Like Father, like Son (discontinued)

What is a home

It had been two months since Tubbo had disappeared from his home country, remaining in a constant limbo of being a prisoner and a guest in the enemy kingdom of Pogtopia. Blue moonbeams shined into the sleeping city through cracks in the cavern's ceiling. Tubbo lay on the guest room's plush bed, staring at the lightless city that seemed to stretch into the depths of the cave, no glimmer of candlelight within the void windows. The prince shifted uncomfortably, suddenly claustrophobic of the impending stone walls that always surrounded him. He suddenly wondered how long Tommy had gone without sunlight, if some of the children that lived in the underground kingdom had ever smelled fresh air. He bolted out of the bedding and slammed the window open, trying to breath as evenly as he could in his anxious state. The "open" air did the opposite, it's stale and breezeless current not supplying the same chill that Manberg mountain air used to do. He crumpled into a heap on the ground, gasping in pained breaths, pretending it as the same winter air it should have been. A knock drew him out of the episode, the wooden door of his room creaked open. He half expected it to be his blonde friend but instead was greeted by the prince's oldest brother, his pink hair rumpled and unkempt. The man froze, uncomfortably shifting his weight between his feet.
"Sorry, I thought this room was open." Techno explained. Tubbo nodded ferociously, rubbing the tears that stained his cheeks. The man however didn't move from the doorframe, Tubbo looked at his hands in embarrassment.
"Would you-" The half pig prince started, Tubbo snapped his head up to look the man in his white void eyes. Techno cleared his throat anxiously and gestured to the wardrobe that sat undisturbed in the corner of the room. Tubbo hadn't noticed or cared about the furniture, but as the prince opened it for the boy, his eyes widened. Diamond and netherite axes, swords, and hoes lined the inside of the wooden closet. Techno snatched one of each before moving out of the way. Tubbo reached timidly for a small diamond dagger and weighted it in his palm, the man towering above him nodded and moved to exit the room. Without saying a word, Tubbo followed.
The unlikely duo walked through the castle, city, and outerlands of Pogtopia for what felt like hours in complete silence. In a strange way, Tubbo realized that he no longer felt trapped in the closed off kingdom, due to the oldest prince's strange and intriguing behavior. "You and Tommy have been getting on good?" Techno asked out of the blue, after nearly three hours of cold shoulder. Tubbo jumped slightly, almost dropping the dagger he had been playing with. "Y-yes sir. I've never met someone my age before. It's nice to talk to a person similar to me." "Similar how?" Tubbo paused slightly. "Well, we're both future kings. We both enjoy spending time together. I don't know? I feel like I could talk to him about anything and it wouldn't bore me." He fiddled with the knife as the two lapsed back into quiet.
"We're here." Techno placed the pack full of tools and weapons down as Tubbo took in the sight before him. Rows upon rows of farmland stretched for acres in the dimly lit cave, in the middle of the garden sat a simple wooden building that Techno began to approach. The young prince followed suit, pushing the doors open to reveal a training barrack complete with wooden dummies and an archery range.
"Is this where you disappear everyday?" Tubbo wondered aloud. The half pig pulled a lever on the wall that simultaneously lit all the candles in the building and closed the doors. "Yes. I train here all day, all the time." Techno replied in his normal monotone dialect. "I could tell you're like me. You hate being confined in the castle." The goat prince looked down embarrassed before Techno scoffed. "Don't worry, I wont tell anyone about...whatever that was. I brought you here to show you an escape." The older man pulled up on the bamboo floor, revealing a trapdoor that led down, suspended by flimsy ladders. "What? Why....why are you telling me this?" Tubbo hunched up, suddenly defensive of what the prince was suggesting.
Technoblade shrugged and descended the ladders before the other could ask more questions. "Follow me if you want, I don't care." With that, Tubbo hopped into the hole in the ground as the trapdoor closed shut above his head. In the dark, the boy followed the pig prince through the narrow tunnel system. Even with the walls and ceiling inches away on either side, Tubbo didn't feel claustrophobic, the thrill of the older prince's adventure fueling his motivation to find the end. Techno stopped suddenly, causing the boy behind him to slam into his back as he fumbled around in the pitch black. "Stop flailing. You're gonna hurt yourself." The man scolded before unlatching a loose rock and pushing against the stone in front of him, the loose gravel slowly falling as the wall shifted and swung open with a loud bang. Tubbo's eyes had to readjust to the sudden flash of light, as the scene before him came to view, he felt the air leave his lungs. Manberg in all it's glory sat undisturbed and asleep as the snowy night blew cold air across the mountain top. The two princes stood at the hidden entrance on Prime mountain, the brunette close to tears once more while the pink haired man readjusted the axe that sat perched on his shoulder.
"You can go if you want." He said to the young prince, who turned to Techno in surprise. "What do you mean? Aren't I your prisoner?" The man shrugged nonchalantly, making the goat prince slightly upset at his carelessness. "I'm gonna be honest, I could tell Tommy felt bad having you holed up in the castle. Even I could tell you were unhappy. So I figured, you already know where Pogtopia is, so if you ever want to visit just come up here and leave something for me to know it's you. The next day I'll open the door and you can enter." A smile began to grow on Tubbo's face until Techno leaned down to his height, staring his glee down. "And if you leak this information to anyone, the entrance will be sealed immediately and I will deny ever showing you it. Understand?" The younger nodded nervously before the smile returned as the weight of the situation fell on his mind. Before Techno could react, the boy latched himself around the older man in a quick hug. He backed away from the petrified man, treading his boots in the thick snow. "Tell Tommy and Phil I'll visit soon." Techno nodded and turned back into the tunnel's entrance. Tubbo began to descend the mountain, turning back to watch the rock door slowly swing back into place. "Thank you Technoblade!" He called to the man as the mountainside sealed once again. As the sun began to rise, Tubbo reached the base of Prime mountain, tired and frozen from horn to toe. The gate that fenced off Manberg was within the boy's sight, earning a tired smile from the prince. "Halt!" A voice snapped at Tubbo who turned slightly to the noise. There standing at the gate entrance was a young man wearing a strange snow jacket that had patched pieces of pink, green, blue, and purple. The prince fought the urge to run, instead sluggishly approaching the young knight as the tips of his ears began to go numb. "C-can you... go t-t-tell my f-father.... I'm h-home." He shivered with each word, the snow leaking into his bones. The knight walked to the prince, pausing as he recognized the sickly boy before him. "Prince Tub?! Your highness!" The man ran to the boy and supported his side just as his legs gave out. "Karl? What's going on?" A blonde guard with purple eyes called from his position behind the gate, standing up as Karl reached that gate entrance with the lost prince draped over his back. "Holy shit! Is that-"

