Another great hammer through the resolves of our two leaders.

      Or, the cracks in the glass run even deeper.

"He was nothing to me." 

Wilbur's hands were over his mouth as his brown eyes fractured. He wanted to cry. He wished he could cry. But he couldn't feel anything. 

His hand hung limp and cold in Niki's, and she tried to squeeze it, to bring back the warmth. But Wilbur's hand retracted, shaking. 

"I think this calls for a promotion, does it not?" 

"Thank you, sir." 

The footsteps faded away, but the shock on Wilbur's face did not. Niki reached out gingerly to his hand again, touching it lightly with the tips of her fingers. 

"Will?" 

"I-" Niki could see the pure pain run through him like a stab through the gut. He sunk down, everything dropping. 

Was I not good enough?

"I have so much work to do." 

Wilbur stood up quickly, expressing shifting as he slightly shook on his feet. "T-Tubbo, come with me. There's some stuff I need you to do back at our base. Back at Pogtopia." 

Tubbo's face lit up. "Is that the name of your base? Pogtopia?" 

"Fitting isn't it?" A hint of a forced smile shone on Wilbur's face. "Tommy came up with it." 

"Tommy?" Happiness drove across Tubbo's face before it fell again like he was debating with himself. "Tommy's gonna be there?" 

"Of course he's going to be there, silly! Who else would it be, a giraffe?" Wilbur let out a choked laugh that contrasted drastically with his cracked eyes. He was trying so hard to be happy. 

And it scared Niki. 

"Will?" 

Wilbur turned, face dropping as he saw Niki's worried expression. He took her hands, kneeling. 

"Hey, I-I'll come back for you, alright? Pogtopia's just not ready yet." 

I'm not ready yet. 

"I'm not worried about that, I'm worried about-" 

"I'll come back for you, I promise. We- we can make it work." Wilbur touched her cheek, cold meeting warm. And there was that forced smile. That smile that tried so hard. 

"You promise?" Niki could hear the innocence, the vulnerability in her voice as she reached up to place her hand on top of Wilbur's. 

She wanted to be vulnerable. 

"I promise." 

Wilbur's voice shook slightly as he smiled. He wanted to believe they could somehow do this. He wanted to believe that he was good enough, even though he knew he wasn't. 

And Niki wanted to believe too. 

She wanted to believe in promises and happy endings. 

"Take care, Will." 

---

"How did you know that Schlatt was approaching us back there?" 

Wilbur held Tubbo's hand, dragging him along roughly as his torch lit the way down the dark, narrow strip mine tunnel. 

"I don't kn- ow." Tubbo's words were jolted as he stumbled after Wilbur. "I like- feel like I can sense him, you know? It's a useful tool to have in Manburg. Especially when he...."  

Tubbo suddenly stopped his sentence, shaking his head. Wilbur looked at him expectantly. "Especially when he what?" 

"I don't want to talk about it." Tubbo's easygoing smile came back. "It doesn't make me happy." 

"So things are really bad under that bastard, huh?" Wilbur smirked, glad to think that Schlatt was failing. "Good." 

"I mean- it's not all bad." Optimism crept into his tone. "Big Q is pretty nice. And George, when you get to know him. They're just victims of circumstance, really. Even Fun-" Tubbo suddenly stopped when he saw the darkening expression on Wilbur's face. 

"Why are you fraternizing with the enemy?" Wilbur stopped, face filling with rage as Tubbo almost tumbled over him. "Whose side do you want to be on? Pogtopia or Manburg's? Huh?" 

Tubbo gulped as he tried to keep up his smile. "Your side, of course!" 

Why does there have to be sides?

Why can't we all be happy?

Tubbo lifted up his mask, his smile, shakily. He thought that once he had left Schlatt, he wouldn't have to use it. 

His face hurt. 

Just smile. 

"That's what I thought," Wilbur continued down the path. He glanced back at Tubbo, who was still smiling that eerie smile. 

"It astounds me how you can be so happy all the time, Tubbo. How do you do it?" 

"Well," Tubbo tried to make his smile shine brighter. "Even when you're sad, you have to put on a happy face. If you don't, people can see right through you." 

