Tommy

Business Bay was a coastal region. They spent a lot of their time on the water, fishing on boats or exploring coral reefs for fun. As the military leader for the town he protected, he had been on some of those ships before. He was there to help with the heavy lifting, and he had fought against aquatic monsters while the fishermen did their work. He had played in the water with his sister when they were younger, spending their youthful days floating in the Mellohi river. He had gone sailing up and down the bay every summer with his whole friend group. In all that time, Tommy had never gotten seasick. Maybe when he was younger he felt a little off-balance, but he had never puked or gotten so nauseous he couldn't see straight on a ship before. It didn't matter if he was on the desk, beneath it, or up in the crow's nest. Tommy didn't get sick, after all, and seasickness was no exception.

It was now an exception. Something was pounding the interior of his head so hard that he felt like his skull was seconds away from cracking open. If he closed his eyes, he would have told anyone that he was standing naked in the middle of the Antarctic Empire during the harsh winter. He couldn't stop shaking even when his arms had already gone numb from being tied to the roof of the lower deck. He felt every noise reverberate through his body, as harsh as thunder being launched directly into his ear. He had never felt sickness claw at him before, so he knew that he was suffering worse than he should have, but he also knew that the pain he was in wasn't natural. Something was terribly wrong with him, but he was pretending it was seasickness. He was pretending that the fact vomit was leaking from his mouth mixed with bright red streaks that he prayed wasn't blood was from the fact that the ship was tilted forward as it rocked back and forth on the waves of the Mellohi river.

The seraphim were the only bright spot in all his misery. Beau was situated right in front of him, and her stories were the only reason he was keeping his sanity. Even in the darkness, he could see her sharp grin and the defiance in her eyes. Her wings flustered behind her, the smokeless fire casting shadows over her face that truly highlighted her monstrous beauty. She was out for blood and freedom, and Tommy inexplicably felt stronger by seeing that. The call of rebellion warmed his icy skin like a burning sun had been dragged out of the cosmos for his personal wellbeing. She spoke of the sky and wilderness, her home, with such intense longing that Tommy wanted to give her that. He wanted to break the chains holding her down himself so that she may take to the skies again.

Freddie was just as chaotic as Beau. He had been asleep when Tommy first boarded, but he was now awake. He didn't seem surprised when he noticed that they had a fourth person among them. He just smiled at Tommy, cracking a horrible joke that managed to draw a chuckle from Tommy and a groan from Beau. Where Beau was freedom and rebellion, Freddie was perseverance and laughter. He was the light that made the rebellion worth it, the promise that made laymen into warriors. He refused to allow the mood to become as dark at the lower deck area, his wings burning the brightest out of all of them.

Andor was not as boisterous as his companions. The purple fire coating his wings was the dimmest. His smiles were small and sweet. When he spoke, everyone listened because Andor didn't speak to fill the silence, he spoke to fill their hearts. He was a rock poking out of a raging river, a steady force that remained still even when the elements pounded against him.

Tommy, for his part, couldn't do anything. He occasionally spoke, replying to Beau's taunts and Freddie's jokes. He nudged Andor with his leg when he wasn't certain if the seraph was alive or dead. That was the extent of what he could do with the sickness threatening him. He kept his mouth shut and his limbs limp as he waited for the sickness to pass or kill him. He didn't want to die, obviously. He had Kristin, his loving sister who couldn't afford another loss. He had Wilbur and Techno, two people who he instinctively felt close to. He had Phil, Niki, Tubbo, Ranboo, Puffy, and Shrub. He had that promise he made to Wisp, the betrayer who had given his life to give Tommy this one. Tommy knew that he needed to live for them. He needed to live for himself, too, in order to spite the gods of sickness for finally cursing him and the gods of fate for giving him a bad hand in life.

"Captain said we're getting off here," A voice echoed throughout the lower deck that didn't come from any of the prisoners. It came from the sliver of golden light that filled the room, revealing the only door that led to the upper deck. The pirate that had been guarding the prisoners audibly groaned, lifting himself out of the chair he had stuck in for hours. He took his gun with him as he marched up the wooden steps to the door. He slammed it open, bathing the entire lower deck in the golden light. Tommy winced, but he could see Beau's face lighting up with fraught hope etched onto her face.

