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The sun had just started going down when Ranboo returned to his house. He had spent the majority of the day down in his mining system, gathering as many resources as he could. Did he need more? Eh, not necessarily, but paying for the mansion was definitely going to take a chunk out of his stash, so he had figured it wouldn't hurt to replenish it.
He's done for the day, though, and going back inside his house has him sighing in relief. The ores in his inventory are weighing him down, and he's surprised the weight doesn't send him toppling off the ladder as he makes his way down to his storage room.
It doesn't take him long to store things where they go, the enderman currently in the room giving him a chirp in greeting. Some of his own particles fly off to mingle with the ones surrounding the enderman, but they're eventually dragged back over to orbit around him as he walks out of range. It takes a few tries for him to remember where the lever goes, but eventually he successfully opens up his vault.
It's getting full, he notes to himself as he steps inside. He easily finishes filling up all the chests, and he ends up having to make a few more and shove them into any empty space he can find. He frowns a bit as he surveys the room. Maybe he should lay off of mining for a bit. Or, he could go ahead and make some more chests, but then that'd be stuffing the room even more. He could always expand the room, but then he'd have more cobblestone to store somewhere, which would mean more chests being taken up. There's always the possibility of putting some in his ender chest, but he's trying to only put the absolutely important things in there, but he doesn't have space anywhere else–
He forces himself to take a deep breath. What was it that Tubbo suggested doing? There was some sort of list of things he was supposed to ask himself when he started freaking out about something, but what was it?
After a few minutes of his mind being blank he sighs and digs out his memory book, flipping until he finds the right page.
1. Is it important?
Yeah, he'd say so. Having somewhere to store your items, especially safely , feels pretty important.
2. Can you ask someone for help?
He supposes he could. Phil would enjoy having a project, albeit a small one, to do. Then again, that would mean showing someone where he keeps his money, which isn't the smartest move, but then again it's Phil and the man is pretty trustworthy–nope, focusing on one thing at a time. Yes , this is something he could ask for help with. If anything he could get some tips on organizing.
3. Does this need to be done right now?
Oh. He forgot about that one, which of course he did. No , this doesn't need to be done right now. He managed to find a place for everything, so there's really no reason to worry about it. He huffs again, closing the book and not bothering to look at the rest of the questions. There's no need to panic over this small thing, so he's going to do his best not to.
He finally steps out of the room, taking the lever down and putting it in a nearby chest. He feels much lighter without all the ores on him, despite still wearing his armor. Said armor isn't needed anymore, so he starts undoing the clasps when there's a faint knock above him.
He pauses, and he glances up to the ceiling. Was that actually someone knocking on his door, or did Enderchest knock something over? Hopefully nothing with water, because that will be a nightmare to clean up. He waits a few seconds, but there isn't another knock, so he continues taking his armor off. Each removed piece reveals scars. He grimaces a bit at the sight of them, still not entirely used to them being there. They've healed since he got them, the colors not as vibrant, but they're still noticeable. Staring at them for too long makes his skin feel itchy, so he quickly returns his attention to his armor, pulling the last of it off.
Knock knock knock
He definitely heard something that time. Cautiously, he makes his way back towards the ladder, peering up at the floor above. He climbs up, previous plans forgotten, and almost trips on Enderchest when he reaches the top. She's hunched over a bit, staring at the door. Once she realizes he's there, she meows loudly, batting at his foot with her paw. He looks down at her questioningly.
"What? What's wrong?" He squats down to scratch at her head in an attempt to soothe her, but she ducks her head out of the way and meows again. It's almost like she's purposely trying to put herself as far away from the front door as possible. Ranboo looks up at the door confused. What could possibly be making her react like this?
He stands up with a huff and starts making his way to the door. His hand is on the doorknob when Enderchest meows once again, only this time she follows it with a hiss as if she's giving a warning. There's another quick knock on the door.
Like a fool, he answers it.
There stands Wilbur. His head had been tilted towards the ground, and it lifts up as Ranboo opens the door. He's wearing his dirty, crusty coat that he never seems to take off, and his other clothes don't look much better. The bandage around his arm looks like it might be infected from the color of the blood, and his hair looks as if it's never been taken care of during his life. There's a cigarette clenched between his teeth, and Ranboo's nose wrinkles a bit at the smell. Wilbur smiles brightly when he sees him, cigarette bouncing a bit as his mouth moves.
"Ranboo! Hey, man, how's it going?"
"Wilbur, I didn't expect to see you today. I'm. . .good. How, how are you?" He closes the door slightly, making it to where his body is the only thing that can fit in the doorway.
