Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“RUN!” A high-pitched child’s voice screamed, jolting Ranboo out of his sleep. The first thing that filled Ranboo’s nostrils was smoke. Heavy black smoke. Then he saw it, smoke creeping into his room, light flickering behind the door; a fire. The house was on fire. 

The door burst open, and his foster father, Joseph, stood there as Ranboo got up in a hurry. 

“Boo!” Joe yelled, grabbing one of Ranboo’s bags. “You need to jump out of the window!” 

“We’re on the second floor! I won’t make that jump!” Ranboo called, covering his ears as screaming from the same childish voice from earlier started filling the room. His little sister! Melissa! His mom! They were burning! “Mel! MOM-” Ranboo called, running to the door, and Joseph grabbed him back and shoved him to the window. 

“I’ll help them! You need to get out!” Joe called, and Ranboo panicked, looking between Joseph and the door. “Now, Ranboo! NOW!” Joseph demanded before running back into the blaze of the house, calling for his wife and daughter. 

Tears streamed down Ranboo’s face before the teen even noticed they were there. The smoke, which had already filled the room at this point, was suffocating enough that Ranboo opened the window to try and breathe the fresh air. He coughed harshly, a twisted feeling in his stomach that he just might puke. Whether it was the flames or the fact that his entire family was dying, Ranboo couldn’t tell. 

 Ranboo looked back within the place he was so used to calling home. The fire had crept into his room, devouring everything he owned. It was hungry, and it was coming for Ranboo. Like a predator to prey. 

Ranboo sat on the windowsill in fear, and he realized he didn’t have a choice other than to jump if he wanted to make it out alive. Blocking out the screams of his family as the flames charred their skin and they fell into the sleep of death. Ranboo hit the ground with a thud and a cry. He lay there in the wet grass of the front lawn, watching as his room exploded out in flames, the glass shattering and creating a rain of the sharp material. 

Ranboo flinched away from the falling glass; however, some did fall on him and cut him up, nothing too big, luckily. 

Ranboo stayed on the lawn until someone helped him up. 

He heard distant talking, and he registered something placed over his shoulders. A beautiful woman with a kind smile and gentle words stood in front of him, but Ranboo couldn’t even look in her direction. He stared at his home. He felt paramedics check him, up and down. Listening to his heart, checking his lungs, hell, they even looked down his throat, and he willingly let them. His body was on autopilot. 

In the background, he heard speaking, his mind registered some of the words something about a foster home, and no openings. Ranboo tuned the rest of it out, focusing on the house that was now collapsing into itself as firefighters tried putting it out; finally, the night filled with darkness as the last of flames got put out, and Ranboo felt his stomach dip. They were gone. Really gone. 

An officer stood in front of him, blocking his view of the home effectively. The officer looked kind… but intimidating at the same time. Ranboo looked up at his face. He was handsome, not that Ranboo noticed that kind of thing. 

He had a sharp jawline, and his nose was slim as it came down his face, but a bit… thicker? no, bigger around the nostrils. He had thin lips and hooded eyes. Interestingly enough, the iris’ around his eyes were pink. Almost as pink as his hair. He held his hand out, and while it looked roughed up, it was almost inviting. 

“Hey kid, c’mon,” The officer said, “You’re gonna come to stay with me until we can find you a place,” He said, and Ranboo accepted the hand with a dull mind. 

As he was led to a police car, Ranboo found it hard to breathe. And while that could just be the smoke in his lungs, he knew it was from this entire world crashing down on him. He’d lost three beautiful people: a father, a mother, and a little sister. 

The officer opened the door for him, and Ranboo sat down. He knew he must’ve looked half-dead, and he didn’t miss the officer’s look of pity. But, he couldn’t bring himself to care. He was exhausted, and sad, and fucking angry. 

The second time he’s lost a family to a fire. 

Ranboo was starting to believe he was cursed. 

Chapter Text

The car ride was pretty quiet. Neither one had much to say. Ranboo clutched the bag he’d been able to save from the roaring flames that destroyed his home. Inside was nothing more than clothes, maybe a phone charger, his drawing tablet, and a picture frame. 

The tablet, phone charger, and photo frame were always in this bag; they hardly left it. It was Ranboo’s automatic travel bag, for when he went from house to house. He never unpacked it, and he never wanted to risk getting too settled when he could be moved at any point. 

Ranboo watched as houses whipped by. Houses with families. Houses that weren’t going to meet the same fate that his own did. His stomach turned with anger and maybe a bit of jealousy. Why couldn’t he just be happy? All he’s ever wanted was a home. 

The officer glanced back at Ranboo, who was staring dead out of the window. 

“You’re name’s Ma-”

“Ranboo,” Ranboo cut him off immediately, “My name is Ranboo.”

“Okay, Ranboo,” The officer said, and Ranboo glanced over at him. Pink hair gave him a smile. 

“I’m Technoblade, but you can call me Techno,” Pink hair, Techno, said. Ranboo grinned a bit, and he couldn’t help it. Technoblade smiled back at him. 

--__--

Finally, they reached a small building. An apartment building. Both of them got out of the car, Ranboo having to wait for Techno to open the door, considering it was a police car. Ranboo followed Techno inside, watching as the bigger male spun keys around his middle finger. They walked up three flights of stairs before reaching Techno’s apartment. 

“Alright, here we are,” Techno grunted and allowed Ranboo in first. “Are you hungry?” He asked, and Ranboo shook his head. “Okay, well, I’m going to get you some water, and yes, you have to drink it. Take a seat,” Techno said, and Ranboo sat down. “How old are you, kid?” He asked. 

“16,” Ranboo responded, and Techno hummed. Ranboo set his bag down, running a hand through his hair. Finally, he was able to take a moment to try and breathe properly. He looked up and glanced into a mirror that was in the living room for some reason. 

His hair was long; he knew that. He’d been growing it out. Black soot scattered his face and his heterochromia eyes, green and grey, were bloodshot. His clothes, surprisingly, weren’t too dirty. They were grass-stained and dirty because he’d jumped into the lawn, but other than that, he was fine.

It was a miracle he was physically fine. 

“What’s going to happen to me?” Ranboo asked when Technoblade came back. However, he knew the answer. They were going to send him back to a foster home. Where he’d been until he reached 18 before getting kicked out to fend for himself. After all, no one wants to adopt a teenager. 

“I’m going to call my… Dad,” Techno said, hesitating on the word Dad.  “I”m going to see if he can help you.”

“He’s a social worker?” Ranboo asked, and Techno chuckled, shaking his head. 

“No, he’s a foster parent,” Techno said. “I was one of his foster kids, and a couple of my siblings are as well. I’m sure he’d been happy to take you,” Techno said. 

“Don’t I have to go back into the system?” Ranboo asked, and Techno nodded.

“Well, you’re already in the system. Your parents hadn’t finished their adoption papers in time, which is why you were supposed to continue seeing your social worker for updates and stuff. But, because said social worker failed to meet with you, obviously you didn’t have to do all of that. So you’re still very much in the system, Ranboo,” Techno explained. 

Ranboo nodded. Yeah, his social worker just kind of disappeared, and he never questioned it, though, and he hated her anyway. 

“So, what if your Dad can’t take me?” Ranboo asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Then either I’ll help out, or we’ll figure something out. But for now, drink this; and get some rest,” Techno said, handing him the water. Ranboo hummed but took a sip. It took a moment to realize just how thirsty he was because he then downed the refreshing drink, and Techno grinned at him. Techno offered to get him more, but Ranboo refused. Techno showed Ranboo to the spare room, insisting he gets some rest. 

Techno left after showing him his own room. They exchanged goodnights, and Ranboo sighed as Techno closed the door. He looked down at himself, shaking his head as he stood and opened the bag, and he pulled out an oversized shirt. 

As he was getting changed, he ignored the mirror that was connected to the closet door. He just lost his parents, and he didn’t need to be dysphoric too. 

Ranboo crawled into the bed, curling up. But to no one’s surprise, he didn’t sleep. He just lie there, staring at the wall. The events of the night playing through his mind. The screams of his parents and little sister as they were trapped. Trapped with no one to save them. 

Ranboo should’ve saved them. 

--__-- 

The sun had been up for a few hours, maybe two, and Ranboo’s eyes had gone dry from staring so hard at the wall. He blinked as there was a knock on the door, and he brokenly groaned, wincing as he tried lifting himself up. His body ached with exhaustion, and he almost collapsed back into the soft mattress as the door opened. 

Techno almost winced upon seeing him. “Hungry?” He asked. 

Ranboo wanted to refuse, but the smell of eggs and bacon made his stomach betray him. So he nodded slowly and moved to get out of the bed. His knees wobbled, and he was on the verge of collapsing; luckily, Techno had good reflexes and caught him. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Ranboo whispered, finding his footing again. “Didn’t sleep well,” he mumbled. 

“I figured. Here, lean on me,” Techno said, and Ranboo didn’t fight him. Or didn’t have the energy to. 

Techno supported him to the living room, sitting him down. Ranboo shivered, the apartment was cold, and Techno pulled a blanket over him. 

“Yeah, I know it’s cold in here. My landlord hasn’t fixed the heating issue yet,” Techno grumbled, and Ranboo chuckled. “Phil, my Dad, should be over soon. I called him earlier this morning. I think he’s bringing my little brother since I haven’t seen him in a while or something, I don’t know.” 

Ranboo chuckled again, nodding, “What’s your little brother’s name?” he asked.

“Well, the one Phil’s bring over is Tommy. But my younger twin is Wilbur. He’ll probably stop by too; he’s bringing me some… bread or something from the bakery they work at,”  Techno explained, and Ranboo nodded. 

“Do you have any other siblings?” Ranboo asked as Techno stood and walked into the kitchen to make sure nothing was burning. 

“I have another younger sibling, Niki,” Techno said, and Ranboo could hear the click of the stove as it was turned off. “She and Wilbur own the bakery. Phil adopted them… about three years ago; they’re 18. Wilbur and I are 23. Tommy is your age…” Techno started mumbling as if he was trying to remember ages. 

“Big family,” Ranboo commented, looking at pictures on the walls. 

In each picture, there was a line of people. On the far left stood a blond. He looked older than everyone else, his hair slightly long and braided to fit his face on each side right in front of his ears. His primary color seemed to be green.

Next to him stood a woman. She was a bit taller than him, with long raven black hair, and she looked… mystical. She had this smile that warmed Ranboo, despite only being a picture. In every frame she was in, she was wearing black or blue. Save for what looked like a wedding. 

“Is Phil married?” Ranboo asked, noticing the wedding photos. 

