Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ranboo freezes as he sees the hero in front of him. “Haa... haha damn just my luck” He wasn’t sure how he’d be able to get out of this one. There he was standing maybe about ten feet away from the Number One hero, The Blade.

Now you must be wondering how the hell did Ranboo, a normal teenager, end up face to face with The Blade otherwise known as ‘The Blood God’. Well, that’s because he isn’t just your normal, average, teenager. He’s actually the famous vigilante Void. Well maybe not 'famous' (yet) but some people know of him, and he's been in the newspaper like once, even if it wasn't a big section it still counts! Anyways! To heroes, vigilantes are nuisances and get in the way. Thus being a vigilante is illegal. It's not illegal because it's dangerous and without proper training, you could get seriously injured. No, definitely not.

With that in mind, Ranboo thought about the situation he was in. Ranboo, clearly a vigilante, and 'The Blood God' a hero right in front of him. They were enemies but neither was moving as if time had just stopped. Thoughts were racing through Ranboo's head thinking and searching for an escape route. When all of a sudden he saw The Blade look down at his wrist. Probably some sort of communicator right? And just like that The Blade took off and disappeared. The teenager, barely able to move, started backing up slowly and thought of his house, his room, and his comfy bed.

Vwoop

When Ranboo opened his eyes he saw a familiar desk with a notebook on it that read 'Do Not Read'. The book was something Ranboo used to help remember things by writing them down. He calls the book his 'Memory Book'. He quickly flipped through the pages to make sure everything was in order. Relieved everything seemed okay, he realized the adrenaline from the encounter had worn off, he collapsed to his floor and just sat in silence for a moment. His bedroom had 2 beds, one for himself and one for his little brother Michael, who was sound asleep. His younger brother was only 6 years old but Ranboo was glad to have him, he made things a little easier.

He went to reach for Michael but there was a sudden stabbing pain in his arm. It felt like it was broken. "Ouch this is bad all I wanted was to go on a normal patrol, I didn't think I'd lose the villains AND see The Blade." Ranboo sighed knowing there was nothing he could change now. Sure being a vigilante was great but it was times like these where Ranboo thought that maybe it wasn't all that worth it. But then he remembers all the faces of the people he's helped so far and decides to keep helping people as much as he can. His arm ached. It seemed as though he wouldn't be able to go to school in the morning. Though he wasn't really complaining. Ranboo stood up and walked to his closet. In it there were bandages, and a first aid kit he could use to patch himself up, as he's been through this many times before. Not just because of vigilante work every time. He cringed at the thought.

As he finished patching himself up, he heard shuffling in the bed next to him. Ranboo looks over and sees Michael starting to wake up. When Michael noticed Ranboo he made a happy and surprised squeal. Michael is mostly mute, but he does speak occasionally to Ranboo. Even without much speaking Ranboo has grown to understand what Michael wants to some extent. "Boo! Boo!" Michael spoke with his small voice. "Hi Michael, yeah I'm back, I'm done for tonight so you don't have to worry anymore." Michael makes a small relieved smile. Curiously Michael looks at the bandages wrapped around Ranboo's arm. He points at them with a sad look that's asking for an explanation.

"Ah don't worry Michael I'm fine, I just got caught off guard it’s not a big deal." Michael thought for a moment and decided that's a good enough answer. "Oh yeah, that reminds me! I should write down what happened so I don't forget, that'd be bad if I encountered him again unaware he'd already seen me before" Michael followed him to his desk where his notebook lay. Michael is the only one Ranboo would ever let look in his memory book, and although it still makes him a little uncomfortable, he knows he can trust the small six-year-old.

---------------------------------

It was 12:45 and everyone in the house was asleep. Ranboo knew it was time to head out for patrol. He checked Michael's bed to make sure he was fast asleep and he was. Only Michael knows how Ranboo leaves at night. He already has his gear on, he puts on his mask and heads out the unlocked window. He usually doesn't encounter more than 1 or 2 muggings in one night. So he was surprised to see a full-on heist at the local bank. He only saw about 4 people none of them had any physical features that might give a hint about their powers (Or at least none Void noticed). Most 'villains' nowadays have powers so it's just expected even if it's not noticeable.

He decided to have a chat with them before beating them immediately like he definitely always does. "Hey, guys why don't you let me in on the fun." He said in a sarcastic tone. "Shit! Who's there!" Taking that as his cue, Void jumped from the roof of the building he was on. "Void!?" One of the criminals cried. "The one and only my good sir." Knowing they wouldn't win, the criminals tried to get back to their car before they could be caught.

Void went for the criminal he deemed strongest first, but he still wasn't much of a fight. After that, he decided to just knock them out all in one swoop. And surprisingly it worked. "Nice, that was easier than I thought it would be" Usually he'll take the unconscious criminals to the closest police station and write a note saying what they did, and putting his vigilante name on it so they know they're from him. As he was writing his note he noticed movement from the villains. When he looked over he saw blue wings starting to take off. He tried to stop them but it was too late and because Void can't fly, they ended up escaping from him.

