Chapter Text
After watching in wonder as Eret and Karl made themselves ‘costumes’ from stuff like feathers and cardboard, Ranboo’s now getting to watch the Stitch movie with Dream again! And he happily sits through it all - still having to hide behind a pillow for some of it - growing excited as they get closer to the last part he remembers seeing; and it’s when Nani’s chasing after the firetruck that George has to come in asking for help fixing his computer.
Doing his best to not get upset when the movie’s paused or how instead of following after Dream and George like he wants to, Ranboo chooses to stay put on the floor so Patches can keep sleeping on his tail - but regrets that choice as soon as Quackity walks in and sits down on the couch with that terrifying scar facing his way.
“I can feel you staring.”
Ranboo sticks his head under the coffee table and tries to decide which would be better: waking up Patches to escape, or playing dead.
There’s a sigh and then the little click that always happens when someone turns off their phone. “Look, kid. I keep catching you ogling the scar, so - fuck, I can’t believe I’m saying this - to get it over with, how about I just tell the story of when I got it?”
Did he really hear that right? A story? The scar’s story!?
Quackity’s voice hadn’t sounded mad, he doesn’t think, maybe annoyed though, so he cautiously peeks out from the table to see the man slumped against the back of the couch and looking just off to the side of him, but not at him directly, which puts Ranboo a bit more at ease.
“Come on, get up here if you want to hear it,” Quackity huffs, patting at the couch, “before I change my mind.”
Too curious to risk wasting this chance, Ranboo carefully slides his tail out from under Patches’ head, getting a grumble, and crawls on his belly over to the couch, waiting until the only part of Quackity that’s moving are his fingers tapping at the couch arm before hauling himself up onto the other end. He slowly sits down, eyes lowered to Quackity’s lap, and waits expectantly.
Quackity’s hands clasp together as he hunches over them, and then the story begins.
“It was a hunter.” His voice is low, cold. “The deadliest, most bloodthirsty hunter our kind’s ever seen, who’s become known as the Blood God.”
This… This isn’t going to be a nice story, is it?
“He’s killed some of the toughest werewolves in our history and slaughtered entire packs just for the fun of it, always alone, although there’s been rumors of him being seen fighting alongside the Angel of Death itself.”
Nope! NOT nice! - Ranboo curls up tight and flattens his ears way down.
“About a year ago the pack had gone out on a hunt in unclaimed territory. I was on my own when I picked up on the scent of wolf blood, and tracked it down thinking one of the idiots had hurt themselves like usual, only to find the Blood God striking the killing blow to his latest victim.
“I figured I’d been given the perfect opportunity to end the murderer while he was distracted, and went for it, but -” Quackity sneers, balling a hand into a fist while the other grasps onto a knee, “- I’d underestimated him. Even though all the guy had was a fucking pickaxe he got the upperhand and I got left with this,” then he looks, really looks at Ranboo while slowly tracing the scar from top to bottom with his thumb.
He ducks under his tail and whines, wanting this horrible story to be over and for Dream to hurry up and save him from the monster his mind is creating.
“Was that too much for you, kid?” Quackity chuckles humorlessly. “Should’ve guessed, but someone had to be the one to tell you what’s out there. Though I wouldn’t worry about crossing paths with someone like the Blood God if I were you, with Dream always being in mama-bear mode now that you’re around. But trust me, you’ll know if you do.”
Ranboo shakily peers out from under his tail.
“It’s the eyes you have to look out for, they’re as red as the blood he spills. Some say that they’re that color because he sacrifices the blood of his kills to a higher power for inhuman strength, and after seeing him in action, I wouldn’t be surprised if that legend’s true - hey! Knock that out!”
Quackity shoves Ranboo away, cutting him off from hiding against his side which only gets him more freaked out; he tries pushing at and climbing over the hand obstacles to get the comfort he craves even if Quackity is the very last person he’d want it from.
“What are you two doing?”
DREAM!
Ranboo tumbles off the couch to smack straight into Dream’s legs, cramming his face between them to hide from the red eyes that have magically appeared in every shadow in the room.
“Oh, Dream! Didn’t notice you come in. Not much, I was just finishing up telling the little guy the story of how ol’ big bad Blood God ruined my face - in excruciating detail, of course.”
“You WHAT?”
A rule is made that Ranboo is never allowed to be left alone with Quackity.
__________________________________________________________________________
“You see that handsome red and white fish in the back? Circling the little pizza shop? That’s Hutt! The orange one right beside him is Mars, he’s Sapnap’s, and we share custody of Lasagna, the big green and blue angelfish coming out of the skull over there. The yellow speedster is Beckerson who’s technically the pack pet, but has basically become Sapnap’s too,” an enthusiastic Karl explains while helpfully pointing out each fish to the pup in his arms.
