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Tommy woke up with a gleam in his eyes. Today was one of the many festivals L’Manberg had. But this wasn’t like usual ones. For starters, this one was around Valentine’s Day, meaning it was a love festival. As an aro-ace person, he had no huge interest in the romantic aspect, but the rest of his powers fit it quite well.
Tommy had soulmate sensing powers, ones centered around familial and platonic love. They weren't super well established, as most people in the modern age didn’t have super honed powers like those that came before them, but he was able to feel when people fit together like pieces of a puzzle. He’d found his own soulmates in Ranboo and Tubbo.
But not only was it a festival dedicated to Tommy’s power, it also had a patron God. Namely Wilbur Soot. As in, Tommy’s patron he had devoted his life to. He fucking loved this festival.
It was so nice to get to see all the other devotees in attendance. Most of them stayed at the Temple, but Tommy had been kicked out for “behavior not benefiting a future priest” or whatever bullshit. He still liked to see his other priests in training — some of which had already leveled up and walked into the festival in white robes with a brown guitar sewn on and gold outlining — dancing around and having a general good time.
He also got to see Queen Lizzie, his absolute favorite person. Yeah, he couldn’t fall in love with anybody, but that didn’t stop him. Tommy was completely confident that with a few weeks, he could romance Queen Lizzie and take her crown. How hard could it be?
There were also rumors — all fully unsubstantiated, just the way Tommy liked them — that Wilbur Soot himself would be performing and there was no goddamn way in hell Tommy would miss a single chance to see him.
However, none of that would be able to happen unless he fucking woke up his friends who were sleeping in despite him making it very clear that they had to be awake because it was the best festival of all and they would be late over Tommy’s dead body.
He raced into the kitchen, looking around for his friends. They were both asleep, which was deeply upsetting to Tommy. He needed to wake them up, they needed to have time for the spring festival. But he couldn’t see anybody and it pissed him off. As he was patrolling around, Tommy’s eyes landed on a pot and a spatula. He had a fucking genius idea.
—
Currently, Tommy was being pinned to the ground by Ranboo as Tubbo smacked the shit out of him with a plastic water bottle. Apparently, his idea wasn’t as smart as he thought it would be. But really, all this violence was quite unnecessary in his opinion. Tubbo finally stopped, glaring at him with annoyance.
“Did you learn your lesson?” Petulantly, Tommy huffed. As Ranboo tightened up on his wrists however, he decided that maybe just answering was the best course of action.
“Don’t come running into people’s rooms banging on a pot, because next time I’ll be getting hit with a bat,” Tommy recited with a bored look. Tubbo gave a very serious nod, and Ranboo dropped his wrists with a laugh. Tommy got up and went to walk to the kitchen, but Tubbo grabbed onto him.
“You’re not cooking. Sit your ass down and talk about how excited you are, I’m making pancakes.” Tubbo walked past with a laugh, and Tommy nodded. Ranboo was perched on the couch, messing with a blanket he’d been trying to knit for the past week. Tommy, being the fucking menace to society that he was, decided to just jump on the couch and rest his head on top of the taller boy’s chest.
Ranboo let out a surprised gasp, before laughing a little bit. “Toms, I’m trying to knit and it’s very hard to do that while you’re just lying on top of me.”
Tommy, eyes wide to maximize his pity, turned to face Ranboo. “Ran boo , are you implying that you hate my company? And on the goddamn spring festival. ‘Soulmates’ my arse.” He got up, ready to walk away, but Ranboo grabbed onto him. Ranboo could never resist the ‘we’re soulmates’ bullshit, it melted him like butter .
“No Tommy don’t say that, of course we’re soulmates. You can stay here, I’ll move the blanket.” Tommy smiled, readjusting and very proud of himself for getting his wish. Apparently not everybody was, however.
“Don’t fucking listen to him ‘Boo, he’s manipulating you. Stand your guard,” Tubbo yelled out. Tommy turned to Ranboo, rolling his eyes and watching as Ranboo laughed. Ranboo called back, clearly trying to stifle his own laughter.
“Oh I know, but it’s really funny when I get up, because then he gets all clingy and won’t let go of me. Touch-starved little gremlin.” The last sentence was directed at Tommy who — even though he was holding onto Ranboo very tightly and he was maybe just a little bit touch-starved — didn’t appreciate the insults. Instead of responding, however, he very slowly and methodically stood up, untangled himself from Ranboo, and moved to sit on the opposite couch, locking eyes with Ranboo. He refused to back down, he would in fact stand there all fucking day to prove to Ranboo that he didn’t need him.
