Tubbo and Ranboo sat in comfortable silence. Tubbo watched their hands, Ranboo's thumb running over the top of his.
"You know, you're- you're very special to me Tubbo. If I could choose to be platonically married to any person on earth, it'd still be you. You're my favorite person," Ranboo said, looking towards Tubbo. Their eyes met, hazel ones on small gray ones.
"You too, Ranboo. You're my best friend," Tubbo said. Another moment of silence. "...I get to go home tomorrow. The doctors have been asking me a lot of questions."
"About your..."
"Yeah," Tubbo sighed. His grip on Ranboo's tightened a little more. "They think I'm probably depressed."
"Yeah."
"Yeah..." another bout of silence filled the room like the soft yellow glow of the lamp in the corner of the room, the only sound being the boys' soft breathing.
"Do you need a hug?" Ranboo asked.
"Yeah, get over here boss man," Tubbo replied, moving over in his hospital bed. "I think I need a cuddle after... after everything." Ranboo barely hesitated before crawling in beside Tubbo, pulling the thin, white blanket over the both of them.
"I hope that you don't feel like this someday," Ranboo said, hand dancing over one of his bandaged arms.
"Me too," Tubbo whispered. "I don't want to keep feeling like- like- I'm not... important, I guess. Or like a waste of space."
"It's not true, Tubbo. You know that's not true, and it never has been true."
"I know it isn't true, at least I think so, but the difficult part is feeling it, you know? I don't know... does that make sense?" Tubbo said, voice beginning to get syrupy with tiredness.
"Yeah, it makes sense. I understand, Tubs," ranboo replied. Tubbo rested his head against Ranboo's chest and Ranboo wrapped an arm around Tubbo's back, holding him securely but gently.
"Go to sleep now, Tubbo. You can sleep," he whispers comfortingly. The last thing Ranboo heard from him was a 'mhm' before he fell asleep, and not too soon later Ranboo was asleep too, his chin tucked over Tubbo's head.
—-
"Tubbo, I brought you and Ranboo some-" Tubbo's mom stopped talking mid sentence, realizing that Tubbo and Ranboo were both asleep, cuddled up in the hospital bed. She smiled and quietly put down the plastic bag of food she had brought for the boys, holding her finger over her mouth as a way to tell the others to be quiet.
"See I told you that Bee Boy has favorites," Tommy snickered, elbowing Wilbur. Wilbur shushed him. His chest felt warm seeing the two boys asleep in each other's arms. It was like seeing his two little brothers, not just his friends. It made him think that maybe things will be ok after all.
"Too bad there isn't enough room for the three of us, I'd join in too," Tommy said playfully.
"It's getting pretty late, are you boys gonna head back to your hotel?" Tubbo's father asked, sitting back down in his chair, pulling out a crossword puzzle.
"Yeah, I think so," Wilbur said, glancing over at Tommy, who nodded in agreement. "I woke up earlier than I usually do today."
"Yeah me too," Tommy said, rocking on his feet.
"Alright, have a good night boys," Tubbo's mother said, walking over to the two to give them each a hug. "And thank you, both of you, for being here these past couple of days. It means a lot to us."
"It's no problem, I want to be here... for everyone," Wilbur replied. Tubbo's mom gave him one last hug before letting him leave with Tommy.
"I'm a little nervous, you know," Tommy said as they walked side by side. "That Tubbo's getting out of the hospital, I mean. We didn't know about anything that was going on with him, what if there's more we don't know?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know... I guess I'm just worried. What happens when everyone leaves? Will he just... Will it happen again?"
"Honestly? I don't know, Toms. I don't know what's going on in his head. All we can do is be there for him, yeah?" Wilbur said, putting a hand on Tommy's shoulder. "He won't get better right away, it'll take time, but hopefully he will feel happier."
"I hope so," Tommy said, and they continued walking back to their hotel room in silence, both lost in thought.
—
Wilbur: is everything going alright for you? Is Lani ok?
Niki: yeah, we're all doing ok here :3
Niki: Lani kinda broke down when she saw blood on the floor
Niki: me George and Jack cleaned it all up tho
Niki: Lani and I made cookies for when Tubbo can come back
Niki: and we watched a movie :))
Niki: she's asleep right now
Wilbur: That's good
Wilbur: Thanks for that Niki
Wilbur: for being there for Lani
Wilbur: She needed that
Niki: Yeah
Niki: it's been hard on everyone but I think it's been hardest on her :((
Wilbur: yeah, I agree
Wilbur: oh btw
Wilbur: look at this
Wilbur: (photo of Ranboo and Tubbo)
Niki: awwwww :33
Niki: they're like brothers <3
Wilbur: yeah
Wilbur: I'm gonna go to bed now
Wilbur: have a good sleep Niki
Niki: thanks Wilbur :))
Niki: U too :)
—-
Tubbo woke up to beams of morning sunlight in his eyes, face still pressed in Ranboo's chest, his head tucked under the taller boy's chin. He'll be getting released today. He'll be released and then what? He shifted a bit under Ranboo's arms to see his forearms clearly, and the white bandaging that covered them. He felt kind of sick thinking about what lay underneath.
