Chapter Text
“I suppose this is the end?”
“Yes, that’s correct” a heavy sigh of broken promises and work left unfinished left into the air, a burden lifting. “The road was long, yet so very fun”
With blood and shattered glass, we depart. We leave nothing but numbers, pages, and words. Thousands have hit a button and caused a chain reaction.
There’s attention and joy that come from these words and yet it still goes unfinished.
Unfinished no longer, for the decree is nigh and the finale is present.
This is the end.
There was laughter and family. There was gore and bloodshed. There was comfort and smiles. There were tears and anguish.
There will always be more to come. More to cover, more to endure but this marks an end.
With the click of a button, a reaction occurs, and with that, a cascade of letters forms these sentences. These sentences could carry an impact when given the correct sequence. The words form in succession with what the brain can think.
While goodbyes are hard this one will be splendid.
—
Snow fell gently around Snowchester. Silence only interrupted with the soft chill breeze blowing in from the ocean.
There was only emptiness. The population had dropped and while secrecy was key for this place to thrive it was no longer secret. It was unsafe and the purpose was lost.
Purpose was what he needed and yet Tubbo had none to spare.
He gazed with brown eyes across the snowy landscape. His husband was dead, his son had been taken and he felt empty. There was nothing for him anymore.
Footsteps crunched in the snow, too heavy and casual to be Tommy’s timid stride.
Tubbo spared a glance in direction to the sound, his ears flickering toward the noise and the figure stopped.
Technoblade. Of course, he’d be here, they were meant to meet after all.
“Uh- hey” Techno greeted. The casual tone rubbed Tubbo the wrong way but he kept up appearances.
“Oh! Techno good to see you!” With a forced smile, he stepped to better face the blood god.
“Right… well, I figured it’d be better if we got to investigate better… the last time I saw you…” he trailed off. He hadn’t needed to finish.
“Of course, yeah… uh- let’s head inside”
Tubbo led Techno back to his house it was unbearably warm all of a sudden.
“Do you have any idea who may have taken Michael?” Tubbo shook his head.
“No, I wish I could say I did I-” Tubbo sighed. “I wanted to keep him safe… keep us safe and- and now-”
“Relax, while we can’t change the past we can still save what hasn’t been lost, right?” Tubbo blinked at Techno’s words but nodded.
“Okay… well- I don’t even know where to start-” Techno pulled a note from atop the door.
“Dear Tubbo, I know you’ll worry but please don’t. I have information on Michael, from Eret” Techno paused. “He signed it with a heart, that’s sweet” Tubbo took the note, coordinates written on the back.
“Why would he put this on top of the door? He knows I can’t reach that high…” Tubbo muttered.
“Probably wasn’t thinking, gear up, we have to go” Techno insisted. Tubbo grabbed a golden hoe from the table next to him. “Uh… not exactly what I had in mind”
“My place has been completely ransacked, this is all I have” Tubbo admitted. He was embarrassed by it.
“Well… here, you can borrow this for now” Techno handed Tubbo the axe he had been carrying moments prior.
“What? But you-”
“It was a gift from Ranboo, seems fitting to let you borrow it” Techno paused. “But you’ll have to give it back when this is all over” Tubbo nodded, he knew Ranboo had meant a lot to Techno, he wouldn’t dare try to take this from Techno…
“Thank you, I promise I’ll return it”
“Of course, it’s not like anything has ever gone wrong when I gave someone an axe in the past, right?” Tubbo couldn’t help but laugh at Techno’s joke.
“Of course not,” he said. Techno cracked a small smile and gestured with his head for Tubbo to follow.
They knew where they were headed. Or at least they hoped they did. Tubbo couldn’t help but think about how daunting the surrounding scenery looked. It had been some time since he’d actually left Snowchester. He had been holed up in his hole so of course one of the few times he left his son was taken.
Techno definitely noticed the unease and began talking mindlessly.
Once inside the castle, the two conversed, Eret sat upon his throne.
“I’ll do the talking” Tubbo stated. Techno had no reason to refute. Tubbo stepped forward, axe in hand, he adjusted his grip on the handle.