Ranboo didn’t seem to be taking the situation as seriously however, and had the audacity to let out a little laugh. As if Tommy was amusing to him. “Hey, what’re you laughing at?” Tubbo asked, walking in from the kitchen. As he saw Tommy, sitting on the couch with a resolute look on his face and arms firmly crossed however, he joined it.
“Hey, fuck all of you! I’m not a laughingstock. Watch it, or I’ll go to the festival without you.”
“Tommy, your threats are a lot less effective when you’re quaking as if you’ve been lost in the freezing cold for years.” Tommy paused. He supposed that in some ways, by some interpretation, he was doing that. However, in his defense, it was really cold. He glanced out the window. It was not cold.
But he also couldn’t show weakness. So instead he continued to cross his arms, staring at Ranboo and Tubbo with a resolute gaze, expressing his corager and sheer refusal to back down. Tubbo paused for a second, before rolling his eyes and walking over to Tommy, pulling him into his arms with a smile.
“Clingy little dumbass,” Tubbo laughed, burying his head in Tommy’s shoulder with a smile. “Ranboo, could you finish the pancakes? Tommy’s being an idiot and I need to hug him.” Tommy rolled his eyes, ignoring the pleasant warmth that crept through his bones at his friend’s words.
“But Tubbo, what if I want to hug Tommy? Hmm? This doesn’t seem very fair and equitable now does it?” Tubbo laughed, flipping Ranboo off.
“Nope! I’m gatekeeping him, sorry.” Ranboo rolled his eyes, continuing to make pancakes.
He finished quickly, and they went to eat together — both Ranboo and Tubbo attached to Tommy at the hip. The festival was starting soon — technically it was starting in one and a half hours but Tommy refused to be anything other than perfectly punctual and if that meant he would show up 45 minutes early, then that was what he would do — and he refused to be late.
Finishing eating and running out the door, his friends in tow, Tommy began to make his way towards the grounds. They were held at the Garden Gazebo, which was one of Tommy’s favorite places on normal days. It was crowded, but there were always small, isolated spots where Tommy could rest with his friends.
This time, however, there was no way he would find a quiet place. The Garden was stuffed to the brim, food carts, priests, and small musicians set up across the area. Bass pumped through the ground, voices mingling in a heavenly choir.
As the three of them walked in, a few people glanced over at Tommy with a grin. He recognized some of them, friends he made at previous events, caught up in the intensity of the noise and buzz of excitement that ran throughout the Garden grounds.
One of them walked up to him, a blond boy in a purple sweatshirt who walked slowly, hands in his pockets. “Purpled!” Tommy exclaimed, giving him a wave. Purpled waved back, smiling.
“Tommy, did you hear the news?” Tommy raised an eyebrow. He most certainly hadn’t heard any important news, and was firmly invested.
“Wilbur Soot’s here! He’s gonna be performing in a few minutes, he’s over there.” Purpled pointed towards a big tent, with people swarming around it. Tommy glanced at Ranboo and Tubbo, body thrumming with excitement. This was a once in a lifetime chance, something that Tommy had always wanted to achieve by becoming a priest in the first place.
They both laughed kindly, already beginning to make their way to the tent. Tommy ran ahead of them, fighting his way through the crowds with his two friends following him with a grin. A brown haired man was sitting on a stool, curled hair hanging down almost to his shoulders. A guitar rested in his hands, long fingers curled around it in a familiar way. He opened his mouth, and Tommy felt like he could feel time freeze.
“This is a little song some of you might know, called ‘The Fall’.” He smirked, pink lips curling around his face. The crowd began to go wild, hands shaking.
Under the weight of a broken nose
It's not that simple, but he won't seem to notice
There must be more to this
Tommy cheered at the familiar tune. The Fall was one of his favorite songs, filled with beautiful lyrics and a great fucking beat.
So leave those sink estates and
Let's book a holiday
We're painting all the counties in blue
'Cause we're already boring
And we're already hoarding
What else have we got left to accrue?
Ranboo began to join in, dancing with a smile at the lyrics Tommy was sure he knew from months and months of Tommy playing recordings of it in the kitchen as he moved around.
