Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The cries of a child echo throughout the forest as he’s lowered down by the invisible arms of the Universe. Wind flew around him, making sure that his large sweater, woven with the cosmos, is securely on his form to protect him from the cold night. Leaves break away from their branches to flutter and delicately touch the child’s face, as if lightly kissing him in comfort.

The child’s cries quiet down, now tired from the energy spent on weeping. The trees around him slowly stretch and bend closer so as to not scare the child. His bright yellow eyes that shined like the stars above, now dulled as sleep embraced the child and carried him into the land of unconsciousness.

The Universe made the stars glow brighter, pleased that the World accepted the child as its own as it shielded the child from the mobs that lurked in the night. The trees let the herd of animals pass through its wooden barriers as they silently stepped closer to the young Admin. The animals circled him before laying on the grass themselves, the sheep being the nearest to provide warmth and something soft to cuddle in, the wolves being the farthest to provide protection.

The World was quiet that night as it stared at the child with nothing but adoration and love, as did the Universe. The two entities watched over the child they agreed to name Dream, the World protecting them from harm, the Universe guiding them in the dark, knowing that one day, they will be restricted from altering this server.

When that day finally came, the World and the Universe thrashed in their invisible chains, trying in vain to reach for control over their respective kins. The World’s rain nor did the Universe’s night did not listen to their pleas as the child shivered on the forest floor, the darkness surrounding him as he continued to walk forward, no animal acknowledging the child like they did in the first night.

The World and the Universe could only watch in grief as they are yet again ignored by the server, its commands now in the hands of the young, sobbing Admin as he cried out for the two entities that he could no longer feel are near, that he saw as his brothers.

“Exdee!” The Universe called back, but the words never reached the child’s ears as he was too young and inexperienced. They can only beg, offering anything so that they can stay and be heard, to continue to care for the Admin, but the chains refused, hissing at the Universe to be patient, that soon, they will be freed once more.

“Nightmare!” The World clawed at its chains, that reminded them of their duties, uncaring for the entity’s feelings or the now separated family, only of the balance and stability of the server. They roared out for Dream, loud statements that they never left him, that they’re still here.

None of their voices reached the Admin as he continues to wail out into the night, the loneliness a foreign and frightening feeling to Dream as he calls for them to come back.

Thunder boomed over his head, his white fluffy hair now soaked and covering his face as his yellow eyes frantically searched the trees around him, the trees that once shielded him now towered over him, letting any and all mobs walk past them to get to him.

Dream could do nothing but run.

Days and nights blended together as Dream sniffed, shakily rubbing his eyes to get rid of the tears, only to have them be replaced with new ones. His hand traveled from his eyes to his torso, hugging himself to fight off the incoming cold that the night offered, surviving off of nothing but berries, and running.

But then, there was someone like him. A young boy who went by the name of Tubbo. He has little horns on his head that reminded him of sheep, and is later told that he is a sheep hybrid, a ram.

Every day, they would meet at the clearing that they met. The one filled with berry bushes all around. The World breathed heavily, the effort to grow simple plants now tiring as the chains around them tightened, reminding them of their duties once more. The Universe can only hug the World, grateful that at least one of them could still provide for their youngest brother.

When asking for his name, instead of the name that he remembered being called by his brothers, Dream decided to say Clay. The Universe sighed in relief. They and the World did not trust the inhabitants of the server. It is good that Dream remembered their warnings.

Clay and Tubbo would play all day until sundown, then Tubbo would need to go home, leaving Clay all alone again, but instead of leaving to aimlessly travel, he stayed. The berries were not enough for Clay, so he ate as little as he could. He didn’t want to leave Tubbo, not after being alone for so long.

With each passing day, Clay became more tired, and it was later noticed by Tubbo. Playing devolved into cloud gazing as they spoke about anything and everything that came to mind.

Then came the topic of home.

Clay stayed silent as he listened to Tubbo ramble about everything there is about his own home. Tears were silently building the more he listened. He wanted a home, but he didn’t know where. Not anymore. His earliest memories only served as a reminder of what he lost without warning.
At some point, Tubbo stopped talking as the sheep hybrid stared at his friend, brows furrowing at the child laying on the grass beside him. “What’s wrong? Oh no, did I say something mean?!” Tubbo immediately sat up in alarm. Clay froze but then sat up as well to reassure his only friend, “No, no. I just….” Clay rubbed his eyes with his sweater’s long sleeve, “I miss my home.”

Tubbo has a look of mild confusion and sadness. He can’t imagine what it’s like to not have a home. He didn’t want to see his friend sad, but he didn’t know what else to do. So, he did what his dad did whenever he himself was sad. Tubbo reached for Clay and pulled him into a hug. Clay latched onto him and let his tears fall.

The white-haired child remained quiet as Tubbo hummed a lullaby out of tune. They stayed that way for the remainder of the day.

Chapter Text

“Slow down, Tubs. You’re gonna choke.”

Schlatt stared at his son in both amusement and concern as Tubbo rushed to chew on the large quantity of food in his mouth before swallowing. Bits of his breakfast stuck on his face, but at least his plate is clean.

“I gotta hurry though! I have stuff planned for today!”

Tubbo exclaimed as he ran to his room doing who-knows-what. Schlatt lets out a quiet chuckle before getting up to take his plate. Over the course of a few days, a week now actually, Tubbo has been running outside early in the morning and coming back at the time he was told to be, which is before sundown. In the little town that they live in, Tubbo didn’t really have many friends. Playmates, sure, but no real connection. It had worried Schlatt, although the blame as to why Tubbo didn’t make any real friends is because of him.

