brothers:):

chapter 16

notes: sorry for that uh...cliffhanger. the reactions to that were priceless though.

Dream froze.

He was in shock. 

He didn't know what to say.

"W-what?" He asked.

Dream's hands were shaking. His breath grew short.

"I said," Tubbo's voice rang in Dream's ears, "Are you my brother?"

Oh god, Dream thought.

"Um, where did you get that from?" Dream decided that playing dumb was the best way to see how much Tubbo actually knew.

"Don't play dumb, Clay." Tubbo glared.

Well that won't work, Dream thought to himself.

"You know exactly where I 'got that from'." He paused. "My 'dream' wasn't much of a dream was it? It was more like...a memory. And on the phone you didn't try to hide it. Then, 2 weeks later, you show up at my house? And almost call my mother 'mom'?"

Dream started to reply, but Tubbo cut him off.

"And please, don't even get me started on your excuses for those things. 'I didn't mean to'" He said in a mocking tone. "I'm not stupid, Clay. How long were you planning on keeping this from me? Until I found out? Or...forever?"

Dream's heart was beating so hard, he worried that the whole house could hear. He hesitantly looked up at Tubbo, trying to make eye contact.

"Look, Toby. I'm sorry. I've wanted to tell you the moment that we met online. I knew who you were but how could I tell you? How would you have reacted if a grown man told you that he was your brother?" Dream took a shaky breath. "So when you told me about your dream-"

"Memory." Tubbo corrected.

"-memory. Sorry. When you told me about that, I knew it was time to tell you. And I knew it had to be in person. Look, I really am sorry. This has been eating me up inside for months now. I just..didn't know how to tell you. It looks like I didn't even have to. You figured it out yourself."

Tubbo's face was blank. No expression. Then he started talking.

"Oh is that true? Tell me something, Clay. Are you happy that I figured this out myself? Are you happy that you didn't have to be the one to break the news to me? So now you can't blame yourself, right? Cause I figured it out. I flipped my world upside down. But its your fault, it's your fault that I had to find out this way." Tubbo glared at Dream. 

The next thing that came out of Tubbo's mouth hurt him the most. 

"We could've kept in contact. I could've known about you. But you didn't try until I was already figuring it out. For the months I knew you, you kept it to yourself. Did you ever think, that maybe, not telling me did more harm than good?" Tubbo said.

Dream's ears were ringing. He had ruined this kid's life. Just like he thought he would.

"Look, Toby, I wanted to tell you. I really did. But I couldn't. I couldn't risk losing you forever."

Tubbo scoffed. "Oh so you kept the fact that we're brothers hidden from me. You do realize this changes everything, right? My dad isn't my dad anymore. My sisters have a new brother now, too. This changes everything I've ever known."

Dream felt his eyes filling with tears. He knew it would be bad, but not this bad.

"You know that part where you said you couldn't lose me forever?" Tubbo said. "Well, you just did."

Tubbo turned and walked upstairs. Dream let the tears fall. He pulled out his phone and texted George. He needed to get out of this house.

"Clay?" His mom asked.

Dream wiped his eyes. "I'm texting George. He'll be here soon."

"Oh, okay. Are you sure you don't want me to take you?" His mom asked.

"Im sure. I'm fine." Dream replied.

His mom walked around and sat in front of him, "No you aren't, Clay. Let me take you back, please."

Dream looked up from his phone, "No. I said I'm fine. Go talk to your son. He needs you more than I do."

His mom's face dropped. She pat his leg and stood up and walked up the stairs.

'hey come get me please.'

'okay.' George replied seconds later.

A minutes passed, and George was there.

Dream got up and walked out the front door.

"I was driving around the neighborhood. I didn't go home."

Dream got in the car slowly. "Just drive back to your house."

They drove in silence.