Ranboo is utterly mesmerized by the bright, sparkly scales from the moment he’s able to see inside of the large tank in the game room. The fish playfully poke out of rocks and zigzag between flowy pink/green plants, and not even the appearance of a familiar scent can get him to look away from them.
“Now, one last time - are you sure, absolutely positive, that you can handle this?” Dream asks while sounding like he’s rummaging through something.
Why are they keeping these fish alive and giving them names instead of eating them anyway? Is it because there isn’t enough meat on them yet? OR, are these super special fish!? They’re so much prettier than any of the ones he’d catch from the stream, so that must be it!
“We’ll be fiiine, stop worrying! You're only going to be gone for like an hour, two tops, so hurry up and leave already before Sapnap and George go on patrol without you,” Karl answers, bouncing Ranboo up and down in his arms.
Look, look! Lasagna’s going through the bubbles coming out of that wood chest!
Wait. How long did he say Dream is going to be gone for?
“I am, just - my communicator’s on if anything happens, and you’d better contact me the second something does Karl because if I come back to the smell of blood I swear I’ll-”
“Ep-ep-ep! Remember what Puffy texted us about tone? Thank you. Now please, Dream, I’ve got this! We’ll hang out up here until he gets bored, then find something to do to calm down for naptime. I’ve been planning this all out since you asked me to watch him, so have some trust in my abilities as a pup-sitter!”
A zipper zips, followed by a groan. “I do appreciate you doing this, and I do trust you, I just don’t like it.” Heavy boots stomp against the floor. “But you’re right. The pup’s naptime isn't too far off and he ate lunch about half an hour ago so he should be fine, but there’s apple slices in the fridge if he wants them. Absolutely no sweets, he’s finally gotten back on the sleep schedule that Sapnap had wrecked after sneaking him those cookies.”
“DREAM! YOU’VE GOT FIFTEEN SECONDS TO GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE BEFORE I HOGTIE YOU TO SAPNAP’S NECK!”
“I’M COMING, GEORGE!” Ranboo snaps his gaze to Dream, who slings a bag over a shoulder before stepping closer to place a hand on his head with a small frown. “Be good for Karl while I’m gone, pup. It’s only going to be for a little while so don’t get into any mischief, got it?”
But - Dream CAN’T leave! Ranboo’s gotten okay at being away from him for ‘little while’s’ but Karl had said it’s going to be for one or two hours - that’s like watching an ENTIRE MOVIE without Dream!
He pushes his head against the hand and is ready to whine and thrash until he’s in his favorite caretaker’s arms instead of Karl’s so that he can’t leave anymore or changes his mind and only leave for an actual little while but -
- that wouldn’t be fair at all, would it?
George and Sapnap are Dream’s friends (really good friends too) but they don’t really spend a lot of time together since the man is always taking care of him, so if Ranboo does try to make Dream stay, then wouldn’t that mean not letting him have fun with his friends?
There’s only one thing to do; swallowing thickly, he puts on his best brave face before pulling away from Dream’s touch and uses Mars chasing after Beckerson as a distraction.
Karl gives him another bounce.
“See? Completely fine!”
Ranboo keeps looking at the spot where Mars had disappeared into a broken ship, but doesn’t really see it as he listens to carpet-softened footsteps walking towards and then down the stairs - It’s very hard to not call out for them to turn around and come back.
They stay beside the tank that isn’t nearly as interesting to watch anymore for a little longer until Karl carries him down to the first floor. The house is very quiet, and it’s easy to tell that they’re the only two here: Quackity and Charlie had left to go to a store for food a while ago and Eret had gone with them to check on something in the town, and of course Dream, Sapnap, and George are on whatever a ‘patrol’ is.
Karl does raise his spirits with the surprise of a donut in the kitchen (He tells him that it’ll be their secret with a wink, and Ranboo kinda wishes he knew how to wink back) but after the treat when he’s tucked against Karl’s hip on a cushioned bench built into a hallway wall and gazes out the big window at the woods behind the house, he longs to be somewhere else.
Why couldn’t he have gone outside too?
“... Jack.”
It’s been forever since he’s gotten to be surrounded by trees instead of walls, and misses the feeling of grass under his paws instead of carpet or wooden floors.
“Socks.”
An ear flicks up before flattening back down; how mad would Dream get if he tries sneaking out the next time someone leaves?
“Rutabaga."
He sorta remembers George saying something about Dream not liking being stuck inside, so if he just shows how much he doesn’t like it either wouldn’t they have to let him out then?
“Bogey -no, NUGGIE!”
Ranboo jolts up at the shout to find a wide smile stretching across Karl’s face, who lurches forward onto his hands so that they’re almost nose-to-nose and exclaims “You responded! You actually looked up at that one! Is that your name then? Huh, mister Nuggie?”
Wa- what is - what’s a nuggie? And why does he think - OH! Is this another one of Karl’s games? Like the one where he and Eret guessed his favorite color was purple with the hats? Only this one is for his name?
