Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Christmas market in their neighborhood only opened at night, illuminating the town square with a plethora of lights and laughter. Many of the adults chipped in to set up their own booth to sell, but very rarely did it snow on market days. They walked freely and exhaled out white breaths.

Tommy grumbled as he set up the booth and stage. He loved the market, and sure he maybe likes helping Techno and Wilbur set up for their part in the market. Wilbur does the singing and the social shit, while Techno actually sells the food that Phil made. They all have their roles, and Tommy was given money to leave them alone and not fuck shit up too much.

But he wasn’t forced to pinky promise on it this year, so take that!

He puts the last box down. “I’m done moving all this shit, Wilbur!” Tommy pulls his gloves on and strolls past the boxes without a second look, and he thinks he hears Wilbur call after him.

He runs, successfully escaping his duties from the booth.

Well, that part about successfully escaping would be a lie. Techno cut him off at the back of George’s stinking booth. This is all George’s fault.

No, Tommy does not run when Tubbo shows up at the market. But it’s a whole world better when Wilbur and Techno finally let him stop moving shit and wander the mostly open market. Tubbo hugs Tommy and waves hi at the two older men before dragging Tommy off by his once again gloveless hands. 

“Tommy… you know that your hands are freezing now, right?”

“Big man knows no cold!! The cold’s my bitch!” There’s a pause as both of them slow down. “But yeah yeah, I’m gonna put on my gloves.” 

Tubbo shifts around as Tommy puts on his gloves and meets eyes with Ranboo, who quickly turns to Niki. She then follows his line of sight and makes eye contact with the two boys, and gives a wide smile. She ushers them over as Ranboo seemingly disappears to the back of the booth.

“Tommy! Tubbo! How are you two? Enjoying the market, I hope.” 

“Er, yeah! I mean, I just got here but it’s been great so far!” Tubbo gives her a smile, Tommy offers her a slight scowl without any bite to it.

“I’d consider it enjoyable if Wilbur and Techno didn’t fucking trap me and make me do work. I thought this break was supposed to help me avoid work, not shove more onto me!”

“Well, at least it’s better now, yeah? You have a break now.” Tommy gives a half-shrug and gives a vague nod. Good enough. “Oh, I’ll tell you what. I’ll give both of you half off on your purchases here, since you’re both regulars of the market. And you’re the first customers.”

Tommy and Tubbo exchange glances before searching their pockets for their money. They easily pick out what they want, holding the money out. Tubbo happily digs into his slice of cake, while Tommy inspects it.

He grins and digs in, mumbling and typing out a text to Wilbur. “Take that… you bitch, I get cake first… and I get it with a better deal…” Pause. “Seems good, seems good.”

Tubbo snorts. “Oh yeah, I’m sure that really taught Wilbur something… what did that prove, exactly?”

“Big T, my MAN, it proved that Niki Nihachu is nicer to me than to Wilbur. That’s a power move.” Tubbo snorts through bites, and Tommy swallows the last of his cake before pointing out the next stall set up by Sam and Ant. Tubbo nearly chokes while downing the cake and runs with Tommy running right after him, calling him "disgusting" and an "idiot" for not enjoying the cake.

Tubbo just laughs, and Tommy barks out another laugh with him. The snow begins to fall as they race to be the first customer in each stall for those deals.

If Tommy still manages to embarrass Wilbur, scam people at Deo's stall, crash Quackity's performance, and prank George? It's just another successful year for the big man.

Chapter Text

“Wil?”

“Yeah, Tommy?”

“Why the fuck do people change the colors of candy canes? It’s so ugly. Who makes ‘em green and pink? Green and more green ?” Tommy holds up the green and green candy cane and gestures aggressively at it. “Look at it! Techno, don’t you agree?”

“Don’t look at me for that kind of stuff. The artist here is Wil, and he’s yet to give his opinion on it.” Techno rips the box of candy canes open, all the differently colored candy canes spilling out. He eyes a green and blue one suspiciously.

Wilbur shrugs. “I don’t see what’s wrong with them, personally. They’re just candy canes. They’re minty candy, and they’re full of Christmas spirit! So get decorating with them, asshole and Techno.”

He reaches to get another candy cane to hang on the tree, but Tommy smacks his hand away with a barking laugh. Techno grabs a candy cane and licks it while Wilbur’s distracted, and then he places it closest to Wilbur.

