𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐘 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄. ranboo (complete)

𝐗𝐋𝐕𝐈. MEETING THE PARENTS-ZA

❝ PRETTY FACE ❞
September 30th, 2021

REAL LIFE — THEO!

PHIL AND KRISTIN WERE LEAVING. They had planned a trip to America, going to a friend's wedding, and they were spending one last day in the UK seeing some of their friends; they were meant to meet up with Wilbur for dinner and until then, they were spending time at Tubbo's house to catch up with the three boys that lived there.

(Tommy was an unfortunate outlier — living so far from Brighton meant he wouldn't get to see them before they were gone.)

Phil was in the living room with Ranboo and Tubbo, but Theo had chosen to make cookies with Kristin in the kitchen. They still had some supplies left over from when he and Ranboo had made cookies — or, well, just Ranboo, since Theo had been asleep — and once Theo had expressed the desire to have one, Kristin had offered to make them.

"You know you can hang out with the boys while I do this," Kristin offered.

Theo shrugged. "I'd rather talk to you, you're a lot more interesting than the boys," he said. She laughed, turning away to grab the oven mitts to get the cookies out of the oven, and Theo brightened at the fact that he'd been the one to get her to laugh.

He was one of Kristin's biggest fans, honestly. He found her funny and charming and she already seemed to get his sense of humor. He admired how kind she was and adored getting to talk to her, whether it be over a video call or in person. Getting to meet her in person was more relaxing than when he'd met his other internet friends; she didn't make him feel like he had to put on a confident front.

"Are you happy to be done with school?" Kristin asked. Theo hummed in agreement. "Any plans to go to college?"

Theo snorted. "Hell no. I'd sooner date a girl. No offense," he added. She snorted.

"None was taken," she teased. "Not a fan?"

"No, I— women's rights, you know. I'm just, like, gay," Theo stammered.

Kristin raised her eyebrows. "I meant college."

Theo's face burned. "Oh. Yeah, no, I, uh, I hate the American education system."

She nodded in agreement. "Same." And he took her opinion to heart, considering she'd worked in the system for a while. That's how she had discovered Phil, wasn't it? Theo wasn't too sure about the details, but he did find their story cute. He could maybe see some parallels between him and Ranboo, though the thought of that made him blush too much, so he avoided the subject.

The timer on the oven dinged, signaling their cookies were (hopefully) done. Kristin went to put on the mitts.

"Here, I can do it," Theo offered, holding out his hands.

"You sure?" she asked in amusement. Theo nodded.

"I'm an expert at getting cookies out of the oven," he said proudly. She chuckled, handing over the mitts. Theo put them on and Kristin opened the oven; a blast of hot air hit Theo in the face, making him cringe and look away. He waited a moment before reaching down to get the cookie sheet out, pulling the hot metal toward him as he stood up.

The edge of the sheet touched his arm, exposed because of the short sleeves he was wearing, and burned the skin just above the inner part of his elbow.

"Shit!" Theo hissed, somehow managing not to drop the pan. He set it on top of the oven quickly before pulling back, sliding a hand out of one of the oven mitts to place it against his burned skin to dull the pain. "Ow," he grumbled.

Kristin frowned, pulling his arm toward her. She hummed. "It seems mild. We'll press a cold cloth to it and see how it looks in a few hours, but I think you'll be okay," she decided. He nodded, already feeling some of the pain subside. It was like burning your mouth — it hurt, it probably throbbed for a while, but you know that you'll be okay.

Kristin wet a towel with cold water from the sink and pressed it against the burn mark. Theo flinched at the feeling of the cold against his skin. The burn was only a thin line, but it sparked with pain that traveled up his arm.

Kristin winced in sympathy. "You'll be okay, kiddo," she promised. Theo smiled slightly, leaning against the counter.

"Thanks, mom," he mumbled, for a moment feeling like he was back in his childhood home, Jodi the one taking care of him after he'd gotten hurt. Kristin went quiet and Theo snapped his eyes open, his jaw dropping. "Shit, I'm sorry, I—" he stammered, moving away from the counter to run to the living room.

Kristin kept a hold on his arm, tight but not bruising. "Hey," she said softly. "It's okay. I don't mind," she assured as she kept the washcloth against his skin.

Theo looked away, glaring at the tiled floor of Tubbo's kitchen. "My mom's dead," he admitted, though he was sure that she already knew. "You remind me of her. You guys have the same eyes and you're nice to me. It just slipped out."

Kristin nodded, listening to him attentively. "I'm happy to be a mother figure to you, Theo, if that's what you want. It's okay to think of me as such."

Theo swallowed, feeling his stomach turn. "Thanks," he murmured, not knowing what else he could say.

Kristin reached out to ruffle his hair. "Go sit with the boys, I'll bring out some cookies and hot chocolate," she said. Theo nodded quietly, feeling his eyes burn as he hurried out of the kitchen, embarrassment coloring his face a bright red that did not complement his skin color.

Phil and Tubbo were wrapped up in a conversation about YouTube analytics while Ranboo sat to the side, phone in front of his face. Theo quickly sat next to the taller and buried his face into Ranboo's side, groaning.

Ranboo chuckled, wrapping an arm around Theo. "You okay?" he asked in amusement.

"Burned myself," Theo mumbled, not wanting to admit what was actually bothering him.

Ranboo frowned. "Are you okay? How bad is it?" he asked with concern, trying to see Theo's arm.

"'M fine," Theo mumbled. "Can I sleep on you?"

"Of course," Ranboo agreed immediately. "I'll wake you up later, okay?"

Theo curled closer to Ranboo, nodding. "M'kay. Thank you, Beloved."

Ranboo smiled softly. "Always, Thee."

Phil and Tubbo shared a look at the interaction, Phil was reminded of his own love with Kristin — pure, simple, adoring love. Theo and Ranboo were so in love that it made Phil want to coo at them.

For Tubbo, though, it just reminded him of how stupid his friends were.