Someone… Does someone actually want to know his name?
He can’t remember ever being ‘Ranboo’ to anyone besides himself, and the idea of another person calling him that just seems too good to be true, but wanting to at least try to make it happen he gets the game to continue by whining no at ‘nuggie.’ Karl almost looks sad as he starts guessing more names.
A long, LONG time later, there’s a guess that has Ranboo bouncing onto Karl’s lap and waiting hopefully.
“Ran-” he starts with another growing smile at the impatiently hoppy paws, drawing it out - just three more letters ! come on-come on-come on Karl hurry up and say it please, then tell everyone else so they ALL know - so DREAM knows!
“-dall?”
YES YES YES!
- wait -
NOOOOO!
Flopping down with a moan to disappointedly go back to staring out at the woods, Ranboo isn’t allowed to for long as his face is suddenly grabbed and twisted towards Karl’s too close and too big eyes.
“I SAW THAT I SAW IT! You were getting so pumped up for that one so was I close!? Your name isn’t Randall but it starts with Ran!?” Karl questions eagerly and when he notices Ranboo’s absolutely windmilling tail his hands release fuzzy cheeks to clap loudly together.
“YES! We’re actually getting somewhere!
“Alright, Okay okay we’ve only got half your name down so can’t celebrate just yet, but that’s half more than we’ve had for two weeks! And how hard can it really be to figure out the rest of it, right?”
…
Desperation builds with every name he hears beginning with ‘Ran’ that doesn’t turn out to be his and after ‘Ranch,’ decides to finish this himself.
Jumping down from the bench with Karl right on his heels, he travels from room to room for anything useful: the kitchen and living room are no help and neither is the greenhouse, and he’s too afraid of messing up any books in the library with his claws to point at the tiny letters to spell out b-o-o. But on the second floor, on his way to Dream’s bedroom, there’s the most perfect thing ever hanging up on George’s door.
Quickly trotting over and sitting down underneath it, he looks from Karl to the sign.
“Why has this mysterious quest of yours taken you to George’s room of all places,” Karl murmurs as he steps forward and starts turning the doorknob, completely ignoring the picture of a ghost with the word ‘BOO!’ in big, bright orange letters underneath it.
Ranboo launches at the long legs and headbutts them until Karl pauses to curiously look down with his hand still on the doorknob, then turns back to the door and stretches as far up on his back paws as possible to point at the word with his nose.
“The ghost? What, do you wanna be a ghost for - *gasp* is this about your name? Is your name Ran-ghost!?”
What? NO! Frustrated, he nudges at the letters as best he can.
“Is it Ran-phantom? Ran- spector? PLEASE tell me its Ran-spirit, cause that would be honkin’ sweet!”
WHY IS THIS SO HARD!? He growls and claws at the door to get what little height he needs to clamp his teeth onto the sign and succeeds at tearing the paper off as he’s picked up.
“Hey! Dream’ll never let me watch you again if you go around breaking people’s stuff!”
Ranboo does feel bad about accidentally ripping it, but it was only because of how much he needs it! So after managing to wriggle out of the hold to get dropped to the floor, he spits out the sign and looks it over as Karl makes worried noises over him; large pieces of its corners are missing, still taped to the door, but that’s okay because the most important part is still here!
“You could get hurt making someone drop you like that, what has gotten into you?” Ranboo looks up at Karl, very ready to show off his clue, but isn’t ready for the sign getting taken away. “And you can’t go around stealing posters either, that isn’t nice.”
He barks and pounces at the paper, making it slip out of Karl’s fingers and madly slaps at the word, and Karl who had looked ready to reach for the sign again freezes.
“You’re trying to tell me something buddy, I know you are, but what?”
Ranboo pounds at it with both paws, thumping at the ‘O’s as Karl kneels down with his eyebrows drawn together, thinking, and he hopes beyond hope that he figures it out because this could be the only chance he gets to have his name back!
Karl leans forward, studying where his paws meet paper. “What the ghost is saying? Boo? Hold up, can you read!?”
There it is! He sAID IT! KARL SAID THE WORD!
Going into a frantic barking spin Ranboo almost slips and falls over in his excitement, but doesn’t care as he catches the glances Karl gives to him and to the sign on the floor before his mouth gapes open and he slaps his hands onto his head, falling to his knees.
“Is that the rest!? Boo!? Is your name Ranboo!?”
HE SAID HIS NAME!
Karl lands on his back with an “OOMPH!” as he’s promptly tackled before getting a muzzle jammed under his chin and Ranboo’s face squashed against his jaw, who wiggles in delight when he’s squeezed to the giggling Karl’s chest and gets a wiggle in return.
The colorful person rolls from side to side, filling the hallway with both his and Ranboo’s squeals of joy and when they do calm down, breathless, he grins from ear to ear up at the pup still on his chest.
