A month has passed since Techno moved into the other world.

Tubbo and Tommy started talking less and less, and it was to the point where they didn't even sit near each other at lunch. Tubbo always sits by Ranboo during lunch, and Tommy just hops from table to table.

Which, in all honesty, made the last few weeks of school even more unbearable, especially with all the exams being thrown at him this way and that.

He's even had teachers asking him if he was alright because he wasn't talking much anymore.

This unusual behavior didn't go unnoticed in his house, either. Wilbur had asked several times what was wrong, but he always got the same half answer of "nothing's wrong, I'm fine."

Wilbur even tried calling Techno at one point, but it didn't go through.

It was hopeless.

~<•>~

Techno visited a month later, and Tommy was even worse than before.

The teen hardly came out of his room anymore, only leaving to go to the bathroom or to get something to eat.

"Techno!" Wilbur greeted his brother with a tight hug, and he received an even tighter one in return.

"Where's Tommy?" Techno asked upon realizing that his younger brother wasn't there.

Wilbur frowned. "In his room. He's hardly left since school let out."

Techno frowned before going upstairs, knocking on Tommy's bedroom door.

"Fuck off!" Came a muffled reply.

Techno sighed. "Tommy, it's me."

"...Techno...?"

"Who else would it be?"

He then heard shuffling on the other side of the door, including a few thuds, followed by a long string of curses, before the door opened to reveal the teen.

His hair was a mess, and so were his pajamas. He had so many bags under his eyes that it looked like his bags had bags. He also smelled like he hadn't showered in weeks.

"Damn, kid, you really let yourself go."

Tommy let out a watery laugh as he hugged his older brother tightly. "Asshole."

Techno laughed a bit as he reciprocated the hug. "What happened while I was gone?"

"Tubbo and I are no longer friends."

Techno paused, pulling Tommy back. "What!?"

"Yeah...we haven't talked in weeks."

Techno's amber eyes softened. "How are you holdin' up?"

Tommy shrugged. "Fine, I guess."

It was then that Techno noticed that Tommy no longer wore the locket around his neck.

"Where's your locket?"

Tommy shrugged. "Somewhere."

"Any clue as to where it could be?"

Another shrug. "In my room, probably. I threw it after a bad fight between us."

Techno sighed as he walked into the teen's room.

Now, he already knew that the teen wasn't the cleanest person ever, but Techno had never seen his room this bad before.

Things lay on the floor, broken or otherwise. Trash was scattered everywhere, and overall it just smelled like a dumpster.

"Jesus Christ, Tommy, what'd you do!?"

The teen shrugged, sitting on his bed that was covered in dirty clothes.

Techno sighed, cleaning up the trash and some broken glass and plastic from the floor. He frowned when he saw the bee plush that Tubbo gave to Tommy when he was sick all those years ago torn to shreds.

Photos of the two were ripped apart or had their frame broken.

It was depressing.

~<•>~

He eventually found the locket, but Tommy refused to even look at it.

"Have you ever seen inside it?"

Tommy nodded. "It has a picture of me and Tubbo when we were babies, and..."

Techno didn't press Tommy further.

He already knew what was inside.

~<•>~

"Tubbo! Get your ass in here right now!"

Tubbo covered his ears, tears staining his cheeks.

Schlatt usually wasn't mean like this. It was just one of those days he drank a tad bit too much while playing with his friends and grew aggressive.

Tubbo grabbed his phone and hovered over Tommy's contact.

Should I...?

No...

He hates me...

So, instead, he called Ranboo.

"Tubbo?"

"Can I just...talk to you for a while?" He cringed at himself choking on the tears.

"...sure..."

"Schlatt is in one of those moods again..."

"Oh, I'm sorry..."

"So I'm hiding in my room...normally I would run to Tommy, but..."

"But what?"

"He hates me..."

"No, he doesn't."

"How are you so sure?"

"Dude, I'm literally his neighbor. He's just been wallowing in his bed for weeks."

"Oh..."

"Just talk to him, man. I'm sure he'll be eager to have his best friend back."

"Maybe you're right...but he is the one who stopped talking to me first."

"So? You know how Tommy is. In the end, he'll most likely tackle you in a hug while complaining about how clingy you are."

He let out a watery giggle. "Still, can you be there for moral support?"

"Honestly? I don't think that's a good idea..."

"What!? Why?"

"Tommy stopped talking to you because of me. Your best bet is to talk to him without my presence there."

"But—"

"No buts. Go talk to him. Make up. I can't stand seeing you or him mope around and be sad all the time."

Tubbo grew silent before sighing. "Fine, I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"Good."

~<•>~

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