Chapter Text
Tubbo tried to stay on his feet as his brother ran as fast as he could through the rainy forest, dragging the younger boy behind him. Tubbo desperately clung onto the hand that had a death grip on his other wrist, fearing he'll be left behind if his hand somehow slipped out of his brother's rough but safe hand. He couldn't see anything through the mixture of tears and raindrops in his eyes and running down his face.
"Dream! Dream, please! Why couldn't we stay at Miss Puffy's?" Tubbo cried into the deafening rain, not knowing if his brother could hear him.
"We have to keep moving, Tubbo." Dream told him, not looking at the younger boy as he watched for anyone or anything that could hurt them.
"But she was so nice," Tubbo sniffed, stumbling a little.
"You can't trust anyone, Tubbo. We can only trust each other. We can't trust anyone." He replied, gritting his teeth through the cold.
"Why-?" Tubbo screamed as he tripped and slipped from his big brother's grasp, letting go of his hand and falling face first into the mud of the forest floor.
"Tubbo-!" Dream turned to help his brother from whatever threat could have taken him, only to stop when he found his brother slowly sitting up from the ground, his thick tears mixed with mud that smears when Tubbo reaches up to wipe at his cheek, his hiccups echoing with the pelting rain. Dream took a deep breath as he felt his eyes begin to sting. He walked over to his baby brother, kneeling before him. He cupped the younger boy's cheeks, rubbing his thumbs under each of his sky blue eyes. "Bo, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to protect you." Dream whispered, leaning his forehead against his brother's.
"I miss momma." Tubbo hiccupped, grasping his brother's hoody.
"Me too." Dream agreed, moving his arms to hug his baby brother.
His baby brother, who looked nothing like him but looked up to him like he was the sun. His baby brother who loved animals and wanted desperately to form connections with people that could potentially hurt them. His baby brother who was so bright and optimistic that it could so easily hurt him one day. His baby brother who he swore to protect with his life when their mom abandoned them two years prior. His baby brother that he swore to never abandon and never let get hurt again. His baby brother he would live for, and kill for without a second thought. His baby brother that he was more than willing to stay running for.
Dream took his brother in his arms as he stood, ready to keep moving.
He would do it all for Tubbo.
"Why are you teaming up with them?"
Dream stopped at the threshold, turning enough to see the curious look on his brother's face, carefully holding a copper container to the top of an iron frame.
Dream smiled behind his mask that matched the one he had given Tubbo. "Schlatt is making everyone miserable, even if he was fairly elected. As much as I don't like these guys I like Schlatt even less. We might as well give them every advantage they can get." Dream told the brunet, getting a hum and nod in reply. "What did you name the star of Project: Mic Drop anyways?" Dream asked, looking to the contraption Tubbo had turned to work on again.
"I think I'm gonna call it a nuke." Tubbo replied, adjusting the copper container to be perfectly in place before reaching to grab his welding stick. "It's not gonna be ready for a couple more months, so don't be getting any ideas." Tubbo added, giving his brother a pointed look.
"Don't worry, Bo. This is meant as a warning. Besides, even then it'll only be used in the worst of the worst conditions." Dream assured.
Tubbo wasn't convinced then. But now he was. Now he was convinced that he was right to hide the real prototype when he'd seen the explosion of Pogtopia from miles away.
Tubbo's heart stopped as he saw the small mushroom cloud in the distance. His body trembled as his hand cradled the tip of the real prototype. He distantly felt it slip from his hold, landing gently to lay in the small pit the boy had dug for it. He felt cold running through his entire body as he imagined the sound of distant screams.
He didn't notice he'd started running. He was running straight for the explosion, his feet pounding under him. He didn't feel like he was breathing but he kept moving, unable to stop. That was until he reached the distant cliff's edge. How had he reached the edge of L'Manburg so fast? Tubbo's sight scanned the destruction before zeroing in on his brother.
His brother who had asked him to create the Nuke. His brother who smiled and cheered at the carnage he'd helped cause. His brother who he should have known had been lying to him for who knows how long. His brother who he'd finally realized wasn't his brother anymore. The monster who, as far as Tubbo was concerned, had destroyed everything and would inevitably cause so much discourse and grief for all that had been involved or would involve themselves.
And their eyes met. He could see the delight fading from Dream's face as he saw Tubbo's distraught look of disgust and pain. Dream didn't get that chance to call for him, because Tubbo was already racing away, refusing to let that monster try and comfort him and wipe away his tears. No one could know what he'd done for Dream.
Everyone knew.
Everyone knew what he'd done.
Tubbo held his hand over his mouth to keep himself quiet as tears slid down his cheek, his body shaking in terror. He couldn't be caught.
Dream had just lost two lives. They were taking Dream to Pandora's Vault, a place he'd commissioned Sam to build and Tubbo to help with. Tubbo had been too scared to leave back in Pogtopia. Had been to scared to leave during Tommy's exile. Had been too scared to leave when Dream couldn't find Tommy one day. Had been too scared to leave when Tommy had cornered Dream in his own bunker with his family. Had been too scared to leave when their backup followed them. And was too scared to move as they dragged the monster that had been his brother to the most secure prison that has ever been constructed, that he had never wanted to help with in the first place. And he was too scared to move when he heard them tell Dream that they would find his 'partner in crime' and throw them in Pandora's Vault right along with him.
Tubbo closed his eyes as those that remained in the bunker emptied it, slowly but surely making their way to Tubbo as they went down each side of the room. He would be caught if he didn't leave soon. How could he get out of this? He was currently hidden in his secret work shop, holding a bag filled as full as it could possibly be, holding all of his blueprints and anything he would need to survive in the wild for a couple days. He had been so close to being free. Why couldn't he just get out?
Tubbo almost screamed as a being suddenly appeared in front of him. He stumbled away from the man that floated like the air was water. The man looked exactly like Dream, just more... ethereal.
Tubbo settled as he took a closer look at the being that slowly floated down to him, cupping his head. It was gentle. Warm. Just so comforting. Tubbo couldn't help but hum as he let a calm smile slip onto his features, closing his eyes for just a moment. He was so exhausted.
Tubbo blinked his eyes open again, seeing the world around him had turned white. It was only then that he processed the sheer cold surrounding him. He hugged himself for warmth, looking in all directions only to find that the strange being was gone. He felt his bag at his side, causing him to glance to it just to be sure. He sighed in relief before taking another look around, slowly rising to his feet.
He was hidden between four conjoining mountains, miles of land before he would reach the rise of any of them. To the direction that he guessed was north he found a snowy forest, but the rest of it was flat land. Tubbo looked down as he almost lost his footing, realizing he was standing on top of a frozen lake.
Tubbo took a few deep breaths as his brain caught up to the moment. That Thing had teleported him to the middle of nowhere and basically left him for dead. It had left him stranded to fend for himself. Honestly.
It was probably better for everyone this way.
Tubbo went to take a step before having to catch himself from falling painfully back on the ice. He took breaths to calm himself before fixing his bag to be in front of him, holding it like a box. He pushed off with one foot and laughed in relief as he slid gently across the ice. He continued, smiling as he skated across the lake, doing a spin just for fun. He giggled to himself as he reached the edge, stepping onto the snowy ground. He took one more glance over the lake, one more search for the mysterious being. But when it was clear they weren't there he turned to head for the forest. He needed a fire before he could do anything else.