A/N - Have this 3000-word monstrosity. Writing all these interactions was kind of hell. Hope you enjoy!
TW: Swearing
Wilbur didn't like his life in L'Manberg these days; he had been fine being dead and letting Ghostbur roam. He hadn't wanted to be brought back to life. But here he was, aimlessly wandering around the woods trying to find something to do. Then, he heard shouting and couldn't resist investigating, so he made his way towards it. It sounded like it was coming from only a few feet away from him but curiously, he couldn't see anything. Suddenly, his eyes focused in a slightly different way and he was able to distinguish a camouflaged structure nestled in between the trees.
He approached it and the shouting got louder. He identified the voice as Tubbo's and confusion drew his eyebrows together; why was Tubbo in a hidden shack in the woods shouting? Who was he shouting at?
His second question was answered as he heard the name 'Niki' and saw the girl storm out a few moments later. He was able to hide behind a tree just in time and watched confused as she angrily stomped away. From this position, he was able to clearly hear the conversation going on inside and his eyes widened every passing moment. He had to slap a hand over his mouth to muffle his gasps and sobs as he started crying. Tommy was alive? Tommy was... a father?
Vikkstar and Sapnap walked out a bit later, much more peacefully than Niki, leaving what sounded like five or six people. Minutes later, the rest departed and he followed them with a mission: to find his brother.
As he walked, he focused on being silent, but it wasn't difficult because the ground was soft from rainfall and made his steps quiet so he let his mind wander. He thought about the grudge he held against his older brother and father for what they did to him and Tommy and everyone else. A part of Wilbur was a bit hurt that he hadn't received a letter, but he was comforted knowing that Tommy probably didn't know he was alive and wouldn't write to Ghostbur.
After a long walk of tiptoeing and ducking behind trees, the group led him to a cozy sight. A cottage was sitting in the middle of a small, flower-dotted meadow and smoke was coming out of the small chimney. He could see the reflection of the sunset in the pond and heard chickens in a coop behind the house pecking at their dinner.
He eagerly headed for the cabin to see his brother, forgetting to be discreet.
"Wilbur?" He heard the deep voice of Eret. He cringed and slowly turned around. His shoulders hunched and his eyes cast downward, he replied, "Yes?"
"Did you follow us?" Sam sputtered.
"...Yeah. I was in the woods when I heard you yelling and I kind of... listened in? I didn't hear everything, but I heard enough. I want to see my brother."
Eret's eyes narrowed. "You didn't receive a letter, much less his location. That means you're not welcome."
"I don't care," Wilbur shot back with matching venom in his tone. "He doesn't even know I'm alive - of course he wouldn't send me a letter."
"That doesn't mean anything! We don't know if he would have sent you one even if he knew you were alive!" Puffy exclaimed. The group was slowly closing in around him and Wilbur was starting to feel threatened, but he wouldn't back down.
"I understand your concern, but I'm not here to hurt Tommy or to expose his hiding spot. The last thing I would want is to put that boy through more hell, I promise."
Tubbo sighed. "I'm sorry Wil, but the bottom line is that you didn't receive a letter."
Wilbur was starting to get really angry. Who were these people to try and keep him from his little brother?
"You aren't his family!" He shouted.
"Yes, we ARE! He sent us the letters, which means we are the family he chose!" Ranboo shouted back.
They forgot how close they were to the cabin and how loud they were getting, and were promptly silenced when they heard a loud hiss. They all turned around to see a blond head with dark, fuzzy ears sticking out the door and glaring angrily at them.
"Shut the fuck up, you idiots. I have a kit in here, and it takes an hour to get her to sleep. If you don't lower your voices, she's going to wake up, and I'm going to stab you."
They all stood shocked, staring at Tommy. He simply rolled his eyes. "I would love to chat, but you're going to have to wait until I get Clem to sleep."
"Okay," Eret spoke softly, the only one capable of words.
Tommy was about to go inside when a ball of grey and black fur darted out from between his legs and jumped on Eret. The King laughed and hugged the fuzzy animal back, and Tommy playfully groaned.
"Nice going, guys, you woke up the baby," But he had a wide smile on his face. "I guess now that she's awake there's nothing stopping us from talking. Why don't you all come in?"
He opened the door invitingly and the group shuffled in, still wide-eyed and quiet. Then, Tubbo spoke. "Tommy, you didn't send a letter to Wilbur, but he's here anyway. Do you want him to come inside or send him back?"
Tommy's head swiveled and he met Tubbo's eyes. "Wilbur?" He whispered. Then he looked at Wil.
"You're... alive?"
"I am. And so are you!"
Suddenly, Wilbur was wrapped up in Tommy's lanky arms and he felt the boy's wet cheek rest on his shoulder.
"I missed you so much," The blond whispered.
