"How often do we tell our own life story? How often do we adjust, embellish, make sly cuts? And the longer life goes on, the fewer are those around to challenge our account, to remind us that our life is not our life, merely the story we have told about our life. Told to others, but—mainly—to ourselves."
― Julian Barnes

Tommy settles into a new routine now that he's reconciled with Wilbur. The promise they made stands firmly as Wilbur moves into the cabin alongside Techno and Tommy. Techno only raised an eyebrow when he saw Wilbur, but the brunette waved away any concerns that might have been issued with that single action. Tommy vaguely explained that he had made up with Wilbur. That was enough for Techno to sigh, telling Wilbur he can sleep in 'his' room. Apparently, Wilbur's room was in that weird building attached to the cabin from the side. Wilbur implied that someone else also stays there, and Tommy is smart enough to put two and two together. He doesn't say anything about it, though. He blatantly marches into the side room whenever he feels like it. Even if he doesn't, Wilbur will come into Techno's half of the cabin without a care in his eyes.

Despite his brother being there, Tommy finds that he still has good and bad days, and a whole lot of in-between days. Thankfully, Wilbur does provide support in ways Techno can't. Wilbur loves affection as much as Tommy does, so when there's an itch in Tommy's skin, he can lay across Wilbur's chest, basking in his more childish side. Wilbur never complains, always wrapping his arms around Tommy and sometimes peppering his face with kisses until Tommy gets too embarrassed to stay. Wilbur will laugh as Tommy pulls away, and Tommy falls right back into Wilbur's grasp just to hear that laughter a little longer. Tommy is so blatantly wrapped around Wilbur's finger, and he can't find it in himself to care.

There are days Tommy goes to Techno, though. Never for physical affection other than bumping shoulders or a shared smile, but usually for a distraction. Techno is remarkably good at grounding Tommy, keeping him aware in the moment. When Tommy tags along behind Techno, he's always given a task to do that allows him to use his hands without really using his brain. The work is so easy that when Tommy inevitably gets distracted by something else, he can walk away without needing to worry. Techno picks up all the slack Tommy leaves, even though Tommy tries his hardest not to leave any. Techno never complains about that.

He has started complaining about making food for three people, Wilbur's picky preferences, and someone never picking up after themselves. With his better state of mind, Tommy is able to laugh instead of tearing up and feeling like a failure. He joins in to make fun of his older brother. He dramatically gets upset when Wilbur dishes it back out, Techno sometimes cutting in. Wilbur and Tommy always burst into laughter at the end of it, and Techno often chuckles at their antics. Tommy really feels like he's getting better.

So, when Techno declares that they're out of honey, Tommy offers to ask Ranboo for more. The Enderian stationed at the edge of Techno's land in a cabin surely has honey. Wilbur and Techno shared a look that didn't go unnoticed by Tommy. The blonde huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. He glared at both of them until they relented. Techno told him there was no shame in fleeing from battles he knew he couldn't win, and Wilbur made sure Tommy's jacket was zipped up tightly. Tommy wanted to prove them both wrong, so even though the cold nipped at his neck and Atalanta was stuck in the pasture with the other dogs, he kept marching through the snow to Ranboo's cabin in the distance.

Tommy stands in front of Ranboo's cabin. He lifts his fist to knock on the wooden door. Tommy hesitates for a moment. Not because he's going to turn back, but because he would prefer to scare Ranboo. He does ponder if Ranboo might be waltzing around his house in his birthday suit or wearing something embarrassing, but Tommy is willing to take his chances. Ranboo does have a fireplace, but Tommy thinks it would still be too cold to do anything like that even with a cackling flame. Tommy takes a deep breath, reaching down for the door knob. He counts in his head- one, two, three- and pushes the door open with all his strength. He tugs at the doorknob to keep it from getting away from him and slamming into the wall.

Tommy hears a startled noise coming from the kitchen. Tommy smiles in victory, and he rushes into the cabin to greet the Enderian in question. Ranboo's cat looks up from their perch on the windowsill, lazily glaring at Tommy's antics. Tommy winks at the cat, kicking the door closed with his heel. He slides into the cabin, grabbing onto the bar to slow himself. He glances up to see Ranboo's expression.