“I - I can’t believe it, we did it! I know your name! Your Ranboo!” Karl beams, earning a lick to an ear that starts back up both his giggling and their wiggling.
“Everybody’s going to FREAK when we tell them!”
“Ruff!”
…
As soon as every pack member is back at home and an unhappy Dream’s been talked down from putting Ranboo straight to bed and from interrogating Karl about the box of donuts that had been left open on a counter, they’re all herded into the living room with the promise of a very special surprise.
Ranboo can hardly sit still in front of the fireplace, nervously squirming under all of the eyes on him, but when Karl picks him up and gives him a better view of everyone that’s across the coffee table, including Dream who looks very stiff and confused about what’s going on, the nervousness slowly makes way for anticipation about how they’ll react to the news.
Karl loudly clears his throat, Ranboo’s tail picking up into a wag, and the instant after the shout of “HIS NAME IS RANBOO!” he sees those green eyes glow!
And now, for a second time, there’s a wall of screaming people headed right for him - but Ranboo doesn’t hide.
The pack calls his name as they run over smiling, saying how happy they are for him and what a beautiful name he has, and even Quackity gives him a nice nod before disappearing from the room, and it’s all so overwhelming but wonderful and is making him feel a way that he never thought he’d feel - like he’s a part of something, that he’s not alone, and that he might actually be -
- wanted.
It’s such a new, fuzzy feeling, and Ranboo doesn’t think this warmth in his chest could grow any bigger until, somehow, it does.
Everyone backs away as Dream moves forward. He kneels down with that barely-there smile and then, in that oh-so-trustworthy, fear-squashing voice, gently tells him:
“Welcome to the pack, Ranboo.”
__________________________________________________________________________
Slowly, oh so slowly, he lays down, scarcely moving so that it doesn’t - TOO FAST TOO FAST IT’S WOBBLING AGAIN!
Ranboo drops to his belly and digs his claws into the wooden chair he’s imprisoned on, his own shaking continuing long after the chair’s has stopped; when everything falls still, he gets up the courage to look down and nope! Too high, MUCH too high! Better to wait for someone nice enough to rescue him or hope that Sapnap, the one who stuck him on this thing in the first place, comes back soon.
…
Time passes. He’s accepted his fate.
The only life he knows now is being trapped on a chair in the middle of the living room, forever alone and wobbling.
Ranboo sneezes.
“Gesundheit.”
That one never-heard-before word is all that’s needed to perk him right up to see who his hero is, but when the sight that greets him is of an unknown man striding into the room like he’s been here before, Ranboo balks right back down.
His tail tucks against the underside of the chair and his body tenses, ready to run even if it means jumping from this height; the stranger’s long white coat makes a terrible swishing noise as he gets closer, and the light that’s bouncing off of his glasses is making it impossible to see the eyes behind them and all of his senses are screaming threat but what if he’s wrong? What if he calls for help, only to find out that this is a friend of the pack? But then what if he’s right and everyone’s in danger and why does he have a bandana around his forehead just like Sapnap always does?
Unless - but it couldn’t be…
But it is! After some quick, searching sniffs of the air he only just makes the shocking discovery that yes, this man is Sapnap before a very sudden and loud clap shoots through him with a quaking flinch that causes the chair to menacingly creak and groan.
“Alright,” actually-Sapnap barks, standing straight as a pinetree while shoving the too-long sleeves of his coat up to his elbows, “eyes up here please, cause class is officially in session!”
That is definitely Sapnap’s voice, and he’s moving like Sapnap does and he has Sapnap’s spicy smell, but then why, besides the weird clothes, does something else feel different - feel wrong - about him? When the glasses are pulled off and getting wiped on his shirt, Ranboo can see that the same eyes are still there, and that it’s still the same hair that’s just been tied up into a little tail, so what could it…
It’s when the glasses are being shoved back on that he sees it, what’s different and what has him feeling like something’s wrong: the too-bouncy, too-waggy, always-trying-to-get-him-to-play-with-him-like-a-puppy werewolf, is missing his smile.
He wants the old Sapnap back.
“I know that school isn’t very fun to sit still through, but trust me! This is a lesson you’ll want to pay careful attention to, because it’s about something very important that’s a huge part of life as a werewolf.”
Furry ears swivel forward in interest and, okay, maybe new Sapnap can stay, but just for long enough to explain this very important thing about werewolves and then the old one needs to come back.
“When every werewolf starts to grow up and gets to the age your at now,” Sapnap says seriously, taking a wide step forward and pushing his glasses further up his nose before putting his hands behind his back, looking like how someone who’s about to say something very important should probably look like, “they need to learn some new things about themselves. Some can be really weird and confusing to understand at first, but it’s important that you know about them, so that’s why today I’ll be teaching you how to -”
“SAPNAP STAHP!”
