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Tubbo didn’t always sleep, but when he did, he slept a long time. Much longer than Ranboo. So when Ranboo woke up to an empty bed, they were shocked, as they specifically remembered cuddling him to sleep. They got out of bed, stretching their long limbs, before making their way to the kitchen.
“Tubbo?” they called out, “You there?”
They were met with silence. They peeked around the kitchen, seeing it empty. They sighed and walked to Michael’s room. It was still early, the sun low in the sky, so they weren’t shocked to see Michael sleeping soundly. Once they were sure Michael was safe and sound, they went back to their room.
They sent Tubbo a message, asking about his health and whereabouts, before getting dressed themself in a button up and jeans, slipping on their coat and boots by the door. It wasn’t snowing today, but the ground was concealed by a thick layer of freshly fallen snow. It must have stopped recently. That worried Ranboo. They just hoped that Tubbo was in a safe, warm location.
They set off, searching for their husband in the commune. They searched everywhere they could see, asking anyone they came across (which was only Niki and Jack) if they had seen the sheep hybrid. But nobody knew, and Ranboo had covered most, if not all, of Snowchester’s territory. They checked their communicator again, to see no new messages. Just as they were putting it away, the comm buzzed with a message. They hurriedly pulled it out only to see Technoblade from the man himself. Ranboo sighed in annoyance and defeat.
They made their way to the wall of Snowchester, squinting to see if they could spot any sign of their husband. Their breath hitched when they noticed a boot on the ground by the forest outside the walls. Ranboo quickly scaled the stone wall and jogged over to it. They picked it up, definitely Tubbo’s, as it was small. They trudged through the snowy woods searching for any sign of Tubbo. The woods, luckily, weren’t too big, so they covered the ground fairly quickly. No sign of him. They were losing hope of ever finding him. They exited the woods before realizing that they didn’t know where they were. They cursed their memory problems as they tried to remember where they came from. They walked as they thought, nearing a cliffside. When they focused again they saw the cliff, and what was standing at the edge.
“Tubbo!” they called out, “Oh my prime, Tubbo there you are! I was looking all over for you.”
They reached him, noticing his lack of reaction.
“Tubbo?”
They placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Tubbo’s head slowly turned to look at the hand, before looking at Ranboo’s face. His gaze was empty, as if his mind had taken a backseat. This is when Ranboo noticed his state. He was in his sleeping clothes, a t-shirt and boxers, only one shoe on. He was cold to the touch and he was shaking. Ranboo quickly sprung into action. They took off their coat, wrapping it around him, and handed him the stray boot.
“Put on my coat and your boot. Let’s go home.”
Tubbo didn’t seem to understand the words that were being spoken to him, so Ranboo decided to do it themself. They tucked his arms into the sleeves and put the boot on for him. They then grabbed his sleeve-covered hand.
“Come on. Let’s go home, Bee.”
Ranboo started walking, still holding Tubbo’s hand. He seemed to take the hint, and followed behind them, letting himself be led. Ranboo mentally facepalmed at themself as they pulled out their compass that led to home. Tubbo had gotten it for them when they mentioned that sometimes they got lost when they suddenly forgot things.
The two made their way to the walls, Ranboo carrying Tubbo to the other side before setting him down again and leading him onward. They reached their home without trouble and Ranboo led Tubbo inside. They took off their own boots before taking off their husband’s boots and coat. They picked him up, carrying him to the couch. They wrapped him in a blanket and started up the fireplace. They glanced at him, seeing that his shivering had lessened, before going to the kitchen. They made two cups of hot tea and headed back to the couch.
They handed one mug to Tubbo, who mindlessly grabbed it, and sat down next to him.
“I put ice in it so you wouldn’t burn yourself. It’s safe to drink, see.”
They took a sip of their tea, Tubbo copying and sipping his.
The two of them sat there in silence, sipping their tea and enjoying the warmth of the cozy fire. When Tubbo finished, Ranboo took his mug and set it down on the coffee table for him. Tubbo leaned on Ranboo, setting his head on their shoulder as they dozed off. Ranboo put their arm around him, brushing their hands through his hair gently. Eventually, Tubbo had fallen asleep, and Ranboo was sitting in the quiet. That was until they heard a small snort. They looked up to see their son standing nearby.
