Technoblade’s snout split into a wide, tusked grin. “Me.”
Technoblade knew what it looked like, do not mistake him in that. Megalomania wasn’t a look many pulled off well. But was it not simply what he was owed? By his continued existence, the subscribers clung to life as well. It was only right that they should make sacrifices to him. Perhaps the echoes of ghosts were cacophonous inside the confines of his god apple corrupted skull, but it was worth it to be so adored. Immortal as he’d foolishly become, was it really so wrong to wish to keep reminders of the humans he’d once known? To try to ensure they lived as long as he did? He was insane, yes, but he was reasonable about it. Anyone would go crazy living as long as he had; Technoblade was just willing to admit it.
ouugh no one does it like Golden Apples (Gilded Atrophy)!Techno. Like the mixture of being so disconnected from the present as to view everything in terms of stories and myths. That confliction in him of caring so much for Tommy but simultaneously eager to see how the tragedy of Theseus repeats. Trying to learn to see Tommy not as a mythic doomed hero, but as a scared kid. Loving Tommy so much he wants to add Tommy to the voices when he dies. The horror of watching Tommy replay Techno's own regretted footsteps after trying to protect him. AHG.
@tpucs secoND FIC REQUEST IVE COMPLETED I got super excited when I saw this because um. Hermitcraft tommy fics??? Those were my lifeline for a solid month I think I read every fic in the tag.
This is not technically finished it’s like. The beginning of what might turn into a long fic if I get the time but I also had this in my drafts for two weeks and didn’t want to leave it sitting. It’s mostly exposition bc I love exposition a lot please enjoy (if anyone wants me to add trigger warnings I can but I don’t think anything applies here????) also if anyone has any ideas on what scenes. Of continue this that would be great bc I have no idea what the next part should be
Anyway
The newest player to join hermitcraft came as a shock. In a lot of different ways, for a lot of different reasons.
To start, it was well off from the beginning of the series. In fact they were well into season 10, and even the new hermits had settled in comfortably.
Secondly, and more concerningly, nobody knew the kid.
Tommyinnit joined the game.
Xisuma shot up sharply the moment he got the ping. That is incredibly odd and he needed to check on that immediately. He equipped his elytra quickly, grateful it was in his inventory, and took off to spawn.
It didn’t take long, though he wasn’t the first there. Gem was running over from the direction of the shopping district, and Keralis was talking to… a teenager?
“-how did you get here?” Keralis was saying, standing a wary distance from what looked to be a very disgruntled kid who flinched harshly as Xisuma landed near the two.
“Who are you?” Gen shouted, pulling out her sword. The teen breathed in sharply, arms moving up to tug at the sleeves of his rather burnt winter coat. His hair was so dirty that Xisuma could hardly tell it was blonde, and the rest of his outfit wasn’t that much better.
“Hey, hey,” he rasped, standing up taller, which didn’t seem to hide his trembling as much as he liked, “I don’t mean any harm I just- I don’t really fucking know how I got here either.” He said quickly. Gem lowered her sword slightly but Xisuma was still wary.
“How did you get through the code, that should’ve been impossible, this is a whitelist only server.”
The boy raised his hands, and his eyes flickered to Gem with a pinched grimace, “if you just want to- point me in the right direction I’ll go- I’ll get back to, uh,” he seemed to falter, “I’ll get going.”
Xisuma bit his lip, “it’s not going to be that simple, this server is locked up pretty tight. Especially since you broke in.”
“How do we know you didn’t break in on purpose,” Gen pushed.
“Gem, look at him,” Keralis drawled, “he’s a kid there must be an explanation.
“I’m not a kid!” The teen barked out sharply. He cowed sheepishly to Gem when she raised her weapon again in warning, “I don’t know how I got here, I swear.”
Xisuma sighed, and motioned to Gem to back down. She bristled at the thought but in all honestly, the kid looked… pretty harmless. He’d still have to be careful though, which means…
“I’m going to get Grian over here,” he started pulling out his comm as he continued, “and you need to come with me where we can keep an eye on you.”
/msg Grian: just a kid. Not them. Need your helping getting this mess cleaned up
“I’m not going to be fucking watched,” the kid spit out, “I’m not fucking going with you.”
Keralis stepped closer, though he had to put his hands up when the kid flinched again to show no harm, “it’s okay dude, Xisuma and Grian just need to make sure your code isn’t all tangled, and all that doohickey admin stuff so you don’t get hurt.”
Xisuma nodded, “if I just ban you now whatever glitch happened to get you here might hurt you permanently. It’s for your benefit as much as ours.”
“Wait, you’re the admin,” he asked, “I don’t want you digging through my code that’s a- that’s a violation of my personal boundaries.”
Xisuma opened and closed his mouth, not sure how to respond to that. Which, thank god, Grian took that moment to fly in and land just next to him, red yellow and blue feathers poofing off of his wings with the landing and drifting down.
“I’m Grian, nice to meet you,” Grian said, reaching out his hand but keeping his face alarmingly neutral. The boy didn’t take it, which didn’t deter him, “why is your code like that?”
He balked, wrapping his arms around his torso, “you went through my code?”
Grian nodded, “I’m not the first, your code has been modified a lot. Did you not know this?”
“Modified? Like how?” Xisuma asked, concern levels raising considerable. And probably also his blood pressure.