"Ah well, that can't be good. I should've known they wouldn't have come unprepared for this." Either way, having wings as a power is really cool. Lucky him. Void thought. He decided that it was probably time to call it quits for tonight, as he was quite tired from catching all those criminals. Void turns to head home when he hears footsteps not too far away. He turns and he sees the number one hero 'The Blade' his idol. For a second he started to get excited and thought about asking for his autograph. And then he remembered that right now he's the vigilante Void.

He just stood there not knowing what to do, he wasn't sure what The Blade was doing because he wasn't moving either. Maybe this is an intimidation tactic? He wouldn't know. Without realizing, Void's breath had sped up, he was shaking a little, and he was gripping his arm too tight and was gonna break it at this rate. "Haa haha, damn just my luck." Void still couldn't move even though his instincts were screaming at him to run. Just as he was spiraling down in his thoughts, a sudden movement from the hero. Void stepped into a fighting stance, but The Blade didn't even notice as he looked down at his watch. He quickly turned and disappeared into the dark.

Void was surprised but wasn't disappointed. He didn't want to have to fight his idol and The Blood God. He was really tired now so he decided to go back home for tonight.

Vwoop

Chapter Text

Today was just another normal, boring day of patrol. Technoblade was ready to go home. In one night he had stopped 5 muggings, 2 drug deals, and 3 kidnappings. But overall a normal night for the number 1 hero 'The Blade'. He hated that nickname. Every time he heard someone say it he died a little on the inside. As he was ready to finally head home he got a notification from his communicator. The small screen had alerted Techno that there was a bank being robbed only 4 blocks away. He huffed and quickly got on his way to the bank. But what he didn’t expect to see was the vigilante Void.

VIGILANTE VOID!!!
E
BLOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD
Get rid of him
YOOO WHAT DA DOG DOIINN
Blood for the blood god
EEEEEEEEE

The Blade, despite the voices going crazy, stayed out of sight and observed the fight between the vigilante and the criminals. He noticed that Void’s fighting style was somewhat similar to his own. He watched as the villains were quickly defeated and knocked out. But he realized that Void had forgotten to tie them up. ‘Rookie mistake’ Techno thought. Just as he thought, the villains had a getaway plan. His eyes followed as they flew away to escape. He was about to start chasing them before they got too far, but he turned his gaze towards the vigilante that was staring right at him. Techno wasn’t quite sure what to do, neither of them was making a move despite the villains getting away.

IMPOSTER?? SUS?
Blood
Eee
TALK TO HIIIM
CHASE THEM
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD

Thankfully as if it was planned, he got a notification from his communicator that said to chase after the people that got away. He quickly glanced at the vigilante and turned to track the criminals.

Techno had quickly caught up with them and they were swiftly apprehended. He dropped the 4 off at the nearest police station, as he was too tired to take care of them himself. He briskly checked the time on his communicator. 2:06 AM. Ohhh shit. Techno was late. He was supposed to be back by 2:00. He knew that his partner, and long-time friend, would be worried that he took longer than he said he would.

He hurriedly headed back to his house in which he lived with his old friend Phil. Techno saw the silhouette of the home in the distance and sped up. As he reached the residence he checked the time. 2:14. Thankfully it had only taken him 8 minutes to reach his home. Technoblade noticed a winged figure standing on the porch, waiting for him. He knew immediately he was about to get questioned.

“Hey mate.” Phil greeted. Techno grunted in response, too tired to say anything more. “So? Why’re you late? It’s not like you, you usually come home as soon as possible.” Techno looked towards Phil “The usual… but I encountered the vigilante Void at a bank robbery.” Both the men walked inside the house as they talked. “Really? The one gaining popularity in the town over, right?” Phil looked at Techno with a slightly intrigued look. “Yeah, that’s the one. He forgot to tie up the criminals so I had to track them down instead.” Phil nodded along with him. “Well, that sure is interesting. Anyways, you look hellish. I'm sure you’re tired. I’ll let you go.” Techno only nodded in response as he was ready to go into his room.

Technoblade, despite being exhausted, couldn’t sleep a wink. He kept thinking about Void and his fighting techniques, and about if he were to teach him then Void could possibly become one of the strongest vigilantes. He shook off the strange thoughts because 1. Being a vigilante is illegal and 2. He shouldn’t help one, as he is the ‘Number 1 hero’. “So dumb” Techno whispered. He really hated the hierarchy between heroes. He never could’ve imagined himself being in the top 10, let alone Number 1. And he knew how toxic the hero community and the heroes themselves could be to young and aspiring heroes.

Techno could see the sun barely shining through the cracks in his curtains. He drifted off into what he thought was light sleep.

