Tommy stared at the ceiling as he lay on his couch.

He was so done.

Not only did Kh´a´rd, the little strider he met not too long ago, bring his mood down to the negatives, but he also felt so useless.

Useless.

He could have offered the strider a place to live where they wouldn't have had to fear anything or anyone. He could've stopped them from leaving and helped it recover from its injuries.

But what was he doing instead? Tommy was doing nothing. He could go out and search for Kh´a´rd and help the little guy, or he could just build something and make this place safer. He could meet the Piglin, visit the fortress, make any kind of progress, really.

But, instead, he just lay on his couch and pondered about all the things he could do. All the things he could, but wouldn´t do, because of his shitty as fuck mood.
And then he regretted it.

Who knew, maybe someone or something needed his help as the protector or whatever he was. But no. He was laying still like a rock in this shit-hole of a home.

Maybe he just needed to give up. Stop this nonsense of a life of fear and idiocy and just end it all.

Maybe he should.

Tommy sighed loudly, sitting up and staring at the wooden flower he worked on before. He needed to get his mind off whatever all of this was before he did something irreversible. Something stupid.

Who was he kidding, everything he did was stupid, wasn't it?

The young blond decided to get out of his home. He needed to do something that would occupy his mind. Something that would stop these thoughts.

What about Dream? He was waiting for Tommy. He was out there, out in the open, searching for him.

He can´t get out.

Tommy took a few deep breaths, readying himself to get out. He put his gold boots and iron armor on (which did not protect him enough). He walked out of his home and noticed how many more giant warped mushrooms occupied his vision. How long was the last time he went outside? It couldn't have been more than a few hours, right?

Did he lose track of time?

And he forgot to clean up the mess of a hideout he built! There were obviously too many things he put in one place when he tried hiding everything.

He should´ve fixed it by now.

“Ugh”, he groaned, annoyed by his lazy procrastinating ass. He wasn't like this before his time in exile. He wasn't like this before at all! He was the one dragging Tubbo with him across the SMP in the mornings, doing who knows what shit they came up with. He was the one waking Wilbur and everyone else up!

But Wilbur was dead and Tubbo hated him. Tubbo hated him and Dream was after him. They were all after him. They all were, and they will find him and then he would go back to exile or prison because he was hated and was just a child and-

Tommy slapped his cheeks, refocusing on the blues around him. He was done being moody.

And Dream wouldn't find him. He wouldn't.

He hoped so at least.

“AGH WHATEVER!”, he yelled, stomping off towards the clearing he met the Piglin at before. Perhaps he could ask them about how they made their potions, so he could get some water. Fire resistance potions were disgusting and he didn't want to trade the Piglin for fire resistance potions, just to survive.

He shivered at the thought of the taste. It wasn´t often that he got to take one of those drugs, but whenever he did, he couldn't help but feel like his tongue was hairy, numb, and overall disgusting.

The nearby screeches of the endermen made the blond jump each time. He was anxious about being outside in hell again, which he shouldn't be.

The nether was his second and now first home. He should feel fine in this place.

So why was he so anxious now?

Because he wasn't safe.

He knew that, but it was better than the overworld!

Tommy sighed as the screeches became more and more distant and the popping of lava became louder and louder. He looked up ahead, seeing the clearing and some Piglin wandering. He moved some wines aside, stepping out of the blue biome. Once at the clearing, he saw a few Piglin walking around and chatting with one another in groups, holding their trusty weapons in their hooves. The blond went to them, the Piglin staring at him like he was some kind of attraction.

It made him uncomfortable.

And he gets loud when he is uncomfortable. Annoyed by the stares, and already in an alert state and bad mood, he glares at all the eyes that even dared look at him funnily. “Calm down, Tommy. Calm down.”, he whispered to himself, trying his best not to burst out in annoyance. He ended up approaching a smaller Piglin group, two to be exact, as his glare ceased to be, trying his best not to seem rude. The two were around his height and built slightly muscular.
Not too intimidating.

“Oh, if it isn´t the Protector himself!”, the one standing right cheered with a female voice, while the other grunted in what seemed to be annoyance. Tommy smiled nervously, unsure whether approaching this group was the right idea. “Hi…”, he greeted with a small wave.

“How can we help you?”, the positive Piglin asked, the other gripping their weapon tighter. It didn't go unnoticed by Tommy as he made sure a shield and weapon were in his hot bar. “Do you know how you make potions?”, he asked, staring at the two Piglin. The nicer of the two noticed the tension and hit their friend on the back of his head, giving them a side glare. “Stop that.”, she said and turned to Tommy, “Sorry. He's all protective because I'm pregnant.”, she chuckled nervously. “Now apologize.”, she commanded her partner who refused.

Tommy was taken aback by her words. “Uhm. Uh. Congratulations?”, he said unsure, noticing how the male of the two still glared at him, but loosened his grip on his weapon. “Thank you.”, she said with a smile, her sharp tusks shining in the warm light of fire. “And what did you need from us again? I´m sorry, I didn't pay enough attention.”