“Yes, but Kristin… has been away for a while,” Techno said, and Ranboo raised an eyebrow. 

“Did she pass?” Ranboo asked before he could stop himself. 

“No, but we haven’t seen her in a few years,” Techno said, stepping out with two plates in his hands. Ranboo nodded before looking at another photo. 

Next to who he assumed was Kristin stood Techno. Hair just as pink as ever, same with his eyes. That interested Ranboo, but he wouldn’t say anything just yet, accepting the plate from Techno. Techno’s primary color seemed to be pink, which wasn’t a surprise. 

“Like pink?” Ranboo asked, taking a bite of the bacon. Crispy, very good. 

“Is it that obvious?” Techno asked, glancing around the house. Ranboo then noticed how much pink was in the apartment. From frames to cup coasters. The couches weren’t, but pink was definitely an ‘accent’ color for Techno. Ranboo shrugged 

“It’s a nice color,” Ranboo said, and Techno nodded. 

Next to Techno was a brunette. Techno and the brunette looked a little similar. The same noses and hooded eyes. Ranboo assumed this was Wilbur. He wore round glasses and seemed to be wearing mainly yellow and brown, which was a weird combination, but it looked good on him. 

Next to Wilbur stood another with pink hair. She and Wilbur seemed to always be hugging. Ranboo assumed this was Niki; the photo of them all in the bakery probably gave it away. Their hair was purple, which was actually really pretty on her. They seemed to be very happy, while Techno always seemed to have a straight face, save for the wedding, there was a grin there. 

At the end of the line, there was either one or two standing. One was blond, like Phil, hair fluffy like a sheep. He was the tallest, other than Wilbur, who towered over everyone, and seemed to always be messing with the shorter one who sometimes stood next to him. A brunette, who was either in green or blue, had this awkward “I don’t know how to stand or smile” smile in the wedding photo but seemed more natural in the informal photos. 

Ranboo smiled; he liked the short brunette. He looked fun. 

“Who’s the brunette at the end?” Ranboo asked; he actually looked a little familiar. Like Ranboo had met him in passing or something.

“Oh, that’s Tubbo. He doesn’t live with us. Or, well, not technically, but he’s over at Phil’s more than his own house. So,” Techno shrugged, taking a bite of his food. 

There was a knock at the door, and Ranboo glanced up as Techno hummed and opened the door, setting the plate on the coffee table. Ranboo watched as the same blond at the very front of the line, usually in green, walked in with the tall blond. 

“Hey Phil, hey Tommy,” Techno greeted, side hugging Phil and having to full hug Tommy since Tommy dramatically hugged Techno. Ranboo grinned. 

“Tech! It’s been so long! You left me with him!” Tommy claimed, and Techno chuckled, patting his back a little harder than probably necessary. 

“I’m sure, if you’ve survived this long, you’ll survive a few more years,” Techno said, and Tommy groaned before sitting down on the loveseat. 

Phil sat where Techno was, which seemed fine as Techno picked up his plate and leaned against the wall, eating his bacon. 

“Hey, mate. You must be Ranboo,” Phil said, ignoring his children behind him as they bickered. Ranboo nodded, and Phil smiled kindly at him. It seemed to get warming in the room, and Ranboo swore the plants in the room livened up because of it. “I’m Phil, Techno’s adoptive father. I assume he’s told you a bit about me.” 

Ranboo nodded again, “He said you were a foster father,” Ranboo said, and Techno nodded. 

“Yes, I’ve taken in many kids. I’ve adopted Techno, Wilbur, and Niki; others either reach the age where they have to move out, or they’re adopted by other families,” Phil explained. “Though I haven’t taken in a teen in a while, usually they’re younger than 10.” 

“I’m 16,” Ranboo said, almost shyly. 

“Pog! Me too!” Tommy said, smiling warmly. Ranboo couldn’t help but return it. The room also seemed to get warmer, but Ranboo hardly noticed it. 

“You were the survivor in last night’s fire?” Phil asked, and Ranboo nodded the small smile dropping. “I’m very sorry, no one should have to go through that,” Phil spoke gently, and, while his words were pretty repetitive since everyone says that, they provided comfort to Ranboo. 

“If you’d like, you can come to check out my house, despite all of the adults moving out, they haven’t seemed to have left… so sometimes it gets a little chaotic, but you look like you can handle a little fun chaos,” Phil said, and Ranboo chuckled with a nod. 

“Sure,” Ranboo agreed, and Phil smiled again.

Chapter Text

After getting a small talk through by Phil (and a shower that honestly felt great against his sore muscles and gave him time to think), Ranboo found himself back in the spare room. Digging through his bag and pulling out a binder(one he didn’t know if it fit or not), shirt, and sweatpants. 

He struggled with the binder for a moment, but it fit, thankfully. He slipped on the shirt, which was about a size too big. He remembered this fitting properly once… when did he get thinner? He brushed it off. The shirt was half white, half black, and a circle in the dead center flipped the two colors. He liked the shirt, but he hadn’t worn it in a while. 

He slipped on the sweatpants, just you’re usual black ones. He had to tie these around the waist, and they were bigger than he remembered. Again, he brushed it off. Maybe his memories were just off. 

He ran a hand through his long hair, ruffling it up and poofing it out. His hair had always been thick and wild, which he felt brought a more masculine look to himself. Which was good. This was good. 

He slipped on some fingerless gloves just because they were there, and he liked them. Then, after slipping some socks on, he grabbed the bag and left the guest room. 

Making his way back to the living room, Tommy looked him up and down with a slight grin. “Nice shirt,” He complimented, and Ranboo muttered a small, “Thanks,” before Phil got his attention. 

“The ride to my house is about an hour-long since we live on the opposite side of town, so if you have something to do, or if you fall asleep, it’s fine. It’s a pretty long drive,” Phil said, and Ranboo nodded. “Alright, are you ready?” Ranboo nodded again. “Tommy, c’mon. Tech, are you coming with us or staying?” 

“I’ll bring the car back to the station and meet you back at home,” Techno said, and Phil nodded before everyone started to file out of the apartment and down to the parking lot. 

Phil’s car was bigger than Ranboo thought. It wasn’t as big as a van, per se, but it was still pretty big. Tommy hopped in the front seat, Ranboo happily got in the back. Backseat meant no one was paying attention to him, and Techno got into the cop car. Techno took off first, and Phil followed behind Techno before they split at an intersection about a mile away from the apartments. 

“Techno said you knew a kid named Tubbo? Is he adopted like the others?” Ranboo asked, and Phil almost jumped at the sudden voice. Ranboo grinned at the reaction; he had a habit of making adults jump. 

 “Yes, well, Tubbo isn’t technically, legally, mine. But he’s at our house more often than not, so we just count him in any way.” 

“So… Tubbo has parents then?” Ranboo asked; he could’ve sworn he’d seen Tubbo before, maybe briefly at a foster home. 

“No biological. His bio parent’s passed away when he was 3,” Phil said, “But his adoptive parent’s aren’t the kindest, hence why he stays at our place a lot.” 

“Yeah, they’re dicks,” Tommy jumped in, and Phil side-eyed him, “What? They are!” 

“Mhm, anyway, yes, I do know Tubbo. He’ll probably be at the house when we arrive. Why? Do you know him?” Phil asked, and Ranboo shrugged. 

“I recognized his picture, but from where I can’t remember. It’s just… a tickle in the back of my mind,” Ranboo said, and Phil nodded. 

“Well, maybe he’ll recognize you when we get there,” Phil said. Ranboo nodded, before looking out the window as the car fell back into silence, save for the soft radio playing the news or whatever song they announced was next. 

Ranboo tested to see if his tablet turned on; it didn’t. Luckily the phone charger fit it, so he’d be able to charge it later. For now, he stared out the window, watching as trees, houses, stores, and other things passed by. All in perfect condition. 

Ranboo tried not to be bitter. 

After all, it wasn’t their fault. 

It was his. 

A bump in the road knocked him out of those thoughts. He glanced outside, nothing was hit, thankfully, but it still shocked him enough. Phil and Tommy didn’t seem bothered. Tommy texting someone on his phone, Phil focused on the road. But for a second, Ranboo was freaked out.

It’s fine. 

You’re fine. 

Ranboo repeated that to himself. It was just a bump, nothing to be worked up about. He looked back out the window, and for a quick second, there was something in an alleyway. Now, this didn’t strike Ranboo as weird. Not at that point in time. After all, it’s the city. People use the alleyways to avoid foot traffic, no surprise that people would be in them. 

But the more he thought about it, the weirder that… figure seemed to be. Completely void of color, tall, and just freaky all around. Nothing like Ranboo had ever seen before. 

Ranboo decided to shove it away from his thoughts. There was nothing to worry about, just a person in passing that looked funny. Maybe they were just driving too fast. Yeah, that was it. Nothing more. 

During the ride, Ranboo had actually ended up falling asleep. Granted, it was only about a half-an-hour, but still, it was something. However, when he woke up, he just felt groggy and gross. But, the car had come to a stop, and when Ranboo finally lifted his head and opened his eyes, he was met with a pretty big house. 

It was a beautiful house, white with blue roofs. There was greenery surrounding the walls in vines and leaves. It seemed to be about three, maybe four, stories high, and jeez, it was bigger than Ranboo could’ve ever thought a house could be. Despite the fact 

And when Ranboo says big, he means manor size big. Surrounded by large acres of grassland and forest as well. Yeah… his eyes were opened pretty wide when he stepped out, and Phil glanced back at him, chuckling slightly. 

“Bigger than you thought?” He asked, and Ranboo was almost scared to nod. “Yeah, my 2 times great grandfather had this built a looooong time ago,” Phil said, stretching out the o in long. “I come from a long family history of… some sort of royalty, I think, I’m not completely sure.” 

Techno pulled up just at that point, in a red Audi… or something like that. Ranboo didn’t know cars. After turning the car off and hopping out, swinging the keys around his middle finger like he did the day before, he greeted the group with a slight nod. Tommy hopped over to him, showing him something on his phone, which pulled a chuckle from the officer. 

“You take the day off, Techno?” Phil asked as if he just remembered that Techno had an actual job. 

“I got my pager. If they need me, they’ll page me,” Techno said, and Phil nodded. 

“Alright, well, let’s head inside. It seems Niki and Wilbur are home,” Phil said before leading the way for the small group. 

Tommy bounced forward, swinging the door open. His call of Wilbur could be heard even from the outside. Ranboo stayed next to Techno until they got to the doorway. 