"I missed you too, Toms," He said, blurry-eyed. He then heard a chitter and felt claws on his leg, and looked down to see Clementine stretching her body up against his leg as if asking to join the hug. Tommy let go of his tight hold of Wilbur to bend down and pick her up. They chittered softly back and forth for a moment before Tommy handed her to Wilbur.
"This is Clementine, everybody," He turned and addressed the group.
They looked on as a proud smile grew on Tommy's face. You could tell he loved being a father and loved his daughter even more.
Wilbur couldn't take his eyes off of Clementine; sure, she was a raccoon, but she was his niece. It reminded him of when he held Fundy's furry little fox body for the first time and felt tears spring to his eyes for what seemed like the thousandth time that day.
"Nice to meet you, Clementine," He murmured softly. She blinked slowly and chittered, burying her head in his armpit. He barked out a laugh and pulled her out, and she immediately dropped to the ground.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"
Tommy chuckled and put a hand on his shoulder to placate him. "She's just messing with you. She loves jumping around, and she's completely fine."
They stood in silence for a minute, Tommy uncomfortably fidgeting under everyone's stares. To break the silence, he offered that they head inside and he could make some hot chocolate. They all agreed and squished into the small living room.
For hours the group chatted, mostly about Tommy. He kept trying to keep the topic off of him, but everyone had so many questions. When had he run away? How was he feeling now?
Tommy heard more apologies that night than he had in his entire life.
When the conversation died down and people got sleepy, Wilbur and Tommy finally addressed the painful topic of their family.
"I'm sorry we weren't there for you, Tommy. You had a lonely childhood even though you had us, and it's our fault."
"Nonsense, Wilbur, you were there for me when no one else was. I remember playing with you every day, and you would help me with chores, and were always willing to teach me some guitar. You lost it in the end and it's been hard for me to deal with that, but I think it helps that I know I lost you long before you died, strange as that may sound. That wasn't you in Pogtopia, even though it hurts to say. But you're back now! Everything's going to be better."
Wilbur had to struggle not to engulf his little brother in a hug because he would crush Clementine in the process, who was nestled into Tommy's lap.
"To be honest Toms, I didn't want to come back. I was... Happy? No, not happy. I was... at peace when I was dead. Yes, I was at peace. They didn't ask me if I wanted to come back, they just forced me. I didnt want to return to this place, and I didn't feel like I deserved it, but I'm here now and I don't know what to do," Wilbur admitted.
Tommy scooched over and pulled Wilbur into a hug, being careful not to move Clementine. "I'm sorry they did that to you. I'm sorry for everything that's been done to you."
"Oh Tommy, it wasn't your fault. Nothing was ever your fault."
The two settled underneath the blankets, Tommy's head leaning on Wilbur's shoulder as his hand rested lightly on Clementine's sleeping back.
Hours later, Tommy woke up to whispering. With his raccoon vision, he was able to see Sam and Puffy softly speaking back and forth, stopping when they noticed Tommy's eyes peering at them in the darkness.
"Oh Tommy, go back to sleep. It's been a long day," Puffy said comfortingly. Tommy shook his head tiredly, stretching his arms out. "No, no, I'm glad I woke up. I wanted to talk to you guys but I never got the chance to. Sorry for talking to Wilbur for most of the time," He said sheepishly.
"Well you did think he was dead so it's fair," Sam chuckled. The trio made their way outside and collapsed tiredly on the bench underneath the moonlight, Tommy tucked protectively between his mother and his father. The comfort of it all, and his exhaustion, made him emotional and suddenly he was tearing up. He seemed to be doing that a lot recently.
"I love you guys, you know that right? I never wanted to leave you behind... you're like the family I never had. I'm sorry."
Puffy shushed him. "Don't think like that. We're glad you escaped to safety and were able to finally have peace. We would have sacrificed so much to get you to this, and you did it all on your own. We couldn't be more proud of you."
The three sat crying in front of the pond, arms tangled in a tight knot. For the first time in so long, Tommy truly felt like he had parents. Parents who would love him unconditionally, who would support him in whatever he did. Parents who recognized and celebrated his accomplishments and didn't punish him for his downfalls, but simply taught him how to do things the right way. When he was younger he wasn't able to recognize that Phil's love wasn't that of a real father's; now that he himself was a father, he could see everything he had missed in his childhood. He couldn't bring himself to be bitter though, because now he was in the embrace of his real family, even if it was a little late.
"Hey guys, what are you doing?" They heard a tired voice behind them. Tommy's head turned around and met shining brown eyes belonging to a short brunet in a wrinkled suit. "Tubbo," was all the blond said, giving the tired boy a soft smile.
Sam and Puffy wordlessly slipped back inside, understanding that it was time for the two friends to mend their bond.
Tubbo slowly sat down on the bench, tentatively sitting on the edge as if ready to run at any second.
