The 'W' in 'war' stands for 'Wilbur, NO!'
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In which Tommy and Wilbur share one
  single braincell, throughout this whole chapter
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-corekuns on twitter

Tommy was confused, to say the least. His face was just as red as the sleeves on his shirt, due to how hard his mind was working. Despite the countless times, he looked at you and Techno on repeat, he just couldn't figure out the apparent connection between the two of you. He rose his finger, only to let it fall back down again. After more thinking, he decided to just ask."Wait, you know her, Techno?"

"Yes." Techno simply answered. "She was the girl I talked about. And the person I had specifically told to stay at home." The last sentence was directed to you, and you laughed awkwardly.

"Uh, I uh... Got bored and wanted to help out." You lied, hoping that Techno wouldn't begin to ask questions. Such as 'what about the contest?' or 'how did you even know who he was helping in the first place?'

But Techno didn't question it. In fact, he didn't even seem surprised. He just looked at you with that emotionless stare of his. Your eyes were still puffy, but you hoped he couldn't tell that you had cried.

Even Wilbur was shocked. Who would have thought you were associated with a blood god?

Techno turned to Dream, completely ignoring you who had awkwardly gestured for a hug. "Sorry about that,"

Your arms returned to your sides and your brows furrowed. He said it like it was his fault - like your actions were his responsibility. You didn't like that one bit. You were a woman of your own, thank you very much. If you didn't want to follow Techno's orders, then you didn't follow them. It was as simple as that.

Dream just shrugged, but you could tell he was angry again. Then he walked past you and announced that he was leaving - that his work here was done.

"But where are you going?" You yelled after him, repeating your question from earlier. He had said he would be away for a little while. Dream answered with another shrug. He could tell you that it was because of you - that the possibility of you going to Manburg, alone was enough reason for him to stay away. If Schlatt found out your history together, he most definitely would...

Dream sighed, not wanting to finish the thought. He just needed to make a deal first. He needed to be smart.

And you being exactly the opposite of smart, you just huffed as you watched Dream walk away. You had returned to your normal, oblivious self. "Well, he's talkative."

"He's always like that," Tommy stated, crossing his arms. "It makes us doubt whether or not he's really on our side. But he hasn't given our location away to Schlatt, so I guess he's alright."

You nodded, looking at the doorway Dream had just disappeared out of. You had just cried in his arms, and you hated to admit it, but while he had held you, a feeling of home had overwhelmed you. And now you almost felt homesick. You got embarrassed just by the thought.

You couldn't help but look at him slightly differently - he had been really nice at that moment. Sure, he was still a douchebag who had just given Wilbur all of his TNT, but-

Oh god, the TNT-

"Hey!" You loudly said, making everyone except Techno, flinch. "Wilbur! The TNT. Hand it over right this instant!"

Techno tilted his head. "TNT?"

"Yeah, Wilbur wants to blow Manburg up. Dream provided him with his TNT for the occasion." Tommy backed you up. He walked beside you and you both narrowed your eyes at Wilbur.

"Oh. Well, that's interesting." Techno said with his iconic, cold voice. He flipped his braid like a sassy teenage-girl and looked at Wilbur, waiting for him to explain.

"Listen Wilbur, we won't betray nor fight you. But we won't stand for this." Tommy once again tried getting through to his friend, and so a long discussion began. It sounded a lot like the first one.

You and Tommy were trying to talk Wilbur out of it, while Wilbur was trying to convince you to join him - Techno was just standing on the sideline, enjoying the show.

It took a lot of everyone's time and patience but eventually, you came to an agreement. Since you couldn't prevent Wilbur from just go to Dream and get more TNT, if you took what he currently had, you agreed to let him keep it. But only if he promised not to do anything with it without your consent. You had told him, that if all of your other plans went wrong, you'd let him plant it. And that's where you came into the picture - you would prevent the plans from going wrong with everything you've got. Wilbur would never have to use it that way, so it wouldn't hurt letting him believe there was a chance he'd blow everything up one day.

Besides, sure, Wilbur had changed a lot since you saw him last - but he hadn't lost himself completely. Just like Tommy had said, L'manburg wasn't too far gone, and the same goes for the old Wilbur. He was very smart and logical - all you needed to do, was to make him realize the madness in blowing Manburg up, despite him being in a dark place right now.

As soon as you had closed the conversation and changed the topic, it was like Wilbur let himself relax a little bit. His eye stopped twitching, and his mad smile went away. After shaking each other's hands, he placed a hand on your shoulder. "It's good to see you again, (Y/n). We hoped you'd come back ever since you left."

Wilbur looked awaiting at Tommy and crossed his arms. Tommy's ears turned red, and he looked at the ground. "Uh, yeah. I guess I should apologize for that."

It was a rare occasion that Tommy apologized to anyone, but it was no need. You had already forgiven him a long time ago. "It's okay. I was looking pretty sus. But it's good to be back." You smiled, wavering a hand. You really didn't hold any grudges against them, and they could easily tell that - which probably was the main factor that this reunion wasn't awkward at all.

"I can't believe you stayed at Techno's." Wilbur laughed and placed his other hand on Techno's shoulder, who quickly shoved it off of him.

"-And came back alive," Tommy added in amusement. "I thought you were an orphan."

"Oh, Techno is a big softy once you get to know him." You assured and smiled at said man, who rolled his eyes. You returned your gaze to Tommy and Wilbur. "I guess it was you guys who wrote to him, huh?"

Techno nodded. "Indeed."

Tommy wasn't done asking you questions; "Why did you come back anyway? And how did you find us?"

