Chapter Text
Tubbo and Ranboo arrived at Snowchester out of breath, both of them having exhausted themselves on the journey over. Ranboo was sure it was the fastest time they’d ever made, and his lungs were still paying the price for it. Tubbo was clutching his sides as well as he bounded up the front stairs of his porch.
“Fucking door’s locked,” Tubbo said, shaking his mop of brown hair out of his eyes and backing up a few steps, looking ready to charge. “I’ll kick it down.”
“Tubbo, no.” Ranboo deadpanned, reaching into his pockets to bring out a house key. “We literally live here, we have a key.”
“Oh.” Tubbo said. He reached into the sheath on his back, pulling out his netherite axe. Ranboo unlocked the door and Tubbo went in first, head on a swivel, looking for anything out of place. When he saw nothing, he moved on further into the house and Ranboo followed.
They found the kitchen empty as well, along with the rest of their quick sweep of the first floor.
“Maybe upstairs,” Tubbo guessed, hastily moving to the ladder up to Michael’s room. Ranboo followed behind him up the ladder, silence heavy in the air.
The room was dark, and Tubbo could barely make out two forms on the bed, the larger of them wiggling around, and the smaller curled in the arms of the larger.
“Are they just sleeping?” Ranboo asked, tilting his head in confusion,
“Where’s the light?” Tubbo asked, reaching a hand out and knocking into Ranboo’s chest. Ranboo felt around the wall to his left, moving until he found a switch which quickly lit up the room.
Ranboo’s eyes immediately landed upon the blood on both the sheets and Tommy, moving forward quickly to the bed in a panicked frenzy.
“Tommy!” Tubbo yelled, leaping forward as well. Soon the pair were both leaning on the edge of the bed, Ranboo gingerly checking over Tommy’s wounds while Tubbo attempted to shake the blonde awake. Michael seemed to be unharmed, the soft noise of his snores echoing out familiarly in the child’s room. In fact, he didn’t seem to have a drop of blood on him, Ranboo noticed.
“Tommy!” Tubbo cried, shaking him even harder.
“Tubbo- Tubbo, stop,” Ranboo interjected, pulling the goat hybrid back from Tommy. “Tubbo, it’s okay, he’s fine.”
Tubbo turned around to face Ranboo, promptly sobbing into his chest, clutching the material of Ranboo’s winter coat vigorously.
“He’s- he’s” Tubbo choked out, too overwhelmed with emotion to even finish a sentence.
“Tubbo,” Ranboo crooned, carding a hand through Tubbo’s unruly hair, attempting to console the crying goat hybrid. “He’s okay,” Ranboo reassured once again. “Just look at ‘em.”
Tubbo cried even harder into Ranboo’s chest.
Okay, so maybe Ranboo wasn’t the best at calming people down. Even he could admit that.
“Bo, look, he’s fine. His chest is moving. And look at his ears,” Ranboo tried once again.
Tubbo buried his face deeper into the comfort of Ranboo’s embrace, shaking his head back and forth at an alarming rate. Ranboo, on the other hand, was watching both Tommy and Michael’s chests moving up and down with each breath, reassuring himself that the two were both definitely okay. Because, after all, if Ranboo didn’t believe they were okay himself he’d never be able to convince Tubbo.
“Tubbo, please, just look at him. Tommy’s fine, he’s just manifesting.”
Tubbo sniffled, breaking his embrace with Ranboo. “Wh-what?”
Ranboo nudged him forward. “See?” The ender-hybrid pushed back Tommy’s blood stained hair to show a fluffy ear emerging from the side of his head that definitely hadn’t been there when they’d left earlier that night. Ranboo grabbed Tubbo’s hand, guiding it to Tommy’s chest, where he laid it upon the hybrid’s heart.
“Feel that? He’s breathing, just passed out. Probably from the pain.” Ranboo let go of Tubbo’s hand, and the two stood in silence for a peaceful moment.
“Oh.” Tubbo finally said. He looked to Ranboo as if to explain himself, gesturing vaguely with his hands. “I saw the blood on him and I thought- well you know- and it would’ve been his last. His last um-”
“No, it’s okay, I was worried too.” Ranboo supplied, swiping the tear tracks off of Tubbo’s face with his jacket sleeve. “But he’s okay. We’re okay.”
Tubbo nodded. “Wow.”
“Yeah,” Ranboo agreed. “Wow.”
Michael stirred in his sleep, stretching out both his arms and legs, the tell tale sign of his awakening. Tubbo rushed to the other side of the room, reaching out his arms to pull his son from the bed.
Michael yawned against Tubbo, nuzzling his snout into the junction of his father’s neck and shoulder. “Papa?” He asked, communicating in one of the only English words he knew so far.
“Hey bud, go back to sleep okay? I’ll take you to go sleep in me and Dada’s bed tonight.” Michael gave no response other than a slight snuffle and the slightest movement of an arm.
“Why don’t you go put him to bed downstairs real quick, and I’ll start cleaning Tommy up.” Ranboo suggested. Tubbo nodded, moving to head down the ladder. Ranboo followed him down, hurrying to the kitchen to grab a hidden health pot and a few washcloths for the blood.
