Work Text:
Tubbo had a best friend who was rather weird. His name was Tommy. The first time they spoke was a week after the start of his college freshman year when Tommy sat next to him in chemistry. Almost immediately, the blond summed up most of Tubbo’s character and a majority of his entire life, BBC Sherlock style.
Being an avid watcher of the said show, Tubbo gaped at the other for a good few minutes before asking him how the hell he knew all that. Tommy simply shrugged and said he’d already figured out his entire class and left it at that. Tubbo, still reeling from the way his character was summed up, did not question the other boy any further.
They spoke more often after that, their timetables quite similar.
One day, instead of ethics they had religion class. Midway through the lecture, Tommy laughed quietly and leaned toward Tubbo to say—
“Humans have wished to be gods for so fucking long, that they’ve forgotten the fact that they’ve got the very ability to create them. They have truly suffered from this whole ‘monotheism’ shit.”
Confused, Tubbo asked Tommy whether he was an atheist, to which the blond let out a snort.
“Oh I believe in the gods alright,” he said, rolling his eyes, “I just don’t think the bastards deserve to be worshipped.”
Tubbo stared incredulously at Tommy for a moment, the other muttering something under his breath about a Blood God? Tubbo shrugged it off as something he misheard, because hey, who’s heard of a god called Blood God?
Tubbo had known Tommy throughout his college life and more. Throughout this time, the boy owned one of those old-timey flip phones. He rarely used it, occasionally squinting to peer at the small screen while he called somebody (mostly Tubbo) or attempted to text the brunet. Tubbo suggested he buy a smartphone, similar to what he or what the rest of their classmates had, only for Tommy to get all pouty.
“I hate social media,” he pouted, “on Twitter, the people talk so fucking much but it’s never anything worthwhile. If I wanted to hear people bitch about their problems and ask for help I’d listen to their endless prayers.”
Tubbo was quite confused at Tommy’s choice of words. The taller boy did not seem to have any issue with what he just said, choosing instead to curiously observe a butterfly that had landed on a flower near them.
Tubbo really started to suspect Tommy’s actual origins as a human after they were debating over the way neural pathways were formed, Tubbo as a biology student and Tommy as a forensics student.
He had jokingly asked Tommy whether he could have his brain once the blond died for study.
“I mean, sure,” Tommy laughed, “if you can find a way to kill me then you can have it. I’m rather curious to see what you’ll find.”
“If I can find a way to kill you?” Tubbo snorted, “that makes you sound like you're an immortal, bossman.”
To that, Tommy merely shrugged, continuing with the topic. When Tubbo pressed the subject, the blond rolled his eyes with slight annoyance, changing the topic instead.
Weird.
One time, Tommy was tired and miserable, the stress of exams getting to him. Tubbo tried everything to help and comfort him. Since they both had a weird sense of humour, dark humour mixed somewhere in between, Tubbo decided to crack a few jokes.
“Bossman you could scare the dead out of their graves with that glare,” he said, in an attempt to cheer Tommy up, “I bet they’re quivering in their tombs right now.”
“Tubbo the dead can’t come back,” Tommy deadpanned, glaring daggers at his biology textbook.
“Well obviously,” Tubbo rolled his eyes, “I’m not stupid.”
“When you die,” Tommy continued, not paying much heed to what Tubbo said, “you descend into the Underworld with nothing to lose. To keep you, they give you a little something that makes you really want to stay. If you want to go back then they demand its return. It’s why nobody ever leaves. They want to have everything. It’s why no one ever comes back.”
“And I suppose you know the way out then?” Tubbo joked, internally questioning how the fuck Tommy came up with that.
“Well, my dear friend,” Tommy looked up to meet Tubbo’s eyes, “The only way out is to never go in .”
“Never enter,” Tubbo muttered, rolling his eyes at Tommy’s ‘yeah!’ “Will do bossman, I’ll keep that in mind when I die.”
“I’m sure you will bitch boy.”
The next time something weird was said, they were both sitting on a park bench, relaxing after the end of their midterms.
“Big T,” Tommy began, “is it just me or have the humans gotten dumber? Or have they always been this stupid and I simply was not paying enough attention?”
“You say that like you’re an alien or something watching over the Earth for years and years,” Tubbo replied with a snort.
Tommy let out a small laugh at that, instead opting to look straight ahead at the people roaming and playing in the park.
