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“Are you sure this is your room, Toms?”
“There’s only one room 20, dad,” Tommy said, rolling his eyes.
“Unless you can’t count,” Wilbur added unhelpfully, looking around the corridor. “In which case, there would be infinite 20’s.”
“You would know, wouldn’t you,” Techno said, hitting Wilbur lightly with his cane. Tommy barked out a laugh as he slid his key into the door and opened it. He stepped inside before moving away to allow the rest of his family to filter through.
“The documents said I’d have two roommates, but I can’t-”
“Dad, if you do not get off my ass about potential mould, I will make you buy me better accommodation- Oh, hello, new roommate.” Tommy turned to the new kid in the apartment, who exited out of what appeared to be the first bedroom. “I’m Tubbo, and this is my dad-”
“Schlatt?” Tommy spun around, facing Wilbur as he and this Schlatt dude made eye contact.
“Wilbur? Wow, it’s- it’s been so long,” Schlatt said, half tripping over a random bag on the floor. “How have you been?”
“Good, I- I left not long after you, then went to college, you know, the usual,” Wilbur said, clearing his throat. Schlatt nodded as Tommy made eye contact with Techno, who shrugged, readjusting the grip on his cane to make the keys jingle, allowing Wilbur and this Schlatt dude to know they weren’t alone.
“O-oh, dad, Tommy, this is Schlatt; he used to be in the drama club with me, he was a few years older, but he left after an argument, so we haven’t talked much since,” Wilbur explained, clearing his throat.
“Of course, Wilbur would manage to have beef with the father of my roommate,” Tommy whispers to Techno, who snorts.
“On brand for his drama kid ass,” Techno whispers back. Phil shoots them a look, but he’s also trying not to smile.
“I’m Tommy, by the way, he/him pronoun,” Tommy said, addressing Tubbo, who gave him a wave.
“I go by he/him, but as long as your not actively trying to murder me, refer to me as you want to be honest,” Tubbo said, chuckling to himself.
“So if I’m just planning your murder?” Tommy jokes.
“Then pronouns are your oyster.” Tommy chuckles, and it’s not long before Tubbo joins in too. “What are you studying, big man?”
“Film and producing, though I’m taking a class is coding just for fun,” Tommy says. “What about you, king?”
“Double major in computing and media,” Tubbo says.
“You did not make it easy on yourself,” Tommy says. Tubbo grins, and Tommy’s a little intimidated by it.
“Nah, breezing through college sound boring, so I decided to make things so much harder on myself.”
“You’re insane,”
“Or just simply built different,” Tubbo counters, and Tommy laughs.
“Whatever you say, king,” he says. “This is my dad-” he points to Phil, “And these are my older brother’s Wilbur and Techno, they’re twins,” Tommy explains, gesturing to his family.
“Cool, boss man, this is my dad,” Tubbo gestures to Schlatt. “I have no siblings, and it’s just us two.”
“Oi, don’t sound so sad,” Schlatt jokes, pulling Tubbo into a nugee. “I am very cool to hang out with.” Tubbo giggles at that, shoving his body out of his dad’s grasp. He goes to speak again, but there’s a bang down the hallways that catches everyone’s attention.
“You should go say hi,” a voice says. “They’re your roommates, and you have to get to know them at some point.” There was silence. “Ranboo, if it was easy, then-” Silence again. “I am not mothering you!”
“Yeah, they’ve been doing that for past twenty minutes,” Tubbo explains. The door opened right before Tommy could answer, and a very tall teen, who Tommy assumed was Ranboo, was pushed out.
“How’s that for mothering.” The very tall teen was followed by a slightly smaller guy, who wore an obnoxious green hoodie and-
“Dream?” techno said, and the man, Dream, snapped his head towards Techno.
“Techno?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Tommy muttered, and Phil squeezed his shoulder in sympathy.
“Haven’t seen you since… well… you know,” dream said awkwardly.
“No, actually, we don’t know; what did big brother blade get up to?” Tommy asked
“Shut it, Theseus,” Techno said. “It was just a little… spat a few years ago.”
“Wait, that’s Dream. The Dream?” Wilbur said, looking at Techno.
“What do you know!” Tommy said, turning around. Wilbur smirked, pulling Tommy into a headlock.
“More than you, baby brother-”
“Get off me-”
“Make me-”
“I just wanna know-”
“Drop it, Theseus-”
“Boys.” The three paused. “Wilbur, drop your brother. Tommy, stop the shouting, it’s too early, and we’re trying to make a good impression. Techno, what ‘spat’?”