They both look with a start at George as he rounds the corner and slides to a halt on the carpet, who must’ve just gotten home from mushroom-picking in the woods - but hadn’t Quackity gone with him? Oh, now he’s here too, and since there’s other people here then Ranboo doesn’t have to worry about breaking Dream’s rule!
“Dude!” Sapnap doesn’t look or sound at all happy that his friends are back as he stomps over to George with the little tail on the top of his head bobbing around, “You totally just messed me up!”
George crosses his arms and intently meets the fiery glare sent his way through his sunglasses.
Ranboo scrabbles to get the footing to sit up but the shiny wooden seat is just too slippery, and he keeps falling down onto his belly and why does he have to be stuck on this, this stupid chair when there’s about to be a fight that he doesn’t want to watch and why is everyone getting angry and he still doesn’t even know why Sapnap’s wearing that white coat!
“About that important, confusing part of a werewolf’s life you were getting into,” George inquires in a firm, even voice, “just what exactly were you about to teach Ranboo about himself? Cause if I didn’t know any better, it really seemed like you were going to give the birds and the bees talk to someone who’s much, much too young for it.”
Ranboo stops forcing himself closer to the chair’s edge to look up at the pair with a sharp tilt of his head.
Birds and bees?
Sapnap looks just as stumped, his eyebrows scrunching together. “What now?” he questions, but then his entire face begins scrunching up as well like he’s just smelled something disgusting as he takes a far step back while wildly shaking his head and swinging his arms around, the coat sleeves sliding back down as he fiercely denies “DAMN NO! NUH-UH, NOPE! NOT WHERE I WAS GOING WITH THAT AT ALL FU-ah-RICK NO!”
“Oh, thank prime.” George instantly deflates with a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose and then loosely resting a hand on a hip.
Is - is that really what everyone’s getting so upset about? Telling him what birds and bees are? But - but he already knows! Of course he does, he’s not a baby!
“I’m not ready to deal with a traumatized puppy this soon into guardianhood, Sapnap. Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
“I swear on my life that ‘THE TALK’ is the one job that’s got anything to do with Boo that mister leader’s going to have to handle on his own, cause I’m coincidently going to be visiting friends or getting hunted down on whichever day he plans on giving it.”
“Agreed.”
Ranboo sharply tilts his head the other way now and is so, so lost and so badly wanting to understand how knowing about some animals could be so horrible, but doubts from the way George and Sapnap are talking about it that he’ll ever get an answer. He decides to just let it go for now and think it over later.
As everyone else appears to be calming down, he’s letting himself relax too (but not too much - this has been a day where he never expects what happens next) when someone else pipes up; “Glad that that’s all cleared up. Now can I hear the reason for why you’re dressed like a pharmacist?”
Oh yeah, Quackity’s still here too, isn’t he?
“Pharmacist!? Come on, it’s so obvious that I’m a professor!”
“Pft, you? A professor? With what class~?”
“The one you two interrupted!” Sapnap shrilly complains, gesturing towards Ranboo who anxiously darts his tongue over his nose, “And which is also the one that I’d really like to get back to teaching now, so you guys can either stay, sit down and shut up, or get out of here!”
Strangely enough, instead of looking bothered by how they were just talked to, George and Quackity actually both smile while moving to sit down against the side of the coffee table that’s facing Sapnap and the hallway, leaving Ranboo extremely puzzled and is - is this, somehow, another game? Like, a game of pretend where Sapnap’s just pretending to be mean and serious?
“Okay! *CLAP* From now on I would like to be addressed as Professor Sapnap! Except from Ranboo,” a corner of his mouth turns up, showing teeth for just a moment before they disappear again, “who has extra special permission to just call me Sapnap.”
A smile! This IS all pretend!
*Cough* “Teacher’s pet…”
Eyes narrow at Quackity, and narrow even further at how he’s whistling while looking down at his phone. “Oh I’m sorry, does that make you jealous? Well maybe if you behave yourself during today’s class you’ll earn extra special permission too, but you’ll never know if I can never get around to starting it!
“Now, if I could please have total silence from the class clown, I’d like to finally teach my star student how to -”
“HOW DARE YOU put on a play without me!?”
“Are you effin’ - AAAUUgh!” Sapnap drops his head in his hands right before Karl runs up and jumps on his back, tugging at the front of the coat and almost making them both topple over; not far behind Dream walks in, looks around, and spots Ranboo, who doesn’t care so much anymore about whatever Sapnap wants to teach him and now more than anything just wants for Dream to get him off of this stupidly high chair, and shows off just how badly by whining and scraping at it.
“Is it a play about a pharmacy?”
“Not a pharmacist!” is mumble-yelled into Sapnap’s hands.