Wilbur grunted. "Wish I could do that." 

"Oh no, don't." Tubbo's face fell as soon as Wilbur turned away, true emotions shining through. 

"It's very tiring." 

Light shone through from the end of the tunnel, and Wilbur led Tubbo out, bursting into the stale, cold, ringing air. "We're here." 

Tubbo stared in awe at the vast cave illuminated by torches and small lanterns, their yellow light wrapping around him like welcoming arms. He whipped around, trying to take everything in at once, the warm thrum buzzing through his mind. 

Wilbur cleared his throat. "I know it's not much, but-" 

"I-It's beautiful." Tubbo touched the wall tenderly, like it was a living, breathing human. "It feels like-" 

Home. 

Wilbur chuckled, but it sounded tired. "Don't get too attached, buddy. This is just a temporary outpost before we take back L'Manburg." 

"Y-yeah." Tubbo remembered when L'Manburg used to feel like this. Like warm and nice things, and sunshine. Before Schlatt. Before nice things turned to stuff that he was scared of. 

Before he and Tommy were torn apart because of war and power and lies. 

Tommy. 

"Where's Tommy?" Tubbo's eyes flitted around excitedly like Tommy could emerge from any moment.  

Wilbur regarded him with surprise. "You're forgiving him just like that?" 

"How can I not?" Tubbo felt the small petals in his pocket, his bee poking out to nuzzle his fingertip. "He's Tommyinnit." 

He's my best friend. 

"He missed you, you know. A lot." 

"Really?

"Really." 

---

Tommy blinked blearily, shifting a top of his L'manburg uniform. He looked down at his battered red and white shirt, blinking again to make sure it was there. The itchy fabric of his old uniform was laid out beneath him. He had slept with it the night before, still not used to being without it. 

It was a sort of goodbye. 

Tommy sighed. It was another one of those days where he had to force himself up, to do anything. The weight of their situation weighed him and Wilbur down. He missed Tubbo, he missed L'manburg, he missed Henry, he missed laughter. Laying down wouldn't fix anything. 

So he got up. 

He rubbed his eyes as he made his way to the potato room, yawning. "Hey, Wilbur-" 

He froze in his tracks. 

A small boy with ruffled brown hair, mussed up with Redstone stood across the room, cheeks dirty with grime from working in little crevices. 

"Hey." 

A small, hopeful smile shone on Tubbo's face. 

Tommy bounded across the tilled field, disrupting potatoes beneath his feet. He hit Tubbo like a truck, wrapping him in a tight hug. 

"I'm sorry- I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm so so sorry-" Tommy felt tears roll down his cheeks as he hugged Tubbo tighter, not minding the rough fabric of his shirt. 

"I didn't mean any of it- you're my best friend Tubs, you're my best friend in the whole wide world I'm so sorry I'm sorry-"

"Who's the-" Tubbo sniffed, tears leaking out of his eyes too. A smile, a genuine one this time, shone on his face as he wrapped his arms around Tommy's chest. "W-Who's the clingy one now, huh?" 

Tommy laughed in relief, half-sobbing in happiness. He squeezed his eyes shut, inhaling the familiar scent of lilies and honey and happiness, and holding on tight. 

"I-Is that my bandana?" Tubbo's smile grew brighter as he recognized the light green fabric around Tommy's neck. 

"Y-yeah." Tommy's voice was wavery. "I-I kept it. I-I missed you." 

Tubbo felt so happy, the happiest he had been in so long. He didn't have to force his smile anymore. It just shone across his face by itself. Waves of sunshine crashed into him, sweeping him up and gently undoing all the dark bunches of knots and threads. 

Safe. 

Suddenly, Tubbo burst into tears. But the tears didn't make him sad, they didn't feel like poison or like he was suffocating. He was smiling, smiling so much, as tears wet Tommy's shirt. 

"W-we're ok now, Tubs. We're alright." 

Tommy didn't pull away, and he didn't say anything else. He just stayed there with Tubbo, hugging him tightly. He didn't expect anything back. And tears drifted down his face too, his blue eyes shining in silence. 

"We-we're ok."  

Tubbo closed his eyes, safe at last. He didn't feel cold or empty. He felt warm. He knew now. 

