Chapter Text
The red suit was boiling. The golden tassels were pretty, until they reflected the light into Tommy’s eyes. The shirt was too frilly and his governess had tied his jabot too tight. He tugs at his older brother’s black wings and whines. It must be so hot with the black feathers absorbing the sun’s heat.
“Wilbyyy. Can we go home? It’s too hot and I don’t wanna do this stupid fucking welcoming.”
The older man fluffs his feathers in offense and glares down at him. “It’s not a stupid welcoming.” Tommy scowls. Wilbur doesn’t get it. He hasn’t since he turned twenty a few years ago. Apparently he has to learn to carry the burden of being the heir to the empire. Bullshit, what’s more important than being a big brother?
He huffs and looks up at his oldest brother for support. Techno just glances down with those piercing red eyes and shakes his head. Of course. Nobody’s going to backup poor little Thomas Innit Minecraft are they?
He goes quiet, and stands back in line with his brothers. Wilbur, with the circlet signifying the heir to the throne delicately placed on his dark brown curls. Standing tall, dressed in purple and wrapped with a cape adorned with the greens and golds of their flag.
Techno, posing an intimidating figure, dressed in deep blues. He’d refused a jacket, smart man, but still wore a cape with those tassels Tommy hated so much. A rapier hangs at his side, glinting under the light. His blossom pink hair hung in a loose braid, the only thing not intimidating about the man.
He feels the comforting shade of his father’s large wings, and looks up to his left. Phil smiles down at him. He smiles right back in a toothy grin, all of his braces visible.
Phil. What a man. Not just the king, not just Tommy’s father, but the bestest man in existence. Those beautiful wings that Wilbur inherited, the golden hair that hung down to his chin that the siblings used to tug on. A crown adorned with emeralds and amethyst stands proudly atop Phil’s head, his sign of power. Green robes spill from the man’s shoulders, reaching down to his ankles.
“We’re going back soon Tommy, we just have to wait for the heads of the Enderian Empire to get here.” He takes a hand, glittering with rings, and ruffles his son’s hair. Tommy nods. Of course. It all makes sense under the guidance of Philza Minecraft the mighty.
-【·】-
In the distance, a parade of green, red, and purple appears. In the middle, a magnificent silver carriage is pulled by two dragons. The entourage stops just a few meters in front of the four. Two elegant women step out of the carriage, holding hands.
One woman wears a beautiful white dress pooling around her feet, the top is secured around her neck with a golden ring and had flowing sleeves that exposed her purple freckled shoulders. Strange. The other dresses modestly in just a black dress with floral patterns. A silver belt matches a necklace. She wears dangling bracelets on both arms, along with many earrings and a silver circlet. The empress and empress consort.
The former has dark grey skin, straight black hair neatly clipped, and a veil covering her mouth. Her glowing green eyes said everything they needed to know. A black obsidian crown made its place known on her head. The latter has a very slightly pink skin tone and long white hair curling around her waist, red eyes matching Techno's, observing the family standing in front of her.
Phil kneels in front of the two. “Welcome, empresses Elektra and Adina.” The woman in white smirks through the veil and whispers into her wife’s pointed ears. The woman in black giggles in delight and turns to address Phil. “There’s no need to address us in this way Philza. You’ve known Adina for almost a century and I for almost as long.” She reaches out a hand.
He takes it, standing up to shake hands and hug both women. Empress Adina (or whatever her name is) makes a gurgling sound, and a boy peeks out of the carriage, and almost stumbles getting out.
Tommy stares. The kid looks around his age, albeit a lot taller. It’s almost funny how he tries to hide behind his mothers while being almost half a foot taller than both. He’s a perfect split of the empresses, very obviously their son. One side of his skin is dark grey with black hair and glowing green eyes of Adina, the other the delicate white with the slightest hint of pink with white hair and bright red eyes of Elektra. He had these pathetic nubby little horns, and a tail with a fluffy end.
He’s dressed in a jacket woven out of purple silk, his shirt and collar a dark grey material. A silver crown is nestled in between his horns and he, like his mother, had tons of earrings. Damn that must’ve been hard to get. Empress Elektra rubs his arm, and points her chin towards Tommy and whispers: “Go on my pearl. It’s alright, they’re our allies. Their son is kind, look at him! A dove hybrid, bless his heart..”
Hello? He’s about to be the furthest thing from kind if they keep talking about him like he isn’t there. The lanky-ass kid walks over to him carefully and holds out a hand. “Hello.. My name’s Ranboo..! Or, however you guys pronounce it..” Tommy stares at the hand as Ranboo stands there. He throws a grin and takes the hand. “Tommy danger careful kraken innit, pleased to meet you Ranboob.”
Ranboo recoils at the nickname, Wilbur throws a glare and walks over. “Be nice to Ranboo, Tommy. You’re a mature fourteen year old, you can be respectful.” He reaches his own hand out towards the taller teenager, which the prick eagerly takes. “William Soot Minecraft, but you can call me Wilbur.”
Will waves Techno over. “Tech! Take my place, I need to go speak with the empresses. Heir duties.” Just like that, he’s gone. Again. Techno carefully reaches a hand out and grunts. “Techno Blade Minecraft.” Ranboo takes the hand and shakes it. “Ranboo..” Tommy smiles smugly. Techno’s scared the kid. Good.
