Michael's Timeline || Beeduo + Emerald duo

Chapter 5: Death

It started just before he turned 10. Michael had learnt that things wouldn't be okay just because somebody told you they would be. Even if that person was the one you trusted the most. Dad was beginning to leave earlier and come home later. Michael was beginning to feel more and more alone. And how was he supposed to understand why things were the way they were? He was just a kid. A kid that wanted to feel happy and loved.

A week before he turned 10 he lost the one thing that always had his back. His chicken. As sad as Michael was due to the loss of his best friend, it was the betrayal that cut Michael deeper. His own father. The last loved one he had left in his life, killed him. Slaughtered him.

"Michael you have to learn to be a man. Don't let emotions cloud your judgement. Love is weakness." Tubbo snapped his chickens neck in front of him. They ate him for dinner that night. It was the first experience of death that Michael had come across. Little did he know that there were more experiences to come.

_

Two weeks after Michael's 10th birthday he heard a knock at the door late at night. He rushed down the hallway to listen to his dad speak to the person at the door. He was tired of being left in the dark. "I'm so sorry Tubbo. We tried... We tried absolutely everything we could, but Sam got to him first." The man's voice was soft and genuine as well as serious. The voice sounded familiar but Michael couldn't put a face to the sound.

"So let me get this straight. You let one of your best friends and your son's husband die? On your watch? And there's nothing you could have done? You could have tried Phil! You could have tried..."

"Tubbo I'm so-" the man was cut off.

"Leave."

"Tubbo come on-"

"Get the hell out of my house Philza!" Michael heard the door slam and he ran back to his bedroom. He got under the covers of his car bed that he was beginning to grow too tall for, when he heard his door creak open. "Michael. I know you're awake." He takes the covers off of his head and looks at his father who stood in the doorway, emotion gone from his face. "I told you earlier this month that love is weakness Michael and there is a reason I did so." Tubbo sat on the edge of his son's bed. A son that he could no longer bare to look at because of the memories. "It's because death is inevitable. There's always someone out there who will want to take everything from you until there's nothing left. You either have to take everything or lose everything. There is no in between."

"Why are you telling me all of this dad? Who is gone? Who were you talking to? Who's Philza?"

"Listening to conversations that you're not supposed to hear isn't a good habit Michael. I thought I taught you better."

SLAP.

Michael stared in shock as he held his face. His father, neither of his fathers have ever laid a hand on him. "I don't want to be left in the dark father! I deserve better than that!" He yelled with whatever confidence he could muster.

SLAP. This time harder.

Michael could feel the tears rolling down his cheek, but he didn't sob. He just held his face as he stared in anger at the shell of a man before him. Someone he wasn't sure if he could call family anymore. "You don't want to be in the dark? Fine. He's dead. They killed him, ruthlessly and he's never coming back." Michael backed up.

"Philza is your father isn't he? Papa... He's gone..?"

Tubbo grabbed his son's shoulders. "Now you know! Now you know why I teach you these lessons! You must learn to NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN!" Tubbo held on for a couple more seconds before he let go of his shoulders and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

For the first time in a very long time, Michael let out all of his emotions. He sobbed into his pillow as he held his sore face. "Papa you promised me it would be okay..." He cried, "you promised you wouldn't leave me behind. That you wouldn't leave me alone....." Michael continued to cry. Papa was all he had left. Now he has nothing. He's completely alone with nothing but a broken man, memories of what used to be and an image of what could have been.

"I miss you papa..."