In which Tommy is faced with growing up.

      Or, the taking away of childhood.

"Wilbur?"

Tommy peeked into the small, stone room, mug and potatoes gripped in his hands. The gray lump didn't move, Wilbur staring at the wall silently. Tommy stepped in as quietly as possible.

"I have food."

He placed down the items gently at Wilbur's side. He didn't move.

Tommy didn't expect him to.

He sat down softly next to the lump, soaking in the silence. He suddenly stood up, reaching out to get something.

Wilbur had been like this for the past few days, retreating back into himself, nothing like the nervous wreck he had been just days before, worrying about everything.

Tommy didn't know if it was good or bad.

But he missed his brother.

"Do you wanna play a song?"

The wooden base of the guitar scraped against the stone floor as Tommy scooched it towards Wilbur. "I liked the E-Girl one. It was about women."

"Phil used to sing songs to me."

Wilbur finally spoke, his voice quiet. Tommy tilted his head, expecting him to say more, but he didn't.

"You mean, before he...." Tommy cleared his throat awkwardly. It was a touchy subject for both of them. "Before he left. For Hardcore."

"Yeah." Wilbur watched as an ant skittered across the floor as fast as it could. "He left us, didn't he?"

Philza Minecraft, skilled swordsman and builder.

Mentor to Tommy and Wilbur. Some even say that he trained the legendary Technoblade.

And their father.

A guiding voice, and a role model for Wilbur.

And vanished at 31, off to compete in the hardest challenge there was.

Hardcore.

But the real challenge was left to Wilbur when he was left with nothing but his wits, a guitar, and Tommy.

But he only had fond memories of Phil and not one ounce of spite.

How could he?

So they found their way to the Dream SMP and convinced Dream to let them in.

And of course, they couldn't leave without Tubbo. Tommy made sure of that.

And the rest of it was history.

"But don't you wanna play a song?" Tommy strummed half-heartedly on the strings, a strange twanging sound emerging as he tried to grin. Wilbur never let him touch his guitar, but still, he didn't turn around.

"Wilbur?"

"HEY TOMMY!"

Techno's deep voice drifted up to the small room. "DO YA WANNA GO EXPLORIN'?"

Tommy glanced over at Wilbur's figure, waiting for him to say something, to make him stay.

Nothing at all.

He sighed, setting down the guitar. "Yeah, I'll be down in a sec!"

Wilbur felt him leave, and a draft blew into the room once he was gone, making him cold.

And he was alone again.

---

"WHOOOOOOOOO!"

Tommy laughed as he clung to the back of his chestnut horse, hand clenching into the soft fur as the wind blew through his hair. Techno whooped as the horses cantered to a stop.

"THAT WAS SO FUN!"

Tommy's heart raced with adrenaline as he smiled from ear to ear at Techno. "WE HAD AN S TO THE L TO THE A TO THE V! AND WE BUILT AN INTIMIDATION TOWER! AND WE-"

Techno chuckled. "Too bad he got away. That guy was a pretty good worker. He was too nice."

"Yeah, he's pretty nice. Feel kinda bad actually." Techno noticed Tommy slightly yawn as he leaned into his horse, smiling happily. Dream's netherite armor still hung loosely on his shoulders, Tommy repeatedly pushing the big helmet out of his eyes.

He was still just a kid.

And Techno felt a stab of guilt.

I can't lie to myself anymore.

He knew exactly what he was doing. Exactly what Dream wanted him to do. He was playing right into Dream's slim fingers.

We'll both get our happy endings.

But the thing was, Techno wasn't even sure what a happy ending looked like anymore.

He just knew that he stuck around for the blood, and for the chaos, and for the moment.

But here was this kid. This kid that was grinning, teeth crooked. He had everything to fight for, and everything to lose. He knew his happy ending, he could picture it clear in his mind because it had already happened. He was happy before, and he could be happy again.

But Techno was shoving him into boots two sizes to big, and giving him an axe, and telling him to fight and fight and never stop fighting.

He was teaching him to see the pulse throbbing in someone's veins.

And he was teaching him to stop it.

