Archive of Our Own ^beta

Tommy closed his eyes and hummed as he tapped his fingers on the desk, fictional people twirling around the darkness behind his eyes as the chattering nonsense filling his ears muffled.

“-my. TOMMY!”

The blond startled, falling back from his desk chair and onto the floor in a crumpled heap, grateful that he was wearing wireless headphones.

With a hiss and grumble, Tommy shuffled back onto his chair where he saw his friends, who felt comfortable having face cam on, watching him curiously.

“What do you want, dickhead?” Addressing Wilbur, who had called out to him.

“We were talking about meet-up dates, and then you zoned out, gremlin child.” Wilbur’s voice was far too sugary for his words.

“And you interrupted my zoning for my input because you realized I’m the big man, and you must center the dates around me,” he joked, sticking his nose up in a way that let them all understand he was joking if they couldn’t get his tone.

His friends all laughed before continuing, this time with Tommy paying attention and shoving the thoughts of twirls into the back of his mind to explore for later.

“So, is everyone here free the last week of next month?” Dream asked that time as clicks came from his mic.

Everyone started checking their calendars, Tommy doing the same. He felt like he forgot something important, and it wasn’t until the teen read what was on the screen before he almost let out a screech in remembrance.

Dance comp!!

September 28

Fly to Orlando September 24

Don’t forget Peony!

As everyone in the call was making noises of agreement, Tommy thought about his options before coming to a conclusion. Resisting the urge to sigh, he instead let out a deliberate throat clear.

“Sorry boys, forgot I have a thing that week in the good ol’ US of A,” he masked his nervousness with a chuckle, fighting to keep the anxiousness out of it.

“Really? Where? We can all meet up there before your thing,” Tubbo suggested.

“U-Uh. It’s in Orlando, and I’m flying there on the 24th ‘cuz my thing is on the 28th,” the blond explained.

“Orlando? Perfect! Everyone could stay at my house, or I could rent everyone a place near my house!” Dream exclaimed.

Tommy internally cursed as he remembered that the man lived in Orlando, before resigning to his fate with a sigh.

“Sure. I have to fly there with my friend though. We already booked the hotel rooms,” he played with a fidget cube below the camera, enjoying the slight motions of moving around the ball and flicking the switch.

“I find it hard to believe you have actual friends,” Wilbur joked, and everyone else on the call went back to laughing as Tommy fake laughed along.

