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For a long time - long before dragons, and targets, and disc wars and revolutions - Tubbo is alone.
He’s fine with being on his own, in any case, and he’s well aware of his many faults. He’s hesitant, inconsistent, sensitive, and perhaps even naive. It’s because of this though, that he knows where his limits are. He knows when enough is enough, when he’s pushing his luck, and when he needs to stop .
And of course he deeply understands this, especially when the only world Tubbo knows is one of floating islands in an endless sky. One where millions of residents live in their own personal islands, surrounded by multiple different worlds that consist of mountainous terrains of bubbling magma, echoing caverns, and places with beasts that Tubbo could only hope to slay by his lonesome.
His ears pick up the infamous legends, as many others scour the lands, looking for a way out of these islands that have become their prison. There’s stories of vast dragons atop their thrones, looking down among their prisoners as they watch them make fools of themselves.
They watch the people gather resources. They watch the people build their own islands. They watch the people make their own friends, allies, comrades.
And until the people try to eradicate the dragons themselves, then they off them and watch them die , leaving nothing behind in their wake.
Even so, people still try their hand at this daunting challenge, desperate to leave, and perhaps to prove themselves as heroes in these lands.
Tubbo never takes that risk, however. He’d much rather wait and bide his time. Because one day, they’d be able to leave. After all, a single wrong step will send him plummeting over the edge, and right into the awaiting hands of death.
And yet, despite these rough conditions, he ends up meeting a blonde boy roughly his age; a boy who has a wide unabashed grin and dreams far bigger than his own.
The boy’s name is Tommy, and to Tubbo, he is an enigma.
It starts as such, with a single company that’s proudly named as, “Innit Inc.”
Tommy proclaims that their goal is to simply scam people. Somehow though, Tubbo has an inkling that Tommy means otherwise.
Among this new group of friends, he meets BadLinu, Rudy, and darkleonard, all striving towards a single focused goal. There’s TimeDeo and Pigical, legends amongst Skyblockers across the realm known for their expertise that Tommy is apparently friends with.
Word also reaches out that Tommy has even caught a glimpse and spoken with the famed Technoblade himself, someone who Tubbo doesn’t know truly exists until Tommy confirms it himself.
They spend months together, traveling, laughing, exchanging stories of their exploits. Tubbo gets to know the others, and overall, learns more about Tommy’s character. The younger boy is enthusiastic and daring. If anything, he’s Tubbo’s exact opposite, one who never knows when to shut his mouth, who is just so bombastic, yet is so self-aware and intelligent at the same time.
There’s just one more thing that Tubbo can’t place his finger on that Tommy has though. He spends days tossing in his covers considering this, and yet, he can’t come up with anything.
Despite all of this, Tubbo finds himself drawn to him, and as he observes Tommy’s many other friends, it’s clear he’s not the only one who feels that way.
But in the end, he also wonders why. Tommy is the same age as Tubbo, fifteen years old, and it seems like the world is his oyster. He nonchalantly laughs about Midas Swords, and Flower Minions, going about his days as if he has nothing to lose. And frankly, that thoughtless nonchalance terrifies Tubbo.
“How do you do that?” Tubbo asks Tommy one night, the night their island base explodes into smithereens. What’s left of Innit Inc. is only a pile of ashes. They’ve been trying to make the best of their situation, slaving over what’s left of their minions and collecting whatever profits they can.
Right now, though, everyone else is long asleep, leaving the two of them alone watching the ruins still smouldering under the night sky. Yet despite the tragedy of their situation, Tubbo is curious, introspective. “You never stop. You just keep going. How do you do that?”
Tommy takes a bit to respond, stopping in the middle of his tasks as he sees him reconsider his question, before shrugging.
“What else do we have to lose?” he answers, gesturing at their blown-up island. “The only way out is to go up, isn’t it?” he promptly grins.
“That sounds too easy,” Tubbo frowns. “You know our chances of survival after this are pretty low right now, right? We should probably-”
“And what about later?” Tommy interrupts, turning towards Tubbo. His eyes are passionate. Determined. “Resources are dwindling. More islands are blowing up. People are getting angry and resentful, I can feel it,” he says, grabbing his diamond sword that’s leaning against their shack nearby.
