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A glimpse of Tubbo walking around the Regime is barely seen once again. Which is slowly becoming something normal. This guy is always moving around anything, any day as if he is running out of time. But there’s plenty of time, no? So why can’t Ash and Haiper see him at least once? Everytime— every time they went there, Tubbo was nowhere to be found. It does get annoying from time to time but what can they do? This man can’t be contained in a cell after all.
This time around— he still didn’t tell any of them where he’s going. How come they know that Tubbo is gone? Well for Ash, he can feel the coldness coming back rapidly. It always happens when Tubbo is away. He is quite unsure but it is how it is right? It’s probably because of how often the machine broke. That is what Ash thinks, it is the most logical answer as well and there’s nothing that can’t back it up. The machine is powered by lava after all.
“For fuck sake bro! Why the fuck is this place so cold? I can even feel it under my own fur”
Haiper hisses as he tries to get himself warmer. He’s always visiting the Regime whenever he can. It has never been this cold here and suddenly it is. What is happening, he doesn't understand it. How can Ash handle this weather!?
…
Ah, he just saw Ash looking like a marshmallow with how many layers of clothes he just put on. Haiper, not knowing what to say, starts bursting out of laughter— he can’t take Ash seriously when Ash goes out looking like that. How could he? Either way, he is still concerned with the weather situation. Nobody here can work in the cold like this.
“Oh, hello Haiper.”
Ash said as he saw the fox nearing the factory. He wonders if Haiper will finally be back to the Regime, he looks and acts more like himself right now. Or that is what he hoped for. Well? It is because Haiper is already going out without wearing the person's sweater to match with them. Yet— he still didn’t wear the Regime outfit.
“Hello, Ash why the fuck is this place freezing?”
“Truth to be told, I’m not sure why either— it is usually warm and sunny whenever Tubbo is here.”
“What the fuck is that suppose to mean?”
“Tubbo isn’t here for 2 days now.”
“No one is searching for him..?”
“No.”
Huh. That’s something Haiper never expected. Well— from his point of view, whenever Tubbo is alone he is always asked to join other factions to the point he had to spy on Tubbo just to shoo people away from trying to swipe Tubbo off from the Regime. So why does no one notice he is missing? Is it just because Tubbo barely hangs out with people? Or just people hating the regime's guts? There’s just no way people haven’t tried to search around.
Ah. He remembers that conversation he had with Tubbo in the deathstar. He never expected it to be true anyways. PEOPLE care for Tubbo believe it or not and he will try his best to prove it otherwise. Like–
“If I was kidnapped by the Federation, do you really think the North is going to save me?”
He still remembers it.
“Yes.”
He still remembers his answer to the question that Tubbo gave and he will never change it.
“Oh you’re batshit crazy. What happened to you? You completely flipped the script man.”
No. He never is crazy. Tubbo never believed him. He will make Tubbo believe him that people will find him. Especially The North. He couldn't care less anymore. Then, he could hear the machinery start again which makes him think that Tubbo is back. He quickly went inside just to see disappointment. That was Ash, not Tubbo. Fuck this guy.
“I thought that was Tubbo.”
Ash could hear the murmurs under Haiper breaths. In a way, he also hoped it was Tubbo that’s doing this stuff and not him. Maybe he should start telling people that Tubbo is missing? No— that would tell people that he is weak and he didn’t really want that to happen— they can be independent yeah. The North will laugh at them anyways.
“I hope it was really him.”
He said to Haiper with a longing look. Well— not like Haiper can see his face anyways.
It went for days, Tubbo still isn’t here. The only good thing that’s coming out of this situation is that Haiper and Ash are slowly getting closer once again. They kept hanging out around the Regime even if it’s cold. Even if their hand is numb. They still hang around the area. Why? Probably because they want to see Tubbo coming back. They want to be the first two people to greet him before anything else.
People could say it is like— like a friendly competition against each other. Honestly, even some people don’t understand why the fuck is this needed. It seems too much but for them, it is not too much. Tubbo is their pillar. Their blood vine per se.
While being in the Regime, both of them decided to try and ask people who are close to Tubbo. Which in this case would be Foolish. They are far too close for Ash liking but that’s okay. Foolish might know where Tubbo is after all.
“Tubbo's, where being is that what you are asking?”
Foolish said before thinking for a while. He never really hears anything from Tubbo saying he will be going away for a long time. Heck, Tubbo himself barely went away this long without telling him or anyone he trusted. He looks at both of them. Ooooh…. They really are hoping for an answer from him aren’t they? Sadly, he won’t be lying. That won’t do any good after all.
“Sorry guys I don’t have any solid answer for this. I know nothing about this situation. Maybe you guys need to remember anything that Tubbo said to you guys? This man loves to hide his intention after all! Goodluck!”
That is what the totem of undying said before waving them goodbye and continuing his projects.
…
Another failure meets both of them, how are they supposed to know? This man usually talks about his machine— or just brings them on an adventure whenever he can. There’s little to no place to tell them where he is going.
“Maybe you know it, Ash! You usually hang out with him!”
Haiper would say as he looked toward Ash. It is true. He never hung out with Tubbo. Not by himself is that what he wants to say. But! Ash may have the chance to know! He trust[ed] him! He is [was] his Supreme Leader after all!
“I’m not—”
Ash tries to be reasonable but whatever Haiper said is never a lie to begin with. With that, he tries his best to think of any sort of talk that Tubbo mentions or said to him before. Machinery? No, that is the talk where he is always telling him about his invention.. Regime talks? No he never mentions anything out of the ordinary.
Oh. Wait.
Maybe it is that talk?
The talk when he came back once again from almost a two week absence.
…
He may or may not have had an embarrassing moment when Tubbo came back. Well— who to blame? He was having one of the worst weeks possible while Tubbo isn’t there and he is missing him like a bunch. BUT! This stuff isn’t important, what is more important is the talk he had with Tubbo while asking him where he has been.
“..... I was in another island—”
Ah. There we go. Something that he long had forgotten. That one sentence could mean anything.
“I remember now.”
Ash said as he looked at Haiper with a little of hope in his eyes. This is it. They might as well get their answer.
“So? Where is he then?”
“He’s on another…. Island? Wait—”
Wait. That couldn’t be right. What other island? Wait, how come he never clicked on this when Tubbo first mentioned it? Well he does know about the old island. Does Tubbo mean he was on the old island when he was gone? How come? He also knows that Fit came back from the old island but it was with the help from a fisherman but Tubbo. How did he get over there with ease? How did he manage to slip away from the Federation?
“What!???”
Haiper looks surprised because what the fuck did he just hear? Another island? What is Tubbo doing there? Is he alright over there? Isn’t it like a bad place to go? Why would he need to go to another island?
“Fuck I don’t know. I don’t know.”
Ash said as his mind went spiraling with questions. The answer— the answer he was hoping for suddenly creating more questions as he tries to think about it.
“... This is the federation's fault isn’t it?”
Haiper said as he looked down. This is not what he wants to know. If it’s true that Tubbo is gone because of the federation— he would. He would kill the federation again and again. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if he is getting punished for it.
He.
And even Ash.
Both of them.
Both of them want their friends back.