Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

'Oh fuck my back hurts.' It's been hurting for ages now, and now it's starting to piss Tommy off. He's told Tubbo about this back pain before, but they had both assumed that it was because of his posture, but now it's really hurting. Usually, though, Tommy posture would affect the lower part of his neck, not his fucking back. 

"Tommy?" Ranboo said, interrupting Tommy's thought process, "Any better?" He was giving Tommy a back massage, he thought it would help him out.

"No, you're shit at back massages," Tommy responded, tired out from the pain. Ranboo's only response being a silent head nod, as he let go of Tommy's shoulders and letting him lay down on the couch.

Tommy had spent the night at Tubbo's again. It was far too difficult to be alone in that small shack with this much pain. Plus, Tubbo's place was cleaner and warmer. Don't get it wrong, Tommy's house is the best fucking house on the whole goddamn SMP, best built and best decorated. Still, he wanted the company and comfort of Tubbo's house, plus he was able to hang out with Michael, which is always fun. (though Tommy will never admit that)

Tubbo came up, saying, "Tommy, you're shaking like hell." He was, but Tommy went too far in his thoughts to notice. Gods, he was cold.

Thankfully, his best friend had already placed a thick blanket on top of Tommy and began touching his forehead to check for any sign of a fever. Tommy shrank into a ball, hugging the blanket like it was his lifeline.

Ranboo came into the room, careful of moving too fast, not wanting to drop the food, "I brought some warm baked potatoes." He placed the plate on the nearby table, Tommy didn't even move.

"Not hungry." That was all he could say, his teeth shivering. Tubbo backed away, worry covered his face. "You don't have a fever, is your back still hurting?" Tommy only being able to nod, "yes". Tubbo tried to hide it, but he's really worried about Tommys chronic back pains. He looks at his husband, who shares the same look. Tubbo waves at Tommy giving him the 'be right back' hand wave, grabbing his platonic husband's arm and moving to their kitchen.

Tommy didn't even notice any of it. Not the shared glances, not the hand wave, not even Tubbo's worried looks. 

No matter how thick this blanket is,

he feels so fucking cold.

------

The kitchen is far enough away from Tommy so that he doesn't listen, Tubbo not wanting him to hear any of the conversations.

"Ranboo, what the hell is going on? He's had these pains for over a week, nonstop." Tubbo says, looking at his platonic husband's face, full of worry.

"I-I have no clue." Ranboo looks off, seeming to be thinking of something else. 

Tubbo may not be a mind reader, but he can always tell when Tommy or Ranboo are hiding someone. He's *that* kind of friend. Due to this clear thoughtful look on Ranboos face, Tubbo prompted to ask "what?"

Ranboo hesitates, "It's just... he has these two bumps on his back, mid-back. they're fuzzy and outlined these red lines... i think"

Tubbo is looking at Ranboo like he's insane, "what the fuck do you mean red lines?" 

"I dunno! they're like red marks, they were warm and they were on the outside of the bumps."

"Warm?? like burn marks? and what are the bumps on his backs even?"

Ranboo looked like he was going to answer, but he stopped himself. The only thing he saw was the top since Tommy quickly swatted him away.

Tubbo's hand rubs his eyes in frustration. He just wants to see his best friend out of this pain.

Silence.

and thump

The couple exchanges a quick glance, rushing out the door.

Chapter Text

Pain. So much pain. It burns, it's burning his whole back.

Tommy is yelling bloody hell. He's still so cold, but his back is burning. The pain was so sudden, he dropped himself down to the floor. His thoughts are clouded by this pain. 

He can feel Tubbo and Ranboo, they're holding him, his arms. Trying to get him back up.

He keeps repeating stop until they finally sit him upright, on the floor, but upright.

“Alright! Alright Tommy, I need to call someone-“ Tubbo backs off, but Tommy will not let go of Ranboo’s arm.

Tubbo looks up at Ranboo, begging for a clue of who to call. Ranboo doesn't take his eyes off Tommy, who is hurting his arm, with how tight Tommy is holding it. Tubbo yells at him “Ranboo, who do i call!?”

Ranboo looks up at him, no coherent response. He can’t think, Tommy’s yelling is too loud for Ranboo to even think. All he does is stammer at his husband’s question.

Tommy’s incoherent yells stop, now he moves on to yelling at Tubbo “JUST CALL PHIL. FOR FUCKS SAKE, CALL PHIL OR SOMEONE. ANYONE.”

Tubbo quickly grabs his communicator, messaging Phil immediately

-

<Tubbo_> PHIL WE NEED YOU AT SNOWCHESTER ASAP

<Philza> is everything okay? what's going on??

<Tubbo_> just hurry, and bring medecine

<Philza> Omw 

-

Tubbo turns back to his husband and best friend, rushing over to him.

Ranboo looks up to him, whispering to Tubbo, “Is Phil coming?” Tubbo doesn’t even look up from Tommy, holding a bucket on his right arm, in case he needs to puke, “yeah, he’s rushing over.”

Tommy’s pain wasn’t getting better. It was getting far too much for him to handle. His body reacting horribly, his back still burning as if it was on fire.

He did end up puking, thankfully, inside the bucket that Tubbo had.

———————-

Phil had only been to Snowchester a couple times, but he knew the way. They ran on top of the soul speed bridge. Techno insisted on coming along. Even if Tubbo wasn’t his most trusted, Techno wanted to make sure Ranboo was okay. 

They had finally gotten to the house, knocking quickly. Tubbo immidietly running to the door and opening it. He was messy and pale, but immidietly inviting Phil in. Techno caused him giving a small confused glance, still letting him. Phil’s and Techno’s sleeves are grabbed by the small boy, being dragged over to the yelling in the living room.

It's Tommy. 

Tommy is the one yelling.

He's in so much pain.

Phil immediately rushed over to Tommy, asking about the pain. He yells about his back. Phil tries to rip the shirt on Tommy’s back, he couldn’t. Techno had the first-aid kit, causing Phil to look up at him. 

He’s frozen, Phil knows the look on his face. It’s the voices again, that's all he can hear. So Phil starts calling him, loudly, as if there weren't enough yells in this room. 

There's so many voices, so much happening. They’re yelling so loudly, clogging his mind. He can’t move, he doesn’t even know where his feet are. He just doesn’t know. The kid. The kid who betrayed him is sitting there yelling bloody mary. So much pain, in one scream. He had never heard him yell like that. Not even when Tommy had some of the worst nightmares, the ones where he would wake up yelling, crying. The ones that Techno had to hold him so tightly, for hours on end.

He feels someone grab his arm tightly, turning his head. Everything comes back. The room unfocuses, and Technoblade can hear all the screams, he can feel the panic in the room. Tubbo grabs on tighter, whispering to him, “Techno please, i know you’re struggling but please. Help him.”