"We aren't anywhere close to Las Nevadas," The pirate who had been guarding them said, not even trying to lower his voice or hide his disrespectful tone.

"The captain ordered it. You're still on duty, so you're going to guide the prisoners off the boat. Remember to be careful. The captain will not like it if you ruin such valuable cargo," The other pirate said before walking away, their steps growing fainter.

The pirate came thundering down the stairs. The metal of his gun reflected light onto Tommy as he came to untie the blonde. Without the chains holding him up, Tommy dropped to his knees. His arms began burning with a thousand pinpricks racing up his skin from the tips of his fingers to his shoulders. He hissed in pain, resisting the urge to cry. His heart kept stuttering to the point that he wasn't sure if it was beating as rapidly as it needed to in order for him to keep living. The pirate moved on after Tommy, and he felt more bodies drop as Beau, Freddie, and Andor were released from their chains. "Get up, birdies."

Tommy hesitantly raised a hand to his forehead. There was a tight pressure in his skull, drilling away at his motor skills. He tried getting to his feet, but he couldn't manage it. His legs gave out before he had even put all his weight on them. He lay on the wooden planks, ready for a bullet to put him out of his misery.

"Come on, Toms," Beau muttered, putting her arm around his waist. She threw one of his arms around her shoulders. She held his wrist tightly as she stood up, pulling his weight up with her. Her wing folded around him. The fire warmed his frigid skin, and he was grateful for the small respite. Beau kept holding him as she took steps forward, dragging his weight with her. Tommy did his best to support as much as he could, but it probably wasn't much. His knees kept buckling, and he couldn't force any air in his lungs.

The stairs were the worst part. Andor and Freddie had to help push Beau and Tommy up as Beau dragged him across each step. They all breathed a sigh of relief when they made it to the upper deck. The pirate who had been guarding them held the gun up to Beau once Freddie and Andor had made it past the last step. He glared at them, his vision cycling between all four of them. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"He's fucking sick, you blind arse. He can't walk by himself so we're helping him," Beau snapped at him, taking a step towards him. The gun was pressed right against her temple, but she didn't flinch away from it. Tommy tried tugging on her arm to force her to take a step back, but his strength was nonexistent. She felt nothing more than a soft wind grace her skin.

"Birds of a feather flock together, I guess," The pirate whispered with some vicious rising in his eyes.

"You fucker, I am not a bird! I am a seraph!" Beau said, looking seconds away from starting a brawl that she would definitely lose. Andor reached to grab her, but Freddie was eyeing the gun the pirate held with interest. If pain was the reason Tommy's eyes were teary, frustration is why the tears began to slide down his cheeks. He really didn't want to watch someone die in front of him again, especially not if it was the seraphim and especially not if it was execution style.

"Tusk! Stop chatting and get the prisoners to the camp," The voice from earlier demanded. The pirate holding a gun to Beau snarled. He used the gun to nudge Beau's shoulder. She smirked at him as she began walking, practically dragging Tommy with her. He was glad they avoided a confrontation, but the intense emotions that spiraled through him made him tired. He wanted to curl up somewhere to sleep. If his preferences were being listened to, he would like to sleep in a bed with Kristin at his side. If he couldn't get the bed, at least let him have Kristin. He missed his sister, and his muddled thoughts kept coming back to her.

Beau and Tommy fell when they were forced to go down a ramp from the ship to the riverbed. Tommy went first, his feet tangling together, and Beau was forced to come after him. She managed to wrap him up in her arms and wings, saving both of them from experiencing serious damage when they landed on the riverbed. Freddie and Andor rushed down the ramp to help them up. Tommy didn't fight when Andor practically lifted him up like a parent with a baby. Freddie tried helping Beau up, but she just dragged him down to the ground with her. The two of them would have started fighting, but Tusk had finally reached the bottom of the ramp after lazily watching the fall.

Tusk makes them continue walking. Tommy is put back on his feet, but Andor is easily able to guide Tommy to a tree. Tommy sits down as his hands are pulled behind him. He is chained to the tree. Beau is chained just like he is to a nearby tree. Andor and Freddie are a little further away, but Tommy could still see them if he had the strength to open his eyes and look to the side. He doesn't have that sort of energy, though, so he lets Beau's chattering fill the silence.