12:34

He stared at the clock in disbelief that he had actually slept till noon. He usually isn’t the type to sleep in. He stayed in bed a little longer just processing that he was awake. Despite it being almost afternoon he could feel a cool breeze from his window that he accidentally left open. The fresh air and the smell of grass calmed him. After he sat for a while he finally decided to get up after hearing yelling from inside another room, which was most likely Tommy and Wilbur arguing. He got dressed and stared out the window at their backyard. It was a long field with green grass and colorful flowers. They lived far from the town to not draw attention to themselves.

Technoblade opened his door and immediately noticed the smell of pancakes and coffee, probably leftover from breakfast (Which he had slept through). He walked down the creaky old stairs and saw a couple of pancakes on a plate with a note. “I made pancakes and coffee. Take as much as you'd like. I took Tubbo with me to the store, take care of Tommy and Wilbur.” Techno scoffed, Phil had always done something like this as if he can’t take care of himself. He grabbed himself only a cup of coffee because he decided it was a bit too late for pancakes.

Techno had assumed Tommy and Tubbo were skipping school again under the excuse of "Hero Training".

He heard thumping down the stairs and turned to face them. It was Tommy and Wilbur surprisingly not arguing. Instead, it looked as though they were giving each other the silent treatment.

“TECHNOOOO” Oh boy his ears sure hurt after that. “WILBUR WON’T LET ME PLAY HIS GUITAR!!!!!.” With how the boy screeched, Techno was surprised that he hadn't lost his voice yet. “OH MY GOD TOMMY I’M NOT GONNA LET YOU TOUCH SALLY WITH YOUR GREMLIN HANDS.” Sally was what Wilbur called his guitar. “EW, WHY DO YOU CALL IT THAT.” Everyone was wondering that as well. “AND I AM NOT A GREMLIN I AM A BIG MAN.”

Techno sighed. It was way too early for this already. Oh wait, it's already afternoon. Man his sense of time was messed up. He didn’t want to stay and listen to this anymore. He walked to the door and just left. But because he had enhanced senses he could still hear the two fighting even from outside the house. He looked around in front of the house deciding to go on a walk, and maybe go as far as the town.

Chapter Text

That morning Ranboo had woken up in his bed next to Michael. His arm had still ached but he was feeling more refreshed with the calm of the morning. He looked over at the digital clock. 9:47. Not too bad of a time to wake up after a long patrol night. Since Ranboo and Michael were able to sleep this long he assumed his dad had already left for work. He emitted a relieved sigh. He glanced around the room that looked as familiar as ever when he turned his gaze downwards at his hands. Up to about his elbow they were painfully scarred. The memories that he had tried to forget came running through his mind. His breath started quickening and his vision was going blurry. It was almost as if he could hear the screaming and crying. And it felt like it was happening again. He half snapped out of it as he looked next to himself as he felt Michael squirming around.

Careful trying not to wake him up, Ranboo tried to steady his breath and calm down. He didn’t want to panic Michael. He started counting to 10, a technique to calm down he taught himself. As usual, it worked pretty well and he was feeling a little better. Ranboo got up from the bed and went to open the small window in their room. He liked to listen to the sounds of cars driving by, and the chirps of crows on power lines. A very peaceful morning indeed. He checked his phone and seeing as he hasn't gotten any calls from the school must mean his dad called in sick for him.

Usually, if Ranboo wasn't up before his dad left for work, he knew that he was just gonna call in sick for him. They had a routine like this so they wouldn't have to see each other as much as possible. Ranboo definitely preferred being ignored rather than the alternative.

He brushed his messy black and white hair out of his eyes so he could get a better look at his room. It was a light green shade, with a couple of chips in the paint here and there. They had a brown dresser which only Michael really used because he wasn't able to reach in the closet. Ranboo has lived in this room for all of his life and it's barely changed at all. It was sort of a nostalgic feeling just thinking about the memories in the room.

He heard shuffling on the bed and turned to see Michael waking up.

"Good morning" Ranboo had kind of hoped he would sleep a little longer. "Boo!" Apparently, Michael was happy to see him as soon as he woke up.

"Hi buddy, did you sleep well last night?" He was lucky to get a good night's rest because he usually had nightmares that kept him up. "Mhm!" Michael seemed very cheery this morning. Maybe it was because they slept in the same bed together, if so Ranboo was glad.

That day was a Monday but since Ranboo still wasn’t feeling 100% he decided he wasn’t going to go to school. He missed about 3 classes a month on average because he got hurt while doing vigilante work.

But since Ranboo's arm was already feeling a little better he decided today would probably be a good day to take Michael shopping. Another secret only he and Michael knew was how abnormally fast his injuries healed. Just the night before, he had a broken arm, and now this morning it only felt sore and ached. Although he was thankful for it and it made vigilante work easier, he had to hide it no matter what. If a criminal organization had found he could heal abnormally fast he might be taken in for experiments.

