#quackity crying alone in the corner desperate to feel something

[arcadianico]

do you guys ever think about how qq’s desire for a husband is clearly due to his abandonment issues and fear of being (staying) alone and how even at his wedding he was alone. because i do

[thesunicarusfellfor]

Hey!! I love your writing. Can you do a Yandere! Ranboo, Tommy , and tubbo. where they are all in love with the reader and they kidnapped her to ‘keep her safe’ and the reader doesn’t know at first, then she slow realized they are obsessed with her. she like them back but she also want to live her life, so she tries to make agreement? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.

The Ranboo gif is just beautiful and I love it. Lemme see what I can do for ya! I wrote a bullet point Platonic fic if that's fine? I'm still worried about writing the minors in romantic relationships, even if it's the characters.

Sorry, it took so long... My burnout got really bad and I refused to even write basic stuff. But I'm back now! Well. Mostly.

Safe Behind Glass (Yandere!Plat!C!Bench Trio x GN!Reader)

You were a little groggier than normal when you awoke, but it was nothing to alarm you immediately.

Just simply brushing it off as you weren't feeling the best that day, you rolled over to fall back to sleep, but quickly noticed something wrong.

It didn't feel... Right?

The blankets... The mattress... The pillow... They weren't yours...

You peeled your eyes open and your expression went blank with fear.

The room was beautiful mind you.

But it wasn't yours either.

You were laying on a fluffy (f/c) canopy bed, surrounded by quartz walls that were dimly lit soul lanterns that prevented you from being completely swallowed by darkness.

Slowly dragging yourself off the bed, you heard a metal 'clunk' that hit the cold quartz flooring below you.

Turning your head to face downwards, you saw that a decently thick metal chain was cuffed to your ankle.

Somehow, your panic became worse as you immediately grabbed onto it and started to yank on the solid metal, but it refused to budge.

You had no idea how many minutes or hours you spent in that room. Reaching at the iron door desperately, yanking at the chain around your ankle that kept you from reaching the exit, searching the blue lanterns for anything...

But then, the white metallic door slowly swung open, revealing Ranboo, Tubbo and Tommy.

You weren't that close to them, save for a couple interactions here and there, but hey, they came to save you! That didn't matter in the slightest!

You almost cried upon seeing them and moved to walk over, but the chain stopped you from reaching them, and you noticed that they weren't moving to help you.

"You're awake!" Tubbo chirped softly, his tan goat ears wiggling with joy, "I'm glad the potion didn't stick for too long... You could've wound up starving if you stayed asleep."

Horror slowly began to set into your heart as Ranboo nodded and walked over to the dark oak table in the corner of the room and set down a basket of food.

"Ran...Boo...?" You whispered, watching as the monochrome male turned and curiously tilted his head in your direction, "Why... Am I here?"

Instead, Tommy stepped in front of you with a bright cheesy smile, the same one that resembled when he would find a new disc or start a new adventure, "For your safety, (N/n)!"

"Safety?" You choked out softly, Ranboo quickly guiding you to sit in the oak chair, "But... I'm one of the richest people on the server... I have god armour... Nothing could kill m-"

"Techno and Dream can." Tubbo interrupted sharply, halting you mid-sentence.

Right... That masked man... Or whatever he was... He was extremely dangerous, as well as Techno. They could likely pierce your netherite chest plate without even flinching at the number of thorns you had enchanted.

"We don't want anyone to bring you any harm... There's no problem with that, right, (Y/n)?" Ranboo smiled, flashing his sharpened teeth unthreateningly.

No... You wanted to say, but you wanted freedom! You wanted to expand your house to the size of a mansion! You wanted to bicker with Quackity about the stupidest of things! You wanted to get building advice from Phil!

Not be locked away because your safety was a tiny bit compromised!

"Tommy... Tubbo... Ranboo... Please, I'm not going to just stay locked away because I-"

"You'll see things our way soon... Eat up, get your rest." Tubbo smiled and gave you a hug, ignoring how you froze suddenly, before turning and skipping out of the room with the taller two following behind him.

Despite... How screwed up the three were with their methods of making you be their friend, it was working...

They were actually incredibly friendly and funny. It made life in capture bearable! Even though you were incredibly snappy and cruel to them in the beginning, they never held it against you.