“Like tangling it up with enough restrictions and mods that it’s no wonder you glitched like that.” He continued. “this could be dangerous, especially if you keep server hopping. Someone needs to fix this, because if you don’t you might not survive the next jump. If we can’t, do you know any admins or server moderators that can?” He pushed.
The teen’s breath quickened, and keralis looked rather worried. This probably wasn’t best done in front of everyone, especially since the more nosy or concerned hermits were bound to show up as well. Grian was not one to avoid speaking his mind, though.
“Are you- are you an admin too?”
Grian tilted his head, confused, “not for this server. Though I have before. I’m help Xisuma out with this one.
He took a few breaths, making sharp looks at everyone surrounding him. Keralis looked ready to say something else before the teen collapsed in on himself in defeat. “Fucking- fine. But you’re going to tell me fucking everything you’re doing. And the admin isn’t touching anything.” He demanded.
Grian huffed, “but he-“ but Xisuma elbowed him.
“Of course we will. It’s your code, we just want to help you get to… wherever you meant to go safely. What’s your name?”
“Tommy.” He grumbled. He shoved his hands in his pockets and raised his eyebrow as if to say ‘well, let’s go.’
—
“So this,” Grian waved his arms so the lines of code could appear close to the wall where Tommy could see from the sofa, “-is your code. It is, essentially, you.”
Tommy narrowed his eyes,grimacing at the unintelligible language.
They were in one of Xisuma’s labs at his base, one of the ones near the top with big windows and wooden desks and soft furniture. It wasn’t as crazy as his more experimental laboratories, which were mostly in his basement and probably would freak Tommy out more than they should.
“Some people are naturally able to read and access the code, and they usually end up becoming admins or server moderators. Some people, like me, either learn it, which is very hard to do, or are ‘given’ the ability to read it.”
“Given?” Tommy asked, “is that something anyone can do?”
He shook his head, “no, it’s a rather dangerous and traumatic process. Wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy, but now I can tell you that your code is really bad.”
Tommy shouted incredulously, “my code is not shit, fuck you!”
Grian huffed, this kid, honestly. “I’m not saying this for fun. I’m telling you this because that is incredibly concerning. Here-“ he waved at the code again to scroll farther down, “this is how your code allows you to transport between dimensions. With the nether it’s mostly fine. I can tell it was erased and re-added here, though.” He pointed at another line of code that Tommy also could not read.
Xisuma had been banished to another room to start going through the server code. Tommy seemed to freak out at the very idea of the admin even getting too close to him. He couldn’t help but dread exactly why Tommy was freaked out about admins. He should probably be nicer to him, but Grian was still running on the sharp burst of terrifying adrenaline he received when he saw someone join the server.
There were a couple hermits that relied on the safety and security of the server, including him.
“If you scroll a bit further it looks like your access to the end has been completely restricted, if you jumped into an end portal it would probably instantly kill you.”
Grian sat down on a stool opposite Tommy, trying to figure out what on earth happened to this kid and what kind of server he was in last. Even as Grian had sat down the kid had tensed, almost leaning away from him as if it was physically painful to be near another human being.
“Tommy, that’s just one thing.” He sighed, “Your ability to fly with elytra’s, if you somehow managed to get one, has been tampered with, access to any of the worlds code, tracking devices on you and monitoring on your comm. Someone attempted to erase all of your hybrid traits, which thank god is almost impossible to do. Most concerning is your respawns, which have been locked at three lives completely. If you managed to permadie your code would be locked in the server and you’d be unable to come back. Even if you did decide to go through the process of leaving the server, I doubt you’d be been able to get out naturally. It’s a miracle you didn’t die getting here.”
Tommy’s hands were trembling, ans he clearly wasn’t taking this well. Which, to be fair, Grian didn’t expect him to in the first place. He put a hand on the boys leg, making him flinch, but making him just a bit more present.
“Your code has been mutilated, Tommy, but you’re still alive. We can fix your code, and if you want, transfer you safely to another server.” He told him.
Tommy opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His hands had been clenching at the sofa cushion hard enough to give him marks. Grian stood up and waved away the code screens so he could grab a cup of water they had prepared earlier. He gave it to Tommy, who managed to curb the shakiness to take a sip.
“You don’t have to make this decision now, but you are kinda locked in this server until something is fixed. The only other option would be to open the server publicly and open a hole wide enough for your code to do, but there are several people here that would be in danger, and who knows who would jump in after you.”
Tommy took a deep breath and reached into his shirt to grab what looked to be a compass that was attached to a chain around his neck. He squeezed it once and looked up at Grian.
“So even if I don’t want you to mess with my code, I’m stuck here forever?”
“Yep.”
“And if I stay like this i might die again.”
“Again?”
Tommy ignored his question and squeezed the compass again before shoving it back into his shirt. “Okay. I’ll let you fix my code but only fucking that. I don’t want to be sprouting wings like you just because you feel like it, bitch.”
God this kid was so annoying. Also- “um, you do know you’re a hybrid, right?”
“What?”
—
SO SORRY THIS DIDNT GET FINISHED??? I meant to do an part where Tommy was getting used to unlimited loves but I couldn’t figure out how to start it which meant I overthought it and now I have a whole headcannjned worldbuild in my head about the lore of servers and junk. This is mostly exposition. I love exposition. It’s my favorite thing to write. My bad yall. Enjoy 🫡
I promise I’m trying to not make a habit of this, but Tumblr, I need your help finding a Ao3 fic again.
