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Tubbo was having a bad streak.
It started when Dream challenged one of his claims and Tubbo found himself unable to counter his challenge without revealing his true nature to the members of his cabinet. Letting Dream put his filthy and greedy little hands on his best friend as he dragged him away from his domain was one of the hardest things he’d had to bear. But it was a sacrifice he’d needed to make.
Wilbur, the main founder of L’Manburg, hadn’t really been fond of gods and their schemes, probably because he was fed up with the ones he had in his family, and the sentiment was shared among the citizens. If they found out that their very recently elected president was himself a god there would be an uproar and the city would not survive that. And if the city fell his best friend’s heart would break as well, Tubbo knew that. He knew Tommy was much more likely to survive some weeks in Dream’s hands than he was losing the last thing he had that connected him to his dead brother.
So Tubbo grit his teeth and let Dream think he’d won.
Of course, all the while he’d been plotting behind the ignorant demigod’s back. He was done letting some arrogant young nobodies run around thinking they could be active threats to what was his. So, in one of his lowest moments, he influenced Quackity ever so slightly planting the idea of the Butcher Army in his mind. It wasn’t his proudest moment but, then again, it wasn’t like he’d corrupted a pure soul. Quackity had been wanting to establish their country once and for all well before Tubbo touched his mind and none of the methods he had concocted on his own were exactly peaceful…
Things dragged on a bit longer than he would have liked, mostly because he had to ward Ranboo’s mind as his other dear claim had a very fragile psyche susceptible to godly influences that Dream had immediately tried to mess with, but he thought he could deal with it.
Well, as he approached Techno’s cabin trudging through the cold snow that was tall enough to slip into his metallic boots from the top he was welcomed by the uncomfortable feeling of yet another god trying to breach into his territory.
Techno never had much of an interest in mortal affairs, so for him to get involved too was truly bad luck. If Tubbo believed in beings higher than himself he might have thought that they hated him but, as things stood, he knew nothing sentient existed above him.
The closer they got to Techno’s home the clearer his sense of one of his claims being challenged became.
Thankfully, his connection to Tommy had not been completely eroded yet. He could still feel a familiar heartbeat, albeit a bit more erratic than he was used to, right next to his. With no difficulty, he could envision blond curls, warm blue eyes, and an obnoxiously loud laugh as his best friend scurried around Techno’s house holding an armful of golden apples. He could see it all so clearly, and he could feel where Techno’s claim was only just starting to eat away at Dream’s and his own. And boy oh boy was he fuming!
He quickened his pace. If the others noticed the snow melting away in his wake they didn’t mention it. They just got in line behind him and followed swiftly and quietly.
As they finally reached the cabin he could hear voices inside. He heard Tommy scrambling around, he could feel as his presence dimmed, probably the effect of one of the special invisibility potions Techno brewed, next he heard as his heartbeat became faint and distant. Techno was hiding him away from Tubbo, he just knew it.
And then the pink-haired god had the gall to step outside, whistling, with one of his hands in his pocket and the other holding his trusty enchanted netherite sword. Something so primitive was worth nothing in a divine war, and Tubbo was certain that the Blood God, while relatively young, was not ignorant of that fact. Though perhaps he was counting on Tubbo playing along with his pretense of mortality still. And he usually would have. Just like he did back at the Red Festival when he’d allowed those rudimentary explosives to partially melt away the flesh of his human shell. But he was quickly losing his patience with all the gods trying to take Tommy from him. He’d found the golden-haired mortal first. He was the one who led him to meet Wilbur so he wouldn’t die of starvation out in the wilderness. He was his best friend and had been for years!
All those who came after barely put in a fraction of the effort he did. They didn’t deserve someone as loyal and devoted as his friend!
“Where is he?” Tubbo growled. He could feel his eyes flashing gold as his godly nature tried to crack open his human facade. Techno’s eyes glowed crimson in response, his fangs sharpened and his hold on the handle of his sword tightened. Good. He recognized where his place was in the hierarchy.
Quackity let out a confused squawk next to him. If he had tried focusing on his duck friend he would have heard him mutter something about the actual purpose of their visit and about how Tubbo was going off-script, but he didn’t care to.
