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Tommy’s nights had gone on this way ever since the prison sirens sounded.
He got in bed. He laid there for hours, flinching at the slightest noises. He finally passed out from exhaustion at unholy hours in the night. His dreams turned into yet another nightmare. His nightmare startled him awake, only for him to realize that he had only gotten a couple hours of sleep, at most. He couldn’t go back to sleep.
Wash, rinse, repeat.
He didn’t really take naps either. During the day, he’d do chores, mischiefs, anything. Anything other than sleep. Anything other than placing himself in the vulnerable state of unconsciousness. Really, it’s a wonder he could still walk around this way.
He knew it was stupid. Sam told him that Dream didn’t escape, Techno did, after he nearly witnessed Tommy’s near-miss public mental breakdown. And still he couldn’t help but worry.
If Techno could break out, who’s to say Dream couldn’t? What if Techno broke Dream out of prison? Techno had allied with Dream once in the past, after all. What if--
Suffice to say, Tommy hadn’t been sleeping much. Just yesterday he pricked himself with his sewing needle thanks to him nearly passing out mid-sewing.
Even worse, Tubbo and Ranboo found out. Tommy nearly nodded off several times during their conversation this morning, and Tubbo immediately began badgering him questions on his sleeping habits. When they found out, they turned into their Protective Friend Mode, which was also when Tommy knew he was fucked.
And that was how he ended up here now. In Snowchester. In his guest bedroom in Ranboo and Tubbo’s massive mansion. Desperately wishing he’d just pass out from exhaustion because even in this supposedly safe place, in a warm, comfortable bed, he still couldn’t bring himself to fall asleep.
Tommy turned to his side, curling himself in his blanket. It was at times like these that he missed l’Manburg. During l’Manburg, whenever any of them failed to fall asleep because of nightmares or whatever, someone else would be there for them. Sometimes it even ended with a cuddle pile on the floor of the insomniac’s house.
And now the ex-members of l’Manburg were scattered throughout the server. Tommy hadn’t seen Niki and Jack in a while, Fundy even longer than that. Tubbo slept with Ranboo. Tommy didn’t see Wilbur most nights.
Wilbur was always the exception. Wilbur rarely called for them, but Tommy could tell he was sleep-deprived. He had no idea what kept Wilbur awake, the man wouldn’t tell them, but he worried. He even staged several interventions with the other members of l’Manburg. And still Wilbur wouldn’t tell them what was troubling him so much.
Tommy shivered. The room was warm, the entire house was. It had to be warm, because Michael was a being more suited for warmth than coldness. And yet, despite that and the layers of blanket on him, he felt awfully cold in his bed.
He missed l’Manburg. He missed cuddling up to his friends on sleepless nights. He missed the feeling of togetherness, of warm bodies around him, assuring him that he was safe and that he was not alone after all.
It wasn’t a feeling that he had exactly replicated ever since exile.
Physical touch and affection had always been a point of contention for Tommy ever since his revival. He craved it, and yet every touch repulsed him, made him flinch and hyperventilate. He felt incredibly lonely without it, and yet the presence of it prickled his skin.
He’d been getting better, but still. It’s so fucking shitty.
The clack of an open door resounded. What the fuck what that.
Tommy jolted into a sitting position. It couldn’t be Dream, right? He heard no siren. Sam would’ve sounded the sirens if Dream escaped. Except- Except if Sam was dead, and there’s no one else to sound it--
Ranboo walked into the room, his eyes glowing purple.
“Ranboo…?” Tubbo told him, didn’t he? Sometimes Ranboo would start sleepwalking, and his eyes would go all purple, like an enderman. “What are you doing here?”
Ranboo didn’t reply. He only made enderman noises and toddled over to Tommy’s bed.
Tommy watched as he rolled into the bed, settling on Tommy’s right. He was still in the same clothes that Tommy saw him went to bed to, so did he seriously sleepwalked out of his bed and straight into Tommy’s? What the fuck?
“Heyyy big man.” Tommy chuckled awkwardly. “What’s up? What uh- What are you doi-”
He was cut off by Ranboo throwing all of his 8 feet 5 glory onto him, effectively engulfing Tommy in a pile of enderman hybrid and blankets. Ranboo wrapped his arms around Tommy and purred. He fucking purred. Tommy had no fucking clue enderman could even do that.
“Ranboo, what the fuck are you-”
Ranboo shushed Tommy with a trill. He buried his face in Tommy’s hair and let out a series of happy trills.
He came in here to fucking cuddle with Tommy. What the fuck.
Other than the sheer absurdity of the situation however, Tommy… didn’t mind at all. It was nice. Ranboo’s lanky body felt like a particularly warm weighted blanket, and the vibrations of his chest felt reassuring.
Tommy felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes. Damn. He knew he missed this, but fuck, he hadn’t realized he missed it this much.
Ranboo hummed and trilled, none of it sounded particularly human and yet they were calming to Tommy all the same. It was warm. Safe. Without realizing it, Tommy found himself drifting to sleep to the enderman noises Ranboo emitted and the feeling of a hand softly caressing his hair.
“I went to sleep with Michael one time, ” Tubbo said with fond exasperation. “It was one time, and this happened?!”
Ranboo rubbed the back of his head.
“Sorry,” he replied sheepishly. “But hey, Tommy seems to be sleeping nicely, so win-win?”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Tubbo sighed. “Mission accomplished?”
“Mission accomplished.”