So this time it’s a DSMP fic, and it’s Tommy centric, as usual for me. It’s a Gods & Goddesses AU with the main story being kinda Hades & Persephone-esque in the sense that Godling Tommy gets adopted/consensually snatched by Death Gods SBI on a trip to the Underworld with his family, including Papa Puffy and asshole older brother Dream who abandons him there on purpose I think. Tommy has been having his Mirabel moment as he feels useless without having figured out his domain yet which means no one pays attention to him, so it takes people a hot sec to realize he’s gone. This is heavy spoilers, so once I get the actual fic and add it I’d avoid reading this section if you don’t recognize the fic.
So, towards the end of the story Dream along with Sapnap and George try to get Tommy back via snatching him into a carriage and booking it. We find out that Dream has been trying to overthrow the head gods and Tommy escapes and meets Tubbo who lives in basically a trailer park with Schlatt, his dad, who both agree to help hide Tommy from Dream who eventually finds them and turns one or both of the father-son duo into goats as he threatens Tommy. We find out that Tommy is the God of truth and when everyone else eventually catches up Tommy uses his powers to make Dream confess his treason and everyone decides to put the teletubby in divine time out, Tubbo and/or Schlatt gets turned back, Tommy talks to his mom and splits time between her and SBI. Yay happy ending.
Been looking for this for a few days, having trouble narrowing down the tags. Any help would be appreciated, I’ll shout you and the author out when it’s found, thanks!
( you’re dating Tommy, Ranboo and Tubbo are your best friends :) )
summary: here’s a look in the life of you being a member of the Bench Trio.. or we’ll.. Bench Squad! From streams to living with each other… you name it! YES ANOTHER TOMMY FIC BC I LOVE HIM. LEAVE ME BE. /j this is the first part of two: which is how you met, and how you became very close and all that :) ENJOY!
THEY/ THEM
platonic for Ranboo and Tubbo ofc, romantic with Tommy!
CW: swearing, kissing.
Tommy had met Tubbo when they both first started streaming. Ranboo met them when he first got popular…
You met the trio when they all knew each other already. Except for Ranboo. You were pretty close with Ranboo, you’d been online friends for almost a year and your bond got stronger and stronger with the day. Time flew when you were talking to him. You’d picked up streaming when he did, and always supported him. You followed his methods and doing streams together had made you both big on Twitch, YouTube, and other platforms of course. Ranboo was still getting further though, but you didn’t mind. You were very proud of him. He had met Tubbo and Tommy, and after a month or so, he finally introduced you to them. Tubbo came first, since they were a bit closer ( Ranboo and Tubbo ). He was nice, ‘just the type for Ranboo to like’ you had said. He talked when Ranboo didn’t know what to say, he made him laugh, and you were glad they’d became such good friends. You smiled everytime they interacted at first, it was just so fun to listen to. Tubbo liked you very much, you joked around a lot, and your senses of humor were quite similar. You always had a lot of fun with him, but Ranboo and Tubbo remained a stronger bond.
You thought Tubbo was loud on stream, but you were absolutely blown away when you met Tommy. You met him on a stream, which was, well, not the best place to meet him. He was extremely loud and was yelling all sorts of words in the discord call. You even thought he made some up. He was funny though, on stream he had the worst sense of humor, so bad, that it was funny. You couldn’t explain it. After that one stream you hadn’t really talked. So, of course, you assumed he was being so loud ALL THE TIME. The total opposite was true.
‘That’s so cool! I wish we had one of those in Nottingham, but, I’d probably have to go to London or something.. That looks very pretty though!’ You smiled widely. It felt like you were talking with another person then that one night, because his demeanor had changed so much. ‘Thank you…’ you blushed. You were left in a call, you were about to start a stream, but Ranboo had some PC problems that Tubbo ( AND PHILZA OFC ) were helping with. Tommy was so nice, so sweet, and he talked so… openly. You were having such a good time, you were almost disappointed when Ranboo and Tubbo came back.
But, Tommy probably liked the conversations too, because one night he asked you to join a random VC. He was off stream, and you thought people like Wilbur, Sneegsnag and Tubbo were gonna be there.. but, it was just him. You were nervous. Why were you nervous?
This habit went one for every once a week, to every day, to twice a day, to as many times as you possibly could. Ranboo had teased you about it. ‘So, getting along with Tom very well are w-‘ You cut him off: ‘SHUT UP.’ He went silent. ‘OH MY GOD Y/N NO WAY. I DIDN’T EVEN MEAN IT LIKE THAT AT FIRST- YOU HAVE A LITTLE CRUSSHHHH???’ He then yelled. It was nice he couldn’t see your face, because you were bright red at this point. ‘Shut up. SHUT UP SHUT UP.’ ‘You are not denying it.’ He said. ‘I-‘ you didn’t know what to say. Because, it was true. It was so true. You were head over heels for him. So in love, it was embarrassing.
How could you not be? I mean, it may have started with the butterflies when he made a comment about you in a call you weren’t in, or his little laughs and giggles he let out when you voice-called him. The late night calls were the best, his breathing was soft and he was tired, and it made you even more nervous about how lovely he was. Sometimes, if you were lucky, he’d have his camera on. You felt so attached to him, that if he didn’t text you for like an hour, you’d feel bad.
