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"What is older than desire?
the bare tree asked.
Sorrow, said the sky.
Sorrow is a river
older than desire."
-Robert Hass, from "February: Question" in "February Notebooks: The Rains," Summer Snow: New Poems (Ecco, 2020)
His lungs sting as he tredges up the hill, the thick blanket of snow grabbing at his ankles, weighing him down. Occasionally, he feels the vicious nips of cold from snow that falls in his worn boots, but he knows he can’t risk stopping to fix the cuffs of his pants. While the damp socks are annoying, it reminds him he’s alive.
They need all the reminders they can get nowadays, with Dream and his army growing more antsy by the second. It’s only so long before they attack, taking out the sovereign nation of L’Manburg once and for all.
Wilbur’s warning echoes through his head, reminding him that they haven’t lost the war yet, and to not give in. As long as they still have hope, they still have a chance.
Sometimes he thinks Wilbur’s lost it under the stress of being President, because if one of the others asked Tommy if they still had a chance, he doesn’t think he could reassure them like Wilbur does.
He’s close to their base, close to safety. Any time spent outside of the walls is a danger. His heart races, and for once he’s grateful for the cold winter air to cool him down.
It’s treacherous to be outside of L’Manburg grounds, especially alone. But his mission was too risky for him to put anyone else in danger. Even Tubbo.
Especially Tubbo.
His throat hurts to swallow, a consequence of living in the elements, but he drags his heavy feet onwards. He's in the final home stretch.
Crossing the territory lines lifts the world off his shoulders. He can finally take a deep breath in, and he feels as if it's his first.
He's made it, he's still alive. Maybe tomorrow Dream will catch him, maybe he'll be lost to the elements, but for now, he's alive, breathing for the first time.
He closes his eyes and takes a moment to savor his safety.
“Tommy!”
His eyes shoot back open, the moment ruined, and he smiles. “Wilbur!” He shouts back, ascending further into their base, where the rest of L’Manburg sits, huddled around an extinguished campfire. “I did it! I got it!”
His brother claps his back, whooping and cheering with the others. “Yo! I knew you could do it, Toms,” He grins, “Let me see, let me see. We need to make sure you got the right thing.”
“Seriously big man? Y’know I got the right thing.” Tommy glares. He reaches underneath his puffy blue jacket, pulling out the item they all knew Dream cherished more than anything else. Wilbur’s eyes light up, and although the days get dreary with the ever-looming threat of death and destruction, he’s glad they can still find some moments of joy.
And what better source of joy than gaining possession of your enemies most prized possession?
Tommy quickly greets Eret, then Jack and Fundy, then Niki, and finally, Tubbo, giving him a partial side hug. He’s not the clingy one, god knows, but the thrill of a mission well done has him feeling a little emotional.
They all get that way after a long day, when the pain and cold seems to trespass beyond the walls of L’Manburg, seeping deep into their bones.
He can feel the stares at the object in his hand, not believing that they actually have it in their possession after so long. After all, it did originally belong to L’Manburg, as he and Tubbo had found it and immediately brought it home. Dream, being the person that he is, saw how much it meant to them, and made it his mission to get it for himself.
And he was successful, for a while. But while Dream and his goonies may call them annoying, they prefer persistent. He should have known better than to assume they’d let it go.
“Woah, is that actually it?” Eret asks, stare heavy behind his thick tinted glasses. Tommy nods, hands heavy and cold from the snow where he dug the object from. “Well then, where should we hide it?”
“What if we didn’t hide it,” Jack asks. Tommy hands the object to Wilbur, who wipes some of the remaining snow off. “Dream’s going to be pissed if he ever finds out we took it, so maybe we should destroy it.”
“Surely Tommy didn’t risk his life to get that only for us to destroy it.” Tubbo replies.
“I’m pretty sure we never asked him to do that,” Jack shoots back. Tommy’s eyes twitch, uncomfortable under his heated look. What the fuck did he ever do to the man? “I’m just saying- Dream’s never going to leave us alone if he knows we stole from him.”
“Honestly man, that may be the most idiotic idea I’ve ever heard in the history of ever.” Tommy argues. He risked his life for this nation, for these people, why the hell would Jack be mad at him about that? “Dream’s never going to leave us be as long as L’manburg lives, it doesn’t matter if we stole this or not.”
Wilbur grabs his arm,“There’s no need for name calling, Tommy,” He chastises. Tommy curses him under his breath. “I say we hide it for now, like we originally planned, and then we can revisit it later.”
Niki sighs, head dropping heavy in her hands. Tommy remembers when this all first started, when she was filled with hope and light. This war has taken a lot from all of them, he knows, but that’s just why he has to keep this object safe in their possession.
“I think Jack has a point,” She says, “I mean, what are we supposed to do? Keep fighting day and night?” Wilbur’s eyes fall to the ground, Tommy chews his lip. “You know we can’t survive like this forever…”
“Look I know things are real shitty right now,” He stands up straight, mimicking what Wilbur does whenever he’s reassuring them, “but Dream and his bitches aren’t that great, they may be stronger than us, but they lack something we have… Our intelligence. I mean let’s be honest, they’re not the brightest-”
He trails off, forgetting where he was going with this. His stomach twists, and he suddenly feels uncomfortable in the spotlight. Crap, what would Wilbur say?
“I know it’s scary right now,” He says again, briefly looking at his older brother. “But it’s not all futile… It’s not all pointless. This- this is proof that we’re smarter than he thinks, and that we’ll persevere.”
Tommy’s eyes flick to Tubbo, whose eyes are shining as bright as ever, filled with hope. He looks so innocent, as if he’s never been touched by the calloused hands of war. He yearns for that innocence, and hopes Tubbo never loses it. Not that he’s a sap or anything, he just doesn’t want to have to deal with it, is all.
It’s silent for a moment, before a strong gust of wind blows past them, bringing the cool scent of freshly fallen snow and pine. He likes to believe he sees a small smile pulling the corner of Wilbur’s lips. While one might look at him and see a man, slowly being crushed under the weight of a war, all Tommy sees is a leader.
He takes a deep breath, thinking of a plan.
“Eret, king, hide this somewhere no one will ever fuckin’ find it... under the L’Manburg tree.” He directs, motioning for Wilbur to hand it to them, “Niki, Fundy, Jack, let’s have you stock up on supplies, spend all day if you have to. Dream is going to rage when he learns we took this from him, so we need to be prepared for all hell to break loose.”
Wilbur rests his hand on his shoulder, he only has a small smirk, but Tommy can see the proud glint in his eyes. He tries not to smile, instead continues with orders, “Tubbo, reinforce the walls. Wilbur and I will spy on Dream and his bitches.”
The group falters for a moment. Wilbur’s eyebrows furrow, he clears his throat, “You heard the man, get to it!”
“Look at that fucking dick,” Tommy glowers, staring at Dream from their hiding spot on top of the hill. He’s only half paying attention, bored out of his mind. Wilbur’s drawing designs in the snow next to him, and Tommy recognizes the L’Manburg flag among the designs. “I bet he thinks he’s so cool and invincible and shit. He doesn’t have a clue.”