Schlatt, despite being a hybrid in a town full of’em, is somewhat of an outcast. He was seen as strange, intimidating, and his history of sudden violence when drunk didn’t help make matters better, although, all of them were true, he was what everyone in town says he was. A monster, and that reputation will follow him everywhere, no matter where he moved. He might have stayed that way too if it weren’t for his now-deceased wife. Ever since he met her in this town, he has gotten better. Despite all the changes, the town’s views of him didn’t change as much.

Then came the rumor that he killed his own wife, as she was last seen alive walking down the dirt path to the town’s well with him, only to come back dead. Schlatt was furious, while he was grieving for the only one that actually helped him ever since his own parents died, here they were pointing fingers at him. He might have relapsed back to being the monster- no, he did relapse to that monster everyone saw him as, but what stopped him from completely going mad was his own son.

The sight of Tubbo was what made him stop and reconsider. So, despite everything the town would and could throw at him, he wasn’t going to be their monster. Schatt is going to focus on being Tubbo’s father. Despite his efforts in shielding Tubbo from all the negativity, the kid still heard them. What did his kid do? Angrily stare at them while letting out his childish insults. Since then, Tubbo decided that he didn’t want to be friends with people that were mean to anybody, especially his dad. No, Schlatt did not in fact cry, thank you very much.

So when Tubbo came back after being out the entire day and started telling him about a friend- Clay was it? Yeah, probably- that he made in the nearest clearing, the one with the whole buncha berry bushes, Schlatt was both happy and relieved. And now, the young sheep hybrid in question is racing out of his bedroom door with a blanket, raided the kitchen for food, then made his way out of the house- wait what?

“Tubbo, kid, hold up!” Schlatt dashed to stop Tubbo before he could leave, picking him up and spinning him around. Tubbo squealed in surprise and happiness as he kicked his legs in the air in a vain attempt to get away. “What’s all this for?” Schlatt eyed the blanket-turned-basket that spilled an apple or two.
“Clay says that he doesn’t have much to eat, so I’m gonna have a picnic with’em!” Schlatt’s grin is still on his face, but his brows furrow in concern at the answer, “That’s, uh, nice of you Tubbo.” He doesn’t really know what to say to that as he puts Tubbo down. “Take care, and remember when you’ll be home?”

“Before sundown!”

“Good.”

Schlatt moves to pick up the apples that fell and stuffed them back inside Tubbo’s blanket before stepping to the side, letting the kid run past him.

Call him a monster or suspicious all you want, because that’s not gonna stop him from trying to not be an asshole. And blame his paternal instincts for being worried for a kid that he hasn’t even met yet. Schlatt can only sigh as he pinches the bridge of his nose. Goddamnit, I’m turning into Phil.

The picnic, apparently, is an everyday thing now, with Tubbo purposefully leaving various belongings behind for Clay. Schlatt wouldn’t be all that much worried until Tubbo began telling him of other things about this “Clay” kid. He really should have thought that something was wrong way earlier than he should. Especially when Tubbo told him that Clay is always in the berry bush clearing, just sleeping under a tree for fuck sake. So now, here he was, being led through the forest by his son with a basket- an actual basket and not a blanket- with some sandwiches as Tubbo tugs at his arm to go faster.

Schlatt didn’t really know what to expect. If he did expect anything, it probably isn’t the scene in front of him. A kid, a bit older than his son, is faced down on the grass with berries and leaves scattered around him.

“Clay!” Tubbo lets go of Schlatt’s hand and left his side in favor of Clay’s side, shaking his back to get him awake. The father looked up from the tree they were all under and saw the missing belongings and a fucking blanket? Has this kid been sleeping up there the entire time?!-

That doesn’t matter right now. Schlatt places the basket he’s holding on to the ground to crouch beside his son. Rolling the kid to his back, he can see that there are some scratches, otherwise, he looked fine.

Looking around, he contemplated what he’s going to do next-.... Okay so maybe he didn’t need that much time to think about what he needed to do next. After reassuring his son, Schlatt picked the kid up from under his knees and back, carrying him bridal style as he told Tubbo to pick the basket up.

Well. I guess this is one way to meet someone. Schlatt looks down at the kid’s face again. What kind of shit family did this kid have to just leave them out on their own?

The World growls in offence. The Universe only sighs.

Moving forward to a couple of weeks- months? I don’t know, I lost count-, Clay has since stayed with the two sheep hybrids, much to Tubbo’s delight. Schlatt wasn’t really complaining. But I am going to be complaining to Phil about his adoption habit rubbing off of him. That fridge fucker-

Of course not everything can be happy. No, of course not. The townspeople saw Clay with Tubbo going wherever together, even staying in Schlatt’s house, and thought “Oh no! He must be tricked!” or some shit like that, ‘cause now, there are people actually approaching him and are trying to convince my the kid to leave. Luckily, Tubbo knows how to get everybody’s attention, so the fucker who tries usually stops and walks away under the scrutinizing eyes of the townsfolk.

Since then, Schlatt decided to just hang around with them with a book. It’s not like he has a lot of shit to do anyway, so why not watch over the kids and be the exact opposite of what the people that hated him thought he was and just be a responsible parent that actually knows how to take care of kids and not leave them behind.