‘So what? I mean, why would he like me? This is stupid, Boo, he’s another big content creator. That’ll never work. He doesn’t even like me back, why are we worrying about this again?’ You answered Ranboo. ‘Because,’ he said. ‘That’s not true. I do not know anything about this stuff, but you shouldn’t put yourself down like that. Tubbo has even been talking about how much Tommy has been talking about you.’ You blushed. ‘And you know how little Toby talks about that stuff.’ ‘Mhm’ you hummed, hope returning its way to your body. ‘Oh! And besides, sort your shit out, because I’m taking you to England.’ Ranboo let out, obviously grinning. ‘WHAT-‘
You met him at the airport. It was the second time you two had met up, and it was nice to see each other again. A long hug was the starter of your conversation. You felt at home, safe. ‘We’re already so close to them,’ you whispered, both seated in the bus. ‘I know.’ He smiled. You grabbed his hand, because you were both nervous. ‘Excited to meet your long distance best friend?’ You asked. He nodded happily. ‘Excited to meet your long distance boyfrie-‘ he started, but you put a hand over his mouth. ‘NO. NO DOING THAT.’ He laughed. ‘Your secret’s safe with me.’ He winked. You laughed.
Ranboo flew in Tubbo’s arms. You huffed at the height difference. ‘Woah there, big buddy’ Tubbo laughed, but he still put his arms around the taller boy and smiled. You smiled at them. ‘Hi there,’ Tubbo said, ‘Hello’, you let out, and hugged him shortly as well. He smiled at you and ruffled your hair. ‘Lads, let’s get something to eat. Tommy’s always late.’ Your heart started beating faster. You went out for lunch, and you laughed at Ranboo’s reaction to the overly British food.
You had a lovely meal, and went back to the house shortly after. Ranboo and you were hanging up your coats when Tubbo entered his living room. ‘AYEEE MY BOY. Your mom let me in.’ a voice called. You stopped in your tracks. You and Ranboo looked at each other, your eyes wide. Tommy. Ranboo pretended to flatten the collar of your sweater, and he nodded grinning. ‘Looking amazing. Go for it.’ He nudged your shoulder. You knew he was joking, but it was still nice. Walking in you immediately catched Tommy’s eyes. ‘Hey’ you said, just a bit too soft. ‘Hi,’ he said it at the same tone, totally different from how he was talking to Tubbo. You two chatted on the couch, and Tubbo and Ranboo went to the kitchen. No, Ranboo dragged Tubbo to the kitchen, so you two could be alone. You gave him a dirty look.
It was pretty awkward at the beginning. The night passed and you all went to sleep. You sat in your bed, well, your mattress that Tubbo had sat down for this four months. Ranboo sleeped in the top of the bunk bed, Tubbo underneath. They were both already fast asleep, Ranboo of course tired from the traveling, and Tubbo… yeah, he just didn’t get enough sleep. An hour maybe had passed, but you couldn’t get to sleep. You sat up, stood up, and walked to the kitchen silently. You sipped on a glass of water as you sat on the counter. ‘You up too?’ A whisper called. Your head shot to the door, and you saw Tommy. ‘Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.’ He grinned. He stood next to you, leaning on the counter. His hair was messy, and the baggy, plain, white shirt looked good on him in some way. He looked extremely cute. ‘No worries,’ you said, before you sipped your water again. ‘Couldn’t sleep?’ You asked him. He looked you deep into your eyes, and it took all your courage to not look away. He just looked so.. pretty like this. ‘Yeah.. yeah no, I wish I’d gone home, pff. That couch is nothing to sleep on.’ You laughed silently so you didn’t wake someone. ‘Isn’t it weird we’ve known each other for months, but, we only like, are this close to each other now? I mean, physically.’ He whispered, looking up at you again. You faced the wall, the dark hiding the slight blush on your face. ‘It is. I mean, it’s nice, I really like being next to you.’ He laughed. ‘What?’ You asked him. ‘You like being next to me?’ He asked. You nodded, confused. ‘So you don’t like me being in front of you.’ he called. ‘That’s not what I meant, I mean-‘ you stopped your sentence mid way as he moved in front of you. His head was in front of you, and he was between your legs. ( Like, his body was kind of against the counter, not your legs, nothing weird, I didn’t mean it like that. Thank you. )
You talked like that for a long time, even though you were sure he could feel your heart beating from his placement over there. ‘It’s late.’ You whispered. ‘I know, I know.’ he said in that voice you liked. ‘But I like being alone with you,’ You were flustered. ‘And tomorrow all these others will be here, Jack and stuff and, I like it like this.’ He was honest. ‘You do?’ You gained courage to lift your hand and brush a curl out of his face. You held your hand in his hair. ‘Mhm,’ he saw that as a sign to pull you closer, his hands now on your lower back. You looked away anxiously. He grabbed your face so you’d look at him, his only centimeters away from yours. ‘Is this okay?’ He whispered even more softly. ‘Yeah, it is.’ You let out. He cupped your face and pressed his lips against yours. You smiled, he smiled. He broke the kiss. ‘I’m so glad you’re here,’ he whispered in your ear, his face in your neck. You threw your arms around his and kissed him again.
‘Did you know I’ve liked you ever since that one night we talked alone?’ You faced him. You were both on the mattress you were only supposed to sleep in, but, the couch was just a little too uncomfortable for Tommy. He smiled widely at you. ‘Really?’ You nodded, hiding your face in his chest again. ‘I’ve liked you for ages too, ‘was so excited for Ranboo to introduce you to me’ he whispered. ‘No way.’ You looked at him. ‘Yes way,’ and he leaned in for a kiss again. It was silent for a bit. ‘What do you mean “no way” I’ve been flirting with you like for, forever-‘ he laughed at you. ‘I DON’T KNOW I- HOW WOULD I’VE KNOWN.’ You whisper-yelled. He giggled and pulled you closer. A kiss to your forehead lulled you to sleep.