He shakes his head trying to get rid of those thoughts that went through his mind. He focused on where he was gonna take Michael. Michael needed some new shirts as he had almost outgrown his others. Thankfully he was able to save up enough money to get them. Ranboo changed out of his pajamas and put on jeans and a plain long sleeve shirt. He helped Michael change into his clothes as well. By the time they were both ready to leave it was 10:21.

The place the two were going was an outdoor mall. They weren’t able to go there often because they both got overwhelmed very easily. “Okay, Michael we are gonna head to the nearby outlet.” The small six-year-old nodded in response. Ranboo could tell he was a little nervous. “It’ll be alright, just stay next to me alright?” Michael looked up at him and smiled “Okay Boo!” They made their way out of their room and down the stairs. He glanced at the house on their way out. ‘Home’ the thought of the word was strange because it didn’t feel like a home to him.

Since the mall was a little far the two had to take the bus to get there. Often around this time of the day, the busses aren’t very busy because everyone is either at school or work. Michael has kindergarten 3 days a week, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Ranboo was glad he didn’t have a full week of school because it would leave Michael tired. He knew it sure was exhausting for himself.

They could see the bus stop in the distance. Then Ranboo heard the bus already arriving. He quickly picked up Michael and the little boy laughed. He swiftly ran to the bus with Michael in his arms before it drove away. They barely made it in time and got on the bus. The few passengers gave them a couple of weird looks. It made sense as he was a teenager and had a toddler with him. The stares bothered him but he had learned to ignore them after many years.

Ranboo noticed Michael had fallen asleep and was leaning on his shoulder. He smiled as he looked at the small child. But he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness as he observed his sibling. Michael had gone through the same as he had. Ranboo was disappointed that he wasn’t able to keep Michael safe from all of it. He shook off the thoughts knowing that if he kept thinking about it he would end up crying.

Without realizing the bus had already reached their stop. He quickly woke up Michael. (Not without feeling bad though) They walked towards the crowded buildings. He noticed that Michael had gripped his hand tighter than he was before. He knew how it felt to be nervous, so he embraced the little one's hand.

They made a beeline for the store they usually stopped at. But Ranboo noticed Michael had wanted to take a look at a toy store they were passing. “Michael, do you want to take a look in there?” The boy looked up at him and hesitantly nodded. “Alright we can look around but you can only get one thing okay?” His sibling had already seemed much brighter at the thought of getting a new toy. He slightly bounced up and down as they walked. In big rainbow letters, the sign said “Puffy’s Toys!”. It was a very welcoming store.

Even Ranboo was intrigued by all the things in the store. Michael was pulling him along to look at some plushies stacked on top of each other. Ranboo glanced around the store. The toy store felt ‘Safe’. Which wasn’t something that he thought of often. The trains going around on the beams above them, the giggling of little kids, and the smell of candy made him think of the childhood he was never able to have. ‘Hopefully…’ he thought ‘He’d be able to give that kind of thing to Michael.’

Michael had brought him to some plushies that were from the game ‘Minecraft’. He only recognized it because he had heard others at school talking about it. Michael carefully picked out one that was black and had purple eyes. Ranboo was confused as to why he would pick one without much detail. Michael turned to face him and pointed at him. “Looks like you!”. Oh, that's why :). “Aw come on I know I’m tall and don’t have many defining features but I can’t possibly look like that!” He huffed. The boy giggled and held up the toy as if to say that was the one he had chosen.

“Okay okay, I’ll go pay for it. You can stay here and look around just make sure you stay in my sight, alright?” Even without saying it, he knew he could trust Michael to take care of himself, he wasn’t as weak as he looked. “M’kay!”

Ranboo walked up to the counter to pay. The cashier had a nametag that said ‘Puffy’. ‘Oh, they must be the owner of the shop.’ “Hi, is this all for today?” Surprised by the sudden conversation. “O-oh yeah” Puffy smiled at him. He finished paying and was about to leave. “Is this for yourself or a present for someone?” Ranboo didn’t expect them to continue talking to him. “This is um for my little brother. He’s right over there….” She gave him a confused look. “No one is there?” He turned to face her and turned back to where Michael should’ve been. “M-michael?” “Michael are you over there!” He started walking towards where he had left him. ‘Oh shit'

Chapter Text

There was no response.

Where was Michael?

Did something happen to him?

Was he kidnapped?

Did-did he leave Ranboo?

