(TW, vomiting[Not graphic])

The stress ball stuck to the ceiling for approximately two seconds before falling back down, nearly hitting Tommy in the face. He grabbed it and threw it at the ceiling again.

Rinse and repeat.

Life was... looking up for Tommy Innit, for the first time in a while. 

Apart from the fact that he hadn't seen hide nor hair of Tubbo or Ranboo in the past... month or so, which was really odd considering the fact that they lived together.

But did they live together anymore? If Tommy's stuff was still at the apartment, then didn't he still live there? Or maybe they'd thrown it all away.

...Whatever. They were probably better off anyway. Tommy was the one who ate most of the food and made all the mistakes, so weren't they glad he was gone?

Tubbo probably was. He was loyal and headstrong, but also very, very stubborn. And he always took insult to injury which would make the whole thing a lot worse.

Ranboo was more complicated. He always looked at every side of the situation, but he probably had a warped view of what happened since Tubbo had been the one to fill him in on the fight. Totally unfair! And he always took Tubbo's side anyway.

But at least he'd be more pliable. More... flexible.

Like his fingers. Those long-ass fucking things bent way too weirdly.

Giving up on throwing the stress ball as it fell back onto the bed, Tommy stood up and trudged out into the hallway. Phil was sitting in the living room looking at some brown-leather book that filled his lap. 

Curious, Tommy walked over. Phil looked up as he approached, grinning amiably. "Heya, mate."

"Hey," Tommy mumbled, looking down at the book. It was filled with plastic pockets and the plastic pocket things all had photos in them.

Photos of two kids baking cookies, photos of a brown-haired boy clinging onto a blue sheep as a woman with black hair tugged on his shoulder gently, photos of ice cream-

Hold on a minute. Was that kid... Wilbur?? Tommy's eyes flicked over the page and widened as he realized, yes, that was very much Wilbur.

Itty-bitty-baby-Wilby who was- Was he eating sand in that picture? The picture(Or pictures) in question was a string of photos in rapid succession.

The first one was of Wilbur, one of his hands in the sandbox and the other in his mouth, the next was of him grabbing more sand, the third was one where a(Oh gods-) younger Phil was barely in frame, and the last one was of Wilbur being tugged away from the sandbox, cheeks full of what was, likely, sand.

A smile tugged at Tommy's lips as he glanced at the next picture, one of Wilbur tackle-hugging another brown-haired boy who had a wide, laughing expression on his face. Who was-

Oh.

Oh.

Tommy burst into Techno's room.

"YOUR HAIR USED TO BE BROWN???" He asked between wheezes, collapsing on the floor and rolling around and almost - almost - being impaled by Techno's Floor Palisdes™

Techno huffed and Tommy could see his cheeks turning red. "How'd yeh- Was Phil showing off the damn photo album again??"

There was a hint of resignation in his voice like he knew what was going to happen.

"AWWWWH, SWEETIE-BOY TECHNO WITH HIS SHORTIE BROWN HAIR AND ITTY-BITTY CUTE SMILEEEE~" Tommy cooed loudly, still rolling around and dying on the rug.

The furrow-crease lines in Techno's forehead got deeper and Tommy was pretty sure his face was going to be stuck like that if he stayed that way for much longer.

But honestly, did he really expect Tommy to not tease him about having short brown hair when his hair was now fucking long and pink??

Not that it looked bad; Tommy was sure Techno would look cool even if his hair was shoulder-length and bubblegum blue.

"Anyway..." Tommy hummed. "Who was that woman in the photos? The one with the black hair?"

Techno's eyes fixed very pointedly on a spot in the wall. "Oh..." He mumbled. "You saw her..."

Tommy's expression morphed into one of confusion. "Yeah. Bit hard to miss, innit?" Why was Techno acting so... weird?

Techno sighed. It wasn't an annoyed sigh like the ones he usually did, instead it sounded more genuine; more... what's the word... sincere?

"That," He began, and Tommy could tell he didn't particularly want to talk about it. But damn it, Tommy was curious and he wanted answers.