His ears are pushed up, finally feeling the panic settle in. He rushes next to Phil, opening the first aid. He did not even try to hand the scissors to Phil, cutting the back of Tommy’s shirt.

Phil does not even need to check the lumps, he knows what they are. He’s seen them once before. Well, the time before, it didn’t burn. So this called for some improvisation.

He grabs the ice bag stored in his bag, pushing it on the lines that round around the bumps. Tommy gives a sharp inhale from the ice pressing his burning back, but he stops yelling for a few minutes, and now begins making pained groans. Improvement.

Phil looks up to the others, “Tubbo go get a lot of ice and wrap it in a towel, it has to be big enough to cover the bumps on his back.” the goat boy nods and runs to his kitchen. “Ranboo, i need you to grab all the blankets and pillows and drop them in that corner, shape them kinda like a nest” The ender boy stands up, Tommy finally letting go of his arm, and runs off into one of the many hallways of this house. 

Phil looks up at Techno, and without any commands, Technoblade runs over to Tommy holding his hand tightly, whispering to the kid. Phil knows that Techno still considers Tommy as an “untrusted” and a  “betrayer,” but deep inside, Technoblade will always care about Tommy, even if that is difficult for him to express most times. Still, it makes Phil’s heart leap, to see these two people who he cared about, people who are almost like family to him, together. 

“Hey, you’re gonna be okay. It hurts like hell, i know.” Techno is watching Tommy like a hawk, his grip getting stronger with each word. Tommy’s listening, even with all the yelling, Techno could tell because of his ears, the only thing they had ever had in common. They’re not at all biologically related, hell Techno refuses to refer to him as anything even close to family, but their ears have always been similar. Technoblade’s are pointier, bigger. Tommys ear resemble human ears, only with a small pointed top, something that he shared with Wilbur. The ears are mostly similar by the fact that they move whenever they feel strong emotions. Phil always loved how they all shared that fact. So much that when any of them couldn’t sleep, or when they panicked, Phil would always rub the upper back of their ears. He called it his special “trick.” It never failed to help them calm down.

So Technoblade did just that. He began rubbing Tommy’s ear, moving his finger in gentle circles. Suprisingly, it helped. He stopped yelling, possibly because of the shock, but instead he started crying, a lot. Techno’s hand was pulled closer to Tommy’s chest. Technoblade’s panic hadn’t let him notice before, but Tommy is shaking, too much to be considered normal. Techno finally looks up, finally pulling away from the crying boy. 

Phil is being handed a lot of bags of ice, and wrapping them around a towel. Then signaling Tubbo to put that big ice bag, under the big pile of pillows and blanket nest. Phil looks at Techno, their eyes looking at each other, almost as if they were talking telepathically. Techno knows that this kid, who can’t even move his arm without breaking down, has to stand up and move to the warmer corner nest.

He can’t even imagine what Tommy was thinking.

Chapter Text

‘Fuck. Fuck. FUCK’ This hurt like hell. Tommy can't handle this. He can’t. It hurts too much. The only thing that he could feel calming him was Technoblade’s hand on his ear. That was the only thing that stopped him from screaming until he couldn’t breathe anymore. 

“Tommy. Tommy, listen, we have to take you over there to the pillows and blankets, so that the burning stops, and so that your back stops hurting.” He can recognize Phil’s voice. He never took notice when Phil got here but he couldn’t care, because he was not about to stand up. He can’t. It hurts too much. Tommy shakes his head “no.” ‘Please don’t. Don’t make me stand up. It already hurts too much, don’t make it worse, please.’ He can sense Phil’s pity look. He can feel Phils hand grab his upper arm, saying “Tommy, I know how much this hurts. But the nest will help with the pain. You are not alone, me and Techno are gonna lift you up. Trust me, please Tommy” Tommy grabbed onto Techno’s and Phil’s arms tightly, ‘this is horrible, but Phil won’t lie to me. He wouldn’t. So just a little more pain, and then it’ll stop. the pain will stop, right?’

Phil didn’t lie, so he and Techno were careful when pulling Tommy up. They had to be careful of his upper spine, Phil’s still pressing his hand steady, for comfort and safety. Tubbo was right behind Tommy, prepared to catch him, if necessary. Tommy’s grip on both of their arms only got stronger, he gritted his teeth, to try and deal with his pain. He was grateful that Phil put the ice bag on his back before because it numbed the burning, but he could feel it coming back. 

Tommy did appreciate it, the hand-holding, the ear rubs, and the back holding. Even though he didn’t deserve it, he was grateful. Tommy’s feet moved slowly and shaky, but with less weight on them. Techno is still whispering to Tommy, and he had no clue what Techno was saying, but Tommy could tell it was comforting. Techno’s tone was comforting, and calm, Tommy thought that he would never hear that tone again. 

The walk was slow, and painful for everyone. Tommy’s was physical pain, but everyone else hurt when hearing his pain. They all in some way cared about the young boy. When they reached the nest, Tommy was placed on top of a few pillows that had been stacked on the blankets, that were there to keep his back from being bumped by the ice. Tommy’s yells and loud cries stopped right there. He scooped his whole body into a ball and quickly put one of the blankets on. 

The rest of his family is staring at him, the whole room filled with worry. This was the first time they got to breathe, without panic. Phil looked at Ranboo, his eyes changing from a panicked expression to a tired one, “Ranboo, get a weakness potion and mix in some of the lavander, from my bag.” Ranboo nodded, looking as if he was about to cry. He needed a minute away from this room. Techno hadn’t let go of Tommy’s hand, while Tubbo and Phil sit down on the couch. Tommy was still shaking from the pain, but the room is silent. The kind of silence that makes the room still tense, but much less panicked.

Ranboo came into the room, rubbing his eyes to avoid tears burning his face. The potion smelled strong, and calming. Phil grabbed it, Techno moving a little to the side, still not letting go of Tommy’s hand. When Phil went to give Tommy the potion, Tubbo speaks up “Wait, whats that gonna do to him?” Phil knows how much the goat boy cares about Tommy, so he has no problem explaining it, “It’ll put him to sleep, he shouldn’t have to deal with this much pain right now.” Tubbo could only nod. Which Phil took as a “go ahead,” giving Tommy the potion. He’s completely passed out in a span of a few seconds. The pain and the weakness effect couldn’t let his body stay awake, the lavander calming down him down. 

For the first time, in what felt like hours, the room was calm.

——-

About an hour and a half has passed. Ranboo went up to check that Michael was okay, and hopefully still asleep. Techno had switched with Phil, now sitting with Tubbo on the couch, still staring at Tommy intensely. Tubbo, who finally lifts his head from his hands. Still confused he asks, "So... what the fuck just happened? Why is he.." Tubbo doesnt even know how to phrase it. Phil, who is giving ear rubs to the sleeping boy looks up, looking exhausted, "I think... well." Phil may not be Tubbos biological father, but Phil basically raised him. So when Phil had that certain frustrated look on his face, Tubbo knew to read it as 'I know what it is, but i dont know if you can handle it.'