With that thought, Schlatt unknowingly angered and annoyed two entities, although one is a lot more forgiving., the same cannot be said with the other.

Other than that, there’s something else that he noticed about Clay. Now wearing a new sweater that he managed to get through trading along with other articles of clothing- thank god not everybody hated him- Schlatt noticed that Clay’s white hair and yellow eyes were getting darker. He wasn’t in any pain as far as he can tell. Soon enough, the Schlatt residences would wake up to find Clay’s hair and eyes a dark shade of brown, sheep legs, and even horns. How the fuck did this kid change his entire appearance?

Yeah, I think it’s time to revisit some books.

The days when people noticed Clay’s apparent change in species made people suspect what’s going on in the Schlatt household. Schlatt himself can only sigh in annoyance at the looks he can feel are directed at either him or at Clay.

From the few species that can alter their appearance, Clay is most likely a shapeshifter. Schlatt is sure as hell that he isn't an Illusionist, changeling, or a morpher. The horns felt too real to be an illusionist, the sheep hooves are outside a changeling's capabilities, and a morpher is just a fancy label for someone who can hide their hybrid features to appear human, and from what he can see from Clay, he was struggling to walk on his new legs and had to get used to them. Shapeshifters are pretty rare in the world, and most of the time, those are Admins. Schlatt has no idea what separates a normal person from an Admin in terms of appearance as an Admin can look as normal as any other person would be, so he’s gonna have to ask Phil about that soon.

In the meantime, Tubbo is dragging Clay around again, wanting to spend time with his friend-turned-sibling. Yeah, there’s no denying it at this point. THe kid is part of the family.

Clay seems to be more chatty than he was before, has a thing for anything with sweet berries- you would think that maybe he’d get sick of them but nah, the kid loves them- is a pretty fast and silent runner, and has a habit of giving Schlatt a heart attack because he enjoys hiding whenever he feels unsafe. That habit is slowly being replaced with him clinging on to either Tubbo or Schlatt, much to the latter’s relief and heart.

In the end, he couldn’t be mad at the kid for it.

Schlatt closed the children's storybook that he was reading aloud titled The Fox and the Grapes. He stands to kiss both of his sons on their heads before turning the lights off on his way out of their shared bedroom.

Schlatt peaks through the window blinds, sweat traveling from his forehead down to his chin as he vigilantly scans the area of anybody near the house. He heard the rumors that some hunters were roaming in the forest just outside of town.

Hunters in this server were tasked to hunt down any Admin- whether an actual one or a suspected one- that they see to either take them, or kill them.

Clay and Tubbo are in their rooms, the confusion as to why they weren’t allowed outside quickly forgotten with the promise of eating more sweet berry treats and playtime with their dad. At this moment, they decided to draw in their respective notebooks together.

“What are you drawing?” Clay asked, leaning to Tubbo’s side to look at his notebook. “I’m drawing our family! Look, this is you, here’s me, and here’s dad!” Tubbo pointed at each drawing of a person that’s supposed to look like them. “And you?”

Clay looked down at his drawing, sadness reflecting in his eyes as he stared at his drawing of what he can vaguely remember of his brothers before they disappeared all those months ago. Tubbo immediately noticed the tears slowly building in his eyes, carefully placing his notebook down with his crayons before pulling him into a hug. That’s what Schlatt sees when he enters his sons’ shared bedroom.

The storm does nothing as explosion after explosion echoes and lights up the dark night. People of varying species running away crying or dropping down onto the floor with blood pooling beneath them soon after.

Schlatt carries Clay on his back, Tubbo on his left hip, and in his right hand is a large bag of their belongings and essentials hastily packed before making a mad dash into the direction to where the Arctic would be.

Some of the hunters back in the town were shouting orders and demands at each other, uncaring of the lives they have disturbed and taken from the townsfolk as they searched for the Admin that they suspected is living in. The other half ran after the fleeing survivors.

Schlatt can hear the footsteps following him despite the frantic beating of his heart being loud in his ears or the terrorized cries of both of his sons as they hold on for dear life. No way was he outrunning people who were trained to catch Admins, but he will be damned if he lets them touch his sons.

Finding a rather large sweet berry bush, he hastily yet gently pushes some of the thorns away, ignoring the scratches and cuts he was gaining in the process as he made room for his sons and their bag to fit in. The bag is easy to stuff inside, his sons, not so much. They clung to him, large tears mixing with the rain that heavily poured down from above. For Clay, this hurt more. This is a repeat of when Nightmare and Exdee unwillingly left him alone on a cold, dark, raining night.

Schlatt shushed them both, kissing both of their heads with the promise that he’ll be back, a promise that he’ll try his best to keep. One more hug was shared between the family, then Schlatt took a step back, letting his hands linger longer before parting away from his sons’ hands.

The sheep hybrid took several more steps back with a smile, despite tears traveling down his own face before turning around and scrolling in his hotbar, quickly pulling out an iron sword and dashing away from their bush, to lead the hunters away from their hiding spot.

The two hugged each other in an attempt to get warm, lightning struck the ground somewhere, causing Clay to flinch further into their embrace, unaware of their silent guardians that are perched on the branches of trees, their black feathers blending into the shadows.

The World and the Universe are grateful to know that they may be ignored by everything, they are not ignored by everyone.

Chapter Text

Tubbo held onto his brother as he rubbed his back in comfort, acting more like the older brother between the two. They have been hiding in the berry bush up until daytime, and he has no idea what to do. He was tired, confused, scared, and he just wanted their dad back.