He meets a pair of brown eyes, and he knows he didn't surprise Ranboo.

Niki is standing in the middle of the kitchen. She has an apron over a t-shirt and jeans splashed with flour and egg yolk. She is holding a whisk over the kitchen sink, and Tommy can see some of the batter on the ground by her socked foot as if she dropped the whisk when she was surprised by Tommy's entrance. Her hair is pulled into a messy ponytail, allowing Tommy to see every detail of her familiar face. She is far older than she was the last time Tommy saw her. There are a few obvious worry lines on her face, and her eyes are not nearly as bright. She is also healthier with a rosy blush in her cheeks and arms that don't reveal the bone but instead honed muscles. There is a dusting of sugar across her cheeks and the streak of frosting on her forehead. In spite of all these differences, Tommy knows his sister.

Tommy wonders how he looks to Niki. He was so young when they were forced apart. He must look completely different. He, like Niki, should also be healthier. His hair might have a little bit of the golden shine from Wilbur purchasing Tommy a separate shampoo and conditioner for blonde hair instead of Tommy continuing to use Techno's two-in-one for dyed hair. His eyes are as blue as they were when Tommy was a baby. His clothes might not have holes in them now, but they're definitely the same style Tommy always wore as a child, courtesy again of Wilbur knowing Tommy better than Tommy knows himself.

Niki drops the whisk in the sink. She steps over the batter on the ground. Tommy walks around the edge of the bar. With the two of them walking to each other, they end up right in front of each other. Tommy is a lot taller than he once was. Niki is, too, but she used to be so much taller than him. Tommy thought she was a giant back then. Now, he's looking down at her. It almost makes Tommy laugh, but he pushes the sound down for fear it will turn into sobs alongside the tears in his eyes.

Niki reaches a hand up to touch his cheek. Her hand has dried batter on it. The texture is scratchy against Tommy's skin, but he doesn't mind. He doesn't pull away as Niki lifts her other hand up, smearing icing against Tommy's cheek. It reminds Tommy of his first reaction upon seeing Wilbur again, that feeling of needing to make sure the skin is warm and the body underneath is alive. He smiles at her. Her lips part as she notices his expression, and she eventually smiles back at him. Tommy finds himself laughing, putting his hands over hers, really feeling the cake mix hanging off her fingers. Niki's head falls, pressing against his chest as she laughs, as melodic as a song and as warm as an oven. Tommy is struck in the heart with the familiarity of the situation. He closes his eyes, and he's able to recall standing in the kitchen of Schlottzksy's Family Diner. Niki is holding his hand, a finger pressed to her lips to silence his giggling. They bake a cake together, and Niki asks Tommy what his wish is. Tommy can't remember any of the wishes he made, but he does remember Niki wrapping her arms around his torso, holding the cake in front of him so that he could blow out the candle.

"I was- The bar is going to be having a fundraiser. I'm making treats to sell. I'm using Ranboo's kitchen because my oven stopped working and the landlord hasn't gotten around to fixing it," Niki explains, removing one of her hands to gesture around at the messy kitchen. Every counter is covered in mixing bowls, pans, measuring cups, and baked goods cooling off. Niki reaches up to wipe underneath her eyes with the heel of her hand. She shakes her head. "Do you- if you want, you can stay. I don't mind the company."

Tommy hasn't baked since he was a kid, and even then, Niki was hovering over him to make sure he didn't make a mistake. The cake they made back then was only for the family, too, so it didn't matter if it sucked. These treats are going to be for a fundraiser at some bar. Tommy doesn't know what bar Niki is referring to, but it must be important to her. Tommy decides not to step in to ruin whatever Niki is baking, but he does sit on one of the barstools. He swings his legs back and forth, watching Niki get back to work. She washes her hands and the whisk in the sink. She dries them off, immediately getting back to work. She moves around the kitchen like a hummingbird, quick to check on everything. She pulls dishes out of the oven in rotation, setting them down to cool on a metal rack. Tommy didn't realize how much fun it would be to watch Niki bake.

"Tell me about your life. I want to know everything," Niki tells him, looking over her shoulder at him for a split second before she looks back at the mixing bowl held underneath her arm. She whisks it with quick motions. It looks like her attention is completely on the bowl, but she adds, "I'm listening, I promise."