"Phil. You know whats going on, just say it." Tubbo's tone made him seem assertive. Which made it a bit easier for Phil to respond, "I think... Tommy's growing wings."

The group stayed silent. Tubbo is not quite sure what to say, Phil not knowing how to explain further, and Techno mostly paying attention to Tommy's still body. 

Techno spoke up, "How do we know?" His voice as monotone as always. Phil looked back at Tommy. Picking something from under the blond boy's thick blanket.

A bright red feather with golden tips

Chapter Text

Fucking hell. His whole body felt sore. Tommy was awake, he could tell, but it was so difficult to open his eyes. He was so comfortable, surrounded by warmth, and soft. He knew he was in Tubbo"s house but he doesn't know where in the house he is. But his best friend's sofa was certainly not this comfortable. 

Tommy shuffled around, he feels like there's an extra big weight on his back. Thinking that it's a pillow, or one of his friends, he turns over. That doesn't work, this thing is really holding onto his back. None of his friends are able to cling onto his back this much, so Tommy assumes that Michael must be asleep on him. Though his nephew was quite young, he could hold on a grip more than anyone Tommy knew. Michael is pretty obedient when people tell him to back off, so the sleepy boy just tries to swat him off, mumbling "Get off my back kid, let me sleep."

...

Thats weird, he hasn't gotten off. Tommy decides to open his eyes a little bit, to check on his back. Before the drowsy boy could even look behind him, he notices a body that he's been clinging onto. Oh shit. It's Phil. Why is Phil here?? He's been holding onto Phil to, for who knows how many hours.

"Tommy? You up?" The old man whispered. A string of curse words ran through his mind.  He doesn't know if he should or even can speak to Phil. Tommy just noticed that his throat was dry, and it hurt. It felt like he had been screaming for hours, which he might have done. Tommy can't remember a lot of what happened before he fell asleep, just a lot of pain and some few... other... moments. 

Phil took notice of Tommy's panicked eyes, so he kept rubbing the boy's ears until he calmed down a bit. Tommy finally looked up at him and tried to speak. Though at the first noise to come out of his mouth, Tommy stopped. Phil assumed that after all the yelling, his throat would be dry. He grabbed a glass of water with a straw that he asked Tubbo to get, while Tommy was still passed out. 

Tommy grabbed the glass and chugged the water, as much as he could with the straw. Phil actually found it amusing, how fast this droopy-eyed gremlin could drink. It even took a chuckle out of him.

Tommy drank all the water then looked up at Phil, his rough voice almost yelling “Don’t chuckle at me, you old bitch.” This only made Phil laugh even louder, grabbing Tommy’s hand even tighter than before, almost as if he was relieved, “Good Morning Tom”. Tommy didn’t know why Phil was being so friendly, but whatever. He just wanted to stand up and stretch out his sore body. So he sits up, which for some reason caused Phil to hold on to his back as if it was about to break by just a gust of wind.

Tommy still has that goddamn weight on his back. It's fucking annoying, so he turns around to look at whatever is on his back. 

‘What the fuck. No, wait. WHAT THE FUCK. THERE ARE WINGS ON TOMMY’S BACK. NOT FAKE BACKPACK WINGS. REAL WINGS, CONNECTED TO HIS BACK.’ Tommy’s thought process stuck there. Causing high-pitched yelling to start, once again, waking everyone in the room up. Techno is the first to stand up off the couch and rush over to Tommy. Unlike before, when Techno spoke softly to Tommy, this time he just covered Tommy’s mouth. Effective to shut him up, Tommy didn’t like it one bit but, for some reason, it calmed him down. “Just. Shut up. It's like 2 am.” That just confused Tommy. It was like midday when Tommy was getting his back massage from Ranboo. He was even more confused when he realized that it was Technoblade. What was he doing here?? He remembers that Techno got there, but he never wondered why he came along with Phil.

Techno dropped his hands from Tommy’s mouth, exhausted and lowering his head, and pressing his forehead on Tommy’s forehead. The boy’s confused stare turns into that small, stupid smile that he used to get a lot when he was young, “Ha ha, Techie was worried about me.” Techno looking up with a blank annoyed look, “Don’t call me that, stupid child.” That was extremely offensive to Tommy, pulling a face of disgust and anger “I AM NOT A CHILD.” Techno does his stupid, nice laugh at the rough-voiced response. Ranboo and Tubbo are looking at Tommy with the most annoyingly shocked expressions.

“Tommy? You have, uh…” Ranboo is struggling with even the sight of Tommy with wings. “Yeah, I know wings. I’m still processing it, give me a minute… and some food.” Tommy stands up quickly, which just makes Techno and Phil rush over to him, holding him, in case he falls. Tommy tries to swat them away, with just tight worried glances shooting back at him. They hold themselves as if Tommy is as fragile as a leaf. Tommy keeps walking over to the couch, right next to the coffee table as Ranboo rushes over to the kitchen, warming up some of the left-over potatoes from yesterday. Phil walks over to the couch and pushes at Tommy’s back, sitting on the back of the couch, behind Tommy. The young boy groans at the movement but doesn't pull away. Tubbo and Techno look up at what Phil is examining. “Alright, mate, I’m just gonna check out your wing movement, see how flexible they are.” more grumbles. Tubbo’s and Techno’s looks don’t pull away from his wings. Phil bending them, stopping when Tommy makes small tired pain grumbles. 

Tommy’s wings end up hitting him when Ranboo comes in with multiple plates of food. They all sit down at the coffee table, Tommy eating as if he had been starved for weeks, the others merely just starting their meals. Mouth full, Tommy talks to Phil, “So, what’s with the wings? they work alright?” Phil smiles, swallowing his food, “don’t talk with your mouth full Tommy, and your wings are fine. They’re the right size and only seem to be a little sore.” Tommy goes to respond then immediately chokes on his food, Tubbo smacking the bottom of his neck, freeing Tommy’s airway. Making everyone chuckle. 

Tommy then tried to steal Techno’s food which prompted a small smack on the food thiefs hand, blowing into a full-on argument.

——-

Tommy had gotten used to the wings, well kinda. He got used to the weight, finally knowing how to balance his feet, of course with the help of Phil. Hell, he could even walk by himself, at the end. Then again, he still needed some help with the movement of the wings, he kept knocking into things, or sometimes people. Tubbo got smacked in the face like 5 times, Ranboo 2 times on the chest, and Phil… well Phil got hit too many times to count. Techno stood far away from the wings, he knew far too much from Phil’s sleepy walks, that wings were not safe, when uncontrollable. Still, Tommy ended up learning how to flap his wings, not fly, though he insisted on learning *now.* 

Tommy could not be trusted with these quick wings. His mischievous grin told everyone that those wings would be constantly used to annoy people.