Techno held the door open for Ranboo, who carefully slipped inside, holding his bag close to his chest. Techno slipped in behind him, going to the side and taking his shoes off. Ranboo followed his lead, and Techno chuckled at him. 

“Breathe, you’ll be fine. There’s like three butlers in this entire home, and you’ll get to know them all pretty well,” Techno said gently. 

“There’s butlers here?!” Ranboo whispered aggressively, and a male, average height, still not as tall as Ranboo(because whose as tall as Ranboo?) approached them. 

“Welcome home, Techno! Phil is in the main room. You must be our new foster!” The male said, and Ranboo panicked between looking at Techni and the man. 

“He is,” Techno spoke. “Forgive him; he’s a little shy. Ranboo, how about you give your bag to him? He’ll take it upstairs to what could be your room. Skeppy’s old room, yes?” Techno said, and Ranboo just nodded and handed the bag over. 

“Thank you! Oh, my name is Charlie, by the way! You can call me whatever you’d like!” Charlie said, and Ranboo nodded before Charlie went up the stairs with a slip in his step.

 His outfit was fairly semi-formal/ more casual, just a nice green shirt and black pants. His hair was pretty wild; brown cowlicks and curls that look to have attempted to be flattened down stood proud. Ranboo glanced back at Techno, who shrugged at him. 

“I think he’s the happiest butler here,” Techno commented before leading Ranboo into the main room. Phil sat in a recliner, speaking to another male. His hair wasn’t much better than Charlie’s, but he wore a purple, silky shirt with black pants. 

“Ranboo! Come meet Karl!” Phil said, and Ranboo slowly made his way over to sit next to Tommy, who was sitting on the other couch away from Karl. Techno sat directly next to Karl, who smiled, looking at them all. 

“Wow, Techno, did you get buffer?” Karl asked, poking Techno before giggling gently as Techno swatted them away. Karl turned his attention to Ranboo. “Hi! I’m Karl!” Karl said happily, holding his hand out to shake, and Ranboo accepted it weakly. “I use they/them, by the way! Quackity says I need to get better at telling people that…” 

Ranboo nodded, “I’m Ranboo. I use he/him,” Ranboo responded, sounding extremely tired, and Karl nodded happily.  

“Such a unique name,” Karl commented, and Ranboo chuckled. 

“Thanks, I picked it out myself,” Ranboo said, and Phil chuckled under his breath as Karl got it and smiled wildly. 

“Oh, that’s so cool! How’d you choose it?” Karl asked. 

“Mispronounced the word ‘rainbow’ and it stuck…” Ranboo said, and Karl snorted. “Yeah… stupid story,” Ranboo chuckled. Okay… Karl was pretty comfortable to talk to. Easy aura, Ranboo liked that. 

“No, I think it’s pretty cool,” Karl said with a smile, and Ranboo tiredly returned it. Techno had a gentle smile on his face, watching the two interact together. “Oh! Sir- I mean Phil, wasn’t Wilbur and Niki meant to be coming over today?” Karl asked. 

Phil raised an eyebrow at Karl, probably from the mishap with titles, but nodded. “Yes, and they are supposedly bringing Sally and Eret. So they may take a moment to get here. Is Tubbo here?” Phil asked. 

“He may be at the pool…” Karl trailed off as loud stomping, almost like running, filled the halls, and a short brunette rushed into the room, laughing his ass off as he was being chased by a third guy. This one in a blue shirt, black pants, and a beanie. 

“There he is,” Phil said, and Tubbo laughed as he caught the towel from the blue-shirted male. “Tubbo, I’ve told you not to run through the halls after swimming.” 

Tubbo pulled the towel over their shoulders before groaning and sitting down between Ranboo and Tommy. He took a double-take at Ranboo. 

“Wait! I know you!” Tubbo said suddenly, and everyone’s attention moved to Tubbo and Ranboo. “You were in Mrs. Puffy’s home!” 

Now it dawned on Ranboo. They had met before. 

“I was,” Ranboo confirmed, and Tubbo nodded excitedly. 

“Yeah! Yeah! He was the one who told me all about, like, gender shit and all of that. We would’ve shared a room, but I was gone within the first week you were there…” Tubbo said, and Ranboo nodded, which explained why he had a hard time remembering Tubbo. “I remember you telling me you had bad memory problems. Do you remember me?” 

“I do now, yeah,” Ranboo said. “I recognized your photo from Techno’s apartment, but I couldn’t pinpoint from where until just now when you said that,” Ranboo said, suppressing a yawn. 

“You looked exhausted, big man. Are you alright?” Tubbo asked. 

“Hard time sleeping last night,” Ranboo said, and Phil nodded. 

“Tubbo, will you and Tommy go make sure Skeppy’s old room is tidy? I would make Charlie do it, but I need him to make lunch,” Phil said, his tone very obvious that he needed Tubbo and Tommy out of the room. 

The two got the hint and raced upstairs. 

“I’ll help Charlie with lunch,” Karl said, standing, also taking the hint without needing to be told anything. 

“Thank you, Quackity. Just go double-check around the pool and such, yeah?” Phil asked, and blue shirt, or Quackity, nodded. 

And just like that, it was only Techno, Ranboo and Phil left. 

“I feel like I’m in trouble,” Ranboo said after a moment, and Phil chuckled. 

“Not at all. I just didn’t want any outside voices,” Phil said. “I know this is all a bit… overwhelming,” Ranboo nodded, maybe a bit dramatic, but it got a chuckle out of Techno, “And it is up to you,” Phil added on. 

“Is it?” Ranboo asked, “I’m a child, technically… the government decides where to put me,” Ranboo mumbled gently. 

“And you assume I can persuade the government?” Phil asked, and Techno chuckled as Ranboo glanced over at him. “Look, all I’m saying is, if you wanna stay here, I can make that happen. If not, we can find you someplace good and safe to go.” 

“… Can I stay a night and wait to decide?” Ranboo asked, almost afraid to. But Phil nodded, almost happily. 

“Of course. You’ll get to meet the rest of the family as well. At any time, Ranboo, if you say you want to leave, just tell me, and I’ll do my best to follow your wishes,” Phil said, and Ranboo nodded. “Maybe you should take a name; you look very exhausted. For a good reason,” Phil said. 

“Hard to sleep,” Ranboo mumbled, and Phil hummed. 

“I know, but even a few hours would be better than nothing. We’ll wake you up when everyone else gets here, yeah? By then, I’m sure lunch will be made as well,” Phil offered. Ranboo just nodded in agreement, and Techno stood up. He offered a hand for Ranboo, who accepted it. 

Standing up so quickly made Ranboo dizzy, which made him realize just how tired he was. Techno kept his balance. But Phil noticed a few things. 

One, Ranboo was thinner than he looked underneath all of the oversized thick clothes, which made him worry, and despite being tall, he almost seemed too thin. Second, he was pale. And while that could be the events that happened in less than 24 hours, it still worried Phil. Third, Ranboo took a lot longer to recover from the dizzy episodes than what Phil would think was normal. 

However, he said nothing as Techno led a stumbling Ranboo up to his room. But he thought about it closely. And after a moment, Karl came walking back in. 

“He looks ill…” Karl said, worried for the boy he just met. 

“He just lost his family in a fire,” Phil said, not looking at Karl quite yet. “But… you’re right. Somethings off…” 

Karl looked at Phil, “Is he staying? I hope so. He really looks like he needs some help…”

“I hope so too,” Phil said. “Go have Charlie check on the garden, will you? Have him make sure we have the freshest foods?” 

“Of course,” Karl said before stepping out again to go speak to Charlie. 

After a couple of minutes, Techno walked back down the stairs and into the main room. 

“Tommy and Tubbo?” Phil asked. 

“Tommy’s room. Does Ranboo look sick to you?” Techno asked, and Phil nodded. “Earlier this morning, he’d had a similar episode, and he’s so… thin.” 

“Yeah, I noticed that when you grabbed him. And he barely ate any of the breakfast you’d made this morning,” Phil said, and Techno nodded. 

“What are the chances that family wasn’t as good as we thought?” Techno asked, and Phil raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Honestly, higher than the chances they were good,” Phil said, and Techno’s jaw clenched, glancing over to the stairs. 

Ranboo, upstairs, stared at the wall like he did the night before. However, this time, he did fall asleep into a restless, nightmare-filled sleep.

Chapter Text

Darkness kept him afloat. He was surrounded by black, but it was warm. Extremely warm. Like he was sitting in front of a fire. Ranboo tried looking around, but he couldn’t tell if he was moving or not. In fact, he couldn’t even see himself. He tried raising a hand, but all he saw was black. Maybe his eyes were closed; perhaps he wasn’t seeing anything at all. 

Ranboo winced as screamed filled his ears. Shouting, people begging for help, cracks of wood, and pops of things breaking… burning. It got warmer, and then hotter, and then too hot. Ranboo felt like he was suffocating. His throat clogged up, and the thick scent of smoke filled his nose. He couldn’t see anything. He didn’t understand. Was there a fire? Again? So soon? He hadn’t even been here a night, not even a whole day!  

Why was it so HOT?

Ranboo woke up with a heavy gasp, greedily inhaling as much oxygen as he could. He looked down at himself, noticing he was still in the bed. He placed a hand on his chest before wincing and immediately removing it. He’d taken the binder off before falling asleep(as you should). He looked around the room for it. 

Once he found it, he removed his shirt to slip it back on, then put the shirt back in place. He tightened his sweatpants again and dug through his bag. He pulled his tablet out, plugging it in and letting it charge. He sighed, running his hand through his hair, his breathing was still uneven, but he was trying to distract himself from that. 

Suddenly, there was a knock at his door. He jumped, glancing over. He stepped forward, opening the door to see… purple shirt… Karl! That was his name!

“Hi… Karl,” Ranboo said, being unsure despite figuring it out. Karl nodded happily. 

“Hi! Phil wanted me to come and check on you; lunch is ready if you’re hungry. And everyone else is here if you’d like to meet them. No rush, of course! I’ll help you through these halls whenever you’re ready. They can be hard to navigate sometimes,” Karl said with a bright smile that made Ranboo calm down a bit.

“Um, I’m ready to go now, actually,” Ranboo said, and they nodded, stepping aside to let Ranboo out. “How long have you been working here?” Ranboo asked. 

“Hm… about… seven years? Well, technically, and I guess legally, only four. But, I’ve lived here for seven years,” Karl said, leading him way through the halls. 

“Are you a foster?” Ranboo asked, and they nodded happily. 

