Work Text:
There are signs all over his floor, and Tommy might throw up.
He’d been outside, in the garden, no more than 10 feet away, and he’d missed it. He’d missed the green bitch sneaking into his house and plastering signs everywhere. The walls, the floors, everywhere. He's trainfixed, and he feels rooted to the spot as he sees what his home has become. Shroud is walking up beside him, looking up at him in confusion before he finally sees the mess that is their house. He goes to reach for a sign, and Tommy sees white as he grabs Shroud so fast, tucking the young hybrid into his arms.
Tommy barely hears Shrouds little sniffles because the kid is four and doesn’t understand why he was so quickly picked up or why his Mimi's grip is so strong. And part of Tommy is glad he doesn’t. But he shouldn't, he's so young, but Tommy realises that he has no alternatives, really. Maybe he can avoid the whole story but he sure as hell can't avoid this. He braces himself, desperately gathering at what's left of his courage and forcing his limbs to move.
“How about a trip, huh?” Tommy says, bouncing Shroud. “You wanna come on a trip with Mimi?” And Shroud smiles and Tommy gathers all his strength and grins down at Shroud. “Yes, let's pack a bag. We’re gonna go somewhere new, okay?” He weaves through the signs, begging that none of them touch him, almost afraid they’d mark his skin (the smiley face carved into his shoulder burns at the thought). He rushes into his room, grabbing Shroud a toy and handing it to the hybrid so he has something to occupy him and so he can be distracted from Tommy’s frantic shoving of things into a bag.
“Mimi?” Tommy pauses, looking down at where Shroud is pulling on his leg. “Are we going to Mickies?” Tommy gives him a strained smile.
“Maybe, buddy, but first we’re going on a trip to a new house.”
“Why?” Tommy exhales through his nose, trying to keep his smile steady. He knows this is one of those moments you’d read in a book (yes Tommy read parenting books, have you seen the track record of parents on this hellsite? Yeah, Tommy would rather learn from a book) that seem really obvious when the person was typing it out and Tommy was reading it but now it's happening and Tommy has to think and try and figure out how to explain 'there’s a murderous psychopath after me and i think he’ll kill you to get to me' to a four year old. How do people do this? When he blinks back out of his own panic, Shroud is extending his hands, wanting to be carried.
“Because,” He starts,crouching down and picking the hybrid up. “Mimi wants a change of scenery, kiddo, cause I think it’ll be cool.”
“Cool?”
“The coolest.” Shroud ponders for a moment, in the only way kids can, tilting their head as the thoughts mull over.
“Okay Mimi, let's go,” he says at last and Tommy almost drops him with relief. He picks up the bag, zipping it up before quickly leaving the house. Now there’s the next problem, where does he go? He thinks about all the places he could go.
There’s Tubbo’s, but that's not really fair. Ranboo’s… well he’s not here and Micheal’s missing and the very last thing he needs to do to Tubbo is just… fucking show up and take up space, space that Tubbo needs. The only pro in a list of cons is just it might force Tubbo to acknowledge all the shit he's going through, but it just as likely to piss him off and make him not cope out of spite, so Tubbo is a no.
The next option is Sapnap, but currently Sapnap is also on Dream’s hitlist and while it might make sense because Sapnap is jacked and has allies, if anything were to happen to Sapnap because of Tommy, he doesn’t think he'd be able to cope. And on top of that, Sapnap is barely two years older than him, he’s still young, and he’s running a country that has people he has to protect, it's not fair of Tommy to just show up and demand resources, especially with a young kid. Its not fair to sign someone else up for that, especially when he knows Sapnap doesn't like kids (or well, doesn't like Michael).
Then, there’s Big Q, but he’s just as high on Dream’s hit list, if not on the same level as Tommy. Plus he's also got a country, and there’s tension between him and Sapnap right now and the last thing he needs is to get caught up with that. Whatever his relationship with Tommy, it's not enough to house two people for an extended period of time, once again putting a bigger hit on his own back. Plus with Quackity comes Wilbur and his whole… schtick. And, of course, Tubbo could find out and that might not end well.
