldn't have carried out any plans, he should have left the monster in prison forever, but he was too stupid to understand that; too naive to realize the folly and arrogance of his plan.

Now Ghostbur is dead; and Alivebur Wilbur came back to life.

 Don't get him wrong, he still loves Wilbur; he had always hoped Wilbur would come back to life. But after he died and met Wilbur in the afterlife, he realized that the one talking to him in the void—who had been resurrected by that bastard wasn't the same Wilbur as the Wilbur he knew...

He wasn't the Wilbur who always hugged him as a child;

He's not the Wilbur who sings along every time they gather in front of the fireplace;

He wasn't Wilbur who promised to look after him;

He's not the charismatic and determined Wilbur to make freedom for everyone at S.M.P;

No, he wasn't the same Wilbur he used to be. He was Wilbur Soot who lived in Pogtopia; Wilbur Soot who blew up the country they worked so hard to build; Wilbur Soot who considers L'Manberg just a piece of junk that can be easily thrown away and forgotten.

 Tommy!

 Tommy, look! Look!

 Yours and Tubbo's bench!

Tommy was a little surprised, he woke up from his daydream. Realizing that all around him were countless blurry white shadows hovering around him—ah, right. He forgot they existed. They are creatures who suddenly appear when he is in exile. They called themselves ghosts, but Ghostbur couldn't see them. Tommy felt they were more like the chats that Technoblade had; it's just that they rarely show themselves or talk to him. They are quieter; prefer to watch from afar. They only talked to him when the blonde was feeling sad and depressed; usually comfort him or just give advice.

Those dull blue eyes stared at the bench they called, and sure enough, there was a very familiar bench in front of him right now. The same bench he and his best friend sat on to listen to Mellohi and some of the discs he had.

He stepped closer to the bench, his hands slowly stroking the texture of the wooden bench. Those dull blue eyes softened, feeling a deep nostalgia in his heart.

He felt like it was just yesterday that Tommy and his best friend; Tubbo plays and does pranks like a child;

Stops Dream from taking all the disks Tommy has;

Adventure with Wilbur and his friends in a drug van;

 Revolutionizing for S.M.P's freedom;

Redevelopment of New L'Manberg;

 And... Exile.

Speaking of exile, he began to think; how's the pigman doing now?

It was a very stupid thought, he knew it. But he couldn't deny it, he couldn't deny that the piglin was someone who had done a lot for him. He was his mentor and savior, had it not been for the pigman, perhaps he would have stayed with the monster—perhaps he would have chosen to die in exile. It was true that they betrayed each other, they both took advantage of each other, but he knew; he knew very well that the pigman was very sincere in looking after him, he knew that he really wanted Tommy alive. He could feel the affection that the pigman gave was different from the one he felt in logstedshire, all warm when he was with his father and the pigman in his cabin. Even though it was covered in snow, the cabin was still warm; stay comfortable; and reminded him of his old home.

Unknowingly, Tommy had considered the pig-headed man as a big brother.

 ...Ah-

Tommy was now realized;

He realized how stupid he was back then;

How sad he couldn't choose both;

How guilty he must have been to call the pigman a monster;

 Before he knew it, tears started streaming down his face. Instantly he could hear voices around him calling out to him in a sad tone; trying to cheer up the blonde. Tommy couldn't help but chuckle bitterly, laughing at himself who now regretted all his actions in the past. Now he understood, he was a stupid boy; he is a boy choosing to increase his ego only; who thinks only of his selfishness rather than those around him; he was just a lonely little boy—who was hated by everyone at S.M.P; forgotten and replaced by others.

Tubbo who he considered a best friend has now replaced him with Ranboo, they have even been platonic married—hell, they even have a son named Michael; and he is a zombie piglin;

Sam who he considered a father figure (after his father left him and lived with the pig-headed man) didn't want to see his face again after the stupidity he made;

The hotel he painstakingly built with Sam's robot—Sam Nook; has now been completely taken over by Jack Manifold;

And now the people at S.M.P want him dead.

Tommy was tired, he was not able to start his days here. He really hoped that all of this was just a bad dream and that one day his two brothers would wake him from his sleep, hug him and call out to him gently. He wished his father would come to him, embrace him with his wings; sing him a beautiful lullaby. But he knew all of that couldn't have happened because, in reality, it had all disappeared the moment he set foot in this S.M.P.

"...What should I do now?" muttered Tommy quietly.

 How about you meet Technoblade?

Tommy jumped slightly when he heard the words of one of the chats, as soon as he heard another chat started to comment;

Are you stupid?! Tommy could have been killed by him!

 Right, I agree! Do you know how much he hates Tommy?!

 We don't know if we don't try, right?

 Hmm, I agree that this is too extreme, but, these two can't go on like this...