Although... Despite their kindness and your quickly blooming friendship, you still had a craving to go outside. Even if what the three told you about everyone forgetting you existed was true.

"You look sad, (N/n)..." Tubbo murmured softly, watching you stare off into the blank quartz wall, "Are you okay?"

Tommy straightened up from his handmade scribble of a map, turning his head towards you in confusion. Ranboo stopped writing mid-word likely and looked in your direction as well.

They never liked it when you were upset.

You pursed your lips silently for a moment, clearly unsettling the males around you, "I just... Haven't been feeling too great... Both mentally and physically I mean... I need sunlight..."

"Yeah... I was reading about that earlier..." Ranboo hummed softly, adjusting his crown as he looked up at the ceiling, "But the issue is..."

"My safety... Yes, I know. What if, I wear my full netherite armour and keep a totem AND a Rapple on me? And also not leave your sides?" You bargained nervously.

That hadn't worked before. But then again, You weren't as close to them before...

The silence that fell upon the room was unsettling and caused your heart to race quickly. If they didn't like what you said, you would be alone for a few straight days... You didn't like it...

"Okay."

What.

That worked?

You just had to ask?!

You watched as Tubbo stood up and pulled the small ender chest from his pocket and set it on the ground, causing it to grow to normal size.

Standing aside, he made a gesture for you to open it and get your stuff.

Hesitantly, You walked over and kneeled down in front of the ender chest. Looking to Tubbo and the others for confirmation, you slowly opened it once they nodded.

Carefully, you began pulling out your armour but paused seeing the lack of golden apples and totems.

Right... Before you had gotten kidnapped by the group, you had used a totem when you fell into the L'Manhole where L'Manberg once was.

That what caused them to kidnap you...

"I-I used... My totem... And Fundy stole my Rapple..." You murmured hesitantly, feeling ready to cry.

Your only chance to escape and you couldn't grab it...

"Hey! Hey! Don't cry! Here!" Ranboo eagerly held the two golden items out towards you at the first sight of tears gathering under your eyes.

"What...?"

"(Y/n)! We want you to be happy! If being outside, even with god armour, rapples and totems, makes you happy, then damn well we're bringing you outside!" Tommy grinned.

After a few tears and lots of hugs, Tubbo helped you hop into your armour while Ranboo unlocked the chain cuff from around your ankle. Tommy had left, leaving the door open for once, going to scout the area for any dangerous mobs.

"Ready?" Ranboo smiled, linking one of his arms with yours, the one that you held the totem in to be more specific. Tubbo happily linked his arm with the other one.

You could only nod, your voice caught in your throat as they began to walk you out the door, Ranboo had to duck down a lot, before leading you to the quartz stairway.

Once up the stairs, Tubbo pressed in a code to the iron door and it slid open quickly, causing you to flinch and pinch your eyes shut at the bright painful light of the sun.

It took about twenty minutes of trying to adjust to the sunlight with the two males encouraging you before you were able to look around.

It was everything you had missed...

The sunlight...

The trees...

God, it was perfect...

Tommy eventually came out of the tree line and sat down beside you as you took it all in...

Months, you were down there. And sure, they gave you plenty of decorations to prevent you from experiencing sensory deprivation, nothing could ever compare to the beauty of the outside world.

A voice cut through the air -calling for someone or something named Fran?- and you almost didn't recognize it. But then the owner came out of the trees, almost a similar direction that Tommy came from earlier.

Sam? He looked so... Different now...

The creeper hybrid slowly lowered his gas mask to show his mouth dropped in shock, "(Y/n)...? You're alive...?"

Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo were freaking out, trying to bring you back into the bunker, as they called it, but you weren't budging. You hadn't seen another being in ages... And while you did platonically love the three boys, you enjoyed hearing a new voice.

"You... Remember me? But... Tubbo you said-" You frowned at the goat hybrid as they stopped suddenly, realizing that you weren't moving.

"You three... Kept them locked away... For almost an entire year?" Sam's voice was getting a little bit scary now, but it wasn't directed at you, instead, at your best friends...

"Sam! It was to protect them! Please!" Ranboo tried, but he wasn't making it better.

"You made Quackity believe they ran away... Made Philza wake up every morning and walk through the SMP for any signs of them... Gave Puffy false information on where you have last seen them... lied to everyone... Only to be the reason that they were gone." Sam growled out, gripping his trident, "Then you proceeded to make them think we all forgot about them..."