“Dream and I were rivals for a while. We settled it,” Techno said.
“I got my ass kicked,” Dream said. “Though I probably deserved it, to be fair.”
“You were a bit up your own arse-”
“You got into a fight?” Ranboo exclaimed. “And lost!” He then started cackling while Dream tried to make him stop.
“It’s nice to meet you both, Dream and….” Tommy trailed off, looking to the last teen, who he was pretty sure was Ranboo.
“I’m Ranboo, I go by they/he/it pronouns,” He introduced. “Sorry I would’ve come out earlier, but I was anxious,” he explained, picking at a fraying bracelet on his wrist.
“No bother, boss, I’m Tubbo, and he/him is fine. I’m kinda down with most pronouns, to be honest,” Tubbo introduced.
“Tommy and he/him for me,” Tommy said. “Now I really don’t wanna carry this box anymore, and I wanna make fun of my brothers before they leave, so imma just head to my room if that’s chill?” The two nodded as Wilbur hit the back of Tommy’s head.
“Think it’s the last door on the left. That’s either the bathroom or your room, cause there’s one room opposite it,” Tubbo explained.
“Hey, don’t knock how comfy a bath can be when cushioned correctly,” Tommy joked, heading down to the end of the hall.
“I’ll take your word for it, boss man,” Tubbo said, chuckling. Tommy paused at the door, signalling for someone to open it for him. Wilbur rolled his eyes but moved forward and pushed the door open.
“Phil, you spoiled him too much,” Wilbur says.
“Wilbur, you can’t do your own laundry,” Techno says, pushing past Tommy and moving into the bedroom. “Looks like it’s a bed and not a bath for you, Tommy,” he jokes.
“Dammit, I was excited to have a bed bath and beyond the situation.
“It’s big,” Phil says. Techno snorts.
“As if you didn’t pick the biggest apartment for Tommy to move into,” Techno says.
“Well, considering he got the scholarship, I had some extra money to help with accommodation,” Phil says. “And since my eldest boys won’t move out, I decided the relish in my youngest.” Phil teased, and the elder two rolled their eyes with fond smiles.
“Fuck you both, I’m the favourite,” Tommy said, letting his dad pull him into a hug.
“Well, I’m mom’s favourite,” techno said, sticking his tongue out at the younger.
“Neither your mother norI have favourites,” Phil said. “Also, your mother wants you to call her when you’re settled. She wanted to come home but-”
“Dad, she’s literally curing cancer. I think my beige apartment is a little less significant,” Tommy says.
“Yes, but you’re moving out is a big deal,” Phil says. “We’re going to miss you. I’m going to miss you.” Phil’s eyes are watering, and he has that look on his face that he makes before he cries.
“Don’t you dare cry,” Tommy says, though his own eyes are watering? “Because then I’ll get blubbery, and then Wilbur will start sobbing, and Techno will pretend he’s not crying, but we all know he will be, and you three have each other to console on the way home.” Phil pulled Tommy into a hug.
“Too late, mate,” He says. “My baby’s all grown up.”
“Screw you,” Tommy says, but he’s holding Phil tight, hands clutched in his jacket. Wilbur joins in, holding the two close before sending Techno a light glare until he joins the hug.
“We’re gonna miss you, Toms,” Wilbur says.
“Especially since you never answer your phone,” Techno jokes, and he gets a few watery chuckles.
“You act like I’m not going to make you all stay here and help me unpack before you go,” Tommy says, voice thick. “But I’ll miss you too.”
He does make them stay to help him pack, and then they get dinner together until they can’t put off the inevitable. Tommy is waving them off from the street before retreating into his apartment as he wipes his eyes. He opens the door and is greeted by two watery-eyed roommates. They stare at each other for a moment before Tubbo gives a wet chuckle.
“Thank god,” Tubbo said. “I’m glad I'm not the only one who’s sad.”
“Wanna watch a movie? I got Netflix and a DVD player.”
“Damn, you’re old,” Tommy says.
“Also a giant, how tall are you?”
“Eh, like six foot ten,” Ranboo says.
“Fuck you, big green giant looking ass,” Tubbo says, and Tommy snorts.
“Nah, you’re just short, king,” he says.
“Rude, and I was gonna offer to make popcorn.”
“Waits, let's not get too hasty here-”