He had a person to text.

~~~

After a month of hinting on Twitter about the meetup, then a ten-hour flight sitting next to Peony, who snored, then a two-hour car ride to the hotel, Tommy was finally in Orlando, Florida.

And the first thing he did was make a Twitter post about the Queen.

TommyInnit ✅ @tommyinnit

I’m not in the land of the Queen anymore. 

TAKE ME BACK!!!

|

|

Ph1LzA @Ph1LzA

That’s one way to announce you’re in America lmao

Then he fell asleep and ignored Twitter blowing up.

The next day, he and Peony met up with the rest of his friends. Peony couldn’t stay long, going to meet up with the rest of their dance crew, but they did want to meet Tommy’s streamer friends.

The two walked towards the park they were meeting everyone else in and quickly spotted the large group.

Tommy grabbed Peony’s hand before running over to everyone, loudly announcing their presence while Peony just laughed at his antics.

“WHAT’S UP, BOYS!” The blond let go of their hand before grabbing the closest person, Tubbo, and pulling him into a bone-crushing hug.

As Tommy went around the group, hugging everyone, Technoblade analyzed the person he came with.

They were shorter than Tommy, about 5’6, if he had a guess, with dark brown skin with lots of lighter, almost white patches. Vitiligo, if the brunette remembered correctly. Their hair was parted in the middle with two different colored buns at the top sides of their head, turquoise on the right and rose on the left. A satisfying combination that reminded him of deeply saturated cotton candy. 

They were wearing a cropped, white, blue, and pink striped collared shirt with fitted cuffs that ended right below their ribs. Starting just above their belly button so some of their torso was showing was a black, high waisted, flared mini skirt, ending at the top of their thighs. Underneath the skirt was black fishnets with large holes tucked into galaxy doc martens.

Completing the aesthetic was the rounded septum piercing and their many ear piercings.

As if sensing eyes on them, Peony turned their head in Technoblade’s direction before shooting him a blinding smile.

 It seemed that Technoblade wasn’t the only one looking over Tommy’s friend, as Ranboo had come over and started complimenting them on their style.

It was a joyful few minutes as everyone talked and caught up, relishing in the contact they had with people they’d never been able to meet before until a slight ringing sound drew their attention to their cotton candy-haired guest.

They took out their phone to silence the alarm before shooting Tommy a smile.

“Looks like it’s my time to go, Toms. I’ll go tell everyone hello for you, so have fun with your friends,” they slipped their phone back into their skirt pocket before walking towards Tommy and pulling him into a short hug.

“Yeah yeah, go have fun with those assholes, Penny,” Tommy grumbled, but he hugged back anyways.

Peony just laughed, a sound like church bells, before walking away from the group with a slight wave.

Once they were out of earshot, everyone’s voices overlapped as they questioned how Tommy became friends with someone that cool. Then, quickly growing exasperated, Tommy put on a mask of anger.

“SHUT UP! YOU’RE ALL JUST JEALOUS THAT I GET TO HANG OUT WITH SOMEONE ALMOST AS COOL AS ME!” He sniffed and turned his head up haughtily, relishing in the way everyone let out a sigh of fondness before letting the conversation drop and a new one form.

Tommy made sure to keep his streaming persona away and just be Tommy, a 17-year-old hanging out with his friends. As the clock reached seven pm, they all started making their way towards the Italian restaurant they had a reservation for.

Wilbur came up to Tommy when they were walking there and placed his arm around his shoulders, causing Tommy to let out a little huff and lean closer towards his brother figure.

“So, what’s the thing you’re in the US for?” That seemed to stop all conversations as everyone glanced at the two, remembering how Tommy never mentioned why he was there.

Tommy had resigned to his fate long ago, so he just smirked up at Wilbur and said,

“Wouldn’t you like to know, weather boy?”

That drew groans and laughs, as well as one from Tommy before the blond teen took out his phone and pulled up his and Wilbur’s DMS. He typed something out and sent it before closing it and turning off his phone, turning back towards the brunette with a smug smile.

“There, I sent you the time and location. Go there if you want answers.”

Tommy immensely enjoyed acting like a cryptid, something he wasn’t able to do often with a loud and obnoxious persona, so he relished in the confused looks he got from everyone.

As Wilbur tried to question him, he just hummed and walked forward with a smug smirk.

~~~

“Anxious, depressed gay teens who can’t express their emotions, so they dance instead of shaving their heads” by Fallout Boy

Pinky Pie Reject: 

Tommy! When are we all gonna meet up! I wanna hug you!

Omori Kinnie:

Ew

420:

Lmao

Gender Drinker:

Just cuz you’re both touch starved and touch averse doesn’t mean Tommy is.

Cotton Candy Skies:

Ouch-

Melatonin Commercial:

Okay but why did that hit me hard as well wtf

Angy <3:

I’m meeting up with you guys tomorrow

Chill

Gender Drinker:

Great.

~~~

For the next two days, Tommy met up with his dance friends and practiced the dance routines. He had the most to remember, so he wasn’t able to spend any time with his streamer friends, which they questioned, but waved away when the teen told them that he was preparing for his event.

He was the only one with both a solo and duet. Peony, his partner for the duet, was only doing the group dance and duet, while he had to do the group, duet, and solo. Though he bragged that it was because he was the best, they all knew that it was because of the hard work and time he spent perfecting his movements and technique.

He was their inspiration, and they were his.

Sandy, or Pinky Pie Reject, was energetic in both dance and life. She brought joy and energy wherever she goes, and she always makes dancing as fun as it can be.

Josh, or Omori Kinnie, seemed cold and distant on the outside, but on the inside, he cared so deeply about his friends and the world around him that he didn’t want anyone he didn’t trust to see that care and shatter it. So he always made sure everyone was safe while dancing.

Hazel, or 420, was relaxed and easy-spirited, always ensuring that everyone took breaks once in a while. She always made sure no one felt too stressed out while dancing.

Jaime, or Gender Drinker, was the responsible one of the group. They always made sure everyone was prepared for each class, whether that was bringing water or being a shoulder to cry on, they always kept everyone in beat while dancing and brought much-needed order.

Peony, or Cotton Candy Skies, was the mom of the group. They were the right mix of goofy and parental, always being there with a joke or a tissue. They made the dancers into a family.

Chris, or Melatonin Commercial, had chronic insomnia and was always tired. He understood what it was like to be constantly exhausted, so he ensured that everyone else got decent amounts of sleep. As a result, they kept the group healthy and well-rested.

And Tommy was the unquestioned leader of the group. He kept everyone in check while also being a chaotic force of nature. He brought a good amount of chaos to the dances that kept everything from being boring or repetitive. He was kind and supportive but also loud and shining. He was the unspoken pillar of support that kept everyone standing.

They all fit together like pieces to a puzzle, coming together to form a beautiful picture of family and dance.