Tommy knows he should consider Wilbur, like truly consider him but it's still raw and new and Tommy refuses to put Shroud in any danger. And whatever Wilbur was to him (His brother, his dad) he’s changed, and Tommy’s not in the position mentally to begin to unpack that and figure it out, let alone lend a helping hand, and it's not fair to assume Wilbur can do any of those things.
He knows that of his limited options, he shouldn’t be picky. But these decisions won’t just affect him. If they did, Tommy wouldn’t be moving, he would be sitting it out with an axe and spite, but it's not just him. There's a very small hybrid child in his arms right now who deserves better than whatever the fuck Dream has planned (he knows he does too, but something its easier to put Shroud first).
He’s walking, purely because that's all he can do. He needs a solution and he knows he’s short on time but he’s not really sure where he’s supposed to go, what he’s supposed to do. There’s no chapter in a parenting book that's like ’What To Do When Your Murderous Abuser Breaks Out Of Prison And Is Going To Kill You And Your Kid-‘
“Tommy, breathe with me,” a voice says but Tommy can’t. Because he doesn't know what to do, he’s scared, he’s tired– “I know, mate, its alot right now but I need you to breath,” - but he’s alone and except he- but the voice- he’s not-
“Phil?” And his eyes focus and it's Phil’s soft blue looking back at him, wings fluffed up, as if wanting to wrap around him but refraining.
“Hi mate,” he says again and Tommy’s chest is tight and he feels a tug on his shirt and he looks down.
“Mimi, are you okay?” And Tommy deflates a little, because this is the opposite of what he wanted to happen.
“Mimi’s tired, bud, but he’s getting there.” Shroud nods at him, and Tommy can see him resisting a yawn. A soft smile slips out over his face. “Sleep, yeah?” And the boy nods and snuggles in and Tommy is faced with the situation he’s in.
“Mate-“
“Phil-“
Tommy flinches at his own desperate tone but Phil just moves closer, placing his hands on Tommy’s arms.“Do you have somewhere safe?”
“I- My house- its- its-“
“I know mate, I went there.”
“What?”
“I said I was not gonna let him hurt you, I meant that.” Shroud shifts and Tommy looks down. “Can I ask?” And Tommy shakes his head.
“Not yet- just- I-“ He looks up, looking into Phil’s eyes, his own watering. “Not now,” he begs and Phil nods.
“Give me your bag, come on, we’ll go to mine.”
“But Techno-“
“I can handle Techno,” Phil says.
“Those sound like fighting words,” Tommy says light heartedly and Phil gives him a small smile.
“Maybe, but I’ve got years on him.”
Shroud’s still asleep, but shivering and Tommy’s trying not to lose his shit as Phil carefully helps them both through the snow. Phil has taken off his big coat and Tommy can feel its softness against his arms. He can see the house in the distance but his anxiety doesn’t lessen.
He sees Techno and Wilbur conversing at the gate, and it spikes.
He realises they’re waiting for Phil, and he doesn’t know if he wants them to be waiting for him.
“Tommy?” Phil says when he’s noticed he’s stopped walking.
“If they lay a hand on Shroud, I’ll kill them,” he says and he means it. He’s weaponless, freezing and malnourished, but he’d do it. He’d kill them with his bare hands.
Phil asses Tommy in a familiar kind of look that he was so used to getting growing up. ‘I love you, but you fascinate me greatly’.
“They won’t, I’ll make sure of it.” And some bitter part of Tommy wants to laugh, to say he had no issues with things Tommy loved being destroyed before. But he’s not bitter anymore, he doesn’t have the energy to be. So he nods and continues walking, Phil standing beside him.
“Phil! Can you tell this-”
“Dad, tell him he’s over-” They both start then stop, looking at Tommy.