“When you said you wanted Ranboo for something, this isn’t what I had in mind,” Dream chuckles while finally, mercifully, saving him from the towering and unstable surface. “I was wondering where that chair went.”
“I just - want - to teach him something - but everyone’s RUINING IT!”
Dream sits on the couch closest to where George is on the floor and places Ranboo down in the space between them. When he hesitantly scoots over, George reaches out and gives him chin scratches just like he’d hoped would happen. Both men snicker as mismatched eyes close in pleasure. “I think he’s enjoying that. What about, Sap? What were you trying to teach to Ranboo?”
“HOW TO SHIFT!” he swiftly booms in answer, loud and clear and not at all muffled.
Ranboo squints an eye open, grumbling feebly when George gets just the right spot - how to shift? First birds and bees, now they think he doesn’t know how to shift?
“I thought you said you’d first found him while he was human though,” Quackity contends, leaning forward to look up at Dream past George and meeting Ranboo’s cracked open eye for a little longer than he’s ever done before. The flashes he gets of a monstrous hunter with red eyes from seeing that scar again has him pulling away from the chin scratches to lay between Dream’s feet and the couch.
“We did,” Dream clarifies with a boop to his nose that makes the red disappear and has him sneezing all over the carpet. “Bless you.”
Sapnap trudges forward, grunting as Karl’s arms curl around his neck and the other shimmies higher up on his back, “But he hasn’t shifted ever since! I mean, not that anyone’s noticed but have there been any accidents in the house?”
“What? You saying he’s switching forms in the bathroom when he’s gotta go?” George asks while standing up, Ranboo watching his legs walk past on his way over to sit next to Dream.
“Exactly! So I’ve been thinking - shut up Quackity - that he still doesn’t think it’s safe to shift in front of us! But maybe if I show him that nothing bad’s going to happen that he might actually do it!”
The fur on his neck bristles. He sticks his face between Dream’s feet, not liking where this is going at all, but when toes wiggle at him as the man hums above he still finds himself able to softly vocalize at them.
“It wouldn’t hurt to try, I guess,” Dream tries. There’s sounds of agreement from everyone else in the room besides Quackity, who continues studying his nails and acting like he doesn’t care about what’s going on around him.
“YES! THANK YOU! Piggyback ride’s over Karl, give me my body back!”
Karl hops off with the coat he somehow stole, putting it on with a twirl before skipping over to sit by George.
“Okay, okay,” Sapnap flings the glasses off and darts into the hallway, spinning around to face them with a toothy grin, “okay so first Boo, you’re gonna want to crouch down, just like this, then relax your muscles like this, and then -” he quickly, effortlessly, changes into a wolf in the small space, gets into a play-bow, then changes right back to human with his arms raised up and an even wider grin plastered across his face, “- TAA-DAAAA!”
“OH-YEAH! WHOOOO! Great job honey, nailed it!” Karl cheers, clapping enthusiastically with George joining in beside him.
Bowing to the praise one way then the other, Sapnap straightens up and locks him in place with an intense, eager gaze before declaring, “Your turn Ranboo!”
And for the first time ever, he does not like (HATES) hearing someone call his name - shutting his eyes tightly closed, he wills all of this to go away like a bad dream.
“Awww, come on don’t be shy, I know you can do it! You did it before, and now you know it’s safe to do it in front of us! Don’t you want to be back in your human form again? To finally be able to talk to us and tell us more about yourself?”
Not yet, and not like this.
“All you need to do for that to happen is to shift like I just did, easy! I can do it again too if you want to see it one more time, or, OH! Or I could even do it with you!”
Ranboo doesn’t move, doesn’t breathe, and barely hears Dream’s quiet “pup?” through all the encouragement thrown at him to go up there and to do something that he doesn’t want to do and they’re not stopping and he’s not listening which means disobeying and he doesn’t want to do that but he really-really-really doesn’t want to do this even more and PLEASE, COULD THEY ALL STOP! HE DOESN’T -
“Stop."
- HE - someone - someone said stop - stop being scared? - or stop, he doesn't have to shift anymore, just - PLEASE - he doesn’t want to…
Forcing himself to take a breath, then two, then three, he tries to focus on just listening, on hearing what the others are saying (and on how disappointed they must sound). But Ranboo doesn’t hear anything from anyone, until there’s a deep exhale, and then Quackity’s smooth, slow voice.
“Guys. I know - I know, or I hope, that you’re not doing it intentionally, but you’re pressuring the kid into doing something he’s not ready for, I mean - just look at him. So leave him be, and let him shift forms when he decides to on his own.”
There’s a dull thump as his tail weakly hits a leg of the coffee table.
Everyone else remains awfully silent. Dread pools in his stomach, more flooding in when after Karl mutters “Careful, Q, you almost sounded like you care,” he’s abruptly pushed flat against the couch and opens his eyes to see that it was Dream’s foot that had moved him; he thinks he knows why it did after noticing just how rigid Quackity’s shoulders have become.
