Chapter Text
“I can’t believe Sam is going to be late to his own weekly dinner night,” Tubbo mutters, blowing his hair from his eyes.
“You’re the one who wanted to sit on a bench,” Sam replies, rolling his eyes. “Also, Tommy, please feed Baba. She keeps eyeing Ranboo like a snack.”
“He is a snack.” Tubbo winks. Tommy is quick to fake retch and Ranboo sighs loudly, bicolour eyes closing.
“Please stop,” Ranboo pleads as Tommy leans back and holds out a piece of cooked rabbit for Baba. The bear tilts her head and carefully takes the offered food. Tommy grins at her, scratching her behind the ear.
“No,” Tubbo says, wings curling at his back.
“Are we actually going to be late?” Tommy calls from his minecart. “That would be so fucking funny if when we get there and no one is there because they got bored and fucked off.”
Sam sighs, turning to stare at Tommy. “Can I remind you that you three are going to be the reason for this?”
“I didn’t do anything!” Ranboo mutters. “I was over on the bench!”
“I wasn’t the one to pick a fight with a random villager!” Tubbo hisses, wings fluttering.
Tommy spins and flips him off over Baba’s head. “Fuck off, fire-boy. He was looking at me funny.”
Sam sighs, reaching down to scratch between Fran’s ears. Traversing the nether roof with three teenagers, a polar bear and dog isn’t the easiest.
Tommy has been asking to find a Mooshroom biome for a couple of days now and it wasn’t until Ranboo and Tubbo showed up to pester Sam into agreeing that he finally allowed it. Sure, it’s his birthday today but Sam tends to try and keep the affair as quiet as possible.
Back when there were eight of them, some of them didn’t even know their birthdays, so the celebrations were short.
Plus, this is a nice way to spend the time. As much as Sam doesn’t want to miss the Weekly Dinner Night, he doesn’t mind spending time with his boys.
Watching Tommy nearly fight a villager with Baba at his back was funny, Sam isn’t going to lie about that.
“At least we get to have a road trip,” Ranboo murmurs.
“Yeah, this road trip is better than the one with Phil.” Tubbo huffs, glaring at Ranboo. “Trying to stab me-“
“You wanted to eat my gummy worms!” Ranboo snaps.
Tommy pushes back into Baba. “You two also fucking left me behind.”
Sam sighs. As much as he loved being around them, they could argue for hours at a time.
“I’m glad my road trip is better,” he says. “Now, can we-“
“Sam?” Tubbo interrupts. “Are you going to marry Foolish and Ponk?”
“And be the brother-in-law to that green bitch?” Tommy scoffs. “Sam has taste, unlike some people.”
“Don’t insult Tubbo like that,” Ranboo says with wide eyes but a barely hidden smirk.
Tommy spins and glares. “We all know I was talking about you bitch-boy.”
Sam rolls his eyes. “Boys,” he mumbles.
“Sorry, Sam,” they are reply in unison. It normally would be terrifying for them to be so in sync but Sam is used to this now. He’s used to them.
The past weeks have been some of the best weeks on the server. It reminds Sam of what it was like before all the war and death and bloodshed.
People are no longer picking mindless fights and the world is flourishing.
Dream has changed, that much is obvious. He’s laughing more, green eyes sparkling with warmth. It’s still uneasy for some of the members to interact with him but that’s to be expected. Not that Dream seems to mind, he’s accepted that healing takes time.
They all have.
Puffy and Sam have become the official counsellors of the SMP, with Ponk and Bad offering their services too. No one has to cope with being alone anymore, no one has to fear their own mind.
Under that careful care, the boys are thriving. Tommy is louder, Tubbo is unapologetic and Ranboo no longer fears having an opinion.
They’re back to the teenagers they are. It makes Sam smile.
With the SMP now more of a home than a server, the members are closer than ever. Puffy’s crew has planted roots, building houses near the port. One day, she says they will start server-skipping, reclaiming her title as Captain but for now, Puffy is happy on solid ground with her family beside her.
Captain Sparklez has build a permanent house in Snowchester and with him feeling like the server is safe, he’s introduced the members to Crumb. Funny and intelligent, they’ve all been quick to accept her.