"S-Sam... You've got this all wrong big man..." Tubbo tried next...

The warden wasn't listening as he pointed his trident at them, his communicator in his other hand next to his mouth, then he started speaking, causing his voice to come out of Ranboo's, Tubbo's and Tommy's pockets. He was speaking on the public channel.

"Tommy Innit, Tubbo Underscore, Ranboo Beloved... You are being placed in the prison, Pandora's Vault, for keeping (Y/n) (L/n) imprisoned in a bunker and lying about their whereabouts."

It felt like someone splashed you with cold water...

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (January 26/2021) - Kids With Nukes and Talking Eggs

The Crimson’s influence continues to spread and corrupt the SMP, with the seeds planted earlier sprouting into new tendrils. 

In fact, the Crimson has spread so far that now chat can finally hear the Egg’s whispers for themselves, as Badboyhalo and Quackity have an important discussion, and Karl attempts to prevent the worst...

Also, Snowchester’s nuclear weapons test was a success! Everything went exactly according to plan and definitely nothing else. Yep.

---

- Ponk starts sneaking out of the Egg Room, but Bad comes on and he runs back to avoid suspicion.

- Bad calls him and asks how he’s doing. Ponk says he’s doing fine. Bad asks if he can get Ponk anything. He says Ponk will stay down there until he learns to love the Egg.

Ponk: “I’m a bad bitch, you can’t kill me.”

- Bad says he’ll stay down for an extra day because of that.

- Ponk asks Bad for an iced mocha with cream and a pain au chocolat. Bad refuses at first, but after Ponk threatens to pee all over the Egg, Bad rushes off to get Ponk his iced mocha with cream and pain au chocolat. Ponk asks if it’s vegan.

- Bad drops Ponk his iced mocha with cream and pain au chocolat.

- Bad locks Ponk back up and says he’ll be staying down there for a day now. Ponk says he’ll continue to vibe. 

- Ponk sneaks out once Bad is gone. He meets up with Awesam on the surface. Sam is still talking like he’s exhausted and drained, and says he wants to head home.

- Sam goes to be with Fran again, holding his rose with a wall blocking them off.

- Ponk shows Sam that he’s got Dream’s shield. Sam says that he probably shouldn’t carry it around, as people might get the wrong idea...Ponk says it’s cool because it makes his “head fuzzy.” 

- Ponk says goodbye and leaves Sam.

- Both keycards for the nukes have gotten lost. There is no way this can end badly. Jack comes online and they begin to prepare. The plan is to launch one and decommission the others.

- Jack wonders how to get Tommy to the test site. Perhaps if some of the materials for the hotel can be obtained easiest near the site? He speaks with Awesam about adding spruce wood to the materials list. Awesam says he’ll let Sam Nook know.

- Tommy comes online and speaks with Sam Nook, who tells him to get some spruce wood. Niki comes over to fetch him. Niki leads Tommy closer to the test site.

- Jack desperately attempts to stall the launch. 

- The nuke is launched! Jack and Tubbo rush over.

- Tommy manages to delay walking over to the test site purely by talking nonstop, and the nuke misses him. He instead goes to examine the crater with the others. Tubbo is concerned about Tommy’s lack of hazmat suit. 

- Jack and Niki are furious that it didn’t work. 

- They go back to Snowchester to celebrate. Tommy coughs up a bit of blood. Foolish comes over to deal some stress relievers.

- Sam Nook then tells Tommy to gather red dye.

- Tommy and Jack start fighting and Sam Nook comes to kill him.

- Ranboo speaks with Tubbo. Apparently the Crimson showed Tubbo images of dead families that made him cry. They wonder if they should do something about the Blood Vines.

- Ranboo writes in his book. His pickaxes have been mysteriously losing durability.

- Ranboo later speaks with Niki. He asks why she burned down L’mantree. Niki explains that she’d lost hope in L’manburg and didn’t believe it should exist anymore.

- Tommy mugs Foolish. Foolish says he’ll remember this.

- Tommy still doesn’t have enough red dye. Sam Nook is worried that Awesam won’t be pleased with him leaving the build site today. If Awesam found out, that wouldn’t be good...

