Missing Years

Two sides of a mirror.

When the word ended someone grabbed Tommy and shielded him from the explosion. They were hit back pretty hard but they landed in the water so it was okay. At first Tommy thought it was Wilbur but upon opening his eyes he discovered that it was in fact Bad. A covered in soot and coughing but very much alive Bad.

"Geppy? I got Tommy! He's okay!" Bad exclaimed helping the teenager out of the water and gently draping his cloak over Tommy's shoulders. "Did you get Tubbo?"

The two had planned that in case of the explosion happening they would get the teenagers out. They deserved a childhood. They deserved to want to climb trees and steal apples. They deserved to want for their parents to cook then breakfast and to tack them in at night. They deserved feel safe and not be constantly scared of getting shot, they should not be caring about strategies for the war or getting left stuck in a hole when they have severe claustrophobia or their best friend getting killed. They do not deserve to be in this war.

"Geppy?" Bad frowned hearing, no answer and turned around only to be faced with the few survivors there were. There's George dusting off his supreme shirt and looking around for Sapnap. There is Antfrost heading towards the Brit, limping and coughing but he's alive. There's Eret, helping Fundy. There is Jschlatt looking guilty, mortified and frozen, but alive. But....

Bad felt like the ground was no longer under his legs as he fell to his knees. No. He refused to believe it. Tommy, who has gone completely unresponsive, was still clinging to him in fear and despair but Bad did not even feel it.

The night was filled with the most heart wrenching scream. A scream of loss. A scream of despair and anger and love.

After that... the man just broke down in sobs as he clawed at the ground.

"Zak... Zak... IT  IS NOT FAIR!" He but the ground not hearing the footsteps of his friends running to him or his Tommy's soft breathing on his back. Zak persuaded Darryl that he should be the one to get Tubbo, because he is the arsonist and he knows how to deal with explosions. He promised to be careful. He promised he'll be okay.

"You promised..." Darryl sobbed as George knelt down next to him, holding back his own tears. "YOU FUCKING PROMISED! ZAK!"

"Darryl... he can't-" George sniffled rubbing circles in Bad's shoulder. "He can't hear you, Darryl..."

"Zak, please... this is not funny! Stop trolling! Where are you?!" Darryl had tears streaming down his face, his glasses knocked off by the explosion. He was going through the 5 stages of grief in the matter of minutes. "Please.... come back to me..."

George swallowed a sob and gripped his friends shoulders. Better to do it now than later.

"Darryl. He's gone." Sharp breath in from both sides. George could feel his hands shaking, because he gets it. It hurts. It hurts so damn much. "They are all... gone."

"No, he can't be- they can't be gone!" Darryl three his head back looking at George, eyes full of tears and despair.

"George..." the mans voice came out as a small desperate whine. "I want Zak...."

George did not know what to say. He was never good with words, all he could do was grip Darryl's shoulders in pathetic attempts to comfort him. Suddenly help came from the most unexpected person:

"Hey Big B..." Darryl flinched as Tommy spoken. He never heard the boy sound so... quiet and soft. So serious and yet so broken. "I know it hurts. But we have to... we have to make them proud. We have to continue to live without them and protect the ones who are here. You're the... one of the strongest people I know. There will be time to grieve later. Now it's time to be strong."