“-ey hey! Are you okay?!” The voice snapped Ranboo out of his thoughts momentarily. It was the cashier Puffy talking to him. “Uh, my my brother he- Michael he’s not where I left him and and I don’t know where he went.” His voice was shaky and was on the verge of tears. “Okay calm down it’ll be alright.” She spoke hastily “I won’t be able to help you look because I can’t abandon my shop, but I’ll call security and ask customers if they’ve seen him alright?” Barely able to get any words out Ranboo responded. “Yeah t-thank you I-I’ve got to go look for him now. Um sorry for the inconvenience bye!” He speed-walked away thinking that maybe Michael had gone to the clothing store and just expected Ranboo to follow him. ‘That wasn’t like him though’

Ranboo wasn’t even sure if Michael had the way memorized but it was the only idea he had at the moment. He could only think of the worst possibility. ‘Maybe he saw something and just accidentally wandered off. Yeah, that was probably it. Hopefully’

Because he was frantically looking around, he wasn’t necessarily paying attention to anyone else. As he swiftly rounded a corner he bumped into a person straight on. Ranboo had fallen but the other hadn’t. “Oh, oh my god! I-I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to r-run into you I w-was in in a hurry. I’m s-sorry” By this point he had tears streaming down his face from the stress. It felt like it burned even though he knew it was in his head. “Calm down kid it’s fine it was just an accident.” The stranger held out his hand. Ranboo flinched a little at the movement but then took hold of their hand and was pulled up.

“Are you alright?” There was a slight hint of concern in their monotone voice. Ranboo turned to look at the stranger. “The.. Blade…?” He noticed the Number 1 hero cringe as he said the name. “Haah. Yeah, yup that’s me.” “Anyways kid what’s wrong? Why’re you crying. Couldn’t be just because we bumped into each other.” The hero chuckles a little. “Oh w-well um my little brother he- his name is Michael and I don’t know w-where he went, I lost him.” Ranboo quickly spat out as fast as he can. It was overwhelming. Michael was missing and now he was talking to ‘The Blade’ whom of which he had seen the night before.

“Alright since I don’t have anything to do I’ll help you look for em.” Ranboo looked at him confused. Why would he help him? It makes no sense why would anyone want to help him. Oh Right. He was the number 1 hero so of course, he had to help. “T-thank you”

“No problem. Where was the last time you saw him?” It seemed as though he was really gonna help. “T-that shop over there. Puffy’s toy st-store.” Ranboo wasn’t crying anymore but he was still very shaken. He heard the man mumble something but couldn’t make out what he said. “Okay, I think I have an idea of where he might be.” Ranboo looked at him with a puzzled expression. “H-how…?” “Enhanced senses, remember?”

“Oh yeah right.” ‘The Blade was the only hero he looked up to but for some reason, he had forgotten his power.

The two weaved between the crowd. They reached an area Ranboo had never been in before. It felt unfamiliar, he started to panic but he knew he had to contain himself at least until he knew Michael was safe. Tears were threatening to roll down his face. Lost in his thoughts thinking the worse once again he had almost lost sight of The Blade. He sensed how the man had taken a glimpse at him a couple of times to make sure he was following.

It seemed as though they had finally gotten to an area where it started to open up. There weren’t as many people and he could hear the sounds of a fountain nearby. Ranboo almost rammed into the back of the man as he suddenly came to a stop.

“That your brother over there?” Ranboo’s eyes widened as he leaned over the pinkette’s shoulder. “Y-yeah that’s him that’s my Michael.” At this point, Ranboo wasn’t able to contain his tears. They trickled down his face. He didn’t have time to process that Michael was sitting next to 2 men and was holding an ice cream cone before rushing to his sibling. “Michael! Michael your okay!” The small boy noticed him and ran to him. “Boo!”

Ranboo hugged Michael as hard as he could never wanting to let go. “What happened? Are you okay? Do we need to go home?” Michael shook his head and pointed behind Ranboo. He turned and saw the 3 people standing watching the two reunite. Ranboo hid Michael behind him and got in a defensive stance. “Who are you. Why are you with Michael.” He glared at the 2 he didn’t recognize. One looked a bit older and had blonde hair, he also had large wings on his back. The other seemed to be around his age and had fluffy brown hair. The Blade was just standing back observing the interaction. He looked a little uncomfortable but Ranboo wasn’t sure why.

“Don’t worry we’re not gonna hurt you.” The blonde man put his hands up. “We just found him wandering around by himself and wanted to help him.” Ranboo was still a bit suspicious but loosened his guard a little. “Is that true Michael?” “Mhm!”

“We found him crying so I got him an ice cream I hope that’s alright.” The man was smiling and it looked truly genuine. “O-oh yeah thank you so much. I’m sorry it’s my fault I should’ve watched him closer.” Michael pulled on his arm to get his attention and shook his head. “But it was I-I I’m sorry Michael.”