“Eret, before we begin, you should know I’m currently going through the five stages of grief… that being said-” Tubbo hurled the axe in the direction of Eret’s neck, the blade lodged millimeters away cutting into the golden throne. Tubbo kept his focus on Eret as he flinched just slightly.
“I’m sorry Tubbo- I had him, I saved him from George and Sapnap… they would have killed him. I had him hidden away so that when you received my note you could retrieve him and take him home…” Eret sighed.
“What happened to Michael, Eret?” Tubbo asked.
“Sam… Sam said he had somewhere safe for Michael, somewhere he couldn’t be hurt but I thought it best not to move him around too much, lest something happen to him. Sam was persistent, he kept insisting that Michael would be better under his care and-”
“And you let Sam take him away!?” Tubbo asked, Eret shook his head. Tubbo’s goat eyes bore into Eret’s blank ones behind the shades. The air was tense.
“No, no I- I failed to see how far Sam would go and- and well Sam took Michael from me” Tubbo held eye contact for a few seconds after Eret stopped talking. Tubbo sighed and removed his axe from the situation.
“Sorry, Eret…” Tubbo said. Eret relaxed.
“If you want to retrieve your son, I’ll be happy to join you on your quest” Eret offered.
“Thank you, your help would be appreciated” Eret smiled softly.
“Does anyone have any idea where Sam is?” Tubbo asked.
“I keep tabs on everyone I deem a threat, I have the coordinates. I’ll take you there” Techno said. The trio left the castle and as they crossed the bridge and passed the beacons Tubbo suddenly realized.
“Whoa wait a minute!” He looked between the two.
“What is it?” Techno asked. The two were obviously oblivious to what Tubbo had come to notice.
“You do know that you both are the leading causes for my death, right?” Tubbo said. Techno looked at Eret then back to the goat hybrid.
“I don’t know about this guy, but that’s something I’ve been meaning to say. Tubbo, I’m sorry about the festival. I know I said I had no choice but the fact of the matter is, I could have fought. Back then I didn’t have the spine to back up my ideals and what happened to you was my fault” Tubbo nodded sternly then turned his attention to Eret.
The king lowered his crown from his head.
“Tubbo, when I sold out L’Manberg, I did it under the pretense that it would restore overall peace. Being king was just a bonus. My action cost you and many others your lives and for that, I cannot forgive myself, but I hope you can forgive me” Tubbo relaxed, dropping his stubborn act and smiling softly. While his brown eyes were now dimmed by war and lies he still smiled at the two and nodded.
“I do forgive you, both of you… now, we have a child to save”
Techno led the way off the coast of the mainland and across the ocean to a small secluded island.
Tubbo exited the boat first. Missing the look of concern that Techno and Eret shared.
Tubbo was known to be kind-hearted, maybe a little gullible but compassionate and strong. The persona that Tubbo was displaying was very far from these traits.
“Tubbo? Techno and- and Eret what are you three doing here? Together?” Sam looked bewildered, to say the least.
“Aligned interests… Sam, you have my son and I need you to release him” Tubbo’s answers were concise.
“Tubbo- Michael is safer here-”
“That’s not for you to fucking decide, Sam! You kidnapped him!” Tubbo said.
“And how did I even get the opportunity!? You weren’t there-”
“You take away my husband! You take my son! What’s fucking next!? Tommy? How many people are you going to take from me!?” Tubbo’s grip on his axe tightened.
“Tubbo, you’re getting emotional-”
“I fucking wonder why!” Tubbo swung and Sam managed to miss the blade, though it still grazed his arm. That moment set something off in the brunette. Drawing even that minimal amount of blood destroyed something in Tubbo.
He swung again, he might have killed Sam. He certainly looked like he might drop dead anyway. He would have killed Sam, but Techno grabbed the axe casually.
“Alright Sam, you have an option… you tell us where Michael is, or we kill you here and now” Sam sneered but managed to lead them over to the back of the house. He broke open the wall to show a small compartment where Michael sat. He looked frightened seeing Sam.