“I’m sure I’ll love this story, but later. Come on Tommy.”
“Tommy? What are you- is that a fucking kid?!” And Tommy all but snarls, pulling Shroud closer and wrapping the coat around him.
“None of your fucking business Wilbur.”
“I think it might be mine, considering you’re on my property-”
“Our property. I’ll explain later just-”
“Fine then, Blade, you want to know?” Tommy shouts. “The murderous psychopath you let out prison is currently do what he always does - torments me. Ransaked my entire fucking house, once again proving that I have no where safe on this fucking server. So yeah, there you go. Put that in your fucking pipe,” he says, voices almost at a shouting level before he stalks past both of them into Phil’s house, trying to console Shroud who’s has tears falling down his face. Phil sighs out of his nose.
“Happy?” He says.
“He’s not staying here,” Techno says. “Look, how well-”
“No. Techno, he is staying here.”
“Send him to Tubbo-”
“Ranboo asked me to take care of them!” Phil shouts. “All of them! Both of them! He’s- He’s my youngest. He’s your brother, or at the very least he’s one of the two people closest to being your brother. He’s got a kid, I’m not leaving him out on the street.” Phil takes a deep breath. “If you can forgive Wilbur for his part in the 16th, then you can at least tolerate Tommy staying here till I know he’s safe.” Techno’s silent, as is Wilbur but even if they weren’t, Phil wasn’t waiting for an answer.
He opens his front door to Tommy throwing his cloak over the spiderling’s face and watching as he wriggles out, giggling. His head shoots up at the door opening but Phil raises his hands.
“There’s a spare room upstairs. It's got one bed but I can get another one for the little one,” he says and the little one looks back at him.
“Shroud,” Tommy says, holding onto the boy's waist and swaying him gently. “Meet Philza, he’s- Well, he’s your Grampa.”
Techno is not happy about the situation but he’s also not willing to pick a fight with Philza. That being said, he doesn’t trust the gremlin, nor does he like that he’s here.
However, to anyone else - certainly not Techno - its an endearing scene.
The spiderling is running around in the snow, six hands raised in joy and he kicks snow and is chased by Tommy - screaming, quite loudly “Mimi! Mimi! Catch me!” - and if Techno... a part of him wishes he wasn’t endeared.
“Why are you staring?” And Techno startles at the voice behind him, spinning around and reaching for his sword. When he finds a very small spiderling behind him, he freezes.
“Who are you?”
“You’re Mimi’s brother? Mickie told me.” The kid says. “Does that make you my uncle? Micheal said you were technically his uncle but he’s silly sometimes.” The kid is still staring at him and Techno realises he hasn’t spoken yet.
“I- What are you doing here?”
“Not a big talker, okay, but I’m in here cause Mimi and I are playing hide and seek and since he told me not to come here, he’ll never look for me here, so I came in here.” The spiderling closes the door behind him and goes to hide behind the couch.
“You can’t hide here-!”
“Techno have you seen- why is the spider thing here-?”
“That's very rude,” the spiderling says. “My name is Shroud, and you’re uncle Wilby. Mimi has photos of you. Well, of both of you, and Grampza, but you’re in a lot of them,” The- Shroud explains. Wilbur is also staring at the child before the door bangs open.
“Shroud, what did I say-” And he freezes as the three of them stare at each other, neither knowing quite what to say.
“How did you know?!” Shroud whines.
“Because you’re my kid,” Tommy mumbles. “Of course you hide where I tell you not to go. Now come here-”
“Wait- he’s your kid? Like- You’re his dad?”
“No, he’s Mimi, keep up,” Shroud said and Tommy suppressed a grin.
“Yeah, Techno, you heard him. I’m Mimi, now Shroud, please-” The door opens and Phil is startled by the scene. He blinks at the three of them, turning his head to the side curiously. A few seconds later, a pissed-off looking Tubbo peaks out from behind him.