“Yep! All of us ‘butlers’ are. We offered to work under him once we all turned 18. His previous butlers… well, they weren’t the best,” Karl said, leading Ranboo down a flight of stairs. “But Phil’s great to work under! We get to live here. Still, he pays beautifully, and all the children, which is now just Tommy and Tubbo, and you now! They’re all lovely! It hardly feels like we’re working sometimes!” 

Ranboo smiled, “So it’s you… Charlie… and whose the other one? I have a bad memory. You’ll have to forgive me,” Ranboo said gently. 

“Quackity! He’s the most recent hire! I was brought on about a year before him, and Charlie came on about… I think a year before me!” Karl said, leading Ranboo down another familiar staircase and main room. “Ranboo’s awake!” Karl announced as they walked in. 

Ranboo recognized everyone from Phil to Tommy. But there were new faces as well, ones he recognized from pictures and ones he didn’t. Phil smiled at Ranboo, and Techno scooted over on the couch to make room for Ranboo. 

“Welcome back to the real world, Ranboo. How was your nap?” Tubbo asked, and Ranboo just groaned in response as he took a hesitant seat next to Techno. 

“Not great, but that bed is extremely comfortable,” Ranboo hummed, and Phil chuckled. 

“Yeah, dad tends to overspend on luxuries,” Tommy said, and a brunette in a yellow sweater snorted. 

“Like he can’t afford it,” He said. “I’m Wilbur, Techno’s twin,” Wilbur said, and Ranboo smiled at him. A purple-haired woman sat next to him and nudged his leg gently. “Oh! And I use He/They. Thank you, Niki,” Wilbur said, and Niki smiled. 

“I’m Niki; I use she/her!” Niki smiled, and Ranboo smiled back. She gave off the same aura as Karl, and he liked that. 

“Ranboo, he/him,” Ranboo said kindly, and both of them smiled. 

“Do you remember my pronouns, Ranboo?” Tubbo asked suddenly, causing Ranboo to jump for a second, not expecting the sudden loud noise. He looked over at Tubbo, thinking for a moment. 

“He/they?” Ranboo asked, and Tubbo nodded happily before placing their legs over Tommy again, who tried shoving them off, only for them to be put back. 

Sitting next to Wilbur was someone practically in all-white. Even white eyes, Ranboo couldn’t tell if they were masculine or feminine(not that it mattered), but either way, they seemed to be entranced with Wilbur’s sweater. Ranboo tilted his head, and Wilbur glanced over at them, which caused them to look up and smile. 

“This is Eret. She’s deaf,” Wilbur told Ranboo, and Eret seemed to read his lips because she then nodded while looking at Ranboo. 

“Hello!” Eret said while also signing the word for hello. Ranboo signed it back, and Eret chuckled a bit; Ranboo smiled as Eret went back to picking at Wilbur’s sweater. 

“Eret uses any pronouns,” Niki added, and Wilbur nodded. 

“I’m Sally!” A tanned-skinned redhead with a freakily face said from next to Niki, an arm over the purple hair’s shoulder. “I use she/her!” 

Ranboo nodded and smiled, “Nice to meet you all,” Ranboo said, pulling his legs up and underneath him, glancing at Phil to make sure he wasn’t doing anything wrong. Phil didn’t seem to care. 

“Are you hungry? They should be bringing lunch out in a moment,” Phil said, placing a card on the table and reading it, humming before showing Wilbur. 

“Interesting,” Wilbur said, glancing at Ranboo. “But not a surprise.” 

Ranboo felt out of the loop. 

Luckily he didn’t have to dwell on that for too long because all three of the butlers came out with food on trays and platters, setting it all on the coffee tables in front of them. 

Ranboo smiled at them all, each of them giving a different smile in return. 

Charlie gave the happy, dappy smile he always seemed to wear, that same kick in his step as he walked back into the kitchen, adjusting his green shirt. 

Karl’s smile was kind and welcoming, and like he’d done this many times before. They pat Ranboo’s shoulder gently, giving it a small reassuring squeeze as if they’d been friends for a long time. 

The last one, Quackity’s smile, seemed… off. Not in a bad way; he just didn’t look used to Ranboo’s presence. Ranboo knows the smile all too well. The smile when you are slightly unfamiliar with the people around you, but you have to be polite. It’s how Ranboo felt right now. 

Once the butlers were out of the room and back into the kitchen, Tommy immediately grabbed for the cracker tray and a triangular cut sandwich. Tubbo reached for the same thing pretty much. Most of the others either got the small plates that were brought out or a napkin. 

Ranboo, however, stayed pretty still. He found entertainment in picking at one of his nails. He needed to repaint them. Also, where did his gloves go? He swore he had them on when they arrived at the house… maybe he took them off before going to sleep-

“Ranboo?” Techno said beside him, causing Ranboo to jump and look over. The others seemed to be entranced with their conversations, save for Eret, who (Ranboo thinks) keeps glancing at him while leaning against Wilbur. Wilbur didn’t seem to mind. 

“Are you alright?” Technoblade asked. 

“Yeah, just not too hungry,” Ranboo lied; though his stomach hurt from being empty, he was scared he wouldn’t be able to hold it down. 

Wilbur glanced over, an eyebrow raised. “Crackers are good if you’re not hungry but should eat,” He said, catching attention. Ranboo curled up a bit. 

“I’m alright-“ 

“Big breakfast? I heard Techno cooked, and he’s pretty good in the kitchen.” Wilbur asked as if they knew something. 

“Don’t have much of an appetite,” Ranboo said, squinting ever so slightly at Wilbur. 

“Right… forgive me, I almost forgot you were the survivor of that fire,” Wilbur said, and Ranboo pressed his eyebrows together. Eret whacked him gently, and Wilbur seemed to realize what he said. “Oh god, I am so sorry-“ 

“It’s fine,” Ranboo brushed it off, trying to ignore the sick feeling growing in his throat. 

“No, seriously. I am very sorry, and I have a…” Wilbur glanced at Phil, who shook his head no, “I have a tough time controlling my mouth. My deepest apologies.” 

“Seriously, it’s fine. I’ve been known for worse,” Ranboo said, almost missing Eret’s gentle coo and the sad gaze that came from both Niki and Sally. Wilbur swallowed thickly. 

“I understand,” Wilbur said, “A lot more than you’d think. Pardon me…” Wilbur trailed off, standing despite Eret trying to stop them. Wilbur shushed her, promising he’d be right back as soon as they could. In such a sincere voice, it almost threw Ranboo off. 

Almost like Wilbur could not tell a lie. 

“Wilbur is Eret’s interpreter,” Techno explained in a hushed whisper that really no one else could hear. “She speaks minimal, usually just single words.” 

Ranboo nodded in understanding and curled up more against the cushions of the couch as others started to talk again, wanting badly to disappear into the sofa to never be seen again. 

—__— 

After lunch (yes, Ranboo ended up eating a sandwich thanks to Tech), Techno showed Ranboo around the property properly. The backyard with the horse stables seemed to be Ranboo’s favorite part, and the horses especially. 

There was a black and white spotted one Ranboo seemed very fond of. And she seemed fond of him as well. 

“You didn’t tell me you were good with horses,” Techno commented. 

“You never asked,” Ranboo replied. It was getting easier to talk to Techno. Somehow, like Karl, being around Techno felt… fine. Refreshing almost. Every time Techno pulled Ranboo by the arm to kindly pull him a different way, Ranboo felt… physically better overall. It was reassuring. 

“Well, then, maybe she’ll let you ride her,” Techno said, and Ranboo glanced over. 

“I haven’t ridden a horse in years,” Ranboo started to protest, but Techno shushed him. 

“I’ll reteach you,” Techno promised, grabbing the horse’s saddle and other things Ranboo’s long forgotten the names of. “Her name’s Ender, by the way.” 

“I had a cat named Enderchest. I never did find how what happened to her,” Ranboo hummed, remembering the sweet cat. One of the few memories he did have from his first home. 

“Hop on,” Techno said, after getting onto Ender, reaching his hand out to help pull Ranboo up. 

Ranboo sat in front of Techno. And the pink-haired male instructed how to hold the reigns, what Ender’s whistle and call commands were, etc., etc. 

They walked a few laps around the huge backyard. (It was so big one lap took almost five minutes) Then, Technoblade encouraged going faster. 

By dinner time, Ranboo was riding a running Ender and hopping over things with Techno watching with a big smile on the sidelines. Ranboo could fit in just fine. 

Chapter Text

Dinner went smoother than lunch. Wilbur stayed speaking to his little bubble around him, not that they didn’t keep glancing at Ranboo every so often; Ranboo pretended not to notice. Tubbo actually made an effort to speak to Ranboo, which had a chain reaction of Tommy speaking with Ranboo. Honestly, they were good kids. 

Tubbo had a passion for swimming and really anything water-related. Swimming, waterboarding, water skiing, surfing, he’s pretty much tried everything. Ranboo had always had an interest in just swimming through lakes and oceans. Deciding what everyone said about it wasn’t a huge cause for concern. 

Tommy was quite the opposite. Respectfully, after asking if it was alright, Tommy revealed his passion for heat and fire. Ranboo listened pretty intently to Tommy talking about how just interesting fire was in general. How it burns and eats things, and how, when controlled, it can be a vastly powerful weapon, but it’s tough to control. Tubbo nudged him, and Tommy was quick to say he’d never tried using fire as a weapon and then made some excuses about a bonfire. 

Ranboo chuckled; while he didn’t understand what the quick cover-up was for, he didn’t ask. One, he didn’t honestly care enough, and two, he didn’t have time as the two were talking about something else, attempting to bring Ranboo into it. Ranboo mainly just listened, answering questions about himself in small sentences. It was apparent that he was exhausted, so Tommy and Tubbo didn’t pry too much. 

Phil watched with Techno on the side; seeing Ranboo eat a little more than he did at breakfast or lunch was reassuring, and then chatting with kids his own age was also calming Phil’s nerves a bit. Techno, however, still looked uneasy. Phil glanced over at him, patting his knee gently, which caused the pink man to jump. 

“Are you alright?” Phil asked gently, making sure his voice wasn’t heard over anyone else’s, not that it was possible with Tommy’s sudden loud screaming that had to be died down by Tubbo or Wilbur. 

“I’m worried,” Techno admitted, and Phil raised an eyebrow. Techno usually took longer to crack with new kids, if he ever did at all. Not because he didn’t like them, he just knew they wouldn’t be around for a while. Techno had lost enough people in his life, and he wasn’t trying to lose anymore. 

“For Ranboo?” Phil asked, and Techno nodded. 

