"Tommy!"

The green butterfly that was perched on Tommy's finger flew away at the shrill voice, making him huff in annoyance. It took him almost ten minutes of waiting in his garden for him to get it to land on him, and now all his hard work was for nothing. He really needed to set some personal boundary rules about visitors showing up unannounced.

"Tommy!"

"What?!" He snapped. He was about to rip the newcomer a new one, but relaxed slightly when his eyes met the warm violet of one of his best friends. "Oh, hey, Ranboo. And I thought I was the one that made loud entrances."

The barely concealed insult was brushed off completely by Ranboo who had the most pleased expression that Tommy had ever seen on him before. His traveling cloak was unbuckled on one shoulder, and his face was flushed a deep purple, like he had just run a race. Despite his mussed-up appearance, you would think he just won an award by happy he looked.

"Hey Toms! Look, I picked up a package, a gift if you will, from a certain someone. I helped him get it!" Ranboo rushed out, preening a little at the last sentence. "Here, I got to see it and I know you'll just love it!"

A large package was pushed into Tommy's arms before he could even get a word in. It was presented quite nicely, golden wrapping paper with small shards of emerald decorating it, a ribbon of pure gold sheets tying it all together. Tommy was suddenly hyper aware of dirty hands from digging in his garden all morning.

The size and weight of it was a little concerning, especially when he shook it he could feel something rolling around inside. He knew of quite a few people who would want to send him some explosive as a cruel joke, but Ranboo said he helped picked it, so that should make it okay, right?

"Heh, thanks big man, you know I just love receiving gifts. By the way, who sent it?" Tommy asked, trying to sound grateful and totally not suspicious at all. It was true, he did like receiving gifts, if he knew who they were from and if they could be trusted that is. "Just making sure it won't explode in my face or something, you know," he chuckled wryly, trying to play off his nervousness as a joke.

Ranboo waved off his question, instead digging around in the pocket of his coat, before pulling out an unmarked letter. The seal was as golden as the package, and Tommy shivered despite the summer heat. He had seen that seal before, but he couldn't quite place it.

"He told me he wanted you to open the gift first, but I'll read the letter for you. Just a few words to convey his care," the enderman explained, unfolding the letter. "Don't worry about what's inside, okay? Nothing will hurt you, Tommy, never again."

Tommy swallowed, his anxiety spiking tenfold. "Um, okay. You can-you can start reading it." Ranboo absolutely beamed at his request, clearing his throat a bit before starting.

"Hello, Tommy. It has been a while since we've seen each other. How are you? I hope those little friends of yours are treating you well."

Shaky fingers began to unravel the bow, his stomach flipping uncomfortably. Usually, he didn't mind Ranboo's soft voice, but now it was grating against his sensitive ears. The bow slipped off, landing on the ground, dirt gathering on its edges.

"I was surprised and severely upset to hear about the abuse you received from exile. Though I would rather have heard it from you personally, Ranboo was kind enough to tell me that rare information. Everything in fact."

Ranboo began to get louder, more excited, his tail wagging in the way it only did when he was extremely happy about something. The last time being when Michael said his first word, and now at this moment.

Tommy tore off the wrapping paper, no longer caring about how pretty it had looked. The feeling in his chest only grew, suffocating him with dread. He wasn't so sure he wanted to see what was inside, in fact, he wanted to throw it away as far as possible, as long as it was away from him.

Slowly, carefully, he opened it…

"But now, you no longer must worry about living in fear, because I've gotten rid of the pest you have always wanted gone. So, I present to you…"

The box fell from Tommy's hands, and he fell to his knees, vomiting what little breakfast he had eaten into the grass. Tears fell in rivulets as he gasped for breath.

"…Dream's head."

Blood began to seep towards his leg, and he scrambled backwards. Dream's head lay only inches from his feet, but he was frozen in place, unable to take his eyes off the grisly scene. The man's face was stuck in an endless scream, eye sockets crying tears of blood. Tommy placed his hands against his mouth trying to hold back his sobs, all to no avail.

Ranboo seems unfazed by the gory scene, continuing to read as if this was the most normal thing in the world. "As I'm writing this, Dream's eyeballs are dancing around in my eyeball collection jar. The one you used to find so intriguing when you were younger, remember?"

Tommy slapped his hands over his ears, trying to block out his friend's words. "Ranboo, Ranboo stop! Please, please stop," he begged, beginning to dig his nails into his arms to ground himself. "What the fuck-what have you done. What is this?!"

Once again, he was ignored and forced to listen to the letter.

"And I want to clear things up. I can't find myself forgiving you for betraying me at the fall of L'manburg. But you are still my dearest little brother."

Phantom hands grasped Tommy's shoulders, the smell of ash and the sound of dangling jewelry flooded his senses. It was almost like he could feel the heat of Techno's breath against his ear, feel the way his long hair tickled his cheek. Instead of comforting him, it only made him sob harder.

"You can hate me, but you can't hide from the fact that I care for you. I'll do everything I can to protect you, even though the distance continues to widen between us. You belong to me, and I belong to you. And as your eldest brother, it is my job to keep you safe.

"Your adoring brother, Techno."

Ranboo carefully folded the letter up, placing it back in his pocket. Unhooking his cape, he placed it tenderly around Tommy's shoulders. The boy didn't react to the touch, instead continued to stare blankly at Dream's head. "Why?" Was all that he could choke out. "Why would Techno do this?"

Ranboo frowned at Tommy's response, gingerly combing his claws through golden curls. "Because he cares. WE care, Tommy. Do you not like it, aren't you happy? You wanted Dream gone, right? Well, now he is. You're safe now, you never have to worry about him hurting you again."

Is this what Tommy wanted? Dream was dead, so why wasn't he celebrating? This man who taunted him, abused him, killed him so brutally, then forced him back to life. This man who haunted his dreams and his waking hours. He tried to find some sort of happiness in all this, but all he could feel was numbness. Even the tears and the shaking in his hands had stopped.

"Tell Techno..tell him I said thank you."

Ranboo smiled at that and picked up the blonde easily. Usually, Tommy would make a fuss about being manhandled like a child, but he just let himself go limp, resting his head on Ranboo's chest, listening to the rumble of his purring. "Thank you." The words were hollow, meaningless, and Tommy felt nothing but disgust as he said them, but Ranboo took it as win and started walking away from the safe haven that was Tommy's home.

Except it wasn't now. It was bloodied and soiled, almost as if Ranboo knew how it would affect his view on his home.

"Let's go back to my place, Tubbo already has a room waiting for you. And Tommy? You can stay as long as you like. In fact, I would advise you against leaving. It'll be just the four of us, safe and sound. This is what you always wanted, if I remember correctly. A family who cares."

Tommy almost wanted to laugh. No one cared what he wanted. It was always in their best interest. If Techno really cared he would have come to Tommy himself, taking his feelings into consideration. How could he ever look into his brother's eyes after this. It didn't matter what he wanted in the end. People would use him as they pleased, and he couldn't fight back.

"Yeah. This is exactly what I always wanted.