Good Things Never Last

Chapter 69

I stood and watched as Tommy leapt onto the stage, his smile bigger than I'd ever seen it. I watched as his eyes surveyed the crowd as he approached the mic, and I saw them connect with Tubbo's, widening his smile even further.

He'd made Wilbur proud. That was all he ever wanted.

"Hello everyone..."
I could tell he was shaking even though I sat quite a distance away from the stand.
"Well... it looks like we won!"
I began cheering with the rest of the audience that had assembled, a sense of triumph pervading us all.
"And I never thought I'd say this, but even after the hardships, the tyranny we've been through, after everything, it was meant to be!"
The sentence seemed to ring through my ears. Maybe it was finally meant to be. Maybe this was what was meant to happen all along.

"It was meant to be"
I only muttered it quietly, a smile forming on my face as the realisation that we'd actually won began to seep in.
"And, I thank you for making me the president, and I know you said I never would be. Wilbur, I can't be the president."
My smile faded in an instant, replaced by a scowl as I gave Wilbur a puzzled look, which he returned.

I watched as Tommy's eyes scanned the crowd once more before settling on the masked figure standing not so far away. He stood tall and proud, clearly smirking underneath the mask at the current situation as he chuckled at what was going on.
"I still have unfinished business. And I can't do this until I'm done. And Dream, we're not done. So Wilbur, I can't be the president. And until I'm done, it's not fair for me to take my place as the president of L'Manburg. L'Manburg"
L'manburg was finally back. Within the first two minutes of his presidency, he undid Schlatt's decree by changing the nation's name. Classic Tommy.

"Because I've got to get those discs back"
As my eyes met Tommy's, a wave of guilt washed over me. I was the reason he'd given up those discs, and now I was the reason he'd given up his position as president of the place he'd put his life on the line for multiple times.
"So Wilbur, after all we've been through, I know we've had our fights, I know you've threatened to blow this place up, I know that that was all just talk now! We have our L'Manburg back, without a single explosion. Wilbur, take your place on the podium. And Dream, this isn't over."

Wilbur rolled his eyes as he stepped up to the podium as Tommy walked away to sit next to Tubbo, both of them beaming with pride at their victory.
"I'm going to keep this brief. Tommy, your only decree as president happens to be one of the best decrees you could ever make!"
I could tell that his smile was fake, along with his sweet tone.
"Welcome to L'Manburg everyone. Keeping with the theme of making a change, the flag will be reverted to its original state of black, yellow, red, blue, and white"
The crowd erupted in cheers once again until Wilbur raised a hand and silenced them all.
"However. However, I also can not be your president"

My face fell further at his words while the rest of the crowd looked at each other for some sort of answer.
"Look, I've learned a lot from Techno. I don't think I can be part of this government. And with that, it would be hypocritical of me to run a government. So I must hand off the presidency to someone. It is important to say goodbye, to this nation, to my L'manburg. And there's only one person that can be president..."

I stood there watching as his eyes roamed the crowd, briefly settling on me before moving on to find a small brunette boy.
"Tubbo, I want you to come up and give your speech."
The crowd was in an uproar. Everyone was cheering with joy and clapping to their hearts content as the brunette sat in shock. But I wasn't paying attention to any of that. I was watching the taller brunette who once stood on the stage slip away from the rest of the crowd.

So I did the only reasonable thing. I followed him.

I followed Wilbur around the outskirts of L'manburg for almost twenty minutes, keeping a safe distance while remaining out in the open. Wilbur eventually came to a halt on one of the many hills overlooking L'manburg and waved me over. I walked over to stand by his side as we both gazed out over the country we'd just reclaimed.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? After all the years of hard work, it really is a masterpiece"
His voice was soft, no longer sounded hoarse and dry. It was comforting, like it had been many months ago.
"But there's always been something way more beautiful than that"
I felt his hand brush past mine as he turned around to look at me, making me turn to do the same.
"You"
I stood frozen, unable to comprehend what he just said as he stepped closer, leaving us only inches apart.

"You are the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on Y/N"
I repeatedly opened my mouth, trying to find the right words, but fell short.
"It's always been you"
He brought his hand up to my face, brushing away a stray strand of hair and tucking it behind my ear as he grabbed my hand with his other.  My face instantly exploded, turning as red as a tomato as I locked eyes with the taller male. I could sense he wanted to say more, but I couldn't figure out what was stopping him. 

"Will-"
I was cut off by his lips pressing against my own. They weren't chapped and dry like I'd expect, they were soft and warm, making me lean into the kiss, the kiss that was filled with so much meaning, the kiss that was meant to be a final goodbye.

He pulled away, slightly reluctant as he took in every inch of my body one last time before turning away. I wanted to do something, anything that would stop him, but he knew what he wanted and nothing was going to change his mind now. That didn't stop me from trying though. I kept following him, shouting at him over and over in an attempt to persuade him that it could all be fixed, in an attempt to make him realise he was worth so much more than what he thought.

Soon, he turned a corner, leading me to follow, but I found myself face planting into something solid, something soft. I staggered back, surprised by the sudden obstruction in my route, and just glared at the smiley face that stood in my way.
"Move Dream"
He just tutted, moving from his leaning position on the stone wall as he stalked over to me, looking as menacing as ever.
"No can do princess"
I tried to push past him, but he moved and blocked me once again. As I tried to push past him over and over again, the sound of heavy breathing from behind me went unnoticed.

"Please Clay"
He just ignored me, his masked eyes never meeting my own.
"The sad thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies"
And that's when the ground erupted from beneath me, yet I didn't fly into the air like Dream did.

Two arms wrapped around my torso and drew me back into the emerald green cloak that surrounded the entity that had potentially saved my life.

But my mind was elsewhere, and my eyes immediately searched the wreckage, focusing on the now-shattered smile face mask that remained where Dream had once been.

And that was the last thing I ever saw.

Or so I thought.