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“I might go and visit my old library!” Ghostbur’s voice was high-pitched and light as he spoke in excitement to the men gathered in his brother’s new home. As much as he hated calling this barren land such, he couldn’t deny the truth. He glanced over to Tommy who was building a small tent out of white wool, his usual banter not making much of an appearance despite the multiple people around him.
The now dead man wasn’t stupid, yes his memory was quite messed up, and he’d often forget important details in the heat of the moment, but he’d never forget his family. Ghostbur knew he had a father, a brave man by the name of Philza, and two younger brothers, Technoblade and Tommy. He also knew his mother was certainly not a Samsung refrigerator, but the look on Phil’s face when he suggested it was priceless.
The ghost shook himself out of his thoughts and focused on examining the hastily built tent. His youngest brother was adamant about being able to watch the sunset, and for the life of him, or lack thereof, Ghostbur couldn’t remember why that was so important to Tommy.
He saw how his brother was tiring quickly and Ghostbur decided that getting away from the obviously taxing conversation would be best for the teen. His mind decided then would be the time to forget about his responsibilities and fill with whimsical ideas that held no real meaning. “Do you wanna come with me, Tommy?” His little brother’s head snapped up to look at him, “do you wanna come with me and visit the old library?”
Ghostbur didn’t quite realize why everything seemed a bit different, his shoulders seemed much lighter even when he couldn’t feel most things. He decided to shrug it off, marking it up to the side effects of being dead and being attached to the living world as a ghost. Focusing back on the present, Ghostbur was thoroughly confused when he saw Tommy blinking back tears. The young blonde’s eyes showed with a hesitant excitement as he nodded his head rapidly. “Yes, yes please!” He started to stand when Dream stepped up behind him, the man’s shadow looming over Tommy.
The teen slouched back into a sitting position, mumbling incoherently. “No, no, no,” Dream laughed, shaking his head at Ghostbur. “He wants to stay here with me.” A tan hand gripped the axe handle attached to Dream’s waist and the brunette was rightfully confused when Tommy started to shake his head no again. “I don’t, I definitely don't!” Tommy was looking desperately at the ghost who had begun to look at the other people present.
Sapnap had immediately avoided eye contact while Bad began to shift his weight from one foot to the other. “Who,” Ghostbur tilted his head in confusion, “who do I believe?” Was he forgetting something again? An ugly feeling bubbled in his chest, as the ghost’s head started to throb with a phantom pain.
Tommy scrambled to his feet, looking desperate to leave the place of his exile. “Me!” The blonde’s voice carried in the relatively barren plains biome as the tension between Dream and the two brothers began to rise. Ghostbur watched as Dream placed a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “He’s just trying to be nice to you, Wilbur” his grip noticeably tightened, “he’s just trying to be nice.” Dream’s tone was sickeningly sweet and it somehow made Ghostbur’s stomach turn.
His youngest brother’s eyes were starting to pool with tears, and the ghost felt his heart clench. “I’m not! Wilbur, I want to come with you!” The familiar name struck a chord in the dead man, the wispy images in his head starting to clear. Tommy’s eyes were wide open, filled with desperation like Ghostbur had never seen before. The heartbreaking sight forced him to look away and collect his thoughts.
Dream tugged Tommy back towards the chest full of building materials, “well he can’t.” His words held a hidden warning, showing that the argument was over. Tommy’s shoulders slumped, and he sighed, “I can’t.” A twisted smile reached Dream’s face and the older blonde looked satisfied, his expression not settling well with the ghost.
The group descended into silence, Sapnap began looking around, obviously trying to figure a way out of the awkward situation, and Bad had started picking at the grassy ground. Tommy rummaged through the few chests he had, a frown evident on his face. “I’ll tell you about it when I’m there.” Tommy looked to his brother and Ghostbur gave the blonde what he hoped was a reassuring smile. The young teen carried some fences to the white tent and started to stack them. His hands stilled in their movement and Tommy’s voice rang out timidly in the silence, “please don’t leave me.”