“I want to get my hands on water.”, he said, looking at her with an understanding gaze. “You guys trade fire resistance potions after all. So, I thought that you'd know how to get some.”

“Only the elders know where the vitae grow.”, the male said, his voice deep and obviously annoyed as he grunted. “You'd have to go to the nearest community to ask them.”

Tommy looked at him in question, “Vitae? What the fuck´s that?”, he said, knowing that he was in for some trouble to get to a staple water source. The female Piglin pointed to the warped forest. “They are mushrooms like the blue ones over there, able to condense the water from the air and store it in the hard ground. The elders hide them from anyone and everyone whom they do not deem worthy of the knowledge. But they give the water to our folk periodically, so we can make potions and survive.”, she explained as Tommy listened in annoyance at the task before him.

“We are currently going towards the next community point.”, she said, pointing to the direction Tommy fled from. The place where everyone who hated him - despised him - lived and plotted his downfall. The place he swore he would stay away from.

The couple didn't want to bring him back there, right?

“We could take you-” “Absolutely not.”, the male partner of the two said with a glare. “We won't take him there.” “But dear-” “I said no.”, he refused with a stern, commanding voice.

They didn't ask Tommy – who sighed tiredly, not wanting to go back to that place -, completely forgetting about his presence, as they fought for dominance in this argument. “We would help the protector!”, she argued. “Who cares!?” “He needs our help! The nether isn't all warm and pretty!”, she flailed with her arms. “That seems more like his problem. Someone else could bring him there.” “Listen to yourself!” “I am listening to myself! And I don't want to provide for him either!”

The blond teen stood on the sidelines, watching the bickering go back and forth. He was overwhelmed, unsure of how to handle this situation. They didn´t exactly ask for his opinion either.
The surrounding Piglin stared at the scene, watching the couple fight before “the protector”, snickering and grunting in amusement. Tommy had enough of today. He wanted to go home and rest, too tired for this. But as fate would have it, he couldn´t. “Okay, I had enough!”, he exclaimed, the two Piglin glaring at him as he interrupted them.

“You two are worse than children!”, the blond continued, holding his head with his right hand in annoyance. The couple looked at each other, one in guilt, the other with a glare. “You didn't even ask me whether I wanted to go.”

“Well, do you want to come with us?”, the female asked, while the male was exasperated by her nerves. “Just listen to me for once!”, he grunted. “I will once you get your instincts under control.”, she retorted, her partner unhappy with her words, but unable to counter that.

Tommy was ready to walk away and forget all of it.

The female Piglin looked at Tommy again. “So, will you?”, she had a glimpse of happiness and hope in her black eyes. He looked at her nervously, recalling the direction she pointed to when she mentioned this “community point”. “N-No.”, he said nervously scratching the back of his head, “I´ll wait a bit more before I leave.”, he chuckled nervously. His left hand started scratching his right, his eyes darting around to avoid eye contact.

“We can wait too.”

This woman was persistent as he was when he wanted to win freedom for L'Manburg after the first war. Tommy couldn't deny it, he seriously didn't want to go there, probably going to another community point when the time to leave arose.

“I… appreciate it, but you really shouldn't.”, he reassured. The male Piglin nodded in agreement, “You are pregnant, and we should leave and get there in time before you become any weaker.” The woman glared at him, unamused by his words.

“Are you saying that I am weak?”

“I am saying that you will be if we don´t leave in time!”

“Well, then we just drag him with us.”, she huffed, grabbing Tommy´s hand and walking towards the place he dreaded to go. The blond yanked his arm away and stared at the woman, “What the fuck!?” The male Piglin, angered by the physical contact the teen and his woman shared, pushed Tommy – almost landing on the ground if he hadn't caught himself - away from his mate, glaring at both him and the female.

The woman stared angrily at her partner, “Now what!?”

Tommy could faintly hear the grunts from the onlookers, amused by the scene before them. What had he gotten himself into? He only wanted to know how to get water! Not start a fight!
“Calm your strider before you start kidnapping people.”, he said as he picked at his tusks and held her arm tightly. “I was not kidnapping anyone.”, she gasped. “You were.” “Was not.” “Were.” “I wasn´t.” “Were.” “I was only going to help him get to the elders! You know that they also want to meet him!”, she crossed her arms and pouted, her weapon hanging on her leather holster, if one could call it that.

“How about I don't go?”, Tommy butted in, regretting his decision as the female refused to give in and dragged him again. “No way. You will come with us.” “Dear, I-” “I don´t care.”, she said, the male sighing in annoyance as he finally gave in and let her kidnap Tommy, which the blond wasn't happy about.

Tommy sighed in emotional pain, unsure how to flee from this couple. He'd have to get away from this couple. And fast.

Before he was too close to that place.

Before he was found by them.

How did it even come to this?

-----

AN:
I'm cutting it real close this month, omg. I hope this was okay and not too rushed.

I'm sorry if it's bad!

I might edit this later, but have I hope you had fun reading this.

Til next chapter or something! ':D