Slight Angst? Maybe? Idk I intend for this to be a happy ending at least. Also, this is a birthday gift for my chaotic angst child TheMossyMadame

Let's get to it!

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Things haven't been very easy for Tommy the past few years. The whole mess that had been L'Manburg, the battle with Dream, the exile, his death and revival and worst of all probably, the return of Wilbur.

He should be happy, he tries to be, it's his brother after all. His beloved brother who he loves more than anything, even more than his discs... but he can't find it in himself to be excited. This... new Wilbur was different. He was confusing and annoying and arrogant as shit, not at all the warm, cheery and hopeful man that Tommy remembered his brother to be.

Even Ghostbur, despite his memory and emotional issues, had been a far better brother than this revived piece of shit. He's constantly talking about himself, about what he has to do and fix, him him him. It was frustrating. And then this stupid fight with Quackity that he dragged and killed Ranboo in, taking one of his lives. He was close to reaching Dream level of insanity, though that shouldn't be a surprise with how he worshiped the guy.

"There has to be a better way to go about this. Maybe I bring them gifts to say sorry? Or I could try and find some stuff from L'Manburg, but most of that is gone. Maybe Phil knows something, he had to do a lot of apologizing after I was gone, I imagine. I could just-" "Gods will you stop with that?! Some people just don't want your apology!" Wilbur turned to face his brother, a bored expression on his face.

"Well I can't just not do anything. That's just rude and common knowledge Toms. I thought you knew that." There it was again. That passive aggressive talking down on him, as if he was a small, stupid child. The way he talked to him ever since his revival. No, ever since Pogtopia. It only made him hate this version of his brother more.

"Yes you can. Some people hate you and won't forgive you. You've done some horrible stuff to them. Deal with it." "Well I still want to apologize so they know I'm sorry." Tommy groaned, rubbing his face in his hands. "Gods you are so annoying and stupid and I hate you so much you bitch." A smirk settled on Wilbur's lips. "Oh yeah? You follow me around a lot for someone that hates me."

Tommy flinched. Yes, he had been following Wilbur around, even helped build that stupid burger van. But where else can he go? To who else can Tommy turn to? Tubbo hasn't been the same since Ranboo's permanent death, now mostly focused on keeping Micheal safe while having a weird Ghostboo around him. He hasn't seen Jack or Fundy in ages and Quackity has turned into a maniac too. Most people don't even look at him when he passes, either mad at him for some reason or busy with their own shit.

Wilbur was the only person he had. Well, besides his son Shroud of course.

"That's what I thought. I'm the only one that wants you around huh? That happens when you live with that 'let everything fix itself' attitude of yours." Tommy bit his tongue, desperately trying to keep the tears in. He won't cry, not in front of this stupid bastard. But with every repetition of these words, Wilbur, his brother, the man he sacrificed everything for, was starting to sound more and more like Dream. How he talked to Tommy during exile, how he manipulated him.

He doesn't want to be manipulated again. He doesn't want to be some puppet or toy to play with.

How did he escape from this last time? He ran away from it, from exile. He ran and hid away with Techno and Phil, who protected him from Dream. But now Techno hated him, probably would shoot him if he saw him near is property. Tommy can't really blame him for it. It took him forever to realize, but the Piglin was in the right with his hatred. He had betrayed him... and Techno betrayed him. They were both at fault.

Phil doesn't hate him though. Maybe he's a bit disappointed, but not angry. He even protected him after Dream escaped prison! Surely he wouldn't push him away... he's his father.

But... could he go back to them? Would they allow him to stay? It probably was his only chance of getting away from this manipulative prick, so it might be worth a shot. If he just goes home to Shroud, he will break in a matter of hours and run back to Wilbur. He knows he will, because he hates being alone. Has hated it ever since exile.

Even if Techno hated him, Phil would let him stay in his house. Right?

"Hello? Tommy? Earth to Tommy are you there?" Wilbur flicked his finger against the blonde's forehead, making him hiss and shove him away. "Fuck off." "Yeah yeah. Let's go and try finding Niki. I still have to talk to her." Tommy took a few steps after Wilbur before stopping.

