Florescence

Chapter 10

 The night was dark and cold. Wind beat against trees, angrily as though they wanted a revenge they had not received yet. Snow was falling and even the gentle flakes seemed violent. They tortured the ground with the cold as it shivered for mercy. The house in the center of this scene was not disturbed. The lights were out and all was quiet. Except for one figure moving though the building. A dark shadow could be seen through the windows. Someone moving carefully as though not wanting to be seen by other inhabitants.

Tommy was creeping out of his room as fast but quietly as possible. Wilbur and Techno were both asleep. Tommy's heart was beating so hard in his chest that he worried it would wake his brothers. Every creek of the floorboards felt like an alarm that would give him away. But Tommy had made it to the back door. He opened it slowly and the wind burst through, blowing loudly. Tommy jumped slightly and left the house as quickly as he could.

Tommy sighed heavily, hoisting his bag higher on his shoulder. He pulled his green bandana over his nose, hiding the pinkness the wind had caused. Tommy stared up at the house for a few moments, starting to feel some regret for thinking of leaving. He couldn't just leave his family without them knowing. But then Tommy remembered Tubbo and Niki and L'manberg. They were in danger and he needed to help them.

Tommy took a deep breath and turned his back on the house. He had to do this. He couldn't bear the thought of staying here while knowing his friends were in danger. Tommy pulled the compass out of his pocket and held it out in front of him. The red needle pointed slightly to the left. Tommy nodded to himself and flipped the compass over to look at the sticker on the back. Your Tubbo was still scrawled on it and Tommy placed his finger on the words.

"I'm coming, Tubbs," Tommy muttered to himself and he started walking, clutching the cold metal of the compass in his hand.

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Tommy walked for several hours, only stopping to pull food or water out of his bag. Tommy's legs felt broken but he continued walking. He had nowhere to sleep and he wanted to get to L'manberg as soon as possible.

The air was starting to warm up but the wind was still harsh on his skin. The snow had disappeared and the sky was clear. Stars were twinkling above him, almost mockingly. Tommy pulled out the compass to check he was going the right way. The needle was pointing straight ahead and he shoved it back in the depths of his pocket.

Tommy pulled down his bandana and took a deep breath. The crisp night air filled his lungs as he trudged over the land, placing his hand on a tree for support. His whole body ached and his eyes drooped, wishing for the pleasant relief of sleep. But he had to keep going. Tommy was determined to reach L'manberg quickly.

Tommy walked for a few more hours and he was just deciding that he should rest soon when the sun finally peaked out from above the trees. The darkness was blinding him and the sudden brightness of light made him realize that there were buildings in the distance. His face broke into a grin and he began to run toward them even though his whole body was screaming for him to stop. Tommy ran until he reached the houses where he stopped in his tracks.

Tommy was mesmerized by the image of L'manberg. He had only seen pictures of it from Phil. But they could never compare to the true beauty of the land. Tommy walked across the wooden path that ran through the nation. Looking up, he saw colorful lanterns hanging above the buildings. Flags were hung all around the area. Striped with red white and blue and a section of black on the end with a yellow X. The buildings were neat little houses scattered around the land and a larger build stood at the entrance of the nation. A van could be seen in the distance, sitting proudly against the blazing sun.

Tommy continued walking and looking around. He was so distracted that he didn't even realize that someone was standing in front of him. A short boy, the same age as Tommy stood before him. He had brown hair that hung over his eyes with horns poking through it. A large red scar covered half of his face. An oversized green shirt hung over his shoulder, revealing white bandages and more scars. He was standing completely still, his arms hanging loosely at his side as he stared at Tommy in awe.

Tommy tore his eyes away from the lanterns and they landed on Tubbo. They stared at each other for a few moments, not believing that what they saw was real. Tommy made the first move. He ran towards Tubbo and threw his arms around him. Tubbo, still shocked by the sudden appearance of his best friend, did the same. They had been restricted to sending pictures and letters over nine years, resorting to that to keep their friendship alive. Finally being able to be together again was one of the best feelings in the world.

Tommy buried his face in Tubbo's shirt who had to stand on his tiptoes to rest his chin on Tommy's shoulder. They stayed still for many minutes, holding each other tightly and relishing in the feeling of love and happiness flooding through them. When they broke apart both of their eyes were slightly wet. But Tubbo ignored this and immediately started with the questions.

"What are you doing here? Where's Techno and Wilbur?"

Tommy felt his happiness ebb away as he remembered his brothers were not with him. He felt as though he had betrayed them. But he did not tell Tubbo this.

"I le—they didn't come with me," Tommy said, changing his answer mid sentence. But Tubbo could see through this.

"Did you run away?" Tommy nodded, not quite meeting Tubbo's eye. "Why? Why didn't they come with you?"

Tommy hesitated. "They...didn't want me to come to L'manberg. I left last night." Tubbo didn't say anything. "Did you know about this prophecy shit?"

"Yeah, didn't you?" Tommy shook his head. "I thought Techno would have told you."

Anger bubbled in the pit of Tommy's stomach. "He didn't tell me anything. Not since yesterday anyway. I had no idea."

Tubbo looked up into Tommy's blue eyes, his expression unreadable. He didn't ask any more questions, sensing that Tommy wasn't ready for them.

"Well, I suppose you need somewhere to sleep," Tubbo said. "You can stay with me." Tommy smiled and nodded.

Tubbo led Tommy to his house. Tommy distracted himself from his thoughts by listening to Tubbo talk about L'manberg. It felt good to be with his friend again. He knew what was going on now. But he still felt a twinge of sadness when he thought about his brothers. But Tommy pushed those thoughts away and ignored his feelings, hoping that nothing bad would happen to either of them.