Heavy is the Head that Wears the Solemn Crown

Twenty-Eight - The Past Is Never Far Behind

Tommy

Tommy presses his cheek against his hand. He's trying his hardest to remain focused on the paper in front of him, but his thoughts keep bouncing around the small tent he's in. Ranboo and Tubbo are whispering to each other right beside him. Kristin is humming a song beneath her breath as she continues to write on her piece of paper. Professor Marriott is flicking the pages of the book he's reading. Outside of the tent, Tommy can hear the soldiers rushing around, some barking out orders and others laughing with each other. He hears complaints about the weather and questions about where certain objects go. His wings, an unfamiliar weight, distract him every time he remembers he has them and has to be careful about them. His brain is already running low on energy. He had been studying for most of the morning without a break, and he couldn't goof off with Kristin sitting right beside him. Without any outlets, his capacity for learning was quickly dwindling.

Marriott snaps his book closed, drawing all the attention in the tent onto himself. Marriott smiles at his students and teaching assistant. He stands up from his desk, walking around it with relative ease. "Alright, everyone, that is all for today. Tomorrow, we're going to work on basic mathematical skills. For tonight, I want you three to continue reading the books I assigned you. Tubbo, you are not allowed to work with redstone without supervision. Everyone is dismissed."

Marriott was the first to leave the tent, leaving the book he had been reading on his desk. The tent flap closes behind him as Tubbo grumbles about the instructions he had been given. Tommy doesn't pay attention as he stretches in the hard wooden chair he was forced to sit in. His eyes flutter shut in relief when his limbs creak and pop. He stands up to twist his body into new positions, and he peeks one eye open as he hears one of the chairs being hit against the table. Kristin winces at the noise, holding her books and papers in her arms. She smiles at them with something worrisome shining in her eyes. "I, um, I have to go. Be good."

She rushes off without another word, pointedly avoiding everyone's gazes. Tommy slumps back in his chair, watching his sister disappear from his field of vision. He narrows his eyes slightly before sighing, sliding down his chair until he has almost fallen out of it. "She's going on a date, isn't she?"

"Definitely," Tubbo responds with no sympathy in his voice. Tubbo hops onto the table between Ranboo and Tommy's chairs. Tommy raises his leg to kick Tubbo's ankle, but Tubbo brings his knees to his chin before Tommy's foot can land. Tommy slips out of his chair, landing onto the cloth covered ground beneath him. The cloth is too thin to stop the rocky soil from bruising Tommy's rear. He glares up at Tubbo as he lowers his head onto his chair's seat instead of getting back in his chair. He's trying to save face even if it hurts his behind.

"I think Kristin and Phil are cute together. They seem happy, and happiness is a precious resource during war," Ranboo says, leaning against the armrest to look between Tubbo and Tommy. Something innocent shines in his heterochromatic eyes, and a soft smile has brightened his facial features.

"Ugh, don't I know. Kristin won't fucking shut up about him," Tommy complains. Nearly every night, Tommy would overhear Kristin worrying about her previous interaction with Phil. Tommy wishes he was sick and tired of reminding Kristin that she's a wonderful woman that anyone would be lucky to have, but he could never be truly bothered by telling his sister how amazing she is. He supposes it comes with being family with someone. "If Phil breaks her heart, I'm beating his ass."

"I would pay to see you try and fight Phil. He's going to decimate you," Tubbo pointed out. A smile stretches across Tubbo's face as he starts laughing, probably imagining what Phil would do if Tommy challenged him to a brawl.

"I could totally whip that old man's ass," Tommy responds with a confident smile twisting his features. He could already imagine how it would go down. Kristin would tell him that Phil didn't like her anymore, and the two of them would chase Phil down until he quit flying away from them. They wouldn't even use their swords on him; they would use their bare hands. A cruel and blind Phil wouldn't be worth their weapons.