Just Like Him | TSchlatt AU

Chapter 2

Tubbo awoke, a splitting headache greeting him. Light shone through the curtains, hitting his eyes and making the pain worse. He opened his eyes slowly, squinting at the thin white curtain in front of the window. His gaze darted around the unfamiliar room as he gained his bearings. He sat up slowly, his head feeling heavy from what he assumed was grogginess. He basically rolled out of bed, feet hitting the floor. He pulled himself up to absolutely collapse almost immediately. Niki rushed in to see Tubbo sat with his back against the bed.

"Tubbo, are you alright?" She asked gently, hurrying to his side. Tubbo nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, just kinda lost my balance." He looked around the room. "Where are we, Niki?" He titled his head.

"The White House," the blonde sighed, sitting down next to the boy. "Your new room. I must say, bit of an upgrade, isn't it?" She giggled, ruffling Tubbo's hair playfully. She looked at him with a smile before her eyes rested on something. Color drained from her face, and her smile left. After a look of confusion emerged from the younger, she stood suddenly, forcing a small smile.

"I-I'll catch you around, Tubbo." She darted out of the room, leaving Tubbo confused. He stood, this time slower. His center of gravity still felt off, but he got the hang of it. He hobbled to the window to see Niki running down the dirt path. He was curious what she had seen, but there were no mirrors in the room. Was it just a bad hair day? With a frown, he crossed his room to the open door of the bathroom. He went to the mirror, scanning himself for a moment before his eyes rested on the top of his head. His eyes widened, the boy's expression matching Niki's from a few moments prior. He fell backwards, only to be caught by Schlatt, who had let himself in silently.

"They grew in, huh~?" The man grinned. "About time. I checked every day that you were out." That just raised more questions.

"Sch-Schlatt, what is this..?" Tubbo wasn't going to believe it until the other confirmed.

"They're horns, Tubbo. I told you this little deal we made would be pretty permanent." Tubbo felt sick. How was he going to face his friends like this? Surely he couldn't, right?

"Schlatt, I want them off. How-How do I take them off..?!" He knew in the back of his mind that throwing a fit would do him no good but he couldn't help it. He didn't want this.

"Tubbo, Tubbo... there's no getting 'em off, they'll always come back!" Tubbo knew it was for the best to just believe the man but that didn't stop him from bolting out the door, past Schlatt, through the halls of the White House, and out to a nearby tree, where an axe had been left. Schlatt followed behind, having no problem keeping up with the shorter boy. Niki, who had been stood nearby, watched with wide eyes as Tubbo brought the axe down on one of the small horns in an act of desperation. Pain overwhelmed him, and he passed out once again. As Schlatt walked away, he gestured for Niki to take care of the unconscious boy. He frowned as she approached his crumpled figure. She wasn't going to be able to pick him up, so she left for a moment to grab one of the spare pillows, to at least make him more comfortable. She returned and moved his head onto the pillow, sitting next to him. As her eyes scanned his tearstained face, she noticed, much to her dismay, that Tubbo's small horn, which he had attempted to cut off, had already regrown.