Tommy’s nose curls as he watches what looks like Sapnap and Punz having an arm wrestling contest on the outskirts of their grounds. It irritates him, how they can put him and his friends, his family, through so much, and yet continue to mess around without a care in the world.
Wilbur snorts, moving on to make a small snowman. Tommy fights the urge to smash it. “Can I ask you something, big man?” He asks instead. Wilbur’s smile fades, and he looks to him, waiting for him to continue. “Do you- do you actually think we have a chance at this?”
“Tommy-”
“Tell me the truth, Will.” He continues, letting the people they're supposed to be watching melt into the background. “Are we just delaying the inevitable?”
Wilbur rolls over, falling onto his back with a sigh. Tommy knows he’ll regret that later when he’s cold and wet, but he doesn’t say anything. Maybe he needs the reminder he’s alive, too.
“Honestly, Tommy… I don’t, I don’t know.”
He nods, eyes falling to the snow beneath him, compact beneath his weight. He remembers when he and Wilbur were young, making snow angels with their other brother and father. What he would do to see them again.
“Hey!” He huffs when Wilbur flicks his arm, getting his attention.
“We may not beat their strength, but I’m still confident, aren’t you?” Tommy shakes his head, mumbling not really . “Right, well, I’m confident, so as long as you believe in me, you believe in L’Manburg.”
Tommy rolls his eyes, but lets the words comfort him anyways. His fingers are cold, still numb from having to dig in the snow at Dream’s base. He blows on them a bit, wiggling them to regain a bit of feeling.
“You should have seen it, Wilbur,” He chuckles, “They didn’t notice a thing, I seriously think they might be blind.”
They share a small laugh, ignoring the job they were supposed to be doing. Tommy knows he should pay attention, but god the members of the Dream SMP are all so boring. He can smell the disgusting stench of Americans from all the way up on the hill.
“You’re right…” Wilbur trails off, eyebrows furrowed. Tommy knows he’s gotten an idea, and it fills him with poisonous hope. Hope gets you hurt, gets you killed. He knows this all too well by now. And yet he lets Wilbur’s confidence infect him anyways. “What if we used that to our advantage?” Tommy stares at him, eyebrows raised. “I just- What if we ambushed them, took them down before they could even see it coming?”
Tommy’s heart begins to race, Wilbur’s face melts into a grin.
“What if we took care of Dream and his bitches once and for all.”
After Wilbur explained his plan, with the sun on the horizon, they decided to call it a night. It’s far too dark to call everyone back for another meeting, so they have no choice but to retire for the night, with the promise to continue as soon as dawn is upon them.
And that’s exactly what they do.
As soon as the warm rays of sun touch the freshly fallen blanket of snow, Tommy tredges out from his bed and into the chilled air. It doesn’t bother him, honestly. The air always feels so fresh after a snowstorm, it covers everything in a comforting sheet of white.
It’s always so quiet when the snow has fallen, absorbing the background noise he doesn’t always like. It gets too much sometimes, and it makes his skin feel tight, and blood run hot. This is nice though, and while he scoops a handful of the powder into his mouth, he savors it.
He sees something in the distance, a shadow that disappears as soon as he processes it. His head tilts, he swore he was the only one awake at this time. Maybe Wilbur was up, doing whatever presidents do at this time of day.
With that thought in mind, he trudges towards the far end of their territory, kicking the snow as he walks, not caring about the tracks left behind him.
“Hello?” He calls, squinting as he gets closer, “Will?”
The silence that he savored now mocks him; no one replies. His stomach starts to churn, maybe he should have told someone what he saw, or waited for the rest of L’Manburg to wake up. He swallows, then clears his throat, harnessing his Big Man energy. He ain’t no pussy.
“I know you’re there,” He squints, trying to figure out where the shadow went. “I saw you, idiot. You can’t hide”
He gives whoever it is another chance, then continues in that direction. He smirks as he sees very distinct footprints in the snow, small feet. He follows the prints, noticing how narrow they are. They’re certainly not Wilbur’s clown feet.
That’s not the thing that sticks with him, though. What sticks with him is how the fresh prints lead straight to the Dream SMP, but don’t have any coming towards L’Manburg.
His throat suddenly feels dry, despite all the snow he ate on the way there.
He needs to talk to Wilbur. Now.
He takes a step back, then another, and then turns and breaks into a run, sticky snow clinging to the bottoms of his boots.
By the time he makes it back to L’Manburg, more people are awake, making small talk and doing busy work. Tommy takes note to see who’s there, everyone but Niki, Tubbo and Jack. Suspicious, he thinks.
The first thing he does is scour the grounds for the three, looking for where they might just be hidden out of sight. He finds Jack and Tubbo, crouching in the snow, a trail of footsteps behind them, but they spiral and loop, Tommy can’t tell where they come from or where they go. In front of them, a cat, which Tommy named Shroud.
“Guys, meeting soon.” He says, ignoring the fact that he hasn’t talked to Wilbur about it yet. He knows Tubbo though, and he often gets distracted. It’ll take him a minute to get to the fire anyways. And Jack, well he’s Jack.
He promptly turns around and begins to head back, ignoring their attempts at a conversation. He has far more important things to take care of than cooing over a cat. No, he’ll do that after.
“Oi! Wilbur!” He yells when he finally spots the man, conversing with Eret and Fundy, “I need to talk with you.”
It’s almost as if his brother can sense how perilous their situation is, he immediately bids adieu to the two, and follows Tommy away from the middle of their base. They continue for a minute, before Wilbur says, “I think you need to start explaining, Toms, you’re making me nervous.”
He waves him off, waiting till they are a satisfactory distance from the rest, then looks around, one, twice, triple checking to be sure. Wilbur waits patiently with a raised eyebrow and curled lip. “Tommy?”
“Shut up, Wilbur,” He takes a deep breath in, fiddling with the hem of his sweater, “Earlier today- I mean like 20 minutes ago, but still earlier , earlier than right now… I-”
“Tommy, you’re rambling.” Wilbur cuts him off, “Take a second, okay man?” Tommy nods, inhaling and exhaling deeply, Wilbur continues, “When you feel like you can, start at the beginning, there’s no need to rush.”
After a deep exhale, he starts again. “I think there might be a mole in our ranks, Wilbur.” He tenses at a particularly strong gust of wind, drifts of snow blowing onto them, nipping his cheeks. “I saw footsteps, leading towards the Dream SMP, but they didn’t come back… Not yet at least.”
“Are you saying there’s a traitor in L’Manburg, Tommy?”
“Honestly... Honestly I think so.”
Wilbur hums, the only cue that he even heard Tommy as his face felt flat, void of any emotion. Tommy’s chest feels tight, heart beating quicker. He had hoped that Wilbur would tell him that he’s being dramatic, and that there's nothing to worry about. But now he knew that this was real, this was serious, and L”Manburgs fate, and their lives, were at stake.
“You and me, Tommy, we’re used to seeing the good in people,” Wilbur finally replies, smiling, but eyes tired, “We built L’Manburg from the ground up for people to have freedom… I’m afraid that maybe one day these walls will fall, but until then- Look at me, Tommy,” He puts his drifting attention back on his brother. “Until then, we will fight. We give this war all we got, and we weed out the son of a bitch who dares to betray this nation.”
