Chapter Text
Awesamdude: ponk
Awesamdude: tommy
In communicators across the SMP, the chat pinged.
Ponk’s chest warmed at seeing Sam’s name, setting down the fishing rod she had been throwing into the river, several buckets of dead fish marking the time he’d spent here, wiping their hands on his hoodie before clicking the keys so she wouldn’t dampen the screen.
She was already typing a hello when Tommy shot back a typical rapid-fire, typo-filled response.
TommyInnit: hey
TommyInnit: why hfjthe fuck is ponk’s name before mine
The teen, many chunks away from Ponk, was sitting on his bed, cramming an unwashed carrot into his mouth as he was waiting for glass to finish melting. His next project wasn’t going to be a cobble tower, but a railway—a new genius glass railway because he wanted people to walk across it and feel the fear of Prime deep in their soul. Tommy had no soul. Only women.
DropsByPonk: hi sam!
TommyInnit: pink
TommyInnit: ponk
Tommyinnit: I am better thany iyuou
DropsByPonk: false
He smirked at the boy’s antics, fully prepared to get competitive in a banter argument if one broke out.
Awesamdude: hmmm
Awesamdude: I can pick no favorites
TommyInnit: liar
DropsByPonk: yeah! you have to!
Awesamdude: wanna come over for dinner?
Awesamdude: I have steakk
The request immediately distracted from the playful bickering.
Ponk and Tommy both perked up at the request. Dinner at Sam’s! That sounded really nice.
DropsByPonk: :D
DropsByPonk: yes
Awesamdude: <3
TommyInnit: food pog
Coming over to Sam’s house for dinner… Ponk giggled.
DropsByPonk: is this a date sammm
TommyInnit: NO
TommyInnit: GHATS IS DUSGUSTING
Ponk laughed aloud, pulling her hoodie up snug around her ears and forehead. Standing up, they gathered their items and prepared to head back and store the fish and other various items they’d caught on their line.
Sam and Tommy and her sharing a meal. Kind of like a little family.
Tommy scribbled out design plans onto old paper with renewed strength, fighting back a smile and trying not to think about how nice it was to feel wanted.
What he would do was think about the best way to start a food fight and how many Fran cuddles he was going to bargain for.
When dinnertime rolled close, Tommy and Ponk ended up walking together—at least partially—on the way over. Not because they planned it, but because they saw each other coming from their different directions, shared a knowing look, and then broke off sprinting in a race to get to Sam’s place first.
Naturally, given Sam’s place was a long walk, and in relatively wild, unpaved terrain, they made it around two face-plants each from random tree branches and snagging bushes before they realized there would be no making it to his base as a finish line.
Quickly they collapsed at different trees, wheezing, winded, and yet still somehow found the breath to argue about who won when they continued. Priorities.
Ponk pulled out her communicator to message Sam they were here, maybe call him—he knew they were on their way but they’d been too busy racing to update him.
“I’m texting Sam to let us in,” Ponk announced, trying not to laugh as he watched Tommy hurl handfuls of seeds at the side of the mountain, trying to find the block that triggered the entrance, shouting about how much Sam’s base was a pussy all the while.
Awesamdude whispers to you: come in
At his cue, the dirt began to crumble from the sides of the slanted earth, as the redstone mechanisms lightly creaked, lifting up the side and revealing Sam.
“See! I am the fucking best and you are so very welcome,” Tommy, obviously not the cause of the entrance opening, bragged as he pushed in front of Ponk to enter first.
“Hi, Tommy! Hi, Ponk.” Sam’s voice was warm and soft, his eyes crinkled in a fond, relieved sort of way upon seeing them. He offered a helping hand as they took the final step or two up to the floor level of his base, the outstretched hand shyly turning into an offering of a hug.
Ponk wasted no time slotting themself against Sam, laughing another greeting.
Tommy looked the scene up and down as if considering, a mischievous glint in his eyes, stepped forward as if to give in and join—
And slipped past.
“Fran!” He shouted, trying not to laugh at the playful cold-shoulder to Sam. “Fran! Your best pal Tommy came! Fran! My favorite girl and the only reason I came here! Besides the food. Fran?”
Ponk snorted at the display, but when she glanced at Sam, the smile had faded from his face, and when he met his eyes, they looked strange.
“Sorry, Tommy. Fran’s not home right now.”
“Oh,” Ponk said, pulling away to scan Sam’s face. Sam wouldn’t just part with Fran. Did something happen?
Tommy, halfway into the main entrance, littered with chests—Sam was a redstone expert, not an organizational one, clearly—paused in surprise.
“Wait, what?” He turned around.
Obviously he’d been joking about only having been there for Fran, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to see her! No dog? He’d been expecting a dog and here Sam was, saying there was no dog. This was very sad.
“She’s safe.” Sam’s voice was heavy, but it was firm. “She’s happy and she’s safe.”
Tommy still made a soft noise of disappointment, and Ponk couldn’t keep the lingering confusion from her expression. But Sam smiled in his soft, reassuring way, and asked, “Who’s hungry?” and everything was okay.