- Foolish visits Ponk, who is still trapped in the obsidian Egg cage.

- Antfrost logs on and Foolish starts running up the stairs. He sneaks behind a corner and Antfrost walks by. He doesn’t seem to see Foolish.

- The Blood Vines have made their way to Foolish’s desert...

- Bad comes online with plans to introduce Callahan to the Egg. He meets up with Quackity and asks him if he’s noticed the Vines growing everywhere.

- Bad checks the Crater. Quackity sees the Crater Vines for the first time and is horrified. 

- Bad asks Quackity -- he’s a chaotic individual -- what if he could join something greater than himself? Callahan as well? He asks if Quackity would either wish to be brainwashed, or voluntarily join the Eggpire. Quackity could be in charge of everything.

- Quackity says to keep talking...Bad says he would make a great leader. The Egg could be the means to the end of becoming the leader over everything.

- Ever since the whole L’manburg, fight with Dream happened, Quackity’s been wandering, taking some time off. Thinking about things. But he doesn’t like the idea of the Vines covering the entire SMP.

- Bad explains that once the Vines have covered everything, Quackity can come in as the ultimate hero, conquering the Egg and becoming the ruler of the entire Dream SMP.

Quackity asks...what’s the catch? Why wouldn’t Bad do this himself?

Bad says all he wants is to see Quackity succeed. 

Bad: “You...could become the ruler of all of this.”

Quackity asks for Bad to show him a little more.

Bad: “The Egg can grant you your heart’s desires.”

Quackity: “So why do you still not have Skeppy?”

- Bad shows him around. Quackity wants to see exactly what Bad has up his sleeve, what’s really going on here. Karl follows them around in hiding.

- Bad, Quackity and Callahan jump down into the spider spawner to head to the Egg Room without Prime Suits on.

- Callahan dies on the Egg’s magma and disappears in the presence of the Egg.

- Quackity stands on the Egg and says it’s...wonderful. He feels great. A strange sensation.

The Crimson speaks.

- Karl types in chat, trying to get Quackity to leave the Egg.

- Quackity freaks out and says he needs to get out. He starts running, shouting in fear. He faces Bad in the hallway, telling him to stay back.

Bad: “Power! Power. Power...you want power, Quackity.”

...

Quackity: “Badboyhalo, there is something so very wrong with you...” 

- Karl jumps into the hallway and hits Bad away.

- Quackity tells Bad to never do this to him again. Bad says everyone has to make a choice. He tried the easy way already, but Quackity’s chosen the difficult path...

- Bad comes to the Egg, frustrated. He’s trying to be nice, trying to give everybody a chance...and they’re not taking it.

The Crimson whispers to him.

- Bad thinks that maybe, letting so many Vines grow has turned people against the Crimson instead of getting them to love it.

- Bad lets Ponk out. He’s vibing. Bad gives him a pain au chocolat.

- Bad asks the Egg. What are they to do?

The Crimson whispers.

Bad says he had hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Nothing matters but the Egg...and Skeppy.

- Bad leaves the Egg. They have to check the status of Sam, deal with Tommy, and see if they can still get Quackity on their side. He can come around to them! Antfrost and Bad need to meet with Technoblade as well.

- Quackity whispers to Bad that he would like to talk.  As he comes up, he spots Ranboo wandering around.

The Crimson whispers, but Bad says he “can’t deal with this one at the moment.”

Bad picks up the grass block that Ranboo left and places it in his Ender Chest...

- Bad addresses chat: have they spent enough time with the Egg that they can hear the Egg too?

- Bad meets with Quackity at Eret’s castle. As Quackity jumps a fence, he places down some purple concrete. Bad picks it up and places it in his Ender Chest as well.

- They make it into the wilderness and Quackity tries to snap Bad out of it.

Quackity: “You’re one of the only people on the server who I have a little bit of hope in! ...What the hell is going on?”

“That’s not you! That’s not you, Bad!”

Bad: “The Egg offered me exactly what I wanted!”

Quackity: “What’d the Egg give you?”

Bad: “The Egg gave it to me -- or told me that it could get it for me.”

Bad says that Skeppy got infected by the Egg, and he realized that there was no way that he could get him back to normal, so he knew he had one job: if he got infected by the Egg too, then everything would be fine.