“Michael”
He squealed in response, recognizing his own name. Ranboo slowly got up and gently laid Tubbo down on the couch, covering him in the blanket.
They made breakfast for Michael and themself, before cleaning up and drawing with their son. Around three or so hours later, Ranboo heard Tubbo groan from the couch. They quickly knelt next to him, brushing his hair out of his eyes. Those eyes slowly opened and Tubbo yawned.
“Boo?” his voice was heavy from sleep, “What happened? Why am I on the couch?” his voice took that teasing tone, “I didn’t do something to upset the hubby, did I?”
“No, Bee, you didn’t. Do you remember anything from last night or this morning?”
Tubbo sat up, stretching. “Not really. I remember going to bed with you, and then I remember waking up on the couch just now. What happened?”
Ranboo hesitated, not sure how to word the explanation. “Well, you were missing when I woke up, so I looked for you. I found you on the edge of a cliff outside the walls. You weren’t responding and I don’t think you could hear me. I took you home and made you tea. Does any of that sound familiar?”
Tubbo’s face looked panicked. “Oh god, Ranboo, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that was real, I thought it was a dream. I- I don’t- I’m sorry. Please- Please don’t be mad.”
Ranboo rubbed his shoulder in comfort. “Hey, hey, calm down, breathe. Why would I be mad? What happened?”
“I- I let myself be vulnerable, I was weak, if anyone else had found me- hell, if a mob had found me, I’d be- I wouldn’t- why aren’t you mad? I let my guard down, I’m so stupid! And all because of some damn dream.” Tubbo was breathing erratically.
“Hey. It’s okay. You didn’t mean to. I could never get mad at you, beloved. You’re not stupid. It’s okay. You did worry me, but it wasn’t your fault. Whatever happened to put you in that state, that’s not your fault. Okay?”
Tubbo took a deep breath. “Okay.”
Ranboo sat beside him on the couch. “Do you want to talk about it? About what happened to make you like that?”
Tubbo paused, internally debating if he should tell. “Well, maybe it could help. But you have to promise not to get mad at me.”
“I promise.”
“Well, I had a dream. It didn’t start off as a bad dream. I was back in the whitehouse, during Schlatt’s presidency, not mine. I was walking in the halls and I saw Big Q. He told me some cryptic shit that I don’t remember, but I think it was a warning. I kept walking though. I heard Schlatt’s drunk laughter. He laughed differently when he was drunk, less mocking, more… more unhinged. I knew he was drunk, and bad things always happened when he was drunk, but I kept walking. It got louder and louder, but I kept walking towards the door. I knew he was on the other side, but I still walked to it. The laughter stopped when I opened it. I thought it was his office, but when I walked through the door, it was a dark room. All I could see was a mirror. I saw myself, not my current self, but a past version of me. I was younger, I had no scars, I looked so... scared. In the mirror, I could see Schlatt behind me. I turned to look at him, but there was just darkness. When I turned back around, I saw Schlatt instead of myself in the mirror. He hit me and then I woke up. I couldn’t think, couldn’t feel. I just knew I had to leave. I put on my boots and walked. I don’t know what time it was, but It was dark. I walked to the cliff. I was so close to walking off, I don’t know what stopped me, but I stopped. I just stood there. It was so cold, I felt so numb. Inside and out. Then you came. I’ve been like this before, but it was never that bad, and it never lasted that long. I just feel bad that I made you take care of me.”
Ranboo was still processing, but they made sure to reassure Tubbo, “You didn’t make me do anything, I did it because I wanted to. I want to take care of you, I want to make sure you’re okay. I value your health and I value you. What would you have done if you were in my shoes? If I were the one who was dissociating?”
Tubbo looked ashamed, “I would have helped you.”
“Exactly. You matter to me, Bee. I love you.”
Tubbo smiled. “I love you too.” His stomach grumbled. “Now let’s eat lunch, I’m hungry as fuck.”
Ranboo chuckled, standing up. “Alright. Cmon.”