He nods, but he doesn’t feel any better. He feels far away, like he is floating away from his body. He never asked for this, for conflict or betrayal. He’s just a kid who wanted somewhere to be free, how did they end up here?
“I think we need to keep our circle tight, Tommy.” Wilbur continues, eyes flickering towards the center of their base. “There’s no way to know who it is until right now, so until we find them just... Just act normal, alright?”
“Right.”
“So we’ll keep an eye out, yeah? Watch for anything suspicious…” He hums his agreement, already running through the list of suspects in his head. “And most importantly, you can’t tell anyone about this. Not even Tubbo.”
Tommy’s eyes shoot open at that, not even considering his right-hand man to be the traitor. He simply would never betray his friendship like that. Not that they were actually friends of course, simply work friends. Still, his stomach twists, and he finds himself shaking his head.
“It’s not Tubbo.” He says simply, the three words laced with finality, no room for question in his mind. “I just saw him, he was petting a cat, he can’t be a traitor.”
“Tommy, I don’t think it’s him either, and if you have an alibi for him it can’t be… But you know he can have loose lips sometimes, and there’s no reason why we have to put ourselves at more of a risk.”
As much as he hates to admit it, Wilbur has a point. They need to keep the fact that they know there’s a traitor under wraps if they want to catch whoever is betraying L’Manburg and the citizens it protects.
“I reckon we will call a meeting, keep a note of who shows up late, and continue preparations.” He sighs, “Traitor or not, we need some serious supply gathering if we stand a chance at winning this war.”
“Agreed.”
They head back to L’Manburg, Tommy telling Wilbur about the dream he had the night before, something warm, with hot cocoa and family. Nothing like the cold, dreary situation they find themselves in now.
By the time they get back, everyone is in the center of L’Manburg. So much for seeing who was late, Tommy groans. He takes in their appearances, Jack's shaking leg, Niki’s unkempt hair, Eret’s overconfident smile.
“What was that about, boss man?” Tubbo asks, bouncing next to his side. Tommy flicks his eyes towards Wilbur, who’s temporarily distracted with something frivolous Jack needs, and then back to the boy.
He swallows, knowing that telling Tubbo would put them all in further danger. He couldn’t have that, not when he had plans of becoming president one day. What if they got hurt? Not that it mattered, they didn’t mean anything to him… Oh god he feels nauseous.
“Tommy?”
“Nothing, Tubbo.” He answers, admittedly a little sharp, but it’s what he has to do. Tubbo mumbles an apology, and backs away slightly. He can’t lie, it makes him feel a bit guilty, but he knows he’ll understand when they figure out who’s betraying them. Tubbo always understands, he’s a good right-hand man.
Tommy can sense the unease in the group, to be back here again with no idea why. His heart races, and he knows that while they need to find the mole, they also still need to prepare for war. He had no idea what steps to take, and knew Wilbur fell into the same boat.
“Thank you for meeting us back here again,” Wilbur greets with a clap of his hands, masking his observations with a smile. “I was thinking about our last meeting... and I’m afraid that you may be right, Niki.” She and Jack share a look, not having been expecting this. “I’ve been thinking, what if instead of being on the defense, like we have been for this entire war- What if we finally went on the offense?”
Niki stirs, Jack’s eyebrows furrow. Tommy keeps a close eye on them, wondering if their hesitation was ill intentioned, or if they were just being dicks to the president they were supposed to be supporting.
He remembers what it was like in the beginning, when L’Manburg was founded. They were all so excited at the prospect of a new place to grow, to prosper, to exist without having to listen to Dream’s bullshit. How could anyone betray this nation? What changed?
He almost laughs at himself. Of course they’ve changed. Everything’s changed. After so long of being chased, hurt, on the run, it only makes sense that they would be hesitant to follow them so blindly. Maybe someone finally had enough of the conflict and decided to end it once and for all.
Or maybe they didn’t have a reason, maybe the traitor is just plain evil. Dream is good at manipulating people, and not everyone is as strong as Tommy to refuse joining him. He focuses back on the conversation.
“What are you implying?” Fundy asks, fingers fiddling on his lap, lips scarred from where his teeth have dug in, an anxious habit he picked up not long after the declaration of war from Dream.
They’ve all collected those nervous ticks, like Fundy biting his lips. Tommy fidgets, needing something to keep himself occupied always. Wilbur hums, a self soothing act that no one even notices anymore. Tubbo picks at his fingernails, when they aren’t gloved, Niki pinches the bridge of her nose, Eret bounces their leg, and Jack does… Something. What, quite frankly Tommy doesn’t care.
Wilbur raises a hand, silently telling Fundy to shut up, which he obeys.“Tommy getting that object from Dream without getting caught shows that they’re cocky, far too arrogant to believe we’re a threat. And that will be their downfall, their Achilles heel.” Tommy grins, letting himself feel proud at his accomplishment, his ego inflating just a little. Okay, a lot. “I believe that if we were to strike fast, strike quick, we could take down the Dream SMP before they even know we’re there.”
A gust of wind brings tangible energy, building and flowing between them. Despite the numerous times they’d nearly falled from false hope, still they sit on a pedestal, optimistic and ready for what’s to come. He appreciates that about them, even while knowing it wouldn’t last.
Fundy tilts his head, corners of his bruised lips flicking up into a smile. “Alright, so what’s the plan?”
Tommy grins, looking at Wilbur, whose eyes are filled with a familiar glint. Determination. He releases a loose thread from his jacket he didn’t notice he was playing with, excitement crashing into his chest with the power of the waves in the far away ocean he's never seen, but frequently dreamt of.
“We will gather supplies, as much as we can, then when Tommy and I distract them with premises of a ‘treaty’, you all will emerge. It’ll be like an ambush, no one will see it coming.”
Tommy nods his head vehemently, adding on, “I reckon this is the best shot we have at taking down the Dream SMP. We’ll have to come in real swift, but I think we can pull it off, as long as everyone is on the same page.”
“Everyone is on the same page, right? Protecting L’Manburg?”
“If I may,” Tubbo butts in, while the others nod, all murmuring their agreements. Jack is not nearly as excited as Tommy thinks he should be, and he makes a mental note of that. “I assumed we all knew we were quite puny compared to Dream and his friends. If we go through with this I reckon there’s a good chance that we’re going to be the ones who die.”
He frowns, glaring at his right-hand man. “Big T, don’t talk like that, we’re going to be fine.” Tubbo still doesn’t meet his gaze, so Tommy continues, “I’ll tell you what, Dream was five feet from me and didn’t notice me digging up his prized possession, c’mon, even Jack would have noticed that.” Jack rolls his eyes at the dig, but doesn’t indulge him with a rebuttal. “But Dream didn’t, and I was successful, of course. I know that we’re going to pull this off.”
“I guess…” Tubbo trails off, offering him an unsure nod. Tommy feels far more relieved than he cares to admit, happy to know that he was backing them up. For strategic purposes only, of course. He’s not clingy, yuck.