How Tommy can be so confident is beyond Tubbo. So he continues to protest. “And what if it goes wrong? The ender dragons, they’re strong! We can’t take them, not without-”
It clicks then, what Tommy has been preparing to do all this time. The very thing that Tubbo had been vehemently against doing before he’d met the other boy. “You’re not thinking about fighting-”
“Yeah. I’ve been thinking about it,” Tommy answers. “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.”
With that, the boy raises his diamond sword up in the air, letting its enchantments shine against the moon’s lights. It shines a bright blue, as Tommy studies its blade quietly. “We don’t have a lot of time left, but we can do this Tubbo. You. Me. Badlinu, Rudy, and darkleo,” he claims. “We had all of our resources stashed away near our portal. Deo and Pigical know. I’ve even told the Blade about this as well!”
“I don’t know, Tommy…”
“Tubbo,” Tommy repeats. “You don’t want to be stuck here forever, don’t you?”
And… Tubbo doesn’t. He’s spent so long on these islands; it’s been years now. He wants to know what the actual Earth beneath them feels like. He wants to explore vast deserts, arctic tundras, and widespread plains that stretch out for miles and miles and miles.
But he’s also snatched out of his thoughts when he feels a hand on his shoulder, and he looks at Tommy, with a hand on that said shoulder and the other holding his diamond sword against his back.
“I promise. Whatever we do, we’ll do together,” Tommy vows, as serious as a fifteen year old can be, before he impishly smiles, a laugh bubbling beneath his throat. “You’re my best friend. And I’m TommyInnit! What can’t we do!”
And for once, Tubbo believes him. “Yeah. I promise as well.”
The journey is long, but the end… it’s fulfilling.
The dragons fall. Tubbo can feel a scrape on his cheek. It stings, but he also doesn’t care.
He hears people cheering, celebrating that they are finally free from this tyranny, and Tubbo immediately looks around to see if he can spot anyone from Innit Inc. He hears his name being shouted, as Tommy waves and rushes towards him.
Except the ground begins to rumble, and the world turns upside down.
Slowly, the towers crumble, and the islands begin to descend. Tommy and Tubbo both clutch onto a large boulder, still armoured, still grasping onto beaten down weapons from their harsh battle, and they can’t help but stare at what must have been below them all this time.
Clouds begin to rise above instead of below them. The islands halt, still in midair, but close enough to a giant mountain for people to descend with water buckets on.
And Tubbo… he can see everything from here.
There’s a sea that expands so far out. A desert field full of cacti here, and an arctic tundra with patches of ice over there. Sprawling forests full of oak, spruce, and birch trees littering the terrain, and finally a large plain full of flowers of all sorts of colors Tubbo never would’ve imagined seeing together.
There’s animals frolicking each biome, from rabbits, to cows, sheep, pigs, and bees.
This is paradise, Tubbo thinks to himself.
Finally though, finally, he hears Tommy. “Wow,” he gasps, his eyes frozen at the same sight Tubbo is looking at as well, and he laughs, rubbing his nose. “Tubbo, look! All of this- We’re so lucky to be alive right now.”
And finally, it clicks for Tubbo.
Luck. That’s what Tommy has.
The two don’t speak about it, but they keep ahold of their promises to each other.
The world unfolds around them. They meet new people who have apparently lived in this “new” world for years. This new place called SMP Earth, where territories are claimed, and wars are fought. It’s new and exciting, and it’s so different from what Skyblock used to be like.
This time, Tommy not only makes friends, but also enemies. He creates a new base, calling it BusinessBay, and recruits new members. Tubbo this time, doesn’t live with him at BusinessBay, but is always close by, gaining more confidence as he decides to work as a hitman.
He doesn’t make a great hitman, but it’s the experience that counts though, or so Tubbo claims as Tommy teases him of it.
Despite the enemies Tommy makes though, it’s also all in good fun, as far as Tubbo can tell. Tommy is still the same, still as charismatic as ever, with a reckless disregard to his own boundaries. But he’s ambitious and resourceful, and others take note of it.