“Hey, bossman I’m pretty sure it wasn’t your fault even your brother thinks so.” The brunette had spoken up. Michael furiously nodded. “See? Phil, you think so too right?” The blonde man- Phil looked up at the sound of his name. “Yeah, Michael told us he got separated because he saw a cute dog walking by.” Oh? “You talked?” “Mhm felt safe.” Michael said in a small voice. Ranboo smiled at the thought of Michael talking to someone other than him. “I see. Well, I’m proud of you.” The tears had finally completely stopped. “Oh, I forgot to ask, what’s your name? Phil asked. “M-my name is Ranboo.”

“Nice to meet you Ranboo. My name is Phil and he’s Tubbo.” The adrenaline had worn off and Ranboo had realized he was ‘talking’ with strangers. He started to shake a little. “Nice to meet ya bossman! Oh hey, do you perhaps go to the high school behind this place?” He didn’t understand why Tubbo would ask “Huh? Um yeah, I do.” The brunette’s face lit up. “I go there too! I wonder why I’ve never seen you.” Ranboo knew why. He didn’t talk much, and nobody ever really talked to him. Kind of like a ghost. “Any way! We should totally exchange numbers. You seem really cool.” How had he looked cool??? He just cried his eyes out in front of them. If anything he must’ve seemed like a weirdo.

“S-sure I wouldn’t mind.” They exchange phones and type in their numbers. “I’ll text you later when I’m home.” “O-ok.”

“Um, so Techno? Why are you here?” Techno? Who was Phil talking about? He turned and the only person there was The Blade. Wait The Blade was still there? Why was he just standing there? “Uh, I helped lead him- Ranboo to Michael.” The Blade answered? Wait wait wait. Did-did Ranboo just learn ‘The Blood God's REAL NAME?! Was he even allowed to know that? “Ah, that makes sense how he got here so fast.” So Phil and Tubbo knew The Blade? What. ‘This is too confusing I’m just gonna stop thinking.’

“Ranboo are you and Michael gonna keep shopping?” Oh yeah, they were shopping. “Yeah we uh need to get clothes for Michael.” He suddenly remembered the toy shop. Where was the toy he got for Michael? “Oh great.” Ranboo left it at the store. “Somethin’ wrong mate?” Phil asked. “I uh I bought a toy for Michael but I left it at the store.” “Oh, that’s alright bossman! We’ll come with you to get it. Won’t we Phil?” Tubbo said looking at the blonde man expectantly. “Sure. As long as Ranboo and Michael are okay with it though.” Tubbo turned to Ranboo. “Can we come along?” Giving him puppy eyes. Ranboo recognized those as eyes Michael had often used them. “Yeah I-it’s fine I think Michael would like that.” Ranboo faced Michael and the little boy nodded with enthusiasm.

“Techno are you gonna come with us?” Phil asked, “Um would it be alright?” The Blade- Techno? Looked as though he thought he was imposing on them. “O-of course it’s fine. The m-more the merrier r-right?”

Ranboo and Tubbo talked as they walked to Puffy’s toy store. Michael had grabbed hold of both their hands and stood between the two. Phil and Techno followed behind them having their own conversation. To Ranboo talking with Tubbo felt comfortable. He barely stuttered and was able to keep the conversation going.

When the five had finally reached the shop only Ranboo went in. The cashier Puffy recognized him immediately. “Hi! Were you able to find your brother?” “Y-yeah I found him. I came back because I left the plush.” She looked as if she remembered something then bent down to grab something. “This enderman plushie right?” Puffy held up a purplish-black toy with deep purple eyes. “That’s the one. Thank you.” “No problem! I’m glad you found your sibling.” Ranboo nodded to her as he left.

After talking with Tubbo and the others they decided they would tag along for the rest of the shopping, so they could continue talking. Tubbo was the one who had carried the conversation. Ranboo tried to speak as much as he could but it was tiring. Phil and Techno also spoke every once in a while. Michael often made little happy noises to show he was listening.

The rest of the shopping trip had gone well despite the rocky start. The five of them had gotten comfortable talking by the end of it. Although Ranboo felt guilty because Phil had ended up paying for Michael’s clothes. Of course, he was grateful and it was a nice gesture but he couldn’t help but feel that way. He wasn’t used to people being this nice to him. They had split up and both Ranboo and Michael were exhausted ready to go home. They hopped on the bus and Michael had fallen asleep on Ranboo’s shoulder again. Ranboo as well had drifted off into a light sleep.

Chapter Text

Ranboo thankfully didn't have any dreams on the ride home. He woke up as he recognized the movements of the bus pulling up to their stop. Ranboo carefully woke Michael. The boy was still half asleep when they got off the bus and walked to their house. The two went on in a comfortable silence both taking in the events of what happened at the mall.

Both were rather thrilled about having talked to people. And Ranboo even more so because he felt comfortable around them.