And the ramblers will say
"It's got a marvelous view"
But they don't know how many lives it took, no
They'll never know what you knew
Prepping himself for the chants, Tommy began to bounce up and down.
And we're so calm but we're (fucking scared, fucking scared)
And we're so calm but we're (fucking scared, fucking scared)
And we're so calm but we're (fucking scared, fucking scared)
And we're so calm but we're fucking scared of people like you
He yelled the lyrics out as loud as he could, basking in the warmth and sunshine echoing around him because he was with his friends and his patron — ex-patron — was singing beautiful lyrics while his fingers played on the guitar and Tommy felt so painfully alive that it hurt in the best possible way.
Under the weight of some Sertraline
A couple Prozacs, and now I'm pumping dopamine
There must be more to this
We've got a country house now
Old dog has been put down now
It's nice to be your around trees
Custom license plate
On our Audi R8
How many grocers does one county need?
Tubbo walked up to Tommy, spinning him around with a vibrant grin and Tommy could feel his heart fill up with this beautiful feeling of being loved and feeling love.
And the ramblers will say
"It's still a marvelous view"
That treadmill still looms
Your hedonic misuse
The guitar cut out, and Wilbur began to speak, voice echoing out across the Garden as everybody stopped to listen to the voice that sounded like chords on a grandiose piano, the sounds of joy and pain and suffering.
So come, one and all to see the apathy
The rings of gray stencils that fill the tapestry
I look to all of you and see a different fucking species
Aspiration for a different destination to me
Across the Pennines, thin blue line, a knife and a mall
Would do something, if it wasn't also half my fault
'Cause I'm so high, my brain can't even look at the fall
And when you've reached the top there's nowhere else to go but
His voice ceased, like it had been cut off. The crowd went wild, while Tommy just paused. It felt like he was basking in this, in the energy of happiness and joy, of chills and what felt like a thunderstorm about to break, Tommy being held in the moment before the lightning broke, before the world split open.
“Toms, you good?” Ranboo asked, resting a hand on his shoulder as a gentle form of protection, a safety net.
“Ye-yeah. I’m good. I’m very good. Let’s go get some food.” He knew he sounded unconvincing but everything was too much, too loving and carefree for his own heart to take without splitting open. Ranboo’s look showed he didn’t quite believe it, and Tommy was rather sure Tubbo didn’t either, but he had no idea how to explain it, how to explain the way he was so clearly loved and how that fact was at once world-changing and didn’t matter at all.
So instead, he led his friends off and allowed the feelings to settle in his heart, gold mist wrapping around him like his own form of armor, reminding him of all this, of joy and happiness and music that sounded like exquisite piano chords breaking over a silvery river bank, shining clouds holding themselves in the sky, and beautiful warmth.
A smile broke across his face, and when Ranboo turned to face him, Tommy could see in his eyes that Ranboo believed him, at least somewhat. Tubbo ran up ahead, returning briefly with tacos in his hands.
“Hey bossmen, do we want to find a place to sit down and eat? There’s quite a lot going on here, I need a moment.” Tommy nodded, glancing around for a brief place to rest. There was an iron bench, with nobody around it and surrounded by beautiful lilac flowers that Tommy knew Tubbo enjoyed. He made his way there, perching on the edge and snatching a taco from Tubbo’s waiting hands. The boy settled down beside him, Ranboo on the other side.
Tommy looked up at the sun, watching the way it arced closer and closer to green vales and peace. It was getting darker, and Tommy could feel his energy draining. He’d seen Wilbur perform, and honestly nothing could top that.
“How we feeling about heading out? There’s a nice beach nearby, we could possibly go there and chill out?” His voice was lighthearted, trying to disguise the exhaustion that he had begun to notice seep into his bones, weighing his skeleton down. But Tubbo and Ranboo picked up on it, they always did.
“Yeah, let’s go. I like that beach anyways,” Tubbo responded with a smile. They finished their tacos, standing up and beginning to push their way through the festival grounds. Purpled caught their eyes, giving a grin and walking off.
Walking through the lush gardens, they arrived at a beautiful beach. It was warm and comforting, with a log bathed in sunshine to change it into a chocolate colored, almost amber color. Waves crashed in, darkening the light gold color to a deeper shade.
The three of them sat on the bench, legs pressed together and arms hanging over each other in gentle unrestrained companionship. The sun began to dip below the horizon, and in the gentle quiet, Ranboo spoke.