Tommy makes more friendships, some stronger than others, and though some of these friendships come and go, Tubbo sticks by Tommy’s side.
However, all things come to an end, and SMP Earth runs the length of its course. Eventually, with heavy but deeply satisfied hearts both of them pack their bags and say their goodbyes. Tubbo and Tommy turn their backs on the place that has hosted them for so long, and look forward, ever onward towards the road that stretches ahead of them to their next adventure.
It’s only been a year, both of them now turning sixteen, but this time, Tubbo is a little less afraid of making a wrong step. After all - whatever they do, they’re doing it together. As long as he has his best friend by his side, he knows that things will be alright.
The Dream SMP is much, much more different than SMP Earth.
It’s smaller - a lot more intimate. You’re rarely, if ever, alone, since there’s almost always someone around to watch. (To notice what you do, no matter how consequential or not it is.) Tubbo spends his first few days in a low-key type of awe, gaping at some of the other members of this land. Who would’ve thought that he’d get to meet Dream one day, as well as the rest of his crew?
How Tommy ever managed to get them here is - Tubbo doesn’t even have the words for it. But, it’s Tommy; Tubbo’s learned to expect the unexpected from the other boy.
However, unlike SMP Earth, the peace doesn’t last long. A war starts over Tommy’s discs, and then WilburSoot arrives. L’manberg is formed, and a revolution begins, a battle that’s somehow much more difficult than the one against the ender dragons ever could be.
Tubbo helplessly watches as Tommy fights against Dream himself. Their independence is declared afterwards, but at the cost of Tommy’s beloved discs.
Even so, they make new friends. Tommy gets closer to Wilbur, and another member named Quackity. Tubbo gets to know Eret better, despite his betrayal, and talks more with Niki and Fundy. Jack Manifold arrives to join L’manberg as well, an old friend of theirs from SMP Earth, and they welcome him with open arms.
However, both Tommy and Tubbo never change. They’re still a duo. There’s no Tommy without Tubbo, and vice versa.
For a while, things seem to finally be going back to normal again. Tubbo begins to feel more comfortable under his skin, especially when he has the walls of L’manberg to serve as protection. He’s even able to exit them occasionally, sometimes striking up conversation with other Dream SMP members outside of L’manberg as they trade supplies and catch up with each other’s lives.
It’s nice. Perhaps even relieving - to have a status quo that doesn’t consist of war.
And then - And then, things take a sharp turn.
Tubbo’s not sure why, but Wilbur decides to hold the first election in L’manberg since he’d declared himself president. Quackity jumps on the opportunity before the ballot book can be signed, and starts an electoral race that only fills Tubbo with dread.
L’manberg is like a family to him, and now - democracy or not - he can’t help but see the cracks forming as their enclave splits into their respective parties. Facets he hasn’t quite noticed before come to the fore, a toxic vein of powerthirst rearing its head in people he’s not sure should even have been allowed to run in the first place.
(Quackity. George. Schlatt. People who didn’t understand.)
Tubbo knows he’s not the only one who sees this. And as the results for the election day looms closer, he can see the fractures forming on Tommy’s mask.
Tubbo knows when Tommy is forcing a smile, and especially when his insecurities begin to eat away at him. So when Tommy begins to pace on the floor of his embassy, hands buried in his coat pockets and his L’manberg hat for once set to the side, Tubbo pushes down his own anxiety, and nudges at Tommy’s shoulder to stop him into a halt.
“C’mon, let’s go outside,” Tubbo says, and directs Tommy out of the shack of his home.
The night sky is clear, thousands of stars twinkling in its blanket, as the two walk out of the entrance. And right next to the Power Tower, is that same birch bench and their first jukebox overlooking the land across it.
Without another word, Tubbo sits Tommy down, before digging through his inventory to set down an Enderchest. Tommy raises an eyebrow at him for that, but Tubbo instead rolls his eyes. “Take out Cat. I know it’s not the real one, but it’ll do for now.”
Tommy quietly does so, and when the familiar tune plays, they listen in silence.