"Tubbo, are you awake?" He heard a soft voice, clearly his mother.
"Yeah," he whispered back, his voice a little gravelly from just waking up.
"Good morning, sweetheart, how do you feel?" His mother asked, her voice a soft whisper so she didn't wake up Ranboo. He didn't know what to say: To tell her the truth about his anxiety, or to just say that he was fine. Tubbo let out a sigh.
"Scared," He said quietly. "About going home. I don't know what'll happen next." Tubbo found himself feeling too aware of his surroundings, like the material of the blanket against his skin and the weight of Ranboo's arm across his body and the white beams of light making it hard to see without squinting.
"I know, honey. But we'll keep you safe, and we'll help you get back up on your feet," His mother comforted. Tubbo didn't know how to feel. He didn't know what he was feeling; all he knew was that he felt a raw anxiety sinking in his stomach. "Lani and your friends will be here soon. They're bringing you some clothes to change into."
"Ok," Tubbo said, leaning his head back against Ranboo's chest. He couldn't find it in himself to be embarrassed; he felt too scared to be embarrassed. He laid there for a while, occasionally whispering back and forth with his parents. He could feel Ranboo start to shift awake another while later, their shared white blanket rustling.
"Hey," Ranboo yawned, his eyes blinking open. Tubbo stared into his eyes, stormy blue-gray, half-lidded from tiredness.
"Hey. Did I wake you up?" Tubbo asked. He could feel Ranboo's hand against his back.
"No, no, you didn't," Ranboo said, voice rusty. He rubbed his eyes with free hand and smiled. Tubbo didn't know why but it felt reassuring in a way.
"Boys, are you hungry?" It was Tubbo's father. Tubbo shrugged, not knowing if he was hungry or not. His stomach just felt like a knot, feeling full with anxiety instead of food. Tubbo's father waited for a few moments for a reply that never came. "Why don't I get you boys some brunch, yeah?" He said, getting up from his plastic chair. Tubbo hummed in agreement.
"Wow, It's noon already," Ranboo commented. "I usually don't sleep in that late. Must be jet lag,''he said.
"Yeah," Tubbo agreed. There was a safe silence between them for a few moments, huddled under the hospital blanket.
"How do you feel? About going home?" Ranboo asked. His deep voice was soothing. Tubbo shrugged under his arm.
"Nervous," Tubbo replied.
"It'll be ok, Tubbo. I'll be there with you," Ranboo said. "...As long as you want me there." And Ranboo smiled at him, warm and genuine. He couldn't help but smile back, a comfort spreading across his body, making his heart feel calmer and the racing in his brain slow down. He forgot his mom was in the room until she spoke up.
"Lani just texted me," She said. "She's coming with your friends with clothes for you to change into. You too, Ranboo. Wilbur got you a set of clothes from your suitcase."
"Thank you," Ranboo said. Tubbo's mother hummed in response. It wasn't much longer before his father came in with food for the boys, getting them both fruit and scrambled eggs from the hospital's cafeteria, receiving thanks from both of the boys.
—-
"Hello Tubs!" Rang Tommy's and Jack's voices, followed by chatter from the others. Lani ran over to Tubbo, who was now sitting up in bed without Ranboo who had gotten out of bed and onto a chair next to his bed to eat his breakfast, and wrapped both of her arms around his shoulders.
"I'm glad to see you, it was scary being at your apartment without you there," Lani said, holding on to her brother tightly like she hadn't seen him in years. "Niki has clothes for you and Ranboo."
"I'm glad to see you too, Lani," Tubbo said softly back to his little sister. "I'm ready to get out of this stupid hospital bed, I've been in it too long."
"I'd assume so," she replied, hesitantly letting go of her brother. "Come on. You need to shower too. You can do that at home." She moved so he could get up, which he did with minimal difficulty. His legs shook a little from not being used much for the past few days, spending most of his time in the bed, but he was able to stay up easily. Tubbo thanked Niki, who handed him a change of fresh clothes, and walked himself to the bathroom to change into the new hoodie and sweats. He felt weird, feeling everyone's eyes on him, watching like hawks. Ranboo got dressed after him, wearing a similar outfit of sweatpants and jumper.
"We better get you checked out, then," Tubbo's mom said after a moment, reaching out a hand for Tubbo to take. He took his mother's hand and led him out to the front desk, where his mother got him checked out. Everyone else followed behind, with Ranboo and Lani by his side. Tubbo's mouth felt dry with anxiety. "You can ride with us, Ranboo," She said. People were splitting up, making their way to their cars to all travel back to Tubbo's apartment. It would be pretty full with everyone there, but it'd be emptying out soon with Philza, Kristen, Niki, George, and Jack all having to leave soon, but for now his apartment would be packed with people.
