Tommy loved traveling, but he loved coming home even more.

It felt like slipping into an old pair of shoes, comfortable and worn. With no annoying fucking stitches that dug into your toes on each step. No matter how long he was away, home always felt nice. And after growing up without one that feeling seemed to only be stronger. Being on the road was fun, being able to sink into his bed and hear Wilbur play guitar through the walls was fucking fantastic.

Phil was a bit on edge after their encounter with those assholes, so they'd not taken many more breaks. Tommy was exhausted. The sun had gone under for the day but they hadn't stopped to rest because they were too close to the village to really justify it. Tommy whined and harped but Wilbur straight up refused to give him a piggyback ride, claiming he was too heavy for it now or something. Tommy figured Wilbur just didn't want to admit he was a little pussy and not strong enough to carry him anymore like he did when Tommy was little.

When they finally got home, Tommy was ready to drop straight into bed and sleep for a million years.

"It's dusty in here," Phil said. He wiped his hand over the table, collecting some of the dirt that had accumulated over their absence.

"It's cozy," Wilbur corrected, despite needing to cover a cough in his elbow. Tommy hummed his agreement.

"Just because you two grew up living in a dump doesn't mean everybody does." Phil threw his bag onto the floor. "But the cleaning can wait till tomorrow, I'm going to bed."

Blade kind of shuffled from foot to foot in the middle of the room. He had followed them inside but then frozen on the spot, unsure what to do next. He seemed ill at ease, though Tommy guessed he always seemed that way. As if he was waiting for some surprise attack that never came.

Phil noticed too and addressed the man looking so out of place in their living room. "We'll get that storage cleared out tomorrow too. You can have the couch for now. We probably have some spare blankets and pillows lying around, which should make it fine to sleep on for one night."

"I'll get them!" Tommy sprung into action. A lot of the blankets they owned were in his room anyway, because he hoarded them. Tommy got cold easily, sue him. He brought two of the fluffiest ones he could find just in case, as well as a few of the decorative pillows Wilbur got on his bed. Surely Wilbur didn't need those. When he came back, Tommy piled them all on the couch.

What they ended up with was closer to a nest than a bed, but it looks so comfortable Tommy almost regretted he wouldn't be able to sleep in it himself.

"All set." He was proud of his handiwork, really. Blade hadn't moved an inch, staring at the pile dubiously and with a far-away look in his eyes. Not all there. Tommy cleared his throat. "We'll see you in the morning, yeah?"

Being addressed snapped him out of it. "Yes. Thank you." His voice came out clipped and unnatural. Tired, but running on autopilot. Answering questions with long-prepared answers. Tommy frowned a little, but he was too tired to think about it more tonight.

They all needed a good night of shut-eye before being able to put their brains to work again.

Phil showed Blade where his room was, in case he needed anything in the middle of the night. Then they all broke off into their own rooms, the two-week-long journey finally taking its toll. In the hallway, Tommy wrapped his arms around Wilbur like he did when he was small and there was a storm outside. Wilbur ruffled his hair with a laugh but didn't make fun of him for once.

He could probably tell how badly Tommy needed this.

When he crawled into bed, the two missing blankets were sorely missed. Tommy kept his socks on though, so he wouldn't get cold. There was a stranger on their couch. And it was something they'd have to deal with tomorrow.

Despite being absolutely exhausted when they came home yesterday, Tommy still woke up with the first rays of the sun shining through his half-opened curtains. He yawned and stretched, but pushed his sole remaining cover off after only a few seconds. Once awake, he always had a notoriously hard time falling back asleep, so it wasn't even worth it to try. He might as well get an early start to the day

They were back home. Tommy needed to go out and meet up with his friends ASAP.

Wilbur was very much not a morning person so Tommy didn't expect him to be up till noon. Even Phil's bedroom door was still closed, despite him normally being an early riser. Tommy skidded past the mirror while smoothing his hair down, unconcerned with his looks. Tubbo had seen him in more compromising positions than missing out on several hours of sleep and a thorough wash. Besides, he wanted to visit the barn first anyway.

His rapid escape out the front door was thwarted however when Tommy almost tripped over a lump of something lying in the middle of the floor. Thankfully he managed to jump over it and keep from kicking Blade in the face on accident.

Because that's who it was. Instead of using any of the blankets or pillows Tommy got for him, the guy had straight up used the floor as a bed. He was kinda curled up on his side, legs drawn up and arms kept close to his chest to prevent all his body heat from seeping into the floorboards. Tommy could still see the goosebumps along the back of his neck and along his arms where the sleeves of Wilbur's sweater had bunched up to the elbows.

The couch was left completely untouched.

Their almost collision had woken Blade up - probably because Tommy didn't land very gracefully and also couldn't quite keep from cursing up a storm. He blinked once, twice, then came back to awareness all at once and immediately straightened, falling into that same position of ready complacency Tommy had already grown more than sick off. He couldn't have been sleeping that deeply if he was able to jump into action so quickly.

Like a soldier falling back into line at a single command.

Tommy made a mental note to ransack Phil's room later and find the history books detailing the Age of Blood that he knew would be there.