"Loosen up, Tubs! Let's put on some tunes, shall we?" Tommy said to ease the tension. Tubbo let out a strangled chuckle and nodded jerkily.
Tommy slipped Blocks into the jukebox and the melody floated quietly through the night as the two spoke.
The first thing Tubbo did was apologize, Tommy waving it off just like he'd done for all the other apologies he'd received. Then, the two talked about anything and everything; they talked about the discs, about L'Manberg, about the many happy moments they shared. Neither of them discussed the bad parts, choosing to leave that for another time. They would probably talk about them at some point, but they couldn't taint this perfect night of white moonshine with bad memories.
At one point, Clementine slipped out of the house and into Tommy's lap, making him sigh exasperatedly but with a smile on his face. As the two talked, the little raccoon made her way over to Tubbo to sniff him.
"Ca- can I help you?" Tubbo said with a wary smile on his face. She only brought her beady eyes closer to his cheek as she practically shoved her nose in his ear, huffing in and out. Tommy snickered and Tubbo had to refrain from shouting in discomfort at the wet nose of the raccoon practically touching his brain. They could barely contain their laughter, and Clementine was chittering along with her father. Apparently, she deemed Tubbo trustworthy, because she made herself comfortable in his lap and let out a low chirp of content.
Tommy met her eyes and they conversed for a moment with their raccoon noises, the raccoon hybrid eventually smiling and looking back up into Tubbo's eyes. "She really likes you, man. She called you 'Uncle'."
In typical Tubbo fashion, he made the :D face and squealed.
"Tubbo... do you enjoy life as president of L'Manberg?" Tubbo took a long time with his answer, eventually coming up with a resolute, "No." Tommy snorted in surprise. "Care to elaborate, Big Man?"
"Well, it's just that it's... it's exhausting, but I've been doing it since I was sixteen, so I'm used to it. I miss not growing up like a normal teenager, but my responsibilities are much more important."
Tubbo was trying to prevent Tommy from being concerned by giving a 'but' after every one of his complaints, but Tommy saw right through him. Tubbo was suffering. When he first arrived, it didn't slip past Tommy that the shorter's eyes were droopy and dull even though he didn't seem tired. And even though it was almost three in the morning, Tommy could see Tubbo's eyes gradually regain some of their brightness while they had been talking. After a long moment of consideration, Tommy began speaking hesitantly. "Look Tubbs, I love you, you're like my brother. You're one of my favorite people to be with, and I can tell your life in L'Manberg hasn't been easy since I've been gone. I also know that life out here is better for me than it ever was in civilization, and I can't help but wonder if you would benefit from it as well. Would you like to stay with me, at least for a little while? Consider it a holiday off from your duties."
Tubbo's eyes lit up and he started bouncing his legs, a telltale sign that he was excited. "I would love that, Tommy!"
The blond chuckled, and they started planning it out. Tubbo would stay in Tommy's guest room, which didn't seem like it could fit in the little cottage but apparently, it was nice and roomy. Tubbo decided that responsibility for L'Manberg would be shared between Wilbur, Eret, Sam, and Puffy while he was gone.
In the morning, the two boys announced the plan to the rest of the group, everyone wholeheartedly in favor of giving the young President some time off.
For a month, Tubbo and Tommy lived peacefully in the cottage, the weeks dotted with frequent visits from the people who knew their location. Other than that, it was quiet and wonderful. Tubbo helped Tommy set up a beehive in a tree near the house, and cared for them every day. He added some flowers to Tommy's vegetable garden and helped out with Clementine. At the end of the month, Tubbo didn't want to leave, but he managed to drag himself back to the country he was supposed to run that he now saw as miserable. To his surprise, the people he had temporarily given the power to had been managing everything wonderfully and didn't seem to mind at all. Each of them had their individual responsibilities and no one felt too burdened. Their varied but just views on matters made disputes easy to deal with and compromises easy to reach. The four shooed Tubbo back to Tommy's cabin and he couldn't say he was unhappy about it.
Six months staying out on the forest turned into twelve, and one year turned into two. Tubbo never permanently returned to L'Manberg, and neither did Tommy or Clementine. The father and daughter pair eventually began visiting Tommy's former home, but the three of them enjoyed their life in the wilderness and lived out their days in that little cottage with their chickens, bees, and jukebox. After all, that's all you need in life.
(A/N, skip if you're not interested)
I'm exhausted, this is why I stick to oneshots. I'm really worried this came out boring because of all the interactions and so little angst, but I'm not rewriting this I'm sorry. It's probably going to be a few days before something else comes out, but I think the next thing I post is going to be an age regression oneshot I've been planning out. I'm excited because I've been writing a lot of Minecraft AUs and this one is most likely going to be IRL. Anyway, hope you enjoyed! This is the absolute ending, by the way. No more parts, although I'm open to writing oneshots using this AU in the future.