“Is… is he okay?” Tubbo asked softly, he hadn’t rounded the corner yet.
“He’s unharmed… just shaken I assume,” Eret said. The words made Tubbo speed up, he turned the corner nearly tripping over his own feet. He paused when he saw Michael then choked out a sob, bringing his son into his arms he cried, hugging him tightly.
“Do you understand what you’ve done now?” Techno asked Sam. Sam glared at his feet. Regret was bubbling in his chest but he didn’t focus on it. He tried to take the moment to flee, but Eret stopped him with his sword.
“I don’t think so… you’re not getting out of this” Eret said.
“Tubbo… what do you say we do with this guy?” Techno asked.
“Well… how familiar are you with the Greek philosopher Daedalus?” Techno smirked, ruffling Tubbo’s hair without thinking.
“I like how you think” Techno smiled and Tubbo asked for Michael to wait just a while longer, he would come back and that was something he swore on.
The group traveled to Pandora’s Vault. While Sam wasn’t the most cooperative, he eventually let them in. Techno was able to get his things from his imprisonment and Tubbo found the locker that contained all of Ranboo’s things.
“Why…” he muttered. He picked up the valuable items, the personalized things Ranboo kept with him and when he found a beat-up book he felt his chest drop. He recognized it. With a simple title of Do Not Read, he headed the request and simply pocketed it.
“You okay?” Eret asked. Tubbo nodded wordlessly.
Tubbo got a hold of the keycard and for the time being became the prison warden. They managed to figure it all out with and without Sam’s help. They placed him in the cell Dream once occupied.
As the lava was lowering Sam shouted cockily. “The cards reset at midnight!” Tubbo immediately flipped open his pocket watch and winced seeing it was past the allotted time.
“Fuck…” Tubbo muttered. He desperately pressed the button hoping the keycard would come back out.
“Tubbo, it’s not going to work, you know that,” Techno said.
“Michael’s by himself! Techno, he’s alone and no one knows where he is! How- how are… I promised him I’d be back… I-” Tubbo had tears running down his face and he turned to hide it from the other two individuals.
“Well, it’s a good thing a king always comes prepared” Eret pulled sticks of dynamite from their cape. Tubbo was completely bewildered.
Eret lit the dynamite, they all stood back and Techno covered Tubbo’s ears as the impact went off and that was how the group got out of the prison. Having to leave Eret briefly to work the portal contraption but they managed to use a stasis pearl to get him back.
Finally, they headed back and retrieved Michael. Tubbo returned Techno’s axe, which the piglin hybrid appreciated.
From there, Techno recommended something.
“Tubbo… I want to do right by you, by Michael and most importantly, by Ranboo… so- uh- come live in the commune with Philza and me… you can stay in Ranboo’s old place that way this never happens again” Tubbo looked surprised but accepted the offer.
“O- Okay…” he said.
Initially, Techno had a hard time telling where he was going but eventually got his bearings. Tubbo, Eret, and Techno all trudged through the snow and arrived at the fenced-off area.
“It’s lovely” Tubbo commended.
“I promise it’s safe” Techno assured. Tubbo nodded.
As they approached Ranboo’s old home the trio froze. In the window was Ranboo, looking a bit different.
He stepped outside an open wound in his chest. A stab wound. This was the ghost of Tubbo’s beloved.
Ranboo approached Tubbo and Michael.
“We- we got Michael, Ranboo…” Techno said just as stunned as the other two.
Ranboo smiled, tears in his eyes.
“Thank you,” Ranboo said. He placed a careful hand on the side of Michael’s face and did the same for Tubbo. “It’s good to see you again,” Ranboo said softly. Tubbo was on the verge of tears once again.
“We uh- were thinking Tubbo stay with you?” Techno said.
“Oh! Of course! I can just sit in a little hole-”
“Ranboo” Tubbo tugged on Ranboo’s sleeve and this ghost still recognized the signal, something the two shared and he smiled.
“You… still want me around?” Ranboo asked.
“Of course…” Ranboo smiled and gestured for the two to go inside.
The family may not have been truly complete, but Tubbo would take what he could get…