"That's..." He was hesitating again. Jeez, who would make Techno, the stoic, tall, fearsome warrior this... nervous? This on-edge?

Techno sighed and the words came rushing out of him. "That was my mother."

"...Oh." Tommy said. he was less disturbed at the fact that Techno and Wilbur had a mom - Phil had a wife - than he was concerned about the fact Techno said 'was'.

Tommy wanted to push for more answers; to ask questions, but Techno looked so incredibly out of it that it was freaking Tommy out.

Deciding to change the subject and(hopefully) diffuse the tension, Tommy looked around the room for something else to ask about. His eyes landed on the book - the one Techno had been reading the whole month.

The Art Of War by Sun Tzu. The red-bound book was pretty regal-looking with a golden dragon emblazoned on the front.

"You've been reading that book for literally the entire month," He spoke up, trying to sound less awkward than he felt.

Techno's eyes glanced over at the book. "Yeah..." He mumbled. "Dyslexia."

"Oh!" Tommy said, the word tying everything together. "Yeah, my... my old roommate has that..."

The room shifted into uncomfortable silence.

"I'm just gonna..." Tommy mumbled as he shuffled towards the door. "Nice, uh, nice talk, big man, I'm, uh, sorry 'bout your mum..."

Tommy didn't know what else to say so he just ducked out of the room, stepping lightly down the hall. Wilbur was in a closed-off room in the house, which was soundproof so that he could practice his music.

Obviously, that meant Tommy had to go bug him.

So he trotted down the hall, still a bit off-put by the interaction with Techno. The door to the music room was through a hallway in Phil's room, so Tommy entered. He'd seen the room a few times in passing, but now he took a moment to admire it.

Green silk curtains, a dark wood bedframe, grey and light green bedding, and a door to what was likely the master bathroom.

But to the side of the bed was another door; one that Tommy knew led to the music room. So he opened the door, stepping inside and immediately being his by the chords of the acoustic guitar. 

Wilbur was, admittedly, a very good guitarist. But of course, Tommy would never tell him that.

Wilbur looked totally enraptured in his music, foot tapping aimlessly on the ground while his fingers picked at the chords systematically. His music wasn't just music, though, it was chock-full of emotions. That's where Tommy was taken by surprise.

Wilbur was a very emotional person, but for some reason, it had never occurred to Tommy that he played with the same level of raw emotion as he interacted with. Well, not until a couple of weeks prior, at least.

A few seconds later, WIlbur's eyes flicked up and the playing stopped abruptly. "How long have you been there?" He asked curiously.

"A minute or so," Tommy shrugged. "I felt like bothering you."

Wilbur's lips twisted into a faint smirk mixed with somewhat of a soft smile. Then, a spark lit up in his eye.

"You know, Tommy..." He said eagerly, setting the guitar to the side and springing up from where he was sitting. "I've got a little secret to share with you."

Tommy perked up, tilting his head slightly. "Secret?" He asked suspiciously. "What kind of secret?"

"The top-secret kind," Wilbur said, striding decisively past Tommy and out of the music room.

Tommy huffed but followed. Wilbur may be an idiot, but Tommy was interested in hearing what this 'secret' was.

So he followed Wilbur down the hall, past Techno's room, and into WIlbur's room(Which Tommy was just starting to consider his as well).

Wilbur took a deep breath. "So... this is a secret that only my family knows. And... I think, maybe, you're my family."

Just hearing those words made Tommy's heart swell. He was... family? 

Wilbur continued, a twinge of a smile touching his lips. "Okay. I'm, uh, I'm just going to- Just wait a second."

He stepped into the closet and closed the door.

Tommy waited for a minute, shifting on his feet. "If this is a joke about you coming out of the closet then... your sense of humor is shit," He called warily, crossing his arms.

"Just a minute," Wilbur said, voice muffled slightly through the walls of the closet.

A few seconds later, the closet door opened slightly.