~~~

On the morning of the 28th, Tommy woke him and Peony up five hours before the competition. He texted the group chat, making sure everyone else was up as well before getting ready for the day.

He showered, got dressed, and did his morning routine before picking up the things he’d need for the day while Peony did their routine. He packed his three different outfits before throwing on something comfy, knowing he’ll have to change later.

After the two were ready, they took an uber to the building. It was a thirty-minute ride, so Tommy took the time to text the SMP discord.

Tommyinnit: Just a reminder, if you wanna see the reason I’m in America, then come to this location at noon today

Tommyinnit: *location*

Several people are typing…

Tommy clicked out of discord before opening his dance group chat, quietly chuckling at the utter chaos.

Once they arrived at the building and saw all the dancers from different age groups, they walked to their designated dance room. They all got the room number in the confirmation email months ago. Their dance teacher, Mrs. Jones, was there when they arrived.

“There they are!” She spoke with a smile, motioning towards the last two to join.

“Yeah yeah, save it,” Tommy grumbled, dropping his bag to the group before pulling out his first outfit.

He entered the connected bathroom before changing into his first outfit. The first dance was the group dance, and it was ballet. His outfit was a standard men’s ballet outfit. A tight, bright red t-shirt tucked into black ballet tights covered his feet and into his black ballet shoes.

What was unique was the masquerade masks they were all wearing. Each one covered in their birthstones. Fake, of course, and Tommy loved them, especially since they were all born in different months.

Tommy’s mask was pure white, encrusted with diamonds and faux feathers, making him look like a dove.

Sandy had a ruby mask encrusted with the red gems and similar colored sequins.

Peony’s mask was a mix of silver and aqua blue, the butterfly laying on the side of the mask covered in aquamarine gemstones.

Chris wore an emerald mask with large gemstones plastered at the top, with smaller ones dusting the cheeks.

Hazel wore a frosty white and blue ombre mask , going from a deep blue with sapphires studded around to an icy cold white.

Josh’s mask was all green that curved upwards on the right side like a crescent moon; peridot gems dotting the face to the top of the moon as peacock feathers held onto the right side by a cluster of peridot gems.

Jaime had a black mask that expressed the redness of the garnet stones that lined above the eye like eye shadow.

He exited the bathroom holding his bundle of clothes before putting them in the side pocket of his bag. He looked around the room, watching friends warm up while talking cheerfully with each other, and he smiled.

“Yo! Tommy! Come warm up with us!”

He looked and saw everyone watching him as Peony held out their hand with a smile.

With a small, fond huff to himself, he allowed feelings to overwhelm him.