I also agree, this does sound extreme and there's a 50/50 chance that Technoblade will not listen to you; but maybe—yes, MAYBE if you could explain it to Technoblade first, he'd listen to you? Don't get me wrong, Tommy. We really like your arrogance, because it's your arrogance that allows us all to stand up and believe in supporting you and L'Manberg to the end, but, Tommy sometimes you have to let go of your arrogance...

Tommy was silent, his dull blue eyes now looking at the snowy landscape seen from the wooden bench. He wasn't entirely sure what the chat was saying, but he couldn't deny that he wanted to try to forgive the man too; to apologize and start all over again.

And indeed, his arrogance always made it difficult for him to give in; to tell someone that he is sorry.

“Are you sure that he will accept my apology?” asked Tommy.

 Tommy, it is better to forgive someone first than to be forgiven. If he can't forgive you then that's okay, just give him some time. The important thing is that you tried to forgive him. All you have to do is be honest with him, Tommy. Be honest about how you really feel.

 That's right, Tommy!

 Yeah, we all will always be beside you!

 Yeah! You sure can, big man!

 For the second time, his tears flowed. But he quickly wiped it away, he groaned, rubbing his hand over his face, replacing it with a determined look. What they said was true, and Tommy knew it. The blonde was never true to his feelings, always pretending all was well; always said that he could do everything himself; think of himself as a big man. But, to be honest he couldn't do it all by himself. He was always afraid to ask for help; too cowardly to say sorry. Tommy didn't like that, he changed all that—no, he had to change all that.

“I will apologize to Techno.” He smiled at them, “All of you; thanks."

He could hear them all cheering cheerfully at him, and Tommy wasted no time running back to his house. He took a light blue jacket to protect himself from the cold in the Tundra. Looking at his reflection in the mirror one last time, he took a deep breath; he didn't want to run away anymore; he wants to get it all done; if the pigman won't forgive him then that's fine—the most important thing is that he can apologize to him; prove to him that he is sorry for all his words and actions.

"You can do it, big man." He said to himself, "It's now or never..."

The blonde ran out of his house, immediately ran to the pig man's cabin, he was quite sure of his plan. Now all he needed to do was do it...

 —right?

...Well, he didn't think that putting it into action was more difficult than he thought. He made it to the pig-headed man's cabin with no problems, only once he got there did he run into obstacles.

First; he's fuckin' shivering. The cold made him miserable, and the snow that fell and melted into his hair didn't do much for that fact. Yes, he's wearing a jacket. However, the blue jacket he was currently wearing couldn't help the coldness of the snow that had begun to cover some areas of his jacket and it had been so long since he had been in this snowy place, so Tommy didn't remember some of the coldness of the Tundra the last time he had come here; shut-up, chat.

And Second; The sword currently aimed at his neck didn't help him at all either.

"Tommy, I hope you can give me a good reason not to kill you this time." The pig-headed man growled, not liking his figure being on his property. Of course, he would do just that; Tommy had betrayed him, he had hurt the feelings and trust the piglin had placed in him. He had every right to be angry with him; right to hate him—because they both hated each other; hurt each other. But, this time he didn't come to hurt him once again; he had come here to stop the wound between them—at least to heal a little bit of the pain the two had caused each other.

So, steadily those dull blue eyes stared into the pig-headed man's red eyes; both hands he raised as a sign that he came in peace. He could see the pig-headed man was silent, he looked a little surprised when he saw what Tommy was doing now; it didn't seem like an expectation that he thought.

“I, I came to apologize to you, Techno.”

The pig man's gaze grew even more shocked when he heard the words that came out of the blonde's mouth as if he would not have thought that an apology would sound in the pig-headed man's ears; and it's true if he thinks so, Tommy is a stubborn child, apologizing is not the number one thing for this blonde-haired boy. So when he heard the blonde say those words, slowly the sword that had been aimed at his neck was now suddenly lowered.

Seeing that, the blonde continued to say, “…I know you won't forgive me, but, but I want to try. I, I don't care if you still going to hate me or not, but, Techno, I did something stupid—”

Tommy chuckled wryly, "...Man, I'm so fuckin' bad at this kind of shit. B-But, I, I always run away from my problems, and, and end up hurting someone else, I hurt your feelings—no, we hurt each other, Technoblade; and, and I—shit, I just want to stop all this, okay? So, um—we can, um, talk?”

Technoblade just stood there, not answering at all. All of this made him even more uncomfortable. However, Tommy kept trying to talk to him; "Look, Techno. I know you hate me and don't trust me, but I'm not lying. I promise that I will—”

 "Tommy."

 “…Y-Yes?”

 “Go inside, you will get hypothermia.”

Techno stood beside the door which was now wide open, inviting the blonde to enter his cabin. Tommy looked surprised, those dull blue eyes stared in disbelief at what the pig-headed man said. He did not expect that the piglin still allowed him to enter his cabin. He felt himself smiling a little, his face radiating with hope; slowly he walked in.

 "Thank you." He says it, sincerely.