For now, he had the current situation to deal with. "What the fuck were you doing on the floor?"

Blade's expression changed into one of confusion. Of all the questions he'd been expecting Tommy to ask, this must not have been very high up the list of possibilities. "I was sleeping."

"I figured that much out. Why the floor though?"

"It's where I always sleep."

Tommy could have responded to that. By the gods, did he have a choice word or two (mostly aimed at whoever had convinced this man that sleeping on the floor was normal or a good idea). This was how you ruined your back forever, Tommy would know he grew up without a proper bed.

But, well… Tommy also didn't like change. They'd already brought Blade away from the place he lived in for the last handful of centuries. Putting himself in his shoes, Tommy kinda agreed it could be nice to hang onto what was familiar.

(he did not think about the box under his bed, no sir)

"Yeah, just don't blame me if I fall over you and break all my bones next time."

Blade cringed and nodded. "Sorry."

Humor was obviously lost on this guy.

"It's no big deal," Tommy said quickly, having not a clue what he was dismissing here. He just didn't like it when Blade looked so gloomy for no fucking reason. "Do you want to come with me? The others are going to be asleep forever, it'll be boring in here. You could meet Henry."

Red eyes avoided his gaze. Tommy realized his mistake a few seconds later.

Right, right, right. Phil had been over this with them.

So he reached out and tugged on Blade's sleeve, pulling him along. If the other flinched away from his touch at first then that's just something they were both going to ignore. "Let's go, we're going to see Henry and then you're meeting Tubbo. He's going to freak out so bad."

The barn door needed a firm push to be opened, rusted hinges meaning it had sunk into the floor over time. Plus, Henry had a bad habit of pushing the hay up against the other side because she was a little shit. Tommy often thought his cow made a specific point out of making his life worse for no reason other than it amused her, since she was a massive bitch.

And Tommy loved her more than anything else in the world for it.

Henry lifted her head when they entered, greeting them with a deep rumbling moo. She was too lazy to actually get up, not when Tommy shoved the door closed behind him. The way she looked at them felt extremely judgemental for a cow.

"I'll let you out into the pasture later," Tommy promised. Henry put her head back down, tail flicking lazily at a fly that buzzed around her rump. "Don't be so grumpy."

He walked over to kneel behind her, scratching between her horns. The cow pushed her head up into his petting. Blade stood next to Tommy, not moving.

"She hates it when we leave," Tommy explained. "Always gives me the cold shoulder for the first day we're back. Don't you girl?"

Henry mooed again in agreement. Tommy smiled and leaned in to kiss her dumb fluffy head.

He noticed how Blade leaned forward a bit too as if trying to look at the cow's other side.

What came out of Tommy was almost a question ('what's on your mind?' he would have asked a million times before to a million different people). He caught himself and instead said, "Tell me what's on your mind."

For a scant second, Blade still seemed unsure how to voice his thoughts. But Tommy had told him to do something, had given him the order. So he couldn't really refuse, could he?

"Where do you attach the reigns?"

"The what?"

"The reigns, to ride her."

Perhaps Tommy should have felt bad at how hard he laughed. "I'm pretty sure if you try to ride Henry she'll throw you off and trample you. And it'd be deserved."

Another joke that Blade didn't laugh at. Tommy looked at him.

"You know this isn't a horse, right?"

The look he got in return was almost - almost - a glare. A small, petulant little thing. Tommy bit the inside of his cheek because he didn't want to laugh even harder in Blade's face now that he was finally showing an emotion that wasn't complete submission to those around him.

"I know it's not a horse…" Then those eyes darted away again, making an effort to force back that distant emotionlessness. As if Tommy seeing him get defensive was the same as being caught red-handed doing something he shouldn't. "Uh, what is it then?"

"You don't know what a cow is?"

"I do. I've just never seen one before. My previous master didn't own any cows, they had the milk delivered." His fingers twitched, almost reaching out. Then he put his hand behind his back, grasping the wrist with his other hand to keep it in place.

"If you want you can pet her," Tommy said. As if to demonstrate, he wound his fingers through the longer fur along Henry's side and then gave her a firm pat.

Blade stepped back, stunned. "I-I don't-"

Fuck, Tommy had messed up again.

"Maybe next time though, I'm starving." He got up, trying to change the subject. "We should guilt Niki into feeding us."

It was a bit amusing to walk into town with a tall menacing man covered in scars following him around like a lapdog. Tommy got many odd looks, most of which he just smiled cheerfully and waved at. The village they lived in was small enough that he was sure Blade's arrival would turn into gossip that spread like wildfire in no time. By dusk, everybody in town would know about the weird dude Phil brought home.

When they came to live here eight years ago - Tommy had turned ten barely a week before they moved in - it had not taken a full day before neighbors were knocking on their door offering help in fixing up the farm and cooking them meals so they didn't have to worry about that while they were still in the process of setting things up.

How much of this behavior was motivated by kindness and how much of it was curiosity could be debated. Maybe bringing them stuff was just the most convenient way to ogle the newcomers. Tommy didn't care, he'd never say no to free food.

Speaking of: Tommy didn't have any ulterior motives when he befriended the people that owned the town's bakery, but the cinnamon buns he got out of it were a big bonus.

