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“I love you so…”
“Please let me go.”
Death comes to even the best of people sometimes. Though not fair, it is the way the world works. You only live once - and the knowledge that one day everything could go away in a second, is what makes life worth living. Many souls are blessed with a long and prosperous life. Others are not so fortunate. In some cases, people that may deserve death are given life. And the people that deserve life, meet the sting of death far too soon.
Tommy knew the risks when he asked Tubbo to fight alongside him. His friend agreed to fight, fully aware of the risks and potential outcome of this battle. They knew not what would happen to them. The best they could do was guess. Would they win? Would they lose? In either case, the events that played out were nothing either of them could have been prepared for.
The two boys’ bodies rested on the cold ground, bloody and bruised. They had lost. Tommy’s rib cage ached and his breathing was laboured from being kicked in the ribs. His right arm was bleeding quite heavily from a large gash received from the backlash of Dream’s sword, and he had broken two of his fingers. Tubbo was in no better shape than his blonde friend lying next to him. His eyes stung from sweat mixed with dried blood that was covering his face. His head rested on one of his bent knees, brown hair covered his face in an attempt to hide the unbearable pain he was in. He had a severely wounded arm and multiple deep cuts along his chest and stomach that could be seen through the tears in his shirt. The two were in terrible shape.
Dream had not avoided all injuries however, despite the state he had left his opponents in. He had a sizable gash that ran from the tip of his left eyebrow down to his cheekbone. Aside from that and a few other cuts and bruises, he was reasonably unscathed.
Having a larger frame and being stronger than the two boys had given Dream an almost unfair advantage. Even with Tubbo and Tommy attacking Dream simultaneously, they were no match for the skill and brute strength of their foe. The two had realised this midway through their fight when things began to turn south for them. They did not give up however, that is, not until Dream held a blade to Tubbo’s throat and threatened to slice it open if Tommy didn't stop running.
Of course, Tommy complied. What else could one do in a situation where the life of their best friend was on the line? Some might have chosen to run in that moment - abandon all hope and save their own skin. Though Tommy was selfish, no matter how much his own selfishness screamed at him to run, he refused to sacrifice Tubbo’s life for his own. He would never do that.
The boys were forced to throw their armour and weapons into a hole, where they watched in horror as Dream burned them. Their only chance at leaving that place safely was gone. They were completely defenseless and at the mercy of their enemy. Everything had gone wrong so fast. The duo thought there was no way it could get any worse… how wrong could they have been.
“You’ve lost.” Dream laughed maniacally. Raising his sword and resting it on his shoulder as he stared at the two boys in front of him. “Hell, you never even stood a chance against me to begin with!”
Gripping his side, Tommy forced himself upright. He gasped in agony as a stabbing pain shot through his chest, knocking the air out of him. He struggled to catch his breath for a moment, gritting his teeth as he fought back the tears that threatened to slip from the amount of pain his body was dealing with.
Dream cocked his head and stared menacingly at Tommy as blue eyes met his own green ones.
Tommy's voice spoke determinedly as the two maintained eye contact. “You haven’t won, you bastard.”
Tubbo lifted his head and stared wide eyed over at his friend in shock and confusion. He tried to speak, voice cracking. “Tommy-”
“Tubbo and I will find a way out of here, together.” Tommy growled at Dream, purposely ignoring his worried friend.
Dream’s eye twitched as he listened to the blonde boy yell at him. His hand gripping tighter on his sword in anger. The defiant attitude that Tommy maintained was one of the things Dream absolutely despised about him.
In Tommy’s defense, he was still a kid - one that was forced to grow up too quickly and deal with things no child ever should. He knew too well about the pain of loss and of war. He had lost his brother to war. A good man driven to insanity by his own people that exiled him out of the country he built from nothing. Tommy’s brother died along with his country - blown up and left to ruins. Tommy’s father abandoned him after his son died. He went to live in a cottage in the snow with Tommy’s other older brother, leaving the boy all alone. The only one he had back then, and now, was Tubbo.
“Do you seriously think you can escape?” Dream questioned, laughing slightly as he spoke.
Tommy looked around quickly and stuttered. “Well- I-”
“You can’t.”
“But-”
Tubbo reached over and laid a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. Tommy turned and looked into his friend’s sorrowful eyes. “Tommy, we lost…”
Dream lowered his sword and walked in the direction of the duo. They turned to face him. Squatting down so that he was almost level with the two, Dream spoke gruffly. “Now that we are done with that. Tommy,” he turned to face the blonde, “I’m going to kill Tubbo.”
Tubbo gasped. Tommy stared in shock at the man in front of them, smiling as if he had just been given free money. Tommy spoke. “W-what?”