It’s easy to understand Tommy’s newfound fascination towards discs. They’re difficult to come by, yes, but it’s also what makes each one they do find much more special. Their first three discs - Cat, Mellohi, and Blocks - each have their own distinct memory, and before they’d had to fear their music being taken away from them, it hadn’t been uncommon for the two to sit out on this very bench to listen to the simple tunes their jukebox would sing out.
Tubbo knows Tommy feels the same way in how the boy gradually relaxes besides him, and it is only then that Tubbo speaks.
“So... what’s wrong? You’ve been acting all strange lately,” he asks. It’s a hypothetical question - Tubbo knows why, of course, but he still feels the need to ask.
“You know what’s wrong, Tubbo,” Tommy shoots back, but there’s no venom in his statement. He just sounds tired . It’s concerning. “... It’s the election. I’ve just been thinking about how - about what happens if - if we don’t win.”
Tommy is stuttering. It’s a common practice of his whenever he gets nervous, but it’s never been to this extent, never when they’d been by themselves.
Tubbo can’t say that he hasn’t considered the consequences too. From the moment Quackity had announced his own campaign, and SWAG2020’s steady rise after brokering an allegiance with George… Despite Tommy’s apparent nonchalance and confidence in POG2020’s success, Tubbo hadn’t missed the underlying sense of apprehension in his every move.
But regardless of the results, L’manberg has always been a nation for the people. So, Tubbo can’t help but shrug once more. “If we don’t win, there’s not much to do about it. A democracy is a democracy.”
“It can’t just be like that!” Tommy is quick to interject. “We’ve worked so hard for this nation. Me, you. Wilbur and Fundy. Even Jack and Niki! We fought for our freedom and our independence! This place, it’s our home . And if we lose right now, the walls are gonna fall. It’s…”
“Scary, isn’t it.”
“Yeah.”
A heavy silence stretches out between them, but Tubbo doesn’t dare break it. There’s something else that Tommy’s leaving out, he knows it.
It stretches almost long enough for him to start to regret his decision to wait, but as if he’s reading his own mind, Tommy finally speaks again, his voice quieter than he’s ever heard him before. “I don’t know if I’ve done enough,” he murmurs, fisting his hands onto his pant legs. “I just don’t wanna let Wilbur down…”
Wilbur. Of course it was about Wilbur, the one who’d taken Tommy and Tubbo under his wing. The one who’d sheltered them, looked out for them, and taught them so much. In fact, it’s almost amusing to Tubbo, as he can still recall Wilbur’s annoyance with Tommy back on SMP Earth, when he’d constantly interfere with his affairs.
A child, Wilbur had always called Tommy. A tiny, little, gremlin child!
But yes, while Tommy was still a child, he was also a child who rose up to become Wilbur’s second-in-command.
It’s all so clear now, that Wilbur regards Tommy with such brotherly affection, so much so that it even comes off as obnoxious at times. So, Tubbo smiles, and drapes his arm over Tommy’s shoulders in a reassuring half-hug. “You won’t, though,” he says, certain of his words. “Wilbur talks about you with me a lot actually. He’s really proud, he just would never say that to you himself.”
“... Really?”
“Mhm. Really. I wouldn’t lie to you,” Tubbo reaffirms. Tommy really idolizes Wilbur, like it or not. And finally, after a bit, he removes his arm, and leans back against the bench. “I think it’ll be alright, though. Y’know. When tomorrow comes.”
He hears Tommy squawk afterwards, and as he squints at him, Tubbo grins unapologetically. “Didn’t Wilbur say it himself? L’manberg isn’t a place, it’s the people in our hearts.” He raises his pinky finger. “Besides, we promised, didn’t we? Whatever we do, we’re doing together.”
For a bit, Tommy seems speechless, his face unreadable.
Then, he laughs wetly, so much different from his usual guffaws, but also so familiar as well. It’s shaky, but also warm. “God, you’re so clingy. I did say that, didn’t I,” he murmurs, turning his head away slightly to non-discreetly rub at his eyes, before smiling back at Tubbo once more. “Thanks man.”
