Work Text:
The trip had taken a detour. Which wasn't an issue. Tommy, Tubbo, and Techno were fighting mobs and trying to get flowers for dye. And for Tubbo's bees, as he would not let them forget the bees.
The only problem was the biome. The grassy plains reminded Tommy of some unwelcome memories that were a little too fresh in his mind. He didn't have anything to steady his hands with, and it was starting to wear on him. Every rustle of leaves put him on high alert. But the smell of dry grass and flowers was so inherently different from sea salt and fire, Tommy thought he would be okay.
Techno stayed ahead of them, presumably to give them space. Or just be by himself. When Tommy got bored or especially jittery with the surroundings he would jump onto his back, pissing him off. It was funny to watch him holler and gently toss him off. He'd say something about not being a jungle gym and Tommy would ignore it then insult him. His shirt was grass stained and filthy but oh, was it worth it.
"Do you think bees care about different flowers, Tommy?" Tubbo asked, swinging a sword at a slime. He seemed so at ease. Tommy wouldn't admit it, but he would've killed to be in Tubbo's position at that moment.
"Wh- I don't fucking know, man. You're the flower and bee expert, not me." He laughed lightly, struggling against the dryness in his mouth. God, he fucking hated plains biomes.
Tubbo laughed in response. "I don't think my bees particularly care, but Techno's…" Tommy listened idly as he continued about the difference in their bees. Something about different breeds and pollination needs.
The sun was beginning to set. The orange and yellow light gently graced the land before dipping beyond the horizon. None of the reds of the seaside sunsets Tommy had watched too many times. More dangerous mobs ventured out into the open swaths of land. Tommy stayed near Tubbo as they waded through the grasses, standing guard when the other boy would crouch for a flower. Techno was taking care of the majority of hostile mobs, dancing around with his sword in a deadly arc.
Tubbo shot a skeleton approaching too close. He was telling Tommy about his horns getting tangled in streamers. Tommy squinted at the ground, the pale moonlight not enough to tell what flower was in front of him. He didn’t know why flowers were so complicated. It shouldn’t matter as long as it has pollen and roots. The petals looked the same as others, but these leaves were pointy instead. Tommy couldn't even tell what color it was trying to be. The fuck was this called?
Tubbo turned around. "Tommy look out-!"
He hadn't heard the creeper approach behind him. An arrow whizzed by his head and knocked the explosive mob back a few paces. It hissed maliciously for a tense moment. Tommy was paralyzed. It was the same hiss as-
It exploded.
The smell of sulfur and sea brine.
Tommy stumbled forward, falling hard onto his knees from the force of the blast. It rang in his ears. He clamped his hands over them instinctively, trying desperately to block it out. Sudden fear coursed through him. He couldn't breathe. "No, no, no, no no no." He choked out. Not again. Tommy could feel his presence. The image of a smiley face burned into his retinas.
He couldn't tell if he was shaking. He wasn't sure what was real. His heartbeat throbbed throughout his head and chest. He could feel the fact that his eyes were wide open. Why was the image so blurry? There were two black boots. Dream's boots. The mud splattered edge of green robes gently swayed near his face. The familiar feeling of being around Dream settled in his stomach. Dread and fear and a stupid spark of hope that today wouldn't be as bad.
"I'm sorry, really- I-" Tommy mumbled, messily trying to take his armor off. He could feel how upset Dream was. Today wasn't a good day. "Sorry, sorry, sorry, I'm really sorry." The long grass under his legs was starting to itch. His chest hurt. Why couldn't he breathe? His ears were still ringing from the explosion. He couldn't think. His mouth was too dry. Millions of thoughts blurred together into an incomprehensible cacophony.
"Drop all your items into the hole."
Dream's voice made him nauseous. He rushed to empty his inventory. His fingers trembled. His skin was on fire. The sulfurous smell of burnt gunpowder clung to the air. "Please, Dream, I'm- I'm so sorry, really."
Dream's sickening laugh pierced through him. He shivered at the raw terror beginning to take hold. Dream was going to kill him if he didn't cooperate. He needed to do better. "Really, I- I'm so incredibly sorry, rea-"
Something heavy settled around Tommy's shoulders. He instantly curled into the safety of the weighted cloth. The hazy smell of explosive smoke cleared. Maybe it had never been real to begin with. The sounds of crickets and various mobs replaced the ringing in Tommy's ears. Tubbo was crouched in front of him, reeking of concern. Tommy looked away, eyes burning. Techno gently patted his shoulder before moving to kill a zombie. Tommy wished it hadn't been so encouraging. He gripped the red fabric of Techno’s cloak tightly.
"Tommy? Are you alright?"
Tommy tried to smile at his friend, but it came up lacking. He pretended like it didn't. "Y-yeah, Big T, I'm alright." He hoped Tubbo would ignore the wetness gathering in his eyes. He could blame it on the pollen. Or stray grains of dirt- sand- no, dirt. It was dirt here.
"Are you sure?" He began handing items back. With as much dignity as he could, Tommy put them back into his inventory.
He nodded quickly. "Yeah, sorry." He laughed. Maybe it was a little bitter. He wiped at his eyes roughly. "All good here, fam."
Tubbo laughed, handing him his armor back. "Well, if you're sure. I'm always here to talk though. And…" He paused, chewing his lip. "I'm sorry. For, uh. Exiling you and making you go through that." Tubbo's ear twitched as he looked into the grass.
Tommy shrugged, holding the thick cape around him. "Wasn't your fault. You didn't personally make him do all that stuff. Pretty sure he was the one pushing for it, anyways. The fucking prick." He sniffed, wiping his nose. The fucking pollen was bad. That's all.
Tubbo outstretched a hand. Tommy grinned, taking it and allowing himself to be pulled up. The dirt felt different under his feet than the sands of the beach. He took a short breath. He was okay.
Tubbo didn't let go of his hand. Clingy bitch. He led Tommy towards a small patch of flowers, pointing out the benefits of each. "See, peonies are good for the bees, they have a lot of petals and they pollinate a lot. Same with lilacs. There's a lot of tiny flowers so the bees love them."
Tommy nodded. "Seems good, big man." Tommy reached down to unearth some roots of the bushes. "These smell incredible, actually. Which ones were these?"
Tubbo scraped away dirt from the base of another bush. "Those are lilacs."
Tommy nodded. Techno's cape hung off his shoulders, pooling on the dry blades of grass. He would feel bad for getting it dirty, but the weight was nice. Maybe he should get a heavy coat. Or a weighted blanket. Tubbo had one when they were kids since he had nightmares a lot. Tommy wondered where he could get one. Maybe Phil could make one. At least something heavy. Anything to not shut down anytime something exploded or he went into a stupid plains biome.
Techno came back over, casually leaning onto Tommy's head. "What're you nerds up to?" He asked, still pushing Tommy's head down.
Tubbo started to hold up his sapling, but Tommy swung at the larger man. "Oi! Get off me, bitch." Despite the anger in his words, he was grinning.
Techno chuckled lightly. "Oh, sorry Tommy, didn't see ya there."
Tommy laughed, shoving the piglin. Techno responded by lifting him onto his shoulders. Tommy shrieked, kicking out at him. "Oi! Let me down!" He was still laughing.
He would never admit this. But he was happy for them.
He reached to undo Techno's braid before getting tossed away.
Tommy laughed breathlessly on the ground, sitting up and looking over at Techno and Tubbo. Sometimes family was messy. Sometimes it was a president, an anarchist, a ghost, and a man with wings. But in that moment, Tommy wouldn't have traded it for anything.