Wilbur and I sit across from each other, the distant rushing sound of water deep inside the stone walls is the only sound. Wilbur speaks first.
"I'm already working with Dream. We already have a plan."
"You know he'll choose me Wil." My hands grip the armrests of my chair.
"I have a plan, I have it figured out, why can't you just give up trying to stop me? This is what we need to do."
"There's another way." My voice is calm, my fingers tighten.
"There is no other good way." He snaps.
"This way we get everything back!"
"It's gone, we don't get anything back."
"So what I'm gathering, is that you have no objection to me handing myself over to Dream, just the fact we'll get L'manburg back if I do it."
"You can't stop the inevitable."
"I can, actually." I cock my head, eyes locked onto his. "And I will."
He doesn't respond immediately, watching me intently. "I would be sad to see you go."
His words quirk the corner of my mouth into a half-hearted smile.
"Look how far we've fallen Wilbur." I say. "There was a time when you cried over this."
His expression remains stony, his voice flat and monotone. "Things have changed."
"That they have." I sigh in agreement. "Can you promise me one thing though, just for old times sake?"
"Sure."
"Be there for Tommy and Tubbo. I know you lost your son, and I know you've lost what you worked for, but they lost that too, and that can't lose you on top of it all. They're going to need you to be strong for them."
"I can't promise that." His mouth is pressed into a straight line. "You know I can't."
"I'm asking you to."
"It never works like that."
"Try your fucking best then, Wilbur." I fling my hand in the air exasperatedly. "Don't you dare fail them like you failed me."
"For what it's worth," Wilbur lets out a heavy breath, looking at a point behind my shoulder; "I wish I'd been better for you."
"It's not worth a lot." I smile. "But I appreciate it anyway."
I stand up, passing him and towards the hallway exit that's a crescent of orange light, from the lanterns in the passageway.
"L'manburg will fall." Wilbur calls out, and I look over my shoulder. "There is no other way."
"They all fall." I answer dismissively. "And so will L'manburg, eventually, but just not yet."
"It's time is over, you have to let it go."
"For what it's worth." I parrot his words, smothered in a lifetime of sadness. "Thank you for finding me and being there while I grew up."
"I'm glad I was." A tear slips down his hollowed cheek, the bulging cheekbone covered by sallowed skin. "I wish it had turned out different."
I shrug. "It still can, I guess. It's up to you."
"It's inevitable." He says again, like a broken record, and it's that one final moment where every thing sinks in, the thundering nature of the reality that the Wilbur I have loved, and the Wilbur I have known, is not in there anymore. That the world has not just changed him, but turned him into a completely different person. It's not his fault, but the new Wilbur wears his face and speaks with his voice and it's too painful for me to bear.
"I hope you find somewhere peaceful to rest Wil. You deserve it." I smile softly.
He nods his goodbye, and that's where I leave him, sitting on a dusty wooden chair in the middle of a cave, alone. Everyone is waiting there for me in the main part of the ravine, when I finally emerge.
"What'd he say?" Someone says, but I don't quite place their voice, I'm just staring at all of them, wide-eyed.
"Goodbye." I feel dizzy, and the word spills from my slackened lips. I take in a breath. "He said goodbye."
"No." Niki gasps. "No-"
"What do you mean goodbye?" Tommy demands furiously. "No, what the fuck does that mean?"
"Rosie, why are you doing this?" Tubbo pleads. I step forward taking his face in my hands. I have to get all my words out before I burst into tears.
"You're so strong, you know that? You're going to recover, and then you have to look after yourself and Tommy okay? All I want is you two to stay safe. You have to live a good life for me."
I'm kneeling on the ground in front of both of them, hands outstretched, on on Tommy's cheek and one on Tubbo's. "You got that? You go out there and you life a really fucking good life, and forget about me."
"No." Tubbo says angrily, through the tears welling up in his glassy eyes. "No you can't just leave and go back to Dream. You can't."
"I love you so much. I love you so, so, so much, and I'm so sorry that all of this has happened to you. You have to take this opportunity to have a better life, okay? Can you do that for me?"
"It's not fair." Tommy's teeth are gritted. "I don't want to do that without you."
"I don't want to leave you either Tommy, and I wish there was another way, but this is- this is it." I smile painfully, despite my watery eyes. "It's okay, I'll be okay. I'll be fine."
I stand up, and both of them collide into me, and I wrap both arms around them, leaning my head on Tommy's. "I love you guys." I murmur. "You better fucking look after yourselves, alright? Hey."
I pull back, one hand on the either's shoulder, staring at them intently. "Tommy, Tubbo, listen to me. After this, you are going to have to fight a war to win L'manburg back, and it's going to be hard, and scary, and really fucking shitty, but you can get through it. And then, you have the rest of your lives to live. Don't forget that."
"Don't." Tubbo whispers, but I shake my head, biting the inside of my lip so hard I think it's bleeding, trying to keep it together.
"I love you two so much."
