𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 (Sleepy Bois Inc) /Discontinued/

-11-

(Thanks for 1k reads <3)

Wilbur
--

Walking through the woods aimlessly, smelling the fresh scent of nature, and seeing the beautiful Autumn colors really helped with my goal of trying to find the real me again- for purpose of forgiving the old's wrongdoings.

I never knew I would stumble upon Tommy and what looked to be a friend of his.

"Touch him and you're dead," Tommy barked at me through clenched teeth. Even the acknowledgment of the boy sitting next to him seemed to pick at a piece of his protective and sympathetic nature that lingered below the surface.

"Relax, I'm not here to hurt either of you," I tried to reassure them I would bring no harm, but saying those things only seemed to make the boys more scared. "Look," I started, taking a few big steps backward away from them, raising my palms to assure the boys I wasn't going to play any tricks on them, "Now I'm too far away to do anything, right?"

The boy with him seemed to be wearing Tommy's heavy coat- that'd explain why he hadn't been wearing it recently despite the cold weather- and a ripped, dark-green, button-up shirt. After mental calculations based on how far away I was, the boy looked at Tommy and nodded- they must've figured out how to communicate telepathically or something- then Tommy opened his mouth to speak.

"Will, this is Tubbo," He gestured with both hands to the boy next to him, who gave a sheepish wave while keeping his head pointed at the ground. "Tubbo-" 'Tubbo' looked up at Tommy, then at me. "This is Wilbur,"

"Hello Wilbur," A soft voice muttered. He had an English accent, like Tommy and I, but he was more soft-spoken and calm. I gave a half-wave, not really sure what to do in that situation. Tubbo loosened up a bit, scooting a few inches away from Tommy.

"Hey, Tommy-" I started, seeing a glare cast in my direction from the boy I was addressing. "I'm really sorry- I don't know what got into me, and I'm trying to make amends for my actions-" Being as heartfelt and sincere as possible, I tried to reason with the boy. He didn't seem to be taking any of it.

"Save your bullshit, Will-" Tommy growled, getting an innocent, pleading, look from his friend. "Nothing will make me forgive you for killing him,"

I felt my heart crack with each of his words, they cut far deeper than anyone may have thought. Tommy was always like a brother to me, and I was scared of losing him more  than anything else. I struggled to find words for what I wanted to say next, but Tubbo beat me to it.

"Tommy," He said quietly. "He sounds serious- Maybe he didn't mean it after all..?" I appreciated those words from the boy I didn't even know very well, but Tommy didn't appear to like them as much as I did.

"He killed Techno, Tubbo! I can't just throw away his memory like a piece of rubbish!" Tommy gritted his teeth, anger beginning to visibly rise in his chest and face, while his fingers began to work their way into the soft dirt.

Tubbo was definitely the more sensible one. "But everyone does things they regret! You can't just toss away the only bit of 'family' you have left-" He paused for a moment, debating whether or not he should say the thing he was about to. "I'm sure Techno would've wanted you to move on. . ."

There was a thick tension in the air- So think that if I had a knife on me, I was sure to be able to hack a piece of it off. Tommy's gaze faded from anger to gray emptiness, his fingers that were woven tightly into the dirt below him began to relax. "Who's side are you on, Tubbo?" He muttered. "I thought I could count on you to back me up here-"

Within a second, Tommy had jumped up from the ground and sprinted towards the woods. Tubbo wasn't too far behind, either, pleading for him to come back as he ran through the trees. The brown-haired boy turned back at me right before he disappeared entirely, giving a slight nod of his head and a determined look my way.

Now I must be alone... I thought. An insatiable longing for repaired friendships sunk its claws deep into my skin, and I knew it wouldn't let up anytime soon.

-~-

I kicked at small rocks and pebbles while walking, wishing things could go back to the good times- When Tommy, Techno, Phil, and I were legitimately happy together. Now Tommy wouldn't even talk to me without wanting to fight, while Phil and Techno were in a better place, away from the thoughts of starvation, war, and fatigue.

I decided there was no place left for me to go but back to camp, so I let my lazy feet guide me down the well-worn path back to the place I once thought I knew.

A familiar song played through my head- I couldn't quite put my finger on where exactly I heard it, but something about it stunk into my head like glue. The lyrics seemed to have slipped away from the ghostly melody, just like the leaves slipped away from the trees- and how my only 'family' had slipped away from me.

I'm a monster.

The crimson leaves crunched under me feet, my body and path illuminated by the vermillion sunset off in the distance. It was a long while since I had left Tommy and Tubbo back in the forest, a part of me wondered what they were up to. Another, more sensible part of me said that I should just forget about them, they'd never accept me back anyway. So, I continued walking.

I stumbled upon camp just before the sun set completely, marveling again at its magenta, turquoise, and maroon hues that bled into the rest of the sky. To my delight, there was still some left-over boar meat in an old ice chest. We had stocked it with cold water and some ice a few days prior to Techno's untimely demise- a death which I took full responsibility for.

The meat was already pre-cooked, so I ate it cold, sheltered from the harsh weather behind the flaps of my tent.

It was definitely odd being the only one in the spacious camp, but once I hunkered down for the night, it didn't feel any different.

"Goodnight, my friends," I called into the empty night, half-expecting a response. All I got was the sound of whistling wind whipping through the tall oaks, and the consistent murmur of the stream.