Chapter Text
Tommy trailed behind Niki, following her with his iron ax.
“Hey, Niki?” Tommy calls, laughing a bit nervously. “Isn’t this a bit far?”
“Well, we don’t want to cut down any trees near Snowchester.” She dismisses easily, her carefree smile still present on his face. “Tubbo would be a bit upset, and the trees around it give it cover.”
Tommy only dryly swallowed, his hair stood on the back of his neck and his fingers twitching as if waiting for something. He claims is around, but still sees nothing. But why was he getting this feeling? This is the feeling that happened with Dream, this is the feeling he got when Jack looked at them too long with his glasses glistening. Why was it happening around Niki?
He slowed, looking around constantly now as his paranoia was growing. He wanted to tell himself it was nothing, that he should stop being so uptight. That there was no need to be so upset, the war was over. But, as much as Techno and Phil try to guide him wrong, there were very few times where Tomy’s instincts were wrong, and he wasn’t about to start doubting them now. Tommy trusted his instincts more than he trusted Niki. So he did.
Turning on his heel and slowly walking away, he left Niki as she kept walking north.
“Tommy? Where’d you go?” He had begun jogging away but was now starting to run as he heard her call his name. He heard whistling, and his communicator was buzzing constantly. Looking up, he sees a metal missile hurling towards the ground behind him. He broke into a sprint, hyperventilating as he spread his wings, about to take off-
BOOM!
-
Tommy’s blood-curdling scream echoed through the entirety of Snowchester and downtown Dream SMP, Sam’s head snapped up, looking around wildly for the source of the sound. Ponk also looked around, his brows furrowed under his ski mask. “That’s Tommy.”
Sam doesn’t respond, only stares at the huge mushroom cloud in the distance. He grasps Ponk’s hand, pulling the African man closer and pulling out his trident in his non-dominant hand.
“Whoa! Sammy, what are we-“
“That’s my kid.” Sam cuts him off, throwing the trident as they soar through the sky. “And if he dies, everyone on this server is going with him. Including me.”
Ponk simply gulped and clung to the dark green hoodie of the creeper hybrid tighter.
-
Tommy can’t feel anything.
He’s taking it as a blessing.
He smells cooking meat, and with a choke, he realizes that that’s him. His skin is cooking, and he can’t move.
He tried to pry open his eyes, but his eyelids were heavy, and a liquid was resting on top of them. Blood, probably.
Tommy stays absolutely still, only his ragged breathing breaks through the ringing in his ears, and all he can do is pray to a god he doesn’t believe in that someone will come or he dies before the shock wears off.
“TOMMY!”
Tommy’s eyes move under his eyelids as two sets of footsteps rush over, the ground shaking.
His fingers twitch again, and he feels someone grab his hand firmly as someone else kneels on his other side.
“Oh Tommy, my baby boy, what happened?”
He can only choke out a sob.
-
Sam can only pet Tommy’s hair and grip his hand as Ponk quickly assess the damage, looking at the large piece of debris that’s pinning his right leg to the ground. He winces, looking at Sam.
“We're gonna have to cut it off,” Ponk says quietly, looking at Sam. “There’s no way to save it in time for us to get to him to a base.”
Saw swallows, but summons his axe to his hand, letting go of Tommy’s. The teen whimpers and Sam’s heart breaks even more.
“Are you ready?” Sam asks Ponk, who sheds his jacket and belt.
Ponk wraps his belt Around Tommy’s midthigh, pulling it tight. Tommy lets out another whimper, hands clutching the grass. “Do it right under the belt, and I’ll wrap it with my jacket and we’ll take him to Snowchester.”
Sam swallows again and is acutely aware of Niki’s wide eyes on his back. Hefting his axe and lining up, he closes his eyes…
And swings.
Tommy’s screams echo for the second time.