“Alright Gentlemen, and Niki my darling, let’s get to work.” Wilbur concludes. Tommy stands up straight for a moment, squaring his shoulders. He’s a big man, Wilbur’s right hand man, he should act like it. Suddenly, an idea strikes him.
“Small T!” He calls Tubbo as he starts to walk away, “Tubbo, my friend, let’s go ‘ borrow’-” He uses air quotes, Tubbo rolls his eyes, “ - some tools... It’ll be so much faster than using what we have now.”
Tubbo winces, remembering how they got yelled at the last time he stole tools with Tommy. “I’d hardly say that’s a good idea. I don’t want to get in trouble again.”
“We just won’t get caught this time, Tubso,” He dismisses, “ You're annoying sometimes you know that? We’ll just be in and out, no one will even notice, yeah?”
“I’d hardly say I’m annoying, I just have common sense…”
Tommy waves him off, practically dragging him by the arm to where the tools are stored. They’re going to have such an advantage, Dream will never know what hit him.
The day passes by quickly, long hours of stocking up. Tommy’s tired of maintenance, of shoveling snow. He wants to knock Dream down a peg, he wants excitement.
He hasn’t forgotten about the traitor, in fact it’s all he can really think about as he lays awake at night. He regrets not getting a closer look at the tracks, as they only eliminated Wilbur and Eret, who were both far too tall to have narrow feet like that.
That left Fundy, Jack, and Niki.
Jack was with Tubbo petting the cat, but that doesn’t mean anything. He could have ran back from the Dream Smp, Tubbo probably wouldn’t have noticed if he had. Jack had never liked him, only joining L’Manburg for Wilbur and NIki, he knew. He was jealous of his older brother, and hid it behind the premise of a budding friendship. Tommy could just tell.
Wilbur was the president, Wilbur was charming and eloquent, well spoken, and while sometimes pretentious, he always fought for what was right. Jack was determined to get on his good side, trying to sneak in and steal Tommy’s spot as his right-hand man.
He scoffs just thinking about it. No one can take his spot as Wilbur’s best friend, they’re the dirty crime boys after all.
Next was Niki. She was fiercely loyal and kind, but perhaps that was a ploy, a way to worm past their defenses and take them down. She showed up to the meeting that morning almost late, unbrushed hair and heavy breathing. Maybe a sign that she was rushing back from a secret meeting with Dream and his goons? Perhaps.
Last, but not least, Fundy. He’s quiet, shy, always bouncing his legs or licking his lips. Real suspicious, if you ask him. What would his motives be? He hums, fingers twitching on his blankets. Maybe he just enjoys being a snake… Tommy wouldn’t be shocked.
He needs to figure this out and take care of the traitor once and for all, before they have a chance to hurt the rest of L’Manburg. This was his duty, his purpose, and he was going to succeed.
He yawns.
It can wait till after he wakes up.
Once again, he’s the first one awake. He’s not a morning person, actually quite the opposite, but he has something he needs to do before anyone else is up and watching.
He treks to the L’Manburg tree, a symbol of strength through countless battles, providing for its people. The first time he was caught in battle, before he knew how to fight like he did now, he was struck underneath this very tree.
His gloved fingertips graze over the side of his abdomen, where he was hit. He can still feel the cold, the wetness that grows and grows until you’re left breathless and in pain. After that day, he knew things had to change, and he spent many hours under this same tree practicing, the shaking, dying leaves clapping with every gust of wind, cheering him on.
In its bark, the initials of every member of L’Manburg carved in with a dull knife. How could anyone betray the sanctity of carving their initials into a tree? It’s probably the most dick move anyone could do, ever.
Underneath a jutting root, covered in miniscule icicles, is what he’s looking for. Eret hid it well, and no one but the citizens of L’Manburg would know where it is, but he can’t trust them anymore, and knows he needs to hide it himself, somewhere only he knows about.
He has a spot in mind, hidden in plain sight. But he needs to work fast, digging a hole deep enough to conceal it, out of foot traffic so there’s no way it’ll get harmed. And Wilbur calls him dumb, he huffs, proud of himself for his ingenious idea.
Along the wall, where the L’Manburg flag is carved into the side, he digs a hole, making sure to work quickly and quietly. When it’s big enough, he places the object inside, then covers it up, spending a minute to make it look just like it did before.
As he crouches, he’s too busy focusing on fixing the hole to notice the footsteps behind him until it’s too late.
“What are you doing, my friend?” To his despair, it’s Jack fucking Manifold. Tommy practically jumps away from his spot, standing back up and wiping his hands on his pants.
He glares at the man, scanning everything about him, from his jacket, to his boots. Nothing looks out of the ordinary, but Tommy still finds it suspicious. “Seriously, man? A warning next time would be nice.”
Jack snorts, shrugging, “Just don’t get scared, you ever think about that?”
“Anyways, why are you up so early, dickhead?”
“None ya’ business, mate,” Jack replies, with a real arrogant smile if you ask him. Tommy’s eyebrows twitch. “I could ask you the same thing.”
“I just think it’s real sus that you’re up walking around right now,” He continues, squinting. Out of the corner of his eyes he can see Fundy up, yawning and starting to get to work. He makes a mental note of that. “I reckon someone might get the wrong idea…”
Jack doesn’t look afraid in the slightest, only amused. It pisses him off. Who does this prick think he is?
“As opposed to you of course, the boy crouching next to a wall like a fuckin’ gremlin.” Tommy scoffs, but internally cheers that he didn’t see what he was doing. “I’m just saying, it’s quite suspicious on your part, too, problem child.”
Wilbur finally joins them, walking quickly to Jack and Tommy, knowing they can’t be left alone long. He mumbles, “I’m not a problem child…” Before Wilbur can reach them and mediate.
He’ll never understand why Wilbur let Jack join L’Manburg. He knows they’re good friends, but still, you’d think he’d have standards. Beggars can’t be choosers, he guesses, and they need the soldiers.
Wilbur skips any greeting, focusing on Tommy immediately, “Yo, Tommy, we need to talk,” He says, Tommy watches Jack’s eyebrow twitch, his eyes squint. “Now.”
“Well hello to you too, mate.”
He and Wilbur ignore Jack’s poorly concealed jealousy, leaving him by the wall with the L’Manburg flag carved into its side.
“What’s the problem, man?” He asks Wilbur, worrying he had noticed what Tommy was up to. Not that he couldn’t know he moved the object, per se, but he didn’t want to risk anyone else knowing where it was. The more people that know, the more the risk, just like Wilbur said.
His president looks at him with something in his eyes, a spark of amusement. He doesn’t know what could possibly be amusing about this, there’s a fucking traitor in their midst, putting all their lives at risk.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you, I was thinking-”
“Was that hard for you?”
“-Shut up, Tommy.” Tommy rolls his eyes, but he keeps quiet regardless. “What I was going to say is that you’ve been paying attention to everyone, right? More than I have, that’s for sure.” Tommy nods. “Who do you think is the traitor?”
Tommy leans on his back foot, chewing on the inside of his cheek.
It can’t be Eret, xeir feet are too big to match the prints. He remembers what he was considering before, motives and opportunities, and suddenly, a lightbulb goes off above his head.
It was so obvious, how could he have not seen it before? Who hated him, was jealous of his brother, and honestly was a complete dick?
