Bedrock

Chapter 4

Tubbo sat curled up on his bed. The wind whistled through his makeshift house, making him hug the blankets around him tighter. He knew everyone was worried about him- he hadn't left his room in days- but he couldn't move now that Tommy was gone.

Tommy was gone.

Everyone told him he was dead. That Dream had killed him. Everyone saw the flash of lightning lighting up the falling boy. Everyone saw Dream watching, holding an axe. Even he saw it. There was no way Tommy had survived.

A funeral was being held the next day- Tommy's second funeral. But this time it was real. He was actually dead. Tommy wouldn't just show up with Techno in a couple of days- he was gone.

It was so hard to believe that it was all over. That Tubbo would never sit with his best friend on the bench again, listening to one of those music disks he loved so much. He would never roll his eyes again at his boisterous laughter. He would never get called clingy again, when it was actually Tommy that was the clingy one.

Tubbo would never smile again.

He couldn't.

Tubbo jumped at the loud knocking on his door. He dragged himself out of bed. It was probably one of his friends checking on him again to make sure he hadn't died or something. Sure enough, it was Ranboo. But, to Tubbo's surprise, he didn't have a concerned look on his face, but an excited one.

"Hey, Ranboo," Tubbo started, before Ranboo cut in hurriedly.

"Okay, so, I was reading some books I found to try to research my whole memory problem and stuff-" he trailed off for a second before continuing, "and I found a passage about the nature of bedrock. It was really old, and it didn't have clear facts, just random ideas and lore. But, one thing caught my eye. There was a report by some dude who said that bedrock could become a portal, which I thought was a bit interesting, but then I read on, and he said that it only happened when struck by lightning."

"Wait, why are you telling this?" Tubbo asked, a bit confused.

"Just listen. So, remember how we never saw Tommy's death message on our comms?"

"I thought the lightning just glitched it out or something-"

"Exactly! Lightning! And where did we see Tommy fall?"

"In the crater..." Tubbo started to see where he was going with this.

"Which led down to bedrock." Ranboo finished.

"Wait, so you think Tommy is alive?" Tubbo was shocked. Was Ranboo right? Could his best friend still be out there?

"I don't know, but it's possible. You shouldn't get your hopes up too much though. It could just be legend, and even if Tommy is alive, who knows where the portal went to?"

"But he could be alive."

"Possibly."

Tommy was alive. Tommy was alive! He was actually alive! But what if he wasn't? But what if he was? What if-

"Tubbo," Ranboo interrupted his frantic thoughts. "Seriously, don't get too excited. We still know next to nothing."

"But Tommy is alive! Actually alive!"

"Could, he could be alive. We don't know. But I'll see if I can look into it more. Maybe there's a way to recreate it? Or find out where he could have gone?"

"Yes! Thank you so much, Ranboo! I- he could actually be alive." Tubbo hesitated. "If he is, should we still have the funeral?"

Ranboo thought for a second. "Probably, because if he is dead, we would need to have one."

"But if he's not?"

"I mean, what's the harm in another funeral?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I still have to write a speech for the funeral, don't I?"

"Probably."

"Okay, I guess I'll do that. Can you tell me if you find anything?"

"Yep!" Ranboo waved and left the doorway, making Tubbo realize he'd never let his friend in. Oops.

Tubbo sighed and grabbed a paper and pen. Writing a speech now would be so much harder now that he knew Tommy might be alive.

Could he tell anybody? Probably not. He didn't know what Dream would do if he found out. He would keep it a secret until they knew more.

~

It rained on the day of the funeral, which struck Tubbo as a bit cliche. The occasion took place at the bench, now that L'Manberg was blown up. Nearly everyone was there, save Dream, who wasn't welcome anyway, and Ghostbur, who was allergic to the rain. Tubbo knew he would be there though if he could.

The empty casket sat just behind the bench surrounded by flowers and pictures dripping wet from the weather. Tubbo could hear sniffles coming from the crowd, and he felt tears well up in his own eyes before spilling down his cheeks. As much as he wanted Tommy to be alive, that Ranboo's theory was accurate, he had not forgotten the reason he was here, surrounded by people dressed in black.

At Tommy's funeral.

Ranboo's warning swelled in the back of his mind, clouding over his vision. It was hopeless, wasn't it? Just some wishful thinking, trying to conjure the impossible into existence. His best friend was dead. This funeral was proof.

The world faded away, becoming a distant buzz in the back of his head. Tommy was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it. He stayed in that dark place in the corner of his mind until the buzz grew louder, bringing him back into reality with someone shaking his arm.

Niki. She was the one shaking him. He stared at her tear-streaked face for a moment before understanding what she was saying. It was his turn to speak. He slowly walked to the front, his legs weak. He spotted Ranboo in the crowd, watching him with sad eyes.

Tubbo approached the podium next to the casket. It was apparent how much his hands shook as he pulled his speech from his pocket. The neatly written words jumbled together in his head, rendering him unable to speak. He had to do this. He couldn't do this.

Tubbo gripped the podium in order not to collapse, the now wet paper falling from his hands. His head swam, making him sick to his stomach.

"Tommy was- he was-" Tubbo tried to speak but words came out thickly, jumbled in his mouth. "He was my-" the brunette sniffed, trying to wipe at the tears that poured down his face. "He was my best friend."

Then Tubbo's stomach decided it was the perfect time to throw up.

He felt hands pull him away, into the warm safety of Tommy's old house.

Tommy's old house.

Why did it have to be Tommy's old house? The place with so many memories, too many memories. Hiding from Dream. Stealing Tommy's things. Laughter and inside jokes and happiness. Things that were gone forever.

Then, he heard Ranboo's voice, seemingly far away, reassuring him, reminding him that it was going to be okay. He felt the small spark of hope that remained glow for a moment. The impossible becoming possible for just a second before Tubbo fell into a dreamless sleep.