“Well it sure looks like they’ve become quite oblivious,” he said, “there’s enough proof of that.”
“What do you mean?” Tubbo asked, turning to look at the blond with slight confusion.
“The people are quite oblivious are they not?”
“Well— yes— I suppose,” Tubbo spluttered.
“Then there’s that!” Tommy said with an air of finality that meant the topic was now over.
“Uh— okay then?” Tubbo trailed off, feeling more confused than he did before. Tommy didn’t seem to notice, however, standing up to kick a small pebble around instead.
“I think Tommy’s some kind of deity,” Tubbo said casually, placing a mug of hot chocolate in front of his brother. He had gone home for the weekend, his brother Ranboo coming home from his university as well.
“Well, that’s a new conspiracy of yours. What makes you think that?” Ranboo replied, taking the mug.
“Well for starters, he doesn’t use a smartphone, choosing to use that old crusty flip-phone of his.”
“So using a flip phone means he’s a god? I’ll put that up on your conspiracy board,” Ranboo looked amused as he took a sip of his drink.
“Well no, obviously,” Tubbo sat down in front of the other, “but when I asked him why he didn't get a new phone he told me about how he hates social media and if he wanted to look at people complaining about their problems he’d just listen to their prayers. Which is a weird choice of words y’know?”
“Probably,” Ranboo hummed, “or maybe he was just messing around with you? Like a— uh silly reason or something?”
Tubbo gave Ranboo a deadpan look to which the latter merely shrugged.
“I mean there’s no way of knowing if he's really some long-lost god or just weird or whatever I suppose,” Ranboo said after a moment of silence, “unless you ask him.”
“Oh yeah totally,” Tubbo replied, a teasing lilt in his voice, “I’ll just walk up to him and go ‘hey are you a forgotten god that’s lost faith in humanity?’”
“I mean, pretty much,” Ranboo snorted, “or just use a variation of the same sentence. That would make more sense.”
“Whatever you say bossman,” Tubbo rolled his eyes, “anyways enough about whether my friend is a god, do you wanna go prank Lani?”
A couple of weeks after he returned to campus, Tommy walked up to him with a disappointed look on his face.
“What’s up bossman?” Tubbo asked, looking back down at the diagram he was attempting to learn.
Tommy was quiet for a few seconds, causing the other boy to look at him in slight confusion.
“Betrayals committed with good intentions are still betrayals,” he eventually said, voice quiet, “just— keep that in mind, yeah big guy?”
“What—?” Tubbo asked, looking at Tommy in confusion. He didn’t receive an answer though, the blond turning and leaving without another word.
To Tubbo’s extreme confusion, Tommy did not speak to him for three days straight. The boy didn’t even see Tommy anywhere for that matter until the blond approached him midway through their classes in the middle of the week.
About a month after that conversation, they were once again in the park when the topic veered towards death once again.
“Have you ever wondered what’s it like to die, Tubbo?” Tommy asked, laying on his back in the grass.
“Mm, no not really,” Tubbo hummed in thought after a moment, “I’ll tell you when I find out if you like.”
He’d meant it as a ghost joke, but Tommy didn't seem to take it that way.
“Great!” Tommy smiled, sitting back upright, “I’ll be waiting for you to come back then. Maybe you’ll even remember me!”
“You say that like you’re immortal,” Tubbo said, feeling a slight sense of deja vu. “are you immortal, Tommy?”
“Mm,” Tommy shrugged, “I could be. I’ve been alive for a long time y’know?”
“Well yeah ,” Tubbo snorted, ignoring the way his neck prickled at the words, “Eighteen years is a very long time indeed.”
“Yeah,” Tommy laughed, “eighteen years indeed.”
Tubbo wondered why he worded it like that but chose to change the topic instead.
Tommy was asleep. And glowing. Tommy was glowing in his sleep and Tubbo wasn’t sure whether he was dreaming or actually seeing the guy glow.
This was not what he expected to see when he got up to get a glass of water.
Should I wake him up or leave him be?
Tubbo quietly reached for his phone, still staring at the boy on the other side of his room. He took a picture and sent it to Ranboo, too stunned to say a word.
3:45 AM
Tubbeep: dued wakeup
Tubbeep: ranbsoo
Tubbeep: RANBOO
Ranbeep: its 3am wth do u want
Tubbeep: [insert image.png]
Ranbeep: …
Ranbeep: ohmfyod
Ranbeep: your best friend is a flashlight
Tubbeep: TOMYY IS LITERALLY GLOWING AND THATS WHAT YOU SAY?
