"You've got to be fucking kidding."
Tubbo watched as Wilbur glared at his new friend. Who, one explanation later, was apparently running from the fucking mayor.
Thankfully, Phil had a soft spot for kids-and Techno went along with whatever Phil wanted. However, after taking Tommy back to their house, they encountered a small issue.
"Let me get this straight," Wilbur fumed, "You saw a stranger on the run from the fucking MAYOR- who is arguably the most DANGEROUS person in the fucking city, and you thought 'Hmm, I don't have enough trouble in my life! Let's BRING HIM TO OUR HOUSE! WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?'"
"Will!" Phil smacked the back of his son's head. "A word, please? Tommy, make yourself at home."
Wilbur grumbled as he followed Philza out of the living room and into the hallway. Tommy looked awkward. Tubbo strained to hear what they were talking about.
"We don't turn away people who need help, you know this!"
"Sometimes the risk is too great! It's one thing to help people, but they are actively searching for this kid! What happens if he gets found? Our whole operation will-"
"Hey everyone!" A cheery voice came from the kitchen. Tubbo turned towards the woman holding a plate of cookies. It was Will's friend, Niki. Tommy perked up immensely at the sight of the sweets. The woman smiled warmly at him. "And who might you be?"
"I'm Tommy!" He introduced, staring at the plate of cookies. Niki noticed and laughed.
"Here, take as many as you like!"
He didn't hesitate, grabbing handfuls of cookies and shouting thanks. His manners were horrible, but the kind woman didn't mind. The atmosphere, which was tense before, became more... relaxed. Comfortable.
Even Wilbur and Phil's arguing had died down, and they were walking back into the living room with calmer faces. Will still looked a bit displeased, but he reluctantly sighed and welcomed Tommy to their home.
Maybe things wouldn't be so bad.
Oh, fuck.
Fuck and shit and cum and piss and-
Tubbo was internally listing off all the swear words he knew.
He'd just turned on the tv to see what was going on on the news when something flashed across the screen. An emergency broadcast.
"Attention, citizens of Dream City! Please excuse this interruption. There is a wanted criminal on the loose."
A picture of Tommy was plastered on the screen.
"His name is Tommyinnit. If you have any information regarding his whereabouts, please contact the police. Do NOT engage. This is a highly dangerous and deluded individual. We are working to bring him somewhere safe where he can get the help he needs. I repeat, do NOT interact with this individual, and go straight to the police.
Now, a statement from our beloved mayor-"
Niki turned off the tv. A frown was etched on her face. Some sort of emotion was in her eyes- something dark and angry. Something familiar.
"Don't listen to that bullshit." She spat.
Meanwhile, Tommy looked panicked again. He'd tensed up and backed away in the corner. "Please don't turn me in." He begged. "Please- I can't- it's not- I-"
"We're not." Techno said. "Screw the government and the police- screw them all. Everyone here has seen first hand how corrupt the mayor is." They all nodded in agreement.
"Still though, what are we going to do?" Wilbur said. "We can't keep him here, they're likely going to start searching houses next."
"We can hide him in the base." Phil said.
Techno raised his eyebrows. "You sure we can trust him, Phil?"
"What are you guys talking about?" Tommy interjected.
Tubbo watched all the adults glance at each other. He knew what they were thinking about. They were debating in their minds whether they could trust Tommy enough to let him find out about the Syndicate. If he was being completely honest with himself, Tubbo didn't really trust Tommy in the slightest.
It could all be a trick. Tommy could be working with the bastard. But...
When he looked at Tommy, he saw someone the same age as him who'd be through just as much, if not more shit. And besides, he at the very least wasn't being mind controlled- he could tell from his eyes.
And, well, he needed help. That much was obvious. And like Phil said, they didn't turn away people who needed help.
A memory came to his mind of a conversation he'd once had with Ranboo.
Tubbo had been laying on the roof of the flower shop stargazing. It was nice out. A bit chilly, but that'd never bothered him. He exhaled softly, smiling.
A puff of purple dust appeared beside him and he grinned even wider. "Hey, bossman."
Ranboo smiled back at him. "Hey, Tubbo!" He chirped, holding up a bag. "I brought snacks. Figured you might be hungry, I didn't see you eat dinner earlier."
Tubbo sat up. He hadn't even realized that he was hungry, but his stomach growled. "Aw, thanks!" He dug into the bag. There were two cans of soda, some crisps, sandwiches, and...
"Flowers?" Tubbo raised his eyebrows, glancing up at Ranboo. The other boy's face turned slightly red and he averted his eyes.
"Well, yeah, they're uh- they're pink tulips. I saw them and I remembered that they're your favorite, right? So I, uh..." Ranboo rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"I'm surprised you remembered." Tubbo picked up the flowers. There were three of them. They were a little squished, and they would probably wilt soon, but in that moment they meant more to Tubbo than the whole world. "Thank you."
Ranboo's multicolored eyes lit up as he nodded. He laid down beside Tubbo as the other began eating a sandwich with the flowers still in his hand.
"Hey, Ranboo, mind if I ask you a personal question?"
Ranboo blinked. "Yeah, sure."
"Do you ever..." Tubbo sighed. "I dunno, wanna run away from here? Like, leave the city? I know it's next to impossible, with the walls, but..."
Tubbo kept his eyes upward, straight at the stars. He could feel Ranboo staring at him, contemplating his words. He felt his embarrassment grow. "Never mind, that was dumb-"
"No!" Ranboo said earnestly. "No- I know what you mean! Sometimes I wonder if the world outside this... this dystopia is less crappy. But... well, if we left, then how would we be able to help the people here?" Tubbo turned to look at him.
"Do we really need to help people?" He asked bitterly. "Why can't we just forget about it all? Forget about caring- forget this goddamn city and the goddamn dictator- hell, even forget about the goddamn Syndicate! We could be free of it all- we could-" He reached a hand out towards the sky and dropped it with a huff.
There was a brief moment of tense silence as they both processed the weight of his words. Ranboo stared at him. He stared back.
"Tubbo..." Ranboo seemed to be choosing his words deliberately, speaking slowly but with conviction. "I think if we stopped helping people, we'd lose sight of what makes us human."
Ranboo was so passionate about making things right. About helping anyone, no matter who they were or what they'd done. He'd cared about it so much it got him killed.
Tubbo clenched his fists. Even if it got him killed- even so, he'd died proving a point. And Tubbo wasn't about to go against a dead man's wishes.
"Promise me, Tubbo- promise you'll remember me? And remember who I am?"
Those words that echoed through his mind...
That was his voice. So why couldn't he remember when he'd said them?