Ghostbur had already steeled himself to break the awkward silence so he didn’t register what his youngest brother had said for a little bit. “I’ll tell you what it’s like,” Ghostbur’s voice was light and happy, “I’ll be like hey look-”. The ghost stopped his movements, his brain catching up to Tommy's words. “Don’t leave you?” Ghostbur asked, floating closer to where his brother was working on the tent. “I’ll be back,” his words were soft and gentle. “I’ll be back.”
Tommy nodded his head, but his continuing silence showed his doubt in the statement. He turned away from his dead brother, evidently choosing to ignore the concern in his voice. He tried to remember why his brother could even fathom Ghostbur leaving him, but came up blank, causing his growing annoyance to spike.
The silence among the five was uneasy as the youngest continued to build his little tent. Dream and Sapnap decided that taunting Tommy would be the best way to break it. Ghostbur saw his brother’s knuckles turn white as he gripped the wool he was holding. While the three bickered, Ghostbur made his way over to the beach. He climbed into one of the boats and silently waved to Tommy when the blonde caught his eye. Ghostbur smiled once more before sailing away, dolphins swimming happily by his boat.
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Ghostbur was thankful he couldn’t feel physical exhaustion because he was sure the almost hour-long journey would’ve tired him out completely. A relieved smile reached his face when he reached the dock just outside of L’Manburg. The calmness of the ocean and the long time alone helped him recollect his thoughts, the bitter resentment he held towards Dream making its presence known.
He floated out of the oak boat and quickly made his way to his little library under L’Manburg’s main square. Ghostbur couldn’t help but laugh when as he rummaged through all the books, he found the infamous book. “How to Sex 2” had been written quite a few months ago around midnight when Tommy had been unbelievably sleep-deprived.
Ghostbur tucked the book away and turned to go to the newly built Christmas tree when the ghost made eye contact with a tall figure. Ranboo, an enderman hybrid around Tommy’s age, stood outside his own house. He paused for a few moments before quickly making his way over to Ghostbur. Before he could greet the taller teen with false bravo, Ranboo spoke quickly, “is he alright?”
The brunette tilted his head in confusion, “Tommy?” The teen nodded his head rapidly. Ghostbur paused to think for a moment, wondering if he could truly trust the kid. “You will not speak a word of this to anyone,” he decided on saying, testing the way Ranboo would react. His eyes widened in surprise, no doubt shocked at the distinct lack of an echo behind Ghostbur’s words.
“I promise, Tommy doesn’t deserve this.” Ghostbur hummed, the teen seemed to be almost as angry as him. He leaned close to Ranboo, making sure no one else would hear, and whispered, “I’m getting my family, and Dream’s going to pay for this.” The hybrid leaned back, his demeanor remaining calm but his heterochromatic eyes showing a range of emotions.
“Good luck, I’m glad you see the true villain behind this mess.” Ghostbur laughed as his words shook with obvious anger. The unlikely pair of allies parted ways, secretive smiles lighting up their faces. The ghost quickly took a few pictures of L’Manburg, hoping his little brother would appreciate it, and then messaged him.
I’m coming back, the simple message said and his communicator dinged indicating it had been read, yet there was no reply. Ghostbur frowned and quickly sent more, Tommy are you gonna be at the campsite when I get there? This time he got a reply from the young teen, yah, yah I will. The response was too short for his brother, Tommy’s messaging style consisted of all caps and typos, nothing like what he did now. Ghostbur was once again reminded how much Dream had messed up his youngest brother. He had taken the life out of Tommy, made him a husk of the energetic and lively boy Ghostbur knew.
He turned away from the main area and found the nearest ender chest. Phil had told his eldest son that he’d be visiting Techno for a while so he gave an important compass to the ghost. Technoblade had given his father a compass that pointed to the small cottage the piglin hybrid had retired to, and now Ghostbur was going to use it to save Tommy.
“Hey, Ghostbur! What are you doing?” Bad’s excited voice came from behind him and he quickly slammed the lid of the ender chest shut. He should’ve seen this coming. “Hi Bad!” He made sure his voice stayed light and happy even though he was panicking that the demon had seen the compass he had stowed away in his ender chest.
“I was just about to head back to Tommy, what are you doing here?” Bad smiled at the ghost’s question as the two made their way to the dock, thankfully showing no sign of seeing anything suspicious. “Oh Dream asked me to come to check on you.” Bad didn’t seem bothered at the request and he fought to keep the frown off his face. Dream was developing a bad habit of sticking his nose in other people’s business and Ghostbur was not happy about it.