“I remember driving by that house a couple of times. I would’ve never thought a child lived there,” Techno said, looking at Phil. “I think… I think I’ve spoken to his foster father. I could be wrong, my memory might deceive me, but if it was him, I don’t remember him mentioning any kids of any sort. Again, it could just be me, or maybe I’m overthinking things again. But… I don’t know; he seemed off. Strange even,” Techno mumbled. 

“You never mentioned this before,” Phil said. 

“I was helping Ranboo in his room, and I saw a picture frame. Inside there were two photos. One had two parents, a little blond boy holding a smiling mask, and then Ranboo. On the other one, there was the most recent family, a little girl and Ranboo. No one was smiling in the more recent family, which also caught me off guard,” Techno hummed. 

“Who was the first family, do you know?” Phil asked. 

“If I had to guess, his birth family,” Techno said. “He and that smiling mask kid looked similar, same nose, same eyes, same jawline. And that matched the mother of the photo, so…” Techno shrugged. “According to some guys at the station, this is the second fire Ranboo’s survived. The first one killed everyone else just like the second one,” He sighed, watching Ranboo minimally interact. He looked so damn exhausted. “Though, they never found the little boy’s body,” Techno remembered suddenly. 

“The one with the mask?” Phil asked, and Techno nodded. 

“Yeah, it was never found. It was presumed dead, but we never found a body,” Techno hummed, glancing at Phil. 

“What’re the chances that boy’s still alive?” Phil asked. 

“Well… if he was anything like Tommy, higher than the chances that Joseph and his wife were good parents,” Techno said, and Phil hummed, nodding slowly. 

--__--

After dinner, Tubbo insisted that Ranboo come to the pool. Ranboo, despite his obvious exhaustion, agreed. He didn’t have a swimsuit or anything, nor did he plan on getting into the pool, but he followed Tubbo and Tommy down the halls, down a flight of stairs, and into a dimly lit room with a massive pool in it. 

The pool room smelt heavily of chlorine, which was to be expected, and there were three lights lit in the room. They weren’t the brightest, but the dimness was better for his headache. Ranboo sat down in one of the long chairs, watching as Tubbo removed their shirt and jumped into the pool in basic gym shorts. Something you weren’t usually supposed to do, but Ranboo didn’t say anything.

Tommy sat next to Ranboo, and they both watched as Tubbo sped around the pool, taking a moment before coming back up for air. 

Ranboo glanced at Tommy, “Don’t like swimming?” Ranboo asked. 

“I was never taught how. Tubbo’s been trying to teach me, but I don’t like all that motion,” Tommy said, rubbing his hands together. It was cold in the pool room, and Ranboo could see the little goosebumps rising on his skin. “Plus, he’s a terrible teacher.” 

“Well… it is a pretty good thing to learn, just for emergency situations. I could try and teach you? I’ve been known to be a pretty good teacher,” Ranboo said, and Tommy glanced up at him. 

“You know, I might just take you up on that,” Tommy said, and Ranboo chuckled a bit, watching as Tubbo came back up for air. 

“Tommy! Come here!” Tubbo called, and Tommy groaned, standing and moving over to Tubbo. He sat on the ledge, leaning down so Tubbo could whisper something in his ear. Ranboo looked somewhere else as not to seem like he was intently listening in. 

He noticed how deep the pool went, 6’10 ft, which is way above the usual. He wondered if that was legal. The door opened, and quackity peaked in. 

“Tubbo, your father’s here,” Quackity said, and Tubbo groaned, swimming away from Tommy and getting out of the pool. 

Ranboo and Tommy glanced over. Ranboo stood and moved to where he was standing just behind Tommy, who moved to stand. But when you sit with your legs in the water, and then get the sides of the pool wet, and then try to move quickly… you tend to slip. 

And slip Tommy did. 

“Tommy!” Quackity shouted as Tommy fell under. 

Ranboo, being quick on his feet, before anyone else. He hopped in without a second thought. Ignoring how cold the water was, he felt the chemical-filled water move with him so he could grab Tommy. Then it seemed to push him back up to the surface quickly. 

As soon as they broke free, Tommy coughed and gasped, trying to breathe. Quackity rushed over quickly as Ranboo pulled Tommy, who was clutching onto Ranboo, to the ledge again. Ranboo handed Tommy over to Tubbo and accepted the hand from Quackity to be pulled out of the water. 

As if they sensed something was wrong. Wilbur, Phil, and Techno appeared in the doorway. 

“What happened?” Phil asked; Wilbur walked over to Tommy, who was coughing harshly. Techno moved over to Ranboo, who cleared his throat. 

“Tommy… Tommy fell in,” Ranboo explained, leaning against Techno. 

Phil seemed to understand everything from there. 

“Alright, Tubbo. Go talk to your father. He’s here for you,” Phil said, and Tubbo huffed, wanting to stay with Tommy, but reluctantly got up. “No running!” Phil called as Tubbo moved out of the room. 

“Wilbur, take Tommy to his room, Techno, Ranboo to his. I’ll come up and talk with you both soon. I’m going to deal with Tubbo’s father as well,” Phil said. Wilbur and Techno nodded. 

—__—

By the time  Ranboo reached his room, he was shivering so bad he looked like he was vibrating. Techno sat him down on the chest in front of the bed. He dug through Ranboo’s bag and grabbed out a few different things. New clothes, for one, but he pretended to accidentally take out the photo frame. 

He set the stuff on the bed, and Ranboo curled against himself. 

“I don’t need you getting potential hypothermia, and you can hardly move. Let me help you,” Techno requested softly. 

“Just… don’t get angry,” Ranboo whispered, his voice trembling a bit. Whether it was from the freezing water or fear, Techno couldn’t tell. 

“Of course not,” Techno promised, and Ranboo huffed before allowing Techno to lift up his shirt. His body trembled from the cool air hitting his now bare skin. 

His binder was damp, and it was constrictive and was rough against his skin. Techno set the wet shirt on the floor, and he raised an eyebrow at Ranboo. Ranboo nodded, and Technoblade carefully took the binder off of him. 

Ranboo curled up to hide his chest as Techno set the binder with the shirt on the floor. Ranboo accepted the bra and shirt from Techno, who turned to hang the shirt and binder up to dry properly. By the time he turned back, Ranboo was dressed in the oversized, grey shirt, his pants off and trying to slip on the other sweatpants. Techno helped him unbunch them, which allowed Ranboo to slip the pants on comfortably. 

Techno hung up the pants as well, helping Ranboo sit on the bed since the boy was still shivering. Ranboo noticed the photo, and he picked it up. Ranboo stared at the picture for a while, and Techno sat down next to him. 

“Are you alright?” He asked gently, and Ranboo nodded.

Ranboo seemed mainly focused on the older photo, with the smiling family. He sniffed lightly. 

“Techno… how good is your memory?” Ranboo asked, and Techno tilted his head. \

“Average?” Techno said, though, it came out a question. “It’s nothing special….” 

“You said you were a foster too?” Ranboo asked, and Techno nodded. “Do you remember your first home?” 

Techno cleared his throat, “Not… in great detail. I wasn’t there for long, maybe a couple of months. I was young, maybe 12,” Techno hummed. My foster mother was a drug addict; I remember that much. I’ve been dealing with drugs most of my life, though, so it’s not that much of a prominent detail. My foster father left the family about a month into my being there. And I was removed from the home when the police did a drug search,” Techno said, and Ranboo glanced over at him. 

“Sounds like great detail to me,” Ranboo said. 

“Yeah, but it’s all negative,” Techno said. “Our brains tend to remember negativity rather than positivity in our lives because trauma and things have a harder impact. It’s just how our brains work, unfortunately,” Techno hummed. “Why do you ask?” 

“My memory, as you probably know since I keep saying it, is bad. So… every time I look at this photo, it becomes farther and farther away from me. The little boy with the mask, my older brother, I hardly remember his name, and I don’t remember my mother or father’s names…”

Techno thought for a moment, but Ranboo spoke up again. 

“I feel like I’m losing my identity,” Ranboo whispered, and Techno felt a ping of guilt for the child. 

“I… I remember hearing about this first fire on the news a decade ago,” Techno said, “Your parents’ names were never said, and they’re not even in the reports. The only thing I can offer you, Ranboo, is your last name. Do you remember it?” Techno asked, and Ranboo shook his head, looking over at Techno.

“Not my real one, no. I’ve been going by a fake one for years now; my old social worker… changed it,” Ranboo hesitated but settled on the words.

“Beloved,” Techno said, and Ranboo raised an eyebrow. “I could never forget that a family with the last name beloved had a house fire. Only the young six-year-old survived,” Techno said, and Ranboo nodded. “It’s almost been ten years, Ranboo…” 

“I knew that… as you said, trauma stays with you,” Ranboo said, looking back at the photo. “My last name’s beloved?” Ranboo asked, and Techno nodded. 

“I’m sure it’s all in your files from the past too. This was such big news because your father owned a huge company that’s long fallen by now,” Techno started, but a knock on the door cut him off. 

“Yeah!” Techno called, and the door opened. 

Phil walked in almost sheepishly, “Hey, Tech. Tubbo might need your help….” 

“What happened?” Techno asked, sitting up more. Ranboo sat up as well. 

“His father,” Phil said, and while Ranboo didn’t completely understand, Techno seemed to. Techno groaned, turning to face Ranboo. 

“We’ll talk more later, alright?” Techno promised, patting Ranboo’s shoulder before standing to leave the room. Phil let him pass before moving to take Techno’s spot. 

“Hectic day, huh?” Phil asked, placing a comforting hand on Ranboo’s shoulder, and Ranboo chuckled with a nod. “Haven’t been here a day, and you’re already saving lives,” Phil joked, and Ranboo grinned a bit with a small, almost sad, smile.

“Is Tommy okay?” Ranboo asked, and Phil nodded. 

“Techno will check on him later, and he’ll be as good as new. He’s made silly mistakes like this before, and we’re just glad you had such quick reflexes,” Phil hummed. 

“Yeah… I’ve learned to react quickly to sa-help help those around me,” Ranboo said, and Phil nodded, squeezing Ranboo’s shoulder gently. 

“Yeah, well. Get some rest, alright? If you decide you want to stay, I would like to get you a few things tomorrow,” Phil said. 

“That’s not necessary-” 

“I’m a father, Ranboo. It’s always necessary,” Phil cut him off, giving him a playful wink. Ranboo gave a weak chuckle and nod, setting the photo frame aside and pulling the blankets up. 

Phil left him with a goodnight, shutting the big light off and engulfing Ranboo in darkness.