Techno had the gall to play ignorant. “I don’t know what you’re talking about” he said, like the cheeky little liar that he’d always been. Always out for his own self-interest, manipulating those around him as he saw fit. Technoblade would do anything to get the thrill of a proper fight, even if it meant trying to deceive a higher god it seemed.
Tubbo was about to throw all pretenses to the wind and just launch at the fucker and rip his throat out with his teeth when Ranboo stepped up in between them. They had their hands up placatingly, and they gave Tubbo a quick pleading look that meant that they wanted to try and handle the situation before it escalated further.
Tubbo studied them for a moment.
They wouldn’t know about Techno taking Tommy from him. Well, they couldn’t know about him claiming Tommy in the first place either as they were still ignorant of his divine nature. So there wasn’t much they could do in terms of mediating a hostage situation. But, perhaps, they could distract Techno long enough for Tubbo to find the one he was looking for.
And then… well then Tubbo would think about how to deal with the aftermath of it all.
Dream would notice that Tommy was back in L’Manburg. He would probably give them some vague ominous threat about erecting obsidian walls around the city so he could starve them all inside. And then he would add some subtle jab at Tubbo about how he was powerless to stop him without revealing his godly nature. And he would be right. Tubbo the human was a powerless little whelp who was barely respected as president. Certainly less so than either of his vice presidents ever were.
But was it even worth it to keep up the act when it made it so hard for him to protect those he cared about? Surely, L’Manburg would be a worthy sacrifice if it meant he got to keep his two best friends close to him. Surely, that old city that was nothing but the culmination of the delusions of a very mentally ill man was not worth having his claims and his power be threatened time and time again by little nobodies whose heads were starting to get a bit too big for their own good.
He would have some thinking to do after he retrieved Tommy.
Mind more or less set, he nodded to Ranboo.
Reassured, the half-enderman turned back toward the Blood God. “We’re really only here to talk” he assured the god, barely containing the nervous warbles that would have given away his lies in an instant.
“Is that why you all showed up in front of my door fully armed? To talk?” Techno scoffed at the idea. “Likely story, kid” his usually monotone voice was dripping with sarcasm. Tubbo wanted to bash his skull against the stone walls of his cute little cottage for daring to speak to one of his claims like that. His murderous aura must have been felt by the other god, as he straightened up and shifted into a more comfortable fighting position. “I want nothing to do with your government” he spit out after a moment. “So get off my property before I make you”. He must have known that his threats were ringing empty at that moment, because for once he sounded nervous.
Quackity stepped forward next, shielding Tubbo a bit further from Techno’s view. “You left our country overran by withers and with promises of violence, you must have known we’d be coming for you eventually” he pointed out in a very reasonable way. He'd always been the most logical one in the cabinet. Tubbo respected that about him. Techno, of course, still scoffed at the idea that he should be held accountable for his actions. Gods not accustomed to walking among humans tended to think themselves above their laws a lot. “We need to hold a trial for you. And we knew you most likely wouldn’t come peacefully. That’s the reason for the armor and weapons” he finished explaining with a pointed look directed at Techno’s sword that was out and ready to be used.
Techno conceded that last point with a quick bow of his head in Quackity’s direction.
There was a reason why Quackity was one of Tubbo’s favorite humans: he was a great speaker and he held no special regard for the gods. That was also the reason why Tubbo couldn’t claim him too, he knew his soul would reject him. Given the chance, however, he would have.
Fundy stepped up next, and with him finally covering him completely, Tubbo melted into the snow and popped back out inside Techno’s house. He was sure the fox would have some valid points as well. He’d probably try to appeal to his tenuous familial bond with Techno, something that wouldn’t work as the other had never considered Wilbur his family. At most, he’d been Philza’s brat that he sometimes babysat. They tolerated each other.
Tubbo was willing to bet that he’d have more luck using their mutual connection to Tommy what with Techno all of a sudden making a grab for him.
Talking about his best friend, he had better find him quickly.