"This isn't how I thought our next meet up would go," Tubbo said, laughing weakly at his own joke. His head leaned on Ranboo's shoulder and Lani leaned on Tubbo's. Ranboo chuckled, laying his head on top of Tubbo's.
"I guess none of us did," he replied simply. "But I'm glad that I got to see you, though the circumstances are bad."
"Yeah, me too," Tubbo replied. The rest of the car ride was comfortably quiet, the three children huddled together sleepily. They were at Tubbo's apartment within thirty minutes and the five of them exited the vehicle, meeting with Wilbur and Tommy who had just pulled up. Tubbo looked a bit out of it, so they all silently decided it'd be best to get him straight to his room. They walked down the hallway and unlocked the door. Tubbo felt a sudden wave of emotions hit him when he entered, seeing how clean his apartment was and the smell of sugar cookies was still prominent from when Lani and Niki had baked them for him.
"Come on Tubbo, let's sit down," Lani said, pulling Tubbo over to the couch, who followed without a fight. Tommy flopped down next to him. "Are you ok?" a moment of silence.
"Yeah, I'm just- thank you," Tubbo said to no one in particular, looking a bit spaced out. Tommy wrapped an arm around his shoulder, holding Tubbo close to his shoulder. A few stray tears fell from Tubbo's eyes, and Tommy wiped them away.
"It's ok, Beeboy," Tommy said, rubbing Tubbo's shoulder. He nodded and rubbed his eyes.
"Now, what do you want to do Tubbo? Shower? sleep? eat? watch a movie? play video games?" Wilbur asked, flopping down next to Ranboo on the couch next to the one Tommy, Tubbo, and Lani sat huddled together on.
"Movie," Tubbo said after a moment of hesitation. He felt awkward being in the spotlight of everyone's attention. His scars felt itchy under his bandages, and his palms were sweating.
They ended up scattered around on the couches and floor in front of the T.V, watching Luca and eating popcorn and Lani's and Niki's cookies. The others had shown up not too much later, and found themselves spots to sit on the couches and floor along with everyone else.
"Oh, I love this movie," Niki had said excitedly under her breath as she sat down, scooting down next to Wilbur on the floor and took a piece of his popcorn. It was peaceful with everyone sitting down together in Tubbo's living room, not talking about what had happened. It felt nice to just be able to ignore it for a while, and to just be able to relax. Tubbo began to get a bit drowsy as the movie climbed closer to the end, and laid curled up with his head into Tommy's shoulder.
"Wasn't that cute?" Niki said, nudging George, who hummed in agreement. "What did you think, Philza?"
"It was good, it was good. Very sweet, I enjoyed it," Philza replied, then checked his watch. "Me and Kristin should get going soon."
"Yeah, me as well," George said, getting up from the floor. "Tubbo, make sure to text me, ok?" George said.
"Yeah, I will," Tubbo said sleepily. George smiled warmly, and patted his shoulder before hugging the others goodbye.
"Make sure to message me too," Philza said after exchanging a few words with Tubbo's parents in his warm but stern fatherly voice. Tubbo nodded, and Philza smiled, satisfied, and ruffled Tubbo's hair. "I'll see you again soon, alright?"
"Alright," Tubbo said, smiling sleepily at Philza. "I'll see you soon." George, Philza, and Kristin gave their last goodbyes before leaving, heading back out to their cars.
"You should shower, Tubbo, it's already almost 5," Lani said, shaking Tubbo to try to wake him up. Tubbo groaned but pushed up off the couch and to the bathroom. The sound of the shower running started up shortly after.
"Tubbo's fridge is looking a bit empty, we should go shopping for groceries," Tubbo's mother said. "Lani, would you like to come with your father and I? You can pick out some food, if you'd like." Lani glanced back towards the hallway where Tubbo had gone to the shower and then back to her mother, pausing for a moment before nodding. She hopped up off the couch and slid on her shoes. "We'll be back soon. Wilbur, will you watch over the kids while we're gone?"
"Yeah, of course," He replied, giving a thumbs up. Tubbo's mother thanked him before leaving with Lani and her father.
"Why'd she leave you in charge and not me?" Jack complained, crossing his arms over his chest with a pout.
"Because I'm the oldest," Wilbur said. "You're practically still a child, anyway."
"But I'm almost twenty!" Jack argued, making the others laugh.
"You don't act like it, Manifold. You're a child at heart," Wilbur said. Jack didn't argue after that; he just nudged Wilbur in the ribs playfully with fake annoyance. "Oh! You and Lani's cookies were really good by the way, Niki. I just realized that I never told you," Wilbur said.
"Aww, thank you Wilbur!" Niki replied, with a bright smile on her face. The water from the shower stopped.