"Finally," Tommy huffed. "I was startin' to think you were-"

He cut himself off, going pale. What the fuck. Whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck- 

Somnus.

That was Somnus.

That was Somnus the hero.

Somnus the hero that had nearly killed him numerous times.

And that was Wilbur.

Somnus was Wilbur.

Wilbur was Somnus.

And Tommy's life was falling apart again.

He tried to stumble back but his feet were glued to the floor; Somnus was coming towards him; why was he so tall, Tommy couldn't run-

"So...?" Somnus the liar, Somnus the traitor said.

Tommy panicked. Somnus; Wilbur, whoever the fuck he was, was expecting an answer but Tommy's throat was closed.

"So..." He said, trying to keep his voice steady. "So you're a hero."

"Yeah," Somnus said expectantly like he was waiting for Tommy to say more. "And what do you thiiiink...?"

"That's... that's cool..." Tommy said in a raspy voice. 

Wilbur beamed. "I knew you'd think so!" He said triumphantly, hands moving to the sash on his eyes.

Tommy averted his gaze. It was like he was witnessing something illegal... Although he knew who was behind the mask, he knew his view of said person would change entirely once his face was visible again.

Tommy was vaguely aware of Wilbur's echoey voice saying, 'I'll let you process, dinner's in thirty minutes...'

He heard the sound of a door shutting and footsteps walking away through a fog and eventually, his vision blurred before focusing again.

He wasn't sure when exactly he'd sunken to his knees, but he was on his knees in the middle of Wilbur's - of Somnus's - room. 

Enemy territory.

He had to get out. He had to get out now. This was not okay; he was in danger; he wasn't safe-

Tommy's eyes darted around the room, eventually landing on the window. It was pretty small and high-up, but he'd be able to fit...

Tommy's wings flapped frantically, lifting him up to the window. He prayed to whatever higher being there was that the window was open, pulled, and-

The window slid open. Tommy, not wasting any time, shoved his head out of it. Next, his wings. Most of the gray paint went with it, flaking down and landing in Somnus's room.

Tommy forced himself out of the window, righted himself in midair, and immediately began flying. 

Anywhere would work; anywhere, as long as he was as far from Wilbur as possible.

~•~•~•~

Tommy didn't know how long he flew for. But eventually, he practically crash-landed on a building, lungs heaving.

His wings were almost entirely red now, shimmering in the faint twilight. It would have been a gorgeous sight, had Tommy not been inches away from throwing up his insides.

He stumbled to the edge of the building, fell to his knees again, leaned over the edge of the building, and threw up.

After a few seconds of coughing and trying to get his bearings, he groaned, closing his eyes and letting his head droop.

Why, gods, why me...?

Tommy heard the crunch of footsteps; a familiar sound. As long as it wasn't Somnus...

Fingers brushed his shoulder, and patted him on the back, making him cough again. He got most of the phlegm out of his throat and sighed, breathing heavily.

Part of him was curious... who was this? Somnus? An ally? An enemy?

Tommy tilted his head to the side slightly, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever it was...

Orange bandana.

Black hair.

Grey eyes.

Tommy jerked back, nearly falling off of the building to get away from Sapnap who stayed put where he had been crouching.

Tommy spread his wings, preparing to fly away, but stopped. He wasn't going to fucking run like a coward. He just survived the base of one of the most dangerous heroes - for a month! Without being discovered!

He wasn't scared.

"I'm not scared..." He whispered to himself. "I'm not fucking scared of you anymore."

He lifted his head stubbornly, staring Sapnap in the eyes. The villain didn't move, staring back with a curiosity that was very different from his normal apathetic expression.

The quiet of the night matched with the cold wind on Tommy's face was unsettling. They just... stared at each other. 

Then, Sapnap straightened up and moved his hand to his bandana. He began to pull it down.

Tommy's eyes widened and he tackled himself to the ground, throwing his wings over his head. "NO!" He screamed, shaking slightly. "NOT AGAIN!"