"That's good, that's good. I'm doing great, myself."
"So. . .what brings you here?" Ranboo asks, cringing a bit. Having Wilbur live nearby has been. . .strange, to say the least. He understands Phil letting him live with him, Wilbur being his son and all, but that doesn't make Ranboo feel any less uncomfortable around him, especially after the stories he's heard Tubbo and Tommy tell him.
"Oh, right!" Wilbur claps his hands in front of himself. "Sorry, I completely forgot what I came over here for for a second. Anyway, I wanted to offer you a position."
Ranboo raises an eyebrow at the response as well as the twisted grin that appears on Wilbur's face.
"Position in what, exactly?"
"I am in the process of building a burger van! Vans are kind of my specialty, as I'm sure you've heard. Anyway, I want to offer you a job working for me." He ends his statement with the same grin, and Ranboo just stares at him.
"Why me?"
It's a valid question, he thinks. The only time he's really ever been around Wilbur was right after he got revived. That hadn't been the best day, with Tubbo curling into his side and holding his hand in a death grip and Tommy looking so pale he might as well have been a ghost. It wasn't exactly the best first impression.
"Well, I figure it's a good way for the two of us to get to know each other. I mean, I would have asked someone else, probably Tommy or Tubbo if I'm honest, but they both seem to be avoiding me. Also, I thought you might like to make a little extra cash."
Ranboo thinks back to the vault under his house and stops himself from laughing. He crosses his arms over his chest, leaning fully on the doorway.
"That's all? You just want someone to help you with this, and for that reason only."
Wilbur's eye twitches slightly, and Ranboo can tell that he's not used to being questioned this much. Good.
"Alright, yes, fine, you caught me! Good job. It's just. . ." He pauses, sighing. "I can change. I can be better than I was in my previous life, but I get that you have to actually show the change and apologize and whatnot. So I want you to be around so I can show you that I can change!"
"I'm not the one you need to show that to."
Wilbur looks a bit taken aback at the statement, but seems to recover quick enough.
"Hm, well, I guess you're right on that." He reaches up to take the cigarette out of his mouth and flicks it a bit, covering up the ashes that land on the ground with the surrounding snow. He looks a bit distracted, so Ranboo sees that as his opportunity to get back inside and away from Wilbur.
He opens the door a bit more and tries to slip back inside, but Wilbur notices the movement and looks back up at him.
"Say, why don't we go for a walk, hm? Have a nice little chat, get acquainted with each other. Out of everyone here, I feel like I know you the least."
'There's kind of a reason for that,' Ranboo thinks to himself, but he sighs.
"Yeah, sure, alright."
Wilbur grins, and Ranboo has barely shut the door behind him when Wilbur slings an arm over his shoulders and starts leading them away. He has to hunch down a bit, still being a good bit taller than Wilbur, and his tail twitches as he prevents it from lifting up and knocking Wilbur's arm away.
Wilbur keeps them in that position the entire way to the nether portal as he chatters away about this and that. Ranboo knows he's not going to remember most of it, but it sounds like the stories are just little things that Wilbur wants to brag about, so he doesn't let himself get too worked up about it.
"So, tell me about yourself, Ranboo," Wilbur suddenly says as they step through the portal. His arm removes itself from Ranboo's shoulders, and Ranboo takes the opportunity to stand to his full height. If anything, it makes him feel a bit better that he can still tower over the other man. Something dark flashes through Wilbur's eyes at the action, but he doesn't say anything.
"I mean, what do you want to know?"
"Normal things? Have any hobbies? Any friends? Dark secrets? C'mon, what makes Ranboo Ranboo ."
Hobbies? He supposes mining could be considered a hobby, and he does it quite a lot. Maybe writing, as well. He does have friends, although he would consider the list quite short, and most of the people on it he thinks of more as family. If he has any dark secrets, he can't remember them, and it's probably for the best.
They're walking across the obsidian pathway now, and when Ranboo actually takes a look at which direction they're going he realizes Wilbur is leading him to the main portal hub.
The one that leads to L'Manberg.
"I, well, um, I–" he stutters out. Wilbur rolls his eyes and sighs.
"Jesus Christ, man. Alright, how about, when did you first move here?"
That should be an easy question. He can remember bits and pieces from when he first arrived, but–alright, the bits and pieces are mostly of Tubbo, but he also remembers Quackity being there, as well as Niki, and he's pretty sure Fundy was around, too.
"It was during. . .oh, hold on."