"Tommy, look, the boat is going down," Beau said. Tommy tossed his head back, opening his eyes to see the mast peeking above the waves of the boat they had been riding for a few days starting to fall. Tommy hadn't even realized how deep the Mellohi river was, but he found himself impressed with how the river seemed to shallow the ship without leaving a trace of it behind. It even felt pride swell in his chest as he realized this was because of his and Niki's actions. They had brought this ship to its knees, allowing the river to absorb it like the void had been carved into a winding road that cut the land. Beau started howling with laughter, a crazed happiness making her pale green eyes shine like the eyes of a snake.

"Shut the fuck up, you pecker. You're going to wish that boat still moved when your feet are bleeding from walking so much," Tusk said, kicking Beau. She glared up at him, snarling. Tommy groaned in pain, and Beau's expression melted into concern when she looked at him. Tusk rolled his eyes, joining the group of pirates huddled around a fire out of earshot.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? You don't have any wounds or infections. You might have a sickness or curse. Ugh, I wish we had a fucking priest with us. A cleric would also be helpful. Hell, I'd even take a goddamn blood mage," Beau said, looking across Tommy's body as if his ailment had some sort of physical presence. Beau's lips pressed together when she couldn't find anything.

"What the hell is a blood mage?" Tommy managed to ask, trying to keep his tone light even though he knew that his voice was scratchy and ragged.

Beau didn't mention his voice as she answered his question. "They are fucking creepy, that's what they are. They are magic people from the south. They used to be hunted like deer, but they banded together to live in Serenity together. A blood mage, apparently, can use the magical properties of blood to do shit. One of them creeps told me this: 'blood is to the body as magic is to the world'. Load of bullshit, I tell ya, but they can do some freaky shit. The blood of an innocent can purify the body, and the blood of a demon can create curses. The blood from a family member can break these curses which is why every blood mage will tell you to stop killing your brothers. For blood mages, they are fucking pacifists. That's also bullshit. They do lots of freaky shit and then say don't murder. It's a fucking contradiction."

"Serenity? Isn't that in the Tri-Nation Alliance?" Tommy asked, tilting his head to the side. The sun was starting to set behind the treeline surrounding the opposite riverbank. Tommy was starting to grow wary. The pain was worsening in his chest. It was not getting any better, and he was terrified that his life would end when the last rays of sunlight fled the earth.

"You might not be a total fucking idiot. Yeah, it is. I'm from there. Freddie is, too. Andor is from Kinoko Kingdom. We were all captured by the pirates on their way up the Mellohi river. They were hired by Oceania to do shit in Pogtopia. Fucking arseholes. I hope they all fucking die," Beau said, turning her glare to the pirates surrounding the fire. She heavily sighed, her whole body deflating as she turned back to Tommy. "Serenity's a good fucking place. Not many people. Sanctuary is the biggest place. That's where I live. Serenity was once home to a large empire. The king went fucking mental and started killing anyone with magic. The magic users were led by a knight with the ability to talk to animals to Sanctuary. They protected themselves as the rest of Serenity destroyed itself. I was born near Sanctuary, but I only moved there when my nest was burned and my family slaughtered by pirates. I was these pirates, too, so that's why most of them treat me like shit. I was welcomed into Sanctuary, but those blood mages will always freak me out."

Tommy closed his eyes. He thought back to the stories Captain Puffy had told him as they had been traveling together. She talked about the Lost Empire where Serenity now stands. The Cod Sanctuary was in Serenity. Tubbo had gone with his father before, but he had agreed to go back with Tommy and Kristin. Ranboo would probably like to see it, too. Tommy would obviously want Wilbur and Techno to come, and Phil would tag along to be with Wilbur and Kristin. Shrub and Niki would also have an amazing time. Since it was Beau and Freddie's home, they would come to give them the tour. Andor wouldn't want to be away from them. Puffy, since she told them about it, would definitely be invited, and Tommy wouldn't mind if her son came with them. They could all go together. They could make it a whole trip. Tommy could bring along everyone he was close with, and he could pretend that Deo, Luke, Wisp, and Bitzel were there. He could pretend that maybe his parents would be there, and Kristin's father would obviously be invited among all the ghosts. It would be a lot of fun, not just witnessing history and seeing a bunch of cod fish swim around, but also being around the people he cared about.

