Ranboo always loved the sun. It was a constant in his turbulent life, a precious jewel that he missed out on most of his life in the Ender. But now, well now, he could see it rise every morning to greet him and say goodbye when the dark blanket of night fell over him once again.
What once made him sad to see a dear friend go no longer bothered him since he has his own sun now. A little spark of light that stayed lit long after the night began. And he was just the moon, gravitating towards this sun and being pulled into its orbit.
His sun came in the form of a blonde-haired boy with blue eyes that shined with mischief and a tongue sharp enough to cut. He was loud and crass, everything Ranboo was NOT. If anything, the enderman should have been repelled by him. It wasn't as if the boy didn't loudly proclaim his deep dislike for Ranboo every chance he got.
Yet, despite everything, Ranboo still tried his best to connect with this spitfire of a boy, Tommy he had said his name was, and kept coming back even when he kept getting burned.
Ranboo was proud to say after a lot of hard work he was able to befriend Tommy, who begrudgingly returned the sentiment. Ranboo would go as far as to say they were best friends, but he did not want to feel Tommy's wrath if he voiced his opinion on the matter.
But, despite his prickly nature, Tommy was warm and kind when he wanted to be. He had a love for animals, and gardening, and knitting, mundane things that most people wouldn't care about. A lover of unlovable things. He was an enigma, a puzzle that was impossible to solve. And maybe that's what intrigued Ranboo the most.
If Ranboo was water, then Tommy was fire. They clashed repeatedly, they should be repelled by each other, yet despite the odds they overcame their differences. The spark used to scare Ranboo, but now he wishes that it would come back.
Nowadays that spark is hard to find. Sure, Tommy was still annoying and loud, but then he would get these…episodes. Go into a catatonic state that would leave him unmoving, unresponsive to everything that was around him. It freaked Ranboo out the first time he had seen it happened, but after a few hours Tommy was back to his old self calling Ranboo a 'sentimental pussy' for staying with him the whole time.
This time, however, Tommy had been out of it longer than usual. Two days in fact. Ranboo didn't mind too much, he would never admit but he liked taking care of Tommy, a protector of whatever would try to hurt the boy when he was so defenseless. He knew how to take care of a child, so taking care of Tommy was nothing out of the ordinary for him.
Currently, Ranboo and his sunshine were relaxing in a field, enjoying the warm weather. He hummed to himself as he threaded flowers into a crown (alliums as a sign of their friendship), glancing to the side every now and then to make sure the blonde was okay.
Tommy was staring blankly in the distance, blue eyes now a faded gray, his face devoid of any emotion. Not even the breeze that blew through his hair and made it fall in his face did anything to faze him.
Ranboo tied the last stem together and walked over to Tommy, gently pushing the bangs away from the blonde's eyes with a clawed hand. He placed the crown on top of the messy golden curls and stood back to admire his work. It was perfect if did say so himself.
"There. You look very pretty, Toms."
If there was one good thing about Tommy being in the state he was, it was that Ranboo could make remarks like that and not get decked in the face afterwards.
Was it his imagination, or did Tommy's lip curl up in a fleeting smile?
"Alright, time to go. Don't want you to get cold now do we? You're always so cold nowadays," Ranboo muttered to himself, lifting Tommy up in his arms with ease. He frowned slightly at how worryingly thin the boy had become. He needed to have a stern talk with him about skipping meals. "And get some dinner in you, you're skin and bones!"
Ranboo started humming to himself once more as walked towards his, and now Tommy's, home.
"We're home!"
The smell of cooking dinner made Ranboo's nose twitch, and he started making haste towards the kitchen, suddenly realizing how hungry he was after being away all day. He was quickly intercepted by Michael, his son's eyes lighting up when he saw them.
"Boo! Home!" Ranboo chuckled as the piglin wrapped his arms around his legs in a form of a hug. It was then Michael noticed Tommy in his arms and let out a squeal of delight. "Uncle Tommy!"
"That's right, Uncle Tommy will be living here with us from now on. But we must be quiet because he's sleeping right now, okay?"
Michael nodded in agreement but placed a hooved hand on Tommy's. "Uncle Tommy stay," he whispered, patting him softly.