They've reached the hub and he stops to dig through his inventory. Wilbur raises an eyebrow when he pulls out his memory book and starts flipping through it. Eventually he finds the right page, and his finger slides down it as he searches for what he needs.
"Oh! It was during New L'Manberg, when Tubbo was president. I think him being president was pretty new at the time, too, so I must've gotten here right when that started."
Wilbur hums in acknowledgement. He walks a bit closer, and when he taps a knuckle against the front of the book, Ranboo pulls it closer to himself.
"So what is this anyway? Some script they've given you to memorize?"
"Well, not exactly. My memory isn't the greatest, so I have this book to write things down in, otherwise I'd forget practically everything."
Wilbur looks a bit too intrigued with the information he's just been given.
"So, I could tell you something, and you'd later forget it?"
Ranboo's tail bristles slightly at the implications. "Possibly. Whether or not I'll remember something is pretty 50/50, so I write down the important stuff just to be safe."
Wilbur just nods, looking a little lost in thought. Ranboo takes the opportunity to flip to a clean page and quickly write down:
Wilbur knows about your memory problems and seems way too interested. Keep this book as far away from him as possible.
Ranboo slips the book back into his inventory as Wilbur snaps back to himself. Ranboo folds his arms behind his back, trying not to seem nervous. Either Wilbur notices and chooses not to say anything or he actually doesn't notice, because all he does is beckon Ranboo to the portal as he steps through.
When Ranboo materializes on the other side, Wilbur is standing at the top of the stairs. He's facing the community house, but he turns around when the portal's sounds die down.
"So, Ranboo, would you like an official tour of L'Manberg from its creator?" He asks, grinning. He doesn't wait for a response, instead walking towards the community house and leaving Ranboo scrambling to keep up.
Wilbur monologues as they walk, telling story after story with a smug look on his face that Ranboo isn't too sure he can believe. Especially when they don't exactly match up with the stories from Tommy and Tubbo. Wilbur talks about all the great things he did for the people, for the country. He only speaks of good things that happened, never bringing up Schlatt or Quackity or anyone else who had opposed him. It's interesting to hear him speak, and it tells Ranboo more about the man than any personal facts might have.
"–and then I made Tommy president. But, as we all know, he then gave it to Tubbo. I never understood why. I never saw him as fit to run a country. Could you imagine? Little Tubbo bossing people around, giving them commands, fighting. Tommy, on the other hand, I had trained more privately, so he seemed to be a much better candidate."
His words left a bitter taste in Ranboo's mouth. Wilbur hadn't been around to see how well Tubbo actually handled being president. Tubbo was much smarter than Wilbur was giving him credit for, and even though he hadn't been around during Wilbur's presidency, he's confident that Tubbo was a better president than Wilbur ever was.
"I would've thought Fundy would have been given the position, since he's your son and all."
Wilbur's steps falter, but it's only for a second. A smile is still on his face, but it looks like it's stretched across his skin, lips pulled tight.
"Fundy was too young. He wasn't ready."
Ranboo stops himself from bringing up the fact that Fundy and Tommy are only a few years apart.
They're stopped at the side of the crater now, and Wilbur leans over the edge to peer down at the water below. Ranboo makes sure to leave some distance between himself and the edge. Just the sight of the water makes his skin itch.
"I was told that Techno and Dream did this," he continues, eyes not leaving the hole. "God, I wish I would've been able to see it, I bet it was spectacular."
"It was definitely. . . something, considering my house and many others were destroyed."
"Hm." Wilbur backs a bit away from the edge, turning to look back at Ranboo. "Would you still be living here if it hadn't been destroyed, do you think?"
Ranboo would live anywhere as long as he had Tubbo with him. He's lived in places with snow and places without it. The only thing similar between the two was Tubbo's presence, and he figures that's all he needs to be content.
"Maybe. I guess it depends."
"Makes sense. We all have certain conditions things must abide by, so I'm sure you have yours." He sits down on the grass, feet dangling over the edge. He leans forward on his hands, face turning grim. "I am curious as to how they got a flag down there, and if it's an original. Niki actually made the first few flags we had. I tried to help but I kept pricking myself with the needles, so she eventually had to take over. Glad to see my design stuck, though."
He pats at a spot next to him, and Ranboo walks over to join him. Unlike Wilbur, he crosses his legs together rather than letting them dangle. They eventually sit in silence, the only movement being Wilbur taking slow drags from his cigarette. It's almost been completely used, maybe only a few more puffs left in it.
