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Tommy felt like snapping. No, not like lashing out by yelling and swearing and start ‘stabbing’ shit. No, not like the way he acted when he was annoyed that made the server look at him lightly. No, he wanted to snap like he wanted to cry for the first time on the server. He wanted to snap like maybe spawning several Withers if he had the material. He wanted to snap like actually stab some things, both fatally and non-lethally. He wanted to snap to remind everyone that he can actually fight.
It was just a small prank! Besides, only the roof was gone. Tommy was angry. Nobody said anything when Dream blew up his home a millionth time without provocation. Nobody said anything when Dream griefed his builds. Nobody said anything when Tommy’s the one on the receiving end.
Then he did something minor to someone’s house, and they went moping over to people in power. And oh look, he’s exiled! Again! For a second time!
History does repeat itself, huh?
Tommy shoved a chest into the back of his boat, glancing inside to make sure he had enough supplies and he brought what he wanted with him. There was a painful lack of discs in it, but Tommy thought it was for the best. If he was going to do what he planned to do, he’s not going to need anything that gives people a hold over him. He thought it would give a more ‘wow’ factor when they tried to use his discs as hostage to try to coax him back to the side of Order, and he just laughed in their face or something.
He looked at the coords scribbled on a piece of paper with a familiar set of handwriting. At least one person hadn’t betrayed him yet, well two, if you count the technicalities.
“I- Phil, what are the coords to Techno’s new base?”
“Tommy? Why do you need to know?”
“I kind of got exiled again and Phil…… I’m tired of this shit. Last time I got exiled, Wilbur ended up dead and things had gone to the deepest depths of shit. Everything started going downhill after L’Manberg started. We originally just wanted a place to sell drugs in peace, I didn’t- I didn’t think it would be this serious and bad.”
He frowned, it would take a while to get to Techno’s new base. He really went far. Maybe around 10-ish hours if he non-stop travelled. A day or two if he decided to take stops and pass the one night if he started during the day. Luckily for him, it was currently night right now, Tommy didn’t want to reveal his plans by rowing away in broad daylight. He didn’t want to give anyone a rough direction of where he went. Plus, everyone thinks he and Techno aren’t on good terms, they wouldn’t suspect him running away to his older brother. Tommy bit back a laugh, Techno will probably reject him, but the others so often forget that Sleepy Bois Inc was more than just a group of friends like the Dream Team, they were a family .
Tommy didn’t want to delay any longer. He knew that every moment he stayed on this forsaken chunk of land was adding to his reluctance to leave behind this place. One deep breath later, he’s seated in his boat alongside his chest of necessities and rowing towards the base where his older brother dwelled doing who-knows-what.
---
Techno had gone back to farming potatoes while plotting for Anarchy on the side. Although the climate where he was staying was cold and not ideal for farming potatoes, he took it as a challenge. He had conquered the potato farming industries of Hypixel, chilly weather is not going to stop him.
But of course, your little brother showing up in a boat, alone and looking like he just sailed for ten hours straight (probably did), when he had no business knowing where you live, is going to put a pause to your potato farming endeavors.
“Tommy? How did you get my address?!” Techno questioned the moment Tommy clambered out of the boat he rode in. The boy ran his fingers through his hair, laughing nervously and…… Techno thought the laugh sounded a small bit broken, kind of like Wilbur’s laugh during his insanity arc, but toned down a lot.
“Phil gave it to me,” Tommy explained. Techno knew something was wrong the moment Tommy said that. He had explicitly told Phil not to give away his new base’s coords, especially with Tommy. Phil wouldn’t do the thing Techno told him not to do unless something went seriously wrong. He also clued in on the fact that Tommy arrived in the middle of the day looking like shit, so he had to have started at night and not took stops or sleeping breaks.
“Tommy- What did they do to you? Actually, it’s what did you do to them?!” Techno attempted to crack a joke, then winced at the expression on Tommy’s face the moment he said the second part of his welcome.
“I- I got exiled,” Tommy mumbled, “Again.”
“Over what?”
“Burning George’s house.”
Techno laughed at that, “Are you serious? They banished you for burning down his house?! The house that he built while we’re busy fightin each other? Pretty sure your stuff got pretty griefed a million times over and they got off scot free.”
