Twenty Days

Day Two

Day two

Tubbo fell asleep, still empty, wanting to rest, to sleep the pain away.

But Tommy was there. Waiting.

The world was bright, and they were together in the sunlight, the soft melody of Cat in the background, the breeze caressing them with the love of a mother to her children.

"Are you happy now?" Tubbo asked him. His voice echoed through the world, becoming a muffled chorus of 'happy's and 'now's.

Tommy smiled, blue eyes gleaming as he blinked down at Tubbo. "...Yeah."

Tubbo couldn't help but fling himself into Tommy's arms, overwhelmed with the need to hug, to wrap his arms around a friend he had thought he would never hug again. Tommy muttered a little "oh" and the corners of his mouth tilted upward, returning the gesture. Tubbo sobbed, letting his tears fall into Tommy's shirt.

"I'm sorry," Tubbo croaked, shattered cries breaking his voice.

Tommy laughed warmly, affection softening his voice. "I know."

When he woke up, Tommy was gone and Tubbo was alone again in his room.

-

On the second day, Tubbo had started working again. He had to. The work wouldn't do itself, and even through the emptiness that threatened to swallow him whole, Tubbo acknowledged the fact that he couldn't leave everyone else to flounder with him.

He signed the hundreds of contracts and bills and queries that he had neglected the day before. Ranboo came by to help every so often, bringing him coffee.

"Hey, you okay?" Ranboo asked him, pouring cream into the drink.

Tubbo smiled automatically, and for a moment it felt like maybe it would be alright, before it crashed back into the depths, and Tubbo struggled to force it not to drop, feeling his cheeks slip back every moment he stopped concentrating on them.

Ranboo, of course, noticed. His mismatched eyes bore into Tubbo's face. "You don't have to fake a smile. We all know it's hard."

"That's about the most generic thing you've ever said to me," Tubbo said with a faint huff.

Ranboo shrugged. "But it's true."

Tubbo let his smile drop. "... I know."

Then Ranboo stood up and trudged towards the door, leaving Tubbo a few cookies on the way.

"I don't believe he's dead, by the way," he told him. "I saw him that day. With Techno. He's fine... I think. The tower's probably just a ruse."

Tubbo fell silent for a moment, shaking his head. "Tommy wouldn't do that. He wouldn't fake his death," Tubbo muttered, his voice breaking. "He's too proud. You're just saying that to make me feel better, aren't you?"

Ranboo opened his mouth, probably to argue, before shutting it again and sighing. "I'm going to go," he said. "... If you need anything..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Tubbo waved him goodbye, suddenly terribly tired. "I'm fine."

Then he closed the door.

And that was day two.