A breeze eventually starts up, and Ranboo closes his eyes and sighs as it moves over them. It pulls some hairs from his ponytail and sends them waving around as well as some of his particles. They end up being pushed into Wilbur's space, and he bats them away with an annoyed expression.
"Can you not control those?"
Ranboo's ears twitch down slightly. "Ah, no, sorry. They just kind of do their own thing. The only thing I'm aware of is that they can't go too far away from me."
"Guess I'm a bit too close, then," Wilbur grumbles.
They fall back into silence again, and Ranboo fiddles with his ring to give his hands something to do. He's ready to go back home. He hadn't even wanted to go with Wilbur in the first place and here he is, sitting with him after walking around for who knows how long.
He's very tired.
The moon has started rising, and he's glad the area they're in is lit up as well as it is. Having mobs suddenly creep up on them would not be great, considering where they are. Ranboo sighs and tilts his head back to look at the stars. Tubbo had sat with him before and pointed out different constellations and their names, but he can't think of any of them now. The most he can remember from that night is Tubbo pulling him out of the house and onto the roof, Tubbo gripping his hand excitedly as he points up at the sky, Tubbo leaning into his side when they fell back into silence. Yeah, he mostly remembers Tubbo.
"Do you know the story of the national anthem?" Wilbur asks suddenly, pulling Ranboo out of his thoughts. He looks back towards Wilbur, and for the first time that night he looks contemplative. Ranboo shakes his head no.
"Makes sense. Most people don't. It's probably pretty noticeable, but it's actually a parody of Hallelu–"
He cuts himself off, head jerking around as if he's looking for something. Ranboo stiffens up a bit.
"What? What's wrong?"
Wilbur waves a hand at him. "Nothing, nothing, I just thought I heard–there!"
Ranboo starts to ask another question but Wilbur shushes him. He can't hear anything at first, but eventually he hears the faint strumming of a ukulele. The melody coming from it sounds familiar, but Ranboo can't put his finger on what it is.
Wilbur suddenly spots something in the distance and jumps to his feet, startling Ranboo in the process. Ranboo jumps up after him and immediately follows when he takes off, running alongside the edge of the crater.
The music steadily gets louder as they get closer to wherever it's coming from, and it suddenly hits Ranboo that it's the L'Manberg national anthem, only no one is singing along to the music. They reach the top of the hill and the source of the sound is finally revealed.
Tubbo is sitting on a platform overlooking the crater, ukulele propped in his lap as he plucks at the strings. Ranboo feels a sinking feeling in his stomach when he realizes Tubbo is wearing his old presidential suit. Wilbur raises a hand up.
"Tubbo!" He calls out. Tubbo jumps, hands fumbling to not drop the ukulele before holding it tight against his chest. His head whips towards them and even from this distance Ranboo can tell he's been crying. Wilbur takes off again towards him, and Ranboo follows.
Tubbo stands, quickly wiping at his face with one hand as they approach, ukulele in the other. Wilbur bounds into a walk as his feet hit the wooden planks, arms outstretched. Tubbo stands still, eyes flicking over to Ranboo when he makes it to the platform as well.
"H-hey guys."
"Tubbo! My man, how are you?" Wilbur says, clapping a hand down onto his shoulder. Ranboo hates the way he flinches.
"I'm, well, I've been better."
"Haven't we all," Wilbur muses. "Fancy seeing you out here at this time of night. What are you doing out here?"
Tubbo swallows, eyes glancing over at the crater. "Just. . . reminiscing. I didn't think anyone else would be out here."
Wilbur pats at his shoulder again before taking a step back. "Well I guess it's good timing that we found you out here. I've been meaning to talk to you, a few other people as well, but everyone seems to have run off to fuck knows where, so this is great. It's perfect."
Ranboo still stands behind Wilbur, watching and waiting. Part of him wants to stay out of the conversation, knows he's probably not supposed to be here and should stay back and not interfere. The other part of him is screaming at him to run forward and get Tubbo away .
He knows that neither one of them are as old as many people on the server, but standing under Wilbur's shadow, Tubbo has never looked this young .
Ranboo hates it.
"I wanted to apologize," Wilbur is saying. Tubbo's head whips back over to look at him, eyes slightly widening. "I wasn't in my right mind before I died, and I lashed out at you for things out of your control when I shouldn't have. I'm sorry. I'm trying to be better, and I wanted to apologize to you in person."
Tubbo just stares at him, clearly shocked and confused. His mouth opens and closes a few times, and he looks back at Ranboo.