A/n: HELLO MY BELOVEDS, IM SO SORRY THAT THIS IS SO AWFULLY BAD, AND IM SORRY FOR THE LACK OF THINGS AND HOW LATE IVE BEEN. I love you guys so much, you know that. So take care, take your rest, and treat yourself. MWWUUAAH KISSES FROM OLI! /p
hellooo lia <3 welcome back :)) could i request tommy fluff based off the france vlog? have a good day/night!
sure thing anon! here you go <3
france headcanons | tommyinnit x gn!reader
while waiting for your flight to france, your flight is delayed. being really tired, you rest your head on tommy's shoulder and he gets really excited!
kristin starts filming the whole ordeal and he starts "making the pogchamp face"
you encourage him to stick his head into the eiffel tower
"Do it, you won't."
"I'll give you 100 gifted if you manage to pull this off!"
he does it and almost gets stuck!
in the louvre, he'd tell you you're his favorite work of art
you'd respond to him by saying that you were your favorite work of art too
he'd be reluctant to try eating slugs/frogs like in the vlog but since you were brave enough to do it, he'd try it out
around midnight, you and tommy sneak out of your hotel rooms and go and watch the eiffel tower at night together.
admiring the lights and how lucky the two of you are
wishing this moment would never end
then you realize it's 3 am and the jet lag was not helping either of you
“On… what?” he edges, shifting anxiously from foot to foot. “Who?”
“Wilbur,” Dream continues distractedly, as the props manager waits to steal his attention back. “Wilbur Soot.” At Tommy’s blank look, Dream’s expression shifts into incredulity. “The lead protagonist of the movie, Tommy.”
OR, where Tommy is the new errand boy on set and SBI are the big shot actors --- not that Tommy knows that.
“Tommy,” Jack calls, breaking Tommy out of his haze of concentration. “Director wants you. He’s talking to props.”
Tommy lifts himself up, stretching as he abandons the set piece behind him.
“Got it,” he says, already breathless. It’s his first day, not even noon, and the ever-changing list of tasks he’s been given feels like a whirlwind. “Thanks, Jack.”
Jack nods, and then he’s off, barking orders into his headset even before he’s turned around. Tommy watches him disappear through a doorway leading to costuming and heads the opposite direction, searching for flashes of green or a disheveled head of blonde hair.
He pokes his head into three doorways before he finds him, talking to one of the prop managers. They’ve barely started prepping for shooting, but Dream looks stressed. He fidgets anxiously with a thick, well-worn booklet that Tommy can distantly recognize as his script.
Tommy, still trying to maneuver both the enormous studio and the rules of interacting with the crew, is hesitant to interrupt. Luckily, he doesn’t have to, as Dream catches him in the doorway and his olive eyes glint with recognition.
“Tommy,” Dream starts, voice commanding all of Tommy’s attention by pure title alone. “I need you on Wilbur duty.”
Tommy blinks at him, mind instantly spinning. What the fuck is Wilbur duty? Is he supposed to know that? His film classes, which enabled him to get this position, hadn’t said anything about it.
“On… what?” he edges, shifting anxiously from foot to foot.
“Wilbur,” Dream continues distractedly, as the props manager waits to steal his attention back. “Wilbur Soot.” At Tommy’s blank look, Dream’s expression shifts into incredulity. “The lead protagonist, Tommy.” Before Tommy can even flush with crawling humiliation, Dream shakes his head. “Look— we need him on set in twenty. Just figure it out.”
“Okay,” Tommy replies, heart skipping a beat. “I can—”
And Dream’s turned away again, as if Tommy had never been there in the first place.
Sighing, Tommy picks himself up and spins around. He vaguely is able to recall how to get outside, where the actors’ trailers are set up. It takes about five minutes of tripping through hallways and weaving past busy-looking people with clipboards and earpieces, before Tommy realizes he has no clue where he’s going.
Fuck. How long did Dream say? Twenty minutes? It’s already been at least five. Double fuck. Tommy needs to go.
Desperation turning his thoughts into a scrambled, jagged mess, Tommy ducks through the closest doorway to give himself a chance to get reoriented—
Only to slam into someone’s chest.
They collide hard enough to send Tommy falling back onto his ass — or he would have fallen, had fingertips not seized his sleeve at the last second, jerking him upright.
“Sorry,” he mutters instantly, stepping back. “Didn’t see you, man.”
The guy he collided into blinks, only just regaining his own balance. He’s wearing a long, brown jacket, a tattered red beanie, and fingerless gloves that Tommy instantly charts to be edgier than he mentally wants to deal with. He looks nice enough, despite the harsh undereye bags weighing down his gleaming brown eyes, even offering Tommy a kind smile. But still.
Wait. Tommy squints, and that’s when he sees it, just barely visible around the guy’s mouth: stage makeup, foundation or powder or some shit, slightly creasing. He’s done enough practice camerawork to know how to recognize it. His brain fills in the pieces by itself.
Is this guy an extra? Maybe?