Where did dad go?

Tubbo groggily opened his eyes, staring up at the thorns that can only shelter them so much from the rain. He pats the ground beside him, lifting his head when he doesn't feel Clay by his side. Looking at his feet, he noticed that his dad’s bag was missing. Sitting up and hastily crawling out, the yell to ask where Clay was died in his throat when he sees both his missing brother and bag just a few feet away.

Clay looks up from his search through the bag’s contents when he hears Tubbo approaching, “What are you doing?” The sheep hybrid crouched down across from Clay to inspect what’s already been pulled out. Clothes, some food, their drawing books and crayons, and more clothes. “I wanna make that bush our new home.” Clay’s quiet voice cracked at the end, sounding as if he just finished crying. This greatly confused Tubbo. As Clay covered the top of the bush with two of dad’s sweaters, now moving to cover their den’s floor with even more clothes, Tubbo asked questions and Clay answered.

This exchange of questions and answers slowly escalated from a confusing and quiet back and forth conversation to an argument of angered screams and tearful replies from Tubbo and Clay respectively as they argued. It ended with-

“Dad will be back!”

“No he won’t! He left us!”

“WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT!?”

“EXDEE AND NIGHTMARE DID THE SAME TO ME! THEY LEFT ME!”

-tears falling heavily from their eyes, forming a small puddle by their feet. Tubbo’s anger dissipated into shock as Clay met his eyes with an angry stare.

They continued to stare at each other as they both took deep breaths, tired from their shouting match. The black birds that cawed at each other now went silent as they watched the two children by their berry bush.

For the next couple of hours, they stayed silent. Tubbo just walked in circles with his head down, seemingly in his head while Clay continued to work on the bush that he called home.

The sun setting is when Tubbo decided to talk to Clay again after he was done with his laps around the area. It started with an apology-

“I promise that I’ll never leave you behind.”

“But that’s-”

“And I promise, if we do get lost, I’ll look for you. I found you last time, I can find you again. It will be like hide’n seek!”

-and ended with Clay clinging onto Tubbo, lightly sniffling as his brother rubbed his back. A sense of deja vu washes over Tubbo because this has happened before. Months before, where they were in this exact position in a clearing full of sweet berry bushes until sun down.

The following days have been fun, if Tubbo ignores the fact that they’re running out of food. Now he can feel what Clay felt when he was all alone, and it’s terrible. Being hungry hurts, both his stomach and his head.

The black birds have been playing with them for a while, and he noticed that some are missing. The nice birds try to help, but they can only bring so much with their little size. They both have been sleeping a lot, and black birds have been flying in circles above them. Tubbo doesn’t know why.

Tubbo notices that Clay has been giving him slightly more food than himself. “You’re not used to being hungry like me. You should eat more. I’ll be fine,” Clay would say while pushing the few berries that they got from the black birds and some stale bread to him.

Now here he is, walking to where he guessed is where his hometown was after making sure that his brother is asleep. Half of the black birds that were left with them cawed at each other before splitting their numbers again, half staying with Clay while the other half followed Tubbo.

It didn’t take long for Tubbo to realize that it’s getting late. He hasn’t seen the town yet, and the sun is going down. How far did dad run? He should have turned back, but he didn’t. They needed food, the black birds couldn’t feed them enough, and Clay has been the one running around the forest to get food. It’s his turn to get it.

When he finally arrives at his destination, he freezes. Houses now destroyed, deep holes in the ground, everything is in ruins. Tubbo takes slow steps forward as he stares at his hometown, the place that he grew up in, now empty and broken. The screeches of the black birds snapped him out of his shock, one bird carrying a berry in its mouth. Right, he needed to find food.

Maybe the bakery? Or...what’s left of the bakery?

The sun is rising and Tubbo is exhausted. He didn’t find anything in the bakery, but he did managed to find more berries, carrots, potatoes, and apples, which he carried in a bucket, plus two bottles of honey! He can thank the black birds for helping him look.

When he arrives back at their little bush home, guided by the black birds, he freezes again. A lot of the black birds are back, but what made him stop is someone crouching down at the bush’s entrance with a sword left on the ground beside them.

Tubbo puffed his chest and cheeks, dropped the bucket filled with food, and lets out a warcry as he ran and pounced onto the man’s back, taking handfuls of pink hair and yanking, causing a crown(?) to fall and the man to stand up and begin making attempts at knocking him off.

The World lets out a snort at the scene, but doesn’t make any comments.

Tubbo fell onto his butt with an “oof!” as the man stood above him, heavily breathing as red eyes stared down at him. Tubbo’s ears folded back as he crawled backwards, hitting his back onto a tree as he stared back at the tall figure before him. The man moves a step forward. Tubbow wraps his arms around his head as a makeshift shield and tightly closes his eyes.

Nothing touches him, only two voices talking above him. Slowly opening his eyes, he sees another man, this time, with big black wings, and several crows around his hat and shoulders. Big black bird?

Tubbo stares at the man’s wings, which led to him seeing the other man with pink hair back at the bush’s entrance. He got up to his feet and attempted to tackle him, but the man with big wings caught him. “Easy now. He’s a friend too.” The pink haired man stared at him, annoyed yet didn’t make any moves to get closer. Instead he just decided to back up from the bush’s entrance.