' What do I do? ' his eyes scream. Ranboo just shrugs.
' This one's up to you, make whatever decision you want. You're in control right now. '
He hopes he somehow was able to get that message across without speaking, and thankfully it looks like Tubbo does, giving the faintest nod before looking back at Wilbur.
"I. . .thank you for the apology. I, I can't accept it right now, but thank you for the apology. I appreciate it."
Wilbur's hand flexes at his side, and the small movement sets off alarms in Ranboo's head.
"I completely understand. Take all the time you need. Oh! Also–almost completely forgot–I have decided to make a fresh start for myself."
He turns around and grabs Ranboo's arm, pulling him forward. Ranboo stumbles a bit as he's jerked over into their space, and shoots the side of Wilbur's head a confused look.
"I am going to make a burger van," Wilbur continues, "with Ranboo as my assistant."
Ranboo barely registers the hurt look on Tubbo's face over his own shock at the words that leave Wilbur's mouth. He gently pulls his arm out of Wilbur's grasp.
"Woah woah, I never agreed to that."
"Yes, well, you never disagreed –"
"Well then. Wilbur, I appreciate the offer, but I do not want to work with you. Thank you, but no."
Wilbur's sighs, looking annoyed. "You know, I should've asked you about this," he says, turning back to Tubbo. "You've always been by my side, right? It'd be just like old times!"
At the mention of 'old times', Tubbo's eyes glaze over a bit, and Ranboo can only guess what's going through his mind. Wilbur's still talking, listing off all the things he could do with Tubbo's help, and possibly even Tommy, and he's mentioning something about potions, but it's all background noise in Ranboo's head as he looks at Tubbo with concern. His grip on the ukulele has tightened, his knuckles turning white. His ears are pressed flat against his head, and his body is stiff, almost as if he's preparing for something.
Ranboo finally reaches a hand out and taps Wilbur, effectively stopping his ramble.
"I don't think he wants to do it either."
"Oh, come on. Tubbo, you want to help me with this, right?"
Tubbo silently shakes his head no, eyes cast towards the ground. Wilbur hums.
"Alright, then. Well, enough business talk, I've been meaning to catch up with you, wouldn't it be nice to have a little chat and–"
"No," Tubbo forces out, and Ranboo's heart clenches at how the word cracks. "No, I'd like to be left alone. Please."
Wilbur pauses. Ranboo looks between the two, and his whole body itches to move to Tubbo's side, to comfort him in some way, especially considering the look that Wilbur is giving him. Wilbur eventually shrugs.
"Yeah, no, of course. Makes sense. It's late, and all that. We'll get out of your hair."
He turns and walks off the platform, stopping when he steps into the grass and looking back at Ranboo. Ranboo, now in between them, glances back at Tubbo. He takes a few steps towards him, and Tubbo's head lifts up at the sound of his footsteps.
"Do you want me to stay?" He whispers. There's a pause before Tubbo shakes his head no.
"No, I want to be alone right now." He whispers back. Ranboo wants so badly to reach out a hand and cup his face, brush his fingers through his hair, something . But Wilbur is standing behind him, watching the two of them, so he can't.
"Are you sure?"
Tubbo lifts his head up at that, and Ranboo frowns at the look in his eyes. His lower lip trembles a bit, like he's holding back a sob, and he reaches up to wipe at one of his eyes as a tear slips out.
"Yes."
Ranboo doesn't believe him.
"Ranboo, are you coming?" Wilbur calls out. He turns around, and Wilbur's stance only further confirms that he's making the right decision.
"Actually, it's kinda late. I think I'm gonna head home."
"Oh. No, yeah, sure. Of course. I'll walk with you–"
"No thank you, Wilbur. I'll be fine on my own."
Wilbur stares at him for a moment as if he's considering something before he shrugs.
"Suit yourself." And he's off with a wave.
Ranboo watches him leave, and once he's out of earshot he turns back around to Tubbo. He takes a step towards him, making sure to still leave some space.
"Do you actually want me to go? I was mostly trying to make Wilbur leave, but if you really do want to be alone I'll go."
Tubbo opens his mouth, but hesitates. His eyes flick around as he seems to debate his answer. Ranboo just patiently waits.
"I, I. . .no, stay, please."
It's the answer he wants to hear, but it still makes him frown slightly. He worries sometimes that Tubbo only gives him the answers he hopes to hear, so he always double checks before going through with anything.
"Are you sure? Because it's okay, really–"
"Yes!" Tubbo's hand shoots out to grab one of Ranboo's. "I want you to. Please."