With Schlatt firmly away from the alcohol, and with Charlie and Connor’s help, Ted has also been introduced to their server. When they’re together, Sam doesn’t think he’s ever laughed as hard at their commentary.
Eret is officially part of the family, with Sally accepting their role in Fundy’s life. Now, it’s simply a competition between Techno and Eret on who can wear regal clothing the best.
With Puffy’s crew setting down roots, Drista has also drifted over onto the server. She may not have a permanent house but it’s not unusual to see her with her brothers, or to see her annoying Tommy.
Drista making the effort seems to have spurred Brutality to also step up. Sam has seen her more at Techno and Dream’s side but she does pop up now and again.
Her arrival has also made it clear to the other Gods her stance on the matter of Dream. So when Sam spots someone new, with a porcelain smiley-face mask on their wrist or face or belt, he simply nods. Dream should get the chance to bond with his old family.
Their server is chaotic and messy. It’s filled with old alliances and new found trust but it’s healing. They all are.
Sam blinks out of his thoughts at the sight of the portal. As the minecart slows, he jumps out, Fran quick on his heels.
Baba takes a second to hoist herself free but then they’re all making their way to the purple swirls of the portal. Sam sends them through first and then follows after.
Out of the blistering heat, Sam breathes in the cool air of the SMP. It’s oddly quiet, which is strange, but Sam isn’t concerned.
“Well,” he says with a grin. “I’ve got to-“
“Nope,” Tubbo says, wings curling up at his back, hand reaching out to grab Sam’s wrist.
Sam raises his eyebrows as Ranboo says, “we want to show you something.”
“Is that why you’re all acting weird?” He asks and Tommy scoffs.
“You’re fucking weird.”
Still, all of them aren’t making eye contact - which isn’t strange for Ranboo but the other two shouldn’t have the same issue - and all seem to be shifting on their feet like they’re worried.
“Okay, what’s going on?” Sam asks, Fran sitting by his heels.
“Nothing,” Tommy mutters when Sam looks to him.
“Nothing bad,” Tubbo adds, scratching at the base of his horns.
“Hopefully,” Ranboo whispers.
Sam sighs, runs a hand across his face. “Show me.”
Their faces light up as Ranboo teleports away. Sam looks to Tubbo and Tommy but they both shrug. With Tubbo’s gentle tugging, Sam is pulled first towards the community house and then towards where they’ve set up the Weekly Dinner Night table.
Before they get there, they stop him.
“You trust us, right?” Tommy asks and Sam nods.
“Then close your eyes,” Tubbo says with a smile. “I’ll make sure you don’t trip.”
Sam closes his eyes with a frown. “You do realise I can sense things even with my eyes are closed because I’m a creeper hybrid, right?”
“But can you see though?” Tommy argues. “If the answer is no, then I don’t care.”
Sam snorts and allows himself to be led. With his eyes closed, he can feel the presence of other people. A lot of people. Even then, he doesn’t feel scared or worried: he trusts his boys.
They pause and then Tommy says, “okay, Big Man, you can open your eyes.”
Sam does and is met with a face full of confetti. There are cheers and then through all the confusing sound, he can make out a similar song of Happy Birthday.
“You’re officially old,” Tubbo comments. “Almost as old as Phil.”
“We’re going to have to make arrangements at the care home.” Ranboo adds from where he’s standing at Techno’s side.
Sam blinks the tears from his eyes. “You- you set this up?”
“Sam Nook took care of all the shit. “Tommy rolls his eyes. “Obviously-“
“We didn’t expect him to fight a villager,” Tubbo breathes.
“You did what?” Wilbur asks and Tommy points at Ranboo and Tubbo.
“They didn’t stop me!”
“I was over on the bench!” Ranboo shouts back.
“It’s a happy birthday and a thank you celebration,” Dream says, stepping up with a smile, stopping their squabbling. “You deserve it, Sam.”
Which is how Sam finds himself at the head of the table, eating his birthday cake, swamped with gifts.
Hbomb is yet again in his maid’s dress, following Fundy around while also flirting with George. 5up sits there, giggling as Fundy tries to speak over Hbomb to Eret.
Next to George, Dream sits, dodging Tommy’s throws of food as he signs to Callahan across from him. Sapnap sits next to Dream, Karl draped over his lap while Quackity ignores Wilbur’s attempts at a conversation.