Quackity stares straight ahead, as though he’s looking straight through Sapnap as he asks in that same smooth voice that’s now coming out darker, “What do you mean by that, Karl?”
There’s the sound of shuffling from the far end of the couch, right around where Karl should be at. “You know exactly what I mean. You’ve never acted like Ranboo’s been a part of the pack until now, I mean, instead of welcoming him when he first got here, you spent the day arguing with me and Sapnap, and half the time I think you make yourself forget he even exists - actually, scratch that, no my mistake, you did talk to him once! Because now he’s been having nightmares about a certain red-eyed hunter.”
Ranboo jams his muzzle under the couch, letting out the faintest whimper that Dream must’ve still been able to hear, as a hand is now soothingly rubbing at one of his ears. He leans into the touch to show he’s listening when there’s another quiet “Pup?”
“Is what Quackity said true?” Dream asks so trustingly softly, switching to rubbing at his floppy ear. “Do you want some more time before trying to shift back to human?”
Ranboo’s ear slips away from the gentle hold the man has on it as it pins back.
He really - really doesn’t want to let anyone down, especially Dream, but… No, he can’t do this - not yet, even if it’s for them.
Slowly, nervously, Ranboo slides his head side to side against the carpet, and waits. Waits for the frustrated sigh that’s sure to be coming, just knowing that it’s going to, but it never comes. Instead, he gets a very unexpected pat on the head.
“Sapnap, it was good of you to try but we’ll just have to be patient for this.”
Oh. That's, that’s a nice surprise, Dream is okay with him being too scared! But, what about Sapnap? He’s definitely not going to be happy, the opposite of happy actually, he’s the one who started all of this in the first place (With that horrible, terrible, too-tall chair!). So like the coward he is, Ranboo curls up, tucking his paws underneath him and grips the carpet with them as footsteps approach.
There’s a soft *plop* right in front of him, and after a few seconds of nothing, he can’t help it - curiously blinking his eyes open, Ranboo sees Sapnap sitting there with his wonderfully toothy smile and an outstretched hand.
“I’ve waited this long, I can go longer,” He leans forward a little, cupping his mouth with his free hand, “but you’d definitely make the wait worth it if you could let me be the first one to hug you when you do decide to shift, baby Boo.”
There’s no more pretend anger, no real anger either; the only thing Ranboo can see showing in Sapnap’s eyes and face is kindness, and he twitches his nose, then stretches out to carefully place his chin on the offered fingers. Although the scratches he receives for it aren’t nearly as good as George’s, they’re special in their own way, especially with how easily they’re taking away the dread and replacing it with more of that comforting warm feeling.
Dream’s hand returns to rubbing at his ear along with someone’s foot stroking along his back, Karl giggling from behind while moving to sit on the floor who begins rubbing between the pads of one of his back paws, and, this hadn’t been at all what he’d been expecting would happen for not doing what they’d wanted him to do.
Maybe he’ll be ready to shift again sooner than he thought.
“Hey, uh… Karl?”
The pets and scratches slow to a stop. He lifts away from Sapnap’s and Dream’s hands to see Quackity standing up in front of the coffee table, shoulders still rigid and mouth in a thin line as he looks off to the side.
“Yes?” Karl hesitantly questions, still holding onto his paw.
Quackity takes a deep breath, scratches his neck, then looks straight at Karl as he says, “You were right.”
Huh?
“Huh?” Karl unknowingly echoes.
“I said,'' Quackity takes another, shorter breath, and shuts his eyes for a second before opening them to look back at Karl, “you’re right. What you’d said, all true. I haven’t been a good packmate, or that much of a friend, really, to any of you guys or to the k- to Ranboo, so… What I guess I'm trying to get at, is…” His gaze shifts away from Karl, landing for a few seconds on Sapnap before moving to and staying on Ranboo, “I’m sorry.”
There’s a steadily growing stream of thumps as his tail now repeatedly smacks against the coffee table’s leg.
“I - oh, Q,” Karl hauls himself to his feet and quickly loops around the table, pulling Quackity into a hug and sticking his face between the other’s neck and shoulder, “thank you, and I’m sorry too. Not about what I said, but I shouldn’t have said it like that. I know you were upset about everything and I should’ve tried to talk -”
“Don’t,” Quackity scoffs, cutting Karl off while bringing his arms up to hug the taller man around the waist, “this one was all me. I needed a good wack to my pride to get it into my brain so I could finally admit to it.”
Ranboo crawls forward to see them better around the corner of the table, startling when Sapnap launches for them from the floor.
“MY BABES!” He slams into the hugging pair and draws them close against himself with a wail, “I’ve been dying to give you a smooch big Q, C’MERE!”