Technoblade's cabin hadn't changed at all, still as warm and cozy as he remembered it, it still smelled of roasted marshmallows and old wood; reminded himself of exile; precisely when he lived with the pig-headed man and his father. A warm and yet very sad memory to remember.

“You really are a fool to wear such a thin Jacket to come here you know?” suddenly Technoblade's voice managed to wake him from his daydream. He turned towards the figure of the pig-headed man; who is now preparing two cups of hot tea.

Behavior that the pig-headed man didn't really have to do to him.

He was silent for a moment, those dull blue eyes looking around the room again before finally answering; "What can I say, I don't have a thicker coat than this one,"

 "You don't have a thicker coat?"

He swore that he heard a worried tone in his question, maybe he was just hallucinating.

“…No, I don't have a thick coat.” Tommy replied with a wry smile, "The only thick coat I have is the one that, um, well, you made... And, umm, I don't have it anymore."

 “…I, I see.”

The room became silent after that conversation, the sound of the fireplace shrouding the silence of the room. Technoblade put the cup of hot tea on the table by the fireplace but didn't say or ask anything to him. Let the silence of the room surround them. An action that managed to make him uncomfortable and bitter. He took a deep breath, looked back at the pig-headed man.

“Alright, Technoblade, I know you don't owe me anything, you hate me after what I did at the Green Festival. Before and after that day...

“But, Tech, I really don't know what to do—I, I'm really, really screwed to switch sides like that, I, I realize that what I did was so unfair for me to do to you. But when we were both surrounded, my mind went blank and the moment I realized I had done something bad to you. I, I have unknowingly hurt your feelings.”

Tommy was silent for a moment, took a deep breath before continuing, “I… I don't regret siding with Tubbo. After all, he was my best friend and I had hurt him a lot, it was something I swore I would never do, and I realized who I was. After being exiled together... with Dream, I—that fucker told me that nobody loved me, nobody cared about me. And I, I believe that. I believe everything he says.

“Until I feel powerless, I feel like ending it all; end my life. Just like Theseus; who died in exile. But, I didn't do it, I chose to live and hide in your basement,” he chuckled softly as he recalled their first conversation; remembering how annoyed Technoblade was having to chase him in the snow only to ask him why the blonde could be in his basement like a raccoon, “…And if I'm being honest, Techno; I know that you are only using me, just as I used you. But, the longer I stay with you, the more I understand you're starting to forget your plans, because even though you told me that I wasn't special, yet, you still tried to help me get up; prove that I am loved; that I'm never alone, Techno.

“...And because of that—from the bottom of my heart; I thank you, for everything you did for me.” He smiled gently, "And also I'm sorry because my stupidity and arrogance hurt you."

Technoblade was silent, seemingly processing the words he spoke. Seeing him silent, the blonde was silent too. He looked down, those dull blue eyes looking at the warm teacup in front of him; looked at the little smoke that was overflowing from the tea.

 He didn't know what else to say,

He didn't know how else to explain all his regrets to him,

He can only wait,

No matter how long it took, he would still wait for the pig man's answer.

“I will admit, that's very mature of you, Theseus.”

Tommy was slightly surprised to hear the piglin's voice calling him Theseus, looking back at the pigman; he could see the pig-headed man in front of him was looking at him with a small smile on his face. Although his voice seemed calm, he could see the ruby-red eyes seemed to tremble. Ah, that expression—Tommy knew very well that expression; maybe because he had lived with him for a long time. The blue eyes followed the movement of the pigman in front of him, he could see the pig-headed man slowly holding his shoulder; a bitter smile appeared on his face—a smile he hadn't seen in a long time; which he had not felt in a long time.

Ah, how hard he had to hold back the feelings he was feeling right now.

 Feelings of joy;

 feelings of sadness;

 And also; feelings of longing.

Techno let out a shaky breath before finally opening his mouth. "You're right, Tommy. We both hurt each other back then, we always blamed each other; when you betrayed me back then, I understood. I actually know that it's not entirely your fault, Tommy. I—you are a kid and I am an adult, I shouldn't have put you in that situation. I should have listened to you, Tommy. I'm selfish too; too stubborn to listen to your feeling. I hate L'Manberg, and I will always hate that government; however, I must understand why you chose that country; I should have realized why you chose to betray me for L'Manberg, that place is your home. The home you built with Wilbur.”

He paused for a moment, “…And just like you, I also don't regret destroying that government, whether you side with me or not; but I regret the time, I'm too angry, feel that you are only using all my kindness; even though I know it's not true. But the voices in my head managed to control all my emotions; I can't see anything but red. I blame everything that happened to you; I, I almost killed you.” The pig-headed man fell silent again, closing his eyes tightly. Tommy was silent, his eyes seemed to widen when he heard all the words that came out of the pig man's mouth. He could see that the blue eyes met again with red eyes that were starting to soften, “Seeing you come here, apologize to me; even though I'm more guilty than you is something mature, and I'm proud of you, Tommy.” He gave the blonde a small smile, a gentle smile filled with pride that he hadn't seen from the pigman in a long time, “I'm sorry to you too, Tommy. For all my mistakes and selfishness."