Tommy ended up thinking that the wings were fucking pog, but there was one con. His wings were smaller than Phils. Phil kept reassuring him “Oh its alright mate.” “They grow over time.” “You just have to be patient.” but fuck that. Tommy wanted the big intimidating wings. Not the puny wings, but he was determined to make them grow asap. He did like the color though. He felt that they ‘represented’ the boy’s personality. 

Even though Tommy’s body still felt sore from the previous pain, but a big burst of energy kept him going, only making him want to pass out whenever he over-pushed himself. His body still shook, and the tiredness that invaded him slowly, finally took over. His eyes felt droopy and his body limped out. Thankfully, someone was there to catch him. Techno, who received another tired giggle paired with a “Techie.” Which made his eye roll, accordingly. Techno carefully picked Tommy up by the knees, throwing the boy over his shoulder. Tommy began mumbling swears, and insults. Techno had learned to ignore them, thankfully, or he might’ve just thrown Tommy on the floor, letting him fend for himself. But Techno knew that the kid would just stubbornly sleep on the floor, which would just damage his wings, so he dropped the boy on the blanket nest. They had removed the ice bag before since his back stopped burning, so the pile had warmed up again. 

Tommy, who was meant to be thrown on the pile, pulled Techno’s sleeve, trying to get him to lay on the pile with him. Techno promptly responded with a monotone “no.” The golden-haired boy just kept pulling on the shirt. Finally, when Techno got to let go, Tommy threw a quick kick at the piglin hybrids leg, making him drop right next to the kid. To stop Techno from standing up, Tommy wrapped his wing around the pig’s body. It was stale movement, but enough to make Techno not moving, scared of hurting the wing of the young one. Instead, Techno just huffed loudly, getting a smirk from Tommy and a chuckle from the others.

Tommy almost instantly passed out from the nice warmth of the nest. Which let everyone drop on the closest, most comfortable surface. 

Chapter Text

Dammit. Dammit… Techno is really stuck. How the hell did this kid get such a strong grip with these wings? Tommy can’t even tuck them in without the help of Phil. Techno tried, he really did. He shuffled and shifted, but he also knew how fragile the wings were at this age, Phil had told him the stories of the bone-breaking, and he would rather not hear this kid yell even more now. Techno figured that he could crawl up, since the wing blanket… thing, was more open on the top. That worked, which made Techno take a deep breath, checking that Tommy was still sound asleep. He was able to stand up, and get closer to the door. He kept telling himself ‘I’m not leaving, just taking a breather.’ Could you blame him? He just spent an entire night with people he thought he would never trust again. He looked around the room, Tubbo, Ranboo, and Phil all huddled together on the couch. That reminded Techno of when Tubbo was young, newly adopted. He would never fall asleep alone, so Tommy usually stayed with him, but on some of the worst nights, Phil was there to comfort him. Tommy wasn’t even meant to be living there, but he was like a raccoon, still is. 

Techno finally looked at Tommy, still passed out, spread out on the nest. He opened the door only slightly, so that the cold air wouldn’t flow in, and took a step in. The air in Snowchester was cold usually, nothing compared to the Artic obviously, but at night it was even worse than both combined, or at least it felt like it. Then again, Techno had been inside for hours on end, so it might have just been the warm and cold contrast. 

Shit. Techno forgot his coat inside. Whatever he doesn’t want to risk people waking up. The cold air felt surprisingly nice to Techno, a refreshing feel. He would never admit it, but he’s been having a hard time getting past all of this. What the hell was he supposed to do here, he felt useless. Phil has told him countless stories about how his wings grew, but Techno has never faced it in real life. He’s heard how painful it is, but jeez, that was a lot. The amount of screaming was what surprised Techno the most. He’s known Tommy for years; Since the boy was small basically. He’s seen him get hurt multiple times, but never like this. Tommy was a pretty dumb child, eating mud, falling a lot, and fighting things he wasn't ready to fight, so he got hurt a lot. But Tommy was a whiner. He got hurt and he would cry to anyone around, moping around if they didn’t coddle and spoil him. Techno hated when he did that. Tommy would always use the “puppy eyes” on him. Techno would never agree, but they worked. 

All the nostalgia and breathing had calmed Techno down a bit. He was sitting on the porch, under cover from the snow. Tommy was like a little brother to Techno. “Like.” Such a stupid thing to add to that thought, but it's what Techno thought. Ever since Pogtopia, he avoids forgetting that word. They betrayed him, even though he was nice and helpful. Then again, the withers were a bit dramatic… maybe. He still feels bad about that, even worse about Doomsday. Well no, he doesn’t feel “bad.” He’s upset that people hurt him, but he still thinks that they deserve consequences, but he hates hurting them. Dammit. This whole thing was confusing for him. He feels bad about certain things but he believes that he went wrong in maybe a few aspects. He has no clue how to approach it, and he hates that. 

Techno frowned at those thoughts, but he decided to just wave them away, he should get inside again. He still sat there, admiring the snowy wood forest and lake. Then he felt a weight on his back again, as if someone was trying to hug him from behind. 

Techno looked back and saw a golden-haired boy leaning on his back. “Tommy. Get off my back.”

“Noooooo, Techie’s cold. You forgot your coat.” Techno kept his glare on Tommy. Techno could tell he had that childish mischievous smile, even without being able to see Tommy’s face. He considered his options, but when deciding, Tommy spoke up. “Hey, I’m sorry.” Well, that’s surprising.

“I know I hurt you, a lot and tonight was probably shit for you. Don’t get me wrong, I don't regret going with Tubbo,”

“…but I wish there was a way that I could’ve done that without hurting you.”

Techno didn’t know what to say, this isn’t something he thought he would deal with. 

“And not only for Doomsday… I just.” Tommy was seeming to have some difficulty with expressing his words.

“Yeah. I just wanted to say sorry for saying those shitty things, I didn’t mean them, I was being a dick. Sorry.”

Since Techno didn’t know how to respond, it was taking him a while to process. So he began laughing, loudly. Tommy stood up and punched Techno on the back. That caused Techno to tackle the golden-tipped wing boy. 

It was a moment of fun for them, a very needed one. Thankfully, no one got hurt from the roughhousing. Tommy was sitting on the stairs, laughing with Techno. Then the door opened, Philza joining in. 

——

“Hey Phil” Tommy looked at him with a stupid grin on his face. Techno only waving, fixing his long braid. “Hey, boys, whatcha up to this late at night?” 

“I just wanted to go out for a breather, and the child decided to follow me” 

“I am not a child!” Tommy had to lower his volume because he didn't want to bother his friends inside the building. Still, it got a chuckle out of Phil and Techno. 

