[On Hiatus] This Is Love? || DadSchlatt AU

Burned Out. [Chapter Five]

Throughout the week, Tubbo had heard multiple people's conversations, both about Schlatt and his presidency, and Tubbo and his recent predicament. He continued to ignore everyone, though, figuring he didn't have the time to think about what everyone else thought, considering his life was, now, bombarded with ridiculous amounts of work. He continued his trail to the building he had become uncomfortably familiar with, preparing for another day on the job. He walks through the door, sighing.

Since his birthday, everything had felt like it was going downhill. Swiftly downhill. The air seemed thicker, and the world seemed darker. It took more energy for him to speak, though, maybe that was the work he was putting into everything around him. He'd always been able to hide his emotions from everyone but Tommy, and his skill had become increasingly better, being it was needed more and more. He missed his brothers, who technically weren't even his brothers, but he felt the same way nonetheless. He had found that now the two had been banished, no one really paid attention to his feelings, or his ideas.

Fundy had completely shut everyone out, except Schlatt, who helped him create a new name for himself, a character. He had always been a quiet person, but now, he had been given a path. He had been given a game to play. The first thing the young man had done was burned down the flag, and replaced it with a darker, more sinister one, per the President's orders.

Tubbo felt lost. He had no one to turn to. Everyone he walked past seemed blurry, as if they didn't really exist. A hologram. He hated it. His trail to the workplace became more and more scattered every time he made the walk, with his failed attempts to get there faster, to hide his face, to ignore everyone. His surroundings overwhelmed him. The boy could only think about the constant chatter, the people constantly bombarding into his office, getting in his face without even realising how close they were. It was all he had time to think about. He couldn't catch a break, receiving order after order, barely sleeping. He couldn't find the energy to help himself, even if he wanted to. Everyone kept him on his feet, and he barely had a chance to do the things he was originally put in place to do. The first orders he had received were to escort Tommy and Wilbur, and tear down a wall, which, as you could imagine, was a hard thing to accomplish alone. All his happiness was being destroyed.

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The boy had been in his office for roughly three hours now, and he was finishing up the things he was asked to do. He sighed, putting his head in his hands. He'd never imagined his life to go like this, especially not in such a small, secluded town. He sighed, leaning down further, putting his head on the desk, his arms wrapped around the top of his head.

Tubbo stayed there, his head down, eyes closed, wrapped up in his thoughts. Somehow even thinking was overwhelming him, though thinking was something he couldn't escape from. The boy pulls his arms down from his head, placing them on the table. He let himself get lost in his mind. His body felt heavy. He just wanted to relax. As he lays there, his thoughts start to merge, becoming a useless whirl of sentences jumbled into one.

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"..bbo? Tuubboo... Wake up, buddy,"

The boy lifted his head, having jumped slightly at the sound. As he looked up, he was almost instantly met with a pair of worried-looking brown eyes.
"Hi, Schlatt." He sighs, rubbing his eyes.
"Hey, kid. You okay? I wouldn't really take you as the type to just... fall asleep face down like that." Schlatt places his hand on top of the youngers shoulder, in a comforting manner, as much as he could manage. The boy sighs again, looking away. "What's wrong, Tubbo?" The question, as harmless as it seemed, struck guilt into the man's heart. It had prompted Tubbo to cry, which was never Schlatt's intention.

The teen had explained everything on his mind, after being reassured a good three or four times that Schlatt really wanted to hear, rather than the question being an empty sentiment. He explained that he knew what people were saying about him, and how knowledge was tiring when you couldn't say anything. He'd stayed up at night, trying to gather his thoughts, and come to terms with everything that had happened since he had turned sixteen. The events, and the knowledge he had received, hurt. They hurt in a way he didn't understand, and it made him angry, made him stay awake questioning his entire existence, everything he stood for. He was in pain, both mentally and physically. Everything around him was painful to him now. He was surrounded by things he didn't want to acknowledge anymore, by people he didn't want to acknowledge. He didn't care much for people anymore, or the change they were creating. What was the point in trying if nothing good were to come out of it?

Schlatt, by the end of Tubbo's small speech, had pulled him into a hug. An awkward hug, but a hug nonetheless. As he let go, he sighed, looking at the mess of papers on Tubbo's desk.
"Look, kid. Change is hard. It always will be. Sometimes, it's what has to be done, whether people like it or not. Despite what people might say about me, I hate seeing people being affected negatively. Especially someone like you. Whatever you want me to do, if it'll help you, I'll try my best to do it. You're one of my favourite people here, Tubbo. Nothing's gonna change that. Why don't you go home soon, yeah? Whatever stuff you have left to do, write them down and I'll do it for you, today. I've got nothing left to do for now anyway. You, on the other hand, need rest. You need to let yourself relax, and make sure you're okay. I'm here for you if you need me." He hugs the boy again, and leaves soon after, letting him do whatever he needs before he left.

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Schlatt was now sat at Tubbo's desk, finishing off the final pieces of work left on the list left on a sticky note on the bottom of the computer. He felt horrible, watching Tubbo walk out. He noticed and understood how badly everything had affected him, and what made him feel worse was that the majority, if not all, of it, was his fault. He changed everything in Manburg, and everything in the boy's life, yet, he had no clue how to go back on something as massive as this. Everything he could do was practically impossible. He was sure Tubbo hated him, and it's not like he could just un-tell someone they're adopted.

He knew he brought out the worst in everyone, and he knew that this was his fault. But he'd be damned if he knew he was this fucking good at it. Things like this made him want to crawl inside a hole and never come out.

Things like this made him hated.