Wilbur is next to Sally, an arm over her shoulders, as Sally laughs at Puffy’s pirate crew, who appear to be dancing a very choreographed dance.
Jordan and Schlatt sit next each other, even as their conversations are widely different. Schlatt is focused on Connor, Charlie and Ted, while Jordan is laughing at Tubbo and Ranboo as Crumb sits next to him and giggles at their talk.
Puffy has been drawn into the dancing, Drista by her side, hovering above the ground.
Tommy sits with Techno’s hand holding him down, stopping him from trying to fight Dream. Phil has his wings out, brushing his feathers over his sons’ backs. Niki and Jack sit opposite, goading Tommy on.
Mexican Dream seems to be harassing Bad as he hands out food, Skeppy leaning over the table to speak to Ant and Velvet.
Punz and Purpled are simply leaning back, absorbing the praise for their casserole as Ponk tries to gain the recipe. Neither of them budge.
Beside Ponk, Foolish hides behind him, refusing to let the pirates drag him over to the dance floor. Hannah tries to lure him over, grin to her lips as Foolish shakes his head, vehemently.
Sam looks at them all, party hat atop his green hair and smiles until his cheeks hurt.
This is his family. He’s home.
He tunes back into the conversation when Tommy’s head snaps up. “Wait, you’re actually cashing it in?”
Sitting on Tommy’s shoulder, Sam Nook watches. According to Tubbo, Sam Nook helped to order everyone around to make the party the best it could be.
Sam’s just happy Tommy has someone to look after him.
Dream nods, tilting his head at Techno. “I mean, I heard they were putting all four of you in the same team so of course I cashed it in.”
“The favour?” Sam asks and Techno nods, sighs.
“Teletubby feared our collective power at MCC,” Techno drawls. “So I’m sitting this one out.”
“Don’t worry guys,” Ranboo grins. “Now you’ll have Walmart Technoblade.”
“When dad says we can’t have Technoblade because we have Technoblade at home.” Tommy groans, narrowing his eyes at Ranboo. “If we lose because of you-“
“If you don’t want Ranboo, I’ll have him.” Tubbo sniffs.
Tommy spins in his chair to glare at Tubbo. “Absolutely not. Ranboob is on our team for a reason.”
“You show your love in such a strange way,” Phil laughs and Tommy scoffs.
“I’ll have you know a Big Man like me doesn’t experience love, only rage.”
As Quackity, Dream and Wilbur take this as a chance to dissolve into an argument, Sam can’t help but laugh.
These are the people he chose, the people he loves. They’re chaotic and loud and annoying but they’re also incredibly kind and caring individuals.
The road to healing is not linear and Sam knows there will be more bad days. Tommy is still dealing with finding his place in the world. Tubbo is still learning to prioritise himself. Ranboo is still working out who is and what that means for him.
There are days when they all feel wrong, feel like they don’t belong. Sam occasionally wakes up to find the boys there, curled up next to him, needing to be reassured that he’s there.
Not that he minds. He will always offer himself as a support system.
Times are uncertain and Sam knows that Dream will one day hunt down his past and burn it to ash. He knows the boys will have to live with their trauma for their entire life. He knows Wilbur will always be haunted by his mind and that Phil will live when everyone else dies and that Karl may have to travel through time again.
But right now, in this moment, there are no such things as troubles.
They are a family made up of oddly shaped pieces, of hybrids and humans and Gods, and they’re growing together.
As the night draws in and the torches are lit, Sam ends up learning the pirate’s choreography as Quackity and Karl cue up karaoke. Wilbur ends up singing a power ballad to Sally, which turns into a Sea Shanty as the pirates join in.
Sam has an arm around Tommy’s shoulders, hand gripping Tubbo’s shoulder. His other arm is thrown over Ranboo’s shoulders as they belt out the lyrics that sound like they’re trying to summon a sea monster.
“Good birthday?” Dream asks as he walks over, face flushed and smile wide.
Sam grins back, feeling warm, feeling light. “The best I’ve ever had.”
Sam thinks his mother would be proud of him. He hopes, that somewhere out there in Kristin’s arms, she’s looking at Sam and smiling, proud that he’s got his community back.
They’re happy and healthy and home.
Sam stands amongst family and friends and feels whole.