Out of the corner of his eye, Tommy notices Phil leaving with the empresses. He sprints after his father. “Last one to the castle is the rotten egg Ranboob!!” He shouts over his shoulder, snickering as he sees him stumbling and shouting in protest as he tries to run. A flash of pink hair appears, and he knows his older brother is just ahead. Tommy’s not being the rotten egg. No fucking way.
-【·】-
Dinner wasn’t anything too extraordinary. There were four courses, standard for state meals. Tommy was seated next to Ranboo and Wilbur. Eugh. Wilbur kept chit chatting with Ranboo, Ranboo kept chit chatting back, flicking his ears and tail.
Tommy was sat there, eating his food, getting grumpier and grumpier by the minute. He didn’t want to be here, especially since Will kept insisting that he should “be polite and be the face of the Antarctic Empire.” Fuck being the face of the Antarctic Empire, all he should be doing right now is listening to Wilbur and Tech play violin while picnicking. If this whole state relations thing was still required then maybe Ranboo could sit on the side.
He groans into his dessert. Honestly? The kid seems alright. He’s put up with the siblings and hasn’t gotten too upset. He’s a tad bit of a chatterbox, but Tommy can put up with that. He shakes his head. Maybe the two could be friends. But not while this stupid politics stuff is happening. Politics is shit.
Phil stands up at the head of the table, and knocks a fork against his wine glass. Everyone’s eyes turn to him as he clears his throat. He cracks his neck then raises his glass.
“Hello everyone! I’d like to propose a toast to our guests, the empress and empress consort of the Enderian Empire. As many know, I’ve known the empress for about…”
He raises his head in thought.
“Eighty nine years, by next month, and the empress consort eighty four by the next few weeks.”
Tommy’s eyes bulge out of his head. Eighty nine years?? It was well known that Phil’s conditionally immortal, but Tommy never knew he was that old. He really needs to tease his dad more about his age.
“This is the eleventh annual meeting of our two empires, and the first all three of my sons have attended together. Tomorrow, we will embark on a tour of my empire. But for now, we have dined, and we have hopefully formed more lifelong bonds. To the Antarctic-Enderian alliance!”
A roar of approval emerges, and Phil takes his seat once more. Adina raises her glas in Phil’s direction, her green eyes glimmering with joy. Ranboo claps, so does Techno and Wilbur. Tommy claps too, for the greatest man in existence.
Dinner wraps up with people laughing and talking all the way back to their rooms. The dining hall slowly empties. Phil, Wilbur, and the empresses stay to do more discussing over coffee. Why they’re drinking coffee at ten o’clock nobody knows.
Taking off his boots, Tommy sighs and stretches his toes. It’s been a long day and he could do with a nice sleep. His nightshirt is freshly washed, his sheets got changed, and it’s a nice night with rain pattering on the windows. Suddenly, the door opens. He whips around to tell whoever came in to get out, but it’s Ranboo fiddling with the edges of his sleeves.
“Uhm, I don’t know if you got told but I’m supposed to spend the night in your room because yours is the only one with a spare bed..” He murmurs. Tommy groans, rubs his temples, and points to the bed parallel to his. It used to be Wilbur’s when they were really little, but when he moved rooms nobody bothered to remove it.
Tommy points to Wilbur’s old bed. “That’s yours for as long as you're here. Make yourself at home.” Nevermind, he doesn’t want to be friends. Settling into bed, he pulls out a book and watches Ranboo from behind it. The tall boy feels the blankets and sheets a bit, gets into bed and looks around nervously. Tommy glances back down at his book, the words blur together as he yawns. He marks the page, blows out the candle and tucks himself in.
-【·】-
Ranboo kept chittering through the night. Needless to say, there was little sleep for the boy who had to endure the constant noise. Tommy quickly gets dressed, not like he needs anything fancy for the tour. He stumbles into the dining hall and pours himself a glass of milk, glancing towards Techno and Wilbur.
The twins were sitting close, leaning into each other. They’re laughing, whispering something then breaking into a giggling fit. Tommy fingers the locket he tucked into his shirt. He sips at the glass, feeling hot tears spring to his eyes. What he would do to have a friend like that again.. He shakes his head and scoffs. No. Tommy is a big man. Big men don’t cry, big men aren’t weak. He grabs a plate of pancakes and digs in.
Wilbur slams his hand on the table. “NO YOU DIDN’T.” He stares at Techno in shock, just as Phil walks in with the Enderian royal family. Will notices them and clears his throat. “Excuse me.” He quickly sits down burning red. The blonde teenager snickers, shoves another forkful of pancakes into his mouth and points his knife at his older brother. “Nice save there dickhead. Need some powder for that face of yours?”
Both seated men shoot a glare at Tommy. “Watch the manners and the language Tommy, there are guests in front of us.” Techno jerks his head towards the four waiting for them to settle down. Phil laughs, Elektra stifles a giggle, Adina makes a warble of confusion, Ranboo flicks his tail. “Everyone ready to go and in outfits suited for travelling?” Phil asks. Everyone gives confirmation, and he claps his hands in joy. “Great! Off we go!”
Now Tommy has to spend the next ten hours touring the empire with Ranboob. Great. Just peachy.