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“Ranboo, look at me,” Tubbo whispered, taking both of Ranboo’s hands in his. They were both sitting cross legged on their bed. Ranboo wouldn’t meet xer husband’s eyes. “Ranboo, please.” Tubbo reached up tentatively with one hand, cupping Ranboo’s face. Xe leaned into the touch, closing xer eyes as Tubbo’s thumb caressed xer face. His fingers ran over barely visible freckles, over dimples as Ranboo smiled softly, over little divots and raised scars, making ridges and valleys down the boy’s face. They could be lightning strikes; they could be a treasure map; the scars were one of the things Tubbo adored most about Ranboo.
Tubbo’s hand left Ranboo’s face; he drew his fingertips down Ranboo’s shoulder and arm, back to xer hand in xer lap. He inspected it, taking in slim fingers and yet more scars, and kissed it, looking up to Ranboo and smiling. Ranboo grinned softly back. Now would have been the moment where Ranboo would make a joke about Tubbo and his affection. Something like, ‘You’re such a romantic, Tubbo,” or even one of Tommy’s clingy jokes; but now was not that sort of time. “Do you want to start our exercises?”
“I can’t-,” Ranboo sniffled, reaching up to wipe any wetness from xer eyes with the back of xer hand, never letting go of Tubbo’s. “I can’t remember how.” Ranboo’s voice broke, and so did Tubbo’s heart.
Reaching over to Ranboo’s nightstand, Tubbo opened the top drawer, grabbing a little vial with vivid pink liquid swirling around in it: a healing potion. He also grabbed two simple golden rings that were sitting on top of a heavy book and an even heavier journal. Tubbo handed Ranboo the healing potion as well as the smaller of the rings; he accepted the items gratefully, setting the potion on xer knee, and reaching out to slide the ring onto one of Tubbo’s small horns. Tubbo smiled and did the same for Ranboo, who blinked once, slowly. “It’s okay, my dear, it’s okay.” Tubbo had lovingly dubbed Ranboo “my dear” one day, and it stuck. “Let me show you how, okay?”
Ranboo nodded, taking a shaky breath. A tear fell down xer face, and xe flinched, but let it fall. Xe made no move for the elixir that had fallen into xer lap at the sudden movement. There was a faint hiss as xer skin burned. Tubbo waited for it to stop before he continued. Another scar, another lightning strike, another road on a map. “We’re gonna start with your memory exercise. Here’s what we do, it’s very easy: I tell you things, like about you and me and other people. Simple things, names and residences and stuff. Then you repeat it back to me!”
Ranboo frowned. “What if I don’t remember? What if I forget the moment you tell me? What if-.”
Tubbo captured Ranboo in an embrace. An awkward, uncomfortable embrace, but one nonetheless. He hugged the panicking boy, rubbing circles in xer back. “Shh, shhh, it’ll be okay. My dear I promise, if you can’t remember something, I will just tell you again. It’s okay. I’d never be angry or- or annoyed. Sitting and thinking about the ‘what ifs’ won’t do anything but worry you. I don’t like to see you worry. It makes me worry, too.”
“I’m sorry,” Ranboo whispered, blinking rapidly to try and stop xer tears.
“It’s okay, it’s okay to worry. Your worries are big, and I know that. I feel how you feel when you worry. I’m always going to be here to help you through them.”
They sat like that for a while, until Ranboo’s back started to hurt, and Tubbo’s eyes started to droop closed again. Ranboo straightened up, stretching, and Tubbo yawned. Tubbo held Ranboo’s hands again, giving them a reassuring squeeze. Ranboo squeezed back, nodding. “Okay, I’m ready. Hit me with it.”
Tubbo nodded. “I want you to close your eyes, and take some deep breaths with me. I’ll close my eyes, too.” Ranboo wordlessly closed xer eyes, the long lashes casting shadows on xer cheeks from the lantern light. “Ready?” Ranboo nodded.
“In,” Tubbo inhaled dramatically, and heard Ranboo do the same. They held their breaths for about three seconds before Tubbo said, “And out.” They stayed that way for another three seconds. “Two more times. In,” Tubbo inhaled, and peeked his working eye open to catch a glimpse of his husband. “And out.” Tubbo exhaled, and watched Ranboo do the same. Xe really was lovely.
They finished their breathing, and then Tubbo let go of one of Ranboo’s hands. Confused, xe tried to reconnect, but Tubbo leaned forward, putting his hand over Ranboo’s heart. “You do the same for me,” he whispered. Ranboo leaned forward as well, placing on of xer hands over Tubbo’s heart. Everything was silent, except for the beating of their hearts.
After what felt like hours, but in reality, was only a few moments, Tubbo broke the silence. “Do you feel that? That’s my heart. I feel your heart. Yours and my hearts are still beating, which means we’re still living. We’re real, and we’re here, right now. Are you ready for me to start telling you things?”
Ranboo just nodded in response. Xer voice felt too big for such a small and private moment. “Okay. Your name is Ranboo.”
“My name is Ranboo.” Xe repeated, pointing to himself.
“My name is Tubbo.”
“Your name is Tubbo.” Xe pointed at the boy sitting across from xem.
“We live in Snowchester.”
“We live in Snowchester.”
“We have a son named Michael.”
“We have a son named Michael. We adopted him from the Nether,” Ranboo added.
“That’s good! You remember.” Tubbo smiled happily. “I’m going to ask you some questions, okay? They’re really easy.” Ranboo nodded, so Tubbo started talking. “What do I call you?”
“You call me lots of things. ‘My dear’ is your favorite, though.” Tubbo’s smile grew with each word.
“And what do you call me?”
“I call you lots of things, too. My favorite is Honeybee, because you love bees.”
Tubbo’s smile was soft, although there was just as much power behind it as his normal contagious grin. Ranboo could see a light pink dusting his cheeks. “My dear, you’re doing so well! One more question: What does Michael call us?”
“Michael calls you Bee, and me Boo. In that order specifically,” Ranboo grimaced half-heartedly, remembering a time when they had left Michael with Tommy, and he taught the little zombie pigman to call his parents ‘Boo Bee’ instead of ‘Bee and Boo.’ It had been funny at first, but took Michael months to unlearn.
“Yes, only that way,” Tubbo laughed, remembering. The two sat on their bed for a while, laughing and cracking jokes and sharing memories of distant, happier times. Eventually, Michael woke up and came to sit with them, snorting happily and shrieking with laughter.
They moved to the kitchen, where Ranboo got to work making a chaotically delicious breakfast. Tubbo sat and colored with Michael, but not before clearing his schedule for the day.
“Honeybee, you don’t have to; Michael and I know how important your presidency is, we can wait for you to come home.” Ranboo had protested, hugging Tubbo.
“But I do! I’m always soooooooooooooooo tired when I get home, and I just want to eat and sleep.” Tubbo pushed away and looked up so as to make eye contact with the boy above him.
“That is not true,” Ranboo said, giving xer husband a look. “You beg me for back massages, too.”
“Yeah, true, but that’s beside the point! I need this day.” Tubbo whined, shooting puppy eyes at Ranboo. “I miss you guys.”
Ranboo pulled Tubbo into another hug, which he gladly returned. “Prime, honeybee, you’re clingy.”
“You love it,” Tubbo mumbled into Ranboo’s chest.
“Mmmmmm,” Ranboo purred, xer tail swishing from side to side. “You’re right.”