The man with big black wings said that his name is Phil, and he’s friends with the black birds, which are called crows. The other man is Techno. Mister Phil said that he’ll help us, but dad said not to trust strangers and Tubbo shook his head, but then he mentioned food, and a better place to sleep.

It took a bit of convincing until Tubbo decided that he’ll go with them, only if Clay comes along too. Just because he can stay somewhere better, that doesn’t mean he’s going to leave him alone after everything they’ve gone through. Especially after the promise he made.

The new house is cozy in Tubbo’s opinion. Plus, there’s snow! It never snows where he lived. The food is warm, and now they can both rest! Or, at least, Clay can now rest. Tubbo is running around the house, exploring every inch of it. Clay, on the other hand, decided to just stay in their new shared bedroom that’s upstairs. When Tubbo checked, he’s already asleep after eating large amounts of steak. When there comes a time when Clay is awake, he clings onto Tubbo’s arm and goes wherever he goes.

It took some days until Clay warmed up to the other nice people in the house. Tommy is especially close to the two. Tubbo and Tommy would get really loud on purpose to scare Wilbur or Techno awake, and Clay would just watch and quietly laugh.

Wilbur is a tall kid- teenager, I think when a kid is not a kid anymore?- and he’s really good at playing the guitar and writing music. He’s usually the one watching over the trio whenever they want to go outside and play in the snow. He also sings the three of them to sleep!

The man with the pink hair, Techno, doesn’t really talk much to them. Wilbur says that he’s just shy to talk to them.

Wilbur ignores the glare he receives from that.

And then there’s Mis- Phil, just Phil- then there’s the bird man, Phil. He’s very nice and told some funny stories about dad, like when dad kept getting his horns stuck in clothes and ended up getting replacements for poking holes into them. He’s not around much because he’s busy going somewhere with his sword, but when he is around, it’s fun! He also promised to try and find dad!

Then Clay’s thing happened again! Where he changes to look kinda like other people! Half of his brown hair is now yellow like Phil’s, his legs are back to human ones much to Tubbo’s disappointment, but at least Clay still has his horns!, and his other eye is now blue! Tubbo thinks that his brother is not done though, because he keeps saying that his back hurts for some reason.

Phil found out why. Clay is growing wings! He’s part crow now! But Phil says he can’t fly yet since his wings are too small. In the meantime, he taught him and I and Tommy later on when they’re not around how to ”preen”. He says that it’s important to make sure that Clay doesn’t get hurt, and to make sure it’s clean.

Phil hasn’t been in the house for a while now. Tommy has been down because of it, but I always try to cheer him up. Wilbur says that he’s trying to find dad and help other people from losing their homes. Techno has been carrying a sword around now. Wilbur forgets to sing us to sleep sometimes to check on Techno.

There are nights where Clay can’t sleep, like tonight. Tommy already fell asleep, so it’s just Tubbo who’s trying to get Clay to sleep. Right now, he’s drawing dad and I on the page next to this blue person and red person. Tubbo forgot what their names were, but remembers that they were Clay’s brothers.

After a quick hug, Tubbo leaves their bedroom to go downstairs to get a snack or two. In the living room by the fireplace, there’s Techno in his rocking chair, reading a book. The man looks up from his reading to see Tubbo staring at him.

“What do you want?” he asked, closing the book as he gave the child his full attention. “...Clay can’t sleep,” Tubbo yawned right after, rubbing his eyes to stay awake just a little longer. “What do you want me to do?” Techno raised a brow. They just went back and forth, starting with questions-

“Help me get him to sleep?”

“How exactly?”

“I don’t know. Sing him to sleep?”

“Why don’t you do it?”

“Didn’t work.”

-and ended with Techno just reading them bedtime stories, though they both didn’t really understand them because they were not bedtime stories at all. Techno is reading Sun Tzu’s The Art of War book to them, Clay managed to fall asleep, much to Tubbo’s relief.

Techno isn’t so bad after all. He’s just shy.

Shards of ice slam against the house from above as shadowed intruders force themselves in the warm house, the wind effectively blowing out the fireplace as they march with various weapons in hand. Tubbo is being pushed into a room with Tommy and Clay by Wilbur, who locks the door from the outside, his frantic footsteps fading.

Thunder crashed outside, Clay’s eyes widening in panic, every breath shallow. He curls in on himself, covering his ears while hugging himself with his little wings, shivering on the cold floor as tears start to bubble in his eyes. No, not again. Please not again.

Tommy bangs his little fists against the door, adding to the background noises of metal hitting against metal, glass shattering, and other sounds coming from below the battle downstairs continued. Tubbo’s attention is split between the two as he tries to think through his own frantic thoughts on what to do.

He was not given enough time however, as Tommy lets out a scream, falling onto his rear and crawling backwards. He quickly got up and tugged Tubbo with him, forcefully pushing the hybrid into the closet. Tubbo didn’t have enough time to react, now inside the closet with Tommy.

He then remembers that Clay is still outside.

Tubbo flinched into action, pushing around Tommy to open the closet doors. By the time he did, Tubbo was too late.

The cold swirled around the room, blowing out the lanterns and plunging the two children into darkness. The entire house seems to be quiet, the only sounds are the wind circling the room, the ice raining from above, and the occasional thunder that booms over them. They both tensed at footsteps rushing towards them, only to then sag in relief that it was only Wilbur. He has blood pooling from his head down to neck, along with little cuts and bruises from what skin they can see, his entire appearance disheveled. A look of relief washed over his face as he got down onto his knees and opened his arms towards them.