What if he knew Sapnap outside of being a vigilante? What if one of his friends had tried to kill him countless times, and he, them?

He heard the footsteps getting closer but he didn't care to do anything about it. A hand touched his shoulder again.

"Primes above, what happened to you..." The voice was less muffled. Tommy could only guess he'd taken the bandana off.

Tommy sat up, looking very pointedly not at Sapnap.

"Somnus..." He whispered.

He could practically hear Sapnap tensing up.

"What did Somnus do?" He asked in a warning whisper.

Tommy shook his head. "Just- just put the damn mask back on."

He heard Sapnap sigh. "My bad, Icarus, just thought I'd let you see my face since I can see yours plain as day."

Tommy froze. "I- I'm not-" He stammered before remembering:

All the paint came off.

His wings went taut. He lifted his hand, touching his face. Oh, shit. There goes his identity.

"Just... chill out, okay?" Sapnap said, voice muffled now that he'd put the bandana back over his nose and mouth. Tommy looked back cautiously, hoping he wouldn't get jumpscared by Sapnap's face or something.

"Okay, uh," Sapnap muttered. "Icarus; how about this: You... you fly away, I never saw your face, and you never saw me here, yeah?"

Tommy nodded, stepping back. "...Yeah. That's- I- Alright..."

He moved to the edge of the building. 

"Be careful," Sapnap warned, moving to the opposite edge and sitting down. He looked like he was watching for something.

Not wanting to stick around to see if the 'something' was Dream, Tommy spread his wings and flew in the direction of...

His apartment.

~•~•~•~

Tommy hovered nervously by the window, steeling himself. He took a breath, reached his hand out, and tugged on it.

...His second unlocked window of the night!

He slid in, closing it quietly behind him. The apartment was cold and silent, and Tommy assumed Ranboo and Tubbo were asleep.

He nearly bumped into Tubbo's workbench, managing to slip past without anything falling. His eyes flickered to the front door and he walked past. The living room was pretty much connected to Tubbo's workroom/the dining room/the kitchen, but separated by approximately half a wall.

The couch looked incredibly inviting.

Tommy walked over, sinking down onto it and sighing quietly. His eyes closed. 

So what if he fell asleep in an uncomfortable position? So what if he had technically been breaking-and-entering? And so what if he was woken up by a harsh slap to the face?

So what if his nose was just maybe broken?

Words: 2,550

Fun fact! I was on the edge of making the Tommy-Sapnap interaction go very differently. I had 3 drafts in mind; the first one was one where Tommy ran into Dream as well as Sapnap and proceeded to beat the shit out of him in the sheer rage he felt(But getting withered in the process).

The second draft was very different; basically, it started where Tommy said 'Somnus...' The plan was to have Somnus actually be there, looking for Tommy(Ofc). He sees Tommy, then he sees Tommy with Sapnap, then he sees Tommy's wings. He gets all angry, under the impression that Sapnap and Tommy are working together and that he revealed his identity to a potential villain's ally(Of course he doesn't quite put together that Tommy is icarus bc he's a bit of a dumbass). Then, as Somnus tries to attack, shouting accusations like ;i trusted you' or 'villain', Sapnap steps in to help protect Tommy(Which solidifies in Wilbur's mind that his so-called brother is a villain).

But then Sapnap says, angrily, 'There's a hero, a villain, and a vigilante on this rooftop right now and only one of us is innocent. So you better back the hell off.' or something like that.

That's when Wilbur's idiot neurons connect and he realizes that he has tried to kill his brother, Tommy, a lot. 

After that, Tommy would leave quickly and Sapnap would presumably attack Somnus. So it's not pretty, but it's something. 

And then there's the third draft, this one!

Which one did y'all prefer?

Draft 1(Sapnap and Dream)

Draft 2 (Sapnap and Somnus)

Draft 3 (Just Sapnap[The official one!])

Have a great day!(Also i added like 300 words with that little blurb sooo uuh

Words: 2827

Have a great day, sleep, eat, and kiss the homies!

-ITCFWI