Chapter Text

Over the next few weeks, Ranboo became more comfortable with everyone. He learned not to take everything Wilbur said to heart; they really couldn’t control their mouth. In fact, it was quite funny sometimes. Niki was lovely to bake with, and Ranboo could see why she owned her own bakery and wasn’t surprised when Wilbur boasted about its success. Niki was thrilled when Ranboo agreed to come down to help with baking. 

Ranboo started online school with Tommy and Tubbo. He was a big help with Tubbo and his reading assignments and helpful with Tommy and his math. He struggled a bit himself in history, especially when it came to short-term memorization map quizzes. But Phil helped a lot with that. 

Ranboo also helped Tommy with swimming lessons, being gentler with Tommy when it came to teaching some of the basics, where Tubbo was quick and expected Tommy to pick up on it immediately. Tommy seemed to get the hang of it but didn’t like being in the pool alone, or at least without Ranboo, or Tubbo but mainly Ranboo, sitting on the sidelines. 

Ranboo spent a lot of time with Techno as well, outside and running around with the horses. Ranboo was a good rider, so Techno would constantly remind him, and Ender just loved him. Every time Ranboo walked out to the stables, Ender would perk up and make noise until she got Ranboo’s attention. 

Ranboo took on a lot of the outside chores. Despite not having to, he liked being outdoors. He helped Karl sweep the back deck, helped Charlie in the garden, and Quackity clean the pond weekly since sometimes things would creep in that shouldn’t be there. Quackity and Ranboo had also grown closer, which was nice. 

Throughout these weeks, when everyone was at work, and the three teens finished school for the day, Phil would take them shopping. Phil didn’t technically have a job, not that he needed one, but he was in his office a lot or on the phone. It made Ranboo wonder, but he never questioned. 

By the first month, Ranboo’s room was completely decorated. The sheets were white with black markings, kind of like a flame rising. Ranboo found them cool. He had lights that changed colors and dimmed when Ranboo got a migraine or didn’t want the light completely off in his room. His curtains were blackouts that kept the sun out. Shelves held books, trinkets for games Ranboo found himself enjoying, and a plant or two for some life in the room. 

Phil also bought him a brand new PC, which was amazing(despite Ranboo insisting he didn’t need one.) Tommy helped him set everything up, which was also a good bonding time for them. Tubbo and Ranboo bonded over art, Ranboo drawing on his tablet whenever he got inspiration. 

So, all in all, it was a pretty good month. 

Ranboo spent a lot of time in his room on Saturday, mainly adding color to a piece he’d been working with for a while. A gentle knock on his door caused him to hum and lookup. The door opened slowly, and in walked Wilbur, followed by Eret. 

Ranboo and Eret got along, though they didn’t spend a lot of time together. Eret seemed attached to Wilbur; maybe it was for communication. Maybe Wilbur and Eret have a past; either way, Ranboo hardly saw Eret without Wilbur. However, Eret was very much in the shadows, like she preferred it that way. Like she was scared, and Wilbur was her protector. 

Ranboo smiled at them, sitting up more and setting his tablet to the side, “Hi Wilbur,” Ranboo greeted, signing a hello to Eret as well, who signed it back. Ranboo had picked up on some basic signs from the two. 

“Hi Ranboo,” Wilbur said, “May we join you? Tommy and Tubbo are… well being Tommy and Tubbo, and I wanted to come to talk to you anyway,” Wilbur said, and Ranboo nodded, patting the bed. 

“Of course, did I do something wrong?” Ranboo asked. Wilbur and Ranboo had never been alone together, despite Eret. 

“Oh, no! Of course not! You’ve been wonderful, especially with the two youngest,” Wilbur said, “And with Techno. I’ve never seen him so attached to someone, well other than Tommy, but he saved Tommy’s life, so I guess that comes with attachments, so,” They rambled before clearing their throat. “Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about… how you feel here, kind of,” Wilbur hummed, and Ranboo raised an eyebrow. 

“It’s lovely here, better than anything I remember experiencing,” Ranboo said, “Which isn’t a lot, but I still… still like it here,” he said, and Wilbur nodded. 

“Well, everyone here likes you. Very much, you’re pretty easy to get along with, which is great. You’re easygoing. You don’t ask for much, which is a surprise because most teens your age do, but I guess with your trauma-” Eret nudged him “-anyway, ignore all of that, please. I’m just here to make sure… you’re actually getting everything you need and or want,” they said. “Call it the older sibling in me, but I can tell when somethings wrong, Ranboo. Basically, I just wanted to make sure you’re okay… but then I went off on a tangent.” 

“I’m fine, Wilbur,” Ranboo said, and the older one took a moment before responding. 

“No, you’re not,” Wilbur said, and Ranboo raised an eyebrow again. “Boo, I can see straight through that barrier you have up. Call it a superpower-” another nudge from Eret that they ignored “-but I can see you’re not being honest. You can tell me, I won’t tell anyone. And Eret won’t either. She’s basically just my shadow,” Wilbur said, and Eret playfully pouted. 

“I love you,” Wilbur sighed, and Eret smiled again as Wilbur patted their shoulder gently. Ranboo glanced between them. Although they claimed they weren’t dating, they still acted couplely; it was sometimes entertaining. 

“Maybe I’m not… 100%, but I’m getting there. I mean, you said it yourself, with my trauma, how could I genuinely be ‘okay’ even after a month?” Ranboo asked, and Wilbur nodded in understanding. “But I’m not here to burden you guys with it. They’re my problems and my traumas, not your guys’,” Ranboo said, shrugging. 

“That’s not how that works in this family; I’ll tell you that right now,” Wilbur chuckled. “I understand you may have things you’re not ready to share, and that’s fine. But, we are a family who worries and who notices when something’s off. It won’t just be me who approaches you about it, Ranboo. But, whoever you do tell, they’ll keep it between the two of you, despite the fact that we’re all worried about… everything.” 

Ranboo smiled and nodded, glancing at Eret, who was picking at Wilbur’s sweater while watching Wilbur’s mouth, lip-reading. She glanced at Ranboo and smiled at him. 

“I think… I think I’ll be fine, Wilbur….” Ranboo promised, looking back at the eldest. “This is the happiest I’ve been in a while. And that… that isn’t a lie.”

Wilbur smiled. 

“I know.” 

--__--

Ranboo started spending more time with Eret. Finding them alone at the house more since Wilbur worked at the bakery again, and Phil wanted to have Eret around more. She seemed more anxious without Wilbur, struggling to properly communicate with anyone other than Phil. Ranboo felt a little bad. 

After finishing schoolwork, Ranboo found Eret in the main room. Eret was silently reading, wearing just some simple skinny jeans and an oversized shirt, her hair up in a small ponytail to keep it out of his face.  Ranboo sat down next to them, carefully catching their attention. She smiled at Ranboo, but her smile was weary; Ranboo smiled back. 

In simple signs, Ranboo asked if Eret wanted to go ride horses. Eret smiled at the invite and the signing attempt and mouthing it (everyone else depended on Eret to lip read) and agreed. Ranboo smiled as they both stood to go to the backyard. 

Reaching the stable, Eret immediately stepped to the other horse as Ranboo went to Ender. Eret and the other horse, a greyish-white one with darker grey hairs around its hooves, Ranboo believed his name was Goose, seemed to automatically know each other, which wasn’t a surprise, seeing as Eret had been there significantly longer than Ranboo. Eret looked back at Ranboo. 

“Around?” Eret signed, pointing to the open area of the backyard, and Ranboo nodded, understanding what Eret was trying to say. Eret smiled and grabbed the horse’s saddle and reins as Ranboo did. Once horses were hooked up, Ranboo led Ender out first, being a bigger horse and anxious to run around the backyard. At the same time, Goose was calmer and probably older. 

“Ranboo,” Eret spoke. She was used to saying the family’s names; of course, Ranboo’s name was a little breathy and slurred since they were still getting used to saying it, but it was enough to catch Ranboo’s attention. Eret motioned them over and patted on the horse before patting on themselves. 

“Need some help?” Ranboo asked, and Eret nodded. Signing in extremely basic terms that he hadn’t gotten on a horse in a while. 

Ranboo helped Eret place their feet in the correct holster before helping her push himself up, situating a bit for comfort. Goose was calm during all of this, staying entirely still until given the command to move. Ranboo made sure Eret was comfortable before petting Goose gently for thanks and moving back over to Ender. 

Ranboo hopped onto Ender in a fluid motion, and Eret smiled as Ranboo and Ender seemed bonded. Ender knowing Ranboo enough to stay still when needed and then move a certain way without needing a command. Ranboo motioned for Eret to go first, and she did. 

Ranboo stayed behind Eret, mainly so Ender could get used to going at an average speed behind another horse and getting used to Ranboo when not running. Ranboo and Ender did a lot of running. 

Eventually, they did speed up. 

They ran around for a while, Eret laughing a bit as Ranboo passed them and was able to quickly run back up to his original spot; Ender liked showing off. But soon, Goose got tired and slowed down, which was fine; they’d been riding for a while anyway. Eventually, they slowed to simply walking around the backyard, Ender circling Goose as Goose just fluidly and slowly walked. 

Eret pulled Goose to a stop right next to Ranboo. “Know sign?” Eret asked, which was a basic way of asking how much sign Ranboo knew. 

“A little, I can… do a lot of fingerspelling,” Ranboo said most of it, signing the first little bit but forgetting the rest. “I,” A slight pause in sign to think. “Took class,” he finished, though it was a little messy. “Though it was a while ago,” he said aloud, not knowing the sign language equivalent. Eret didn’t comment on it. Eret nodded, thinking for a moment. 

“Would you like to learn?” Eret signed before thinking Ranboo couldn’t understand as he took a moment. Ranboo nodded, finally processing what little sign he remembered. 

“Yes!” Ranboo signed and said, and Eret seemed to be very happy with that. Suddenly, Ranboo heard his name called, and he looked over. “Phil,” Ranboo fingerspelled, and Eret glanced over. Eret made the sign for P and Dad before waving at Phil. 

“Are you two having fun?” Phil asked, and Ranboo nodded. “Good, come in soon. Dinner’s being made, and the sun will be setting soon!” 

“Okay, Phil!” Ranboo called, and Phil nodded to him before going back inside. “You signed P and then Dad,” Ranboo said, signing P and Dad as well. Eret nodded before motioning for Ranboo to come with her. 

Eret hopped off the horse and led it back to the stable, putting Goose in his proper stall as Ranboo did with Ender. Inside the stable, there was a whiteboard, and she erased a few words that Tommy had put there for a joke before writing something. Phil=P’Dad’. She then wrote ‘Name sign’ on the board. Ranboo nodded in understanding as Eret looked back at him. 

