Never Meant to Be

P. 1

Tommy

The jingling of metal filled the foggy silence in the air. My fingers fiddled with the chain attached to the one and only compass I owned. My eyes looked off into the vast ocean, above was the bright sun setting into the ground. I look down, seeing the red line pointing straight ahead. When was the next time I would be able to go to L'manburg? It's been too long, my head was starting to scramble due to loneliness.

A few seconds pass by and there is still silence. There's a different tension in the air, however. I can feel Dream's bright green eyes looking into the sunset with me, several meters behind. So many times has Dream snuck up on me like this, even without sound I can tell whenever Dream comes through the nether portal.

Footsteps in the damp grass come closer to Tnret. I see Dream sit a few feet away from my right.  

"It's nice, isn't it?" Dream said. He sounded like he was mumbling more than talking.

"Yea," I replied. It was better in L'manburg. 

I look down on my chest at the bright purple gem. I wonder if Tubbo is doing the same; looking into the ocean, holding the compass. I still remember the day that Ghostbur was in the van, handing me the set. I could see that Tubbo already had his since my compass was moving around a little bit. The compasses point to a lodestone necklace that we each can wear. The thing is, my compass line hasn't moved in quite a while, and it hurts me a little because I know that he's not wearing the lodestone necklace.

"Hey Dream."

"Yes?"

"Are we friends?" My head turns to the right, looking at Dream's porcelain mask. 

"Yes, of course Tommy. I'm probably the only friend you have," he replies.

"If I'm really your friend, then why don't you let me go into L'manburg?"

"We've talked about this before, Tommy," Dream starts again for the 7th time. "You are exiled from there, it was only partly my choice. Remember Tubbo? He used to be your friend, but he's the one who made the choice to exile you in the first place."

It was like he read my mind. I was going to bring up how I wanted to see my friends, but Tubbo. Tubbo is a strange character in my head. Were we best friends? Just friends? Or is our only relationship now the fact that Tubbo exiled me?

My eyes caught the sight of a few dolphins jumping in the water. Instead of looking at the now disappearing sunset, I focused on the graceful leaps of the animals. A few minutes pass and soon the dolphins leave along with the sun.

Chills went down both me and Dream's spine and we both turn around at the same time. A familiar face appears behind us, but instead their whole face is completely see-through.

"Hiya! How are you guys doing on this dark night?" Ghostbur greets them. I responded with a slight groan.

"Hey, I heard what you guys were talking about earlier. Dream, shouldn't you let Tommy into L'manburg? It'd be cool, he'd be able to look at what Tubbo has built! And I'm sure everyone there misses you too!" his optimistic voice continued. Dream looked over at me, making sure my hopes weren't getting up too high. We've heard Ghostbur talk about this about a million times, but he just never seems to forget the response.

"Ghostbur, Tommy can't go back. Remember? He'll die if he goes back."

"Well, what if he just doesn't die? What will happen then?"

It's the same goddamn conversation that replays every single night. My hand reaches for my face, rubbing it from its exhaustion. I start to get up and head to bed while Dream and Ghostbur bicker on about my exile.