Dreaming of a Reality That Was Never Meant To Be

Chapter 19

Phil stopped in front of Tommy's hospital room with the pills in his hands. He could hear Tubbo and Ranboo's animated ramblings about how they were gonna be putting on a musical play about a boy and something about music discs.

"So you gotta wake up soon," Ranboo said, "or else you're not gonna get top marks like we will."

"Yeah!" Tubbo exclaimed, "I'll even guarantee you the main role!"

"Tubbo, you aren't the director."

"Violence is never off the table."

Phil pushed the door open, making the two whip their heads towards him. "As much as I'm sure Tommy would appreciate the sentiment, I doubt punching a classmate is the way to go."

"Phil!" the two exclaimed.

"I thought you had things to take care of?" Ranboo asked.

"There's been...a development with..." Phil trailed off, eying his son.

"Is Tommy waking up soon?" Tubbo asked.

"...not exactly, but," Phil started, "We've found a more effective way of communicating with Tommy." He showed them the pills in his hand. "Techno had been taking these to somehow get into Tommy's dreams and talk to him there, directly."

Tubbo's eyes brightened up, "You mean we can go in and talk to Tommy?!"

"Not we," Phil clarified.

"WHAT?!"

Tubbo fumed, "Come on, Phil, he's my—"

"Our."

"Our best friend!" Tubbo exclaimed.

"We can help you talk to him and wake him up," Ranboo said.

Phil shook his head, "I don't want to risk someone else falling into a coma-like state."

"We won't!"

"You have the pills," Ranboo reasoned, "It's not like we can take more than what you've given us."

Phil thought about it for a moment. He doesn't know these kids as much as Tommy does, but he knows enough to be sure that all three of them are persistent and stubborn. If I don't give them a chance, they're just gonna find a way to take the whole thing from me and do it themselves. "Fine," he said. "But only what I give you."

"Yes!"

"Thanks Phil."

"You won't regret this, old man!"

***

When Ranboo woke up, he wasn't lying on his arms, half bent onto Tommy's hospital bed. Instead, he was in a dimly lit room, sprawled on the couch with a small blanket. Rubbing his eyes awake, he pushed the blanket aside and stood up. He looked around and found a bunch of fast food packets on the ground and a lot of wires.

Where am I? He thought, eyeing the thickest of the wires. He arrived in front of a half open green door. Ranboo pushed it open and was met with a room with multiple monitors and CPUs. In the middle of it all was a person asleep with his head on the table. He looked a little different, but Ranboo was sure this was Tubbo.

He walked up to the boy and gave him a nudge. "I do not have illegal nuclear bombs!" Tubbo exclaimed, shooting straight up from his desk.

"I sure hope not," Ranboo said.

"Huh?" Tubbo said, looking around, "Where are we? Are we in the dream?"

Oh, right, the dream, Ranboo thought. "I think so. This definitely doesn't look like a hospital room," he said. "I think this is your office of some sort?"