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Ghostbur’s communicator made two chiming sounds as both Bad and himself joined into the call Sapnap, Dream, and Tommy had stayed on. “Tommy I have two gifts for you from L’Manburg!” He hoped the small presents could distract his brother from the relentless taunts of Dream and his friends.
“Oh really, is it immortality?” Tommy’s voice came from the hill to his right, teasing, and light. Ghostbur laughed happily, waving to his younger brother. “No, I’ve already got that! Look come in the house!” The ghost smiled and led the blonde to the quaint hut, with Sapnap and Dream following close behind. Bad made his exit known as he waved goodbye to the four.
“Where should we put it, Tommy?” Ghostbur asked, holding the picture he had taken of L’Manburg. Tommy pointed to the relatively untouched wall by the door of the house. “Right on that big empty wall where Dream is stood.” Dream politely took a step back and Ghostbur hurried to set up the item frame before delicately placing the picture in it.
The image was of the seating area for the cabinet of L’Manburg, the background also showed the new vendors that had popped up in the country. Tommy gave the new addition to the house a sad smile. “Oh and also I got you this,” Ghostbur handed his brother the shiny book, hoping to wipe the sullen look off his face.
Tommy grinned wickedly and opened the cover, already starting to laugh at the first few words. The group continued to joke around and laugh, and Ghostbur was happy to see that Dream had cut back on the teasing. The older man handed a few extra obsidian to Tommy and the group made their way over to the ruined nether portal.
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Ghostbur grimaced as Dream made another demeaning remark towards Tommy, but the young boy just trudged on. They had been in the hellish dimension for a while trying to find the nether hub to the Dream SMP. The ghost knew why Tommy wanted to find the portal, but Ghostbur also knew that Dream would never actually let him through.
They definitely got a little lost because Dream had said he was almost positive Tommy’s portal wasn’t too far from the hub, and they had been traveling for a while. Sapnap pointed off into the distance. “Hey look you can see the-'' his words were caught off as Tommy shoved past the 19-year-old and started sprinting. “My home!”
Ghostbur felt his heart break all over again as the rest of the group followed the teen who was still yelling about finding his home. He had to fix this, Ghostbur had never felt more sure of anything after he died, but this deserved all of his efforts. Once they all caught up to Tommy, the teen was just staring into the purple swirls of the portal, seemingly mesmerized by its intensity.
Sapnap let out a laugh and stepped into the frame, “hey Tommy, look at me!” Dream started to laugh too and Sapnap disappeared to the Dream SMP. “Don’t mock him,” Dream chuckled, but his tone suggested he wanted his friend to continue. Ghostbur ground his teeth, pointedly trying to ignore the rude remarks being thrown at his brother.
“Oh, guys there’s a Christmas tree!” Sapnap’s voice came through their call with a small beep. Tommy’s shoulder hunched as he took a step back from the portal, and the ghost was tempted to break his communicator. Why did Tommy have to be hurt constantly, couldn’t he have a break? He turned towards Dream and asked, “can I go see the Christmas tree?” The green bastard had the audacity to laugh, Sapnap joining him when he stepped back out of the portal.
Ghostbur clenched his fists as Dream continued to cackle and tell Tommy no. He then turned to the ghost who had to quickly school his expression into one of calmness and detachment. “Here, Wilbur can go through and take a photo for you.” Now the ghost wouldn’t lie, he was slightly confused. Why would Dream try to do something nice for Tommy? What reason did he have when he constantly harassed the teen in exile?
He chooses to nod anyway, a picture was better than nothing after all. Before he stepped through the portal, Sapnap started to goad Tommy. “C’mon Tommy go in, what’s Dream gonna do, huh?” He kept nudging the blonde closer to the portal and Ghostbur was getting ready to intervene. Dream just stood and watched with a smile as his friend kept egging the teen on.
