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Mornings in the Beloved household have been pretty quiet recently.
It took some time to get used to all the changes; whether it be moving into the mansion, adopting and raising Michael, or finally convincing Ranboo to move in, it was pretty stressful.
It wasn’t morning quite yet, the sun only just making a difference in the sky, but Tubbo was wide awake and sitting on his bed. Ranboo hadn’t come home last night like they promised they would, and the empty space next to Tubbo felt expansive at that fact.
He was used to the lanky hybrid crawling into their bed at ungodly hours of the night and passing out without a word, but something about the sun rising before their arrival worried Tubbo to no end. They’re never this late .
The boy rubbed his face in exhaustion and decided enough was enough. Tiptoeing out of bed and through the hall so as to not wake Michael, Tubbo entered the kitchen and stopped short.
Sitting at the table was Ranboo, albeit slightly disheveled. They were staring at some point in front of them while slowly tracing one of their many scars that litter their face with a single finger. Tubbo sighed in relief and was about to hug them from behind when he realized he recognized that blank expression.
The far away look, the tension still wound in their muscles, the silence. They’re enderwalking? It had been a recurring issue that had been plaguing their family since it began, but it seemed like it was getting better recently. Ranboo had said he only enderwalked once in the past week, a vast improvement to the previous daily schedule. It wouldn’t be unheard of for it to have happened tonight.
The only problem was that the telltale purple eyes weren’t there, replaced by the usual heterochromatic green and red eyes. Okay, Tubbo thought, at least they are fine in that department…
The boy walked slowly in front of Ranboo and sat across from them. They just continued to stare, only their tail responding with a small twitch.
“Ranboo, are you okay?” Tubbo said, placing his hand on top of their unoccupied one. At the touch, the hybrid blinked hard and looked up, still far away. They swallowed and opened their mouth a few times before giving up. A pit began in Tubbos stomach.
“Hey, you’re okay,” he reassured, “Just take a second and try again, okay?” Ranboo blinked again before lightly nodding. They closed their eyes fully and moved the hand at their face to rest on top of Tubbo’s.
“I- um…” they shakily started, “I think I- I was enderwalking? And um- I just- It won’t go away…”
“What won’t, Boo?” Tubbo prompted, gripping the hybrid’s hands tighter. They opened their eyes again and met his.
“Um, the- the feeling...”
“Does it still feel like you’re enderwalking?” Ranboo shook his head and inhaled deliberately. Tubbo creased his eyebrows and began tracing circles onto their slightly trembling palm. “You’re okay, just try to explain what you’re feeling, alright?” They nodded and took a few more deep breaths.
“It’s like- um… like floating? Kind of?” Ranboo nodded to themself slowly, “I- uh… Yeah, it’s- it’s floaty.” Tubbo hummed in acknowledgement as the pit in his stomach subsided. Tommy experienced the same kind of thing after he had panic attacks. Puffy explained it like your brain takes a step back to recover after something traumatic happens.
“Okay, well,” Tubbo said, smiling, “Do you want to try and sleep or would you rather stay here for a bit?” He knew that Tommy liked distraction and grounding when he felt like this, but he wasn’t sure what Ranboo’s preference was yet.
The hybrid’s eyes focused a bit and the trembling increased. A silent sizzling tear rolled down their cheek. “Just stay here, please” they whispered desperately. Tubbo felt his heart break in his chest.
Together, with the boy leading, they made their way to the living room couch and sat down softly. After a few moments of hitched breaths and silent tears, Tubbo opened his arms slightly, and smiled at the hybrid. Ranboo just stared for a moment until a small sob ripped from their throat and they leaned into the embrace.
The hybrid broke down in his arms, silent sobs wracking their frame as they gripped onto the back of the boy’s shirt. Tubbo whispered soft assurances, massaging their back and messing with their hair.
They stayed like that for a few minutes after Ranboo calmed down, hesitating to break the now comfortable moment. Sensing their hesitance, the boy slowly dragged them both into a lying position on the couch. The hybrid looked up, confused, but Tubbo just fluffed their hair and laid them back onto his chest. After a moment, Ranboo sighed contently and drifted off.
The sun was now peaking over the far mountains, setting the home in a soft glow. The birds chirped in the distance and the ocean crashed it’s waves against the beach below, but the house had settled into a beautiful silence, filled only with soft snores and the occasional creak of wood.
Tubbo stifled a yawn, realizing just how exhausted he was. He checked one last time that the hybrid was alright before closing his eyes, absentmindedly playing with their hair.
So, yeah , Tubbo thought while drifting off, pretty quiet morning in the Beloved household.