Ranbeep: am i wrong tho
Tubbeep: …no
Tubbeep: what do i fo now
Ranbeep: either you sleep and never speak of it again or you wake him up and frea out
Tubbeep: im going to slep i think
Ranbeep: smart choice
Ranbeep: how have u not noticed this b4 you;ve been roomates for months
Tubbeep: i dont tend ot wa ke u before him or slep afte him
Ranbeep: fair fair
Tommy shifted a little in his sleep, murmuring something under his breath. Tubbo looked up at him, watching the yellow light pulsate a little.
3:50 AM
Tubbeep: nvm slep im claling uoy
Ranbeep: ookaok
Tubbo quietly stood up and slipped his shoes on. Grabbing his jacket, he silently slipped out the door and down the hallway.
As he made his way out of the building, he dialled Ranboo’s phone number.
“He—hello?” Ranboo’s voice came through the speaker, voice raspy due to him having literally just woken up. Tubbo balanced the phone between his ear and shoulder as he zipped up his jacket.
“Dude,” Tubbo began, voice hushed, “ dude .”
“I know,” Ranboo whispered into the phone, “I think you were right.”
“You think? ” Tubbo replied incredulously with a scoff, “bossman I think I might have a stroke or something I’m that mind-blown right now.”
“Please don’t,” Ranboo muttered, “anyways, he has to be some kind of low-key god that— I dunno— was forgotten or something.”
“Oh yeah definitely,” Tubbo sat down in the grass in front of the dormitories, “he’s like totally one of those gods from the myths who are like forgotten for centuries but are stuck with us because immortality is a bitch.”
“That—” Ranboo let out a chuckle, the sound crackling through the phone speakers, “that’s kinda deep man.”
“I’m a philosophical man, what can I say?” Tubbo laughed softly, a small smile gracing his lips, “what should I do now though?”
“Uh—” Ranboo paused for a moment, “I suppose playing dumb or just completely forgetting about the incident could be a good option. Especially after that betrayal thing you texted me about.”
“Yeah…” Tubbo trailed off, the scene still crystal clear in his head, “maybe.”
“Unless you do want to confront Tommy,” Ranboo said, “do you?”
“I dunno bossman,” Tubbo drew his knees towards his chest, “it’s a little confusing.”
“Well it’s up to you in the end isn’t it?”
“Mhm,” Tubbo hummed, “what if I talk about it later? When I know this might not be a hallucination?”
“I saw the picture so unless it’s a shared hallucination—” Ranboo trailed off with a laugh.
Tubbo let out a snort at that. He could hear the distant chime of the clock tower strike four am. Ranboo seemed to hear it too somehow.
“Go back to bed Tubs,” Ranboo said, clearing his throat, “I should too, I have a presentation in a few hours.”
“Mhm,” Tubbo stood up, brushing the wet blades of grass that stuck to his pants off, “good luck on that, I’ll text you what happens during lunch or something.”
“You do that,” there was some shuffling on Ranboo’s end, “g’night bee boy.”
“G’night bossman.”
Tubbo stood on the lawn for a moment as he heard the beep signalling the end of the call. Taking a deep breath, he started the journey back to his dorm room.
Quietly slipping through a small crack in the door, the first thing Tubbo noticed was a distinct lack of yellow light. Instinctively turning towards Tommy’s bed, he flinched in surprise to see the boy sitting upright in bed, staring at Tubbo with barely concealed emotions that the brunet couldn’t quite place.
The two stared at each other for a moment, faint moonlight slightly illuminating the room through the window.
“Erm—” Tubbo walked towards his bed, still facing Tommy, “hi?”
“Where had you gone?” Tommy’s voice was low and stiff, the tiniest hint of fear in his tone, if Tubbo wasn’t mistaken.
“For a walk,” he replied, “Ranboo, my brother, wasn’t able to sleep so he called.”
If Tommy knew it was a lie, he didn’t say much about it. Tubbo took off his shoes and jacket, extremely aware of the fact that Tommy hadn’t moved even once since he arrived.
“Are you going to sleep now?” Tommy asked, shifting to face Tubbo.
“Mhm,” Tubbo hummed, turning away from the other, “why?”
“No reason,” Tommy said, before mumbling under his breath, “I thought you were gone forever.”