Tommy and Tubbo ran with their own open arms, the three hugging each other for comfort as they cried to their hearts content. They stayed like that for a few moments, getting the adrenaline and fear out of their system. “I’m glad you two are safe, but..” Wilbur breaks away from the hug, his hands on Tommy and Tubbo’s shoulders as he examines the children in front of him, and then the room around him, “where’s Clay?”

Tubbo’s eyes widened, tear streaked face swiveling around, his breathing becoming more erratic as he searched for his brother. Tommy can only try to comfort his best friend as a cold pit settles into his stomach. Wilbur looks at the broken window in the room.

Thunder roared once more as balls of ice made their way in the house, ignoring and uncaring of the people still inside.

The following days afterwards have been hard for Tubbo.

First, their dad is missing, still not found, and now his brother is gone.

Tommy has been acting nervous around him too. He tries to comfort him, but is only met with anger in return.

Wilbur can only comfort the two children so much while helping Techno heal from the whole ordeal.

Phil arrived the next day to a partially damaged house, an injured family, a missing child, and no Schlatt with him.

Days of anger finally stopped, apologies were exchanged between the two children with the help of Wilbur that morning, and now Tubbo watched Phil and Techno sparing out in the snow from the porch with Tommy.Then, he had an idea.

Tubbo got up from his chair and went to Phil, both sparring partners pausing as they turned their attention to the child. Phil placed his sword in his inventory and crouched down, “hello, Tubbo. What’s wrong?”

With his little hands balled into fists, he looks at Phil with a determined expression.

“I wanna help find my family.”

Chapter Text

“Get ready everyone!” shouts the captain as men and women prepare themselves for another attack against an opposing ship carrying cages.

Reports of mass attacks from hunters have been sprouting left and right, leaving genocide and destruction in their wake as they searched for the server’s Admin. The long war between those who fight with and for hybrids and those against has been at a stand still, that is, until it was discovered that the server’s Admin had finally manifested and was last seen in a small town located in a spruce forest.

The same town the captain’s childhood friend Schlatt was last seen.

Philza has been on the missing ram’s case while Puffy continues to search for the server’s Admin and free other hybrids that have been imprisoned with the help of her adoptive son, Foolish despite being very much older than her.

Foolish has been of great help in aiding the war for equality, and it is also thanks to him that they’re attacking this specific ship to begin with. Never has Puffy seen him so anxious yet so ready to face an enemy ship, especially after his most recent breakdown just two nights ago.

Many months prior- a year now, actually- Foolish started having these episodes where he would stare out into the sea, as if searching for something that he had lost. He had reassured her time and time again that he was fine. Then, on particularly bad nights, when a storm roared over the sea, Foolish would start breathing heavily as he clutched his chest, right above where his heart was. She can only do so much to help him without properly understanding what’s wrong, so she brings him into her arms and lets him cry, offering quiet words of comfort and gentle pats on the back as she rocked them back and forth to coax Foolish into a restless sleep.

Now, the demigod’s green eyes held a dangerous light, almost glowing a bright cyan as electricity danced at his fingertips. Her normally pacifistic son that preferred to help in the background looked ready to strike lightning down onto the opposing ship.

Just what was on it that ship that made him react this way?

Puffy hears the blasts of cannons firing, signaling to all that another battle at sea has started.

The end result of the battle at sea is one that Puffy had hoped and expected. Most of it.

The cheers of her crew can be heard across her ship as they watch the opposing ship sink. Their enemies have been captured and locked in their cells located in the lowest floors of the ship, guarded by many crew members who take turns in watching them. That part, she expected.

What she didn’t expect is to see Foolish cradling a sleeping child close to his chest, almost in a state of hysterics as he lets out a relieved laugh. Puffy could only watch in a state of confusion and anger.

Confused, because who is this child to her son? They looked nothing alike, and she hasn’t known a hybrid type that possessed horns and wings. He could be a demon, but he doesn’t really fit the general description of one.

Anger, because she can clearly see all the scratches and bruises from under the rags he’s made to wear as substitutes for clothing. Why would anyone want to harm a child? Who in their right mind would like to see a child getting hurt?

Her rage and the want for an explanation can wait, right now, she engulfs both her son and the child in her arms, humming to them a lullaby on the wooden floor as the sun sets for the day, the sky in shades of yellows and oranges.

”Starting to feel familiar, doesn’t it?” murmured a hunter from below the ship as he stared out the little window in his cell. To all of his comrades, his temporary allies, his puppets, this is defeat as they waited in silence, emotions varying from anger to sorrow. To him, this is a victory, another step in his plan completed.

“Foolish, why don’t we move to your bed? You must be tired,” Puffy quietly suggested after Foolish calmed down. The sheep hybrid can feel her son nod, both steadily rising to their feet, not once did Foolish let his hold on the child loosen.

The short trip to his sleeping quarters was quiet, even when Puffy tucked them both in, Foolish remained silent, save for the occasional sniffles as he held onto the child in what she can see is a protective hold.

Puffy takes her leave, taking one last look at the two before quietly shutting the door.

Goodnight, you two.

”We’re not going to let this end your way,” whispered a man that stood on a shoreline, a compass firmly in his hand as he stared at the setting sun with determination and frustration. “We’re getting our dream, one way or another.”