"Your Imperial majesty, there's important news." Jschlatt groaned as his friend shook his sleeping body. "Ugh, Quackity, it's 5 am." The emperor huffed as he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Quackity bowed slightly, an excited grin lingering making Schlatt slightly nervous. "Something arrived a few minutes ago." He said, opening the door for the goat king who slowly made his way across the room, muttering curses to the man as they walked down the long hallway. Quackity lead the man to the prince quarters. Schlatt stopped walking, afraid to enter the empty room. "What type of sick fucking joke is this Big Q." He growled, Quackity just smiled back and pushed the door open, sending morning light into the unlit hallway. As the king entered the large room, a mass shifted slightly on the bed. Tufts of brown hair poked above the top of the blanket, making Schlatt's heart skip a beat.
"Tubbo? My son?" The mass stilled and immediately sat up, the blanket falling from the prince's head, revealing his fully grown horns to his father's awestruck face. "Father? Father I'm so sorr-" Tubbo was cut off as Schlatt wrapped his son in a hug, silent tears dripping from the man's eyes as his shoulders shook. Tubbo froze, not used to the physical affection or his father's openness with emotions. "Don't you dare apologize. I thought I had lost you forever. My son, I'm sorry... for everything." Schlatt choked out between tears. The prince drew in a deep breath, tears welling up in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around his father. The two sat on the bed, latched in an embrace as they both quietly sobbed in relief.