A new wave of tears started rolling down Tommy's face, and Techno, still smiling weakly, took off his red cape and carefully slung it over the blonde's shoulders. The boy sobbed and wiped his tears with his hand.

"You know, Techno. You always remind me of my brother."

"...Who? Wilbur?"

Tommy was silent for a moment, he slowly shook his head before finally looking back at the pig-headed man with a smile filled with nostalgia, “No, he is my first brother, Wilbur's twin; Wilbert Craft."

Chapter Text

Technoblade was silent, he didn't know what kind of expression he was making at this moment. Hearing the name that the boy said made him freeze; surprised to hear a long forgotten name; which has been wasted.

Why?

Because that name was his name—

Technoblade is Wilbert Craft;

He is the owner of that name;

He is the twin of Wilbur Craft.

Technoblade slowly opened his mouth, trying to speak in a calm tone, “…I didn't know Wilbur had a twin brother,”

Technoblade could see the blonde chuckle dryly, a wry smile returning to the boy's face. “Of course, Wilbert was long dead.” His voice was low, but still audible to his ears. Technoblade could only be silent, he didn't know what to say to him. He couldn't say who he was; can't say sorry for hurting them. He could only pretend; pretend not to know that name; did not understand who the boy was saying.

“He is a good brother, always worrying about me and Wilbur. If I can't sleep or have bad dreams, he always comes to my room. Sing a lullaby to calm me down. Compared to Wilbur who was always excited and full of emotions; Wilbert was calmer and more mature. I love him so much, thank him for everything he did for me.” Tommy seemed silent for a moment, a wry smile still on his face.

“Tommy—”

Ah, how he didn't like that look. The sadness he was showing to Technoblade at this moment made it hard for him to contain the guilt; remorse; pain that started to mix in his stomach.

“F-Fuck! Sorry, Tech.” He laughed wryly, "I, I didn't mean to make the atmosphere gloomy like this,"

Now it was Technoblade's turn to be silent, his face showing a seriousness and concern. The voice in his head even shouted at him; told him to comfort the boy. Slowly he opened his mouth again. “I, I don't know what's on your mind right now, Tommy; but I can see you're blaming yourself for no particular reason right now."

He is lying; he knew why Tommy was blaming himself.

 “…I don't know who or what kind of person Wilbert is, Toms—”

He lied again; he knew that he was actually Wilbert.

“But, if he saw you currently showing that kind of expression, I'm sure he would be sad too; he will definitely also blame himself for making you like this.”

—Because now Wilbert had himself to blame; had berated himself for making his little brother hurt all this time.

To destroy his family because of himself.

Technoblade could see the blonde looked surprised at his words, His head was slightly lowered and his eyes were now closed. For a while no words came out of their mouths; let the silence and the sound of the fireplace be heard throughout the room.

 A sigh sound was heard, making Technoblade slightly startled. He realized the boy in front of him was now smiling slightly at him, "See?" he said with a low chuckle, “You really remind me of him, Techno. You're always good to me, even though I'm not. Always take care of me, even though I always push you away. You're always by my side, even though I don't deserve it—”

He paused for a moment, his eyes now drooping, “Techno, I... I've always called you The Blade, and even a monster. Always denying and reminding myself that I only see you as a weapon. But... actually I... I think of you more than that, I... you are a brother to me, and I love you. I know, I understand you don't see me the same and I don't deserve to be your brother, but… I… I—”

Oh, Ender—

What has he done?

His little brother in front of him, holding back his tears; broken; and hurt because of his cowardice.

Technoblade couldn't take it anymore; a feeling of tightness in his body when he heard his words; heard his trembling voice as he explained everything. His hands immediately pulled the blonde's thin body; hug him tightly.

 Technoblade rested his chin on his head; holding back the pain in his heart. Holding back the tears that were in his eyes. In the room filled with silence, there was a familiar feeling between the two; in the comfort of Technoblade's cabin; with the fireplace crackling beside them.

 "...I know, Tommy." He said, his hand gently caressing the back of the boy in front of him, "Because I also think of you as my brother."

And forgive me;

because I always hurt you;

For I am the cause of your brokenness;

Because this coward can't save you and Wilbur from the death that's always chasing both of you.

Technoblade could feel the blond boy's thin arms tightly embracing him, a sob came from the blonde; a sob he hadn't heard in a long time. Technoblade was silent, closing his eyes tightly while still stroking the boy's back gently.

Leaving Tommy cry in his arms.

Technoblade was silent when he heard Tommy's story about his two friends; Tubbo and Ranboo. His red eyes stared at the boy in front of him with a warm gaze; happy to see the blonde haired boy smiling happily. Feel comfortable and safe.