“Is that why he’s wearing your coat?” Phil pointed out. Techno had not noticed that...

“Why do you have my coat,” Techno said in his assertive angry tone. Tommy’s mischievous smile only got worse.

“Whatttt?! I was cold, you aren't going to let a newly winged boy out in the snow without a coat!” Techno kept looking at him with his furrowed brows, even if Tommy had a point.

“That’s true, your wings already need a wash, and the cold wouldn’t be healthy for them,” Phil said that as he fixed the coat on Tommy’s back, ruffling with the golden boy’s hair. Phil was not going to admit it to the young boy, but he heard how Tommy apologized to Techno. It was sweet and it sure as hell pulled on his heartstrings.

Tommy took a minute to process what Phil had said, enjoying the hair ruffles too much to focus. But then he realized. 

“I need to wash them??” Phil looked down at him, confused at what the boy meant. 

“What, of course, you need to wash them m8, they're covered in grime.”

“Well, how would I know! I can't even touch them, they're so tiny.” Tommy yawned out

Techno and Phil eye-rolled at this, the wings weren’t even that small compared to Phils, but “Tommy’s a whiner.” 

“Yeah, yeah sure m8. Now go inside, we can wash them in the morning. Get your rest.” 

Tommy looks absolutely offended by this comment. How dare Phil tell him to go to bed, he is not a child. He is allowed to go to bed whenever he wishes. So what does Tommy do?

He flops onto Techno. Dropping his entire weight on Techno’s legs. 

“No. Get off.” Techno looked at him with the furrowed brows again. Tommy shook his head. Techno looked up at Phil almost like saying ‘help me out here’ Phil couldn’t help but chuckle at this. It was almost like they were little kids again. 

“Sorry m8, when avians grow their wings, they usually cling onto someone, looks like it's your turn.” 

“No. I am not carrying this child everywhere.” Techno wasn’t really upset at Tommy being around, but he just didn't want to deal with taking him everywhere .

“1. I am not clingy. 2. Just stay in the weird nest thing for tonight! I'll get over it by morning!” The golden-haired boy sounded so sure of himself, but in reality, Phil knew that this clingy phase would stay for well over a week, but he enjoyed the playful banter between his boys; So he just let Tommy convince Techno with this accidental lie. 

Techno huffed at first as if he wanted to deny. Then just nodded, stating “fine.” Which made Tommy really happy. That only lasted for a few seconds though, since Techno decided to throw the winged boy over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Tommy threw a few whispered insults but promptly passed out as soon as he was laid down on the nest with Techno. 

Phil’s heart felt like it was leaping with joy at the sight of this. The only reason he had been upset with Tommy before was for hurting Techno, but they had made up. His family was together again, or almost fully together. He felt a shiver of cold crawl up his back, turning behind him. The sky had changed from dark blue to a bright green and light blue. This made his smile turn into a smirk. He missed her, but as she always said. 

“I’ll be with you wherever you are. Even if I may only see you through the bright skylights.”

Phil decides to go back in the warmth, remembering her always put a smile on his face.

Chapter Text

The morning light shined through the window, gracing the skin of the goat hybrid’s scarred face. The smell of baked goods filling the air, waking him up. Tubbo stood up slowly, making sure not to make loud noises.His quiet tip-toes took him to the kitchen, where he started making some morning drinks. He knew about everyone's drinks because Ranboo had told him Techno’s and Phil’s drinks beforehand, and Tommy basically lived with him. He also began foraging for some food, scrambling different pastries onto a plate. He couldn’t seem to find Ranboo’s mug, so he decided to peek at the living room, to ask his beloved if they had seen it. His husband was gone, usually at this time Micheal was awake and sleepy walking around his room. That must mean that they took their mug with them, they were usually an early riser anyways. Tubbo was not, he hated waking up early, only doing it when necessary. 

Ranboo cuddled Micheal in his long arms, holding him closely. The pig-boy held so much warmth, and Ranboo always loved hugging him, for comfort. Michael didn’t mind, he just kept coloring and playing with his chickens. Ranboo’s eyes were closed, he just wanted a break. The last… 24(??) hours have been rough on him. Overwhelming, more than anything, too much for the hybrid. Their ears twitched as they heard the door open, he felt his heart shrink. He was scared that Techno had come in, he wasn’t ready to tell him about his little family. Thankfully, his heart grew 10 times larger than before, after he saw his loving platonic husband at the door, a cup of coffee in his hand. 

“Hey, you enjoying yourself there big man?” The goat boy said, with a smirk.

Ranboo’s smile grew, “Yeah! Micheal’s really warm. C’mere!” 

Ranboo smiled as Tubbo grabbed their son and snuggled him close. 

“Oh shit he really is warm. Is that normal?” Tubbo doesn’t know a lot about overworld zombie baby piglins, causing this to be a usual question for the parents. Ranboo doesn't really know either, but he does know that Techno normally gets really warm, causing a hesitant nod. Tubbo plays with Michael as he oinks and grabs onto his goat dad's finger. Ranboo stands up and admires his little family, sappy feelings taking over his heart. Michael seems to be having the time of his life with his parents. Ranboo’s tail started doing that nice swooping, excited motion, they hadn’t even noticed it, until Tubbo spoke up, “Calm down boss man, you're gonna have a heart attack, with how much you’re wagging your tail. Ranboo gets caught off guard by this, they felt kinda embarrassed, causing a small happy warbled noise. Thankfully, Tubbo had seen him like this before, only happily chucking at the noise, so he wasn't as embarrassed as usual.

This was one of the first pleasant moments the tiny family had experienced in what felt like days.It was lovely to feel those sappy feelings once more. Michael was spoiled for attention during the mornings, causing him to be very clingy with his parents and then passing out mid-afternoon. Which was fine for the parents since they usually used the sleeping time as time to hang out with friends or just with each other.

Michael eventually got tired of all the snuggles, and he wanted to go to play with his toys and chickens. Which caused the pig-boy to squirm in his fathers arms. Tubbo sat him on the ground, watching him as he stood up, wobbly as always, and walked off to play with the pet chickens. Tubbo sits on the chair and Ranboo sits once more on the floor. They just watch their son wandering around his room, picking up and playing with every other toy that he finds on the floor.

The calm moment ends when they hear a shout from downstairs, “SHIT.”

Tommy’s freaking out… again .

------------

Tommy woke up to the sound of drinks being made. He could hear Tubbo pouring the hot coffee into a cup. Tommy could even smell the coffee. He decided to move over to his stomach and stretch out. Techno was still in the nest next to Tommy, so the winged boy wasn't ready to just stand up and leave. After stretching, Tommy looked over to Phil, who was sitting sleeping on the nearby couch. Slight snoring came from both sides of Tommys, which was weirdly comforting for him. Everything felt warm, which was something Tommy hadn’t felt in what felt like forever. It reminded him of their old home. The beach house that Phil lived in. The one that housed his entire family at one point. He remembered the comfy afternoons, where almost everyone fell asleep on the living room couches, even Wilbur sometimes.

