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“Get away from him!”
Tommy stared up at the man lunging for him, katana in hand and ready to strike. Raising it above his head, the man grinned down at him. There was a flash of brown hoodie and hair, of blue jeans and green shoes and pale skin. Then, the man was down, and Tommy couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.
Someone help, he thought. Frozen to the dirt. Someone swept forwards, there was a burst of feathers, and then he was being shielded by wings. Phil pressed Tommy’s face into his chest. When Tommy looked up, he could see Tubbo fighting the guy who’d tried attacking him. The sword was gone.
There was a flash of gray in the sunlight. Heart chilling, Tommy gasped. “There’s a gun!”
A sharp crack split the air, and a body hit the earth.
+++
The next thing Tommy knew, he was running.
“Tubbo!” He yelled. Tubbo was sprawled out on the dirt. Lunging, he slammed into the man who’d hurt Tubbo shoulder-first. There was a sharp rush of air beneath him as they hit the dirt. Reeling a fist back, he punched the guy in the face. Once, twice, three times, then four. Eventually, the guy wasn’t moving. Breathing, but unconscious. Standing, panting and wiping the blood from his knuckles, Tommy dropped down beside Tubbo.
The bullet had gone right under his cheek, leaving blood smeared all over his face in an ugly-looking wound on his left cheek. There was a soft groan as Tommy rolled him over. But his eyes didn’t open. He didn’t say anything. He just…laid there.
“Tubbo?” Tommy forced out. Carefully, carefully , he shifted Tubbo’s head into his lap. Stroked his hair back. Something was wrong. Something was really, really wrong. Tubbo’s breathing hitched in his chest. “Hold on, just hold on. You’re going to be okay.” He forced out, gasping quietly. Tubbo’s blood painted his hands, and Tommy shook slightly. “Just hold on. Please. Please, just hold on. Hold on.” Frantic, he glanced around. Sucked in a breath. “Someone come help!”
Ranboo ran over, fear painted across his whole face. Dropping down, he reached for Tubbo. Hesitated. “Tu-Tubbo?” He whispered. Finally, people started looking over. Realized what had happened. Wilbur, Phil, Kristin. Horror crossed their faces.
Beside them, Kristin dropped down. Gently, she reached out and then touched the side of Tubbo’s head. His chest jerked, and Ranboo grabbed his hand. Tommy looked at Kristin, then at Tubbo helplessly. In his lap, Tubbo let out a pained, sharp noise. “Ssh, Tubbo. It’s going to be alright. You’re going to be fine.”
Tubbo stopped breathing.
For a second, Tommy thought it was just a fluke. But it wasn’t. Tubbo wasn’t breathing. “Tubbo?” He asked. Panic leaked into his tone. He didn’t care. “Tubbo?” There was blood on his fingers, on his palms, on his arms it was Tubbo’s blood Tubbo was bleeding Tubbo wasn’t breathing something was wrong—
Hands pulled him away. Screaming, Tommy kicked. Fought back. Tried everything. Hands found his hair, someone was whispering to him softly—Wilbur, it was Wilbur. “Ssh, Tommy. I know, I know.” Techno and Dream were literally holding Ranboo down, trying to soothe him and keep him from running up and getting in the way.
All of a sudden, Kristin slowly got to her feet. Turned to the man who had shot Tubbo. He was conscious again, somehow. She took a slow breath. “You. Get up. Right now.” There was a dangerous tone to her voice. Something dark and deadly. Gone was the silvery, midnight-purple and rustic brown tones of her usual voice. This was something sharp and fierce.
“What are you going to do? Kill me?” The man mocked. “It’s going to happen to all of you, hybrid bastards or their whorish lovers.” Storming over, Kristin reached down and grabbed the man by the throat. Hoisted him into the air.
Dark, shadowy wings formed from her back. Her eyes were glowing a bright brown, one Tommy could see reflecting on the man’s face even with her back turned. Her fingers squeezed, and the man’s eyes widened. Slivers of pale brown light rolled from the man’s chest to his shoulders, then to Kristin’s hand. They swirled down her arm to Kristin herself. Swirls of magic glowed along her form, and she took a slow breath. The man started choking, eyes widening at the sight. Kicking his legs, he swallowed weakly.
“Say hi to whoever is waiting for you. So says Death herself.” Kristin whispered. Then, she squeezed her hand, and the man’s eyes dulled out. He was dropped to the ground. Turning, Kristin walked back to Tubbo. Quietly, she crouched by Tubbo’s side, placed a hand on his cheek. There was another burst of warm, pale brown light, spreading over Tubbo’s face.
Tubbo jerked, sucked in a pained breath, and let out a weak noise somewhere between a whimper and a sob.
Immediately, Kristin pulled Tubbo into her arms, shushed him softly and scooped him up. Punz and Techno went for the others, but Tommy followed quickly after Kristin at a limp. Against his back, his wings moved. Ranboo was stumbling after them, too.
They finally did get into the bus, and Tubbo was rested on one of the seats. Ponk appeared, ran over and gently touched the sides of Tubbo’s head as Kristin wrapped him up in a blanket. “Okay, okay. The bullet came out.” Ponk said, pressing his hands to the entrance wound on Tubbo’s cheek and then where the exit wound was, above his opposite ear. “You’re going to be fine, Tubbs.” Tubbo was leaning against the seat, eyes closed slightly. Moving around to his back, Tommy pulled Tubbo against him. Unfolded his wing and wrapped it over Tubbo’s shoulder. Tubbo relaxed slightly.
“Thanks, Toms.”
+++
When Tubbo woke up in the middle of the night, shockingly clear-headed for someone who had gotten shot in the head, he had arms wrapped around him.
At first, he thought it might have been Tommy. Ever since he had gotten his wings, he had been clingy as all get out. But nope. Not Tommy. Tubbo was facing the back of the seat, and Tommy was squished up against said seat with Ranboo on top of him and all three of their legs were tangled together. So when Tubbo turned his head slightly, he could see Phil next to him, sort of shoved between the seats and the supports they had made so that he wouldn’t fall down. Kristin was across from them, Techno and Wilbur were slumped next to her on the little cot things. Tipping his head back, Tubbo smiled lightly. Something caught in his throat and he coughed once.
Immediately, Tommy stirred. Looked over at him, smiled lightly even though he was totally being crushed by Ranboo (guess he had learned what it was like to have siblings and what it was like to be physically crushed by them). “How do you feel?” He whispered in a shockingly soft tone for someone who was the textbook definition of LOUD.
Tubbo paused. Waited for a moment and then closed his mouth. Thought for a second. “I didn’t brush my teeth. And now my teeth are itching and it’s so gross.” Tommy laughed softly. “Don’t laugh at me, big man. I got shot in the head.”
“You two. Shush.” Reaching down, Ranboo covered Tubbo’s mouth with a hand. Squished Tommy a little more. Tubbo met Tommy’s gaze. Raised his eyebrows. Tommy grinned, teeth flashing in the moonlight.
Suffice to say, the bus did not like being woken up at four in the morning by Ranboo screaming, but they were happy to see Tubbo was awake enough to lick Ranboo’s hand as a prank.