It was then Tubbo rounded the corner, wiping his hands on a dish towel. "Hey Boo, where have you b- what the fuck?!" His eyes widened in what could only be described as horror, and he quickly pulled Michael away from the other two, pressing the piglin against himself. "Wha- what is this? Ranboo, what the fuck?"
Ranboo frowned at his husband's reaction, holding Tommy a little tighter to his chest. "What's wrong? Tommy is having another episode, so I'm taking care of him like I always do. You don't mind him having dinner with us, do you?"
"No, I-, I don't understand-"
Ignoring Tubbo's ramblings (extremely rude by the way) he placed Tommy gently in a chair, arranging him so he could sit up properly. Deeming him good enough, Ranboo took the chair to his left, and Michael ran in taking the chair to the right.
Tubbo followed a few moments later, hands shaking so much Ranboo was afraid he would drop the plates he was carrying. He placed three of them on the table. Ranboo frowned, glaring up at Tubbo with narrowed eyes. "Where's Tommy's plate? He must eat too, doesn't he?"
A sharp intake of breath. "Don't. Don't make me do this, Boo. I can't do this."
Ranboo slammed a fist on the table making every one jump, except Tommy who was as still and quiet as ever. "What is wrong with you suddenly?! He's your best friend and you can't even give him a decent meal? Go. Get. Him. A. Plate. Now."
Tubbo did as he was told, quickly bringing in a plate and placing it in front of Tommy. He stole a glance at the blonde, lip wobbling at his vacant expression. They all began to eat in silence, the tension so thick Ranboo could cut it with a knife.
He could feel Tubbo staring holes into them but ignored him in favor of trying to feed Tommy. Of course, in his Tommy-like fashion, he was being difficult and was refusing to open his mouth. Ranboo sighed, officially giving up. They would try again in the morning; hopefully Tommy would be back to normal again.
"Well, time to get Tommy to sleep. Early to bed, early to rise and all that. Goodnight!" he said, once again picking Tommy up. "Don't stay up too late you two."
Michael tilted his head to the side; a questioning look on his face. "Uncle Tommy still stay?"
"Yes, forever and ever."
Michael squealed and clapped his hands making Ranboo smile. "Night night, Boo! Night night, Uncle Tommy!"
If Ranboo has turned around he might have seen Tubbo place his head in his hands, continuous sobs making his shoulders heave.
Instead, he placed Tommy into his bed, curling around the boy to try to keep his cold skin as warm as possible.
"What the hell? What have you done?"
Ranboo sighed to himself, already feeling his anxiety shoot through the roof. He was just trying to braid Tommy's hair, was peace and quiet in his own home too much to ask? Of course it was, because Tommy's so-called family had to come and pick a fight. As always.
Techno's face was twisted in disgust, his eyes burning with an emotion that couldn't quite be placed. Phil, on the other hand, looked like he was going to be sick, looking both pale and flushed at the same time.
"Answer me, Ranboo. Why is Tommy here?" Techno demanded, taking a threatening step forward. Ranboo held Tommy tighter to his chest, the blonde's head rolling back. "Nothing to concern yourself with, Technoblade," Ranboo said, hoping he looked more confident than he felt. Techno was dangerous, and he was poking a bear with a stick.
"Not that you care. You two never cared, so don't act like you do now!" Huh, even Ranboo was surprised at his outburst. He was pretty sure he heard Tommy giggle at it.
Phil whined pathetically, but Techno growled, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Give him back to us. I won't ask again."
Ranboo could have really used Tubbo's help at the moment, but his husband had taken Michael and left earlier, mumbling something about errands. He could feel his own growl rumbling in his chest. How dare they come barging into HIS home and try to take HIS Tommy away from him. They weren't good for him, not like Ranboo was. Not even Tubbo.
Ranboo was the only one who truly cared.
"No. He's mine now. He's trying to sleep, see?"
Techno looked at Tommy, meeting his gray eyes and flinched back. "Ranboo-"
"Please."
The word was weak, barely audible, but filled with so much emotion it made even Techno stop to look. Phil shuffled forward and knelt in front of the couch, taking Tommy's hand into his own. "He's so cold. He needs to be somewhere warm."