Sam was picking at scabs on his arm as Tommy rattled on happily. Ponk reached across to stop him, gently entwining the creeper hybrid’s fingers with her own and smiling when his shoulders relaxed considerably. they’d ignore how Sam squeezed back a little too hard to keep it that way. Calm .
Things were good in this moment, just the three of them, spending a nice evening together. No ever-sprawling wars, no suffocatingly small prison, and no enemies lurking for a hint of weakness to strike at. They were alone, and safe, together.
There was a lull in conversation, where the blond looked at him with poorly hidden expectancy. “That’s epic, Toms, what happened next?” Ponk had barely understood a word of Tommy’s rant, but he enjoyed seeing the way the kid’s eyes lit up at the question. They leaned to rest their head on Sam’s shoulder, silently wishing it could stay like this.
Tommy continued, cutting off with one of his classic harsh coughs into his elbow when his voice dried from all his talking.
Three pairs of eyes flickered up to the table for a glass of water, suddenly struck with the realization that they didn’t have anything to drink.
“Oh! Oops. I forgot the drinks.” Sam stood up, patting Tommy’s shoulder in a waved-off apology as he made his way to the kitchen.
Sam walked back in, carrying two frosty glasses of lemonade, purposefully placing each in front of his guests.
Tommy practically leaped to grab his cup and gulp down the sugary liquid, while Ponk sipped leisurely.
…They scrunched up her face a bit. The lemonade tasted…. off. It was still good, but… he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was some kind of added flavor…. Sweetberries, maybe? There had been a bowl on the counter earlier.
Hours passed by, talking and laughing in their own little world. Every time it seemed like it might end, Sam would draw them back in to some wild conversation or some new dish he was trying.
It was lovely, but…. Ponk leaned against Sam’s shoulder and checked his communicator. Their heart stammered.
“Eleven P.M.?” She muttered to herself, sitting up. It hadn’t been that long, had it? they couldn’t have been here that long, they— he rose to his feet and the world turned sideways .
“Woah, Ponkie! Easy there!” Sam was beside her in an instant, catching them. “You sure you should go? It’s dark now, and you look exhausted.”
A flash of concern passed Tommy’s face, reaction unusually slow.
Sam caught his gaze, “Maybe you should both stay here tonight? it’s late, I have room enough for you.”
Ponk tested their legs, and grimaced. “Think I… I can take you up on that.” Sam was right, they felt absolutely floored, and by the vacant look in Tommy’s eyes, so was he.
They hadn’t done anything taxing today, nothing that would leave them so… so tired. Sam led them to bed, more bright and chipper than they’d seen him in a while. Maybe it was the peace of it all that seemed to weigh down her body. A moment where the three of them had just let their guards down and felt okay. Maybe all the exhaustion from the past months had just caught up to them? That made sense, right?
Sam went back to the kitchen, chuckling as he found Tommy face-down on the table, completely unsurprised.
“Let’s get you to bed,” he muttered, going to gently scoop the boy up, but Tommy jolted back to life, lightheartedly slapping his hands away. “Noooo I can do it m’self!”
“Ah—“ the creeper hybrid hovered, “you sure?”
“I’m a big man!” Tommy protested.
“You are, you are.” Sam stepped back to let the boy past, a soft smile painting his lips. And with that, he watched Tommy stumble to the guest room, staying just a few feet away, so he could sweep in if the teen stumbled.
It was, luckily, an unnecessary gesture, as Tommy navigated the familiar halls, and ducked into the guestroom with ease.
“G’night Sam!” he shouted.
“Goodnight, Tommy.”
Sam closed the door quietly, leaving Tommy to curl up in the safe warmth of the guest bed without stripping his coat off, as he began to slip away. For just a moment, he wondered if he should text Tubbo, just to let him know where he was. They’d both been pretty on edge ever since… well, since a lot of things. If Tubbo came by in the morning and Tommy wasn’t… wasn’t….
Tommy tried to open his eyes. They felt impossibly heavy, like there were silverfish biting on and weighing down every lash. He overcame the impossible task, of course, because he is Tommy fucking Innit, and he— he….
Tommy stared at his hands in the lowlight, feeling each individual finger pulsing with blood and life and electricity, and he forgot what he was going to do, as he focused on his digits, like they were the most spectacular thing he’d ever seen.
The door creaked open, and Tommy tried to roll over to face the intruder— visitor?— and suddenly he was falling , but he wasn’t, and—
“Hey, big man…” Sam mumbled softly, carding a stabilizing hand through the blond’s hair. “Didn’t think I’d find you awake.”
Tommy opened his mouth and closes it several times, before squeaking out, “Mmy heads’ fffunny…”
“Go back to sleep, Tommy.” Sam ordered gently, and Tommy obeyed, closing his eyes.
Sam waited until the teen was snoring softly before scooping him up. Ponk was already in the minecart downstairs, they would join him soon.
Sam would protect this peace he’d found, no matter what.