"...Alright."

When they're out of Tubbo's earshot, Wilbur exhales loudly and drags his hands down his face again. "Ohhhhh man. This is--I mean, I've got to--you know, I was going to say this is hard, but obviously it's hard, I mean, I've..." Sigh.

"You've?" 

Managing just Wilbur is easier, he thinks. He doesn't have to be guessing whether Tubbo wants him to step in, there's no— god, he doesn't want to think about how bad he froze up there, he doesn't want to be thinking about any of this—

Not the point. He just has to keep his voice gentle, patient, kind, all the things he was in the Arctic, because Wilbur listens to him, sometimes, when he's patient and gentle.

"--hurt people. I've, I've hurt people. But it's--you know--it's gonna get better! It's gonna get better, and it's gonna be worth it, when I see them smiling, all of them. Tubbo, Jack. Niki. ...Tommy. Anyone! Do you-- do you know who the original L'Manberg group were?"

Q's feelings, he reminds himself, are not what matters here. Kind and patient and gentle. "You, Tommy, Tubbo, Fundy, Jack Manifold—" Eret— "Niki? Was it?" 

"You've got it! You've got it down. It was that group and we, um, fought, against Dream. And we succeeded! And we created a-- life for ourselves.

Ranboo, Q, I'm going to tell you something, but I need you to--I need you to promise not to tell anyone."

"Mhm, sure, what is it?"

"I promise," he says, without hesitation. 

"I try-- I try and keep this on the low because I don’t want, uh… I don’t want people to use it against me, is the main problem. I didn’t even tell Tommy, I-- I lied to Tommy. I'll be honest, I’m gonna tell him soon that I lied to him because I-- it kinda eats away at me. But I told, I told Tommy that I didn’t actually care about L’Manberg and that it was just, like, a tool, for me? To use, to gain, like, you know, power and stuff, but it’s not--it’s not true. L’Manberg is-- really important to me, and it is still to this day. I want it to, um… I want its history to live on, not as a stain caused by me, you know. I basically just took a big shit on the history books, it feels like. I wanna, I wanna make it feel like it was, you know… It was something that happened, you know, it was a great thing, you know, think of the good times! The, the years of safety! The--well, not years, but, you know--the time of safety! The time of fun! Prosperity, you know? We built parks, we had, you know. No taxes! We had big walls! We had democracy! Albeit a slightly disjointed version of it, but, y’know. I want-- That's how people remember L'Manberg, that's what people think of, when they think of our nation, y’know? And, y'know, Tubbo--Tubbo’s the last connection we really have, I mean he... he said it himself, he's kind of, y’know… He’s got nothing without it. I've heard about what-- Tommy’s, y’know, moved on, and how Jack’s moved on, and Niki’s moved on, and everyone’s moved on from L'Manberg--at least partially--but Tubbo, man, he’s still..."

............Wilbur thinks this is a secret? 

"Right," he says, instead of that. 

"Tubbo's… Yeah, he’s still very, very strung up about it even though it's been a… while. He-- he distracts himself, though, with projects and everything, which is nice, but..."

They've reached the cookie outpost outside Las Nevadas; Wilbur stops walking for a moment to point at it, give a half-laugh. "Yeah, projects, I mean--! ...I think he's going to be alright, though. He's gonna be alright."

"I mean, it's only been about six months, right? You can't really say either way, six months out." 

"That's true. I, um, I hope Wilbur's right and everything ends up alright."

"Yeah. I hope so too." He does not really have much faith in Wilbur's assessment here but he has some faith in Tubbo, so maybe it balances out. 

There's a brief lull and then Wilbur starts talking again. "I wanted to say--thank you two. For--trusting me this quickly. Ranboo, you especially, it hasn't even been a week, but--even you, Q, we've only known each other for a couple months, you know? And you've both--worked with me, and helped me, and built a burger van, and I, I don't know where I'd be without you here right now, man. I mean, Tommy’s great and all, and he's here, but I… I feel like, y’know, I don't want to--I don't want to string him along too much. Because he’s--when I--when I look at him-- When I look at him when he’s helping me out, building things with me, I see the same eyes that looked at me when--when... There were some not so fun times in the ravine of Pogtopia. I wasn't a very well man, and I can just see Tommy from that day." They reach the van. "--Oh! This looks amazing!"

You think the fucking burger van is the thing that required trust? He swallows that down for unhelpfulness crimes. 

"Working with Ranboo's great," he agrees. Easy. Chill. Normal. 

"I think this is the beginning of--something beautiful. And maybe Tubbo'll come by to visit and we can have a big party, chat, get to know each other better, maybe he can try one of our burgers. You're--thank you both, man. I really mean it."

"You're--you're welcome! I'm, uh, yeah, that'd be good."

"I'm gonna go for a walk, you can come if you want or you can stay here."

"I--I think I'll stay here and work on the van for a bit, thanks though!"

"I'll go with you." Bye, Ranboo. 

"Bye, Ranboo!"

Outside: "I love that kid."

"Yeah, Ranboo's great. Easily a ninety-fifth percentile coworker." 

"...Can I ask you a question? I know I've already asked this before, you're probably tired of it, but-- why do you still trust me?"