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Tommy wasn’t passionate about anything.
From a young age, he never had any interests. He didn’t like sports; he didn’t like music; he didn’t like reading.
He didn’t have any hobbies.
He was different from the rest of his family, who all had things to do.
His father, Phil, was the top lawyer of a firm. His passion was working.
His eldest brother, the elder twin, Technoblade, was a national fencing champion. His passion was sports.
His other older brother, Wilbur, was a reasonably famous singer and songwriter. His passion was music.
Tommy didn’t have any interest in those.
He tried all sorts of things from sports to music to art to whatever else he could think of, yet none of them ever stuck.
He had no friends due to not having any interests. His family was too busy to spend time with him and people at school all grouped up based on their hobbies, so he spent all of his time alone.
By the time he was starting his first year of high school, he was lonely, depressed, and hadn’t talked to anyone that wasn’t a teacher in at least three months.
It all changed when he met a boy named Tubbo.
On the first day of school, in the period before lunch, Tommy sat down at the only empty table left in the front of the room. It was a few seconds after the bell, and the teacher was about to speak before someone threw open the door and ran in panting.
The teacher, an older woman with, what Tommy would call them, library glasses, gave him a stink eye yet said nothing, knowing it was only the first day of school.
The person was masculine looking, as he didn’t want to assume their gender, with short brown hair and brown eyes.
They slid into the seat next to Tommy before giving him a smile with crooked teeth.
They didn’t interact until the teacher told them to read the syllabus. Tommy read through it quickly before noticing that the brunette next to him was struggling.
He weighed the pros and cons in his head before sighing as his morality won.
“Do you need help?”
The brunette startled before turning to him with a bright smile.
“Nope! I’m fine! See, look, I can read this. It says ‘The Old Man and the She’!”
Tommy let out a snort before covering his mouth with his hand, his shoulders shaking with the force of the covered laughs.
“I-It says the O-’Old Man and the Sea,’ not she.”
The brunette looked down again before looking back up with a smirk.
“I knew that.”
Tommy couldn’t contain his laughs anymore and burst out wheezing, causing the teacher to glare at him from her desk.
The brunette joined in soon after, and they spent a couple of minutes calming down.
“I’m Tubbo!” The brunette held their hand out towards Tommy, who took it hesitantly.
“I’m Tommy.”
Since that day, the two became inseparable. Tubbo brought Tommy out of his shell, and Tommy helped Tubbo integrate into the town, as he was new.
Tubbo was a genius. Though he had dyslexia, making English his worst class, he excelled at science and technology classes. Everything he did impressed Tommy and made him feel even more grateful that he was Tubbo’s friend, especially when he was scared the brunette would take over the world or blow up the school.
At the end of their first year, Tubbo introduced Tommy to Ranboo, who had just moved to town. The two bonded over their, as they said, less-than-ideal home lives.
The duo soon became a trio, and they spent the rest of the school year just hanging out after school every day.
At the start of their second year, Tubbo joined the science and technology club, which he loved, and Ranboo joined the local theater club for the city. It allowed a more extensive range of shows since they cast people outside of high school age. The theater put on a play in the winter and a musical in the summer, just before schools ended for the summer.
Ranboo got Tubbo and Tommy tickets to that year’s play, ‘ The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,’ where he played Ed since he was one of the tallest actors.
The night of the show, Tubbo’s father, Schlatt, drove them, as no one was home to take him, and he wasn’t old enough to take the bus.
Tommy had no clue what the play was about, as Ranboo wanted to surprise them with his first performance.
Sure, he thought the acting was fantastic, but when the stage lights turned down, and the colored lights turned on for the station scene, he sat up in his chair and watched as the lights moved with sparkling eyes.
“Woah…”
Tubbo looked at him in amusement when he moved his gaze where Tommy’s eyes were. Not watching Ranboo, oh no, he was watching the lights on the floor.
Once the show ended, one that Tommy could admit was good; he ran towards where they would be meeting Ranboo. Once he spotted the lanky teen walk out of the dressing room, he ran right towards him.
“RANBOO!”
The tallest blond startled before looking at Tommy with wide eyes.