“Tommy?!”
“Tubbo?!”
“Micheal!”
“Shroud!”
Shroud runs up to Tubbo, reaching behind him to grab Micheals hand as they both go running over to where Shroud had previously been hiding.
“What are you-”
“What are you-”
“I invited Tubbo to dinner,” Phil says, setting down his coat. “To a family-” All four of them let out a groan and Phil smiles. “A family dinner! This will be great. Techno, go get me some veg and whatever meat you fancy - if you say pork, I'll stab you. Wilbur, can you go out to my house and grab my book, would you? Tommy, Tubbo, you guys wanna set the table and get the little ones set up.” He says and there’s silence. “Oh, and do you want to give Fundy a call, Wilbur?”
“Now you listen here-”
And it dissolves into chaos.
They’re seated around what has to be the most awkward of family dinners. Shroud, Michael and Yoghurt are sitting at their own table, babbling and playing away and Tommy’s trying not to look back every few minutes because he’s not obssessed - he’s fucking not - but he’s got seperation anxiety, fucking sue him.
Tubbo is on his left, and Fundy on his right and Fundy’s leg is tense but pushed beside him and his and Tubbo pinkies are interlocked. They’re coping. Not well, but they’re coping.
“So, where’d you find Shroud, Toms? I already know about Michael and Yoghurt but I'd love to learn more about Shroud,” Phil asks and he’s trying. He’s building his half of the bridge (and a lot of Tommy’s side, but he doesn’t mind).
“I was renovating,” Tommy says. “It was night time and a spider walked up to me and it just didn’t seem to be attacking me and so I bent down to pick it up and it still wasn’t attacking me. I knew it was going to rain the next day so I brought the spiderling inside. When I woke up the next morning, Shroud was sitting on my chest. I didn’t have the heart to throw him out.”
“Any idea of his past?” Phil asks quietly and Tommy shoots a look back at the spiderling.
“Not really. He says he was alone for as long as he could remember. I never found any spider hybrids around so I never got to ask,” Tommy says. “Besides… he’s with me, he’s safe with me.” Phil smiles and nods.
“You’re not gonna hear differently from me, mate, I’m a pro at picking up strays,” he says and most of the table chuckles at that.
Things aren’t really fixed after the dinner, but they’re better. Tubbo spends a lot more time with them, and Phil seems overjoyed. Truth is Tommy is too. He missed his best friend but he also doesn’t like the idea of his best friend being in a house of ghosts. It's a large mansion for two people, one of whom barely makes it to his knees.
Shroud and Michael are overjoyed with the constant play date, and Tommy finds it nice to have someone who’s his age and gets it. Tubbo and he talk for ages over toys and standing on a lego piece at two in the morning. They’re rarely seen apart. Fundy stops by often enough but his relationship with all of them is a little strained but Tommy doesn’t mind. He believes it can be fixed, so he’s certainly trying.
But the most shocking change is Techno. Wilbur was never tense around the little ones, and he seems to be genuine in his remorseful act, spending time with Yoghourt and Fundy, trying to remember how to build a bridge (Fundy’s not… completely co-operative, but again, they’re trying). And he tries Michael and Shroud, though he gets tired a lot, struggles to breath - something Tommy can relate to. People aren’t meant to come back from the dead. Phil tries but he’s also constantly on surveillance duty, more than happy to watch from the entrance of the gate and he listens for threats in her forest.
Techno seems to have picked up the others slack, however, constantly running, chasing or playing with the little ones. Tommy’s thankful because when the nightmares are at their worst and he spends the night being consoled by Phil or Tubbo, or on the nights when he has to console Tubbo from his nightmares, he can’t keep up with Shroud’s energy, but Techno can. Tommy nearly cries with relief.
It was going well. Very well, maybe a little too well but Tommy refuses to think that. His guard isn’t down, but he at least knows no one here wants him dead. His family are slowly threading themselves back together.