What else could Bad have done except done what the Egg told him? All of Bad’s attempted cures just ended up messing Skeppy up more and more. He couldn’t get Skeppy back to normal on his own. The Egg said if Skeppy was red, everything would be okay.

Bad: “Everybody has something that they want. Something -- when you lose something that you’re really close to, and you’re worried that you’ve lost it for good, sometimes you’re willing to make the tough sacrifices in order to get that thing back.”

Quackity: “And what are these ‘sacrifices?’ Your other friends?”

Quackity is offended that Bad would think the only thing he wants is power. Is that all Bad sees him as? Power-hungry?

Quackity: “Bad, I wanna help you.”

The Egg has an objective, one objective. It wants something, but can’t get it on its own. It needs people to get it. That’s why the Egg needs people, at least right now.

- Bad and Quackity argue. 

- Quackity says Bad is a liability. He shouts at Bad to just listen. Quackity suggests that if they find the source of power for this Egg...maybe they can use this to the ultimate well-being of everyone. Because if the Egg can control others, then...maybe they can control other people for good?

- The only person the Egg can’t control is Tommy, so he has to die.

- It’s not a specific person that the Egg can’t control, but a specific type of person.

- Bad wonders...what if he could control the Egg?

Maybe he could free Skeppy himself.

- But how could they control the Egg? Quackity says he’s thought of a different type of control. Their conversation has given him some thoughts. He says Bad can deal with his Egg stuff alone, but he’s too far gone.

- Quackity says it’s not just about gathering people. There’s power in other measures too.

Quackity: “Do you remember that room Dream had where he had everyone’s personal belongings and he essentially had full control of just about everyone, because he had control of their personal belongings?”

- Bad says Quackity’s getting in the way of what he’s trying to accomplish. Quackity says they may be trying to accomplish the same things...

Quackity: “We have the same objectives with different measures.”

- It’s time they part ways. Before they split, though, Quackity leads Bad up a hill and has him look out across the wilderness.

Quackity: “Look at all this. Remember this for a long time...all of this empty land, all of these things...that people think don’t matter, Bad? They do matter, they do matter. Picture this in your head...just never forget it, okay?”

- They leave.

Quackity: “Goodbye, Bad...good luck in whatever you’re gonna do...

And I’ll make sure to get in your way.”

- Bad returns to the SMP, thinking to himself. If the Egg can give him his friend back, then that’s good...right?

- Punz’s eyes have turned red. He’s become favorable to the Vines growing on his tower, saying he likes the feeling of chaos it brings to him.

---

The Crimson spoke with five distinct messages throughout the stream, reversed:

“I will give you your heart’s desire...I will give you what you want.”

“Kill the boy ...Tommy must die.”

“This world is mine...it belongs to me.”

“Feed me...I require nourishment.”

“I know all...I see all...I...AM...ALL...”

---

[ocasionallywriting]

Pandora’s Vault is Hell

Starvation, Mentions of Death, Major Character Death, Self Harm, Dream is sympathetic/in a really miserable state (so take that as you will), Mentions of Past Torture (remembering what happened in slight detail), Lava to Self Harm, Hopelessness, Psychological Torture, Touch Starved, Pandora’s Vault / The Prison, Slight Suffocation at some point, Suicide

In other words, heavy trigger warnings, please be cautious and take care of yourself

(Let me know if I should add any more tags or warnings)

All of this is roleplay

Summary: Dream is starving since Sam hasn’t been back in a while and uses the Respawn system to reset his hunger. He’s lonely, upset, and in pain.

Dream sat in his corner, hugging himself. He was hungry. So, so hungry. He hadn’t seen Sam in days. Was it days? He doesn’t know. He’d already eaten his last potato, so, so long ago. The pain hadn’t stopped for so long. He felt weak. So very weak. His mind couldn’t concentrate on anything other than the gnawing hunger. He was pretty sure he had cried at some point, but the tears had evaporated long ago.

He weakly lifted his arm and stared at it before it dropped. He couldn’t help but laugh now. It hurt so much, and he can’t cry. He laughed. And he laughed. And he couldn’t breathe as his body shakes.

For a moment he hears Tommy’s laughter alongside his, and then it was gone too. He was alone. Truly just alone. And he just kept laughing.

It sounded unnatural to him. When had he last heard laughter?