"Get up, birdbrains. You don't have to lick yourselves clean, but you aren't going to stink the rest of the trip," Tusk said, kicking Beau as he approached. He unlocked her chains, but he was smart enough to keep the gun pinned on her. If the weapon wasn't there, Beau would have attacked him. She still probably would, but she seemed more concerned with helping Tommy to his feet when he pitched forward. With the guns at their backs, it was a repeat of earlier with Beau dragging him where the pirates wanted the both of them to go. They didn't stop walking until they reached the riverbend.

Beau dropped Tommy, whirling around to face Tusk. "You fucking pervert! I am not fucking bathing in front of two guys, especially when one of them is fucking you!"

"Get off your fucking high horse. He's too sick and I'm too uninterested to try anything," Tusk said, rolling his eyes. Beau shot forward, and the gun was positioned right against her waist before her hands could wrap around his throat. "You are on such thin fucking ice. I will fucking shoot you. I don't give a rat's ass what the captain does with me. Actually, he'd probably thank me. You are damaged goods. No one is going to take your sorry ass even if we fucking give you away for free."

"Oh, wow, that is such a fucking insult. Rich, fat pigs like you don't want me. I'm so deeply upset by this. My whole world is fucking shaken. How can I ever recover?" Beau asks, feigning emotional distress. When her melodrama is over, her face falls flat. The pirate scowls at her, shoving her back with his gun. Beau took a few steps back, barely able to avoid getting her shoes wet.

Tommy's shoes were on the riverside in Pogtopia, so he just rolled up his pants to his knees and took his shirt off. He threw the shirt as far away from the sand as he could, and he could only pray that the sand wouldn't get into his shirt. Tommy wadded into the water. It was freezing cold, but it made him feel a lot better than he did before. His sickness seemed to ebb into a low point as he submerged himself in the water. When he came back up, Beau was standing in the shallows with her pants legs pulled to her thighs and her sleeves folded to her elbows. She tried to keep her clothes from getting wet as she tried scrubbing the dirt off her arms.

Tommy did the same until he felt a hand against his back. He looked over his shoulder to see Beau staring quizzically at his back. "This is a fucking cool tattoo."

"The fuck? What tattoo? I don't have a tattoo," Tommy said, trying to look at his back. He only strained his neck, and he was forced to look back at the water. He saw his reflection in the water. His hair looked dirty. He had pale skin. He looked a lot more gaunt than he realized. He looked a lot worse than he should have, and Tommy was growing more and more curious what sort of disease had possessed him.

Beau started to draw patterns against his skin, and he realized she was tracing the tattoo. "It's in fucking gold, all shiny and shit. It glows brighter wherever my hand is, but that might be a fucking trick of the light. There's a pair of wings folded against your back. They look like angel wings, or maybe avian. They could be seraph, I guess. There's a sun shape with all these points. There are stars down here like the points of the sun are fucking shooting them out. They could be falling stars. There's some weird words here. I don't even know what language it is. It isn't the language of Las Nevadas, Badlands, Greater, or any other place I fucking now. Maybe it's an old language. Do you know any weird languages?"

"Business Bay spoke in a language that was a mix of Las Nevadas and Oceania's traditional language. I know the languages of Greater since it's the common tongue. I don't know any fancy-ass languages," Tommy told Beau. It felt weird feeling someone drawing a pattern against his skin, but he was more curious about the fact that he suddenly had a tattoo. Kristin had never mentioned it, and he knew that she would have if she saw it. Even if he had always had it, she would have brought it up eventually. This means the tattoo appeared somewhere between Business Bay's destruction and now.

"Quit your yapping and finish cleaning. The other two still have to wash up. They might not smell as fucking horrible as you two, but they do smell," Tusk said from the shore. Beau started to glare, but Tommy pushed her head down, basically dunking her beneath the water. Tusk snorted, and Beau actually pushed Tommy's whole body underwater. She was livid when he was finally released, bobbing in the water for air.