No. He doesn't want to follow his brother around and listen to more apologies. Sometimes he even thinks they are just half hearted. "Tommy? You coming?" With a deep, shaky breath, he shook his head no.

"I don't want to. I'm tired of hearing your stupid apologies. I'm going home. Shroud will wake up from his nap soon." The brunette eyed his younger brother, raising his eyebrow. "Oh really?" Tommy met his gaze head on, if only to hide his nervousness. "Yes, really. I'm going to be a responsible parent, unlike someone."

Wilbur hummed, nodding his head. "Understandable. Phil hasn't been a good rolemodel to you lately. Focused more on his little hut with Techno." Tommy wanted to burst with rage, wanted to scream at Wilbur that Phil is still caring for him, more than Wilbur was anyways. That Wilbur had been the shit parent to his own kid. But he just turned around and walked home, focusing on not looking back to that traitor.

He walked home, packed his meger belongings from his ruined base, which added up to only one full bag and the rest in his enderchest, grabbed a still half asleep Shroud and headed for the nether portal. Anything was better than having to spend another second near that living corpse.

---

The icy wind bit at his skin when he left the portal, endless snowy plains stretched out before him. A few snowflakes were starting to fall, making him huff and wrap his coat tighter around Shroud. The small Spider hybrid looked around with wide eyes, having never seen so much snow before.

"Snow!" Tommy smiled, ruffling fluffy black hair. "Yeah. A lot of snow." He started walking towards the edge of the spruce forest, determined to reach the twin cottages in it's heart before nightfall.

"Where go?" "We are visiting Grandpa and uncle Techno. They live in a small house around here." Shroud cheered, all six of his legs wriggling in excitement. He had only met Techno once and Phil very few times, but had immediately taken a liking to them both. Phil because he spoiled him rotten with little gifts and praises and Techno for being a hybrid like him.

It didn't take that long to cross through the forest, since he knew exactly where he was going. "Papa look!" Shroud pointed at the thin beam of light shooting up into the sky, signaling the location of an active beacon. "That's grandpa's beacon. Almost there."

A few moments later they reached the edge of the clearing. It was just as he remembered. Twin cottages right in the center, connected through a shared porch and a small lake underneath. Carl's stable, the small farms to supply food, all the dogs and crows playing around the area.

After taking a deep breath, Tommy entered the fenced area. Some wolves ran over to greet him, licking at his hand to try and get pats and scratches. He smiled and knelt down to give a few cuddles, which Shroud giggling and squealing as he pet the animals. At least the dogs still like him. Some crows came over as well, cawing and settling on his head and shoulders, while others circled him with excited trills and chirps.

Soon enough, all the barking and cawing caught the attention of the residents. Phil was the first to leave his house, dressed in that weird matching outfit with Techno. Once he spotted Tommy he jumped down the stairs and hurried towards his son. "Tommy!"

Tommy stood up, letting Shroud continue to cuddle the dogs. He wasn't sure what he expected Phil to do, but it wasn't being pulled into a crushing hug with one healthy wing tightly curling around him. "Hey dad..." "How are you? It's been a while since I saw you. Is Dream following you again? What's with the bag?"

Tommy gently pushed Phil away, spotting Techno standing on the porch and watching them. "No, it's not Dream that I'm trying to avoid. But we are hiding from someone... I didn't know who else to turn to." Phil looked up at him with sad eyes, slowly nodding. "Alright, let's get you two inside. You are not dressed appropriately for this weather."

Now Tommy nodded, watching as Phil knelt down and grinned when an excited Shroud ran over to him. "Granpa!" "Heya mate! Wow you've grown since last time!" Tommy smiled as he followed his father towards the cottage, who carried a very excitedly talking Shroud. His English may be a little broken, but it seems like they can hold conversation pretty easily.

They passed by Techno, who gave him a neutral look that definitely was supposed to keep all his feelings secret. Well he hasn't shot Tommy yet, so it was a win in his book.

Sort of.

---

Philza was both very excited and very nervous about Tommy being here. Excited, because his youngest came back to him, came back to the nest knowing he'd be safe there, but nervous for the exact same reason. Someone was after them again, after his family. He won't allow anything to happen to his nestling again. Dream already did enough damage.