Jack Fucking Manifold.
It all makes sense, the way he questions everything, how he probably was using Tubbo as an alibi, how snarky he always is. His feet were narrow, and fairly small, proportional for his small height. Not to mention being up so early, watching Tommy like a creepy little spy. How could he not have seen it sooner?
“Tommy?” Wilbur asks again. He looks back to his brother, nodding. “Tommy, you know who it is, don’t you?”
“Jack.”
Wilbur freezes. Not happy with the declaration. But there was no good option when it came to espionage. His brother was going to be hurt no matter what. At least this way, they could get rid of the mole once and for all, moving forward with their plans.
“Are you sure?” He replies, “Are you absolutely, one hundred percent sure?”
“As sure as I can be, unless someone else fuckin admits to it.” Wilbur nods. “I’m sure it’s him, I know it is, and we don’t have time to wait for him to admit to it. Trust me, Will, it’s him.”
“Ok...” He replies, eyes downcast.“I guess we have something to do now, don’t we?” He laughs, watery. Tommy feels guilty, it’s not his fault he knows, but he wishes he could have prevented this.
He nods solemnly, and while he’s absolutely certain it’s Jack, he also wishes no one was a traitor at all. They need the soldiers if they’re going to defeat Dream and his friends. “What do we do?”
“What does one do with a traitor, Tommy?” He shrugs. “Usually I’d say we’d lock him away, or even execute him…” Tommy grimaces, and so does Wilbur. “But L’Manburg isn’t like that. We aren’t like Dream.”
When he doesn’t continue, Tommy doesn’t push him. He knows he’s dealing with this in his own way, thinking about what’s right for the nation. He kicks tufts of snow in front of him, wishing everything was as easy as the first day.
He’ll never forget the first time he saw the L’Manburg flag. It filled him with pride, determination, a sense of belonging. L’Manburg’s been their home, their guardian. He tries to remember that feeling, to channel that bravery. They’d need it now.
“I think… I think we need to exile him.”
“Exile him?” Tommy asks, bewildered at the idea. “With the coming storms, it’s basically a death sentence!”
“Do you have any other ideas?!” Wilbur snaps, Tommy flinches. He shuts his eyes, taking a deep breath. “Look, at least this way, he has a chance.”
Tommy nods. He shouldn’t care about what happens to Jack. He’s a mole, a dick, the bane of his existence. But that doesn’t mean he wants him to suffer at the cruel hands of the elements. Mother nature was not as forgiving as him.
“Okay, Wilbur,” He agrees, “Let’s get this over with.”
He’s a traitor. Tommy knows he’s a traitor. It’s the only logical choice. He’s a traitor.
He repeats that like a mantra in his head, watching as Jack curses and pleads, telling them over and over that they’re making a mistake. But Tommy doesn’t make mistakes. Jack is the traitor. He’s the traitor, he’s a wrongun, he needs to go.
The fact that Tommy feels nauseous as Jack leaves the grounds, everyone watching, is a mere coincidence. He’s probably just coming down with a cold, is all.
It’s not his fault, it’s Jacks. He’s the mole, after all.
Honestly, he’s glad it’s him. At least it’s someone he’s never liked. If it were Tubbo or Wilbur on the other hand, this wouldn’t be nearly as easy. Because it is easy, casting him out. He doesn’t feel bad, absolutely not.
The silence after Jack leaves doesn’t make his chest feel tight, and the way Niki shakes her head, eyes glued to the sky above, pleading for divine intervention, doesn’t make his stomach churn.
After a minute, Tommy finally dares to move again. He takes a deep breath, exhaling the anxiety that’s been suffocating him ever since he found the footprints.
Slowly, he creeps towards where Tubbo stands frozen, staring at where Jack left with glossy eyes, eyes crunching in the crisp snow.
“Why did- Why did you do that Tommy?” Tubbo asks, voice wavering and eyes unmoving. “Why did you tell Wilbur the traitor was Jack? Do you even have any proof? Why did you have to do that to him?”
Tommy’s head turns, he grabs Tubbo’s arm, pulling his attention onto himself. “I had to, Tubs.” Tubbo’s eyes close. “He’s the traitor… There’s no other possibility… Unless you know something I don't?”
He barely hears Tubbo when he says “No,you're right, it must be him.”, as Wilbur finally composes himself from the confrontation, it clearly affects him more than Tommy. It made sense, Wilbur cares about Jack, he cares about them all. Hopefully now they can move on, and continue with their plans without a threat of a traitor looming over their backs.
And the fact that Jack is gone is just a plus.
“Okay everyone!” He claps his hands together, demanding their attention, “I know today’s been rough, but we still have a job to do, let’s stop standing around and get ready to destroy the Dream SMP once and for all!“
He makes eye contact with his brother, offering him two thumbs up. Wilbur gives him a curt nod, then walks off. He focuses back on Tubbo, who’s still yet to look at him.
“Shall we?”
The decrease in morale is tangible. As Tommy walks through L’Manburg, the air feels impossibly thick. Niki avoids eye contact with him, and Fundy walks straight past him. They had their objections, about Wilbur listening to him without question. But they just didn’t understand, they didn’t have siblings.
Wilbur’s always listened to him and what he thinks, with plenty of teasing, whether or not it ends up being right or not. But this time he knows he’s right, he knows he didn’t make a mistake. Wilbur made a good choice in listening to him, and it would show soon. He would prove himself.
It’s weirdly quiet without Jack around, it’s not silent, but it’s strange. Tommy wonders where he’s at right then, if he’s set up a camp yet, or if he’s already fallen victim to the unforgiving elements. There’s no way to know, not until the warming spring months thaw the layers of ice and snow.
He knows he’s not back with Dream, not yet at least. They’ve kept an eye on his base at all times, waiting and watching. It’s suspicious, Jack not meeting with his kingpin yet, but they all know how brutal they can be, and it wouldn’t be a far leap to assume they’d kill him for being caught.
That had to be it.
Niki and Fundy would forgive him, they all would, when Dream is knocked off his ledge for good. Wilbur would be proud of him, Eret would hug him, Tubbo would know he’s always been right. He couldn’t wait.
In the distance he sees Shroud, the tabby laying on the ground below the carved L’manburg flag. He skips to the cat, kneeling by her side. Now that Jack was exiled, he could finally relax and give her all the pets and kisses she deserves.
She mewls under his fingertips, soft fur under his calloused hands bringing him the comfort he’s been searching for. Her wide eyes look up at him, asking what’s on his mind. Tommy sighs, and sits next to her side.
“I think they’re mad at me, Shroud.” He says, head falling back against the wall, directly next to the row of stars. “I don’t understand why, I mean it’s just Jack, right?” Shroud rubs her head against his side. “Yeah you’re right, they’re all stupid anyways.”
Tommy sits there alone for a while, save for the company of Shroud, who soons finds a resting spot on his lap. He knows he has menial tasks to do, chores and preparations, but there’s a cat asleep on him and he’s not enough of a fucking dickhead to disturb her.
Unlike Tubbo apparently, who soon finds him and sits next to his side with a small greeting.