Once back in Michael’s bedroom, Ranboo gently started washing the blood off of Tommy’s head where his ears had grown in. Which was harder than it seemed, seeing as Tommy was laying on his side. Tubbo soon joined him to help, Ranboo handing him a washcloth.
“I can’t believe Tommy’s a hybrid,” Tubbo said. He lifted one of Tommy’s hands up to see pointy nails where nearly chewed off ones were just mere hours ago. “His traits emerged so late.”
Ranboo nodded along, trying to get a particularly sticky clump of blood out of Tommy’s hair. “The ear looks like maybe some sort of furry animal like a ferret or raccoon.” Ranboo noticed.
Tubbo leaned closer, brushing his hand along Tommy’s ear. “Raccoon.” He confirmed. “Makes sense.”
Ranboo shrugs. “I feel bad. We should have been here. I can only imagine what he had to go through alone.”
“Well,” Tubbo said, “at least he’ll be okay. Had me worried out of my mind for a minute there.”
“Mhm,” Ranboo hummed in agreement.
Tommy’s eyebrows tightened suddenly, and the boy tossed underneath the covers, looking lost in a bad dream. Ranboo jumped back an inch or two, placing the washcloth on Michael’s side table.
“Tommy?” Tubbo asked, grabbing onto one of the boy's hands. Tommy grumbled out something, blinking bleary eyes open to far too bright lights.
Tommy reached the hand that wasn’t anchored to Tubbo’s up to his eyes to block the light.
“Toms, can you hear me?” Tubbo asked, squeezing the younger’s hand.
“Tubbo?” Tommy questioned, taking the hand away from his face.
Tubbo smiled for the first time since Tommy messaged him that night, finally letting go of Tommy’s hand. “Hey big man. How ya feeling?”
Tommy tried to sit up, immediately yelping and deciding to continue laying back on his side. “Like shit.” His voice came out hoarse and the new fangs gave him the tiniest bit of a lisp. Tubbo would definitely be making fun of him for that later.
“Here,” Ranboo said, tilting the health potion towards Tommy’s lips. “Drink up.”
Tommy accepted graciously, downing the revolting concoction in one big gulp. “Thanks. Sorry to interrupt your night out.”
“No problem.” Ranboo said. “Just glad to see you’re okay.”
“We were worried.” Tubbo added. “But I uh, I like the new look.”
Tommy squinted his eyes together, trying to remember what Tubbo would be talking about.
He abruptly recalled his transition and reached a hand up to his head to feel the new furry appendages. The jarring stabs of pain from his teeth and back combined with his headache suddenly made a lot more sense. Tommy blushed, trying to cover himself with the blankets. “I can’t believe this is happening,” he mumbled.
Ranboo chuckled, pulling the blankets back down from suffocating him. “I wasn’t expecting it either.”
“Came as a complete shock to me as well, bossman.” Tubbo interjected.
Tommy yawned, snuggling back into the covers. He reached out a hand behind him, searching blindly for something in the bed he couldn’t seem to find.
A strange whine tore its way through his throat, making both Tubbo and Ranboo’s eyes widen. They’d both have to get used to Tommy’s new hybrid traits.
“Where’s Michael?” Tommy grumbled, reaching his arm back around to hug his side.
“We put him to bed downstairs,” Tubbo explained.
“Oh.” Tommy frowned, looking dejected.
“Should we let you get some more sleep?” Ranboo questioned, unsure as to what else they could do for him.
“Mhm,” Tommy agreed, closing his eyes.
“Sleep well then, we’ll be back to check on you in a little while.” Tubbo said.
Tommy’s eyes shot open. “Wait, no!” He yelped as Ranboo began to open the trapdoor. “Stay? Please?”
Tubbo casted a look over to Ranboo. He remembered his own transition, when he was incredibly clingy and imprinting on those he’d considered family at the time. The fact that Tommy was now doing the same to Tubbo that Tubbo had done to him all those years ago caused Tubbo’s heart to nearly crack in half from all the love he felt for the boy.
Ranboo was his husband, but Tommy would always be his best friend.
Tubbo’s eyes prickled with tears, and he threw his winter coat off to the side, climbing up on Michael’s bed. He ruffled Tommy’s hair, being extremely cautious when laying down behind him. “I’m so going to tease you about this later,” Tubbo crooned.
“Bitch,” Tommy muttered, shuffling to get comfortable again. He yawned, eyes closing with the effort, and held his arms out wide in front of him. “Boo.” Tommy said.
Ranboo’s eyes widened comically from where he still held on to the trapdoor. “Me?” He asked, pointing a clawed hand to his own chest. The blush on his cheeks was evident in the
“You heard the man, Ranboo. Join in on the cuddle.” Tubbo said.
“Well-I-uh, just let me, let me get Michael first. Then I will. Shouldn’t leave him alone.” Ranboo disappeared down the trapdoor and reemerged with his sleeping son minutes later.
Tubbo was already fast asleep, chest rising heavily with every breath. Ranboo climbed into the bed, taking the spare spot on the other side of Tommy. He tucked Michael in between the two, then reached lanky arms out to hold them both tight.
Tommy’s head was pounding intensely, and the steady, excruciating pain reverberated throughout his entire being, but for the first time in a long while the blonde felt truly at home.