He’s costumed like one, and the makeup is a dead giveaway. The undereye bags suddenly look just barely painted on — a bit too dark and patchy to the normal eye to seem natural, but brushed on in a way that would look great behind a lens.
Not that it matters. There’s probably tons of extras roaming the set. Tommy doesn’t care about them, he cares about—
He is about to turn away when it hits him. If this is an extra, he probably knows where the Wilbur Soot guy is. Hell, he at least probably knows what the man looks like.
If he asks for help, Tommy might actually have a chance of getting Soot to the shot in twenty minutes.
“Hey!” he blurts, startling the man, who’d been about to drop the smile, presumably to leave. “Can you help me? I’m looking for someone.”
He gestures awkwardly to the badge hanging around his neck, on a bright blue lanyard.
“Sure,” the guy answers smoothly. “Who are you looking for?”
“Wilbur Soot,” Tommy answers instantly, relief flooding him. Yes. He can do this. He didn’t just mess up his job on day one. “Dream needs him on set in twenty. Or, like twelve now.”
The guy blinks at him. Then blinks some more. His lips have parted, face utterly slack with disbelief. Tommy frowns.
“What?” When the guy says nothing, just stares Tommy down incredulously, Tommy’s cheeks heat. He’s aware that he doesn’t look prepared, but what is he supposed to do? He has to go. “Do you know where he is or not, bitch?”
Tommy can’t pull back the word before it’s off his tongue, and he winces internally as the guy’s eyes widen to the size of saucers.
The guy gapes, and keeps blinking — that’s his favorite hobby, apparently. Then,
“Are you fucking with me?” he asks, and Tommy scowls.
“Why would I be fucking with you?”
“Why—” He sighs, a disbelieving laugh rushing past his lips. Then, his expression schools into one that’s much more calm, cool amusement settling over his face. “Wilbur Soot? Does that name not ring a bell?”
Tommy flushes further. “Look— I know he’s some big shot actor. I’m going to learn everyone’s names, I promise.” When the guy grins, eyes gleaming, Tommy writhes beneath what he thinks might be patronization being directed at him. “It’s my first day, man. You don’t have to be a dick. I can ask someone—”
“No!” he says quickly, grabbing Tommy’s arm. Tommy startles, blinking up at him. The guy smiles bashfully and lets go. “No, I can help you. I actually happen to know where he is.”
That makes Tommy pause, hope blooming between his ribs. “You do?”
Oh, this is great. This is better than great.
“Mhm,” the trenchoat guy informs him, nodding. “I can take you to him, if you want?”
“Please,” Tommy breathes, relief shuddering through him. “I don’t want to lose my job. That would not be pog. Like, at all.”
Trenchcoat raises an eyebrow. “Pog?”
Tommy flushes again and pretends he didn’t. “Forget it. So do you—”
“Oh, yeah,” Trenchcoat answers, shoving his hands leisurely into his coat pockets. “I do. Follow me.”
Tommy does, taking in the first full breath since he clocked in that morning. The compounding pressure of being in such a chaotic environment feels lessened. Tommy sighs.
“What’s your name again?” Tommy asks, as he’s led back down the hallway he came from.
More crew turn the corner, heading straight at them, but the Trenchcoat guy just slides an arm around Tommy’s shoulders and pulls him close when he threatens to collide with one of them. As soon as they’re clear, he lets him go, and gratitude surges through him.
The guy flashes his eyes towards Tommy, even as his face remains facing the front. “Uh… Will.”
“Will?”
“Like William,” Will informs him, and Tommy hums a noncommittal agreement.
Sure. Will like William.
They continue navigating corners, so fast that Tommy’s head begins to spin all over again. He finds himself clinging to Will’s jacket, because the guy — extra or not — seems to know where he’s going. Where Tommy had tripped through the hallways, Wilbur navigates them all lithely and easily.
Well, until they stumble directly into another person.
For the second time today, Tommy gets shoved backwards. And for the second time, Will catches him.
“Techno,” Will says, before Tommy can even regain his footing. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Hullo,” the newcomer greets tonelessly.
Tommy skims him over. His hair is long, and pink, but the rest of him is dressed like he’s stepped out of another era, with a billowing white poet’s shirt tucked into black slacks. Tommy is also pretty sure he’s wearing red contacts. Unless his eyes just look like that, which is possible. Huh.
“Don’t mind me, Tech,” Will greets, a strange, sharp smile twisting his lips. “I’m just helping this intern out.”
Tommy’s face twists into a deep scowl. “Intern?”
Will looks down at him. “Aren’t you an intern, uh” his eyes flick down to Tommy’s badge, “Tommy?”
“I’m a set assistant,” Tommy insists vehemently. “Not a fuckin’ intern.”
The Techno-guy’s eyebrows shoot up. “Like an errand boy?”
Yes.
“No,” Tommy iterates, a flush blooming over his cheeks like a pink rose unfurling.
“Is that much better?” the pink-haired dude mumbles under his breath, but he’s bigger than Tommy, and much scarier than Will, so Tommy lets him get away with it.
“I’m studying film,” Tommy tells him shortly. “Cinematography. I want to shoot movies. I’m here to learn how a production runs.”
He doesn’t say that he’d applied for two months to even land a spot in a movie so big. He doesn’t get the feeling that Will or Techno would care too much. They’re here too, after all.
“You’re in a good spot for that,” Will offers, and Tommy nods.
“Exactly,” he agrees. “Experience is experience. I’m learning a lot.”