Ranboo gives his hand a squeeze.
"Okay," he whispers. Tubbo nods a bit to himself, and his hold on his ukulele loosens. Ranboo reaches down and gently pulls it away before slipping it into his own inventory. He lifts up his hand that Tubbo currently isn't holding and brushes some hair out of Tubbo's face, sliding it down afterwards to cup his cheek. Tubbo leans into the touch, closing his eyes.
A tear slips out when he does, and Ranboo wipes it away with his thumb before it can slide down further. Tubbo stiffens a bit at the gesture and his eyes shoot open.
"You don't have to do that."
Ranboo frowns. "What do you mean?"
"Y-you'll just burn yourself, you–"
"Hey, hey, hey, sh," Ranboo shushes, using his hand to tilt Tubbo's head up, locking eyes with him. "It's okay. I'm okay, I promise."
Tubbo's face scrunches up a bit, and he sniffs loudly. Ranboo rubs his thumb across his cheek again, and when Tubbo's lip starts trembling he pulls him closer to cradle his head against his chest. He pulls his other hand from Tubbo's and wraps it around his lower back to hold him. Tubbo holds him back just as tightly, his gasps muffled by Ranboo's shirt.
His tears start to soak through, and Ranboo can feel the pinprick stings on his chest, but he stays quiet. He leans his head down to rest on top of Tubbo's, right between his horns. Tubbo takes a few shuddery breaths.
"Can we go home?"
"Yeah, yeah of course," Ranboo whispers into his hair, pulling away from the hug. "Let's go home."
•••
Getting back to Snowchester proves to be a bit of a challenge with how much Tubbo stumbles, but they manage. As soon as they step inside the cabin, Ranboo steers Tubbo towards their bedroom, closing the door behind them. He leaves Tubbo standing in the middle of the room as he opens up the closet to dig through it for some pajamas.
Once he finds some he sets them on the bed and then moves over to Tubbo. He's gentle as he starts undoing the buttons, and Tubbo makes no moves to stop him. The jacket hits the floor with a soft thud, and Ranboo starts working on the undershirt. Tubbo twitches a bit at that, and Ranboo quickly pulls his hands away.
"I'm sorry, I should've asked if you wanted to do that."
Tubbo hesitates for a moment before shaking his head. "No, sorry, it's okay. I'm okay."
Ranboo gives him one more look before he goes back to helping him take the shirt off. Once it is, his burn scars are out on display and he hunches into himself a bit. Ranboo doesn't say anything about them, just grabs Tubbo's hands to press a kiss to the top of each of them before grabbing the pajama shirt from the bed. It slides on easily enough.
Changing his pants goes about the same way, and once he's fully changed Ranboo scoops up the old suit before Tubbo can say anything and carries it to the closet. He grabs a hanger for each thing and after hanging them up, he slides them to the very back, out of sight. He takes the ukulele out of his inventory as well and sets it on a shelf.
He doesn't know what possibly could've happened to make Tubbo dig that suit out. Ranboo knows what it represents, the memories it holds. It's possible Wilbur's revival was all it took.
Something moves behind him and he turns around to see Tubbo shuffling over to the bed. He sits down on the edge and pulls his legs up, wrapping his arms around them and putting his chin on his knees. Ranboo quickly changes into his own pajamas before joining him.
He makes sure to leave some space between them, not sure what Tubbo's comfortable with at the moment. They sit in silence. When Ranboo looks over at him, he's staring straight ahead, face blank. Occasionally his ear flicks, but that's the only movement that comes from him for a while.
Ranboo leans back on his hands. He doesn't know how long they're going to sit without saying anything, but he's perfectly capable of waiting until Tubbo talks things out, or says he's okay, or anything else he might do. He has plenty of time.
"I'm sorry," Tubbo whispers, breaking the silence. Ranboo gives him a confused look.
"For what?"
"Just, everything. This ," he responds, rubbing at his face. "Sorry that you have to deal with me."
Ranboo frowns and scoots a bit closer to him. "Tubbo, I'm not dealing with you. I care about you, and just want you to be okay."
Tubbo grimaces. "Sorry."
"No, listen." Ranboo adjusts how he's sitting so he faces Tubbo. Gently, he reaches out and takes Tubbo's hands, turning him towards him in the process. "I'm never going to be 'dealing' with you, I'm going to be caring for you. I will never be annoyed, or tired, or, or, or anything like that. I. . .I know I'll never be able to understand exactly what you've gone through, but I still want to be here for you as you handle them. I love you, and–"
He's cut off as Tubbo launches himself at him, arms wrapping tightly around his torso. Ranboo manages to keep them from tumbling off the bed and wraps his arms around him just as tightly. Tubbo's shaking, muttering a string of phrases into his chest, including " you're so stupid I love you so much ".