Tommy hesitates. He doesn't have much of a life, but Niki is given him a chance to speak. Tommy nods slowly to himself, putting his chin in the palm of his hand. "After I left, I just went around L'Manberg. I kicked a few signs, yelled 'fuck them' a lot, that sort of shit. When I came back, the warehouse was already destroyed. The heroes told me to stay away as they carted bodies away. I couldn't handle it, so I didn't do what they told me to do. I ran into the flames. My powers manifested then. I started lifting shit as if I would find you guys underneath the rumble.

"Reverie found me. He told me months later that Eret had come back to see you guys. He was there to find Eret, but he found me instead. He just took me with him. I spent five years with the Hunters. I probably would have stayed if it wasn't for Monochrome. I got him the fuck out of there, and I just... I left, too. I went to the heroes. I trained under Red Dragon along with Sleepy. After our training, Sleepy went to join a gang and I stayed. I tried striking a deal with Croupier. That didn't work out until I beat the shit out Minotaur. I did it for Tubbo. People started taking me seriously after I did that.

"I've been hunting the Syndicate, finding out more information about them. I've also done some missions for the guildmaster and his associates," Tommy explains. He really doesn't have an interesting life. If he divulges more details, he risks worrying Niki more than she probably already is knowing he had been with the Hunters. If he focuses on one specific part, he might break down again. He would rather not do that. "And you? What about your life?"

Niki hesitates. She swallows thickly, shaking her head. She wears a soft smile as she turns to put a pan into the oven. "I told him not to, but Wilbur went after you. I remember being so angry with you. I didn't think joining the Hunters was the end of the world as you made it sound like, especially when it would have taken us off the streets. Jack was just as angry, but by seeing his anger, I realized how unfairly we were acting. You were a kid. All you knew about the Hunters is that they took Eret from us. I told Jack that we needed to find you and Wilbur. We told Tubbo to stay with Fundy when we left.

"Jack and I stayed together as we searched the city. After a while, Jack decided that you and Wilbur had probably gone back to the warehouse. I agreed only because I thought we had searched everywhere you could have gone. We weren't too far away when the initial explosion went off. Jack was thrown off his feet. I still remember the heat that washed over my body. The smell was probably the worst part, and I could hardly see through the smoke. I did remember Jack, however. I grabbed his shoulders, dragging him into an alleyway that protected us from the heat and the smoke. Not the smell, but I couldn't care when I realized that Jack wasn't breathing. I searched for a pulse. Upon finding nothing, I realized that not only was Jack dead, but the others must have been, too. Even if you and Wilbur weren't at the warehouse, I knew Tubbo and Fundy were. I was so upset at the world. I didn't want to be alone. Those feelings activated my powers, and I forced Jack's heart to beat again. He was asking questions as soon as he woke up, but I couldn't answer him. I just heaved him onto his feet and dragged him away.

"We ended up in a building along the edge of L'Manberg. It was affected by the explosion, but it was still standing. We recuperated until I couldn't get out of explaining that you all were probably dead. Jack was heartbroken. His power activated then. He told me it was because he felt like he could see his family in the flames. Since we were both espers, we decided to investigate the explosion... who was behind it. In order to get information, we did favors for people. The people thought we were vigilantes. Jack thought we were heroes, so he started trying to make the world a better place in earnest. I was only doing all of that for the information... for revenge, like you. I went so far for revenge that the Syndicate, one of the groups we suspected captured me.

"Serenade unmasked me. Upon recognizing me, he revealed himself to be Wilbur. Jack stormed the base looking for me, and we were able to reveal to him that Wilbur was alive. I became a villain to stay with my family. I think Jack saw a higher purpose in his actions, similar to the motivations of our leader, Azrael. I didn't care what he thought we were doing as long as we stayed together.

"After realizing more of us survived than we thought, we went on a search for the others. We found Tubbo first. He became a vigilante to follow in our footsteps. We found Eret next, and by finding Eret, we found Fundy. The two of them had their own lives and loyalties, so while we keep in touch, we aren't as close as we used to be. After finding everyone else, Wilbur was certain we would find you. He did everything he could. He paid off so many informants. He ruined so many lives. I can't blame him since I helped him do all of that. At the end, though, all we found was your corpse. Someone brought it to us, claiming it was real. We believed him. That Sparrow guy told us it was a fake created by someone's power. We're trying to find out why someone would lie to us, would go so far to make us think you were gone.