“You all just can’t get enough of the great Tommyinnit, huh?”

~~~

Wilbur looked at the building with a sense of confusion. Surprisingly, there were no outside indications of the event, so they still had no clue what they were going to watch. 

Wilbur contemplated streaming this, but he didn’t know if Tommy would be comfortable with that, so he decided to just record it like the proud big brother he was.

“This is the right place, right?” Ranboo asked as Tubbo looked around, seeing small crowds of people enter the building.

“It’s the address he sent, and people are going inside, so worse comes to worst it’s the wrong place, and we just apologize to Tommy for missing it,” the brunette shrugged before making his way inside, forcing everyone else to rush in behind him.

Wilbur looked around and watched as everyone shuffled into a large hall. He let out a huff-like laugh as he realized the last time he was in an auditorium was about six years ago. God, he felt old, and he wasn’t even thirty yet.

He took a seat in between Phil and Techno. They were lucky enough to get seats in the middle column and the second row, the best seats.

Wilbur took out his phone as the seats filled out around him. Then, as chatter and conversations filled the air, the lights flashed twice in warning, causing the sounds to quiet into a whisper.

The stage lights grew brighter in intensity as a woman with greying hair and a kind smile.

“Welcome to this year’s International Sunsprite Dance Competition. You may remember me from previous years, but if you don’t, then my name is Julia Rough, the organizer of this event.”

As everyone around him started clapping, Wilbur felt himself fill with confusion.

Dance competition?

Though he was confused, he still picked up his phone and set it up to record.

“There will be three categories for each group, the group dance, the duet, and the solo. After each dance, there will be a five-minute break to prepare for the next. Our first groups today are from the eight to fourteen age group. Please welcome to the stage, team Pennsylvania!”

Wilbur stopped paying attention to the dances after the second team, team Arkansas, came on stage. 

“Please welcome our only international team this year, team England!”

~~~

Technoblade had doubts until he watched Tommy, and it was so obviously Tommy behind that mask, gracefully sliding onto the stage along with six other mask-wearing teens.

They all settled into their spots on stage; a person wearing an aquamarine mask alone in the front while the other six stood in rows of two behind them, each in a graceful starting position.

The song started with techno-type beats. Of which, they bounced on the front of their toes on each one.

As soon as the guitar and piano, as well as the first voice, kicked in, the three rows of two stood on their tiptoes before bouncing off to the sides to form two lines, still bouncing, as the person in front stayed in their spot.

The teens stayed bouncing like that for a few more seconds until Tommy glided across the stage where the person with the aquamarine mask met him in the middle.

The two danced around each other as the other five teens twirled, spinning on their tiptoes as they moved across the stage to form a star. Tommy then grabbed the person by their waist and lifted them into the air as they poised their legs.

The two separated and danced across the stage. Technoblade saw Tommy in the front discreetly turn his head towards the audience. They met eyes for half a second, but Technoblade was sure the blond sent him a wink as it sang ‘ Like Theseus's ship.’

“Did he just wink at you?” Wilbur leaned over and whispered into Technoblade’s ear, causing the man to look away from the dancers doing splits on stage.

“I think he did. Do you know why?” Techno hummed back, watching the one in the emerald mask hold the one in the ruby mask by their waist so they could do a split in the air.

Wilbur stopped recording, only after making sure Phil is, before opening up shazam and pressing record. When Wilbur had to cover his mouth to keep the laughs in bay, Techno looked down at the phone before huffing and rolling his eyes at the song.

Theseus by the Oh Hellos.

That little shit.

~~~

Phil watched as the ballet routine ended with Tommy and Peony, as he recognized the hair, standing in the front poised gracefully as the rest hovered the same way in the back.

The crowd cheered loudly, though not as loud as Wilbur and Tubbo, as the two stood up and started yelling praise right at Tommy. Phil laughed as he saw the reddening of the boy’s cheeks underneath his mask.

Since it was time for the duet, the teens ran off stage to prepare during the five-minute break. During those few minutes, the streamers burst into chatter amongst each other.

“Did you see that?!” Quackity laughed, “Tommyinnit was doing ballet!”

Tubbo smacked the back of his head, “and he did well, too.”

That they all agreed on. 

The lights dimmed, and conversations ended as Tommy and Peony came back on stage. They still wore their masks, but their outfits were different.

Tommy wore black suit pants and a white collared long-sleeve shirt underneath a bright red vest with gold details. In addition, he wore a black john bull top hat with diamonds running along the middle and a red feather on the side to match the vest. To finish off his look, he wore a pair of black fingerless gloves and shiny black tap shoes.

To combat him, Peony wore a light blue with aquamarine gems sprinkled around the top, ending at their ribs, with matching short shorts ending at their upper thighs. Underneath their shorts were black pantyhose tucked into black tap shoes. In addition, they wore matching black fingerless gloves and a hat with aquamarine gems running as a stripe with a matching blue feather.

The two stood in a tango position, Tommy with one hand around Peony’s waist and the other at their shoulder blades while Peony had their hands over his shoulders and touched his back.

The two stood there quietly until the music started. When it did, they moved their shoes in time with the beat to create taps.

When the lyrics started, the two swayed in turn with the music for a second before Tommy wrapped both his hands around Peony’s waist and lifted them into the air. He then placed them back on the ground, where the two moved their feet in harmony with each other and the music.

They moved around the stage in showmanship, but they dragged their feet in ways that showed their knowledge and expertise in tap.

They somehow mixed tango and tap as they glided across the stage in each other’s arms while moving their feet in rhythm.

At one part, as the singer’s voice turned robotic, the two teens separated and tapped at the different ends of the stage. Their tapping at that part was fast and breathtaking. And when the voice returned to normal, the two tapped their way into the middle before Tommy took Peony’s arm and twirled them into a tap-filled spin.

With one final flourish from Tommy and Peony, the dance ended with them in a striking pose; Tommy in a moonwalking pose as Peony hung onto his arm with one foot raised in the air.

As the lights grew brighter, there was a round of applause. Phil included, of course. He found it so incredible what Tommy was able to do.

As Tommy and Peony ran off stage, the streamers assembled once again to talk.

“Did you see the way he easily lifted them?” Tubbo exclaimed, stars in his eyes.

“He’s been holding out on us with those noodle arms,” Ranboo joked, causing everyone to laugh.

The lights flashed again, and everyone quieted down.

It was finally time for the solo.