When his mom shows up, he cries. Kristin, in all her warm hugs and soft humming embraces her boys, then her grandchildren and then her great grandchild. She holds them close and Tommy has never been so glad he’s alive to do this.
They spend the night reminiscing and Tommy, Tubbo and Wilbur tease Phil whenever he gets that sappy look on his face when he looks at his wife (which is often) and Kristin shows Techno a new braid, and Tommy lets him practice it in his hair. Fundy is awed, having not always believed that his grandmother was literally a goddess of death and that it wasn’t all just a big inside joke.
Shroud, Michael and Yoghurt all love Kristin as she creates flowers and toys from the palm of her hands. They listen to her ‘fairy tales' and stories, absorbing her every word like its gold and Tommy sees her eyes sparkle and he remembers loving those same eyes as a child.
It's late, Fundy and Yoghurt are asleep in the guest room, Wilbur and Techno are putting the other kids to sleep and Tubbo is helping Phil clean. Tommy is curled into his mothers arms as she hums softly. He’s falling asleep and she knows exactly how to get him to sleep.
“I’m so proud of you, pájaro canter, I know how difficult this was,” she says and Tommy nods. “I’m glad you’re home. Call me selfish but I like having everyone under one roof.”
“Except Ranboo,” he says and gis eyes are already watering. His mum smiles sadly.
“Except Ranboo,” she agrees.
“I’m not going to ask,” he says. “I love Ranboo but resurrection was the worst thing I ever went through.”
“I know you won’t ask, pájarorito, but you also know-“
“That you would say no, I know mamá. Has someone else asked?” she nods. “Dad?”
“No, both your brothers have. Tubbo also wants to ask, I know, but I was a lot stricter with you two when it came to those kinds of requests.” She sighs. “The other death gods are… unhappy with Dream’s work and they are particularly unhappy it was my sons that were brought back, I’m just trying to keep the peace.”
“I know mamá,” he says.
“But I'm keeping him as safe as I can. I can’t interfere with limbo but I can lessen that burden,” she says. “I visit when I can.”
“Thank you,” he says quietly.
“If I could, I would bring him home,” she says quietly.
“I know.”
“I think Techno has a plan,” she says and Tommy lifts his head at her tone. “And if, lets say, Ranboo got a shove in the right direction, maybe I could harness it and make it a smoother transition.”
“You would? Would you try?”
“I would die for all of you,” she says and there’s no uncertainty, no question, just love. “I would drop my role and become mortal right now to have you all here, like this, if it meant we’d stay like this. Grow old together and have nights like this.” He wraps his arms tighter around her.
“I love you,” he says.
“Te amo,” she says. “I love you too.”
The silence is broken seconds later when Wilbur and Techno flops down on the couch.
“Three bedtime stories! Three! And those children would not sleep-“
“Sounds like a problem,” Tubbo says. “I can get them asleep in one, and Tommy can get them down in half of the hungry hungry caterpillar.”
“Get good,” Tommy says. “Ranboo didn’t even have to read.” There’s a soft silence. Its not tense or sad but its heavy.
“How did he do that?” Tubbo asks softly. “He never told me.”
“Magic,” Tommy says. “That or he was their favourite.”
“Now listen here-“ Tubbo says but they’re laughing softly.
“Fundy was never that difficult,” Wilbur groans, rubbing his eyes.
“You were an exceptionally easy baby, Wilbur, but a terror as a teen and adult,” Phil says, sitting down beside Kristin.
“I don’t know what you could mean,” Wilbur says sarcastically.
“I think we might,” Tubbo and Tommy say together
“Get good,” Techno said. “I was a delight”
“You used to set my dolls on fire,” Tommy said.
“Your fashion sense for those dolls was atrocious, I was doing both them and you a favour.”
It's not fixed, this thin rickety bridge between them all, and it's weak but it's there. It's a start. Tommy’s grateful for that.