“Just go, Tommy!” Then Sapnap was shoving Tommy through the portal. Tommy let out a string of panicked curses as he scrambled out of the frame, looking to Dream with scared eyes. Said man just shrieked with laughter as Sapnap cackled at Tommy’s terrified expression. Ghostbur once again had to curb his anger, blowing up now would do no good, although punting the two adults seemed like a wonderful idea at the moment. He’d have to store this rage until he could actually do damage.
“Come on Sapnap, let’s go to the tree,” the ghost said, tone falsely happy. He grumbled but Sapnap followed the ghost into the purple portal. Ghostbur sent one last look towards his brother, hopeful that Dream wouldn’t cause too much mental destruction while he was gone.
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Tommy watched Ghostbur enter the portal, the two made eye contact before his brother was whisked away to the Dream SMP. He sighed and turned towards the bridge that led to the more natural area of the nether, red fungus growing over the man-made bridges. Dream didn’t make any move to speak so the teen plopped down onto the floating path, legs dangling over the edge.
The lava bubbled and burst at random intervals, and the sight mesmerized Tommy. He watched with a morbid intensity as the red hot liquid swayed like the waves of the ocean. Maybe he could get just a closer look. He felt, as well as heard, a harsh thwack on the back of his head and Tommy turned to see an annoyed Dream. The teen rolled his eyes and turned back to the lava when the older blonde grabbed his arm.
Dream hoisted Tommy up, and not so gently shoved him away from the edge. “It’s not your time to die yet,” Dream said, annoyance evident in his tone. He spoke as if the teen was ruining some script. Tommy wanted to scream that this wasn’t some play for Dream to orchestrate, that the man couldn’t keep playing games with people’s entire lives, but the teen just settled on scoffing. “It’s never my time to die.”
Tommy turned when he heard the familiar sound of the nether portal. The teen swore he saw the flash of a yellow sweater, but he chose not to dwell on it, turning to head towards his new “home”. Dream said nothing more as he trailed behind Tommy, the two making their back to the place of Tommy’s exile. The mindless chatter of Sapnap and Ghostbur filled the daunting silence. Tommy glanced at Dream before deciding to take a chance, “can I not just have one little walk along the prime path?”
Dream shot him a look, “no,” he said, dragging out the syllable. The teen tried again, “can I on Christmas Day?” He was met with silence as Dream put on a thoughtful face. “I’d consider an exception.” Tommy broke into a grin and turned forward to jump over a gap in the way, his excitement giving him a boost of energy. “But, probably not.”
The teen’s smile dropped once again and someone took a sharp intake of breath through their communicators. Tommy guessed it was probably Sapnap falling off the Christmas tree. The remainder of the walk back to Tommy’s portal was quiet except for the hushed conversation of the two people still in the Dream SMP.
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Ghostbur stepped through the portal with Sapnap, a hesitant smile on his pale face. The new photo for his younger brother was held firm in his grasp, losing it wouldn’t do either of them any good. The pair made their way to the white tent Tommy had built earlier and saw him swiftly killing an enderman, Dream watching in boredom.
The teen groaned loudly when he received no pearl for killing the tall mob. “Look, Tommy, Tommy look!” The blonde’s brother smiled excitedly as he handed Tommy the picture, a strangled noise that sounded almost like a laugh leaving the boy’s throat. The sound once again reminded Ghostbur of what he was going to fight for.
“Christmas!” Ghostbur tried to be cheerful again, both trying to keep up more of an aloof front and to lift his brother’s spirits. Tommy’s eyes stayed glued to the paper and Ghostbur frowned at his prolonged silence. Sapnap and Ghostbur both repeated the word but Tommy continued to stare down at the paper. The blonde finally stuttered out quietly, “is that really there, is that real?”
The others present all confirmed that the new Christmas tree was indeed real, but Tommy still looked skeptical. The blonde turned towards Dream who already looked annoyed at the prospect of another question. “Can I go and see it, Dream?” Ghostbur grimaced at the childlike glee in Tommy’s voice, Dream would rip him to shreds.
“No Tommy,” the older blonde dragged out the first word. “You keep asking the same question,” his tone held a warning, but it was obvious Tommy didn’t notice or just didn’t care. “Can I go and see the tree?” Ghostbur knew that Tommy had finally crossed a line even before Dream had even whipped around to face the teen.