“Wha-”
“WHO DID THOSE LIGHTS?!”
Schlatt and Tubbo reached them at that point, but Tommy paid them no mind, staring at Ranboo intensely.
“U-uh, the stage crew?” He more so questioned than asked.
Tommy’s eyes sparkled like never before.
~~~
Since that night, Tommy spent much time researching everything about stage crew. He found out about the different sections of stage crew ranging from lights to sound to costumes to everything needed for shows.
He loved all of what they had to offer.
He asked Ranboo if he could join the club since he didn’t want to be in the shows, just stage crew, and Ranboo lit up before explaining how it was okay for him to join.
It was the best decision in his life.
He met all of his new friends there, people he’d have never met otherwise that he couldn’t imagine a life without.
Niki, Dream, Sapnap, George, Eret, Fundy, Quackity, Karl, Jack, Puffy, Bad, Skeppy, Punz, Ponk, Purpled, Minx, and the theater director, Sam.
When Tommy first went with Ranboo, he was nervous since he only really talked to him and Tubbo, but after meeting everyone, the teen felt something click into place in his chest.
Like the final piece to a puzzle that never got finished.
That summer, he spent up in the rafters moving around a hanging profile light from the ceiling. He found it incredible to be up that high and to be able to watch the show, ‘ Company ’ from a new angle.
Over the summer, he spent more time out of the house with his new friends than the past ten years combined.
Tubbo and Fundy bonded over their shared love of technology, and Tubbo agreed to help out with the tech as well, everyone swallowing him up into the group with ease.
Tommy had never felt as grateful for Tubbo during that summer, for without him, Tommy didn’t think he’d still be here.
~~~
During his third year, Tommy rarely saw his family, though he barely saw them before either; he didn’t see them at all at that point. He spent most of his time at the theater or with his friends just hanging out.
Tommy worked in the actual lighting booth for the winter play and had a blast during ‘ Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.’ He especially loved watching Ranboo acting psychotic as Hamlet while Dream and Niki were existential yet foolish as Rosencranz and Guildenstern.
He found love in plays and musicals and watched videos of them just to watch the crew work. His music playlists became filled with different show songs, and he loved every single one.
By the time the summer musical came, he’d only seen his family maybe once a month, twice if he was lucky. He didn’t mind it, not anymore, as he spent almost every day with his friends.
The summer musical, ‘ The Falsettos,’ went amazing with Minx as Trina, Dream as Marvin, George as Whizzer, which Dream was pleased about, Fundy as Jason, Eret Dr. Mendel, and Puffy and Niki as Dr. Charlotte and Cordelia respectively. He denied it, but he teared up during ‘ You Gotta Die Sometime .’
Tommy worked in the sound booth that time and soaked up all of the knowledge quickly. Though he preferred to do the lights, he had a lot of fun working with Punz in the sound booth instead of Ponk in the lighting.
He felt so happy after the show, and they went to Friendly’s in tradition, and they all cheered with large glasses of milkshakes. He laughed so hard when George wiped some whipped cream off of Dream’s face and licked it off his thumb, turning Dream into a tomato.
If only that happiness could have lasted.
~~~
It started when Tommy came home from hanging out with his friends to find Phil sitting at the table looking a mix of disappointed and angry. It was the first time seeing him in a month, and Tommy didn’t have a good feeling about it.
“What’s this?” The man held up a piece of paper. Looking closer, Tommy saw it was his report card for the year.
Oh.
Tommy felt his chest tighten.
“It’s my report card?”
He tried to keep his voice even, but from the furrowing of Phil’s brows, it didn’t work.
“Why do you have three Ds and two Cs? And not a single A?” He placed the paper on the table, not slamming it but not gently either. He slid it across the wooden surface like a bartender with a drink as Tommy walked closer.
“I’ve been busy,” was all Tommy could manage. He really had been. He’d been so busy soaking up the attention he didn’t receive for ten years by his new friends that he forgot to tend to his grades.
“Really? Busy? You?” Phil scoffed, crossing his arms.
Tommy felt his eye twitch, but spending all his time around actors allowed him to develop some of their skills, so he carefully masked his feelings and said nothing.
“I’m not happy with your grades, Tommy. Not at all.”