Niki had hung a little bell above the door that heralded their arrival because she often worked in the back if she wasn't actively serving customers. Tommy didn't wait for her to come out front though, ducking under the counter to get behind the register.

"Tubster, Big Man? Are you home?"

Immediately Niki's head popped out from the kitchen. "Welcome back, Tommy." She only sounded a little exasperated at his volume, or the fact that he'd seen himself in. He'd been doing that for years now anyway. "He's in his room, I think."

"Tubbo, get down here!" Tommy wasn't about to brave two sets of stairs just to make it to Tubbo's attic bedroom. Not on an empty stomach. "How are you guys?" He directed the question at Niki instead.

"It's been quiet." Niki left the 'while you were gone' unspoken. With Niki raising Tubbo all by herself after their parents died, and with Tubbo and Tommy becoming practically attached by the hip for much of their childhood after meeting, Niki was almost like an extra older sister to Tommy. Much in the way that Wilbur was like having a big brother. "How did..."

Niki cut herself off, staring at something over Tommy's shoulder. Her smile was a little open-mouthed, trying her hardest not to seem rude.

"Tommy, who's this?"

"Oh!" With how eerily quiet Blade was (as if used to making his very presence as unintrusive as humanly possible) Tommy had pretty much forgotten he was there. "This is Blade. He'll be living with us for a while, I think."

Coming out of the kitchen and into the hallway, Niki wiped her hands on a towel. There was flour stuck in her blonde hair. "I'm Niki. It's nice to meet you." She reached out her now clean hand for him to shake.

Blade did not take it. Or do much of anything except glance at it in mild befuddlement. Either he didn't know what a handshake was, or he was simply shocked at being offered one and incapable of accepting such a casual gesture of greeting.

Tommy cleared his throat. "He's a foreigner."

He didn't know what Phil's game plan was here. Tommy definitely wasn't going to come out with 'yeah we found an immortal guy in a spooky castle who might or might not be one second removed from killing us all if the right person told him to, no biggie'.

But Niki merely nodded, ever the patient one. "Oh neat. I like your hair!"

Probably without conscious thought, Blade reached up to touch it, winding long pink strands around his fingers for a moment. He lowered his chin, shielding his face with it.

"Thank you."

"I've been considering dyeing mine pink-"

Whatever Niki was about to say was lost in the ruckus of Tubbo making it down several flights of stairs with the grace of a newborn fawn, smacking into at least two walls on his way down. If Tommy hadn't become half-convinced Tubbo's bones were made out of metal or some shit, he'd be worried.

One time, Tommy had watched Tubbo do a backflip from his attic window and walk away from that with no open bone fractures. It had changed him as a person.

Tommy himself was not as indestructible by comparison but that didn't mean he was going to complain when Tubbo jumped the last step and barrelled into him. What commenced was a half embrace, half wrestle match that ended with Tubbo in a loose headlock.

"Dude, I missed you. You were gone forever." Tubbo pushed him off.

"Wha- I was barely gone for two weeks?!"

"It felt like forever. You know how some animals can't tell the difference between a second and a day? I think I'm like that."

"You're so fucking weird," Tommy said. The words would have carried a lot more heat if they weren't so obviously fond.

Tubbo still gasped in mock offense. "Have you considered you're just boring?"

Niki laughed. "And have you considered taking your shenanigans outside my bakery? I got work to do."

"We would but I'm so hungry." Tommy did his best approximation of what might be considered a pout. Except it absolutely wasn't a pout because Tommy didn't pout. He was an adult, thank you very much.

"Well, promise not to eat everything on the way…" Niki turned back to her kitchen, emerging only moments later with a basket full of fresh cinnamon buns. "I made these this morning. I didn't know you guys would be back so soon, but consider it a welcome home gift."

"Niki, you are so fucking cool. You are the coolest woman in town." Tommy took the basket from her like it was a sacred item that he had to protect with his life.

"So I'm told. Now get out of my hair." She flicked her towel at them.

"A lot of crazy shit happened I need to tell you about," Tommy told Tubbo, shifting the basket's weight so he could carry it better. It was deceivingly heavy.

"You can start by explaining where the big guy came from," Tubbo said.

It really was frighteningly easy to forget the Blade was there. He didn't move, didn't speak unless spoken to. He seemed more than content just standing in the corner zoning out until somebody needed him.

Like a ghost, Tommy's mind helpfully provided. He didn't like that very much though.

"Oh yeah. Tubbo, this is Blade. He's staying with us for now. It's a long story, I'll fill you in on the way back. Blade, Tubbo. My best friend."

Blade didn't really react much aside from shifting his eyes over Tubbo once and nodding. Tubbo laughed. "Stoic type?"

Tommy thought about Henry in her barn.

"I'm not sure. It's kind of a puzzle, we get to find out."

Tubbo hummed. "I'll pretend to know what that means then."

"I'll explain later. Let's get these home before they grow cold."

They walked the dirt path through town slow and easy, the air between them filled with light jokes and banter. And behind them, the man who didn't seem like much more than a shadow, followed in their wake.