You placed your hands on your side. You didn't want to tell them your true intentions. You didn't want them to know, you were slowly losing yourself in your own blood-thirst for killing Schlatt. Heck, you didn't even want them to know that killing Schlatt was the main reason you were here in the first place. You were afraid it would change the way they looked at you, but most of all, you were afraid they'd try and stop you. And so, you had to keep up your facade. You had to keep acting like everything was fine, and that you were exactly the same person they had thrown out of L'manburg a month ago.

"Well, when Techno left to help you guys, Dream came and visited me a couple of days later-"

"Dream came by too? When you were staying at Techno's? Seriously woman, how are you not dead?" Tommy freaked out, and you rolled your eyes.

"As I was saying... I didn't know that Techno was helping you guys because he refused to tell me. Thanks for that by the way, Techno, I appreciate it'." You stuck your tongue out at him. "And so when I realized, I immediately left. I returned to L'manburg - or well, Manburg. I met Jack and Niki, and they helped me find Tubbo without any of the bad guys noticing me - apparently they're on a slight look-out for me. I found Tubbo, and he told me the way to you guys - and now I'm here, ready to help."

A normal person would have questioned what you just said. After all, according to what you had just told them, you were ready to fight beside them in another war, against someone you didn't even know - despite the possibility of Schlatt actually being a good guy, and despite the fact that Tommy and Wilbur hadn't seen you in a whole month after throwing you out. You were ready to set your life on the line, just because they were your old friends.

And the story you told them didn't even add up. Why would Dream have been so angry upon seeing you return, if he was the one who had told you about all of this in the first place?

   Actually, now that you thought about it, only idiots would believe what you had just said. You should have come up with a better lie, but that was too late now.

   But Tommy just shrugged in a 'seems legit' manner. He shot a hand in the air, shouting 'POG!' and thanked you again for coming. Wilbur also seemed to buy it, but Techno, however... Techno looked as if he knew you weren't telling the truth. Like he knew the story went much deeper than that. But you decided to let it go for now - he always looked a bit mysterious after all, you could be wrong.

"It was a good thing you ran into Jack and Niki." Wilbur mumbled. "Have they told you about everything? About Schlatt?"

Your heart skipped a beat upon hearing his name. "Yeah, most of it. And I heard you guy's whole conversation as well. I guess I just don't understand why. Why doesn't he want you and Tommy around in Manburg?"

Tommy huffed. "He thinks we're tyrants. And that the country is better off without us. I think he might see us as a threat as well - which would make sense since we're much better than him at practically everything."

Wilbur nodded. "Throwing us out, was the very first thing he did as president, turning everyone against us in the blink of an eye. It was a good thing Technoblade came when he did - otherwise we wouldn't have escaped alive."

"I guess I am pretty amazing." Techno agreed.

"But it still sucks!" Tommy raised his voice, clearly irritated. "It's so unfair! We were the ones who made L'manburg, we defended it with our lives - and then he had the audacity to take it from us and throw us out of our own nation."

"Oh yeah, I totally get it." You nodded, crossing your arms. "It must suck to get wrongfully thrown out of a nation you've helped to defend - and risked your life for."

Tommy froze in embarrassment and Techno let out a chuckle. You shook your head, smiling. "I'm just kidding, Tommy. All is forgiven."

After that, you began walking around Pogtopia, while still talking to one another. You got shown the place they slept, the library, chest-room, and Techno's potato-farm (what was wrong with this man). They also told you much more details about what was happening back in Manburg. The new people that had arrived since you left, some details about the upcoming festival and stuff like that.

You wondered if the festival would be a good opportunity for you to... Confront Schlatt. It was definitely something you'd dig into - without telling anyone of course. You needed to know how many lives he had left. It would be a shame if you were to kill him in front of everyone, only for him to respawn a few minutes later and throw you in prison.

They were just about to show you the enchanting room when Tommy yelled that he had to go - he had a meeting with Tubbo. You gasped - already? But how?

You asked if he wanted you to go with him, but Tommy just shook his head and ran off in the opposite direction of the exit.

"Why is he running that way?" You asked the two men you were left with.

"He's heading to the tunnels," Wilbur explained. "He and Tubbo often meet there. It's a tunnel system that goes from Pogtobia to Manburg. Schlatt doesn't know about it."

Your mouth fell open. "There are tunnels? Then why did Tubbo make me walk through the forest-"

"It was a good thing he did." Wilbur interrupted, running a hand through his dark-brown hair. "You needed to know how to get here without the tunnels - If Schlatt one day finds out about them, we would have to close them. And then you could be stuck in Manburg, without knowing where to go."

You nodded. You guessed he kind of had a point. The three of you continued heading to the enchanting room when Techno tabbed your arm.

"Hey." He spoke from beside you. "Look, I didn't miss you. At all, actually. But sorry for my reaction earlier, I didn't know how Dream would react. It's good to see you again."

You looked at him and smiled. "I missed you too, Techno."

"That's not what I said."

"But it's what you meant."

"It's not."

"It is."

"Not."

"Just admit it."

He rolled his eyes and you laughed. Then you gasped. "Hey, you never got to see the bow I made! It's really cool, much better than my old one! The string is far more flexible, and it can shoot with twice the power! And see, if you hold it like this, you can have up to five arrows on it! It also-"

Your voice faded out as you continued walking with Techno, leaving Wilbur behind. His eyes were once again wide, and his heart was beating in tact to the sound of your fading footsteps.

He opened his inventory, and his hand rested on the square with the TNT.

A smile crept upon his face.

You'll know what to do. Dream had told him, planting his words deeply into his head, like he had planted the idea in the very first place. And it was slowly growing on him.

Just make sure (Y/n) doesn't know, he had said. He didn't know why Dream was so obsessed with you, but he didn't care. "Make sure (Y/n) doesn't know..." Wilbur repeated under his breath. The twitching in his eye returned. Then his inventory disappeared, and he followed the two of you.

The smile never left.

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