Ranboo's tail swings up to wrap around them as well. The front of his shirt becomes damp as Tubbo starts crying again, but he just pets at his hair and rocks them slightly.
He's never seen Tubbo cry this much. How long has he been bottling this up? Has he talked to anyone about this? From the looks of it, the answer is no.
Tubbo eventually calms down a bit, shifting to lay his head on Ranboo's shoulder, his nose nudging his neck. Ranboo presses a kiss to the top of his head and runs a hand up and down his arm, bringing their rocking to a stop. He rests his cheek on Tubbo's head and sighs. Tubbo sniffs a few times, but other than that is silent.
"If you ever want to talk about anything, I'm here," Ranboo mutters. "It doesn't even have to be everything, whatever you're comfortable talking about, I'll listen."
Tubbo lets out a deep breath, and Ranboo can feel him relax into his side.
"I probably should explain, yeah."
"If you aren't ready you don't have to–"
"I want to. At least, I want to tell you a little bit." He sits up, pulling away from Ranboo. He sniffs again and wipes at his face. Ranboo just folds his hands in his lap, ready to listen.
It takes a minute for Tubbo to start.
"Did I ever tell you that my New L'Manberg suit was the same suit I wore in Manberg?"
"Not that I remember," Ranboo responds, a bit shocked.
"Yeah. I thought, why waste a perfectly good suit? I can just change it a bit. But, yeah, originally it didn't have the shiny buttons, or the little, whatever the bits on the shoulders are called. I actually tried to do it myself, but I ended up having to ask Niki to help. She's much better at sewing than I am. Um." He pauses, twisting his hands around. "I guess I thought it could be sorta symbolic, changing something associated with bad to something associated with good, but also. . .I can never admit this to anyone, especially anyone I fought alongside for L'Manberg's independence, but Manberg wasn't actually all that bad."
Ranboo is trying not to physically respond, not do anything that might make Tubbo back into himself again, and it seems to be working because Tubbo lets out a breath as if a huge weight has lifted off his shoulders.
"Don't get me wrong, I was much more loyal to L'Manberg, er, I guess Pogtopia at that time, but Manberg sort of felt like a new start, y'know? It's just," he pauses, then shifts a bit to fully sit on the bed and face Ranboo. "Wilbur always wanted to be in charge. Always wanted all the control, couldn't let anyone else do something because there was always the chance they'd fuck it up. Which just meant that most of the time, I did nothing. And, and it hurt , knowing that even though I was one of the, I guess 'original three', he still didn't allow me to do anything. Tommy was always given more responsibilities, more than me or even Fundy."
He lets out a shaky breath, face scrunching up a bit.
"I just felt so alone . I, I felt like I wasn't needed, like, like I was just there as Tommy's friend and nothing else."
He gasps a little, and Ranboo reaches out to grab his shaking hands. Tubbo holds on tightly, and Ranboo rubs his thumbs across his fingers, occasionally running over his ring. Tubbo closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to steel himself.
"So, so when Schlatt had me join Manberg, I was sort of prepared for that to happen again. And then, it didn't . I was given responsibilities, people asked me for my opinion on things, I was included in conversations. It felt like I had a purpose . So, I had a lot of conflicting feelings during that time, and adding on top of it Wilbur going insane, I got really stressed. And then everything just. . .stopped. Schlatt died, then Wilbur died, and then suddenly I was president and had to push all those feelings aside." He laughs halfheartedly. "I guess they've been buried longer than I thought, because as soon as Wilbur was revived they all just came flooding back."
"So that's why you were at the crater?"
"I mean, I guess. Honestly, I don't even really remember going out there. I've been in a sort of daze all night." He grips Ranboo's hands a little tighter. "And then Wilbur just had to go and build another stupid fucking van and ask me to help him with it."
Wilbur had to have known what he was doing, Ranboo realizes. There's no way he couldn't have. Now, he's absolutely positive that keeping Tubbo away from him is the best idea.
He's not letting him hurt Tubbo again.
"And I just don't want to go back to the time where I felt invisible, and alone, and no one saw me, and–"
He cuts himself off when Ranboo raises a hand to cup his face. Ranboo gently tilts his head up to where they're making eye contact. He brings his other hand up to fully hold his face, and Tubbo just stares at him. Ranboo gives him a soft smile.