“No problem,” Tubbo replies, feeling lighter than ever. He hesitates, then gives Tommy’s shoulder a playful nudge. “But just so you know, you’ll always be my vice president.”
“Oh shut up.”
And yet, despite his words, Tommy still reaches forward, linking his pinky finger with Tubbo’s. A reminder of their promise to each other that’s held for years now.
POG2020 loses, and everything goes wrong.
Initially, POG2020 wins by a remarkable majority vote. Tubbo can still remember Tommy’s joyful cheers, and how he practically jumps on the podium next to the other parties. In fact, Tubbo had just been about to do the same, his own cheeks aching from smiling so hard at his friend’s happiness, at how everything did work out in the end after all.
Except then, he turns at just the right moment to notice Wilbur’s troubled expression, and his smile drops.
SWAG2020 had made a deal with Schlatt2020 behind their backs, a political manoeuvre that means the presidency is handed to Schlatt instead.
And then… everything crashes around him.
The ballot results Wilbur had been holding falls, scattering all over the floor. Schlatt steps forward to take the podium, Quackity and George on either side. The man’s arms are crossed, his stance wide, and he grins, a broad and dark thing that promises nothing good.
“My first decree, as the new president of L’manberg… is to revoke the citizenship of WilburSoot and TommyInnit.”
“You are no longer welcome here.”
The first shot is fired at Wilbur’s direction, the flamed arrow embedding in the crook of his knee as he scrambles away. Tommy is grabbing at Wilbur’s arm, frantically attempting to shove an Invisibility Potion into his hands as he shifts to hold his shield in his other.
The last Tubbo sees of him is the sheer panic on his face as he chugs his own Invisibility Potion and disappears into the wilderness. There’s cheers as others chase them down. For once, Tubbo is terrified.
A heavy hand then lands on his shoulder. It takes everything Tubbo has to resist the urge to flinch.
It’s Schlatt. He’s come down to the podium, and he looks at Tubbo as if he can see right through him, his gaze friendly, but there’s a threatening glint to it too.
“Tubbo! My Secretary of State and right-hand man! How are you feeling?” he grins, the hand on Tubbo’s shoulder tightening as he goes on.
Tubbo feels trapped. But he’s also angry. At Schlatt, or of himself, he’s not even sure anymore.
“Do you… do you even know what you just did ?” he breathes out. “Wilbur. Tommy. Where will they-”
Schlatt doesn’t skip a beat, waving a dismissive hand. “You know, Tubbo. Do you remember what I said when I was let back into these lands?”
Tubbo can recall. But he stays silent, waiting for Schlatt to answer his own question instead.
“I said things are gonna change. I looked at every citizen in your nation and I said that this place would be a lot different starting tomorrow.”
He hears Eret’s protests, Niki’s cries, and Hbomb’s confusion. But there’s also Fundy’s wry smirk, Quackity’s cackles, and George’s quiet smile. There’s Sapnap leaning against one of the seats. Ponk and Punz with their recharged crossbows. And finally, there’s Jack, with a pick in hand, ready to tear down L’manberg’s walls.
Since when had everyone changed so much without Tubbo noticing?
“You don’t want to cause any problems for our new, reformed nation, do you?”
Schlatt’s question is short and brief, but his voice seems to reverberate through Tubbo’s head. The grip on Tubbo’s shoulder tightens, and the boy’s breath catches in his throat. Tubbo is overwhelmed, he can feel his legs shaking. But he desperately doesn’t want Schlatt to know.
He wants to be brave. He wants to protest so bad . For a moment, he glances behind him, looking for any reassurance, anything that could have him pull himself together.
Tommy isn’t there. All Tubbo sees is a giant stage, and a single, lonely microphone.
“No, Mr. President,” he manages instead. He feels small in his L’manberg uniform. For a moment, he wonders if this even is the L’manberg uniform anymore.
“That’s what I like to hear,” Schlatt laughs in return, releasing his hand from Tubbo’s shoulder as he pivots on the back of his foot, heading towards the White House. Tubbo breathes a shuddering breath, but Schlatt continues on. “Wilbur Soot wasn’t a good fit for a president anyways. He’s prideful, selfish, and conceited if you ask me. But he’s also resourceful. He’s smart. And he’s crafty. For all we know, he’s planning something, and with Tommy there too? Both of them need to be taken care of. Perhaps even executed.”