“Oh, right. Instead of fingerspelling a name, you use the first letter of the name and attach it to another word,” Ranboo said, and Eret nodded, reading his lips. She wrote down some more and signed them to Ranboo as he wrote them down, and Ranboo mimicked it. 

Tommy=T’fire’.

Tubbo=T’Water’

Wilbur= W’music’

Niki= N’bake’

Sally= S’fish’

Techno= T’Pink’ 

Ranboo smiled; each of the name signs was connected to each person, which made sense. Along with learning the name signs, Eret showed Ranboo the signs for breakfast, lunch, dinner, together, and a couple others often used around the house that would quickly get a point across. They practiced in the barn, the horses around them neighing gently and demanding attention that Ranboo provided. 

Soon, the sky was darkening, and Phil came back out to see them. They’d stopped with the signing at this point to brush out the horses, and Eret was too distracted with Goose to notice Phil. 

“Ranboo, dinner,” Phil said, glancing at Eret, “Will you let her know?” He asked, and Ranboo nodded. 

Phil started on his way back to the house as Ranboo caught Eret’s attention. 

“Dinner,” Ranboo signed and said, and Eret smiled with a nod. Finishing off with the horses before shutting the stable door and walking side by side back into the house. Already, Eret’s anxiety was lessening when Wilbur left during the day. Because when they were gone, Eret and Ranboo hung out with the horses and signed to each other. 

Chapter Text

Sometimes, Ranboo questioned the world around him. Sometimes, he wondered if there was more than what he saw. Or what he thought he saw. Sometimes, as he witnessed people doing their things for the day, it seemed… just so different. So exaggerated, or something like that, it was hard to say. Sometimes, when Charlie and Phil worked on the garden, the plants and vegetables and fruits seemed to become more lively, and healthier and there was just too much, like an overload, of production, which made no sense. Ranboo knew plants. One cucumber plant shouldn’t be producing that many in a single sprout. 

Or when Karl was cleaning the house, they just seemed to go from room to room or just appear magically. And when Karl was around, Ranboo had major deja vu at some times. It was weird. It happened with Niki too, and Ranboo tried brushing it off, thinking it was just his mind playing tricks on him. 

After his online classes, Ranboo started wandering around the house. He had most of the crucial bits memorized. His room, Phil’s room, Techno’s room, Tommy and Tubbo’s room. Wilbur, Eret, and Niki’s rooms. The butler’s corridors. The main room and the pool room. These were the areas he had memorized. However, there was more to the house. 

Next to the pool room, Ranboo found, there was a library. Ranboo hadn’t known this was here; in fact, it hardly looked used. When he opened the door, it creaked from nonuse. He tried turning the light on, and it flickered, snapping lightly before settling on a gentle buzz and gentle yellow light filling the room. 

The library wasn’t huge. Maybe about half of larger high school libraries, and around the size of small school libraries. The tables and the chairs were layered with dust, and Ranboo coughed a bit as it brushed up and filled his lungs.  He cleared his throat, moving along the aisle and reading the spines of the books. A special one caught his eye. 

It had a brown spine and gold lettering—The  Power of Colors . 

Interesting. 

Ranboo grabbed it, pulling it down from the shelf. It was an old book, worn leather and worn lettering with pages that’d turned brown. The writing was in cursive so curly it was almost hard to read, and Ranboo got to through the first paragraph. 

The power that matches the void of all light matches the void of all colors, Black. Anyone born with the mark of black can work with the shadows of the night. However, these shadows hold monsters. These monsters are dangerous to be let out of their void homes, so only when you’ve trained them and made sure they’ll follow your every move should you let them free. The wielders of the shadows can use the void to move from shadow to shadow and hid there for as long as they could possibly need. However, if they lose their way out, they’re stuck within the shadows for the rest of time. 

Remember: The bigger the shadow. The more giant the monster. The bigger the problem. 

Ranboo suddenly felt eyes on him. He looked around, glancing everywhere, and he couldn’t find the source of the eyes. He shivered, finding the library uncomfortable now. 

He took the book, shut the light off, and left. 

=========+++========

The book sat in Ranboo’s room, right next to other books tucked away like it belonged. Ranboo tried to avoid looking at it. Despite the fact that he never slept with the light on, he started to fear the shadows. But he couldn’t tell anyone. He felt like he’d done something wrong. Like he’d stolen the book. Had he?

Certainly not! 

It was in the wide open! The door was unlocked! He was bound to have found it. It wasn’t like it was hidden or anything. Ranboo still felt wrong for it, and he needed to take his mind off of it. Ignoring the fact that it was 11 o’clock at night, Ranboo got up and out of his room. He jogged to the back door, flicking the porch light on; he forced himself to ignore the childish fears of the dark, running to the stable where Ender stayed. 

When he reached the stable, he flicked the light on. He noticed a white cat sitting on some hay bales. (Ranboo didn’t know why they were there; they were never used for anything other than sitting) Ranboo pressed his eyebrows together, stepping forward as the cat looked up at him. It tilted his head, and its ears twitched. Ranboo kneeled; he’d never seen a cat on this property before. The cat purred gently, standing and stepping forward. Its eyes… pure white. Ranboo had never seen that before on a cat, not even a blind one. Cat’s eyes were never truly  white. 

There was a small hole on both of the cat’s ears, like earring holes. Ranboo reached a hand out, and the cat quickly leaned into the touch against its head. It meowed softly before moving and jumping onto Ranboo’s shoulder and pressing its head against Ranboo’s. 

“You remind me of someone,” Ranboo whispered gently, sitting on the hay bales, which were luckily right in front of Ender’s stall; and Ender poked her nose out, and Ranboo smiled at her. The cat climbed down and into Ranboo’s lap, placing a paw on his chest to regain his attention and lift its body, pressing its forehead against Ranboo’s nose. 

Ranboo chuckled, petting the top of the cat’s head. However, something broke the moment as footsteps were heard coming out to the stable. The cat flipped around before hopping down and running into Goose’s stable and disappearing. Ranboo glanced up as the stable door opened again, and there stood Phil and Wilbur. 

“Dammit,” Phil mumbled, placing a hand over his chest. “Boo, don’t do that; you scared the hell out of me,” Phil said, 

“Huh?” Ranboo said gently. 

“Phil noticed someone getting into the stables,” Wilbur explained, and Ranboo nodded in understanding. “We had someone break in once and try to steal the horses, which is why he was a little panicked.” 

“Sorry,” Ranboo said, and Phil shook his head. 

“It’s fine, are you alright, mate? You’re never out of your room this late,” Phil said, and Ranboo nodded as Phil walked over. Ranboo moved over a bit so Phil could sit down, and Wilbur sat down on the floor, seemingly uncaring about how filthy the floor had to be. 

Phil glanced at Wilbur, who shook his head no. 

“What’s wrong, mate?” Phil asked, and Ranboo shrugged.

“I don’t know. I think I spooked myself,” Ranboo said, glancing around at the darkened areas of the barn. “I read something, and it freaked me out.” His mouth was moving; why was his mouth moving? He didn’t need to say anything more, and he needed to stop talking. 

Wilbur pressed their eyebrows together as Ranboo had this internal battle, the teen’s mouth opening and closing. “Boo, what’s going on?” 

“I’ve been more honest lately,” Ranboo said before he could even think, and he looked scared of his own mouth. 

“That’s good,” Phil said, slightly confused. 

“I mean… yeah, I guess, but it isn’t intentional…” Ranboo admitted, and Wilbur had a dawning look of understanding. 

“Like you can’t tell a lie?” Wilbur asked, and Ranboo nodded slowly. 

Phil seemed to get it then, which left Ranboo completely confused and out of the loop as they had a secret conversation with their eyes. 

“Ranboo, can we try something?” Phil asked, and Ranboo nodded. “Okay, Wilbur’s going to ask us both a couple of questions. First, he will ask you, and we’ll see how you react and what comes out. Then he’ll ask me, and I want you to watch me as close as you can and see if you notice anything weird, alright?” Phil asked, and while Ranboo was confused, he nodded in agreement. “Okay, Wil?” 

“Alright,” Wilbur said, adjusting his seating position, “Questions are easy with nothing behind it, alright? Remember that,” Wilbur said, and Ranboo nodded. “Have you been spending time with Eret recently?” They asked. 

Ranboo was talking before he even realized. “Yeah, three times a week after school, we ride horses, and she teaches me more signs,” Ranboo said. Okay, that was a more normal answer that he would’ve given, but it freaked him out that he was talking before his brain caught up. 

Wilbur nodded, “Do you like Tubbo and Tommy?” 

“Yeah, they’re good kids. They both can be a bit loud and hyperactive sometimes, but it doesn’t bother me since I’ve grown up with kids significantly worse; I remember one kid liked tugging on my hair, and-okay that was too much information,” Ranboo said, cutting himself off. Wilbur chuckled lightly. 

“Are you scared of anyone here?” Wilbur asked, and Ranboo seemed to blue screen. 

“No… not exactly,” Ranboo said, finding it hard to find an answer. He struggled in his own mind, and it was pulling him in two different directions. 

They don’t need to know everything. They’re not your family. Your family is gone. 

But they took you in. They’ve agreed to help you until you’re able to help yourself. You owe them. 

You don’t owe them anything. Protect yourself. 

Tell them. 

Ranboo hadn’t even realized that he’d been sitting there silently, which brought confusion to Wilbur’s features. Ranboo eventually shook his head in a final no. 

“No, not scared. Just weary,” Ranboo finalized, and Wilbur nodded. 

“Alright, now focus on Phil and tell us if you see or feel anything off, okay?” Wilbur said, and Ranboo nodded, slowly shifting to face Phil better slightly. 

“How many biological kids do you have?” Wilbur asked. 

“One,” Phil said, and something warmed went through Ranboo, but he didn’t comment on it. Maybe the stables just got warmer. 

“Are you married?” Wilbur asked, and Phil smiled a bit. 

“I am, yes. To a beautiful woman,” Phil said, and the room stayed warm. Ranboo couldn’t help but smile as well, and Phil looked like he was so in love with her. 

“Do you know where she is?” Wilbur asked, and Phil paused for a moment.

“No,” Phil said, and the room ran cold. Like a winter breeze just blew through. Something heavy hung in Ranboo’s gut. That wasn’t the truth, was it? Phil did know. Ranboo’s skin crawled, and he glanced at Wilbur; he didn’t like this feeling. He was uncomfortable. 

Wilbur nodded at Phil, and he sighed gently.  

“Ranboo, let’s go back inside, okay?” Phil said, his voice never raising. 

“You know where she is?” Ranboo asked, catching them both off guard. “Wait… how do I… what’s going on? What was that? What is this?” Ranboo asked. 