"So, who is this person following you?" They were seated around the kitchen table with warm mugs of tea, with Techno silently leaning against the counter. Tommy played with his mug, not immediately answering. That alone gave Phil a bad feeling.

"It's... it's Wilbur." Phil's heart dropped. "Wil? What did he do?" Tommy's hands were shaking when he took a sip from his mug. "He's going absolutely mental. He's on this weird apologizing trip and drags me around like some servant or accessory. It's creepy and... and..." He sniffed, quickly wiping at his eyes with his sleeve. It broke Phil's heart to see his youngest like this.

"He's talking like Dream, dad. He's guilt-tripping and manipulating me, talking to me like I'm a stupid little kid. It's getting worse the more frustrated he gets. He even caused Ranboo to lose one of his lives because he has this stupid fight with Quackity!"

Tommy took a few shaky breaths after that, staring down into his mug. Phil glanced over at Shroud, who was blissfully unaware and drawing away with a bunch of colored pencils. "I... had hoped he would get better. He seemed alright when he came visit with you." Sad blue met with burning red for a few moments before he turned back to Tommy.

"I should have known he will be different. He and Ghostbur are split apart now... his happiness and innocence gone with him. He had already been gone when I found him with that button, ready to end it all, no matter the consequences." His injured wing twitched, phantom pain making it ache and burn again. Sometimes he can still see it, relives the moment in his nightmares over and over again.

Then, with a quiet voice, he added: "He hasn't come visit after that one time with you. No letter, no message or call. Nothing. Told me he needed a place to stay, which I would have happily given to him, tried to fix things with him. But he never came back."

It hurt to acknowledge it out loud. It felt... final.

A warm hand settled on his shoulder, offering comfort and something to focus on. "I'm sorry Phil... You tried everything you could. It's not your fault he turned this way." A teary laugh was the answer. "Oh it is my fault, at least partially. I raised him after all... I could have tried harder, fought harder to stop him, could have-" "Phil."

Techno forced him to look at him, red eyes showing the slightest bit of sorrow. "Thinking about all the what ifs won't change what happened. You tried your best, took blame for things that weren't your fault, tried to fix what was salvageable. You. Did. Nothing. Wrong."

The avian sighed, fighting down the tears as he nodded. This wasn't about him anyways. This was about Tommy. He was watching the two interact, something sad in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I... I know I did a lot of shit things to you... mostly you Techno. And... while I still think you did a lot of shit things too... I know I wasn't in the right either."

Techno eyed him for a few moments, carefully observing every movement he made. "Where did all that maturity suddenly come from?" Tommy gave a sad smile. "Probably all the trauma to be honest." Techno huffed, the slightest twitch of a smile. "I accept your apology. I did things you would consider wrong, but I do not regret them. I was clear from the start what I wanted to do and I did it."

He finally sat down in the free chair, leaning his elbows on the table. "But... I'm sorry too... for hurting you." Tommy nodded, now a real smile on his face. "Thank you..." Techno nodded, looking over to Phil, who was smiling too.

"Alright. Now with that heavy stuff off the table... you and Shroud are welcomed to stay here as long as you need. You can have the room I had prepared for Wil, but he obviously doesn't want it anymore. Do you want a second bed for Shroud or do you share one?" "I'll share with Shroud. Thank you dad. I'll try and repay you for this."

Phil trilled and reached over to take his hand. Shard talons gently stroke over soft skin as he squeezed his son's hand. "There is no need for that. The only thing I need is knowing that you are safe songbird." Tommy nearly teared up when hearing the nickname again. It's been a while since Phil had used any of the kids nicknames for them.

He sniffed, still smiling. "Thank you... love you dad." Phil smiled, just as teary. "Love you too baby bird."

Wilbur may be beyond reasoning, no longer the boy he raised.

But that doesn't mean he can't try to fix that small bit of family he had left.

It won't be easy, trauma and hurt running deep in all of them, but they were willing to try.

Try being a family again.

(Hope you enjoyed :D Some small wholesome ending)