"In the meantime, though, Jack opened a bar. I don't officially work there, but I make food every time they hold some special event... which is like every Friday, but I like the work. I really like baking," Niki finishes. Tommy stares down at his hands. He never questioned why his family didn't try looking for him. The thought just never crossed his mind. Knowing that they had but were led astray makes Tommy feel a lot better. After all, Tommy never truly believed his family was alive despite the similarities between them and the Syndicate members because Tommy remembers the bodies being taken out of the warehouse by the heroes. His family made a similar mistake, helping Tommy feel a lot better about his own blunder.

"Did you ever suspect that the little boy you called brother was Vendetta?" Tommy asks softly.

"Yes, I did sometimes compare Vendetta to you. I just... I never let myself believe it. I didn't want to set myself up for pain. What about you? Did Dyscardia remind you of me?" Niki answers, looking over her shoulder to show her raised eyebrow.

"I told you about Moana. I was thinking about what my siblings would have loved about the movie, and Dyscardia answered exactly how I thought you would. There was also later. When I was falling unconscious, I thought it was my sister holding me," Tommy answers. Those are the two prominent times in his mind, anyway. He thought it was just the fear of death that made him think of his sister. Maybe with the darkness closing in, the part of his brain that overthinks and doubts shut off temporarily. He was left with the facts and the feeling of comfort Niki always seemed to bring him.

"You weren't wrong," Niki declares. Dyscardia was the one that held Tommy as he was falling unconscious. It was Niki that was holding him.

"No, I wasn't," Tommy agrees. He sighs, feeling the heart inside his chest stutter nervously. He looks up at Niki as she pulls out a pan from the oven. "What are we?"

Niki stops, nearly dropping the pan. She quickly puts it down on the rack. She takes a deep breath, staring at the goods she baked. Niki starts pushing some of them into a bag with a thoughtful expression on her face. When she sets the closed bag down on the counter, she looks at Tommy. There is a dangerously familiar look in her eyes as she smiles at him. "You were, you are, and you have always been someone who is important to me."

Tommy laughs underneath his breath, looking down at his hands. Niki returns to her preparations. She stands at one of the farthest counters with a bowl in her hands. Her back is to Tommy. He stares at her ponytail as he whispers, "I never hated you."

"I know."

—

Tommy plops down onto the cracked concrete overgrown with small plants reaching for the sunlight. The faint smell of gunpowder continues to linger in the air after all these years, but that might be Tommy's trauma rather than a true reflection of reality. Tommy drops his legs over the edge into the hole that marks the graveyard of his childhood. He can see faint traces of the little boy who died here racing around the edges, light-hearted memories dizzying Tommy's vision until he can barely see the truth laid out before him: this hole was once L'Manberg, once the warehouse that was his entire world.

"I'm not giving you a drink," Jack murmurs, his lips already pressed against the glass bottle. His voice is slurring, obviously a byproduct of an empty bottle or two around him. He is sitting at the edge with Tommy, his legs folded together in front of him instead of hanging down into the hole. His clothes are a little ruffled, and Tommy doesn't know how long Jack has been here for. Long, he assumes, far too long. The living shouldn't be in the place of the damned.

"I don't want any of that shit," Tommy laughs lightly. Tommy's opinion of alcohol is understandably sour. Even when he does drink, he wouldn't dare touch whatever is in the off-green bottles Jack is clutching to his chest.

Jack snorts, reaching a hand up to wipe his nose. "I have never met a teenager who didn't try to sneak alcohol... Then again, when you run a bar, you're practically asking for teenagers to try to swindle you."

"Could I go to your bar?" Tommy asks. Niki mentioned it in her story about the past. It seems important to Jack. Tommy would love to know what Jack has been doing with his life other than terrorizing people as Thermoculus.

"Not today... but someday, yeah. I'll take you," Jack answers, twisting the bottle enough that the liquid inside sloshes with an ugly sound. Jack stops shaking the bottle, setting it down between him and Tommy. Jack looks into the hole as one might stare into the abyss. "I would take you anywhere."