But then it gets quiet. Like, awkwardly quiet. Tommy clears his throat.
“Anyway—”
“Anyway,” Will cuts in, wrapping his arm back around Tommy’s shoulders. “Techno, I’m helping Tommy here find Wilbur.” Looking at Techno, his eyes glint like he’s telling a secret without moving his lips. “Wilbur Soot. Apparently he needs to be ready to shoot in twelve minutes.”
“Probably ten,” Tommy mumbles.
“Does he?” Techno remarks dryly, scraping his eyes over the two of them.
His gaze hovers on Will. Tommy looks over at him, to see what Techno’s looking at, but he doesn’t find anything.
“Yes,” Will emphasizes, tugging them ahead. “Are you going to join us, then?”
“...Sure,” Techno remarks. “I’m pretty sure I’m morally obligated to stop you from bullyin' children.”
“Oy!” Tommy and Will say in unison, gazes snapping towards each other instantly.
“I’m not bullying anyone,” Will insists, at the time that Tommy all but shrieks, “I’m not a fucking child.”
“Right,” Techno says to both of them. “Whatever. Just—” He waves a vague hand forward. “Lead the way.”
And Will does, dragging Tommy forward as if he’s known him for years. Tommy can’t even complain, mind split between the silent countdown ringing through his skull and the fact that he really, really should’ve done his research on the film cast before he’d taken the job.
He’d, well, admittedly, he’d been a bit distracted by the fact that that one certain actor was in it to do much more than skim the cast list when he’d landed the job. But apparently, that was not enough.
It’s fine. He’ll learn the rest over the next few months.
“So, do you know this Wilbur Soot guy, or do you just know where he is?” Tommy finds himself asking to break the silence, as he’s led back towards the center of the building.
“That’s a good question,” Techno drawls, glancing at Will. “Do you know this Wilbur Soot guy?”
Will glares at Techno, then looks back at Tommy with a soft, hesitant expression. “Uh, I know the guy.”
Tommy raises an eyebrow at the tone of his voice, grinning instantly. “What’s that supposed to mean? ‘S he a dick or something? I’m sure all the big shots are.”
Techno chokes on laughter, and Will swallows what might be sourness before Tommy can really get a glimpse of it on his face. “He’s a great guy.”
“Nah, you don’t gotta lie,” Techno chimes in, clapping Will on the back, and Tommy’s eyes — shining with new amusement — swing to him. He looks at Tommy seriously, red-contact eyes glinting. “He’s made three temps quit because of his coffee order—”
Will’s hand flies out before Techno’s finished, socking him hard in the shoulder. Techno doesn’t even budge, only grins. Will scowls, and it’s pronounced by his undereye makeup.
“That’s not true, Tommy, don’t listen to him.”
“You guys are annoying,” Tommy complains, relishing in the twin looks of disbelief it draws.
Will’s disbelief melts quickly, into something like endearment. He reaches out a fingerless-gloved hand and ruffles Tommy’s hair.
“See this kid, Techno?” Will asks, as Tommy shoves his hand away good-naturedly. “I like him.”
“Fuck you,” Tommy deadpans.
His grin widens. Tommy sighs, looking away.
That’s when he notices they’ve circled to the main shoot. Tommy’s set piece that he abandoned twenty minutes ago has been properly constructed, and the studio lights are on, shining brightly and glinting off the array of metal cameras decorating the area.
And there, among the chaos: Dream, flipping through his script with a frazzled fervor, like it carries the secret to immortality.
“Shit,” Tommy hisses under his breath, realizing that it’s probably been twenty minutes, and he’s only gone in a circle — not a Wilbur Soot to be found.
Of course, as luck has it, Dream’s eyes scan the room, and then land sharply on him.
He sees Tommy and straightens, walking forward quickly. Tommy swallows, feet dragging. He would stop completely if Techno wasn’t behind him, nudging him forward with a gentle hand on his back.
“Tommy,” Dream calls, and Tommy wishes he could melt into the floor.
A million excuses bubble up on his tongue, none of them particularly good either.
“Sorry, Dream, I was just—”
But Dream’s face splits into an easy smile. “You found him! That’s good.”
Tommy’s mouth snaps closed. He squints, wondering what the hell Dream is talking about.
“What?”
“And Technoblade,” Dream remarks, maybe even like he’s impressed, though Tommy’s not sure he’s comprehending. “That’s good.” He turns his head to call over his shoulder, to someone that Tommy doesn’t quite see, “Everyone’s here! Start prepping cameras to shoot in ten!”
Then, when he looks back at Tommy, some of the harsher stress lines are gone from his face. He claps Tommy on the shoulder, smiling.
“Good job, kid. Get these two to costuming for me, will you? Jack can give you another task when you’re done.”
He nods, once, decisive like a director should be, before he’s gone.
Tommy blinks.
Then, the realization crashes over him, strong enough to rattle his bones. Turning slowly, dull anger sparking in his eyes, Tommy looks at “Will.”
Will, not as in William, but as in Wilbur Soot.
Wilbur Soot, who is grinning sheepishly at Tommy. His dark eyes are the color of bashful guilt.
Wilbur Soot — who Tommy had shit-talked right to his bloody face.
Tommy burns. “You—”
“Wilbur Soot, at your service,” Wilbur grins, extending a hand that Tommy lets hang between them.
“—rat bastard,” Tommy finishes in a hiss, acutely aware that his cheeks and ears are on fire.