 Wilburs sleeping patterns usually depended on whether he was playing his guitar. If he was, it only made the afternoon even warmer. Hearing the muffled strums from Wilburs room as everyone felt their eyelids weighing down.

That reminds Tommy, where the hell is Wilbur? Was he supposed to talk to him today?? He knows that they made a plan to meet up in a couple days, but Tommy really hasn’t had the most time to check his communicator, since uh… y’know, growing wings. So Tommy decided to check  his messages. 

-

<WilburSoot> Tommy hurry up

<WilburSoot> Tommy where are you??

<WilburSoot> Toms?

<WilburSoot> Tommy I’m getting worried. Please answer my calls asap

-

Oh shit. Wilbur sounds genuinely worried about Tommy. He doesn't even know how to respond to him or how to even tell him why he couldn’t make it. So he decides on a clear, “Hey, sorry. I'm alright.” Which almost immediately prompted a call from his older brother.

“TOMMY. Where the hell have you been?! I’ve been messaging and calling you for hours!"

Tommy's a bit scared of waking up Techno so he whispers back, "Yeah sorry Wil, i've had a lot going on so uh i couldn't answer. But i'm fine. I'm in Snowchester with Tubbs and I'm fine, I promise."

"Snowchester?" Tommy just responds with a little hum. 

Wilbur takes a pause before responding with his commanding voice,  says "I'll be right over." Then he hung up.

'Shit' Tommy's frozen. How does he get himself in this one??? Why did he. What. He?

Tommy's at a loss of words for what he just did. Well, he was for about a minute until,

"SHIT."

Chapter Text

Ranboo and Tubbo walk in, to Techno and Phil staring at Tommy as he paces around the open hallways. Tommy has that intense weird look on his face, where you could tell that he’s panicking. He’s not talking, except for those few curse words fumbling out. 

Ranboo walks up to Phil, who seems to have found the kitchen, and grabbed the coffee that Tubbo served before. The ender hybrid, gave a small warbly whisper, “Is he alright? What happened?” 

Phil has that rough tired voice, his eyes still droopy from the long sleep he was having, “No clue, he’s been like that since we woke up. Dude scared the shit out of us.” Ranboo just stared at Techno, who gave a tired, mumbled “Please, make him stop.”

Tubbo came up to Tommy, and just grabbed his shoulders, waking the winged boy up. “Fuckin stop. What happened?” This was a quite funny sight honestly, this far taller kid being completely stopped by this far tinier goat boy, who has a very tight grip. 

Tommy was very quiet at first, whispering his worries to Tubbo. When he asks him to speak up, Tommy speaks in a loud tone, “I ACCIDENTALLY INVITED WILBUR TO SNOWCHESTER. I DIDN’T MEAN TO I'M SORRY.”

…

The room falls quiet full of shock, everyone staring at the very panicked Tommy. Even Techno stood up. None of them knew how to approach this. No one really trusts Wilbur now, so this was a very risky move. Tubbo pulls off his hands from Tommy’s shoulders. 

The goat hybrid gently pulls Tommy’s communicator and reads the previous messages.

The room feels quiet as Tubbo gets a very menacing glare towards Tommy. The winged boy just invited their undead, possibly manipulative brother into the hidden commune with Tubbo’s secret husband and child.

That glare immediately signaled Ranboo to pull Tubbo away before he attacks Tommy. 

When he does get picked up, he shuffles around and kicks, while avoiding hitting Ranboo, using up all of his attack energy. 

Tubbo just taps his husband’s arm telling him, “Alright im good. Let me down.”

The silence just falls again until Techno speaks up.

“So uh, what’s the plan?”

---------

So they did just that, they made a plan.

Ranboo would go distract Wilbur, Tubbo would prepare the house, Techno would go get some of his and Phil’s clothes. And while all of them went around, Phil would help Tommy clean his wings, since they visibly just looked gross.

The plan almost fully went through except for when Techno had to leave.

-

“No, why can’t Techno just fucking clean my wings,” Tommy complained once more. His clinginess was as strong as ever. He was just not ready to not be less than 2 feet from Techno.
“Cause I don’t know how to clean your wings. Didn’t you say that that the clinginess was gonna be a one-time thing?” 

“Shut up. Phil, why can’t you just goooo. You have wings it’ll be faster.” Tommy’s whiny voice coming back in as he tightened his hug around Techno’s waist. Phil stared at him in pure amusement. Tommy was acting like a little kid again, and while it seemed a bit immature, it was nice to see him be an actual kid.

“Techno knows the shortcuts over there, and he doesn’t fucking know how to clean wings m8.” Tommy just digs his face onto Technos shirt and does a muffled whine,  not wanting to let go. Technoblade finally was bored of this situation, pulling off Tommy and letting Phil catch him. Both him and Phil were able to pull Tommy off when he first started hugging Techno, but they wanted to test him for redemption, he failed, obviously. 

So Phil picked Tommy up and moved him over to the bathroom, sitting him on the bath border, turning on the shower tap.

Tommy fucking screeching, at the first contact with the cold water,

“BITCH”

Chapter Text

Tommy was sitting on the wall of the bath, pouting at the water clinging from his wings. 

He and Phil had been sitting there in silence while the bright red wings were being washed with a shit ton of water and some soap that Phil had brewed up a few minutes before. It was a rather calming place to be. 

The sound of the faucet running slightly. The lavender-like smell of the soap. The gentle touch of Phil’s hand on Tommy’s wings. The nice brush of the soap on each singular feather. Phil’s humming of a familiar song. 

The world felt too kind, too familiar. It all reminds Tommy of his childhood, or what he remembers of it. Anything, before he got to Phil’s place, felt like a big sad and angry blur. Unlike the old house, which was always warm and full, much like it felt being here.

Phil notices Tommy’s small smile and interrupts his thought train, “So, what were you and Techno talking about last night?”

“Oh uh,”  Tommy debated telling Phil the truth. Sure, he already knew the disagreements that Techno and Tommy have had, but it felt a bit much to boast about apologizing, to him. This prompted the boy to just go with a simple, “Just catching up.”

This takes a caring smile out of Phil. Even if he knew about Tommy’s apology, he decide to put it off, since it was technically none of his business. 

So Phil kept humming that familiar tune, and Tommy went back to his mind, closing his eyes to just simply enjoy the feeling of this place. The tap was eventually closed, as not to waste warm water, so the sound of Phil’s humming just got clearer, melting Tommy’s heart and letting him drop all defenses. 

This room just felt safe to Tommy. Which was not a usual feeling for him. The bathroom just let Tommy drop his shoulders, let his fists loosen, it let him close his eyes, without shutting them tightly.