Instantly Quackity is smothered in loud, wet kisses from the two very happy werewolves, and Ranboo can perfectly imagine three wagging tails on them before his view is blocked off by Dream covering his eyes with a hand, but he can still see in his mind the picture of a laughing, smiling Quackity as he’s hugged between his friends, and can still hear his laughs along with George’s and Dream’s.
And he can most definitely hear the front door when it’s slammed shut so hard that the ground beneath him feels like it shook from it.
His eyes are uncovered as George and Dream get in front of him in a blink while Karl and Sapnap look out at the hallway with pursed lips and a red-faced Quackity held up between them.
Everyone tenses as someone rapidly approaches, coming down the hallway and then tearing into the room like a wild animal before nearly tripping into the fireplace as it whirls about to face them, messy hair poking every-which-way and is - is that Charlie?
Charlie heaves, eyes huge and manic and clothes ripped apart with some strips barely hanging on by a thread as they dangle; the flames behind him shine against the hockey stick in his hand that’s bent where it’s been taped together in the middle and is making the cuts, scrapes, and the giant purple bruise covering half his face glow a sickly rainbow of colors.
His mouth opens. No one dares speak, waiting, as he proclaims:
“I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY DEFEATED AN OSTRICH.”
There’s no movement. No sound, until a noise starts up that reminds Ranboo a lot of how George’s water sounds when he heats it up for tea when Dream suddenly collapses onto the couch in a heap, doubling over with his face hidden in his hands and knees.
Quickly checking to see if he’s alright, Ranboo props himself up with his front paws on Dream’s leg and nudges at an arm to get to his face, and realizes two things: one, the noise is coming from him, and two, Dream is crying.
Terrified and bewildered, he scratches at Dream’s shoulder and keens for the man to look up so that he can see what’s hurt and why there’s tears falling down his cheeks and why he sounds like he’s DYING.
“Dream! Knock it off, your wheezing is freaking Ranboo out!” George yells as he comes over and slaps Dream hard on the back, which Ranboo does not like at all! The last thing Dream needs is to get even more hurt, especially when he’s not able to protect himself! So he barks at George to go away and to stay away, and only goes back to checking over Dream when the other does back off with his arms up in surrender.
After what must have been forever, Dream finally lifts his head to show a red, tear-streaked face.
“I - I’m fine, I - *wheeze*, jus’ *cough* just give me a sec,” he chokes out.
Not knowing what to do or how to help, Ranboo just stays close and presses his forehead against a wet cheek with a whimper, which promptly switches into a yelp as he’s unexpectedly lifted and placed on Dream’s chest as the man rolls onto his back to lay on the couch. After steadying himself, Ranboo looks down to see the biggest smile he’s ever seen on Dream yet.
His tail goes crazy with relief and he licks Dream’s nose without thought, making the man laugh before turning to the side to cough some more; when done coughing, glimmering green eyes look back up at him.
“You really are just too cute, you know that?”
“AwooOO!”
Ducking his head down between Dream’s jaw and the back of the couch as everyone laughs, he happily stays laying on the chest and getting more pets as Charlie tells his story about his fight with a very big bird. Ranboo really wants to hear the whole thing, but as he puts down his head once it starts getting too heavy to hold up, and the voices around him start getting softer and his eyes start drooping, his bed sits up with a chuckle.
Ranboo settles into the large arms that begin carrying him to what could only be the nest, and is sleepily watching below as the living room carpet changes to wood when the ride stops. Although very hard to do, he sleepily lifts his head to see Dream looking over a shoulder back into the living room.
“You guys feel like heading up to bed early with us?”
Does he mean..?
And yes, he does, because now almost the whole pack is going up the stairs with them, and only separate to go down hallways to their own rooms to change; after Dream’s done and picks him back up on his way out of his room the entire pack’s waiting outside the door, Sapnap carrying a grumbling Patches and Karl dragging a half-asleep Eret out of her room behind him as they head up the last staircase to the top floor.
As soon as the doors are opened, the group of humans transform into massive wolves that pile into the nest as one. They leave a path to the center of the nest, and Dream carries Ranboo in his mouth straight to the spot that he’s slept in every night he’s been but that very first that now feels like so long ago.
Ranboo’s so tired, and when he’s put down wants to sleep but keeps himself up. He looks past the familiar wall of golden fur to the sea of different colored furs that now lay beyond it, to the wolves that are surrounding him and making this place feel like a real, true pack nest.
And when it does get to be too much work blinking his eyes back open, he snuggles against Dream’s cheek, not minding - enjoying - the huffs, the snores, and even the paw that’s the size of his head that accidentally shoves into him that’s followed by a quiet, whined sorry.
He begins shutting his eyes for the last time of the day when something shines in them, and a strained look out of the window shows past the trees, in a spot in the sky clear of clouds, a peek of a colorful sunset just before it goes to sleep too.
He’s warm.
He’s wanted.
He’s home.