“Tommy you can’t go and see the tree,” the strong bite to his words showed Dream’s rising anger, and Ghostbur quickly decided to step in. “Dream why don’t you just let him, it’s not in L’Manburg.” The ghost fought to keep the unaffected expression on his face when he truly wanted to just deck the man in front of him. “Just let him see the tree and escort him back,” Ghostbur gave a bright smile to Dream, the pool of rage he felt not showing.
Dream’s frown turned into a full snarl, showing off the sharp canines that no one knew how he had. “It’s not in L’Manburg but it’s in Dream SMP.” Dream leveled a stare at Tommy who had understood the hidden threat in the man’s words. Ghostbur fought the urge to give Dream a piece of his mind and instead tried to redirect the conversation.
“Tommy, why don’t we build our own Christmas tree?” He shot his brother a half-smile as the younger stared at Dream for a second more before facing Ghostbur. “Uh yeah, I’ll build one,” the boy gave a tentative grin. Ever the older brother, Ghostbur ruffled his hair and smiled.
The two tried to clear an area for the tree, but Dream and Sapnap still taunted Tommy until the sun had dipped well below the horizon. “Oh we must be going then,” Dream said, with false cheer, giving a salute to the two brothers. Tommy didn’t even glance in the man’s direction as Ghostbur waved them off, hoping their absence would finally let his brother breathe.
The duo set out for their homes as Tommy sat down in his small tent. Ghostbur frowned, he had to get his family as soon as possible, but he couldn’t just leave Tommy. “Don’t you have somewhere to be Ghostbur?” The teen’s tone was flat and tired. “Actually I-” his response was cut off as Tommy turned away from him and muttered, “just go away.”
Ghostbur reared back, a bit shocked before recovering. He floated towards his brother, patted his back, and left him, whispering a quiet goodbye. Tommy had already lost so much, and he refused to let his horrible mistreatment go on any longer. The ghost pulled the compass out of his pocket and set off, ready to fix the mess his family’s life had become.
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Now, Technoblade said he was retired, but was he truly? The piglin hybrid was fully prepared to blow up the world if his adoptive father Phil so much as hinted at it. Then again, that wasn’t something the blonde would normally ask of his son. However, the ghost of Philza’s eldest child was now at Techno’s doorstep, looking far angrier than the dead man ever had.
“Is everything alright, Wil?” Phil asked, his brows creasing in confusion. When no response was given, Techno silently opened the door farther, letting the fuming ghost in. The specter floated in, if he was human he probably would have stomped in. Before either of the house’s residents could speak, Ghostbur whirled around, fuming.
“I’m sick of keeping up this pitiful act, we’re getting Tommy and we’re getting him now.” Phil stumbled back into a side table, a small vase shattering into pieces on the floor. No one made any move to pick it up. “Wil?” The father’s eyes were blown wide open, his entire body practically screaming shock. “Your voice-”
The ghost rolled his eyes, anger overriding the respect he held for his family. “Yes, I’m not an aloof moron now we need to get Tommy.” Techno stared at his twin before sighing. He moved towards a sword in the corner before handing it to the ghost. Philza watched in amazement as Ghostbur easily became corporeal enough to take the sword.
“What, Wil how?” He cut off Phil with an overexaggerated sigh before sending him an amused look. “C’mon dad,” Ghostbur said with a grin, “you couldn’t get rid of me that easy!” Phil looked to his younger son , “mate, how are you not at least slightly confused by this?” The piglin hybrid decided to take pity on their bewildered father and shrugged. “I’ve had my theories, but with no proof, what was the point of saying anything.”
Phil blinked once, then twice, before covering his face with his hands. When an exhausted groan came from the blonde, the other two started laughing. With a partially annoyed smile, Phil lifted his head. “Alright you two, I want an explanation, but for now what’s wrong with Tommy.” Wilbur nodded his head, his carefree expression slipping back into a barely concealed rage.
“Tommy hasn’t gotten many visitors during his exile, it’s been months, he’s had Techno come to mock him once, and I’ve built with him a handful of times.” Phil nodded, as his son casually crossed his legs in the air, swaying slightly. “Dream, however, has been there every day.”
