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“Hey Tubbo, get this!”
“Yeah?” Tubbo looked up at Tommy as the younger boy flopped down beside him. He was sitting against the wall of the ravine, playing with the baby’s tiny hands. He’d only found the newborn a couple of weeks ago, but the little being had already wormed his way into his heart. He’d been abandoned in the forest, bright green freckles dimmed with exhaustion and illness. They were brighter now, two weeks of regular feeding and actual care doing wonders for his health. They’d also settled on a name: XD.
Tommy didn’t immediately answer, instead he flung his arm around Tubbo’s shoulders and peered down at the baby. “Hey there Big Man, commit any crimes while I was out? Get a girlfriend maybe?”
“He can’t do either of those Tommy he’s a two-week-old baby.”
“Nah he totally can!” Tommy poked at one of XD’s brightly glowing cheeks. “Look at him, he’s the coolest baby in the world! I bet he gets so many women. No one can resist his charm.”
Tubbo laughed. “He is pretty cool.” He shrugged Tommy’s arm off of his shoulders. “Now what was it you were going to say before XD distracted you?”
He jolted at the reminder. “Oh yeah! Schlatt thinks you got fuckin kidnapped or some shit! He sent out a whole search party and everything!”
Tubbo blinked. “Well that’s not good. We should probably tell Wilbur.”
He adjusted his hold on the baby and stood, prompting a whine of “Aww, I just sat down” from his best friend.
“C’mon big man,” He kicked Tommy in the leg, ignoring the offended “HEY!” it earned him, “let’s go find him.” Tommy grumbled in mock outrage and followed him deeper into Pogtopia.
Wilbur, it turned out, had decided to do some farming. Not potatoes, that was Techno’s department, but wheat and carrots and a single beetroot plant. “We need to have a good stockpile of food for when XD starts on solids.” He’d mentioned a few days ago when asked about the sudden variety. “Potatoes are fine, but a healthy baby needs a balance of nutrients that potatoes alone won’t give him.”
“I’m back Wilbur!” Tommy called as he burst into the room. “And I have news!”
Wilbur stood, smiling and leaning on the hoe he was using. “Let’s hear it!”
His face grew stoic as Tommy relayed what he’d told Tubbo in more detail. He had come upon the tail end of the search, Quackity meeting with the leaders of each search party to discuss any possible clues. “This isn’t good. If they’re already sending search parties then we may be discovered eventually.”
“I can go back.” Tubbo piped up. “It’s about time I go anyways.”
Wilbur looked down at him and XD. “May I?” Tubbo nodded and handed the baby off to Wilbur. He smiled softly down at XD and started rocking him as he spoke. “If you’re sure. Just be safe, alright?” Tubbo smiled and nodded, leaving XD with Wilbur as he went to pack the things he needed.
A short while later, it was time to go.
“It looks like it’ll rain later.” Wilbur looked down at the teen in concern as he handed the baby back to him. “Will you make it back before it hits? One of us can go with you.”
“I can make it back.” Tubbo replied cheerily. “And nah, stay here. If someone caught me with you then the cover story would be for nothing. It’ll be fine!”
It was not fine.
The first bit of the three hour trek from Pogtopia to Manburg went great! XD was calm and happy, content with watching the world around him and flailing his little arms around. But then it all went to hell. An hour and a half into the journey the skies opened up. Sheets of rain poured down on the teenager and baby, soaking them both through instantly. This, of course, made for a very unhappy baby and his cries mixed with the loud roaring of the downpour to create an almost deafening amount of noise. The wet leaves and grass under his feet caused him to slip and slide a lot, leading to scraped up hands and a torn suit jacket from impacts with rough tree bark.
Tubbo almost didn’t hear it, the pouring rain and XD’s cries loud in his ears. The tell-tale hissing of a creeper sounded from in front of him and he scrambled backwards as it blew. He was just far enough to avoid the worst of it, but the combination of the shockwave and the wet leaves under his feet sent him sprawling. He clutched the fragile bundle in his arms tightly but securely, trying to keep the baby safe. He quickly scrambled to his feet and checked XD over. He was untouched thankfully. Tubbo himself, though, was slightly singed and could feel the beginnings of bruises from the contact with the ground.
XD wailed, the loud noise and sudden jolts terrifying for the poor boy. “Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Tubbo rocked him as he continued back to Manburg, trying to calm him before his cries could attract more mobs. “We’re almost there, please stop crying!” XD, being a two-week-old baby who has been very wet for about an hour and just had an explosion go off feet from him, did not stop crying. If anything, over the next little while his crying seemed to get louder.
Tubbo felt stressed tears begin to well in his eyes. He didn’t know how far he was from Manburg. He didn’t know how far and his baby was crying and he could hear mobs behind him-
And just as he was about to give up, possibly try to find a cave to spend the night in- lights, in the distance, just barely visible in the downpour. He quickened his pace, finally breaking through the trees just a few minutes later. And there was Manburg. The sheer relief the sight brought him made the tears spill down his cheeks, sobs hiccuping out of him as they blended in with the rain soaking his form.
The next 20 minutes were a blur. If you asked him later, he wouldn’t be able to tell you what he was thinking or what route he took. But he ended up in front of the one door he knew would have someone, anyone no matter how bad the weather got.
Schlatt.
He raised his hand, hiccuping and sobbing, XD still wailing his discomfort, and knocked.