"I don't need to go anywhere. I just want to stay here with you," Tommy shakes his head. He once fancied taking his family on adventures to other places- like the paintings in Croupier's hallway- but now that he has them, Tommy doesn't mind if they laze around in one place for the rest of their lives. They don't need to see the tops of mountains or the trenches of the ocean. They don't need to see golden fields or viridian forests. As long as they're together, Tommy would remain complacent anywhere.

"We aren't in a happy place," Jack reminds Tommy, gesturing with his hand to the hole. This was their home, and now it is a hole in the ground. The air was never particularly clean and definitely not good-smelling, but it was never tinged with gunpowder until now. The sun never shone on them back then, but now the sunlight pours in like a condolence from the heavens.

"I don't give a fuck," Tommy replies, pushing his shoulder against Jack's. "I'm finding you in the place I left you."

"I became a vigilante for you. To find you, to protect the world for you, to... find the light you always saw in the world. I became a villain for you, too, but we can ignore that part if it doesn't make you feel better," Jack says firmly, his voice taking on a surprisingly solemn tone despite how much his breath reeks of foul beverages.

"I became a hero for you," Tommy admits, though Jack probably already knows that Vendetta was a hero trying to get revenge for their family. Jack is part of that family Vendetta was trying to preserve.

"You also became a Hunter for that reason," Jack whispers, reaching a hand up to gently touch the scars along Tommy's jaw with the back of his fingers. Jack looks so horribly sad as he stares at them. He sees in them something he could have prevented if I had tried just a little harder to find Tommy, had asked Vendetta just a few more questions.

"I wished for your happiness," Tommy blurts out.

Jack startles, his hand pulling back as he blinks confusedly. "What?"

"That day we went to Las Nevadas... I wished that my family was happy wherever they were," Tommy continues, following through.

The tears start to leak out of Jack's eyes. "It was always about us, wasn't it?"

Tommy feels tears rolling down his cheeks. He breathes out something between a cough and a laugh. When he finds his breath again, he nods. "Yeah, yeah, I guess it all fucking was."

Jack laughs, putting his arms around Tommy's shoulder. Tommy willingly puts up with the horrible smell in order to be close to his brother. Jack puts his chin on Tommy's hair, whispering, "What would you wish for now?"

"I don't know."

—

A ringing bell christens Tommy's entrance into a local seafood restaurant called the Captain's. The world outside the place is slowing down and growing dark. Closing time is approaching the restaurant, evident by the sheer lack of customers. It is considered rude to drop into a restaurant a few minutes before closing time, but Tommy finds himself unable to follow normal conventions. He would rather the shop be empty, anyway.

Tommy walks right up to the register. The worker looks up with a tired smile on their face. The smile drops away when Jordan recognizes his former pupil. A contemplative frown comes onto his face as he examines Tommy's full appearance. There is unmistakable relief in his eyes, and Tommy finds himself giving the man in uniform a half-smile. Jordan shakes his head, returning the half-smile. "Are you sure about this?"

Tommy opens his mouth to answer, but the door leading into the kitchen slams open with enough force to startle Jordan. Tommy remains unsurprised, suspecting that something like that would happen. Tubbo meets Tommy's eyes as he slides all the way out of the kitchen into the reception room. Tubbo's muscles lock up, making him go very still. Tommy turns to face Tubbo, but he doesn't make more movements than that. The two of them stare at each other. There are a hundred words that could be said. There are probably thousands more that should be said. In the end, the first step they take is not a word but an action.

Tubbo runs across the restaurant. He leaps up, wrapping his arms around Tommy's shoulder. The force is enough to knock Tommy backwards. Both Tommy and Tubbo plummet to the ground. Jordan makes a shocked noise, yelling for Puffy. Tommy ignores that as he stares into Tubbo's face. Their position mirrors the time Jolt confronted Vendetta in his warehouse, when Vendetta held Jolt's life in his hands and was unable to take it. This time, Tommy is putting his life in Tubbo's hands, right where it belongs.

"Is my brother back?" Tubbo asks, his voice a whisper and his eyes blurry with tears.

Tommy lifts a hand up, setting it on Tubbo's cheek. "I think he is."