Tommy said nothing as he just crossed his arms and looked off towards the side, trying not to cry. He’d always hated confrontations.
“Do better.”
As much as he tried, Tommy couldn’t help the scoff that let out of his mouth.
“I’m trying,” the words came out bitterly.
“Not hard enough apparently if your grades are like this!” Phil shouted, standing up as and slamming his hand on the table, causing Tommy to flinch. He’d never liked people shouting at him for whatever reason.
Phil seemed to have caught the movement as he took a deep breath before crossing his arms.
“No phone and no going out for the rest of the summer. You’ll be in your room, studying.”
“WHA-NO WAY!”
Phil just sighed as he shook his head.
“Yes, way. I should be sending you to summer school, but I’m being nice here. Give me your phone.”
He held out his hand before motioning for Tommy to give him the device. Tommy stood stubbornly in place as he shook in a mix of anger and sorrow.
“Y-You can’t! I need my phone!”
He wasn’t lying, either. He couldn’t get a therapist since he wasn’t an adult and his father was never home to sign anything, so he used his phone as a makeshift therapist. He didn’t think he’d make the summer without his phone.
“Should have thought of that before getting grades like these. Now, hand me your phone. I won’t ask again,” Phil started getting agitated again, tapping his foot in an irritated way.
“N-No, I need…”
“TOMMY! Give me your phone! Right now, Mister!”
Tommy felt his eye twitch at that final statement. He looked back up at Phil with an almost righteous fury burning through him.
“Don’t act like such a parent now! You’ve never acted like one for the past ten years, so why should I listen to you now?!” The teen felt tears gather in his eyes, but he blinked them away before they could fall.
The man looked shocked before growing angry, angrier than he’d been.
“NOW YOU LISTEN HERE, YOUNG MAN! I WORK MY ASS OFF TO PROVIDE FOR YOU AND THIS FAMILY! I TRY TO BE THERE FOR YOU-”
“NO, YOU DON’T! IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS ALONE I SAW YOU ONCE! AND YOU DIDN’T EVEN SPEAK TO ME! AND DON’T LIE TO ME ABOUT THIS PROVIDING BULLSHIT! YOU JUST DON’T WANT TO COME HOME TO SEE ME ‘CUZ YOU LIKE TECHNO AND WILBUR MORE THAN ME!”
Tommy couldn’t keep the tears at bay anymore and let them slide down his cheeks. Phil looked like he was punched in the gut as he physically recoiled.
“Tommy...I-”
The sound of something hitting the ground caused them both to gasp as they whirled around to see Technoblade and Wilbur standing there, shocked, as Wilbur’s hand was still up from where he was holding his bag before it fell to the ground.
“Tommy...Do you really feel that way?”
Tommy couldn’t breathe.
He needed out.
“TOMMY!”
His family screamed his name as he ran out the door, only conscious enough to grab his bag before running down the street hastily. He didn’t know where he was going; he could only feel the way his feet hit the pavement below him.
His chest beat up and down heavily as he ran across a road with a red light.
He didn’t see the speeding car.
He didn’t see the horrified looks of his family that ran out behind him.
He didn’t see how close the car was until it was right there-
“ TOMMY !”
~~~
Wilbur’s shoulders shook.
“I-I was r-right there,” he sobbed, appreciating the hands on his shoulders from his father and brother.
“I-I could h-have gr-grabbed him.”
He was always the one most in tune with his feelings. He could see the way Phil’s shoulders shook from the effort to keep his emotions in check or the way Techno’s eyes held an immense amount of pain, yet the rest of his face was blank.
“It-It’s not your fault, mate...If anything, it’s mine,” Phil’s voice was thick before he cleared his throat.
“I’m the one that drove him out…”
“It’s all of our faults, but blaming ourselves will get us nowhere,” Technoblade sighed, rubbing small tears out of his eyes.
He turned his head to look at the sleeping figure on the bed. He seemed so small.
“We just have to be there for him when he wakes up.”
~~~
Tommy woke up to a beeping sound. His head hurt, so he kept his eyes closed, but he could hear a beeping sound that started growing faster.
He realized that it was a heart monitor.