--

Soon enough, Tommy was staring back at his wings as Phil slowly dried them out with a towel. Thankfully, this was a family home, so Michael’s towel was used, just for a softer towel. Though Tommy protested at the use of a children’s towel but eventually gave away when Phil threatened to spay cold water at his face.

“Right, well, your wings can’t get fully dried with this, but you won’t be dripping anymore.” 

“I don’t like this, they feel heavy,” Tommy responded with a frown. It just felt uncomfortable to have such weighted wings.

Phil chuckled at the “>:(“ face that the young boy had on his face, 

“They won’t take long to dry, c’mon let’s wait for Techno, in the living room.”

So the both of them just walked out.

--

There was a knock at the door. The noise made Phil and Tommy become startled due to the possibility of Wilbur arriving earlier than expected.

Thankfully, it was just Techno coming back with the big bags of clothes. Oblivious to the startle that he had caused, the pig hybrid just let go of the bags on the couch, jokingly complaining “Tommy, explain to me why you have so many random sweaters and copies of that same, stupid, red and white shirt.”

Techno finally looked at his two friends, which both had that panicked silent look. “What?”

Finally, the blade’s arrival was processed on the avian’s brains. Both chuckled in relief.

But apparently, the laughter was a bit too much for Tommy’s body, causing a big shiver to shake him completely to his core.

Y’know those videos where birds shake out and the water in their feathers gets everywhere. Well, that happened and, unfortunately, the water had the exact range to throw water on Techno.

...

Tommy books it before he gets inevitably tackled by the Blade. The pig hybrid stands there, soaked, and gives a short glance at Phil. 

“You gonna spare him m8?”

“Nah, just giving him a headstart.”

Chapter Text

Ranboo stood there on the soul tunnel, fidgeting as he waited for Wilbur to arrive. He doesn’t know why the group chose him to distract. Sure, Ranboo can make a topic, but when it comes to pushing someone away from a location, especially one as important as Snowchester, he struggles with conversation. He hopes that Tubbo remembered to lock Micheals door. Ranboo isn't even sure if he wants Techno to interact with Micheal yet, but he doesn't even want to start with Wilbur. 

The nerve-wracking wait was obvious in Ranboo’s stance. The fidget of the hands, swaying of the tail, the twitch of the ears. Thankfully, the wait abruptly ended soon, when Wilbur could be seen jogging to the tunnel. 

Wilbur was obviously out of breath when he came to a stop in front of Ranboo. Taking a few seconds to catch himself. Ranboo just stood there awkwardly, waiting for this infamous dead man to be able to talk to him.

“Ranboo. right?”

This was a bit of a shock to them since Alivebur, or Wilbur had never met them.

“Yeah, you okay?”

“I am. Just went through hell and back to find this goddamn tunnel.”

The old man finally composes himself and shakes Ranboo’s hesitant hand. Then, without warning, he just starts walking on the tunnel. Not really rushing, since Wilbur had just gotten his heart beat back to normal.

Immediate panic, Ranboo swiftly catches up with Wilbur and begins the stalling conversation. 

“So uh…where were you?”

“At Tommy’s place. We had business over in Las Nevadas but when he was a no-show, I decided to wait for him at his weird dirt shack.”

Ranboo hadn’t heard of Las Nevadas much, but Foolish had talked about it while moving out of Snowchester.

“Las Nevadas?”

“Yeah, Quackity’s new place. Very bright, I think it's South of the spawn.”

Crap. New topic time. Ranboo knows nothing of Las Nevadas and by Wilburs furrowed eyebrows, it doesn’t seem like a good subject to continue.

It seems like Wilbur was 5 steps ahead of him.

“So, what's Snowchester like?”

“Oh uh…”

Ranboo has to take a second to think, being careful with his words was very important here.

“Little snowy island. It's just Tubbo’s little community. Some people live there temporarily, but anyone is invited in.”

“Do you live there?”

“Uh it’s not my main base but sometimes I sleep over.”

This takes a moment of tense silence between the two to process. Wilbur seemed to be in a train of thought while Ranboo stood there, expecting another curious question to bounce back. 

“How are you and Tubbo? I know I’ve missed a lot, so catch me up.”

The way that Wilbur smiled when saying that stabbed Ranboo. He and Ghostbur looked so alike yet so different at the same time. The sinking feeling of remembering Ghostburs face felt horrible in their gut.

“Well L’manburg was horrible for us, and after it got blown up, Tubbo, Tommy and I just worked on supporting each other through it. Now we just kind of spend time together. But we’re doing much better!”

Okay maybe the enthusiasm in that last sentence was a bit too strong. On the other hand, Wilbur didn’t seem to notice it. A warm tired look covered his face. Somehow, it also looked painful, as if it hurt him to hear that his friends had such happy lives. But that wouldn’t make sense, right?

Whatever. Ranboo shouldn’t pry at Wilbur.

Instead, he got one of the worst panics when he saw Wilbur just jump off the tunnel. He finally regained consciousness of where he was, completely forgetting to focus on how far they were from Snowchester. 

Ranboo dropped himself, taking a lead in front of WIlbur, trying to walk slower to push Wilbur back, away from his family home.

——

Tubbo cleaned the house until it was spotless. No toy, drink or mess was left unattended. The only thing that wasn't picked up was the nest that was made the night before, since Phil told him to avoid touching it too much.

Thankfully, after Tommy and Techno had their playfight, they started helping out with cleaning. Phil on the other hand went to prepare some snacks for when Wilbur arrives and some more potions in case Tommy begins feeling too weak again.

This situation just felt weird to Philza, almost like a case of deja vu. Still, it felt good to be connected to his family again. The night that Tommy left Techno was hard for the household, it all felt too quiet. He remembers that Technoblade didn't sleep at all that night. He kept saying that “there’s too much to do,” a frown held that phrase for the whole night. Wilbur’s death was heartbreaking… but Phil never really grieved properly for it, too much was happening. Today just felt off, scary almost.

Just as Phil finished mixing in the glistering melon pieces in the potions, a knock came from the door. The bird man sat down the potions on the stand and allowed them to start brewing as he wiped his hands waiting for someone to open the front door. Tubbo’s footsteps could be heard rushing from upstairs, so Phil waited until he got here. The short goat kid went near the door and took a deep breath. It sounded shaky and nervous, but somewhat determined, at the same time. A quick glance was shared between the two hybrids, a sort of “ready.” look.

With the confirmation from Phil, Tubbo opened the door, looking relieved to see his husband in front of Wilbur. A soft “hey” went between the couple as Ranboo walked behind Tubbo, holding the goat-hybrid’s shoulder, gently. Wilbur walks in, almost star-gazed when seeing his old friend once more. 