Technoblade realized he hadn't seen the blonde feel this comfortable and carefree in a long time; The last time he saw that expression was when he was an eleven year old boy named Wilbert Craft.

Technoblade smiled gently, feeling a warm and fluffy feeling filling his chest. It was nice, seeing Tommy start to trust him again and open up was really... good.

         TECHNOSOFT.             BIG BRO TECHNO.

                                  AWWW.

   THE CHILD IS HAPPY.       BEDROCK BROS ARC POG.

...And it looks like Chat happy too, that's good, he think.

As the day wore on, Tommy glanced at the window, as if realizing how late it was.

“Oh shit. We talked for quite a while, didn't we?”

Technoblade's red eyes also looked out the window. Outside, the sky was already dark and snow was falling gently.

“Looks like It,” then looked back at Tommy again, “How about you stay here tonight?”

“E-Eh?”

“I mean, if you want? I'm not forcing you, it's just that the night will be very dangerous here.” Technoblade said, ear twitching.

Technoblade could see the boy in front of him silent, his blue eyes repeatedly glancing at the window and then back at him; confused. After a few minutes of silence, his red eyes found the blonde looking back at him and slowly nodded his head, “If, If you're fine with letting me stay?” it sounds like a question rather than a statement.

Technoblade was a little taken aback, but replaced by a low chuckle, “Sure, I don't mind.” he then stood up; gently stroked the blonde's fluffy hair, “I'll make dinner first and then I'll clean up the guest room for you.”

Technoblade walked into the kitchen, leaving Tommy who was currently holding his head which had just been stroked by Technoblade; without realizing a smile had crept across the blonde's face.

“Wilbert, come on quickly! Here! Here!”

“Ender, Wilbur! Look around you, you'll stumble!”

Wilbert took a deep breath hearing his twin brother laugh as he lectured him, he couldn't help but smile wryly seeing Wilbur full of energy. Meanwhile, his father; Philza laughed softly while holding his little brother who was now looking around him with a look of awe. The four of them were currently walking down the forest path. His father thought it would be nice to take a peaceful stroll, just to relax while letting his three children have fun by the river. Leaving around noon, the four walked and played until the day began to turn orange.

 Tommy was in Philza's arms, snuggled against his father's chest and sleeping soundly; was tired after playing for a long time with his two older brothers.

 Wilbert couldn't help but feel warm when he saw his family who were currently walking with him. He felt happy holding hands with his twin; listened to Wilbur humming happily with him.

Ah—

How he missed his voice; how he missed the warmth of being with his family. Wilbert hadn't felt any of this in a long time, especially after—

....

Huh?

After... after what?

 Lost in his thoughts, Wilbert who was walking slowly now felt his footsteps starting to quicken. Within seconds, what was in front of him was now red; dark red and filled with gloom.

His eyes now realized that Wilbur; Philza; and Tommy was already on the ground. The color red had surrounded the surroundings; colors he didn't want to see around them.

 Why—

Why? Why? Why? Why?

 “W-Wilbur? P-Phil? T-Tommy?” he thought; his legs trembled when he saw his family there; lay lifeless on the ground.

He sat on the ground, his hands tugging at his hair. His eyes trembled, “Nonononono...!! This isn't real, this isn't real!”

“Wilbert—”

His eyes widened, as he turned his head; he found his three families there, looking at him with hatred and malice; feel betrayed and hurt.

“It's all your fault! You broke your promise!!” cried Wilbur sadly,

No—

“Wilbert, why? Why did you leave me to die in that prison? Why did you leave me with him?” Tommy is crying,

No—

“ You made me kill my own son! Why, Wilbert?! Why?! You should come back!” Philza shouted angrily,

No—

“Why, Wilbert?!”

No—

“Answer us now, Will!”

No—

“Wilbert!”

“SHUT UP!”

 Wilbert shouted; closed his eyes tightly. His hands covered his ears; hope all this nightmare will stop.

“Why don't you admit it, Wilbert?” An echo-like voice called out from behind him. Wilbert lifted his head; wide-eyed.

 A man with pink hair stood in front of him; a sea of blood is seen surrounding the two. The man was wearing royal clothes and a blood-red robe; with a beautiful crown hanging on his head. His eyes are bright red with black sclera. A smile was etched on his face; a smile that looks contemptuous and arrogant. As if mocking him who now looks scared and helpless.

“W-What do you—?”

 “You who have made them suffer Wilbert,” he said, his hand reaching for his cheek.

“I-that's not true..”

 “You still deny it? Even after you killed your two brothers, Wilbert?” he could see the man in front of him smiling sinisterly, making him tremble with fear with that smile.

“I, I didn't... kill them! You're the one who killed them!”