If it weren’t so quiet in the room, Tubbo might’ve almost missed the last bit. He turned around to see Tommy fiddling with his blanket. Sitting cross-legged on his bed, he cocked his head to the side before responding—
“Why would I leave forever?”
Tommy’s eyes widened for a brief moment, his fidgeting stopping for a second.
“You weren’t supposed to hear that,” the blond mumbled, looking pointedly at his blanket and, as an afterthought, “bitch.”
“Y’know,” Tubbo began, slipping under his covers, “you don’t have to lose faith in me like that. You’re not gonna get rid of me that easily bossman.”
“People leave,” the other boy muttered, rather grumpily, “they leave without notice and never come back.”
“Not this boy,” Tubbo pointed at himself, looking at Tommy with a smug look, half-buried between his pillow and blanket, “I’m like superglue.”
“Mmph,” Tommy replied, “wha’ever.”
“You don’t have to give up on us that easily, y’know?” Tubbo turned away from him, “we’re not all that far gone.”
Tommy did not indicate whether he heard him or not. Tubbo turned around to see him lying in bed with a goofy look on his face.
“Wha’?” Tubbo muttered, scrunching up his nose at the other.
“Idiot,” Tommy snorted almost fondly, “you are such a fucking idiot.”
“Uh-huh,” he yawned, “and?”
“Nothing,” Tommy burrowed himself in his blankets, “just had t’ say tha’”
Tubbo snorted, yawning again.
“Wha’ever,” the brunet said, “g’night glow stick bitch.”
“Glow st—” he heard Tommy trail off, “ Tubbo? What the fuck?”
Tubbo let out another snort, ignoring Tommy’s sputters of shock, instead choosing to go back to sleep. Faintly, through the sleepy haze that was settling on him, he heard Tommy mutter a soft “g’night Mr. Extremely not Oblivious Like the Others.” which caused him to roll his eyes internally.
That night’s conversation wasn’t addressed the next day. Or any day after that. They went about their lives as they usually did, only accompanied by quite a bit of magic and shenanigans from both the boys.
“Tommy no—”
“It’ll be funny to turn everything red though!”
“What happened to keeping it a secret!”
“Technically it was never a secret.”
“Tommy nO—”
Tubbo eventually properly introduced Ranboo to Tommy, the two getting along wonderfully to the surprise of the brunet.
“Wait, you can fly ?”
“Maybe…”
“Oh my god we can like—”
“How have I become the babysitter,” Tubbo groaned, “no one flies alright.”
“Aw man.”
Tommy slowly opened up to Tubbo about his life and why he had borderline attachment issues and how he’d been alone for quite a few centuries. Tubbo spoke about his relatively boring childhood in exchange. After university, the two moved in along with Ranboo who had become an integral part of their group.
The three of them had quite a few run-ins with other minor gods over the years.
“ Who knew there were these many deities in the country?”
“Trust me boob boy there are tons.”
“Well, that’s reassuring considering the last one tried to kill us.”
“Oh don’t worry I’ve only pissed off a third of them.”
“Bossman what the fuck actually.”
Being roommates with an incredibly chaotic deity best friend and your equally chaotic brother did end in extreme messes but they all figured out a routine that worked for them all.
Between the fire-wielding man that was always angry and the water-controlling lady who brought them cookies every now and then, Tubbo quite enjoyed living with his favourite people.
Sure, there was the big burn section of their wall that Ranboo covered in various sheets of paper and the small hole that opened up into the void that Tommy contained by taping their weekly grocery list on it but Tubbo liked the sense of normalcy that they figured out.
And he wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
Or other-worldly either.
“Tell me where he is or I’ll turn every part of you into ice.”
“Bossman you’ve been saying that for ten minutes and you haven’t told me who you’re on about.”
“ Him , obviously”
“Yeah, that clears it up now, do you mind? I don’t wanna eat pasta for dinner again and you’re blocking the bread.”
“I could give you many riches y’know?”
“Uh-huh, and?”
“Do you not want riches?”
“Nope!”
The people that would come searching for Tommy were quite weird in Tubbo’s opinion. Eccentric even. The blond would just wave them off, muttering about how he’s past it all and couldn’t care less.
Tubbo and Ranboo wouldn’t pry much into it, knowing Tommy had it handled. So they all went about their days as they usually did, taking every supernatural incident into stride and considering it just another part of their day.