“I see. You want the one-

Puffy would regularly check on Foolish and the child- ‘Clay’ is the name she heard- in their sleeping quarters whenever she had the chance to for two reasons.

One, Foolish stays in the room as much as he can, sometimes even locking the door. This sudden change in behavior brought understandable concern to the captain ”-who cared too deeply-”.

Two, she would hear crying, startled yelps, and whispered words of reassurance. She can hear her son struggle to calm the child down from the other side of the door, and no matter how many times she offered her assistance, Foolish refused with a promise of a “next time”.

Don’t get her wrong, Puffy trusts Foolish that he’ll tell her when he’s ready, but that doesn’t stop an intrusive thought from thinking that he won’t. Puffy lets out a sigh as she ignores that thought. For now, all she can do is remind him that she’s there to help.

”-so much so that he ended up forgetting that others cared for him in return.”

And she reminds him every day. Everytime she went down to personally give them their plates of food, everytime she passed by their door, everytime when she’s ready to go to her own sleeping quarters. She reminds him that he’s not alone and that she’s here to support him.

And it paid off, weeks later.

”Why desire such a nuisance so undeserving of this power?”

The arrival of Puffy’s ship to the docks was an eventful one. From crew members meeting and greeting loved ones who waited for them to return, to the transportation of the hunters captured, to the restocking of materials and rations, and to the inspection of the ship for damages that’s temporarily fixed after the battles at sea and the rough handling from the water below. Puffy can say that it’s stressful, yet rewarding whenever she returns.

Puffy jumps onto her bed in an inn where she, Foolish, and Clay would stay. Originally, Puffy thought that Foolish was going to stay in a different room, but that’s when he introduced Clay, and the sheep hybrid couldn’t help but feel attached already as if she already met him before.

Most of the time, Clay would stick close to Foolish, but as the days turned to weeks, he would follow Puffy around. She found it adorable, and thus came the nickname, duckling. Clay seems to glow brightly at the nickname.

Of course, as much as she wants him to stick around, her line of work is dangerous, and Foolish very much understands that. So for when the next time she travels, Foolish will most certainly stay behind, in the settlement’s safety.

She can worry about the tearful embrace that will be exchanged before leaving later, for now, she has a new son to care for, and words to exchange with. A quick reread of her conversation with Phil in her communicator tells her that she might find herself in a battle for custody with a certain bird hybrid if her assumptions are right.

It’s not fair that Phil gets to have all the kids.

A month is what Phil said he’ll arrive.

Now that wasn’t that much of a problem. It means more time bonding with her two sons- yes, two. There is just something familiar about him that make Puffy feel more attached- and sometimes teaching Foolish how to care for Clay, as he doesn’t really have much experience with kids, plus there will be a point where she’ll have to leave Clay as the battles at sea are no place for a child to go to, and she knows that Foolish will want to stay by Clay’s side.

Then days later, Puffy, her ship, and her crew were ready to set sail once more. It was a tearful departure between the sheep hybrid and Clay as he refused to let go, watching the clouds ever so slowly covering the sky and casting the world below in shadow.

As the land and docks slowly fade out of the eye’s view, Puffy wipes her eyes with her sleeve as she goes around to fulfill her duties as the captain of the ship with a newfound determination to come back home while ignoring the little voice in the back of her head that told her that she won’t be able to keep it.

The first night out at sea is a deadly one.

High and strong waves hit the ship, causing it to sway and shift as the crewmates rushed around to do tasks that demanded their attention. Puffy yells out orders over the roars of the thunder and sea as another blast of a cannon erupts from the battlefield.

Back at the settlement, a giant demigod rages as he summons lightning down to strike at his foes that blocked him from where his charge, his little brother, was taken by a hunter that was originally captured and ran off into the wilderness as the invading hunters jumped off their ships and ran around, killing innocents and freeing their imprisoned allies.

Lightning struck both of the ships that circled each other, both sides having to brace themselves as the ships jerked to one side while others continued to fight with heavy rain obscuring their vision.

A man in a multicolored hoodie ducks under the swing of a sword as he dashed and weaved his way around the chaos of the assaulted settlement to get to the demigod and calm him before the entire settlement is leveled to the ground, much like the town in the spruce forest.

“Foolish!” screamed the man as he craned his head up to stare at the giant with pleading eyes. “You’re making things worse! STOP!”

“But they-!”

“He’s scared of storms, Foolish! And your mother is out at sea! Don’t you remember?!”

The giant’s red eyes widened.

The battle ended in the loss of both sides as the ships made their descent down into the dark abyss below. Many scrambled to gather whatever supplies they could grab before jumping into their own emergency boats.

Despite the ships sinking, the hunters were not done with the battle.

Puffy can only hope that her crew can turn the tides and win this.

After being reassured many times that Clay will live, according to his time-traveling friend, the demigod swam as fast as he could towards the direction where his mother sailed off.

He couldn’t fail to save another loved one, he couldn’t.

The sight of broken planks and floating objects with no large vessels around does nothing to calm the storm in his mind.

Chapter Text

The World and the Universe watched as the one who corrupted their chains ran through an oak forest with their beloved Admin in its arms. The World lashed out against the glitching chains that prevented him from striking lightning down onto the hunter that hid behind a white mask with a “:]” expression painted on it.

The Universe, however, turns to the one who warned them beforehand of the dangers that entered the server without their knowledge. The Universe holds himself as high and mighty, but now reduced to just a mere observer, he bows down to the empty black space around them, pleading with the mysterious force that reads through the events of many timelines as simple stories.

