TW: MANIPULATION, FEAR THEMES, IMPRISONMENT, ETC.
STAY SAFE.
Ranboo was trapped, utterly trapped in his own mind.
He couldn't move, could only see his own body, himself, teleporting into the prison and bringing the convict out with him.
He watched as the puppeteer pulled the strings.
They were off, and now he could hear Dream's voice in his mind.
"Thank you for your help, Ranboo. It's very much appreciated."
Ranboo hissed angrily from his position on the floor of his mind, chained in figurative steel.
"You know damn well I would never help you, let me go-"
"Hush."
With a flick of his hand, the chains around Ranboo's wrists tightened.
"If you want to make it out of here alive, you will work with me, Ranboo."
Dream turned to his control console. Ranboo could see from the screen that he was running behind Dream.
"If you want to see them again, you will work with me."
And Ranboo could feel the grin from here, cruel and sickly with hatred.
With madness.
"Who would want you now? After what you've done?"
Ranboo cringed, pushing himself further away from the aura the man gave off.
"I'm all you have left."
-.-
Tubbo had stumbled outside, hazy and confused with a child in his arms. He felt almost numb.
Foolish and Sam trailed behind, both looking more than a little shell-shocked.
And still the sirens blared over the loudspeaker.
The angry and panicked sound rang in Tubbo's ears, and he wished his hands were free to cover them.
He may have worked with explosives, but the brunette had gotten headphones made specifically to block the noise.
It was a lot easier to think when the explosion wasn't banging against his eardrums.
Tommy was waiting outside, with another figure he blurrily recognized as Quackity.
Quackity was raising his voice, small wings flaring in anger as he yelled up at Sam.
Sam kept his voice low and calm, but you could tell he was shaking.
And Tommy, loud— reckless Tommy stayed silent. He opened his arms wide for Tubbo and his child.
For he had seen Ranboo.
He had known.
Tubbo let his legs give out and his best friend, his brother, held him close.
And they wondered what they ought to do.
-.-
ATTENTION ALL CITIZENS OF THE SMP:
KNOWN CONVICT 'DREAM' HAS ESCAPED FROM HIS HIGH SECURITY PRISON CELL WITH THE HELP OF ONE 'RANBOO.'
IT IS SUSPECTED THAT DREAM HAS BEEN CONTROLLING RANBOO TO DO HIS BIDDING, DO NOT TRUST RANBOO AT ALL COSTS.
IF IN CASE YOU SEE EITHER DREAM OR RANBOO, DO NOT ENGAGE.
I REPEAT, DO NOT ENGAGE.
THIS IS UNDER THE ORDERS OF THE WARDEN.
DO NOT ENGAGE.
-.-
The mansion had been abandoned quickly, Tubbo having been taken in by a rather concerned Phil.
Techno hadn't exactly been happy that 'The Government' was going to be staying in Ranboo's old house, but one look from Phil silenced him. His crows had seen enough.
The boy needed a home.
A sanctuary.
He couldn't have stayed in the mansion anymore, it was too big and too.. cold.
Snowchester either, each time he stepped outside all he could see was Ranboo's crumpled and broken form in the snow.
He needed to get away from everything, Snowchester, the SMP, everything.
So the brunette had scooped up what was left of his family and turned to Phil, his adoptive father who was— at this point—his last hope.
Phil had opened up his arms without hesitation. He may have gotten his son back, but he wasn't too keen to lose another.
So from then forth, Tubbo was given the key to Ranboo's old house, and started his quest to make it a home for him and Micheal.
Tommy visited as often as he could, sneaking in the gate whenever Techno's back was turned, but he never stuck around long.
He didn't really want to see Techno, nor Wilbur.
Bad memories.
You could tell he was worried too, from the way he would hug for just a little too long of flinch at loud noises. Tubbo had no doubt in his mind that Tommy would be living here too if it weren't for Techno.
Tubbo spent the days drifting, putting on a smile for his son and dropping him off with Phil to supervise, before collapsing into bed again, trying to sleep it all away.
He had never been too good at taking care of himself.
Often, Phil would bring over food for the grieving man. Bread, steak, anything to keep Tubbo going.
Even Techno came over occasionally, he had been close with Ranboo, too.
He promised Tubbo the favor was off.
-.-
Months and weeks passed, and Techno was teaching Micheal common, while Tubbo watched from a nearby armchair.
Techno had warmed up to the baby piglin, which made him think to try and pick up nether-speak again.
And with the remembrance of his nether-speak, came teaching.
Techno would sit between the two, father and son, acting as a translator so they could have conversations. After a sentence was spoken and translated, Techno would explain the proper meaning and pronunciation of each word in the sentence to both parties, and soon Micheal was saying basic things like "happy", "Apple," and "bee."
With his newfound skills, he could properly convey to his dad what he was feeling.
-.-
Sometimes he would ask for his father.
For Ranboo.
Tubbo was never sure what to tell him.
-.-
Phil would sit by the radio at night, sometimes with Wilbur or Techno, just listening.
There had been no reports of Dream anywhere, for months now, and he was worried.
Where could he possibly be?
Wilbur would exclaim often, after the radio was shut off for the night, how clever Dream was for staying hidden, oh how smart and heroic he was, and everyone in the house would shoot him a look.
Especially with Tubbo around.
Tubbo would grit his teeth and try and turn the other cheek, but sometimes when Wilbur went on one of his fanatic rants, he would simply say his goodnights and leave.
After what Dream had done, he couldn't simply listen to the rants of a madman in favor of him.
-.-
Life fell into a routine, sleeping at Ranboo's old house and returning to Phil's cottage in the day for simple conversations and lessons for Micheal, then returning back in the night to try and find warmth in the large bed.
Michael slept with his dad now, Tubbo was too afraid to leave the child alone.
-.-
Despite the new normalcy of life, Tubbo couldn't help the sense of dread pooling in his stomach. Phil would ask if he was alright when Tubbo's expression would shift to one of fear over dinner, but he would promise that he was alright.
But he knew better.
Dream had promised Tommy, so long ago, that Tubbo would die.
Laughed and said that Tubbo would pay for Tommy's mistakes.
The brunette knew Dream wasn't one to break a promise.
-.-
1171 words
:)