Sure, Wilbur had seen Tubbo when he first got revived, but not like this. In their first encounter, Tubbo looked startled and mostly hid next to Ranboo. Here, Tubbo looked comfortable, like he owned his emotions, like nothing that Wilbur could say would change him. This felt horrible for Wilbur. He doesn’t want to be seen as scary or risky, especially not by his family. Then again, he understands why they don't feel safe around him. He’s a risky play, no one knows his motives or intentions, no one trusts him. Well no one except Tommy, he hopes. 

This feeling of guilt hit him hard in the gut. The type that makes you just want to crumble into the arms of who he hurt. To apologize every second that he’s with them. Obviously, he can’t do that, he can’t show that side of himself, especially not until he knows Tommy is safe.

Wilbur just gives Tubbo a small head pat, nothing too close, just a small old greeting sign. That gave Tubs a sharp sting in his heart. It felt painful to feel such an old gesture.

“So how have you been Tubs?” Wilbur takes a breath, walking in slowly and looking around the entrance room.

“Been good. Come in.” The goat boy leads Wilbur over to the living room, hesitantly letting the older man look around but not get too far. Wilbur looks around proudly, giving a strange look at the bundle of blankets and pillows at the corner. “You built this place?” Tubbo’s hesitant to respond, “Yeah, didn't really take long.” A small proud nod returns the rather stale response

Philza comes out of the kitchen drying his hands with a hand towel, going for an immediate hug towards Wilbur. Ranboo, who had been following behind his husband and the older brother, whispered to Tubbo, “I'm gonna call Tommy and Techno, be right back.” His husband’s only response was a silent nod.

Wilbur and Tubbo sit down on the couches without a single word passing between the two, as Phil grabbed the snacks made from earlier.

“So Tommy’s alright?”

“Yeah, was just a chaotic fucking night.”

Before Wilbur could finish his questions about what had happened the night before, loud crashing and footsteps. Followed by Tommy’s loud yelling of “FUCK HE’S ALREADY HERE??” 

The brothers looked up at the archway which led to the stairs, amused.

“Tommy, don't run down the stairs!” 

“FUCK YOU BITCH. I DO WHAT I WANT”

Surprisingly, he didn't fall. It was almost a face plant but Tommy made sure to flap his wings so that the fall wouldnt land him as hard. His socks slid down the hallway into the archway. 

“WIL HI. NOW DON’T FREAK OUT.”

Wilbur was quite literally lost for words in this situation. “Tommy.” His brother, which he was almost 80% sure was human, is most definitely not human, by the very obvious trait of red and gold wings stuck on his back, flapping quickly. Wilbur just stood there fucking frozen as his two younger brothers waited for his response.

“What the fuck.”

Chapter Text

“What the fuck”

Wilbur stood there for a few moments, completely frozen, only his eyes moved as he examined the young avians’ wings. On the other hand, his younger brother warbled around on the archway, considerably dizzy from the amount of strength he used drifting down the stairs. He tried to call Phil as he balanced himself on the archway. Phil heard the struggle from Tommy, he knew the child probably did some dumb shit and overexterted himself. So a plate of food and potions were brought over to the living area. 

Without a word to the paralized Wil, Phil supported Tommy so that he could get his balance stable once more, holding a potion of strength for him to drink. A big gulp of the drink got him stable enough to walk next to his older brother. By then, Techno and Ranboo stood at the archway, watching the scene quietly.

“Uhh, Wil?” His older brother moved his glazed stare to Tommy, “You okay there?”

No response. 

A few seconds of silence filled the room. Both awkward and tense feelings floated around the family. All just waiting for the breaking point.

Wilbur just sat there, his brain trying to process the weird news.

Sure, his dad had wings way before Wilbur was born, the wings themselves didn’t really shock him. It was more that Tommy had them. I mean, this was the weird child who Wilbur found, lost and angry. The small starving kid who he brought home to Phil and accidentally never left. His little brother.

Wilbur did know that Tommy was some kind of a mutant, his ears proving so. But he never, ever would have guessed him to be an avian. Most winged fellows begin to grow out at a young age, maybe 3-6. Growing wings at the age of 17 is definitely not a likely thing to happen. 

All Wil does is stare at his younger brother. Weirdly, the boy’s nervous smile, bright blue eyes, and golden hair reminded him so much of his father. Don’t get it wrong, Phil reassured Wilbur many times that he was his only biological child, but the wings just made it so much real to him, like an underlying thought being reeled back into his mind.

Wilbur was brought back to reality when he heard Tubbo call back to him, “Wilbur?”

The happiest grin covered his face, finally breaking the silent tension. He tackled Tubbo and Tommy, pulling them into the biggest hug they have gotten for a while. 

“This is amazing!”

------------------

“This is amazing!” 

 WIlbur yelped out as he basically strangled his two younger brothers.Techno didn’t really understand the sudden reaction, but hey, Wilbur is Wilbur. In the years he’s been around Techno, Wilbur seems to not have changed at all. Obviously he has but, in this very “homey family” moment, he seems the exact same as when Tommy his name for the very first time.

    The memory is basically engraved into the pig hybrids memory. It's one of his favorites of course. The way Wilbur spent that whole morning sitting out on the lawn, near the training area so that Phil could supervise while training with young Techno. They would sit on the lawn and repeat the phrase “Wi-l-bur” over and over again. He spent until noon, playing with baby Tommy, repeating the pronunciation. Of course, since Tommy was still young, the word didn't really sound like his name, more like a line of babbles. So all Techno heard while training was,

“Wi-l-bur.”

“Wabalaba”
“No Tommy. Wilbur.”

It felt like those words went on for hours on end. Only after lunch did Tommy finally get it. The roaring celebration from his older brother flowed through the open environment that surrounded the family home. He simply would not stop showing off his younger brother's butchered pronunciation.  

“WILBLY” would sound non stop for rest of the evening, only getting worse later in the night due to Wil’s constant encouragement for it. Hell, Tommy was even mumbling it in his sleep. Wilbur was so excited over it, even if he had the most butchered pronunciation out of all of them. “Techie” and “Dadza” were pretty good for Tommy’s age, but “Wilbly” was something else.

 Looking at the scene in front of him right now feels as if he were young again. As if all the world's problems had once again seemed transparent. Before anarchy, before L’manburg, before the festival. The feeling of that lone large home that sat on the beach, surrounded on the sides by farms and grass fields, washed over Techno’s heart. It was the home of his dreams, his family home. God, he missed those days.

Ranboo nudged the piglin with lost eyes, a soft curious smile on their face. Techno just nodded, not wanting to interrupt the nostalgic feeling just yet. The two tall mobs look back at their family just to see Tommy continuing to try and squirm out of the big brother head lock, wings flapping wildly, and Tubbo just staring at his 2 brothers, giving up on his freedom.

“WILBUR FUCK OFF”