“What’s up big man?” He asks, purposely keeping his voice soft, but it doesn’t matter, Shroud’s slumber is disturbed regardless, and after she glares at him as much as a cat can, she gets up and walks away. Tommy frowns.
Tubbo is impervious to his mood, and continues, “Do you think we’re the good guys Tommy?” He asks, “I mean really… Do you- do you think we’ve made a good decision by leaving the Dream SMP?”
He’s stunned into temporary silence, and it takes him a second to regain composure. “How can you even ask that?” His tone is laced with anger, bitter frustration. They’ve gone through so much for L’Manburg, how can anyone still question it? Still, he takes a deep breath, shaking the white hot irritation from out of him. “We’re the good guys, Tubbo, always have been, always will be.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“How can you not be?” He retorts, “Wilbur, me, you, everyone here built this land for independence, for peace. We’re the good guys, we have to be.”
“What about Jack?”
“What about him?”
Tubbo inhales deeply, swishing his cheeks. “He was a citizen of L’Manburg, too, and we abandoned him.”
“He abandoned us first, Tubbo.” He shoots back, fingers digging into the snow beneath him, “We have to protect this land above all else.”
“Even above its citizens?”
Tommy huffs, shifting to face him directly, “What’s really going on in that head of yours? Why are you asking these questions?”
“I just- I worry that one day L’Manburg will be more important than me, too , one day.”
He shakes his head fervently, before he even registers that he’s doing so, “That’ll never happen, ever.” Tubbo doesn’t meet his eyes. “We had to exile Jack, he was- he was a traitor! We would never have a reason to do that to you, Tubbo.”
Tubbo seems as if he’s about to reply, when suddenly there’s screams. Tommy reacts before he can think, running towards the commotion. There’s projectiles being thrown from seemingly all directions, and there’s loud crashing against their walls.
The walls are holding up, the L’manburg flag carved in its side keeping strong. But it’s only a matter of time before it falls. Tommy’s breath picks up, his chest feels tight. Once again, his skin feels hot, constricting against him.
The chaos falls into the background, melting into white noise. All he can focus on is the wall, chipping and cracking with every hit. He can’t look away, stuck in a trance of the destruction of his land.
Dream must have grown impatient, Tommy knew it was just a matter of time. Of course he would beat them to the punch, he always does. The world spins around him, he can’t breathe.
Suddenly there’s a hand on his shoulder, and he practically jumps out of his own skin. Wilbur is next to him, eyes filled with worry but face still resilient.
“Breathe Tommy,” He says, “The war’s not lost yet. We prepared for a reason, now take a breath and get it together,” Tommy nods, inhaling deeply, shoving his worries to the back of his mind. Wilbur claps his back, “There we go, Toms, now get ready to fight like this nation depends on it.”
Because it does , get’s left unsaid, but they don’t need to say it, they both understand what’s at stake.
“Wilbur,” He rushes out before his brother can leave, “We can’t let them destroy that wall.” Wilbur’s eyebrows furrow, “Do you trust me?” He nods. “We need to let them in.”
“Tommy-“
“Wilbur, I don’t have time to explain, okay? I just, I need you to let them in.”
Wilbur sighs, rubbing a hand through his hair. He’s fighting against every rational thought and fiber of self preservation, Tommy can tell. But finally his brother nods, and walks to the entrance, unblocking it. The slams into the walls seize, but their friends behind them scream at them, asking what’s wrong with them. Tommy wishes he could explain.
“We have a door, you know that right?” Wilbur asks, smirking, as if he’s not afraid in the slightest. Tommy almost believes him, if it weren’t for the slight tremble in his hands.
Tubbo joins him at his side, and they watch in shared anxious silence as the entirety of the Dream SMP treks in, Cheshire grins on their faces. They corral around the members of L’Manburg like a pride of lions, stalking their prey, teeth bared and ready to strike.
He keeps his back to his peers, and his front towards Dream, glaring with all of his might. Wilbur is next to his side, waiting for his cue. He was the one who told Wilbur it was Jack, he told him to let Dream in, and he would tell him what to do next. Wilbur was the president, in every way shape and form, but Tommy was his brother, and he loved him.
It was the Dream SMP against L’Manburg, Jack versus loyalty, and Tommy and Wilbur against the world.
“I think you have something that belongs to me,” Dream says, sneering at the group, arrogance shining in his green eyes,“Punz, beneath the tree.”
Tommy can’t contain his own smirk, especially when time passes and Punz comes back empty handed, shaking his head. The bewilderment is palpable, on both sides. Wilbur inhales sharply, shooting a look at Tommy, who raises his eyebrow. It takes a moment, but then, Wilbur understands why they had to be let in.
Dream is seething, he tries to hide it, but Tommy can tell. Dream was smart, but Tommy was clever. The SMP has brute force, but L’Manburg loves.
“Where is it, Tommy?” The man asks, tone cold as ice yet filled with a fire that could melt the snow around them. Sapnap’s and George’s hands twitch on the weapon in his hands, waiting for the opportunity to strike, Tommy knows he won’t, not until they get what they came here for.
Tommy feigns confusion, tilting his head. His nose stings from the blistering cold, but it warms under the heat of everyone’s stares. He’s never wanted to be in the center of it all, yet here he is. “Where is what, Dream?”
“You know what, Tommy.”
“I think you’ve lost it a bit, man, maybe you should get your head checked out-“
“Shut up!” Dream snaps, hands clenching. The man takes a few deep breaths, Tommy keeps the mask of bravery firmly strapped on. “I know you have what I’m looking for, and if you’re not going to admit that… then maybe I need to force your hand, huh?”
There’s barely a moment to process those words, when suddenly everyone is moving and there’s screaming yet again. Dream has Tubbo pulled to him, weapon to his neck. Tubbo’s frozen, chest heaving. Tommy thinks he might throw up.
“Let him go.” Wilbur steps in, “He’s just a child, let’s talk this out, yeah? Just you and I.”
Dream shakes his head, laughing maniacally, Tubbo grips onto his forearm, trying and failing to pry it off of him. His feet dig into the snow and ice beneath them, looking for the stability L’Manburg was supposed to provide.
“No, no, Wilbur,” Dream continues, “You all had your chance, chances , actually, and yet you keep pushing me, keep pissing me off. I think now it’s time I put my foot down.”
Tommy and Wilbur share a look, and he knows they’ve lost. But suddenly, the object doesn’t mean anything to him, it’s inanimate, it’s not important. Tubbo is. Tubbo’s his best friend, Tommy realizes, and to face the realization that he might be taken from him for his mistakes… It kills him.
Even Niki, Fundy, and Eret. They all mean more to him than he liked to admit, and right then, they were at risk. He takes a deep breath in, then out, then in again. Dream interrupts his thoughts, “Get me what I want or Tubbo here dies.”
No one moves for a moment, testing the waters, and Dream doesn’t hesitate to bring his hand, and therefore the weapon, closer to Tubbo’s throat. “Fine,” He responds, “I guess this is it.”
Tubbo’s throat barely starts dripping before Tommy lurches forward, “Wait!” He cries, “I’ll get it I just- I, please let him go, man.”
Dream’s eyes fill with satisfaction, knowing he’s won, and he says, “We’ll trade. Get me what I want, and you get Tubbo, yeah?”