Ranboo noticed their father’s car was in the driveway. But since it was already 7:24 he knew that he would be in his room watching Tv or something. He unlocked the door quietly and crept up the stairs while still holding Michael’s hand. As they walked down the hallway he could hear the Tv playing the show “Tentacled-creature Game”

“Wow, he’s actually watching something good for once,” Ranboo whispers to himself. “... I hope he cries episode 6.” He deadpans

Michael tugs on Ranboo’s arm telling him to hurry up. He opens their door and they each go to their separate beds and promptly yield to the comfiness.

Ranboo looking over at Michael noticed that he was already asleep and hadn’t even changed into his pajamas. His brother was still clutching the enderman plushie. Although he was exhausted he still didn’t feel like going to sleep just yet. He decided to scroll on clik-clak until he dozed off. The first video that came up was a 13-year-old pug that had bones that day??? Although he didn’t understand what he meant he could admit that it did indeed feel like a bones day.

He suddenly got a text notification.

“Hey, bosois man! It’s me tubbo from earlier.” Oh, he actually texted me. I didn’t think he actually would. Wait wait wait wait. How do I respond? ‘Hey, it’s me ranboo’? No that sounds weird. ‘what’s up my broski’ nope no that is even worse actually. “hi.” And Send. It sounds awkward but I already sent it so there’s nothing I can do now I guess.

“you’re going to school tmr right?” Oh yeah, he had actually forgotten that he broke his arm the other night. “Yeah.” Oh god, why was he such a dry texter. “cool! i’ll see you at school then!!” “Mhm see you.”

Even though Ranboo was slightly cringing at his own texts he had a bubbly feeling in his chest.

Before he could even remember HOW HE MET THE BLOOD GOD he had already fallen asleep from how fatigued he was.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Ranboo awoke to the sudden beeping of his alarm. “Ughhghsd 6:30 already? Can’t I just take another day off?” He knew he couldn’t because if he was gone for too many days then he would have to go to Saturday school and prime knows that he isn’t doing that.

He gets up and turns off the alarm. Michael, a heavy sleeper, isn’t awake. But that’s fine because he only has school Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. And their dad was already at work so it didn’t make much of a difference to any other day.

Ranboo quickly got dressed and ready to go. Even though he may deny it he was quite excited to meet up with Tubbo and his friend. He walked down the stairs and opened the front door as the bright sun poured in.

Chapter Text

‘Another day of school yay. So fun. I am soo excited.’ Ranboo thought to himself as he walked to the bus stop. He took his black gloves from his pocket and put them on to hide his scars. His house was about half a mile from the school so he could probably make it there on time, but he was too lazy to do that. His mind was racing with thoughts about Tubbo and his friend (whose name he doesn’t know yet). Things like ‘Would they even like him?’ and ‘Would Tubbo regret talking to him?’. He tried his best to ignore it, but as he was waiting for the bus there wasn’t anything else to do.

He soon noticed another person was waiting at the bus stop standing a couple of feet from him. Which only ended up making him even more nervous. But as he started to fidget with the ring on his hand, the bus finally pulled up. ‘THANK PRIME!!!’ Ranboo thought glad he could listen to his music on the ride over.

He stepped onto the bus and sat near the back on the only empty seat. Even though it didn’t matter much he was happy he could sit on a window seat. Being able to look out of a moving car calmed him for some reason. Ranboo put it in earbuds and turned on his favorite artist ‘Lime Angel’.

*Pomf*

Ranboo turned to look at what the noise was. A blonde boy with purple eyes and a purple sweatshirt. He quickly turned back to his phone. Oh boy. That’s the person who was waiting at the bus stop with him, wasn’t it. ‘Great great! Now it’s awkward!’ Ranboo pretended like he was scrolling on Twimter so he didn’t draw any attention to himself. ‘Should I say something to him or????’

Ranboo spent the rest of the ride contemplating whether he should talk to them. By the time he decided to say something, the bus had already arrived at school.

‘Oh well okay, then I guess.’ It was obvious the bus had decided for him.

He walked to his class kind of regretting that he didn’t end up talking to them. ‘There’s always next time... Probably.’ But Ranboo felt like he forgot something? It had something to do with ‘someone?’ He wasn’t sure but he was certain that having to go upstairs for the first period should be illegal.

He walked into his class and it hit him in. Well to be fair ‘Something’ actually hit him. Ranboo looked down and recognized the culprit. Oh yeah, he was supposed to meet Tubbo. Wait how did he even forget that? He was so excited too.

“GOTCHA BITCH!” Tubbo shouted right in Ranboo’s ear. “Awhh c’mon Tubs you could’ve at least knocked him over as we planned!” A blonde wearing a red and white t-shirt exclaimed. Ranboo guessed he was the friend Tubbo talked about. “I tried! He looks like he’d fall easily but he’s too fuckin tall!” Tubbo rebutted. “EXCUSES EXCUSES.”

