In the Shadows We Fight (for justice and ourselves)

Do you feel the warmth clearly now?

A cold wind blew through the old oak trees, scattering leaves across the ground. Tommy shivered involuntarily. He wrapped his arms around himself to conserve what little heat was left hiding in the recesses of his body. He was standing a single step behind the fence that kept individuals from falling down the short cliff at the edge of the park. There was a bench behind him that allowed people to sit and look out across the horizon, but Tommy remained firmly on his feet as he watched the golden sun dip below the tall grasses with splotches of purple and blue fighting to remain in the sky. The clouds casted thin shadows over the area as the wind blew them forwards in the same direction Tommy's hair was pushed towards.

"Big night, huh?" A voice knocked him out of his stupor. Tubbo walked towards him with a soft kind of smile. He was wearing a coat too thick for him made of brown wool with white puffy stuff around the edges. His antennas were shoved down beneath a wool hat of the same fabric as his jacket that pushed his hair into his eyes. He pressed up against Tommy like they were sharing warmth, and the blonde didn't find it in himself to push his best friend away. He still had the right to complain, though.

"Clingy bastard," Tommy said. His point would have been more honest if he wasn't pulling Tubbo closer by throwing an arm around the shorter's shoulders. Tubbo hummed against that could have been amusement, but he also didn't say anything about their closeness. As silence descended around them, Tommy cleared his throat to bat it away. He kept his eyes on the sunset as he continued. "It's the biggest fucking night of all time. I'm not gonna mess up because I'm a Big Man and all, but I don't know about the other two fuckers. I don't know about that bastard fish fucker, either."

"It's going to be fine, Toms! Even if the others mess up, you and I will pull this off. We have far too much to lose," Tubbo petered out as the severity of his words dawned on both of them. Purpled was in a precarious position with Croupier, but Tubbo had the utmost faith in the semi villain. Lady Talon wasn't involved in their schemes in any way. Ranboo's only problem was the Syndicate, but he swore that Nemesis cared about him too much to let anything really bad happen. It was Tubbo and Tommy that were in the most trouble. If Minotaur or Dream discovered what they were doing, they would be in for a world of pain. They wouldn't just die. Tommy would be subjected to intense, mind-fracturing psychological abuse. Tubbo would become a mush of broken, burned flesh soaked in blood and puke before Minotaur finally mercifully killed the poor boy.

"We'll finally free these goddamn districts. The fucking Egg is being maintained and controlled, and the cult beneath it has dispersed. We're killing those Marionette bastards tonight. After that, we'll stage a coup against Minotaur. With Blaze's life in our hands, Nemesis and Lethe can be blackmailed into taking down the Syndicate from the inside. I'll kill that fish fucker sooner or later, giving justice to all the little shits he has fighting in the Pit. They're big goals, but those are the only goals a Big Man is allowed to have," Tommy said with a positive note in his voice that normally wouldn't be there. He was finally letting himself think optimistically. "If I prove my worth, Dream might let me and Fantasy go..."

"And then we can all live together like a big, happy family! We can share all our things, and eat all our meals together. Ranboo and Purpled can come, too! And we can steal Fran from Sam!" Tubbo cheered. He had always been more positive than Tommy, but he seemed extra bright after he heard his friend.

"I don't know if you're sounding more like a communist or a cultist, but some of the things you said sound fucking nice," Tommy said with a light laugh. Tubbo smiled at him before pulling Tommy away from the cliff. Tommy followed along, knowing exactly where Tubbo was taking him.

Like clockwork, Sam's cafe appeared in front of him. It had been a few weeks since he stumbled in there with burns on his arms and a need for caffeine. It wasn't the first time he had been there, He had stood in line behind Ranboo when Niki still worked there. He had met his friends here, and he had solved parts of a plot going on in his city. He had met Sam and Wilbur here. This place was vital to him now. To think he had been so annoyed that night that his usual place had been destroyed by a villain. He probably should find that villain to thank him for what he unintentionally did. Tubbo decided Tommy had done enough reminiscing because he tugged Tommy into the cafe.