"I was trying to wash your hair," Tommy said innocently. Beau clearly did believe him, but she lowered her head to allow him access to her hair. Tommy hesitated. He wasn't unwilling to follow through with his lie, but his heart was starting to thud painfully in his chest. Beau was looking down to the water with her neck exposed. She couldn't see him. He could push her all the way to the bottom of the river, effectively drowning her. He could take a rock and pummel the back of her head. He could do so many things, and Beau was willingly putting herself in a vulnerable position. For as loudly as she screamed obscenities at Tommy, she was putting a lot of trust in him. She wasn't afraid of him. Tommy didn't like having someone's life put in his hands. He wanted to curl around Beau, covering her exposed neck and back with his body like he could protect her. He couldn't. Tusk was still on the shore with a gun, and the current was trying to drag them under. Tommy couldn't protect Beau... but he could wash her hair for her.

They didn't have soap, so Tommy just ran his fingers through each lock of hair. He tried to tug away any harsh knots. He rubbed away any dirt or sand he could find. Some of it was harder than others to wash away, and he realized there were a lot more cuss words in the world than he realized. He smiled softly, though, because for every cuss word, Beau's wings were puffing and her body was relaxing. She seemed content.

When he was done, he lowered his head to Beau, showing her the same sort of vulnerability that she had shown him. She didn't hesitate to start scrubbing his hair, her nails lightly scratching against his scalp. He sighed in relief, feeling a lot better than he had before he stepped into the river. Maybe there was something in the water naturally making him feel better. Maybe some time in the elements was restoring his powers.

When they are finished, they both crawl onto the shore. They are shivering almost immediately, and Tommy fumbles over his feet. He grabs hold of the nearest thing to him, Tusk. The pirate hisses when the cold water lands on him, and Tommy instantly feels an exterior pain blossoming against his temple as the gun slammed into his head. He lands across the ground, hissing as the rocks cut into his back. He shuffles off of it, feeling tears rise in his eyes as his head throbs and his back bleeds.

Tusk looks like he's about to hit again, but Beau slides between Tommy and the pirate. The hit meant for Tommy lands across Beau's head, and blood bursts from her forehead. She curses the pirate, and he eventually shoots the air above them with wide, angry eyes. Beau settles for grabbing Tommy, helping him walk back to the camp. The relief the river provided him was immediately gone. Tommy felt the sickness return, far worse than it had been before. Everything inside him was flaring with pain. His skin felt like solid ice, and his muscles were burning with an intense fire. He was caught in the crossfires of two extremes.

He was gently set on the ground. He could see Freddie and Andor being dragged away from him and Beau, but their forms are mere blobs of color. Beau places a hand against her temple, wincing when she sees blood on her hands. Tommy cries out, unsure if he wants to take her pain away or pass away right at that second. Beau looks up at him, and he sees her eyes widen. She grabs him. She runs the back of her fingers against his temple, checking for a fever and feeling the bruise the gun had given him. When she's satisfied, she flips Tommy over. He howls in pain, but she quietly shushes him as she assesses the cuts on his back. His tattoo was permanently ruined, the lines being pulled apart into fragments, rivers of blood cutting them. She touches them, and Tommy finds himself screaming.

Beau almost snaps at him, but then she watches as some of the blood starts to glow. She focuses on it, watching as the glowing blood seeps into the tattoo. The gold is washed away with bright red before it creates a small explosion. Beau covers her eyes. When she reopens them, the glowing blood is gone. The tattoo is the same as before, but it's missing the wing part. Beau was about to mention it when she found two stumps poking out of Tommy's back, around his shoulder blades. Beau breathes in tightly, her chest feeling tense as she gently presses a hand against the bump. Tommy whimpers beneath her, and Beau feels like she's seconds away from panicking.

A pirate that isn't Tusk walks up to them, holding the chains. The pirate drops the chains when they see Tommy's back and Beau's sheet-white face. The pirate grabs onto a symbol attached to the necklace around their throat as they breathe out the truth Beau doesn't want to admit, "He's growing wings."