Running Out of Time (Tommy Timetraveler AU)

Prologue: The Ravine

Tommy watched, his breath lodged in his throat, as Quackity rolled the box onto the stage. Wilbur sat next to him, his own brown eyes watching with a dark look. He almost looked like he was enjoying the scene before him. It sickened Tommy to see the brother he once wanted to be like look so inhuman.

Tommy looked away, flinching, and focused back on the stage. The box was carelessly crafted with yellow paint peeling off the sides, rough edges reaching out to snag anyone who got to close. "Step in the box, Tubbo," Schlatt ordered, a wide smile growing on his face. Tommy wanted to leap off the building he was on to help the other teen, but as if he read his mind, Wilbur quickly grabbed Tommy’s shoulder, squeezing it tightly as if to keep him in place.

Tommy looked back at his brother, his blue eyes glistening with fear-filled tears. What was happening? Did Wil know this was going to happen? DID WIL KNOW?!

"But-" Tubbo protested, but Schlatt cut him off, snapping his fingers, to which Quackity came forward once more and shoved the ram-hybrid into the box. Terrified, he stumbled inside the cage-like contraption, green eyes wild as he glanced back at Quackity. He looked like an animal, scared, alone, in the grip of a hunter. But unlike any animal Tommy had seen, he did not fight back. He only stood there, shaking, eyes holding the same fear Tommy’s did, as Schlatt turned to the crowd.

"Techno, come on up here." Tommy looked towards the piglin hybrid in the crowd, his red eyes staring into the president's own. He looked confused, slowly making his way towards the stage where he was summoned.

"Techno, my old buddy. You know what to do." Schlatt's smirk turned to a grin, and Techno smiled nervously.

"Sorry, Sir… but can you specify?"

"TAKE HIM OUT, TECHNOBLADE! KILL HIM!" the president screamed. "RIGHT ON THIS STAGE!" Techno glanced up at the building where the two brothers were hiding, his frantic gaze zeroing in on Tommy. With a shaking hand, he raised the rocket launcher hidden in his cloak. Tommy wanted to shove Wilbur’s hand off of him, to scream at the man to stop, but he didn’t. Maybe it was because he was petrified in this situation, his body frozen as it tried to process what was happening, or maybe it was the fact he didn’t know how to respond to a situation like this.

The sound of an explosion brought him back to reality. Technoblade stood on a bloodied stage, smoke hiding his face and the box's interior. Schlatt and Quackity lay dead on either side of him. Cries from the crowd pulsed in his ears. Tommy could feel himself screaming, he knew by the scratching in his throat and the pain in his jaw. But he heard nothing but the crowd. He shouted Tubbo's name. Please answer. Pleaseanswerpleaseanswer-

It went black.

***

Tommy woke up with a start, blue eyes shooting open and a scream left his throat. He lurched forwards, sitting up in his bed as he finally managed to calm himself down. Trying to keep his breathing steady, he let his eyes close as he rested his head in his hands. It was just a dream. Tommy sat like that for a moment, letting those words sink in. Tubbo was fine, living his life happily with Ranboob and Micheal in Snowchester. He wasn’t at the festival, where Technoblade blew him up mercilessly. He wasn’t a pile of guts on the floor for Tommy to find and cry over.

Tommy lifted his head and mopped the sweat from his brow, swinging his legs off the bed to stand up. He wanted to see Tubbo anyway. Just to make sure. Out of all the nightmares he had lately, that one felt too real. He crossed the room to his door, grabbing an apple from the counter. It was time to make the day-long journey to Snowchester. He walked his normal path, chomping down on his apple as he followed the trail to his best friend's house. Usually in the mornings people were just waking up, so Tommy most of the time had the mornings to himself without having to worry about bumping into people. He guessed that this wasn’t one of those cases as Puffy and Sam came into view. The pair were strolling down the path in his direction, talking happily. Tommy felt a tugging at his heart. Those two were his best friends, whether he admitted it or not. Sam was like a father-figure and Puffy was… well, she was Puffy! He grinned, waving at his friends, who noticed him and began to slow down, stopping when he had reached them.