Ranboo hummed in agreement but didn't make any other move. Phil tenderly reached out a hand to close Tommy's eyes, and he had to fight the urge to rake his claws across the avian's face for touching HIS sunshine.
"Please, let me take my son home. I just want my baby back." A tear slipped down his cheek as he tightened his grip on Tommy's hand. "Ranboo, please, let me take him home."
Phil was begging. Phil never begged. It almost made Ranboo want to reconsider. Almost. These people who hurt his sunshine so badly, had snuffed out his light, wanted Ranboo to give him up to be put into hell once again? Never. He will never let them lay one finger on Tommy.
"No! You can't have him! Leave! Just leave! Why can't you leave us alone?!" Ranboo screamed, his own tears making his face burn with red-hot agony. "Can't you see you've hurt him enough?"
With a growl, Techno jumped at him, knocking him off the couch and to the floor, a steel-tied boot placed on his chest to keep him in place. Phil took this as a chance to snatch Tommy in his arms and backed away from the two, making no attempt to help Ranboo.
And, oh, how scared the look in Tommy's eyes was, making Ranboo's heart ache. Poor, sweet Tommy trapped in someone else's arms, once again caught in between an argument that he would no doubt think of as his fault.
The thought made Ranboo struggle even more, fingers clawing at Techno's leg to make him ease up off him. "You're monsters! Can't you see how sad you're making him? He needs ME, not you! I'm the only one who can make him be-"
"Shut up!"
The room went silent, the only sounds were Techno's heavy breathing. His eyes were shining with what could have been tears, but Ranboo didn't believe it for a second.
"Just..shut up, Ranboo. First you desecrate my brother's grave, forcefully dig him up, and now you're playing pretend with his body. You're sick, Ranboo. Can't you see how wrong this is? Tommy would never have wanted this."
"I'm helping him get better! You left him and now it's up to me to help him!"
"He's dead, Ranboo. My little brother is dead. I accepted it and now you need to as well."
A tendril of hate and fear wrapped itself around Ranboo's heart at that moment. Hate for the people in front of him, and fear of the words that were being spoken. Tommy wasn't dead. He had heard him laugh, saw him smile. Tommy didn't stay dead; he always came back. He was a flame that refused to go out. A spark that was forever flickering.
He was Ranboo's friend.
"No, Tommy's not dead. He can't be. Not my Tommy-"
It was a Sunday morning. Tommy hadn't shown up for breakfast and Ranboo was starting to get worried. So, with a basket of bread in his hand, and a strained smile on his face, he made the trek to Tommy's house.
He knocked twice, frowning when he got no answer, not even a curse. A feeling of dread curled inside his stomach, and he opened the door despite his mind yelling at him to just leave.
Opening the door, he stepped in, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness after being out in the sun. "Tommy? Tommy, where are you?"
One step forward. His foot hit something solid. He looked down. And screamed.
His best friend, his personal sunshine, was curled up on the floor, a bloodied knife just inches away from his hand. Blue eyes were now a cloudy gray, staring into nothingness. Ranboo choked back a sob, and knelt next to him, placing his fingers to his neck. Trying to find something. Anything.
A low, guttural howl escaped him, and he pulled Tommy towards him, pressing him against his chest. How did this happen? He should have known. He should have visited sooner. How did he not know?
Tommy had been so happy this last week, he was doing better. Smiling, laughing, saying he had big plans for the weekend. What a joke.
A cruel and twisted joke.
Ranboo refused to fall for it. Taking a deep breath, he finally realized what had happened. Tommy had one of his episodes and must have hurt himself in the process. He would wake up soon. And Ranboo would be there when he did.
Because if Ranboo was anything, it was a good friend. Anything to keep his sun shining.
Ranboo could only watch helplessly as Phil left, Tommy still in his arms. Techno finally let up, giving him one last disgusted look.
"Stay away from my brother. If I find out you've done something like this again, I won't hesitate to put you in the ground next time."
Watching them walk away, Ranboo could only curl up into himself, screaming his throat raw. They took him away. They took him away and now he'll never wake up.
No. No, it doesn't end here. He failed this time, but he knows better now. He'll take Tommy far away from here, where no one can find them. They'll be able to live peacefully until Tommy finally snaps out of his catatonic state.
Ranboo could wait.