---
Tommy could feel his heart thumping loudly in his throat as one of the members of the New L’Manburg’s cabinet walked along the creaky wooden floor of Techno’s cabin. Instinctively, he knew it was Tubbo. Even after all the months they spent apart he had no issues recognizing his former best friend’s steps.
He shifted slightly to cover his mouth with his hands. He couldn’t afford to let out a single peep.
He knew he wasn’t allowed anywhere civilized. Dream had mentioned something about that toward the beginning. Dream had mentioned a lot of rules that Tommy was currently breaking. He’d gotten his hands on food that he wouldn’t have been allowed before, golden apples gave him too much of an advantage. He was hiding things again, above all, he was hiding himself at Techno’s. And he knew how to access weaponry, a whole vault full of withers, that, if he so chose, he could have used to fight back against his jailer.
No, he couldn’t be found. He didn’t want to even try to think of what a punishment harsher than the exile he endured might be like.
“Tommy” Tubbo’s voice reverberated across the empty living room. There was something otherworldly about it. Something that reminded him of Dream. He hated thinking that of someone he once considered almost like a brother, maybe even more so than he’d ever done with Wilbur. He heard the other scoff as he received no response. “Tommy, I know you’re here. I can hear your heartbeat”.
Tommy’s eyes flew wide.
He tried to think of nice things to try and stop his heart from screwing him over, but that turned out to be an impossible endeavor. Everything he tried to think of distorted into the face of his friend from the day he was thrown out of the country he helped found. The cold fury that distorted his features and made him look like his predecessor as he ordered Dream to escort Tommy away.
He didn’t want to see that again.
He didn’t want to lose the other all over just because he was stupid and selfish and he decided to leave Logstedshire after Dream blew it all up. Maybe he could beg, promise he’d go back, promise he wouldn’t try to leave again… but why would anyone believe him? Tommy was a troublemaker. He wasn’t trustworthy, that was the whole reason why they jumped so quickly to exiling him over something nobody else would have been punished for.
Tommy knew it had been an excuse. Dream confirmed that for him. They’d wanted to get rid of him from the very start, they just never had a valid enough motivation to go through with it. And Tommy, with his chaotic childishness, offered them one on a silver plate.
Tubbo clicked his tongue. He was starting to become impatient. Tommy knew that soon he’d start angrily biting the nail of his left thumb. He always did that when he was looking for something he couldn’t find. Except that something usually was a potion he accidentally misplaced, or maybe his jacket or house keys. Normal everyday objects. Not Tommy. Not a prey.
He could feel stress-induced tears slide down his cheeks silently and prayed to Prime that they would not fall because, while logically he knew they should make no sound, his brain was telling him that he might as well blow up a stick of TNT to reveal his position with how loud the impact would be.
The first few tears got caught on his hands, but soon they started overflowing, surpassing the last barrier between him and the floor. Maybe a bit too quickly, Tommy shifted his position so his face would be pressed to his knees. He didn’t have that much space for maneuvering inside the goddamn box Techno had insisted on stuffing him into so that uncomfortable ass position had to do.
He heard Tubbo open all the chests Techno had in that room, one by one. As all of those proved to be empty, he slammed shut the lid on the last one and let out a low growl.
“Tommy, this isn’t funny. Come out” the order shook Tommy to his very core. Tubbo’s voice was booming and dangerous. He was surprised that Techno hadn’t heard it from outside. Then again, the man was probably busy dealing with the rest of the cabinet. They had received a message from one of Phil’s crows telling them that they were all coming after them earlier in the day. They weren't great fighters, but any of them were capable of talking in circles around Techno all day long.
Despite his brain yelling at him to obey, that he would be hurt less if he did, and that things never went well for him if he tried to defy those in power, Tommy remained frozen in place. His muscles refused to move. They were cramping and sore from the unnatural way his body was forced to contort inside of the box, and yet they refused to yield.
Tommy didn’t know whether to be grateful for that or not.