We'll both get our happy endings.

"Well, it was pogchamp exploring with you, Blade, but I've gotta get back to Pogtopia now. I have to make sure Wilbur's eaten, and Tubbo's sleeping. You know he hasn't been sleeping recently, he says he can't with Schlatt there. Honestly I don't blame him. So I told him to sleep in Pogtopia and that I'd smuggle him out, don't worry about it-"

Techno watched as Tommy rambled on, a sort of rant as he continued to describe the ongoing list of things he had to do. His eyes were drooping a little bit, trying to snap awake.

Tommy was tired.

When was the last time he had slept?

Techno's eyes softened in concern "Hey, you know you can loosen up a bit. I'll take care of some stuff."

Remember your deal with Dream, Techno. Remember the bigger picture.

Techno shoved the little voice away, rolling his eyes.

Shut the fuck up.

"No no it's fine!" Tommy smiled unconvincingly, trying to hold back a yawn. "I can do it myself-"

"TOMMY!"

Tommy's head whipped around towards the desperate voice, black hair flying behind her as an out-of-breath Niki rushed towards them, almost collapsing as she stopped. Tommy jumped off his horse quickly, catching her. "Niki what-"

"Tommy, it's-" Niki looked up at Tommy's innocent blue eyes, filled with concern. "It's-"

She couldn't bring herself to say it to him herself.

"I-I think it's best if I show you." Tommy noticed the tears in her eyes, dripping down her face shakily.

And suddenly he was being pulled away, his arm being yanked out of his socket. They raced through the woods, tree branches snapping at their faces, twigs poking into their sides. But Niki kept on running.

"Niki what's happening-"

"He-he's there."

They were near Skeppy's mansion, the huge marvel building casting shadows on the lower parts, dirt hovering to create a cliff. Niki pointed a shaky hand forward.

And that's when Tommy saw it.

A small lump, white and black spots hardly visible as he heaved heavily, struggling to breathe. Blood covered his once beautiful pelt.

And Tommy would never forget it as long as he lived.

"HENRY!"

Tommy rushed forward by instinct, trying to do anything, trying to stop the bleeding but it seemed like the red was coming from everywhere, and it was covering his hands, and it streamed down his palms. "No no no no no no no-"

"Tommy, I tried to heal him, I really did but nothing worked, nothing worked-"

Henry's head moved slowly, his eye looking up at Tommy as he wheezed.

"H-hey big man." Tommy's voice came out shakily and choked as he tried to smile at the little cow, who was in so much pain. He stroked his wet fur, matted with blood. "Y-you're going to be ok, I promise."

Henry mooed softly, tired as he rested his snout against Tommy's hand. His eyelids slowly drooped, chest rattling. Tommy's breaths became panicked.

"NO!" Desperation exploded from Tommy's chest as he shook Henry.

"You can't just leave, Henry, you can't leave yet- we have so much stuff left to do, we were gonna make a wheat field, big man. A big man wheat field, wouldn't you like that?"

Everything was blurry, but everything was still red, red, red.

"Wouldn't you like that?"

Where do things go when they die?

Henry's big brown eyes met Tommy's, but they were glassy. His head rested back, stilling. Tommy's stomach dropped, his voice rasping. "HENRY!"

Do they go somewhere else?

"Henry, wake up, please wake up-"

Blood flowed out onto everything, but there were no breaths.

Or are they just....

"HENRY! WAKE UP PLEASE HENRY WAKE UP-"

Tommy's head was pressed into Henry's neck, but it wasn't warm like before.

It was cold.

Tommy's voice was quiet, almost a whisper. Tears slipped off of his face.

"Wake up..."

Gone.

Red painted the boy. It covered his hair, his hands, his armor.

Niki stepped towards him gingerly, his back slumped. He was silent.

She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Tommy, it's alright. Henry lived a good life-"

"No."

Tommy's voice was older, deeper. It didn't sound like him anymore.

"It's not alright."

He stood up, shocking Niki. His shoulders shook as the netherite armor glinted.

And it fit him. It fit him so well.

It scared Niki to the core.

"Whoever did this is going to pay."