The floor could drop out from under him, sending him plummeting to some circle of hell, and Tommy thinks he’d be grateful. Surely Hell is cooler than the heat gnawing at his face.
“For the record, I was not a part of this,” Techno— Technoblade— states, hands raised placatingly.
Tommy glares at him. “You participated, prick.” He slides his gaze to Wilbur, swallowing hard. “You humiliated me.”
“Oh, come on,” Wilbur soothes, though Tommy doesn’t care for it. “Dream had no clue. You’re fine.”
“I’m not—” Tommy’s breaths come a bit too quickly. Humiliation is not something he typically feels, but now, it ravages him. His bones feel like they’re swelling, dwarfing his body, too big for his skin. He swallows hard, spitting the next words. “That’s not fine. If he had known—”
“He didn’t,” Wilbur says quickly, and Tommy thinks he’s realized he’s upset him, because he instantly sobers, apologetic. If backpedaling were a person, it’d be Wilbur. “Look, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Tommy scowls, though he feels it dip into a pout before he can help himself. “You’re a dick.”
“Hey, I’ll make it up to you,” Wilbur offers quickly, glancing at Techno with panicked eyes that Tommy, dimly, relishes in. Prick. “You can stick with me today. I’ll show you all around set. All the cameras and bullshit—”
“I think Dream will actually murder me if I do that,” Tommy counters sullenly, crossing his arms.
“He won’t,” Wilbur insists. Now he sounds like he’s talking to a baby, eyes pouty — as if his net worth isn’t twenty times the net worth of Tommy’s whole family. As if Tommy is someone that a movie star needs to grovel to. “Techno, back me up. He won’t.”
“He won’t,” Techno agrees flatly, “But—”
“You’re insufferable—”
“Let the kid go back to work,” Techno continues, offering Tommy a faint smile. “If he gets fired, the movie’s down an errand boy—”
“Set assistant—”
“And you’re down someone to drag around like a stray cat,” Techno finishes, lips twitching.
Wilbur looks remarkably petulant for a grown man, but he concedes. “Fine.” Then, he holds out a pinkie. “But only if you promise to let me make it up to you properly while we’re still shooting.”
And, okay. Now that Tommy’s skin has cooled, and some time has passed, he can appreciate that Wilbur’s prank wasn’t the worst thing that’s ever happened to him. And Wilbur was fun, before he was a dick. Can Tommy turn down a debt from a movie star — prick or not?
“Okay,” he agrees, finding himself able to somewhat mirror Wilbur’s smile as he interlocks their pinkies. “I’ll let you make it up to me, bitch.”
Wilbur seems apologetic enough to let the swear words slide. This feels like proper payback.
“Wilbur, Techno,” a voice calls from behind him, interrupting him. Instantly, Tommy straightens, eyes widening. “What are you boys up to? Not terrorizing this young man, I hope.”
Tommy turns on his heel, swallowing hard as his heart starts to race, because he recognizes that voice—
“Philza,” he breathes reverently as he comes face to face with his idol. “Holy shit.”
Philza smiles kindly, eyes crinkling as he walks over to them. “Hiya, mate. I take it you’re a fan?”
“Superfan,” Tommy answers without thinking, 90% sure that his eyes are glazing over like blue marbles in his skull. “I’ve seen all your movies. You like, reinvented film with the Hardcore trilogy.”
He thinks he’s going to faint as Philza smiles, all pleasant and nice.
“Aw, thanks mate, that’s very—”
“Hold on—” Wilbur interjects, shoving between them with a look of disbelief — shattering the moment. “You know who Phil is, but not me?”
“Everyone knows who Philza fucking Minecraft is, dickhead,” Tommy counters hotly. “He’s a legend among men.”
Wilbur shakes his head disbelievingly. Over his shoulder, Techno radiates amusement.
“C’mon,” Wilbur announces, turning on his heel determinedly. His hand tangles in Tommy’s sleeve, dragging him forward. Tommy raises an eyebrow, letting him — he does have a job to do, after all, and a time limit to do it in. “What did Dream say? Costuming? We’re leaving.”
“You’re a disgrace,” Techno drawls to Wilbur, as Tommy is half-dragged, half-led across the room.
“It was lovely meeting you!” Tommy calls, a saccharine smile shot over his shoulder, which Phil returns with glittering eyes.
“Don’t let those two get you into trouble!” Phil calls, smiling wide.
“I won’t!” Tommy hollers.
Techno chuckles, and Wilbur shoots him a glare. “I hate you both.”
“You barely know me,” Tommy snipes, yanking his arm free to walk at Wilbur’s side. Two can play at the being-annoying game. “I thought you were supposed to be making it up to me. What happened to that, Wilbitch?”
“Techno, get him out of my sight.”
“You signed up for this, Wilbur. This is on you.”
“Fine,” Wilbur sighs, but the playful expression on his face tells Tommy that he’s not truly upset. “I suppose I did.”
Heart suddenly swollen with a mischievous sort of warmth, Tommy grins, only to himself.
The production has just started, he’s just met his idol, and there are still months of filming to go.
Maybe sticking around Wilbur and co. won’t be so bad after all.
Hey guys!! Look at this amazing artwork done by my partner and beta based off my DSMP Fanfic “Freefall”!!! I’m very grateful for all they have done for me and for supporting me while I pursue writing. I couldn’t ask for a better friend/partner 😊
Read “Freefall” here!!:
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