It sounds too good to be true, Tommy knows, but he doesn’t have another option. He looks to Wilbur, searching for his advice. “Do it, Toms,” He agrees, defeated, “It’s okay.”
His shoulders fall, and his fight fades. “It’s hidden, I need to unbury it.”
“Sapnap, Punz, go with him.”
Tommy rolls his eyes at the overbearing display of dominance, but he’s not surprised in the slightest. His mind races, he has been through so much for this nation, and he’s about to risk it all and for what?
For Tubbo.
Of course, it’s for Tubbo.
As much as it pains him to admit, the thought of losing Tubbo, his right-hand man, hurts him more than potentially losing L’Manburg.
Who was he kidding? Tubbo isn’t just his right-hand man, he’s his only real friend. His best friend. He can’t lose him, even if that meant all of their work went straight into the ground.
He stumbles over a rock, not paying attention. Sapnap and Punz snigger behind his back, taunting and teasing him for losing the war, clearly acting like the mature people they are.
The boots upon his feet feel like anchors, each step dragging him deeper and deeper into the raging sea of his mind. This doesn’t mean anything, he tries to rationalize. They can recover, they can still win. Somehow, some way.
Finally, he is face to face with the crumbling wall, L’Manburg flag distorted and cracked. He doesn’t move for a moment, coming to terms with what this means for them, for this nation, for Tubbo.
A whistle of wind whispers in his ear, he listens with cracked lips parted. Don’t do it , the wind pleas, don’t give in . He shakes the voice away, inhaling once before reaching to touch the wall. It’s cold to his touch, hardened under the elements but weakened under the pressure. There’s a metaphor for him in there somewhere, but he doesn’t care to make the connection.
“What are you waiting for, Tommy,” Sapnap jeers, “We don’t have all day.”
“I doubt you have any plans,” He shoots back, gently thumbing the wall beneath his touch. “What are you in a rush to go kiss Dream's boots?”
Punz snorts, Sapnap elbows his side.
“Whatever, just get to it.”
Tommy slowly sinks to his knees, lip curling at the feeling of wet snow sinking through his jeans. What once would have reminded him he was alive, it now mocks him for it. He looks up to the cracked flag, eyes tired and shoulders sagging as if he was a sinner begging for absolution.
Maybe he was.
Slowly, he begins to dig.
It seems as if it takes forever, and for a second, he thinks he might have forgotten where he buried it, but then his fingers hit something hard, and he knows it’s it. He can’t tell if it fills him with relief or dread.
Suddenly, two shadows loom over his shoulder. “Finally.” Punz huffs, “I was beginning to think you were leading us on a wild goose chase.”
Tommy rolls his eyes as the object is snatched from his grasp. “Is that really necessary?”
“You’re a citizen of L’Manburg,” Sapnap responds, dragging him roughly to his feet, “Of course it’s necessary.”
‘Oh right, I forgot we were the ones to break into your land just for a stupid object.”
Punz raises an eyebrow, “Didn’t you have to break into our land to steal it in the first place?”
“Yeah but that’s on you for not noticing me sooner.” Punz shoves him again, he nearly trips but he somehow manages to stay upright, cursing the two out.
By the time they return to Dream and the others, Tommy is red in the face from irritation, and his captors clearly amused.
Dream, however, is clearly not.
“Did you find it?” He asks, face pulled taut into a frown, Tubbo still gasping under his hold, weapon held to his neck. Tommy has to look away. He hears the snow crunch as Sapnap walks to Dream, holding out what they came here for. “Perfect, I knew this would be easy… almost pathetically so.”
“Let Tubbo go now,” Wilbur responds curtly, “A deals a deal, Dream.”
Tommy’s eyes flick back to Dream and Tubbo, expecting him to let him go, or to finish him off like the villain he is. But instead, the man laughs, releasing his arm. Tubbo doesn’t move, eyes falling.
“What- What’s so funny?” He stutters, taking a small step forward, “Tubbo, come on.”
“He’s not going to do that, Tommy.” Dream wheezes, his friends smiling. Tommy thinks he sees Tubbo’s lip twitch, too. What the fuck? “Isn’t that right, Tubbo?”
His eyebrows furrow, and suddenly dread fills his stomach, flowing irrevocably into his chest. “Tubbo?” He asks, voice smaller than he’d like, but he can’t be bothered to be embarrassed, “Tubbo, why aren’t you moving?”
Tubbo swallows, and he finally meets Tommy’s eyes. He looks guilty, oh god he looks guilty, why does he look guilty? “I’m sorry, Toms,” His best friend croaks, “I”m so sorry, I wish I could take it all back- If I could I would, but-.”
“Enough.”
Both boys flinch at Dream’s tone, amused but in a heartless, cold, domineering way that only he could manage. He was the villain after all.
“Tubbo, don’t apologize,” The man continues, saccharine sweet, Tommy feels sick. “You wanted to be on the winning side, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Tommy gasps at the implication, the reality of the situation dawning dreadfully upon him. No, no it couldn’t be true. His chest feels tight, and he looks for Wilbur, for his brother’s support. He looks just as shocked as him, mouth agape.
“Tubbo, how could you?” This time it’s Eret speaking, Tommy gasps, trying to catch his breath, “Tubbo, we gathered supplies together for hours, we talked- we, we were friends!”
“Aw, Tubbo, we were friends.” Sapnap mocks, pouting. “How could you?”
Tommy feels his skin grow hot, hands trembling as they continue to argue. Tubbo was the traitor, his best friend, right-hand man, was the spy. It wasn’t Jack, oh god why couldn’t it have been Jack?
“Why?”
The arguing around him nulls as he speaks without thinking, his words laced with betrayal, filled with rage. “Why, Tubbo?”
“Because, Tommy,” Tubbo replies, his own voice cold as ice, betraying what guilt he had shown them. “Did you really think I could just handle being your sidekick forever? I mean surely not, not even you are that dumb.”
The words wrap around Tommy’s throat, pulling tighter and tighter, suffocating him. But Tubbo isn’t done, oblivious to his pain.
“I was sick of being treated as an outsider in my own country, of being treated as less than because I wasn’t your dear older brother.” Tommy looks to Wilbur, whose own eyes have fallen to the ground in guilt. “I’m sorry you all got hurt, I truly am, but I’m not sorry for what I did, because at least now you’ll see me as an equal.”
Tommy has to look away when Sapnap claps Tubbo’s shoulder, the image filling him with further disgust. He barely catches his breath, trying to calm his racing mind.
“I always saw you as an equal Tubs,” He sniffles, letting the anger melt away, exposing his true emotions, pure betrayal. “I’m sorry I didn’t show you that.”
“It’s too late to change it now.”
Tommy nods.
“So what comes next?”
The Dream team shares a look, George’s usual nonchalance pulls into a smirk. Punz’s hands twitch.
“Now,” Dream smiles, “Now, it’s time you die, Tommy.”