Thoughts of Quackity came to him and he laughed harder. He was suffocating now, but he couldn’t stop laughing.

He could remember the way that his bones cracked and his flesh tore. He could still feel the effects of potions forcing his body into overdrive to stitch itself back together, only to be ripped apart once again. But worst of all, he could feel Quackity’s hands grab his face forcefully, or brush against his own hands. And for a second, Dream could feel happy. Touch, something he needed so desperately. Friendly punches to the arm from Sapnap, or George’s head laying on his shoulder as Sapnap and him had to drag the sleeping boy somewhere safer. He missed touch. He needed touch. Sam was repulsed by him.

Breathe. That’s what he needs to do. That’s hard. He can’t focus on that. The pain is too much. His chest hurts too, now.

What doesn’t hurt?

Starving. Starving. Starving. Where is Sam? Where was food? Is there relief? Ever?

When was the last time he dragged himself over to the cauldron to drink? Did it even matter? A canon death wouldn’t be granted to him just like that. He was already sitting near the wall of lava. All it would take is a few agonizing minutes and then he’d respawn, a-okay.

He brought his arm up and slowly placed it under the flowing molten rock.

It burned. It always did. But pain was a state of being. A consequence of continuing to live.

Why can't he just die? Why isn't he allowed to die? No one would be hurt by his death. They'd celebrate. No one would mourn Dream, only the power he had given others.

Just let him die.

Dream pulls his burning arm from under the lava. It no longer hurt, it instead was bone held together by barely there, charred tissue.

Why can't he die?

He stares at the arm and allows himself to fall to his side, feeling the burning sensation of his head dipping under the lava followed by his neck, chest and abdomen.

Did he scream? He didn't know. He must have. His mouth had filled with the dense material and he began to choke.

What killed him was the melting of flesh and bone and tissue.

Everything just stopped for some period of time before Dream found himself staring at the obsidian walls once again.

This is what his life had been reduced to, huh?

[immortalcoelacanth]

Dream SMP Oneshot: Lonely but not Alone

Sometimes I hate how my brain hyperfixates on new media/ideas and refuses to leave me alone until I write it out, but at least I get some good angst out of it!

Also, let it be known that I’m pretty behind on the streams and info (the wiki is a blessing) and I haven’t really watched any of Tubbo’s streams, so I apologize if the characterization is off! Quick reminder to double check the tags as this is an angst fic!

Word count: 1874

Summary: Alone and full of regrets, a ghost from Tubbo’s past makes an appearance. 

L’Manberg was… quiet, but that was not unexpected given everything that had recently happened. The preparations for the upcoming wedding, the continued reconstruction of the damaged nation, and… 

Tommy’s exile. 

How much time had passed since then? Hours? Days? Tubbo honestly was not sure. Everything seemed to blur together, a mixture of stress, sorrow, and the struggle of trying to feel like everything was okay when it clearly was not. 

He felt so, so tired. 

Exhaustion weighed on him, dragged him down and occasionally made the words spoken to him by his friends sound muffled and incomprehensible. His brain felt like soup, sloshing around in his skull as he listlessly completed each task set before him. Conversations about reconstruction, about political affairs and new battles that were breaking out. 

More pointless death and destruction that he, and he alone, had to prevent. 

Tubbo sighed and leaned against the nearby building, placing his head in his hands. There were so many choices he wished he could take back, so many decisions he regretted making. 

He missed Tommy. 

He missed his family. 

Wilbur was dead and Ghostbur had forgotten so much. Tommy was gone, exiled before ruin was brought to L’Manberg again and innocent people suffered because of his actions. Techno, a criminal, and a threat to both L’Manberg and himself-

His older brother silhouetted in the cold moonlight. The silence of the crowd, Schlatt’s shouts and demands for his blood to be spilt, his life to be ended. 

Why? Why did this have to happen? 

I don’t want to die.

Please.

Please-

The harsh, sudden stinging of his cheek snapped Tubbo out of his spiraling thoughts, and he hesitantly lifted a hand to touch the aching spot. His hand hurt, too, but that was nothing. He was used to everything hurting nowadays. 

His mind, from all the thinking and planning. 

His throat from the constant talking. 

His heart from the constant breaking-

With every fiber of his being, he wanted nothing more than to be hugged. For someone, anyone, to show up and wrap their arms around him. To promise that everything would turn out okay. That when he next saw Tommy, his brother would not hate him-

Phil, he missed Phil so much! 