The two started bickering over whether the blonde one would be able to make Ranboo fall. Ranboo just watched for a bit not really knowing what to say. “Uhm-.” He started but couldn’t finish. “Oh yeah Ranboo! This is Tommy.” Tubbo finally introduced the other. “Ello bitch it’s me the one and only Big Man Tommy. Capitalized because it’s my OFFICIAL title.” Tommy was… Something alright. “Oh shut the fuck up Tommy. Ranboo you don’t have to call him that.” Ranboo was a little overwhelmed but they really seemed like nice people. “Nice to meet you-”

“Alright everyone sit down and I’ll start the lesson.” The teacher rudely interrupted “Awh man I guess we’ll talk after class.” Tubbo and Tommy went to their seats which were the 2 closest to the door. Which makes sense since everyone got to choose where they sat at the beginning of the year. Ranboo had chosen to sit near the back of the class next to a window. His reasoning was that he is going to do everything in his power to make sure nobody got ahead of themselves trying to be the main character.

His first class was History, so he was able to use a Chromebook and ended up playing ‘Ramp Game’ The whole time. It was as boring as usual but at least he had something to look forward to.

Chapter Text

Ranboo was mostly just zoning out while playing games on the computer. That was until he heard ‘The Words’. The two words spoken by a teacher would make any loner shiver just by mention. ‘Group Project’. If he wasn’t paying attention he sure was now. He started to notice people standing up and walking around to find partners. All while he just sat and watched. Internally he panicked because he doesn’t have a single friend in that class and he just hopes that the teacher will let him do it by himself.

After sitting there for a second more he got the courage to stand up and ask the teacher. But before he could do that he was stopped by Tommy and Tubbo. Oh, right they were ‘friends?’. But wouldn’t they do the project by themselves? Did they come over just to rub it in that he didn’t have a partner or something??!?!?!?

“Hey, Ranboo do you wanna work on this project with us!” Tubbo asked enthusiastically. “You have no choice in the matter bitch boy,” Tommy said rather offhandedly. “Hey! Tommy! You just met him don’t be so rude!” Tubbo said while smacking him playfully over the head.

Huh okay well Ranboo did not expect them to ask that for sure.

“Yeah sounds good.” It was the first time this year someone had asked to be partners first. Wow, that’s kinda sad. “Cool let’s decide on a topic then!” Tubbo went to go grab papers and pencils from his backpack for both himself and Tommy. Apparently, Tommy never brought materials he just relied on Tubbo.

But with Tubbo gone that left Tommy and Ranboo alone in awkward silence. “SO got any ideas RanBOOB?” He had a mischievous smile. Ranboob? That really is a… interesting nickname. “Uhm ideas for what?” Ranboo asked.

Tommy scoffed slightly, “Were you not listening to the teacher, like at all?” It was a little concerning to Ranboo if even Tommy knew what the project was about and he didn’t. “I uh was playing games on the computer.” He said with a slight tinge of pink on his face, embarrassed he didn’t pay attention. Tommy probably noticed the look of embarrassment. “Ah, I guess it’s fine whatever.” He stops and thinks for a bit. “ALL RIGHT! THE GREAT TOMMYINNIT WILL TELL YOU THE DETAILS OF THE PROJECT!” Despite the way, Tommy said it Ranboo was grateful. Tommy pulled up a chair from another desk and started explaining the project.

“Okay so for the project we have to choose one hero or one villain and research them. We can choose anyone we want. OH! He said we do it on vigilantes because the information is hard to find on them since they aren’t actually registered.” Tommy explained. At the mention of vigilantes, Ranboo slightly flinched. “Okay well easy enough I guess.”

“Did you guys start without me!” Tubbo said as he came into view. “Nah I was just explaining the project to Ranboo since HE WAS PLAYING GAMES WHILE THE TEACHER WAS TALKING,” Tommy said almost loud enough so the teacher would hear. Tubbo catching on to what Tommy was doing, continued. “Oh, it would be SUCH A SHAME IF RANBOO GOT IN TROUBLE FOR NOT PAYING ATTENTION.” Ranboo felt like he was going to burst with the amount of embarrassment welling up inside him. “Hey! It’s not my fault this class is so boring!” Ranboo defended himself.

*AHEM* “So you think my class is boring Mr. Beloved?” The teacher who was standing right behind Ranboo said. “Ah no- sir I- I was just joking! This is my- my favorite class.” Ranboo said trying not to get in trouble. He could hear Tubbo and Tommy giggling in the back. “Well, you better show it with this project then. If your group doesn’t get an A I’ll fail all three of you.” He said with a triumphant smirk. The other two stopped laughing at that point. The teacher turned and walked away.

“Hey he- he can’t actually do that can he?” Ranboo asked. “I’ve heard the horror stories from other people who have had his class but he’s worse than they say. OF COURSE, HE CAN!” Tubbo spoke like he was telling a spooky story. “Shit I’ve never gotten an A on anything in his class before,” Tommy said. They were doomed.