SBI family AU

Comfort

Tubbo woke up to the smell of breakfast and his stomach grumbled. Rolling over, he stared at the beams of sun hitting the wooden boards. His mind drifted back to the previous night.

Dad's so stupid...

He rolled onto his back, throwing his arm over his eyes. Tears tugged at his eyes, but he quickly scrunched his face and turned to his side.

Crying won't fix anything. Tommy was right, Dad's too far gone to be saved.

The door quietly creaked open, followed by soft footsteps. Tubbo slightly turned to look, finding Niki hesitantly placed behind the door.

"Do you want breakfast?"

"No."

"Oh- Okay... Tommy will be here soon if you want to get ready."

"I don't care," Tubbo mumbled, looking back to the wall. He heard the door click closed and he sighed, closing his eyes and falling back asleep.

—

The muffled talking from down the hall dragged Tubbo back awake. He groaned and threw a pillow over his head as his stomach growled.

Why can't they just go away? It's not like they ever tried to stop him.

"Tubbo? Are you awake?" Niki asked through the door.

"Yes..."

"It's noon, time to get up. I'll bring you lunch, okay?"

He just groaned as she left, sitting up. The talking died down as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and got up. He looked at himself in a small mirror, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to comb the bed head.

"Hey Tubs, I'm coming in okay?" Wilbur's voice called before the door opened. The taller brune stepped in hesitantly, setting the plate down on the nightstand, "So, I just-"

"Get out."

"Tubbo, listen to me. I'm better now, I stopped that stuff and-"

"Oh, good for you!" Tubbo sneered, "You stopped before you could end up like my dad! Congratulations!"

Wilbur flinched, "I never meant for this, you know that. I just- If I could trade his life for mine, I would."

"I don't care! You're why he's dying, Uncle Wilbur! You're why I might lose my dad!"

The door opened once more, this time revealing Phil and Tommy. The older pair exchanged looks before Wilbur wordlessly stepped out, Tommy following.

Phil looked at Tubbo and opened his arms, which Tubbo stared at. He hesitated before running to the older man and hugging him, Phil tightly wrapping his arms around him.

"I know it's hard right now, Tubbo. I won't try to sugarcoat it for you because I know you're smarter than that. Things might not feel okay right now, but one day you'll realize that it will get better. Our family and Niki will always be there for you, so please don't push us away."

Tubbo started to cry, "I want Dad to be okay- I want things to go back to how they were-"

"I know, Tubbo, I know..."

They shifted to the floor, Tubbo crying into Phil's shoulder as the older soothed him. They stayed there for a while, Tubbo eventually drying his tears to sniffles.

Phil shifted him off, "I'm going with Wilbur to go check on your dad, okay? I want you to protect Tommy for me. He's trying to act strong, but we both know how he is."

Tubbo laughed and nodded, "Yeah, he can be kinda stubborn."

"Thanks Tubbo. I'll keep you updated," Phil smiled and ruffled his hair before standing up and leaving.