𝖑𝖎𝖐𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖘𝖊𝖚𝖘'𝖘 𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖕 - a dsmp au

and ways don't ever seem to want to stay too still for too long

It was moderately busy inside the suburbs only Starbucks.

College students waiting for their orders, old men in business suits with white hair reading the paper.

And Tommy feared that maybe he wouldn't recognize him in a crowd of people.

That maybe he had changed beyond all recognition.

But when Tommy entered that coffee shop, he knew it was him as soon as he saw the back of his head.

He stood up, chair scratching beneath him.

He seemed older, Tommy realized. Rougher around the edges. His acne was gone, replaced with little bristles of facial hair. He no longer carried the air of childlike wonder.

"You've grown," Tommy remarked immediately.

Tubbo smirked, less of a cuddly panda bear one, more of an oh-hi-I'm-a-functioning-adult-not-dwelling-on-his-past type of smirk.

"Not as tall as you." He replied.

"Still not as tall," Tommy replied, grinning a half-smile that certainly didn't give off functioning adult vibes.

It's been 10 years, Tommy thought.

10.

After an awkward silence, Tubbo piped up again.

"Well, I'm going to get us the coffees, do you want anything?"

"Uh-" Tommy stammered. "I'll have what you're having."

"Got it," Tubbo said steadily, giving a thumbs-up.

Tommy didn't remember him being so confident when they were younger.

He picked at the newspaper at the wooden table, smelling croissants and coffee beans, until Tubbo got back.

He clinked the mugs in front of them.

"So," He said lightly, trying to make conversation. "How are you?"

"Pretty good," Tommy answered nonchalantly, shoving it off and cutting straight to the chase. "Have any leads on the cupcake shop?"

"Well- uhm..." Tubbo recovered, a little taken aback. "Here's the game plan."

And they began.

Tubbo would pop up different cupcake shops, and Tommy would shake his head.

They didn't have to talk, the chatter of the coffee shop filled up the empty spaces.

Tubbo wanted to talk.

Tommy did not.

Tubbo had changed.

Tommy, somehow, someway, hadn't.

And he wasn't sure who was to blame for that.

Somehow, Tubbo ended up sitting next to him.

Tommy tried to keep their legs from touching.

---

They sat, a mix and mash of legs, squished in their treehouse.

If you could even call it that.

They had taken spare pieces of plywood and nailed it crookedly on a wedge in a small tree.

They had struggled for the past 30 minutes trying to get up the makeshift footholds, and now they sat on the unsteady plank.

It creaked.

"I told you, Tommy, we're too heavy!" Tubbo said nervously.

"Move your ass," Tommy groaned. "It's fucking bony as hell."

Tubbo rolled his eyes. "I'm going to go back down."

The planks creaked when he shifted his knee though, and Tommy yelped.

"Tubbo!"

He peered over his scraped knees, eyes wide.

"Oh, it'll be fine, Tommy-"

"No, it won't, you'll fucking die!" Tommy grabbed his skinny elbow, terrified despite them only being 2 feet off the ground. "Sit your ass down."

"You're ridiculous," Tubbo grumbled, but Tommy didn't want him to leave him.

Ever.

And he didn't.

So they stayed there, Tubbo's legs resting on Tommy's, trying not to move in fear.

Tubbo watched the way the green leaves tangled in Tommy's hair.

It was uncomfortable but comforting at the same time.

The sky was so blue and blinding through the leaves.

Tubbo pointed out every bug and ant.

And it somehow was fun, like everything they did together.

They got down hours later when Wilbur found them, laughing his ass off.

---

When the monster came, he disguised himself as a child and played with the other two, sharing their joy, more pure and sweet than any other in all the lands.

He waited for his time to strike, for he too wanted that joy, all his, all his.

And when he did, he placed a curse on the child he did not take.

"You will stay young forever," The monster said. "No matter how old your bones are with age, no matter how white your hair, your mind will always be that of a child."

"That is not a curse." The child cried out. "That is a blessing."

"You will see," was the monster's only reply. "You will see."

And the child would see.

That through years of giant adversaries, triumphs, suffering, grief.

He could not grow up to face them.