-> warnings: cursing, allusions to family issues, plots to do illegal activities
-> word count: 1.2k
-> modern adoption/foster au
-> based off of pick me up, take me home by meridies on AO3. reading it would be helpful to fully understand tommy’s family situation in this fic but it’s not required. also this is severely unedited; my brother read this once and gave me a thumbs up (which is a lot coming from him) so i posted it lmao
If there was one thing Tubbo knew about being friends with Tommy, it was that you never hung out at Tommy’s house. It was always Tubbo’s house or some neutral area. And you never ever ever asked why or tried to pry, or else Tommy would get defensive and start yelling. Tubbo didn’t really mind; he already knew Techno and Wilbur from other places and he met Phil in passing. Tommy didn’t like talking about his adoptive family too much, and Tubbo was fine with that.
You, on the other hand, were not.
“Why can’t we hang at your place Tommy? You never told me,” you looked at him with round, innocent eyes, pausing in your aggressive attack on the patches of ice on the sidewalk to pose the question to him. Tommy’s shoulders stiffened and he stopped in his tracks. Tubbo gulped.
He didn’t like this. Tommy wasn’t completely comfortable with having you hang out with him and Tubbo yet, meaning his words were harsher, his reactions more violent. Any second and he’d explode.
Tubbo cleared his throat. “Um-”
“It’s none of your fucking business.”
Tubbo swallowed. Tommy continued walking. You frowned. “Oh.” You looked towards Tubbo, who desperately made a cutting motion towards his throat to tell you to cut it out, but this only made your eyebrows raise.
You were similar to Tommy in a lot of ways, one of them being your incessant desire to cause trouble in the stupidest of places. This is what drew you to Tommy, and this was probably why Tommy hadn’t completely shut you out yet. It was amusing at first; the stupid things you would do together were definitly some of Tubbo’s fondest memories, but after all, similarities clash at one point. You weren’t parallel lines.
“Could you give me a hint, at least?” There was an impish grin curving the corners of your lips upward.
“I said no. Leave me alone.” Tommy gave you a cold look and started walking faster. Tubbo’s heart sank to the bottom of his gut.
“Tommy, I thought we were friends?” You whined and rushed to fall into step with him, mischief still glinting in your eyes.
“Then don’t bother me about this, the fuck?”
“I don’t want to.”
This wasn’t going well. “Guys-”
“Tommy, it’s a simple answer. Tell me why and I’ll lay off.”
“It doesn’t have to be any of your business.”
“Well, yeah, but, I’m just curious. Doesn’t Tubbo know?”
“You’re not Tubbo,” Tommy said at the same time Tubbo blurted “I don’t!”
(It was a lie, he did. It was because his family was a sore topic. It was a Tommy thing, not a Tommy-and-Tubbo thing.)
“Well.” You stopped and crossed your arms. “I want to know.”
Tommy scoffed. “Lay it off. You’re not special.”
Tubbo winced. “Y/N, I think you should leave it alone.”
You rolled your eyes. “Fine, I was just messing with you. I just really wanted to meet your family, you know?”
Oh God.
Tommy stopped in his tracks and swiveled to meet your gaze. “My family is none of your fucking business.”
“Okay, okay. Sorry for prying.” You shoved your hands into your pockets and went back to kicking the ice lining the curb.
Tubbo let out a sigh of relief. For a brief second. the tense moment passes.
“Phil invited me to dinner once, you know,” you chirped, ending all of Tubbo’s hopes for peace and nonviolence.
Tubbo’s gaze whips to Tommy. His head was down, so he couldn’t see his expression, but his shoulders were still stiff. He scoffs. “Well I’m glad you said no. Even Tubbo doesn’t come to dinner.”
“Rude,” you huff. “I think dinner would be fun.”
“So why’d you say no?” Tubbo couldn’t help himself, he was curious.
“I was worried you’d be mad,” you admit. “Angry Tommy is annoying to deal with.”
“I’m not angry.”
“Yes you are.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Am-”
“Hey Tommy are we still going to work on that book report together?” Tubbo blurts, ever the peacemaker.
“Oh.” He groans. “I forgot about that. I hate that shit. I think I have a D in that class.”
“Isn’t Techno a master at English? He could help you.” Either you were an award-winning actor or you were genuinely terrible at reading between the lines. (Tubbo knew it was the former, he wasn’t stupid. He just liked having a second option, a faint hope that maybe you weren’t as mischievous as he thought.)
“He won’t help me with shit.” There was a bitter tone to his voice.
“Oh. I’m sorry.” Tubbo had to give it to you, you sounded genuinely apologetic.
Tommy shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. “Don’t be guilty, blame him for being an asshole.”
“You really hate your brothers, don’t you.”
“You’re mentioning my family again.”
“Whoops.” There goes all traces of guilt and apology. Tubbo had to stop giving you chances. “It slipped out.”
Tubbo sighed; peacemaking was tiring. “Do you want to watch a movie tonight?”
“Civil War,” you blurt. “Can we watch Civil War?”
Tubbo wrinkled his nose. “I thought we agreed we weren’t watching that again.”
“We should watch Ant-Man,” Tommy suggests. “There’s a showing tonight.”
Your eyes widen. “Are we sneaking in?”
“Yeah, why the hell not?” Tommy was becoming Tommy again, the rebellious kid who shrugged off all sense of rules and responsibility. “Tubbo, you’re on snack duty.”
Tubbo already knew that, but he nodded anyway. “Alright.”
“Can we do kettle corn this time? I’m sick of butter.” You looked toward Tommy with pleading eyes. (Tubbo again found himself hoping you weren’t purposely trying to oppose Tommy in every way possible.)
“Wait,” Tubbo interjected, “I thought we agreed just snacks, no popcorn. We almost got caught last time.”
“No, that’s because Tommy insisted on extra butter and the entire theatre could smell the popcorn from a mile away,” you scoffed. You turned towards Tommy, obviously looking for a reaction. Tommy scowled. “Kettle corn sucks.”
“Well I like it.”
“Well too bad. My rule overrules yours.”
Tommy scoffed. “Since when?”
You tilted your chin up. “Since now.”
Tommy grumbled something Tubbo didn’t catch. “Fine, no popcorn, whatever. Tubbo, you better bring extra snacks.”
Tubbo nodded.
“Y/N, if you’re late we’re ditching you.” Tommy grinned seeing the offended look on your face. “Literally so rude,” you huffed. “This is slander.”
“We almost missed the movie last time,” Tubbo explained on Tommy’s behalf.
“My tire went flat!”
“Does it look like I give a shit?” Tommy leveled his gaze with yours. “If you’re late, no movie. That's the rule.”
“Tubbo,” you turned your hurt expression towards him. “Tell Tommy to be nicer.”
Tubbo shrugged. “It’s a movie.”
“This is slander. I hate it here.”
“Then leave,” Tommy challenged, a steely glint in his eyes.
You returned it with your own silent challenge. “No.”
“Look, we’re almost at my house!” Tubbo says, pointing across the street. (Peacemaker Tubbo, back at it again. He deserved an award.) He squints, seeing a brown blur run across his neighbors lawn. “Woah, it’s that weird rabbit again.”
“Pog, we should try catching it,” Tommy says, running towards it.
“Animal cruelty!” you shriek, following after him.
Tubbo smiles, a little tiredly. The puzzle pieces were scuffed and bumpy and didn’t fit quite right, but nothing starts perfectly. You, Tommy, and Tubbo would fit together eventually.
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