This was safe. 

This was home. 

This was happy. 

"We're alright." 

---

Schlatt watched as the frothy liquid sloshed in the beer bottle, contemplating. He felt so tired lately and needed something to get him up. One wouldn't hurt, right? 

He tilted his head back, a sweet tang that soon turned to bitterness hitting his tongue. His eyeballs burned, and his head buzzed excitedly. He gulped down more, enjoying the drive it gave him, the feeling of power. The steady drive of piano music clinked in the background. He closed his eyes, smiling as overwhelming buzzes ran through him. 

J

Schlatt gasped, the bottle clattering to the floor. 

Don't do that. 

"Leave me alone!" 

Schlatt whipped around as if he could see her, like she was in the room. He was met with nothing, room blurring as it spun. 

J

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" 

His hands flew up to his head, fingers tearing at his hair as he continued to look for the phantom figure. 

J, please-

"YOU'RE NOT REAL!" 

Schlatt's throat burned from the alcholol as he shouts rasped out from his chest. 

"I'M REAL!" Schlatt laughed crazily, but it sounded like he was choking, his face red. "I'M REAL AND YOU'RE NOT!" 

J, I never meant to hurt you- If I knew you would react like this- 

"I'M REAL!" 

The beer bottle flew, shattering against the wall with a beautiful chorus. Papers were swept off his desk in rage, trying to drown out the voices, trying to regain control. His skin tingled, flashed of heat running through his body. 

"I'M REAL I'M REAL I'M REAL-" 

Quackity tensed as he heard glass shatter, and his eyes widened. He rushed to Schlatt's office, stumbling back as he saw the yellow light of destruction cast around the room. 

It was like a tornado had spun through the once straightened and orderly study, shattered glass littered across the floor. The piano playing reptively in the background contrasted with the scene, quiet trills mismatching the crashes as Schlatt threw items. 

Quackity froze with fear, but he shook himself. He could see blood leaking out of Schlatt's palms, warm and red. This was hurting him. 

"SCHLATT!" 

Another crash against the wall. 

"SCHLATT SNAP OUT OF IT!" 

The piano matched his movements as he stumbled over to the desk, pens starting to fly.  

Quackity took a deep breath, spurring himself. "SCHLATT!" 

He ran forward, shards crunching beneath his feet. He reached out, grabbing Schlatt's hands roughly, feeling slick liquid start to run down his palms. 

"Schlatt, look at me." Schlatt struggled in his grip, bloodshot eyes darting around. Quackity struggled to hold on. 

"Schlatt, take deep breaths. Deep breaths." 

Quackity watched as Schlatt gasped, falling to his knees as he exhaled. He stared at his palms dumbfounded by the red. Quackity quietly sat down next to him as he tried to breathe slow. 

For a few moments, there was silence. Awkwardness floated between the two of them. Quackity knew he had saw something he wasn't supposed to see. 

"I'm fucked up." 

Schlatt stared at his palms emotionless, trying to take in every tingle of pain. Quackity reached over slowly, like he was approaching a catatonic animal. His hand rested on Schlatt's shoulder, patting slightly as he tried to give a soft smile. 

"We're all a little damaged." 

"H-how would you know, Duck?" Schlatt laughed sadly, blood and sweat running down the side of his cheek. "Your life is so happy and rainbows and sunshine and singing off key in Spanish." 

"Well," Quackity tried to muster up some of his goofy energy. "If there's two things I'm good at, it's having a fat ass and making people happy." 

Schlatt looked at him jokingly. "I'm not so sure about the fat ass part. You're as flat as a twig." 

Quackity smacked his arm in astonishment. "Am not!" 

Schlatt chuckled, mocking him teasingly. "Flatty patty~" 

"I am not a flatty patty." Quackity hit his arm again, pouting. 

Schlatt's laughter slowly receded, and suddenly he couldn't look Quackity in the eye. He cleared his throat, studying a glass shard by his shoe. 

"Thanks, I guess." 

"No problem." 

The piano track finally clicked off, leaving them in silence. 

And Quackity thought he could see a flick of an orange tail in the doorway. 

Or maybe it was just his imagination.