The man in front of him laughed loudly, so loudly that it scared him even more. Slowly he could see again the red eyes stared at him intently and boredom, “Wilbert, you are really naive. truly naive." Without warning the man grabbed his hair, “You are the one who sold your soul to the devil, Wilbert. You're the one who threw away your humanity to become a monster! You are a monster, Technoblade. The God Blood! A killer!”

 "N-No, I don't!" he shouted.

 “Just admit it, Technoblade.” The man demanded.

 "No! Stop, please stop!" he shook his head.

 "You can't lie to yourself, Technoblade. You like it, don't you? You like seeing their bodies lying lifeless, right?" The man glared at him.

“I.... I—”

 “Just stop it!” Technoblade gasped, jumping into his bed; covered in cold sweat. He covered his eyes with his hands, trying to control his ragged breathing.

After feeling better, his red eyes looked out the window and realized that it was still night. He sighed; slowly got out of bed. He walked to the bathroom, choosing to wash his face.

As he was in the bathroom, his red eyes saw his current reflection in the mirror; a man with long messy pink mixed brown hair and blood-red eyes. The expression on his face now looked exhausted, as if he was sick of seeing his own form.

He sighed, having washed his face; The man walked to the kitchen to get a drink. However, his steps stopped when he heard the sound of sobbing coming from the guest room.

Technoblade was silent for a moment, he didn't want to wake the boy in there; not in its current form. He still didn't dare to reveal who he really was.

However—

That cry, he couldn't hold it in. A feeling of wanting to hug him; wanted to calm his little brother from whatever the blonde was going through right now. He groaned and cursed himself; Hesitantly slowly opened the doorknob of the room and slowly entered.

There, Tommy—his little brother was sleeping uncomfortably. Tears seemed to flow in his eyes that were still closed.

Ah, he had a bad dream.

 Technoblade sat carefully on the edge of his bed, his hand gently stroking the blonde hair.

He always comes to my room. Sing a lullaby to calm me down.

He remembered what Tommy had said about him.

Lullaby... Huh?

Technoblade paused for a moment, thinking back to the lullaby he had once sung to the blond haired boy, slowly hummed softly, “Dear Sunshine—” His voice seemed a little hoarse; maybe because he hasn't sung in a long time.

He fell silent again, took a deep breath before finally starting to hum again, “When the shadows begin to grow,

Dear Sunshine,

 When you feel alone,

Dear Sunshine,

Don't you ever forget,

O, My dear sunshine—”

“Wilbert?” Technoblade was taken aback, his red eyes staring at the blonde in concern at this time. He could see the blonde was currently staring at him in a semi-conscious state, Technoblade couldn't help but be silent. He didn't know what to say; he was afraid to say something.

"You're back..." Tommy said again, this time hugging the waist of the man with brown hair mixed with pink. A feeling of tightness was felt in his heart, with the feeling of wanting to cry the man began to open his mouth, “Go to sleep, Toms. I, I'll be here."

“...Promise?”

Technoblade was silent, closing his eyes tightly as he felt pain and guilt in his heart. Slowly his head nodded, "Y, Yeah. I promise.”

That night, the liar lied again.

Chapter Text

His eyelids opened slowly, groaning a little as the sun shone in his eyes. Slowly he sat on his bed, his blue eyes now staring at his own hands with a darkening gaze; a painful feeling in his chest.

 He was dreaming again; at first he dreamed of himself in the obsidian room with the man in the smiling mask; mocking and beating his body. Saying how weak; how useless; and how pathetic he is. The man laughed heartily at the sight of him being tormented; see him in pain; see him helpless. It is very painful; very sad. However, that dream changed when he heard his elder brother's singing voice; a song his father made for the three when they were little.

He saw his brother dimly in his dreams; he looked more...older in his dream this time. His voice was hoarse as he sang the lullaby; seemed hesitant to sing. The dream seemed real; like his brother was actually in his room at that time. Especially when he hugged him, for the first time he felt a warmth in his dream—even if only for a moment.

 “…Wilbert.”

The blonde sighed, his blue eyes now staring at the window; saw the snow gently falling outside.

 Oh, that's right—

Yesterday he spent the night in Technoblade's cabin.

Yesterday the blonde ran to his cabin and apologized to the pig headed man, they forgave each other and Technoblade let him sleep in his cabin.

Unknowingly, the sad feeling he felt turned into a warm one. A small smile now appeared on his face; was glad he could finally mend his relationship with Technoblade a bit.

Suddenly he heard a knock on the door; brought him out of his daydream. As he turned, his blue eyes noticed Technoblade opening the guest room door. As the pig-headed man looked a little surprised to see him awake, "Ah, good morning."

"Mornin', Tech."

Technoblade smiled a little, “Breakfast is ready, do you want to take a shower or have breakfast first?”

"Oh, I'll take a shower first, please."

Technoblade nodded his head, he told him that he would bring a change of clothes for him, the blonde agreed with the pig-headed man's words and after that Technoblade left the boy in his room. Tommy got out of bed and immediately went to the bathroom.