The purple force that wore bandages over his eyes, forming an X, shows all his teeth in a smile as he reads the Universe’s actions on the pages in his book titled Yearning for a Dream .

“I can only do so much, but for you, and my wish, I will intervene. Though, don’t rely on me. I enjoy reading what happens.”

A pen appears in his hand from a flash of white. He leans back as he draws a line over countless sentences, obscuring them from the future eyes of the readers. Flipping to a blank page, he begins writing.

Within a little village, a demon that went by the simple name of Bad walks alongside his best diamond-infused friend, Skeppy, and his adopted son, Sapnap.

They decided to have a calm stroll around the forest early in the morning as it was their turn to patrol the area for any hunters nearby. They doubt that they’re gonna find one as the war has been in favor of nonhumans and hybrids, but they’d rather be safe than sorry.

Today’s peaceful atmosphere shatters as they hear the wailing from a child, accompanied by what sounds to be people running.

Quickly, Skeppy pushes Sapnap against him as Bad draws out a sword and shield as the sounds grow louder and louder with each passing second.

A child wearing a white cracked “:)” mask comes running through a bush where he runs past three villagers. Bad flinches and wanted to go after the child that’s headed straight for the village, but the next figure stopped him from doing so.

Out came a hooded man, a hunter, with bloodstains on him and his sword. Skeppy picked Sapnap up and ran to where the masked child went, Bad lifting his own sword up to fight, his tail whipping from side to side as he bared his teeth at the hunter who potentially harmed a child.

Meanwhile, the little villagers’ were simply minding their own business when the screams of Skeppy and a child that they didn't recognize came running in. Sam moves quickly, blocking the child’s path and picking him up in a tight embrace, surprising the creeper centaur in the process by how concerningly light he is.

Skeppy comes running with Sapnap on his back. He lets the fireborn off his back so he can lean on his knees to take deep breaths in and out. “Thanks, Sam.” The diamond-freckled man managed to breathe out.

“Who’s this?” He ignores the child’s attempts at hurting him through weak punches and kicks. “Don’t know, a hunter was chasing him.” That got a reaction from the villagers that had gathered around the two.

“Give him here, I’ll watch over him.” Says Ponk, stepping forward to take the child whose movements grew slower as exhaustion claims them. Sam carefully hands him over before he takes out his own sword to go where Skeppy appeared to help Bad.

For the rest of the day, everyone has been tense due to the appearance of a hunter near their village. There were few that visited the child they have come to know as Dream, the most who visited being Bad, Sam, and Punz as they have their own kids and sibling to watch over respectively, and Dream seems to be around their kids’ age.

To them, Dream is a reserved and scared kid. Always looking down as if fearing of another punishment, rubbing the sides of his head as if trying to feel horns that are no longer there, he hates having his back touched as if feeling the pain of having their wings torn away, he cries whenever it rains as he associated it with him being taken away from the ones he has come to see as family, and he doesn’t seem to like being around the ones who visit him the most as if he fears being accepted, only to be separated again.

He tends to jump from house to house, mainly living with Ponk for him to watch over the mildly injured and underweight child.

Over time, thanks to the village kids, aka George, Sapnap, and Purpled, Dream has grown comfortable around the others. Still quiet, but comfortable. There are still some concerns such as the little blond refusing to eat unless told to, his knowledge of combat (though this ultimately brought him closer to Purpled, Punz, and Sam), and his fear of the cold (that Bad and Sapnap managed to help as their species has an affinity to fire).

The villagers have grown closer to the Dream as the years passed, George and Sapnap especially. Then there came a time where a strange entity who went by the name Eret came and asked for him. Everyone grew tense, but after some talking, it was revealed that Dream is the server’s Admin and he was tasked by the server’s gods to help him control his powers.

The mysterious purple force lifts his pen away from the book that he held. “There. Better?” The Universe nods to the disembodied voice. The World growls, hating that they had to depend on a force outside of their server to keep their youngest brother safe.

And so, with Dream’s increasing ability to control his powers, the little village grew to be a kingdom with Eret as the assigned majesty. Why was there a need for a kingdom? Dream wishes for a safe place for all, and he didn’t like sticking to the same place as he enjoyed exploring more.

He grew to be braver, and a bit of an adrenaline junkie with the number of manhunts they do while patrolling the area around him.

Despite him changing and traveling, he preferred to stay anonymous, the people who raised him and the kingdom vowed to keep his status a secret. He wears his mask that has accumulated scratches over time, an item that holds painful memories now an item that holds times of friends and family being together.

He wore casual attire to fit in with the many people of the kingdom, his appearance the same blond human and green eyes he has grown used to staying as, no longer wanting to change his appearance out of fear of having them forcefully ripped away from him.

Everything seems to be bright for Dream.

Then came two young travelers that seemed to share a striking resemblance to his former brothers, a ram hybrid and a blond blue-eyed human. A dread that’s not his own grips onto his chest as he tightly grips onto his enchanted book that he received as a gift from his current family.

“Ah, there you are.” The purple librarian whispers, displeased at reading where the entity is. “You’re lucky I can’t do anything...yet.”

Dream swallows down the fear as he wills his book back into his inventory. He stands from where he’s perched onto a tree’s branch and quietly travels from branch to branch, watching the two teens in the shadows as they are greeted by Bad, his father figure.

“Hello! Welcome to the Great Esempii!”