Wilbur wished he didn’t have to recount everything. He wished that Tommy had never been exiled in the first place, he wished he didn’t die before he could protect his brother. He didn’t want to see his father realize the neglect and favoritism that had slowly driven his youngest to borderline terrorism and his eldest to insanity. The young ghost shouldn’t have had to see his proud twin realize that his jokes had gone too far a few too many times.
However, this life wasn’t easy, it was never meant to be simple. So Wilbur watched his family suffer, he watched they hurt. That night, they all had to face the truth: their family wasn’t ok, and it hadn’t been for a long time, but part of fixing the problem is identifying it. They could heal, they could patch up the wounds, no matter if they were self-inflicted or caused by the malicious people they once called friends. However, to heal, they needed everyone, and possibly the most broken out of them all was so very alone.
“As much as I would love to send all three of us into an existential crisis about how terrible of people we are,” Techno scoffed, trying to hide the guilt consuming him. Wilbur shot his twin a glare before continuing, “Tommy needs us and he needs us now.” Phil, despite his evident tears and swirling turmoil, got up and motioned for his sons to follow. The blonde led them to his room, opened up his closet, and took out a delicately carved wooden box.
Phil opened the container and inside was a mass of silky blue and white fur. “Phil-” Techno said in shock, instantly recognizing the fabrics that held so many of their past memories. “These uniforms represented a different time,” their father said, holding up a coat nearly the same as the one around his shoulders. “Although you were in another group Wil, these uniforms were never meant for just us two.”
The twins watched as four pale sets of matching but not identical clothes were gently laid out across the floor. “You’ve all grown and changed so much, but I changed them with you. Call me an old man all you want, but watching you kids grow up has been the best and hardest thing I’ve ever done.” Wilbur is reminded that their father has lived much longer than them all. He’s done so many great things but yet he never once stopped to take a break, always focused on doing something even grander than his previous achievement.
The ghost doesn’t remember the last time his dad wasn’t bustling about with a new project or exciting adventure on the horizon. For just a second, Wilbur sees a tired father who just wants happiness for his children, and maybe just maybe his sons can finally give that to him. Techno laid a gentle but firm hand on the blonde’s shoulder who looked up at his son, tear-filled eyes lost and confused. “We messed up dad, but we haven’t lost everything.”
The trio had realized their mistakes, and now they had to fix them. With a squeeze to Phil’s shoulder, Techno gently picked up an elegant cape. The style was familiar, the noticeable differences being the colder color and the pale snowflakes that cascaded around the fabric. A practiced swing set the regal coat around Techno’s shoulders and he glanced at his father, a proud expression taking over the blonde’s features.
“Alright Wilbur, let’s do this,” Phil said, standing up from the floor, only a slight twitch in his wings showing any of his discomfort. The ghost glanced at the swath of fabric on the floor, was this finally it? A half-smile graced his features as the eldest sibling picked up a crewneck and pointedly ignored the coat laid out for him. “I get you don’t exactly feel temperature, but it’s a bit cold outside mate.” Phil laughed, nodding his head towards the jacket made for Wilbur. He simply smiled and shook his head, “don’t worry Phil, Tommy has a coat that’ll do just fine.” Techno snorted, the image of a deranged Wilbur not quite matching the energetic ghost in front of him.
The younger twin patted his brother on the shoulder and made his way out of the room. “Try not to get too much gunpowder on it this time, ok?” The hybrid snickered when he heard the indignant shouts of his older brother. Wilbur sighed and turned towards Phil who had simply watched the brotherly exchange with an amused smile. “Don’t look at me like that Wil, you’ve missed this.” The brunette scoffed, but grinned nonetheless, “Yeah, yeah I have.”
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As much as Tommy hated Dream with every fiber of his being, the man at least visited him. Even his father had practically dropped off the face of the planet, never seeing his youngest son since the day he killed Wilbur. Tommy physically flinched at the memory, days without seeing the ghost of his eldest brother leaving him with clawing anxiety. What if he never came back?
“Tommy!” Dream exclaimed, clapping the boy on the shoulder, the friendly movement a little too rough. “You’re doing so well!” Tommy’s shoulders slumped as the masked man started to quickly dig a small hole. He never got to keep his items, these moments always served as a reminder that Dream wasn’t always nice to him.