After he finished showering, he immediately changed into the clothes prepared by Technoblade—a light blue sweater—he frowned; somehow this sweater feels familiar, like I've seen it somewhere, and it's definitely not Ghostbur sweater; because his ghostly brother is not good at knitting sweaters.

Well, that's weird. He mumbled softly.

After he finished wearing his clothes, he immediately walked towards the dining room. There, Technoblade placed a bowl that was still warm on the dining table. His red eyes looked at the blonde; seemed to be aware of its existence.

"What are you making?" asked the blonde.

 "Rabbit Stew."

"That sounds delicious!" said the blonde happily. "Thank you.”

He sat on the dining chair, took a bite from the rabbit stew and chewed slowly, then swallowed it down. The blonde looked at him with an expression of gratitude.

 "You're welcome." he replied.

As the blonde ate, he enjoyed the moment with that pig-headed man's company. They seemed to be having a pleasant time.

Just as he was about to take his second bite from the bowl, he heard a ping sound from his communicator. The blonde stopped eating, and raised an eyebrow at the same time. He took the device from his pocket and looked at it, and he saw that there were two messages. The first one was from his best friend; Tubbo, and it simply read:

[Tubbo : Big man, where are you? You didn't forget today we're going to the lake, right?]

 Lake?

 What Lake—

 “Ah, fuck!”

Then he remembered, suddenly he stood up from the chair and looked at the pig-headed man. His face turned into an expression of worry and confused.

 "What's wrong?" asked Technoblade.

"I promised to meet Tubbo and Ranboo today," he said, a little frustrated. "And I'm fuckin' forgot about it!"

The owner of the blue eyes was now looking at the pig-headed man in front of him with an apologetic look, "Sorry, Tech. I'll have to go."

"Then wait here a moment," said Technoblade, who now stood up from his seat and walked to the kitchen. The blonde was silent, looking confused for a second. It wasn't long before he could hear footsteps walking towards him, when the blonde looked at the piglin again, he could see that the pig-headed man came back carrying a basket full of food and gave it to the boy in front of him , “This is for you later, make sure to eat it all and share it with your friends," he said. The owner of the blue eyes took the basket from him.

"I—you don't have to do this, you know," he said.

"Well, I want to do it for you," Technoblade replied, gently ruffling his blonde fluffy hair, "Besides that, I don't want my little brother to starve on the way."

 My little brother—

Hearing those words, the blonde blushed slightly. A warm feeling was felt in his chest. He couldn't help but hold back the smile that wanted to appear on his face.

“T-Then, Thank you.”

 "You're welcome."

The boy held the basket with two hands, and turned around to leave. The owner of the blue eyes looked at him again for the last time and smile, “See ya later, Tech."

"See ya later, Theseus," said Technoblade.

 Thus, Tommy dashed out of Technoblade's cabin; exploring the snowy landscape with a smile on his face.

—Didn't notice that some crows were watching him from a distance.

Tommy didn't know why this was happening; why the atmosphere of this trip feels awkward. His two friends kept staring at him; like wanting to question about the food basket and (perhaps) his current clothes.

Well... that was obvious, considering this blond haired boy loved his red and white t-shirt more than anything else; even if he had to wear the knitted jacket he'd made from Ghostbur's favorite blue sheep's fur—he would never take it off. So, looking at him this time; wear something different; a plain light blue sweater is a step in the eyes of the half-enderman and the hybrid goat.

Feeling very awkward and annoyed, the blonde growled and looked at the two with a sharp look, "Why the fuck you guys looking at me like that?"

"Well, you tell me, bossman." Said the hybrid goat, "You look different today..."

"Because of my clothes?"

“That, and you look brighter today…” the hybrid goat pointed at the blonde who was currently looking slightly surprised, “Did something good happen recently?”

Something good?

He was silent for a moment, all the events that had happened since yesterday. He remembered Technoblade smiling sadly at him; remembering that the pig-headed man forgave one another; remembering Technoblade stroking his hair gently; allowed him to stay in his cabin.

He smiled a little as he remembered all that, remembering all the warmth he hadn't felt in a long time. A warmth that elevates him to his former life with his two older brothers and father.

"Bossman?"

The brown hair's voice managed to make him turn his head, both of them looked at him with confused looks. Seeing that expression the blonde smirked, "Well, something like that..."

The two looked at him confused and curious, but chose not to force the blonde to explain further. And for that Tommy was very grateful to his two friends, because he was sure that Tubbo still didn't like Technoblade; he knew that the goat hybrid had forgotten what happened on Doomdays day, but he was still hurt by what Technoblade did to L'Manberg; and he might still blame him for it.

So, he tried to change the topic.

"So what are we doing at the lake again, big T?"

“O-Oh, that,” the tall one stuttered, but his face was full of joy, “There's an Axolotls over there!”