“Exactly!” Tommy jumped at that, voice suddenly getting loud as if in agreement, “Dream threatened war over that! It was so stupid, I just got rid of the roof! This makes me think he’s cheating on Fundy with George, I’m telling you.”
“And you want help from me to…... Actually, your friend is still President, right? You want to topple that one too?”
“I am starting to see the appeal of Anarchy,” Tommy confessed, “I’m not going to install a new government if you’re worrying about that.” A pause, “Please.”
Yep, things are definitely haywire. Tommy never says ‘Please’ unless he really wants something, really needs something, and is tired. And when Tommy is tired, you know something is seriously wrong.
“Alright. What did you bring with you?” Techno noted the chest sitting in Tommy’s boat.
“Some food, water. And the Netherite gear I nicked from your base,” Tommy paused as if reconsidering his words, “Please don’t kill me for that.”
“Oh good,” Techno relaxed for a bit, “We won’t have to worry about getting Netherite gear for you. We’ll just have to add better enchants, the enchants on the spare Netherite sets are useless.”
And for the first time in a long while, Techno saw Tommy let out a true, genuine smile.
---
“You gotta work on your footing,” Techno advised, “See, your problem is that you’re too immobile. Your handwork is good, but your footwork needs improving. You gotta follow your opponent, you get what I mean?”
“Mhm.”
Wooden swords clashed, and this time Tommy kept up with Techno’s quick paced movements. It reminded Techno of the old times, when he was just a teen and Tommy a literal child. He looked up to the two of them, Techno and Wilbur, a lot. Always pestering to spar and making the other three of them laugh. Techno would relentlessly bully the kid, as per usual, but really, he’s proud of how fast Tommy could learn and catch up.
“You’re already doing better than you did in SMPEarth. That’s not saying much.”
“Oh fuck off, Technoblade.”
---
Phil’s wings folded as he landed onto the soft snow. He felt like he was back in SMPEarth, when the days of the Antarctic Empire ruled the world, quite literally, or Tommy and the others from Business Bay often antagonizing them. He missed them. Those were the times when wars weren’t serious, when nobody aimed to kill, when everything was fun and games.
He heard laughing from two voices. One was gasping for air and couldn’t seem to stop, the other was deep and more like a chuckle, but it was genuine and pretty much the equivalent of the other voice’s situation for the individual.
“Dad!” The first voice paused as the voices’ owners came into view. They both looked so happy. Last time Phil saw his sons, Techno was banned from L’Manberg and was heading out, and Tommy was tired and devastated from the whole mess of being exiled again. Phil had ripped into Dream several moments after Tommy left, like the Father he was. He’s confident he made the admin at least very uncomfortable.
A ball of red stumbled into the man and gave him a hug. Phil was hit with a wave of nostalgia as memories of Tommy as a child being as clingy as he kept denying. He ruffled the blonde’s hair, a smile on his face. This felt exactly like before they all went their separate ways and everything went downhill.
“Hey Tommy,” Phil pushed the clingy teen off him, smiles on both their faces, “How are you today?”
“Today was poggers! I beat Techno in a fight-”
“You did not! ” Techno’s voice drifted from the back, “You nearly did with some cheating but I prevailed. Technoblade never dies! ” Tommy flipped the older man a bird, which got a bubbly laugh out of Phil.
“I see you boys are having fun,” A grin was obvious on Phil’s face. He was happy, and his boys were happy.
“I thought you were staying at L’Manberg to help Ghostbur?” Techno caught up, slightly surprised and confused by his Father’s appearance, but welcome nonetheless.
“I… Want to make up for the time I left you two alone for the DreamSMP to break,” Phil’s voice was soft, “Ghostbur is bonding with Fundy at the moment.”
“This is like the Antarctic Empire again,” Tommy backed away, feigning horror. Phil started laughing. Tommy’s ‘fear’ was justified. Phil clearly remembered the playful bullying they did to the younger boy during the SMPEarth days.
“Nah, Empires are a form of government,” Techno shrugged.
“Antarctic Anarchists?” Phil suggested. He watched his sons’ eyes light up.
“Yeah! Antarctic Anarchists! Uh, there’s nobody to reform Business Bay with,” Tommy’s voice dwindled towards the end.
“TommyInnit, honorary member of the Antarctic Anarchists?”
“POG!”