~~~

Tubbo didn’t expect his friend to come back on stage. Hell, he didn’t even consider it a possibility that it was Tommy who had the solo. Yes, he saw how talented his friend was in the last two dances, but he thought they wouldn’t let the same person be in all three.

When Tommy came back on stage, he wore black cargo pants that were baggy at the legs and tapered at the ankles, and a slightly oversized black sleeveless hoodie with a black and white checkered pocket at the front and a hood that was easy to move in. His shoes were flat black Nikes with white soles that were bejeweled with diamonds. And he was still wearing his mask.

All in all, he looked like one of those street dancers.

And Tubbo loved it.

“Wow. He actually has a sense of style for once,” Wilbur snarked, though the sparkle in his eyes and the slight shake in his hands showed his real feelings.

The second the song started, Tommy immediately started moving . With smooth moves and even smoother transitions, Tubbo was already impressed, and it wasn’t even half the song.

Tubbo was entranced at how his best friend masterfully moved. He did flips and spins and other things that made Tubbo gasp like a little kid.

At one part, Tommy did an honest to god cartwheel that elegantly transitioned into him, moving his arms and legs quickly in ways Tubbo couldn’t even name.

During the second chorus, Tommy started crouching down, lowering at each ‘oh’ before shooting back up at the beat drop and kicking himself backward, throwing his arms out in front of him.

He kicked into the air, lowered to the ground, even throwing in gymnastics moves that the brunette didn’t even know Tommy knew.

As the song came to an end, Tommy did a backflip with no build-up, something that drew gasps and applause from the audience, before landing on his hands and turning it into sweeps as he moved his legs around his body like a sideways windmill.

Tommy ended in a sitting pose with one leg on the ground and the other with his knee up, one arm propped against it as he smirked at the audience.

The performance moved the audience to a standing ovation as Tommy gave a wave and a smile before running backstage. He made sure to shoot a secondary, more personal smile to his friends, who were cheering the loudest out of everyone.

And as his best friend ran off stage with a healthy glow around him, Tubbo could only be amazed at how talented his best friend was.

“Wasn’t that amazing?!” Ranboo excitedly yelled towards Tubbo, his eyes shining brightly under his glasses and a smile crazed from beneath his mask.