A small voice in his mind reminded him that the punishments never got lighter even when he did his best to be as meek and compliant as possible. Dream never cared. All his cooperation would earn him was some praise dripping with condescension. But Tubbo wasn’t Dream… even if their voices echoed in an eerily similar way, they weren’t the same. Maybe with him, there would be a difference. Tommy couldn’t know for sure.
A sob dragged him out of that thought spiral.
“Are you scared of me…?” Tubbo sounded so small all of a sudden. Hurt and fragile, as if Tommy was the one holding all the power. As if one single ‘yes’ from him would have been enough for New L’Manburg’s mighty president to come undone. As if he was the one trapped somewhere he didn’t want to be, waiting for the threat to pass, waiting for someone to save him.
Hesitantly, Tommy pushed the lid to the box he was hiding in open.
He felt Tubbo’s eyes snap over to him as soon as he did and he had to fight his body not to freeze up again.
The danger of a punishment even more inhumane than his exile which had been hanging over his head until then, was still very real in Tommy’s mind. He knew how much he was risking by revealing his position. And he could hear a chorus of warnings that sounded weirdly like Techno yelling at him not to be so stupid and naive. Not to trust in the government that had already hurt him. But Tubbo wasn’t just the president, Tubbo was his friend. He'd been his friend before the exile, and maybe that bond hadn't been broken yet. After all, they’d been friends for as long as Tommy could remember, maybe assuming that could all come undone in a matter of months had been foolish.
Besides, all he could think about at that moment was that Tubbp needed to be comforted. And Tommy wasn’t good at saying no to Tubbo. Not even if the request hadn’t been spoken aloud.
Wilbur always told him that his blind loyalty to the other would one day fuck him over. He didn’t know if that was the day, but he discarded the thought for the time being in favor of stepping out of the box…
… And promptly collapsing to the floor as his knees gave out underneath him.
Before he could hit the hard ground, surprisingly muscular arms wrapped around him. “I got you” Tubbo whispered with an amount of tenderness Tommy hadn’t expected after the earlier fury. “I got you” He repeated again and again as he ran a hand in soothing circular patterns on Tommy’s back.
All of Tommy’s bones turned to jello as he let himself be cradled against his best friend’s chest like a little kid seeking comfort from their parent.
Tommy noted that he hadn’t stopped crying since earlier. Quiet sobs shook his whole body as he let himself be enveloped. He felt safe once more after months of nothing but Hell. He never wanted to leave that moment and something told him that Tubbo had much the same idea.
“I tried to preserve Wilbur’s memory for you” Tubbo whispered. “I never liked him, but I did it for you” his voice was trembling, and every syllable was filled with a painful amount of regret. “I was stupid for that. I should have kept you close. Screw New L’Manburg and screw Dream, I should have never allowed you to leave my side” he finished his spiel with a growl powerful enough to shake the very foundations of the cabin they were in.
His words sounded like a prayer and Tommy let them flow through him. He let them soothe all the aches in his heart. Because Tubbo wanted him by his side. Tubbo still wanted him and that’s all that ever really mattered to him.
“Can we go home?” He asked as yet another pathetic little sniffle left his lips. It was a miracle that someone as cool as Tubbo saw value in someone so weak, but Tommy was grateful that he did. He wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Tubbo got up lifting Tommy in his arms as if he weighed nothing at all. His eyes were a brilliant gold color at that moment, the same resplendent shade of his veins. He looked like an angel, although the aura that came from him made him feel like something darker. Possessiveness was clear in his eyes as he took in Tommy’s tear-stricken face.
He should have been terrified of his friend then. He’d come to know that look from Dream over the years. And, perhaps in a slightly minor way, from Wilbur as well. He knew that suffocating kind of affection. The one that wanted nothing but to consume you.
But this was Tubbo, and Tommy would never stop trusting Tubbo.
“Yeah” Tubbo whispered, a tender smile now curving his lips. “Yeah, let’s get home. Just gotta grab Ranboo first, and then we can go”.
Tommy nodded, too exhausted to do anything else.
Techno would understand why he had to go. Tommy hoped that he wouldn’t take it too personally, but somehow he had a feeling that he wouldn’t need to worry about it either way. Tubbo wouldn’t let anything happen to him. Never again.