This would be the perfect moment for Phil’s dad instincts that he had honed over the years to activate, causing the man to randomly appear out of the shadows to give him the reassurance and comfort he so desperately craved. 

Feeling hopeful that his wish might be granted, Tubbo looked up and let out a disappointed sigh upon seeing that no one was there. Still all alone, his family scattered, and his friends-

“Why hello there.” 

“Quackity!” Tubbo yelped as he spun around, a hand clutching at his chest as he faced his companion. “Big Q! You scared me! And… you sound different.”

He also looked different, Tubbo realized. Dressed up in a suit that brought back far too many negative memories, something about Quackity just seemed… off. He was so still, so stiff, so… emotionless.

It was as though the smile stretched across his face was fake, plastered on for some unknown purpose. 

Unconsciously, Tubbo took a step back, discomfort with the situation rising. Just before he could ask Quackity what he was doing here, and if he was okay, his friend, could he still call him that, stepped forward and spoke. 

“Are you happy, Tubbo?”

But it was not Quackity’s voice he heard. 

Eyes growing wide as horror coursed through him. The seeming calm, casual tone those words held. That familiar, scheming smile. Even the suit was reminiscent of-

No. No. No no no no-

“What’s the matter?” The possessed Quackity laughed as his shadow stretched out behind him, growing longer and taller, Sprouting horns and a set of scorching red eyes. 

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost, pal.” 

“Y-You’re not real!” Tubbo exclaimed as he backpedaled, tripping over his feet and roughly landing on the ground. “You’re dead! And not like Ghostbur! You didn’t come back!”

“Oh, Tubbo, Tubbo,” Schlatt chuckled as his shadowy form slithered across the ground, looping over the younger man’s legs and preventing him from moving. “I knew you were stupid, but you can’t be this stupid.”

Tubbo shuddered, his fingers clenching and forming fists as he desperately looked around for someone, anyone who could get him out of this mess. Alas, he was still alone, trapped with Schlatt. 

… Trapped, unless someone was drawn to his location!

He quickly inhaled, but before he could start screaming, a pair of hands wrapped around his throat. 

“Ack-”

“C’mon, we just started our chat. I can’t let you end it so soon.” Schlatt chuckled, squeezing tighter. Tubbo thrashed, lashing out at the shadow in a desperate, and ultimately futile, attempt to free himself. 

His vision was spotty, going dark. He felt light headed. His throat hurt. He couldn’t scream. 

No, no-

Can’t die here, won’t die here.

Have to apologize-

Suddenly, Schlatt let go, and Tubbo collapsed. He crumpled up on the ground, body shaking as tears rolled down his face. He shuddered and wheezed, the occasional cough escaping him as he struggled to get control of his breathing. 

“Now that we don’t have to worry about any interruptions,” Schlatt continued, the shadows wrapped around Tubbo’s legs tightening briefly and making the younger man cringe. “I can offer you my congratulations on your victory.”

He felt himself pale upon hearing Schlatt’s words, and he shuddered before quickly shaking his head. 

Victory? How could such a hollow title as being President be considered a victory compared to everything he had lost to get here. His family had been torn to shreds and scattered, his friends fought with him, argued about the choices he had made to protect L’Manberg, leaving him feeling so alone and isolated. 

With each passing day, it was becoming more obvious that he had lost.

His anguish was obvious to Schlatt. Schlatt, whose devious smile grew wider as his red eyes burned brighter. “Aw, now don’t be like that! You should be proud! You’re keeping Manberg safe, got rid of Tommy-”

“I didn’t want that.” Tubbo muttered, pushing himself upright as he dug his fingers into the chilly grass. “I didn’t want him to be exiled-”

“How can you be so sure?” Schlatt cooed, his hands resting on Tubbo’s shoulders as he leaned forward and smiled at the younger man. “You got rid of a threat, to Manberg, and to you-”

“He’s not a threat! Not to me!” Tubbo shot back, his sorrow turning to anger in an instant. “Besides, it was to keep him and everyone else safe-”

“You threw him out into the cold with just the clothes on his back. You haven’t visited him, and you’ve allowed Dream to do whatever he wants-”

“I can’t stop Dream! I-I can’t control him, and if Tommy hadn’t been exiled then L’Manberg would be trapped behind a wall of obsidian, and he’d probably be dead!”