 "Axolotls?"

The short one laughed, “Ranboo wants to raise an Axolotl because yesterday when the two of us were out for a walk, he saw a lot in the lake.”

“…Huh,” Tommy frowned, “Is that all right? He's a half-enderman right? Isn't he allergic to water or some shit?"

“Well, you're right,” Tubbo paused, his eyes on the half-enderman who was now staring at the bucket the tall man was carrying; smiled innocently and excitedly before finally looking at the hybrid goat and smiling awkwardly mixed with confusion at him, "He looks happier now."

Tommy was silent, the blue eyes looked at the two who were now smiling at each other. Actually right now he was thinking; wonder why Tubbo still remembers him, still wants to take him out with him. They seemed happy even without him being here, was it because Tubbo felt bad for him? pity? Well, he wasn't sure about any of that, but if that was really what the brunette was doing right now then he didn't need any of that. He really didn't need all that pity; because he knew that he would be fine...

And he didn't dislike Ranboo, he liked the boy; although he never said it directly. He liked it and thanked the half-enderman for wanting to be Tubbo's friend; already wants to take care of his friend while he's not around.

He wasn't jealous of their relationship either, not at all. He just... might feel like a third wheel between the two of them.

Tommy took a deep breath; Ender, he really wasn't sure he'd be able to stay the way he was.

"Tommy?"

The blonde woke up, his eyes now on the tall young man standing not far from him without the hybrid goat figure; He looked at him confused and worried.

 "You're good?”

Tommy blinked a few times before finally nodding, “Sure… Sure, I just… um, remembered something…” he said, his eyes now looking around; looking around for the goat hybrid, "Where's Tubbo?"

“O-Oh, he just ran to the lake earlier…”

 "And you let him?"

 "H-Huh?"

Tommy sighed softly and grinned pitifully, "You know that leaving Tubbo alone is like letting the world end."

The half-enderman fell silent, apparently processing the blonde's words; his blue eyes could see the half-enderman's once innocent face turning horrifying. Seeing that expression, the blonde just chuckled softly; patted the boy's shoulder lightly.

"Come on, Ranboob. We have to find him before he commit genocide by blowing up this forest with a nuke."

Ranboo looked at him, his gaze truly as if to say that he was very guilty; even feeling lacking, he even apologized to him, “Sorry, Tommy. I had completely forgotten how terrifying Tubbo could be if someone wasn't there with him."

"Hey, don't blame yourself too much. You have a memory issue,” replied the blonde, those blue eyes still clearly a trace of guilt on his face; an expression that the tall boy shouldn't need to show anymore.

Ah...

...Perhaps he was actually jealous of him; envious of the tall boy's personality. Because he knows; he knew that Ranboo was the person everyone expected him to be, the person he himself wished he could be.

He is kind, considerate, and obedient; in stark contrast to the outspoken, obnoxious, and annoying blonde.

No wonder everyone like him than me, he muttered with a wry smile before finally gently pushing the tall boy next to him, “Let's go, big man. You don't want your Axolotl to be fried, do you?”

 “O-Oh, please no...”

Tommy just laughed softly, maybe just for today he could stop thinking about all these negative feelings; maybe he could try to get over the fact that he's been forgotten and have a little fun. So, get rid of all the negativity in his head; the blonde grabbed the half-enderman's hand and ran laughing when he saw the half-enderman nearly lose his balance while running with him.

“I got one!” 

Tubbo shouted as he held the bucket of pink Axolotls high, smiling proudly as he handed it to the half-enderman. Cautiously, the taller man took the bucket; do not want to be exposed to the water in the bucket. He smiled slightly at the brunette, thank the Platonic husband.

Tommy just watched from afar, he just smiled a little seeing that the two of them were currently busy looking for Axolotls in the lake, and he was really grateful that the two of them get to this lake before Tubbo had even used nukes to catch animals in the lake. The blonde sighed, preparing the food Technoblade had given him. Rabbit stew and some sweet buns. These are all quite delicious food in his eyes, but he was confused as to how Technoblade got his hands on the sweet buns, moreover, the pig-headed man didn't like sweets. 

Is this for him?

No way, there is no way right? He knew that they had made up, but there was no way he could have made all this for him right?

But...

Then again, Technoblade called him his little brother.

He looked back at the food, a small smile etched on his face. Maybe he can give him something when he gets back to his cabin, maybe some food or maybe he could get one of Ranboo's Axolotls for him?

Oh, or maybe he could—

“Tommy."

The blonde froze. His brows furrowed heavily as his eyes narrowed. Turning in the direction the voice came from, he saw a man wearing a yellow sweater covered in a leather jacket, dark brown hair with a white stripe in his bangs covering his left eye, and bennie covering some of his hair.

The red emotionless eyes flashed from the glasses on his face, a look that made the blonde uncomfortable.

Sighing, he answered. "Wilbur."