The younger blonde began to take off the iron chestplate strapped around his shirt. He was quite sad to throw it away, he had carved little designs into the leather pieces holding it together. The swirls and patterns reminded him of the doodles that remained on Wilbur’s guitar, not like he’d ever see it again. Tommy also took off the hefty iron boots, only then realizing that one of his shoes was missing.
“Where’s your other shoe?” Dream hummed as he nudged the teen, his posture showing the man’s impatience. The teen shrugged, mumbling something about not knowing where it had gone. Dream didn’t seem to care. Once Tommy had emptied his inventory of supplies, he turned back towards his tent, not wanting to see his items get destroyed for the hundredth time.
He heard the TNT being placed, but surprisingly the sound of a flaming arrow did not follow. Curiosity getting the better of him, Tommy turned around only to be met with an astonishing sight. A gleaming netherite sword was pressed against Dream’s neck, a thin trickle of blood already glinting in the harsh daylight. Even more shocking than that, was the person wielding the blade, Wilbur Soot-Watson, still dead, and yet, surprisingly tangible, stood behind the most powerful person in their world, ready to kill.
Tommy would have laughed if the sound didn’t get caught in his throat at the sight of his father and other brother standing beside Wilbur. Did his family come to get him? Why would they come now, if they’d never come before? The teen saw that on instinct, he looked to Dream for reassurance and the right answer, uncertainty being his habitable reaction to the strange situation. He somehow managed to miss the sick grin his “friend” had when he too realized the same thing.
“Tommy, I don’t know what they’re doing here, but you need to help-” Dream’s mouth snapped close when the sword against his neck was pressed tighter. Wilbur was not here to talk. “No need for words Dream, we can take it from here.” Tommy’s brain barely registered that the ghost’s voice was no longer horribly echoey as his father began to step closer to him. “Hey Toms,” he whispered softly, his voice carrying in the empty plains biome.
Tommy made eye contact with the man who had cared for him for years, the interaction similar to that of trying to console a wild animal. Maybe in some ways, Tommy was that wild animal, fearful and scared, but deathly curious. Would it be better to go to Phil? Maybe he’d get to keep some of his things, like his new discs or a tool every once in a while. The teen took a hesitant step towards the blonde in front of him.
“I’ve got an old photo back at the house you’ll love to see,” Phil said, a warm smile on his lips as his youngest son slightly tilted his head in confusion. “You probably won’t remember, shit mate, you were barely five,” he continued. The teen couldn’t help but inch closer to his dad as Phil explained how the then-toddler Tommy had messily braided red ribbons into Techno’s hair. Phil let out a breathy laugh, not believing how close Tommy was coming to him, “you claimed that pink was the inferior red.”
“Well it is big man, red is obviously the better choice.” The painfully familiar sentence wasn’t said in its usual bravo, but it reassured Phil that he hadn’t completely lost his youngest son. The man didn’t know what he’d do if he had. Tommy didn’t understand why hearing about his childhood helped ease this unknown ache in his chest. Maybe he had simply forgotten that his entire life wasn’t solely waking up to a crumbling tent and slowly losing his grasp on the reality outside his little “home.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Tommy saw Dream struggling against Wilbur, but since the man was already dead, the trapped blonde couldn’t hurt him to get away. The teen was surprised, he didn’t care, Phil’s open arms and soft expression were keeping his attention much better. “Is there any other stuff I haven’t seen from home?” The older of the two ignored the way his heart clenched painfully at the mention of home. Brief memories of a cozy seaside cottage and a loving and beautiful woman flashed through his mind, but he shook them away, focusing on the boy in front of him.
“Oh, there must be hundreds, so many little moments I’m sure you and your brothers would love to hear about.” Tommy glanced over Phil’s shoulder and made eye contact with Techno. There was no malice, no anger, just two siblings who hadn’t spoken in a long time finally seeing each other. With one final shaking step, Tommy collapsed in his father’s arms, his bony arms gripping his coat as tight as he could. Phil’s arms cradled the malnourished teen, silently thanking whatever deity out there that his son would be safe now. “Dad I wanna go home.” He simply nodded and rested his chin on Tommy’s head. “Ok Toms, let’s go home.”