A chill runs down Tubbo’s spine. “What do you-”
“You know exactly what I mean,” Schlatt finally tuts. “If either Wilbur or Tommy step foot on this land…“
“Find them. And show them the door.”
It’s as clear a dismissal as he seems to get for now. And so, Schlatt turns to call Quackity and George to him as they head into the White House to plan L’manberg’s next steps. The doors close shut behind them with a thundering click.
Tubbo can feel tears welling up, but he blinks them away.
He knows he’s always been a crier. He’s never felt particularly ashamed for crying before, but this is the first time he vehemently doesn’t want to. For the first time, he absolutely cannot afford it.
Don’t cry, he tells himself as he packs his L’manberg hat away into his inventory.
Don’t cry, he tells himself again, as they tear down the walls he’d long called home.
Don’t cry, he tells himself once more, as Schlatt pulls him aside, handing him a book of Manberg’s future policies.
Tommy is against the world now, and for the first time, Tubbo can’t be by his side.
By the time Tubbo returns home, it’s long after midnight.
L’manberg’s walls have fallen. Niki’s flag has been burnt to a crisp. The air smells like ash and soot.
There’s a crisp suit laid across his bed, and a note that says it’s from Schlatt.
Even as he reads the note, he can’t help but see the irony of this situation. Back when Tommy and Tubbo had lived in the skies, they had long admired the infamous businessman to the point where they’d made similar suits of their own; imitation is the highest form of flattery, after all. Tommy had even called himself “Tommy Trusty” then, as they went about the Skyblock hubs to perform the ultimate scam.
They’d taken such pride with their simple replicas, back then. In any other situation, being given a suit from the big man himself would have sparked nothing but glee and admiration from the two then. But right now, the only feeling Tubbo can summon is disgust.
Everything they’d done, everything they’d worked for, has now all led up to this.
(But he has a job to do now. So, he puts on the suit.)
He leaves his home, meandering around the newly renamed Manberg’s grounds. The entire place feels empty, too-wide areas of empty space between the remaining buildings here, freckled with the occasional burning block of fabric or wool there. He tells himself he won’t be out long as he follows the wooden path to where the walls would’ve (should’ve) begun.
He can’t help it. He lets himself reminisce.
Before he knows it, his feet carry him to the embassy. Tommy’s home.
He sees the Power Tower nearby, and he remembers helping Tommy build the sewers underneath it. He sees Tommy’s shack dug into the hill, the same one that has been blown up and rebuilt over and over and over again. He sees the Cuck Shed, the thing that Tommy had revered so much during Schlatt’s first visit to the SMP.
He remembers coming here before the election, trying to comfort his best friend, a familiar overture to their words.
Except, Cat isn’t playing from the jukebox outside anymore. The contraption is gone now, and so are those familiar birch benches. He stands near the fence overlooking the hillside, feeling heavier than he’d felt in a long, long time.
His eyes well up once more. Don’t cry, he repeats in his head again. Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry don’t cry don’t cry-
A sob hitches in the back of his throat, oblivious to his resistance.
“I promise. Whatever we do, we’ll do together,” Tommy had said just a year ago. “You’re my best friend. And I’m TommyInnit. What can’t we do!”
Even back then, Tubbo had always served as Tommy’s shield, and Tommy as Tubbo’s sword. While Tommy was always hasty, never one to exhibit any restraint, always ready to pull the first move, Tubbo was always there to defend him and reel him back.
Now however, Tubbo isn’t there for him anymore. Somewhere out there, Tommy is hiding with Wilbur, barely making do, while fighting to survive.
Because of Tubbo’s cowardice, he hadn’t been able to keep that naive promise. Because of him …
Tubbo is alone. (He cries.)
The sun begins to rise. A new day starts.
And if Tubbo doesn’t see a wisp of blonde hair on a skeleton horse disappearing into the underbrush, he’s none the wiser.