I kiss them both on the side of their heads, and straighten up, towards Niki, who just reaches out to pull me into a hug. I bury my face into her shoulder.
"I'm so sorry." I whisper, and I can feel her shaking her head.
"I know you have to do this. I'll look after them."
"And you have to look after yourself. You're apart of that deal, okay?"
"Okay." She sniffles against me, and I squeeze her extra tightly. "I love you."
"I love you too." A couple rogue tears soak into the fabric of her shirt, love and regret leaking straight from my eyes. "Stay safe."
This time, she kisses me, once on each cheek, with a tearful goodbye squeeze. I let go, looking past her shoulder, at an impassive Sam, arms crossed over his chest.
"Punz is outside." He grunts, looking at the floor. "I guess this is it, then?"
"I know you don't agree."
"I just found you again, I don't want to say goodbye." He wipes his nose, sighing heavily, eyes trained intently on a little rock next to his foot. "You don't have to go back to that psycho."
"I do." I bump his arm with my fist. "I love you."
"When we win, I'm going to kill him, and you can come home."
"It's okay Sam, I'll be okay."
"You won't." He says gruffly. "I'm not letting you live the rest of your life with him. He's going to die."
"Take care of everyone for me." I slide my fingers into his hand and hold it tightly. "Win the war."
"Of course." His voice is strained, eyes dark and pointed at the ground. "Then I'm coming back for you."
"Thanks Sam."
He squeezes my hand back. "Don't let him get you Rosie."
I nod, and his arms curl around my shoulders, pulling me into his chest.
"I love you." He whispers into my hair. "You have to hold onto yourself, hold on and wait for us, because when we win we're going to come back for you."
It's too dangerous for me to have that hope, but I think it softens the blow a little for them, so I don't say anything. I just hug back tighter.
"Get L'manburg back for me." My voice can't rise above a whisper, as turn back to all of them, rd faced and crying. "I love you all so much."
I turn my back on them.
I walk alone up the staircase.
I walk out of the mound, and into the open air, the sun and it's heat burning my face, blinding my eyes, the wind toying with my hair. The trees are bristling, riled up by the breeze, leaves rustling in a screaming chorus.
Punz's hair is a halo in the light, wisps of pure gold circling his face. My feet take off running before my brain can even catch up.
I start sobbing in his arms. "I'm s-sorry, I-I'm sorry."
"I've got you." He's crying into my shoulder, gripping onto my shirt so tightly I wouldn't be surprised if he rips it. "I'm here."
"I'm going." My body is shaking so hard that my voice trembles almost too much to understand. "I'm going."
"I know." He lifts his head to kiss my head, and then my nose, and then my cheek. "I knew that."
His hands are gentle, finally unwinding from holding me together, and instead coming up to brush away the tears staining my face, brush back the stray bits of hair that stick out around my face. "You don't have to go."
"I do." I tuck my hand behind his head, curling my fingertips into his hair, stroking his cheek with my thumb. "I have to."
"You can stay here, with me. With us." His voice is pleading, his eyes wide, silently begging. My forehead rests against his and I close my eyes, because looking at him breaks my heart so much the pain is almost unbearable.
"I can't. I'm sorry." I bring my other hand up as well, holding onto him like my life depends on it, because I know when I finally let go, I will walk away from here. I will go to Dream and negotiate my life for his army, and I will watch this door finally close. "I love you."
In some ways it's a relief, the constant fighting, the hope and the inextinguishable fire that pushes me to my limit and then past it, again and again and again.
"I love you." He whispers back. "I'll look after them, make sure Dream is keeping his end of the deal. I'll make sure they win, me and Sam will, you don't have to worry. And then we're coming for you, so don't you dare forget that."
"I won't." I tilt my chin forward and press my lips against his. "I'll never forget you."
"They're going to be okay, I won't let anything else happen." His thumb wipes away a teardrop trickling towards the slope of my nose. "Dream has me on regional work now, I won't be around the house like last time."
"I need you to promise me Punz." I tell him strongly. "That you won't let this stop you from loving. It's okay to care, and to love people and I don't want you to stay alone your whole life because you're scared of this happening again. I need you to be happy."
"I'll try my best, I promise." He smiles. "You just hold out for me, because I'm going to come back and you're going to watch all of us live those lives you want for us. You're going to be there to see it."
"Just make sure they get it."
He grabs my face, pulling me in roughly, locking his mouth to mine, desperate, one hand tangling in my hair, the other holding onto my jaw painfully tight, and mine clutch onto the collar of his shirt, digging my nails into the back of his neck.
"I love you." He says against my lips, when we break away.
"Don't you ever forget how much I love you." I tell him.
"Never."
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A/N We know what's coming next.
A reunification of our favourite couple.
I have covid so expect plenty more chapters from me, as I am stuck at home and have nothing else to do! dw I am completely fine, just feels like I've got a shitty cold.
Thank you for you support and I hope you enjoy!
Oopsies x