Chaos is instant, yelling, pleading, fighting. But Tommy can’t hear any of it, everything has melted into the background, the world spinning around him. Faintly, he notices Punz, Sapnap and George keeping the citizens of L’Manburg from intervening, how Tubbo pleas Dream to spare him, that this wasn’t a part of their plan, but the only thing he can focus on is how Dream picks up his weapon, aiming for Tommy, pulling his arm back, and then releasing.
The world moves in slow motion, his eyes fall shut. He prepares for the inevitable, for the pain, and for the sweet release of death, when suddenly there’s a thud, and it didn’t come from him.
He opens his eyes, and immediately wishes he didn’t.
In front of him, Wilbur stands, clutching his chest, breathing heavy with a swaying body. Tommy cries out as his brother falls, his knees next to his chest, hands reaching for where the projectile made impact.
Wilbur’s eyes start to drift, growing distant. “Wilbur, no,” He cries, “Why did you do that, oh god, Wilbur, keep your eyes open alright?”
“It’s okay, Toms,” His brother replies, “Everything’s okay, don’t cry.”
“Wilbur, I can’t lose you, too.” He shakes his head, hot tears streaming down his wind-chilled cheeks, his head falls onto Wilbur’s chest, “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, this is all my fault.”
Over Wilbur’s body, there’s an approaching shadow, growing bigger and bigger, until Tommy hears snow crunch directly behind him.
He takes a deep breath, and turns, facing Dream head on with a scowl.
It's silent for a moment, and then the man speaks:
“Well that was dramatic,” Dream scoffs, offering him a hand up. Tommy rubs his cheeks and laughs. “I didn’t see the self sacrifice coming, nice, Wilbur.”
Wilbur’s eyes peak open from where he lays on the ground, wincing slightly at the bright sunlight. He sits up, wiping the snow from his chest, Tommy helps him up.
“What can I say, Dream,” He replies, cringing at his wet clothes, “I’ve always been one for a tragic ending.”
Sapnap rushes back to them, cackling, and picks up Tubbo, spinning him while the two cheer, “You were such a good spy holy shit dude!” Tommy rolls his eyes, kicking snow at the two.
“Did you really have to destroy our wall?” Tommy asks, pouting, “It took so long for us to make our fort, now we're goin’ to have to do so many repairs.”
“You’re just salty that we got it back,” George joins in, stealing the object from Dream, a particularly special icicle. There was nothing different about this icicle, it was just like all the others, but somehow it had become the center of everything. “I mean is there even a L’Manburg left to do repairs on? We have the icicle and Tubbo, what do you have?”
“Well I mean we can all see colors…”
“Tommy.”
“Sorry, too far?”
George snorts, then screams as Sapnap picks up more snow, throwing it at him. The two take off, chasing each other through the powder. Tommy laughs, watching as Sapnap trips and faceplants into a pile of it.
“George is right, though,” Dream ignores his friends, “Do you really think ‘L’Manburg’ could continue, I mean you have like… Three members now that Tubbo and Jack are gone.”
Wilbur shrugs, “Jack will come back, as long as Tommy apologizes...” Tommy scowls. “And we have five of us even without Tubbo, the same amount as you.”
“L’Manburg is stronger than a traitor and a stolen icicle,” Tommy replies, making his voice purposefully serious, his ‘acting’ voice is what he calls it, “You're going to have to do more than that to take away our spirit.”
“Challenge accepted,” Dream laughs, then jumps as he's pelted with a snowball, George and Sapnap cackling not far away.
Tommy and the rest of his friends laugh as he takes off after them, but the laughter soon turns into screams of their own as Jack emerges, wearing goggles and a smirk, holding a bucket of snowballs.
“I’ve come for revenge, bitches!” He yells, laughing too. Tommy is quick to grab some snow, compressing it between his palms and getting ready for battle. Fundy and Wilbur follow suit, while the others run.
He manages to land a couple before he gets a chunk of snow to his head, small ice chunks hitting his cheek with a thud.
Groaning, he wipes the snow from his face, then furrows his eyebrows, getting serious. This was war.
Later that evening, after they tired themselves out, they mutually agreed to meet at Tommy and Wilbur’s house for hot cocoa and Rudolph, the creepy claymation one.
Kristen brings out homemade sugar cookies, frosting and sprinkles ends up everywhere, and there’s not many left for Santa, but no one seems to care.
Sapnap has Tubbo on his shoulders, trying to reach higher up on their tree to hide one of their homemade ‘ornaments’ (a poorly decorated cookie) before Phil can notice, and manage to get it up there with only a few broken ornaments as collateral damage.
Fundy and George face off in a heated chess battle, while Eret watches, wagering their cinnamon bears on the winner. Spoiler, it’s George, who doesn’t stop bragging about it for the rest of the night.
Dream and Niki are the only two actually trying to watch the movie, but end up just talking, comparing their favorite Christmas traditions. Dream’s is when his mom makes a big breakfast after opening presents, and how there’s always a hidden rubber duckling hidden in his stocking, after his nickname. Niki’s favorite is baking lots of treats, and sharing them with her friends, seeing how happy it makes them.
Tommy is holled up in a loveseat, no he’s not moping, he’s just plotting his new plan of attack. He doesn’t even notice when Jack sits next to him until it’s too late to escape, and when he tries, Jack grabs his arm and pulls him down.
“Do you wanna tell me what all of that was about?” He asks, raising an eyebrow. “And don’t tell me nothing, I know it’s not.”
Tommy huffs, sinking back into the padded end of the seat. “It was just a part of the game, man, don’t take it so personal.”
Jack smiles softly, shaking his head slightly, “I know that you’re close to Will,” Tommy bites his lip from saying no shit, dumbass , “And I know that it’s probably hard seeing him have other close friends, but Tommy, I’m not going to steal your older brother from you. Not unless you piss me off.”
Tommy melts into the seat a little, guilt sinking into his chest. He knows Wilbur has other friends, and he doesn’t mean to get jealous at him spending time with other people, but Techno has left for college and Tubbo’s been hanging out with this new kid lately, some idiot named Ranboo, I mean who names their kid Ranboo? And admittedly, he's been lashing out.
“Tommy, he’s always going to be here for you,” Jack continues, “And so am I, I consider you a friend, and I hope one day you can say the same.”
He looks around the room, watching his friends and family all having fun, and he lets his ego fade, just a little. “Do you want to help me get revenge on Dream?” He asks, his way of extending an olive branch.
Jack grins, “I thought you’d never ask.”
Suddenly, he feels a hand messing up his hair, and he smacks it away. He looks up, glaring at Wilbur, who’s clearly pleased at the two finally getting along. “Get dressed, we’re going to go look at Christmas lights.”
“But it’s so cold outside, Wilbur.”
“That’s why I told you to grab a jacket, dipshit,” His brother flicks his forehead, “Dream thinks his house is the best because his mom put up ones that sync to sound, but while Puffy is cool and all, I think the Captain has the best, I mean Tubbo’s dad went all out-”
Jack sends Tommy a look, and he has to bite his lip to keep from laughing, but they stand regardless, waiting for everyone to get ready.
It’s freezing outside, and by the time they get back, they’re all half asleep and curled up watching The Polar Express , but Tommy wouldn’t have it any other way. They can get back to battle tomorrow, but tonight, there was no harm in indulging in a bit of Christmas spirit.