Dream stood up pointing his sword at Tubbo who had gone deadly pale. “You heard me. I’m going to kill Tubbo. You lost, and now you have to deal with the consequences. So with that information, I would say your goodbyes.”
“WHAT!? NO YOU CAN’T!” Tommy screamed angrily, clenching his fists.
“Tommy. You are going to miss your only chance to say goodbye to your best friend. I would stop wasting time if I were you!” Dream snapped back.
Tommy turned back to face Tubbo. The boy was staring at the ground, eyes wide in utter shock. The brunette moved his head slightly and Tommy noticed something changed about his attitude all of a sudden. Their eyes met and he saw a familiar look in his friend’s eyes.
Acceptance.
“Tubbo no. I know that look, please-” Tommy tried to reason with his friend.
Tubbo placed a hand on Tommy’s cheek fondly. Smiling weakly, he spoke softly. “Tommy, there’s no way out of this. Dream isn't going to back down, you know this.”
Tears filled Tommy’s eyes and he choked back a sob. His hands were shaking and he held onto his friend - his brother. The one person who had stayed with him no matter what. Put up with his chaoticness for years. He couldn’t lose him too.
“Don’t just accept it! Why have you accepted it?” Tommy shook Tubbo’s shoulders in desperation. “We- we can still make it out of here! Both of us! Tubbo please…”
Tommy felt the tears streaming down his face, but he didn’t care. He knew that neither of them could do anything about the fact that Tubbo was going to die soon. All that mattered now was the time they had left. Tommy pulled Tubbo into a tight hug. His whole body ached in pain, but he ignored it. He heard Tubbo let out a soft hiccup and felt a wet patch forming on his shoulder where his friend's face was buried. The younger boy’s hands gripped onto the back of Tommy’s shirt as he sobbed quietly.
“Please don't go…” Tommy whispered weakly.
Tubbo lifted his head. His eyes were red and the tears had washed away some of the blood, leaving white streaks down his bruised, freckled face. The boy smiled warmly. “You’re so clingy.”
Tommy let out a small laugh, tears still falling down his face. “You were always the clingy one.” He ruffled the brunette’s hair gently as he spoke.
“Alright, I’ve given you plenty of time.” Dream spoke. He stepped towards the two, sword drawn.
Tommy grabbed onto Tubbo and wrapped his arms around him in a desperate attempt to stop him from leaving. “Don’t go, please I can’t lose you!”
“Tommy, let me go.” Tubbo spoke gently, removing Tommy’s hands from around him. “It’s okay.”
Dream grabbed Tubbo’s shoulder roughly and pulled him into a standing position. Tubbo cried out in pain from the abrupt movement of his injured body. Dream held the sword to the boy’s back, looking over the top of Tubbo’s shoulder at Tommy.
Tommy struggled to stand up quickly, pushing away the intense throbbing he felt when he moved. His head pounded and his mind was racing, trying to think of anything he could do to stop Dream. But there was nothing he could do. All he could do was stand and watch.
Dream pushed the sword into Tubbo’s back slightly, keeping direct eye contact with Tommy. Tubbo winced in pain as he felt the blade pierce his skin. Fear filled his eyes and a sense of dread filled him.
“Dream wait! Please I’ll do anything” Tommy pleaded desperately. “Kill me instead! PLEASE!”
Dream smirked. “Bye bye Tubbo.”
Time slowed down. Tubbo exhaled softly as the sound of sword slicing through flesh filled the air. Tommy watched in horror as the end of Dream’s sword emerged from his friend’s chest. A pool of blood seeping through his shirt and dripping onto the ground. Tubbo slowly looked down at the sword and then back up at Tommy, teary eyes filled with panic. Then just as quickly as it went in, the sword was pulled out of the boy’s chest.
“TUBBO!” Tommy screamed, running over to his friend as Dream laughed.
Tubbo fell heavily to the ground, gasping for air as the blood pooled beneath him. Tommy fell onto his knees next to his friend, pressing his hands onto the stab wound. “Tubbo no. No. No. No. Please, you can’t die… you can’t…”
“Tommy… you were the best friend I - I ever had. I’m sorry… I love you.” Tubbo grinned up at his friend for the last time. Tommy shook his head as his tears fell onto his friend’s face beneath him.
Tubbo let out a sharp breath. The last he would ever take. Tommy looked up to the sky and screamed. He clutched onto his friend’s lifeless body, rocking it back and forth, sobbing until he couldn't breathe.
Death comes to even the best of people sometimes. The pain of death and the grief that follows for the ones left behind is the most brutal kind. Sometimes death is deserved, however not in this case. Tommy had lost everything. His Tubbo was gone.