Schlatt let out a disappointed sigh as his fingers, now claws, dug into Tubbo’s shoulders, making the younger man cringe in pain. “Oh Tubbo, Tubbo, Tubbo. You and I both know that’s not why you got rid of Tommy. He was a threat! He could’ve taken over Manberg, and you know he would’ve!” 

“That doesn’t matter! I wasn’t-”

“Oh, but you were. You can lie to the others and you can lie to yourself, but you can’t lie to me.” Schlatt hissed. “Surrounded by rats and traitors. How long do you think it’ll be before you’re hung, huh? Do you really think they won’t turn on you?”

“Of course they won’t! They’re my friends-”

“Friends? You threw your BROTHER out of Manberg!” Schlatt threw his head back and laughed. “Are you stupid enough to think they’d care about something like that after what you did? Why would they EVER want to stay friends with you?”

Upon noticing how silent the younger man was, obviously processing what he had said, the shadow decided to keep going. 

“Face it! You protected yourself and your throne. Nothing more, nothing less, and they’ll see it that way. They always will!”

“Fuck you-” Tubbo spat before he was cut off by Schlatt reaching out and snagging his suit, twisting the front so the sides of the formal attire dug into his neck. He let out a strangled gasp as he was dragged upwards, lifted so he was finally back on his feet. He scratched and clawed at the shadowy hand holding him up and, after a moment full of struggling, was dropped, allowing him to stand. 

But that did not mean Schlatt was done with him just yet. 

Before he could escape, or scream to alert someone other than the catatonic Quackity to his predicament, the shadow coiled around him once more so Schlatt was hovering over his shoulder, face close to his own. 

“Besides,” Schlatt said, the air in front of the pair churning and whirling, a mirror formed out of darkness, and in its reflection was Tubbo. 

Suit wearing, horn bearing Tubbo. 

“Soon you’ll be just like me-”

“STOP IT!” He shrieked, hands clasped tightly over his ears as he hunched over, eyes screwed shut as tears leaked out of the corners. “I’M NOT YOU! I’M NOT LIKE YOU! JUST SHUT UP! SHUT! UP-”

He halted in his wailing as he felt someone touch his arm. He violently cringed backwards, looking up to see-

Quackity, suit and ghostly shadow gone. Even the strange mirror was nowhere to be seen. He looked perfectly normal, and concerned. 

Scared. 

As if Tubbo had been the one acting strange with all the crying and shouting, as if he was unaware of Schlatt’s brief yet painful presence. But… Quackity had been possessed, right?!

Schlatt had been here, right?!

The… the ghost had to have been! There was no way he had made something like that up! It was real, it had to be real!

He… he wasn’t crazy, Tubbo wasn’t crazy. 

He was fine, perfectly fine. 

There was no way he had hallucinated Schlatt tormenting him, that was impossible!

He wasn’t crazy!

A high pitched, borderline hysterical giggle escaped him before he slapped a hand over his mouth, a desperate attempt to contain the noise, and one that had ultimately failed. He looked up and noticed that Quackity had taken several steps backwards, putting more space between them. 

Schlatt’s words from earlier reverberated in his mind. 

Why would they EVER want to stay friends with you?

Why, indeed. Could he still call his friends, friends? Would Tommy still call him brother after everything that had happened? Would he have anyone left to be there with him?

Would he wind up like his predecessor? 

Unnoticed by Tubbo, Quackity had continued moving backwards, step by step, until he felt he was far enough away from the clearly disturbed President. Once he felt there was enough space between them, he decided to speak up. 

“Okay, I’ll… uh… seeyouaround!” He squeaked as he spun around and swiftly walked away from the crying man. Just as Tubbo was finally left alone, that painfully familiar voice whispered in his ear one last statement. 

One unfortunate promise. 

“I’ll be watching you, Mr. President.”

                                          xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Welp! I’ve already fallen headfirst into this mess and have several ideas, AU concepts, and other fun, angsty stuff! As if the fandom didn’t have enough angst already! At least this gives me the perfect opportunity to let my inner angst gremlin fly.

I hope you all enjoyed reading!

- ImmortalCoelacanth