𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 (Sleepy Bois Inc) /Discontinued/

-9-

Tommy
--

I let my feet carry me up the trail back to camp, fleeing the scene which I had just stumbled upon. My thoughts were completely absorbed in myself, scared at the fact I may end up just like Techno and Phil if I wasn't careful. I was determined never to let that happen.

I arrived at camp with a searing pain in my lungs, almost doubling over from the mental and physical exertion. I went straight for my tent, planning on gathering all my valuable belongings before setting off on my own into the woods. Well, I wouldn't be totally alone, but it would certainly be different than what I was used to.

This was the perfect time to run away with my forbidden friend.

Truth be told, I had been sneaking out of my tent at night and running off to meet him, despite the warnings not to trust everyone I meet. But Tubbo was different from the other rouges and teams of the forest. He kept to himself really, living in his humble camp at the mouth of a small cave. He had tried to persuade me to leave with him before, but it seemed more stable to stay at camp with Will and Techno. Now that Techno was gone and Will had lost his mind, new circumstances brought new opportunities- I just had to hope he was still up for it.

I wiped tear after tear away from my eyes as I made sure not to leave anything important of mine behind. Once I had shoved everything into a dark green backpack, I slung it over my shoulder and made a beeline for the trees. A wave of pain and longing hit me like an explosion right before I left, causing a quick look back over my shoulder. I used to look back and see our once-prosperous camp sitting so soundly in the wonderful clearing we chose, with the sound of the stream trickling along in the distance- I looked upon it now with the dreadful knowledge that three of the tents would most likely remain empty forever- as I had no intention of returning, while Phil and Techno didn't have a choice.

With a silent goodbye to the second place I ever felt safe in, I ran through the opening in the trees and was gone.

-~-

It was odd following that familiar trail in the light of day. Usually, I would only take it at night or dawn of course, when I snuck out. I made a silent wish that Tubbo would be awake and accepting of my arrival.

Biting my nails nervously, I walked through the oaks and spruces that streched far into the sea of a sky. Clouds danced like fairies lightly in the breeze, and the sun bore down on my situation like a spotlight, reminding me of my hope as it started to lower into the woods. It would start to get cold soon, so I picked up my pace, being careful to not drag my feet.

I had given Tubbo my heavy coat on one of our most recent meet-ups, as I felt he needed it more than me, which made it so I was left walking through the cold at this moment in nothing but my t-shirt and shorts.

The first time I met Tubbo was once when Techno and I were training. Techno had shot an arrow at me, which I skillfully deflected with the shield he had lent me. As a result, it bounced off into the bushes. Being the unafraid and very brave man I am, I decided to crawl through the bushes and retrieve it. That's when I was met with the face of a dirty, bandaged, Tubbo, who gazed up at me with puppy dog eyes and an unspoken prayer not to be harmed.

Cold dusk wind whipped at my hair and frail body as I finally arrived at Tubbo's camp. I looked around, half-expecting to see the boy on the ground playing with the bees like usual. "Hey- T-Tubbo, you there?" I called out softly, shivering. The last thing I wanted was to scare him away too, and be left deserted and helpless.

A pair of eyes opened from the mouth of his cave and looked at me quizzically, before calling back. "Tommy!" The boy crawled out of the cave and ran at me, wearing the coat I had brought for him- It was slightly too long and a little baggy around the sleeves as I was taller than him, but he cherished it deeply. I was engulfed in a warm hug almost instantly, so I hugged the boy back as more tears threatened to spill from my eyes. I begged myself not to let any escape, I needed to be strong for him now.

"I missed you," Tubbo chirped, bouncing on his heels as he pulled away from me. A mop of messy brown hair sat atop his rounded face, and the green, ripped, button-up shirt he always wore was still slightly visible under the coat.

"You're so clingy," I scoffed playfully, getting only a chuckle in response.

"It's been lonely around here, you can't really blame me," Tubbo had a higher voice than me sometimes, usally when it cracked. It always seemed to break more often when he was happy, so right then he must've been elated.

I felt the urge to explain my sudden presence to him, even though it would most likey kill the mood. Taking a deep breath in, I blurted out, "Can I stay here with you, Tubbo?" His eyes grew wide as the words fell out of my mouth. "I m-mean- just for a little bit maybe. . ."

Tubbo looked at me, deadpan, like I was kidding. "For real?" He asked softly, not knowing quite how to handle the question I dropped on him unexpectedly. My worriedness must've shown on my face, because an estatic, "Of course!" was half-shouted out of the mouth of the shorter boy.

I grinned, a weight being lifted off of my shoulders as I promised Tubbo I would explain everything to him in time. Now I just had to pray that Wilbur somehow didn't follow me here- Three would certainly be a crowd, especially when it came to Tubbo's quiet, secluded way of living. Not to mention the fact that he had lost his mind and killed one of his best friends.

With a grin, I pulled my bag off my shoulder and follow Tubbo as he gestured to the cave.