“Hey Toms, that was nice. Thanks for taking us.” The blond’s lips broke into a warm smile, leaning his head on Ranboo’s shoulder and adding the kind words to his golden webs, a protection over his fragile heart.
“Yeah, it was cool to hear him sing,” Tubbo chipped in. Ranboo nodded, and they lapsed back into silence as the sun continued its journey below the horizon. Tommy always loved watching the sunrise. He used to do it with his family, driving up to a carved bench covered in graffiti, in a parking lot filled with other people, watching the sun sink below the mountains and feeling happy in a way he didn’t know was possible.
But that was quite a long time ago. Tommy’s parents were gone, and instead he was on a beach with his new family. Some form of loss tinted the moment, but he was still there, still surrounded by his family. Just differently. Not worse — something with Ranboo and Tubbo involved could never be worse — just different.
The sun was almost completely gone, and Tommy basked in its remaining rays. “Thank you,” he whispered. He didn’t specify for what — didn’t talk about how they were a family when he needed them the most, how they loved him in a painful yet beautiful way, how they supported him and cared for him in such a kind and compassionate way, and the fact that Tommy could always count on them — but he knew they could hear it in the curves of his vowels and the way his words wrapped around themselves, dripping with fondness.
They both squeezed his hands, and it was quiet again. Tommy liked the quiet sometimes, liked the way it let his mind wander between thoughts and reality like he was on a tightrope. There were other times, of course, when the quiet was stifling, a noose tightening on his throat. But when he was with people who cared, when the silence wasn’t because of some breach but because they didn’t need to talk to feel love, the silence was not only bearable but welcome. It was a reminder just being in each others presences was far more than enough, no words necessary.
The sun was almost fully set, the only light coming from the fading embers resting on a bed of water and the glow of the moon. Glancing up at it, Tommy realized it was a full moon. Guiding Ranboo’s eyes to it — Tubbo had fallen asleep on Tommy’s lap — he watched as he lit up with a smile.
“Give me a second, I’m gonna cast a few runes.” Ranboo pulled a glowing crystal out of his pocket, kneeling down and beginning to carve symbols into the pile of sand while rhythmically chanting. Tommy sighed, breathing in the familiar scent that was forever tied with Ranboo: earthy yet light, like dew on leaves and clear lakes. The runes began to glow, colors mixing and fueled by the moon until they were bathing him in their glow.
Tommy looked at him, surrounded by glowing light with a small smile on his face as he cast spells using power Tommy could only dream of, and he smiled, pleased. Tommy could feel them, two soulmates with heartbeats echoing in sync, the bond holding them together throughout time like two intertwined threads. Ranboo glanced up from a quiet prayer, catching Tommy’s eyes and grinning before resuming his casting.
There was something nice about watching him work, the way there was so clearly a chasm between them — a place where Ranboo existed without either of them, fully removed — and yet the way Tommy could still feel him, heart beating along with his own as if Tommy was pressing his ear to the other’s chest. Finally, Ranboo glanced up and stepped out of the circle as the brightness dimmed ever so slightly. He took his place next to Tommy, resting his head on the blond’s in a way that looked more than a little uncomfortable.
“What were you doing?” Tommy asked, quietly running his hand through Tubbo’s hair.
“Just some reinforced protection on y’all. Take advantage of it, you’re almost invincible for tonight.” Tommy paused. He quite liked the idea of being ‘almost invincible’.
“So could we just sleep here? Cause nobody can attack us right now, and I don't really want to drag Tubbo all the way back.” Ranboo paused, before nodding.
“I mean yeah, and the water should avoid us.” Pausing, Ranboo stood up and walked into the water. As Tommy watched, the water spread apart from him as if he was Moses. It was quite a funny state, an obscenely tall man with split dyed hair standing in water as the liquid threw itself away from him as if they were magnets.
“Yes yes, you’ve proven your point. Come on it’s fucking late and I’m tired.” Ranboo sighed, which was surprisingly audible considering the not insubstantial distance. He walked back, smoothing out some sand and lying down.
“You’re the one,” he cut himself off, yawning, “taking too long.” Tommy rolled his eyes, dragging Tubbo down and lying down next to him, intertwining their hands. Ranboo did the same on his other side, and Tommy fell asleep, hearing the heartbeats of his soulmates, knowing he was safe.
After all, how could he not be?