How talented both of them were.

~~~

There was a twenty-minute break before they announced the results, so the streamer group spent the time discussing what they watched, as well as sharing any videos they took with each other.

Once the twenty minutes were over, the lights flashed twice but stayed bright as Julia came back on stage holding an envelope.

“I’d like to thank everyone for coming today personally. It’s always an honor getting to watch these talented young individuals express themselves in the art of dance, and I couldn’t be prouder for everyone here today,” she took a second to wipe a tear from her eye.

“I’ll now read out the winners,” her voice was warm and comforting as she opened up the envelope and unfolded the paper.

“We’ll start with the group dance. In third place, we have team California!” The team let out cheers from backstage as the crowd clapped politely, the parents of the kids clapping louder.

“In second place, we have team Pennsylvania.” More cheers, slightly louder this time.

“And in first place, for the group dance, we have team England!” 

Loud cheering erupted from both backstage and the audience, mostly the streamers, as they chanted Tommy’s name. Then, with a good-hearted chuckle, Julia placed her hands up to quiet the crowd.

“Next, we have our winners for the duets. In third place, we have team Florida with Stephanie Jules and Robin Collins.” Polite cheers.

“In second place, we have team Colorado with Brian Newt and Leah Cambell.” Slightly louder cheering.

“And in first place, we have, once again, team England with Thomas Simons and Peony Hues!” A cacophony of noise rang out as people yelled and cheered, especially the team backstage and the streamers in the second row.

It took more time to quiet everyone down this time, but Julia didn’t seem annoyed. Instead, she had a fond smile on her face as she watched the streamers cheer for their friend.

“And now, we’ll present our final three winners for the solo category. In third place, we have team California with Vivian Chen.” 

“In second place, we have team Louisiana with Jaquelyn Barren.”

The streamers sat on the edge of their seats, watching Julia with wide eyes. Feeling their eyes on her, she looked at them with an amused smile.

“And in first place, sweeping out the competition is team England with Thomas Simons.”

The auditorium filled with utter chaos as screams rang out, most notably Wilbur, Tubbo, Quackity, Dream, and Sapnap’s, always eager to be loud and proud of their support of their friends. The rest of the group just cheered, not quietly, but not as noisy either.

Julia’s eyes crinkled with a smile as she watched the group of people cheer and chant Tommy’s name. 

She was glad the young man had a lovely group of friends.

~~~

The group of streamers stood outside the building, talking cheerfully, watching as children and teens and parents left the building as they waited for their own child-like teen to emerge.

And soon enough, he did, surrounded by six other teens, the group pounced.

“TOMMY!” Wilbur cried out, rushing towards the boy and pulling him into a hug. 

At first, Tommy stiffened at the contact, surprised, before scoffing and rolling his eyes before melting into the touch.

“You were so good! A real Boss Man!” Tubbo babbled excitedly. His eyes sparkled as he stared at Tommy, causing the boy to turn red and sputter out strings of curses and obvious pleas for help as he wasn’t built for genuine compliments.

The rest of the group, including both streamers and dancers, instantly made it their mission to get Tommy as red as possible. 

“You were amazing!”

“TOTALLY BADASS THOMAS!”

“You looked like a fucking street dancer!”

“You were totally pogchamp!”

Tommy’s spluttering so hard Phil was worried he’d choke, forcing the man to settle an amused smirk on his face as he made everyone leave the boy alone for a moment.

Peony came up from behind Tommy and squeezed him on the shoulder.

“We’ll meet up with you later, ok? Go spend time with your other friends.” Their smile was kind as their green eyes sparkled in fondness and pride.

Pride for themselves, their friends, and especially Tommy.

Tommy hesitated for a moment, looking between his dancer friend’s eager smiles and his streamer friends’ welcoming ones. Then, with a sigh, he slumped his shoulders and sent his dancer friends a smile.

“We all did amazing today. See you guys later,” he waved them off, the streamers saying their byes as well, as the six teens walked off.

“GROUP HUG!” Quackity yelled, forcing the group of people into a hug, some more enthusiastic than others. The hug lasted a solid five minutes; five minutes spent sharing whispers of praise and breaths of thanks.

Soon enough, the hug ended, and the group backed off, content with the amount of softness they sent Tommy’s way, before spanning off into conversations.

Then, it was just Tommy, and Wilbur left in a hug. The brunette kept a tight grip on the blond as he held the back of the boy’s head with one hand, content to just hug his little brother affectionately.

“I’m so proud of you, Toms,” the words were whispered lovingly and were so warm; Tommy couldn’t help but feel warm too.

“Thanks, Wil.”

The blond squeezed the brunette slightly, making the elder huff out something fond and ruffle the blond curls.

“Maybe next time you can dance to one of my songs,” Wilbur suggested, causing Tommy to pull away from the hug to laugh.

“Not a chance.”