Tommy sees this and laughs, but his joy is relatively short lived when Wilbur puts his hand over Tommy’s mouth. “Tommy please , I have a headache and this is supposed to be therapeuti-- ” Wilbur hisses and cuts himself off. “What the fuck, did you just lick my hand!”

“Eat that, bitch! Fuck yeah!!” Tommy marches to the back of the couch and Wilbur just sighs and goes back over to the tree. He gets to decorating again and reaches for the nearest candy cane--

--and pulls back when his hands are met with a sticky mess.

He glares at Techno, who’s just smirking as Tommy tries to get a fist-bump. They make eye contact, and it’s hardly broken when Techno gives one to Tommy.

Wilbur rolls his eyes. “I stand corrected. Get to decorating, assholes!”

Tommy dramatically gasps. “PHIIIIIIIL! WIL SAID A BAD NO-NO WORD!”

“Look who’s calling the kettle black here! It's not even that bad compared to--”

“Fuck.”

Wilbur and Tommy exchange glances as they turn to Techno. They nod, and--

“PHIIIIIIIL! TECHNO SAID A NAUGHTY WORD!”

Chapter Text

I was following the pack 

All swallowed in their coats

It starts like this. Tommy and Tubbo were children who stumble onto the Dream SMP land. They follow the whims of the adults and hold things close.

When those things, the discs, are torn away with such ease, they turn against the people who take them and break their own rules. A war starts and they experience genuine fighting, their blood stains the ground. They are determined, and they win.

Another story starts. Tommy and Tubbo are taken under the wing of someone ambitious. Tubbo suggests a place of peace, and they agree. He is Wilbur Soot, a charismatic man who sings sweet words. The drugs start, and it goes from a place of peace to a nation.

With scarves of red tied 'round their throats

Another war starts. They gather together to whisper sweet promises to keep morale up, even in the face of betrayal.

( Snow white eyes stare back at them. “It was never meant to be.” The whispers turn malicious before they’re all slain. 

They feel the red blood leaking out. It’s painful. It’s the soldiers’, the children’s first time. )

A duel is fought and lost. A deal, a sacrifice is made.

They are free. 

Citizens of L’manberg start to come in, and the nation is built with laughter and a promise of protection. (The nation is built on the bloodshed and sacrifice of children.) They find their place in the great nation, and their land flourishes. 

The citizens say that they need a democracy, they need representatives rather than rulers. (Rulers remind them of a traitor.) 

So the founding fathers hold an election.

To keep their little heads

From fallin' in the snow

Two of the founding fathers are exiled from their nation. Two of the founding fathers are separated (they are still children). 

A founding father loses it. Wilbur Soot goes from grieving to delusions of betrayal and delusions that L’manberg is his. He wants to blow it up, and he wants his right-hand man to help. He wants to be the villain.

Tommy doesn’t want to believe the whispers of betrayal, so he doesn’t. Doubt seeps in, but his faith for his best friend strengthens. He doesn’t want to be the villain. He wants L’manberg back, but not in the way Wilbur does.

Not in the way Technoblade, their new member, does.

Tommy gets the help of Tubbo. (He dies to fireworks by the Blade. He pushes away thoughts of betrayal.)

Then more people come: Niki, Quackity, Ponk, Sam, Fundy, Bad… everyone.

(The whispers of betrayal are back. Dream is the one to break it to them.

They are true, this time. The war happens. The nation still blows up and the Withers spawn.

Tommy doesn’t like being alone. So he fights to keep everyone alive.

Wilbur still dies. Techno still leaves. Tubbo is president.)

And I turned 'round and there you go

Priorities change. 

Tommy’s goes back to the discs after he’s sacrificed so much. Tubbo’s goes to the nation (his nation).

They don’t want to lose a best friend over this. But the distance grows wider.

Tubbo runs a nation. Tommy is there with him.

But Tommy runs on his own two feet and his motives are clear. Tubbo does not run with him, and the distance grows wider still.

They used to sit on the bench and talk. Now they linger at the bench at separate times. They do not see each other anymore, if not for official business.

They cannot ignore the pit in their chests.

And, Michael, you would fall

Tommy is exiled. 

Tubbo’s the one to make the decision.