With that knowledge, he hesitantly opened his eyes with a low groan as the white light hurt his head.
“GUYS! He’s waking up!”
Tommy closed his eyes once again as he grumbled out something that he hoped sounded like ‘too loud.’
They seemed to get the hint as they quieted down.
“You up for talking yet?” Their voice was soft and quiet, not disturbing Tommy’s headache like before.
With a slight grumble, he opened his eyes. All he saw were three blurry colors, green, brown, and red, before his vision focused, and he saw the concerned yet relieved faces of his family.
He opened his mouth to speak, but all he let out was a croaking sound. Wilbur knew what was wrong as he ran to get a cup and filled it with water. He held it out for his brother to take before realizing what he was doing and let out a bashful chuckle, holding up the cup to Tommy’s lips as he tilted it back slowly.
Once Tommy drank all of the water, he hummed to test his speaking capabilities and was satisfied when it didn’t hurt.
“What...happened?”
The three shuffled on their feet before Techno blurted out, “You were hit by a car.”
“Techno!”
“Dude!”
Technoblade raised his hands in defense.
“Hey! He wanted to know!”
“I know, but have a little more tact, please!”
As the three started bickering, they were interrupted by a giggle from the bed. The three turned their heads to watch Tommy laugh. They all soaked in the sound as they realized how long it’s been since they heard it.
Once they saw Tommy wince, though, they decided it was enough.
“Hey, hey, don’t laugh if it’s painful, Toms,” Phil cooed, gently taking Tommy’s hand and rubbing gentle circles with his thumb.
Tommy’s eyes started fluttering as he hummed in agreement.
“Go back to sleep, Toms. We’ll be here when you wake up. Promise,” Wilbur said softly, petting Tommy’s hair like he did when Tommy was a toddler.
“Al’igh,” Tommy slurred his words, his eyes closing shut.
The final thing he heard before he drifted off into sleep was Technoblade saying, “Love you, Tommy.”
~~~
Since that day, the rest of the summer, Tommy was spent in the hospital. They learned that he broke his tibia and fibula in both legs, cracked his patella in his left leg, and tore his patellar tendon ligament in his left leg and the anterior cruciate ligament in his right leg.
He also cracked the fourth and fifth rib on the right side and broke the radius in his right arm.
His family visited every day, and from there, the cracks and craters in their relationships shrunk. Sometimes, Tommy didn’t know if he should forgive them or if they could ever be a normal family, but he realized that no family is normal, and he was just happy that they could even be a family in the first place.
His friends visited him as much as they could. They met his family and gave them lectures on how to be there for him, as they all knew about the neglect Tommy received at home. Though glum, the three nodded and were determined to make it up to Tommy.
After the summer, school started up again, and Tommy was stuck in crutches, as his arm healed up, and physical therapy. Sam decided to cancel the winter play since he knew Tommy would be devastated that he couldn’t work.
Though Tommy disagreed with his decision, the rest of the actors were relieved since they didn’t want to do a show without Tommy.
It all went up from there.
Tommy did well in physical therapy; with the help of his friends and family, he brought his grades up, his father finally got him a therapist, and he finally reconnected with his family.
The day he was able to walk without his crutches, they had a party for him.
He couldn’t deny the tears that sprang to his eyes.
~~~
A click was heard as he pressed the button on his headset.
“Lights, a spotlight in the middle. Sound, turn stage mics on. Curtains, be ready to open on my signal.”
With a sigh, he clicked the button once again when he heard confirmations from the three people.
With a deep breath, Tommy walked onto the stage that large curtains hid while down. He took one more breath, smiling at Sam as he shot the blond a thumbs-up, before stepping out behind the curtain.
The audience cheered when they saw him step into the spotlight.
His smile widened as he watched his family cheer the loudest, right in the middle seats.
“Welcome to this summer’s musical!”
He looked around the theater for a moment before allowing his eyes to land on his father. He felt warmth fill his chest when he saw Phil shoot him a thumbs-up with a bright smile.
“I’m your stage manager, Tommy.”
His smile was blinding as he gave a theatrical bow.
“Please enjoy this performance of ‘ Next to normal’!”