"I see you."
And with that, the dams open up again. Tubbo reaches up to grab Ranboo's wrists as tears slide down his face, hiccups leaving his mouth.
"I l-love you."
"I love you, too, Bo."
Tubbo laughs wetly. He leans forward to hug him, and Ranboo easily returns it. Tubbo buries his face into Ranboo's shoulder again, careful to not get any tears on Ranboo's skin. Ranboo just holds him, not really caring if he gets burned. He doesn't know how long they sit there, but it's long enough that Tubbo yawns, no longer crying. It sets one off in Ranboo, and he suddenly realizes how tired he is. The late hour has finally caught up to him, and a glance at the nearby clock tells him it's a little past midnight. Definitely time for sleep.
He gives Tubbo a little nudge, who blinks up at him a bit sleepily.
"Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?"
Tubbo hums before shaking his head no. "I'm like, really tired now. Just wanna sleep."
"Me, too."
"Are you staying?"
"Mm, no, I just changed into my pajamas for the fun of it."
Tubbo shoves at him, grinning. "You dick, it was a legitimate question."
Ranboo just laughs. "Yeah, yeah, okay. But seriously, I'm gonna stay. Probably going to be over here more often now that Wilbur's living in Phil's house."
"Is that why you were with Wilbur?"
"Yep. He just showed up at my house and started trying to be all friendly. He said he wanted me around so he could prove to someone that he can change but, I told him I wasn't the person for that. I think him telling me about L'Manberg was his way of trying to change my mind."
"But you still said no," Tubbo points out.
"Of course. Why would I work with him? It's clear he's hurt you, and I don't want to be associated with people who do that and don't give a real apology."
Tubbo looks a bit shocked at that.
"And besides," Ranboo continues, "why wouldn't I believe you? Especially when you've had to deal with him and I haven't. I trust your judgement."
He pauses, letting the words sink in.
"I'm proud of you. For, sharing and all that."
"Stop it," Tubbo scolds. "You're gonna make me cry again."
Ranboo chuckles, and Tubbo pulls away to crawl up the bed to the pillows, collapsing onto one of them when he's close enough. Ranboo shakes his head fondly before standing up and stretching a bit. Tubbo glances back at him.
"Where are you going?"
"Just gonna turn the lights off, I'll only be a second."
"Fine, but hurry, I want cuddles."
Ranboo gives him a mock solute before leaving and going into the living room. There aren't many lights still on in there, considering they had almost immediately moved to the bedroom when they got there. Before he flicks them off, he pulls out his communicator.
You whispered to Technoblade: I figured I should let you know I'm in Snowchester so Phil doesn't freak out in the morning
You whispered to Technoblade: also I'm probably going to be spending more time over here than back there considering Wilbur lives there now
You whispered to Technoblade: I'll still be over to visit occasionally
He sends the last message and then slips it back in his inventory. He turns off the lights and then heads back to their bedroom.
Tubbo is still on the bed, but he's now cocooned in the blanket. Ranboo laughs as he turns off the last few lights, and Tubbo's head pops up from out of the blankets.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing, nothing." Ranboo slides into bed and props up on an arm to look down at him. "Do I get any of the blanket?"
"Nope. I think I deserve the whole thing."
"So I'm supposed to just freeze."
"Yep."
Tubbo pulls the blanket around himself a bit tighter, but Ranboo easily pulls at one side to unwrap it. Tubbo doesn't say anything, just curls up next to him once he gets situated.
The only light in the room now is from the moon, the rays coming in through the windows. It casts the whole room in a dim silver color. With how close together they are, the light makes Tubbo's eyes look a bit like they're glowing. Ranboo smiles at him as he leans down slightly to bump their foreheads together. Tubbo presses a quick kiss to his cheek before shuffling down a bit to tuck his face into Ranboo's neck. They wrap their arms around each other, and Ranboo's sighs as he rubs a hand up and down Tubbo's back.
Goodnight, Boo," Tubbo mumbles into his neck. Ranboo gives the top of his head a kiss, and gently squeezes him.
"Goodnight, love."
•••
Technoblade whispered to you: that's fine
Technoblade whispered to you: although I should probably say that this morning Wilbur said he was moving out near Las Nevadas
Technoblade whispered to you: wanted to be closer to some project he's working on
Technoblade whispered to you: you can still stay over there as long as you want, though, it really doesn't bother me
Technoblade whispered to you: Phil can suck it up