Tommy runs with one last look to L’manberg, to his best friend.

Tubbo watches him run the whole way with tears on the brink of falling. 

The pit in their stomach and heart grows larger.

( They are separated once again, following the whims and ways that they believe to be right. They are not following anyone this time, but they are used to looking at the world like the adults that have failed them.

They do not notice. )

And turn the white snow red as strawberries

It’s a snowy day in the SMP. Winter has come yet again.

L’manberg flourishes.

The air finally feels as cold as Tubbo’s heart, with walls around it keeping out the warmth of things that once were.

The air stings as Tommy steps out, and the white of the snow matches his icy glare.

Tubbo and Tommy meet outside of L’manberg, and a warmth pools in their chests and stomachs. They hug and talk. Tubbo hesitates less and carries the charisma of a man that once was. Tommy is tougher and carries the hard skill of a man that once taught them.

They play in the snow like children (they still are children).

Children do not worry about being killed. They do not have to worry about mobs ruining their fun.

Tubbo and Tommy aren't protected.

Tubbo and Tommy have to.

The white snow turns red as strawberries.

In the summertime

Summer was Tubbo’s and Tommy’s favorite season. Spring had all the flowers and the bees, but summer had all the fun. The bees still roamed, and they frolicked freely in flower fields with all the time in the world.

Strawberries were their favorite fruit, for it was in season and always stood out brightly in the fields. Their red always gave them a tasty guarantee.

They died in that strawberry red.

Chapter Text

Puffy smiles at Niki as they shrug off their coats. “Niki, I’m so glad you invited me today! And for decorating wreaths, no less… it’s a great idea for getting into the holiday spirit.”

Niki opens her mouth to reply when a loud shriek erupts from a room down the hall, followed by the sounds of plastic destruction and a barking laughter. Puffy and Niki slowly turn to the hallway, and Niki sighs. 

“Oh, sorry about that! My brother has a friend over, and they can be quite… energetic. And loud.” She smiles sheepishly. “Zuko should be able to keep you company… I’ll go have a talk with the boys. Make yourself comfy!”

Puffy takes a seat and Zuko curls up next to her. “Oh- oh well, alright. Don’t mind if I do.”

Niki and Puffy only get to decorate the wreaths after a full thirty minutes of Niki talking to Ranboo and Tommy, the eldest of them all coming out of the room fully winded. They don’t do anything crazy, only using the few red ornaments and ribbons to compliment the green wreath.

They end up talking and sleeping on the couch to a random cartoon channel running, and that’s when Ranboo and Tommy strike.

“AHA! FINALLY! Ranboo, let’s fricking go!”

“Tommy- Tommy, this is supposed to be quiet. This is a stealth mission. It’s a surprise .”

“Oh, right, sorry. Surprise time!”

Ranboo sighs but follows Tommy as he brings the crafting supplies out to the table where the wreaths lay. He pulls out color after color as he weaves in the pipe cleaners with careful concentration. Ranboo blinks and follows after him, adding in sprinkles of glitter. Both of them grab the paper to add in their handmade ornaments.

It is quiet, then. Not fully, not with the TV blasting at a loud volume. Especially not with Tommy and Ranboo making noises of concentration, Tommy grunting to make things work and Ranboo groaning whenever he felt like something didn’t work. But eventually, the two boys finished their work on the wreaths.

The two styles were very different, and it was easy to tell who did what. Ranboo stuck with his color scheme of black, white, red, and green. Glitter was everywhere, but no one would be able to tell unless they touched it. Tommy, on the other hand, used lots of red but included every color in the rainbow. There were words of greetings everywhere filled with spelling mistakes, but more than enough color and glitter to make up for it.

It was perfect. At least, to them. 

“Big R… this needs more. Right?”

“Uh, yeah Tommy. I don’t know though… it looks pretty good.”

“Ranboo, you just don’t have my artistic expertness. We need to give them a note!”

“... yeah okay, you’re right.”

To Niki and PUffy - 
sorrry for being loud before
we finished your wreeths to make up for it
pls dont be mad
ranboo + TOMMY

Niki and Puffy smiled. They did have to agree that the wreaths looked far more festive… and glittery.

Oh. It would be a little bit of a pain to clean up, but the look on Ranboo and Tommy's faces when they hung it up was priceless.