Tommy was shaking, holding himself as he sat in silence. It was even worse since all he saw was pitch black. He didn't like this, being alone. He didn't like being alone, it scared him. His tail wrapped around himself, a shaky sigh leaving him. He had stopped crying a while ago, now only dried salty tear tracks left in their place. What if Technoblade didn't come back? What if something happened to him to prevent him from coming back? What if he was hurt? Tommy needed Technoblade, his big brother. He had been keeping him safe, helping him with his disability, and helping him work through his own messed-up mental state. He couldn't live on his own, he knew he couldn't. 

But, what if his thoughts were right? What if Techno wasn't coming back? He was scared, he didn't know what to do. Technoblade had told him to hide until he got home, and that is exactly what he would do. So, for hours he sat under that bed, shaking in fear. Eventually, he heard the door open, letting the windy outside in. Tommy was too scared to move. What if he left his hiding place and it wasn't Technoblade? Even if the footsteps sound like his older brother, he couldn't be sure. "Tommy?" His voice, Tommy felt relief fill him. "Tommy, are you ok? Where are you?" The blond scrambled out from under his bed running towards where the ladder was to get down to the first floor. Technoblade was right behind him when he came down, and Tommy couldn't help but smile at the other. But, his face fell at the iron smell of blood. 

"Techno..?" He reached out, grabbing onto the olders arm in the process. "Why do you smell like blood? What happened?" A long pause filled the room, and then a sigh from the piglin hybrid. 

"Let's just say, I now despise L'manburg with a passion." The raccoon frowned at his confession, curiosity peeking into his brain. 

"Why? What did they do?" Technoblade led the other towards the living room, sitting both of them down before explaining. 

"They tried to kill me, in a very brutal way." He says, making Tommy pale at the thought. "I almost died to an anvil- they were going to kill me by squashing me with an anvil." His voice was bitter, angry, and cold. Tommy himself was angry, why would they purposefully look for Technoblade after he retired? He wasn't a threat anymore, the older brother living happily in the snow. "I want to blow the country to bits." The piglin hybrid admits. 

"Do it." It was a whisper, and Tommy still couldn't believe he said it, but here he was, his pale blue eyes wide and jaw set in determination. 

"Are you sure?" If Tommy was being honest, L'manburg stopped being his home when he came here. No one in L'maburg cared about Tommy, no one bothered to visit the teen, and that's what hurt more than being left to die by Dream. It hurt knowing he wouldn't be missed. No one would probably have known he was dead unless Dream said something, and even then Dream probably hasn't said anything. They all probably thought he was still rotting away in exile, alone and depressed. 

"Yeah. I-um... I can help where I can." He smiled, patting his brother's arm as he finished talking. Technoblade ruffled the raccoon's hair, the hybrid in response folding his ears back and grimacing. He'd never let the older brother know he actually enjoyed this type of attention, since it's been so long since he had received it. 

"Ok, Tomorrow we start your battle training." Tommy perked at the mention of battle training, something he'd been waiting for forever. The blond couldn't help but smile brightly, jumping off the couch and pumping his fists in the air in victory. 

"YES! Finally!" Techno laughed from his seat on the couch. 

"Ok, now, bed." The older grumbles after Tommy's excitement. The raccoon's happy smile faltered at the mention of bed, where he would be alone, all night. 

"I-um.. uh, can I... not?" Silence.

"Heh?" He heard his older brother stand after that, probably a confused expression covering his face. "What do you mean? You need sleep." Tommy knew he needed sleep, but he knew he'd freak out if he was alone again. 

"I just- I don't want to be alone, ok?" He snapped, crossing his arms. "The- what just happened really f-freaked me out, and I just don't wanna go to bed alone." After a few seconds he could hear a sigh leave the piglin hybrid. 

"You can sleep with me, I don't mind." It was weird hearing the older brother say that. It had been years since they had slept in the same bed, when they had been younger they used to though. Tommy used to sneak into Technoblade's room after having nightmares, or just when he was scared in general. Technoblade would always just grumble a 'whatever' and make room for his little brother to snuggle in. It was always comforting to young Tommy that his older brother was there to protect him.

They had a good childhood, up to the point when Wilbur and Technoblade fought when he found out Wilbur had gotten some salmon hybrid pregnant, Phil hearing about it too also reprimanded his sixteen-year-old son, which made the bird hybrid leave, taking a confused and scared Tommy with him. After that, everything became... violent. 

Tommy nodded at Technoblade's words leaning into the older in the process. The raccoon seemed exhausted, but somehow forced his dull blue eyes to stay awake. Seeing as Tommy's eyes were closing slowly, Techno stood up, forcing the teen to get up as well, earning him a groan of protest. "I don't want to move...too tired..." The piglin hybrid rolled his eyes. 

"You have to, unless you wanna sleep down here alone?" Tommy stood up at that, forcing his legs to work right. 

"Tired..." The teen whined. 

"You've said." The taller sighed, forcing the boy to crawl up the ladder to the second floor. 

🍃 🍃 🍃

Technoblade was facing the wall, eyes half closed and ready to drift off when he felt the other behind him shift. "I was scared, you know." Tommy's voice was a whisper as he spoke. "I didn't know what was happening, I didn't know if you were alright or not." Technoblade turned in his bed to look over towards his little brother, who looked distant as he spoke. "I was afraid I was going to be alone again." Techno frowned at his last words. 

"I'm not leaving, Tommy." The raccoon smiled softly, Tommy opening his mouth to say something, but the piglin hybrid kept going. "Thank you, by the way." The blond looked confused, eyes reopening. 

"For what?" 

"I don't know if it was your paranoia, but you suggesting I take a totem of undying saved my life." Tommy smiled at that, before realization hit him. He looked over, dull eyes turning dark. 

"They really were that close to killing you?" The older brother was silent for a moment. 

"Yeah, but you know I can't die. Technoblade never dies, remember?" Tommy smiled, rolling his blind eyes in the process. Technoblade reached over, ruffling the boy's hair with a smile before turning back to his side, closing his eyes finally. "Good night, Toms." 

"Good night, Techno." Finally, sleep took over the two brothers. 

Morning. . . 

    Tommy fell on his ass, sword flying out of his hand in the process. The snow cushioned his fall though, now huffing in annoyance as he was sure Technoblade was smirking down at the younger. "Well, we're off to a good start I think." He snickers, reaching to grab the raccoon's hand to help the other up. When he did stand, Technoblade handed over the raccoon's lost sword. "But, we still have a lot of work to do." Tommy sighed, taking the sword finally. 
   
"I thought this would be a bit easier." The blond grumbled. 
   
"It'll take some time to learn, Tommy. You can't expect something like this to click right away." Techno consoles, Tommy only nodded his head in agreement. "Now, from the-" 
   
"Tommy?" A breathless voice asks, making the blonds ears perk. He paled when he realized who the voice belonged to, slowly turning in the direction with huge eyes. "Tommy? H-how?" It was Phil's voice. Just hearing the man made memories slowly fill his head, making the raccoon hybrid curl in on himself. Technoblade must have noticed his brother's change in attitude, standing in front of the other. 
   
"Dad-" 
   
"Techno? Wha- What is going on?!" The father sounded frustrated, hurt, maybe even sad. "How is Tommy alive? Why didn't you tell me he was alive?!" Hearing the man yelled made Tommy shiver, the blond squeezing his eyes shut before bolting in the direction of the house. "Tommy?! TOMMY!" Even with the bird hybrid yelling from behind him, he never stopped running.