Receeding Tides (mcyt)

Chapter 28

Believe it or not, nutrition was harder to keep up with than energy. Fruits and vegetables drowned or were left to rot, and domesticated livestock had little defense against their natural predators. As hard as nourishment was to maintain, Tubbo's eyes widened at the sight of chocolate and soda. Two treats as popular as cocoa and carbonation were rarer than diamonds, and when they were around, it was never for long.

"Dream and I found them. Here," Tommy offered him a large chunk of melting cocoa. "He wanted to eat it for breakfast. We can help him out a little, right? Though it is almost noon."

"Of course we can. Noon or not, chocolate is chocolate."

The both of them practically inhaled the sweet, yet slightly expired, chocolate. Never in a million years did Tommy think chocolate could truly be the highlight of his day. He opened the soda can as the truck hit a bump in the road. A little bit of the soda splattered in his face, and Tubbo laughed at his expense.

"Fucking hell."

Tommy grumbled trying to lick the soda off off his nose. He couldn't, so he left it there. The two ate their sweet treats in silence. Words unspoken were exchanged through glances and pointed fingers, and without words, both Tommy and Tubbo realised just how different their lives had been in the past four years.

If anything, Tommy's seemed tame in comparison to Tubbo's. Far less traumatic. Far less dramatic. More paranoia. More paraplegia. He couldn't imagine himself shooting a gun but Tubbo? He seemed to fit right in with America. Tommy couldn't imagine what he may have gone though, nor did he want to spend energy on those possibilities. Whatever he guessed though, were far tamer than what Tubbo saw.

"Is everyone we know in America at this city Sapnap spoke of?" Tommy asked crushing the soda can.

Tubbo shook his head, "Not really. We've lost quite a few people in the last year."

"Oh, um... who?"

He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer, but curiosity won.

"Technoblade passed I think a month or two before Sapnap and I crossed the Atlantic," Tubbo took a millisecond to mourn.

Tommy's shoulders slumped. He'd told Niki he was alive. Granted, he hadn't know for sure, and last Dream knew, he was still alive. But how would she react to not seeing him? Or even worse, seeing his grave? For all Tommy knew, Technoblade laid in a shallow, unmarked ditch in the middle of nowhere and completely alone. Was the dirt in America even soft enough to dig? Could they even spare dirt for graves? Or did they burn their dead like in Europe? How would Dream be buried?

"I was hoping he'd be... y'know, alive."

"I know," Tubbo leaned against Tommy's shoulder in silent support. "He survived for a long time though. Did a lot of um, good for the cities. Talked a lot about how lovesick for George Dream was the entire time he was bedridden. ever so ready to shit on our friends."

Tommy chuckled lightly at Technoblade's words, "Any Dreamnotfound shippers?"

"You would have been surprised."

"Did Techno say anything else?"

The tings Tubbo recalled about Technoblade didn't seem like the whole truth. Somethigng happened between him and Tubbo that Tommy didn't know about, and that something had a larger effect than Tubbo made it out to be. Regardless, Tommy didn't press him further. For the first time in years, he had the luxury of waiting.

"He missed you and Phil and Wilbur," Tubbo explained, "He wanted to search for you guys with Dream but his injuries kept him here."

"What about other people from the SMP?"