“Ranboo, we don’t know quite yet,” Wilbur said, and the stable ran warm again. “When we know more, you’ll know more,” they promised. 

Ranboo noticed that Phil avoided the question about his wife by standing and helping Ranboo up. But, he said nothing as the three of them walked back into the house. Phil sent them both back to bed, saying they’d speak more about it later. Ranboo was relieved when he went warm again as he walked with Wilbur up the stairs and to his room, neither one of them letting a peep out of them. 

Ranboo glanced at the book on his shelves after he said goodnight to Wilbur and watched them return to their room. Part of him itched to grab for it, but the other half begged him to go to bed.

The bed won.

Chapter Text

Ranboo found himself reading more of that book after having it sit for two weeks on the shelf. Did he plan on it? Not exactly, but then again, who intends to read a book about magic colors? So, he read more. It went in rainbow order, which was actually pretty nice. After black, it went off with red, bright red to be exact. 

Take the first true color of the rainbow. Now brighten it. The brighter side of the color red has an extraordinary mark, and those who wield this mark are wielders of the flame. Fire is an exciting thing to control, but it’s also tough to handle. Those born with this magnificent power can create fire out of the palms of their hands. But careful, like natural fires, it can rise out of control quickly. So, you must be prepared to lose things if a fire wielder is born. They’ll gain control of it the more they work with it, and don’t worry; fire wielders never get burned! 

Ranboo raised an eyebrow, and he thought about this power. He liked fire, ironically. Despite everything, he’s been through with it. Funny thing trauma and how you react to it. It also reminded him of an incident that happened the other day in the kitchen. 

“HOLY FUCK-” Quackitys voice shouted, catching everyone’s attention. Ranboo was in the kitchen first, and his eyes went wide with seeing the fucking stove on fire. Before he could think, he grabbed Quackity away from it and stepped forward to see where it was coming from. As Ranboo moved closer, the fire dimmed. 

“Ranboo!” Quackity shouted, which snapped Ranboo out of his trance. The fire roared up again, and Quackity quickly moved Ranboo as Phil and Tommy ran in. Quackity removed Ranboo from the kitchen, the last thing Ranboo saw from that incident was Tommy standing in front of it, and the fire sized down. 

Ranboo never got an explanation for that. 

Ranboo shook his head. He sighed, looking at his hands. Despite all the fires he’d been through, he’d never gotten burned. He never thought much of it because he didn’t like thinking about it, but it was still interesting to him. He ran a hand through his hair, and he read on. 

Now, take the red, and darken it. The mark of dark red is also exceptional as it’s the power for super strength. This power can be blessed upon anyone and everyone. Super strength is a handy power, but it has a lot of drawbacks. While you are strong, your speed runs low, and you lose energy very quickly, so use it sparingly. You can build up immunity, as you would building muscles and building up for it. 

Ranboo head bobbed back and forth as he read, a little thing he did when he was focused. He hardly noticed he did it sometimes, but Tubbo called it a cute stim, so he wasn’t embarrassed by it. Not that badly anyway. However, this reminded him of Sally in a way. She was so buff… and everyone went to her to carry heavy stuff, or she would just do it anyway. It was pretty cool. Then he thought about it. He was pretty strong, too, not to toot his own horn. But.. he’s helped Sally carry heavy things, and they felt like nothing to him. And he was exhausted afterward. 

Actually, no. That’s just his brain, and he was fine. This power stuff isn’t real...

The second color doesn’t have two ends to it, like red. Just plan orange, but don’t worry, it’s just as impressive. People born with the orange mark have the ability to summon small objects to the palm of their hand. Now, this is limited, as it is only small objects. And the object has to exist, new matter cannot be created, and all that blah blah science stuff that this power seems to follow. Either way, it’s an incredible power to wield. But only a few are blessed with it a year, and the numbers are growing weaker. 

Ranboo pouted a bit. That seemed fun to have, and it was sad that not many people seemed to have it in whatever universe this book was talking about. He ignored the fact that sometimes he’d be missing his phone than Phil’d bought him, and then it would just appear on him. And maybe a pencil if he really needed one. Nope. Never happened. 

Yellow. A bright color and the third color in the rainbow. People with the yellow mark can tell when someone is lying. Like a human lie detector. But, they are unable to lie themselves. (In some cases, this isn’t always true. See the rainbow power for more information)  So, this power is a blessing but also a curse. But, anyone born with this mark will be one of the most honest people you’ll ever meet. Literally, but I suggest you try and match their honesty because they’ll see right through you. 

Ranboo thought for a moment. Wilbur. Wilbur immediately came to his mind. Wilbur could never control their mouth. Could never tell a lie. And they always knew when everyone was lying. Whether or not they called them out on it was another story. Okay… a little freaky. But that didn’t mean anything. (Ranboo refused to acknowledge the night in the barn.) 

Before he could continue reading, a knock on the door made him jump. He shut the book and set it down as it opened, and Techno opened the door.

“Hey, dinners ready,” Techno said, and Ranboo nodded, standing. “How long have you been wearing the binder?” Techno asked, raising an eyebrow as Ranbo glanced down at himself guilty. 

“Ummm…” Ranboo trailed off. 

“Take it off before you come down,” Techno said, and Ranboo nodded before Techno shut the door. Ranboo sighed, shaking his head with a smile. Despite only living here for about a month and some weeks, every day someone would make sure he took his binder off. It was endearing, and also slightly annoying since Ranboo just wanted to wear it. But, he understood why they did what they did. 

After taking it off, he went downstairs to eat. 

--__--

Ranboo didn’t get a chance to read the rest of it, being too tired, to finish it he put it back on the shelf. He passed out afterward, and hadn’t had a chance, either that or remember to pick it back up again. School, lessons with Eret, teaching Tommy how to swim, and things like that just seemed to distract him. He loved doing these things though, so it didn’t matter much at the end of the day. 

However, somewhere deep within the shadows that still haunted him, there were people who knew him. Including the famous wife that Ranboo knew very little about, and Phil seemed to know very much about her locations. 

“He’s safe,” Kristin whispered, standing next to a figure just barely taller than her. Slim, wearing nothing but black a small bit of a darkened green. The brightest color on him, however, was the white mask on his face. 

He lifted it and took it off. A single green eye looked back at Kristin, the other eye was scarred closed, the entire left side of his face burned. From his hairline down to his neck, and then it disappeared into his clothing. 

“Dream I swear to you, Ranboo is safe with my family,” Kristin whispered, placing a hand on the troubled man. “I know you want to keep him safe. And you’ve done that. You’ve succeeded, I promise. You don’t need to start any more fires.” 

Dream was silent, looking out of the shadow to his brother, tilting his head. He blinked his one eye. Placing a hand on Kristin’s and squeezing gently. He slipped the mask back on and faded into the darkness of the shadow. Kristin exhaled shakily, looking at Ranboo herself. 

Ranboo, asleep in his room. Unaware of what was happening in the shadows of his darkened closet. Kristin, stared as the scene changed, and now she was faced with Phil in his office. She shakily stepped out of the shadow, something she hadn’t done in months. Phil looked up at her, relief filling his features as he stood. 

Instead of speaking, he pulled his wife into a sweet kiss. Kristin returned it, holding her husband close. She could only pray Dream agreed and knew Ranboo was finally safe. Because if he didn’t. She knew her family would go up in flames just the same as the other two families Ranboo had had. 

--__--

“What?” Phil asked, and Kristin nodded. 

“The shadows had asked me to help this troubled kid-” Kristin whispered, they were sitting in Phil’s office still, speaking silent so no one would hear them. “He’s the reason Ranboo’s lost, families. Phil- he’s a rainbow,” Kristin whispered. 

“Rainbows… they haven’t been recorded in centuries, are you sure?” Phil asked, and Kristin nodded. 

“I’ve seen his mark. I’ve seen him set the fire of Ranboo’s last home. Phil- he doesn’t care about the people. He cares about Ranboo. And he never speaks, but… I know he’s hurting. I know, I can feel it. It’s like he doesn’t want his pain ejected onto Ranboo. He’s protecting him… by killing those who have done him wrong.” 

“So, Ranboo’s last family?” Phil asked. 

“They were good for a while. But, from what I’ve gathered, they cut Ranboo off from his social worker. They stopped feeding him properly, they started hitting him. And hiding Melissa, his sister, in a cruel way of punishment. Claiming if he didn’t find her, she’d just die-” Kristins choked on the words. “I keep telling him you guys are safe. I keep trying to remind him that you’ve saved kids before. But I don’t even know if he can hear me.” 

“Love, calm down,” Phil whispered, taking her hand and kissing it gently. “If he’s watching us, he knows we care for him. We’re not going to change now. Keep talking to him, keep learning more. It can help us understand Ranboo better, and know how to react around him. Listen to the shadows, and I’ll listen to you. You’re not going to lose us. I promise you that. If Dream needs it, he can even join us here. But, we’re going to protect Ranboo for as long as he’ll let us, and we’ll support him through everything he needs. As long as Dream knows that, then we’re perfectly safe.” 

Kristin nodded, squeezing her husband’s hand. “I think… i think Ranboo might also be a rainbow,” She whispered, and Phil nodded. 

“If Dream is, there’s a high chance Ranboo is too. Rainbow’s come in pairs,” Phil agreed. “We’ll talk to him about the powers soon, I promise. He’s already found the book. He’s bound to ask more questions sooner than later. Once he does, we’ll be ready. Don’t worry, my love. I’ve got things handled here. You make sure things are handled there, okay?” Phil said, and Kristin nodded. 

“I love you,” She whispered, and Phil smiled. 

“I love you too, my dear. Be safe, return to me soon, and visit your son tonight. I think he needs his mother’s touch,” Phil said, and Kristin nodded.

They shared a final kiss before Kristin fell back into the shadows. Appearing again in Tommy’s room. She stepped out when she realized Tommy was asleep. She kneeled next to his bed, brushing his hair aside, she smiled. 

“I’m very proud of you, my child,” She whispered, pressing a kiss to Tommy’s forehead, gently as to not wake him up. She grabbed a pen, writing him a note on a notepad, and leaving it against his lamp. “Sleep well, my son,” She whispered, before fading back into the darkness of the room. 

My son, I miss you very much. 

I’ll be home soon, don’t you worry. 

Keep taking care of Tubbo and Ranboo for me, okay? 

I love you, and I’m very proud of who you’re becoming. 

-Mom. 

Chapter Text

By Ranboo’s second month there, he was used to pretty much the routine they all had. Tommy had gotten significantly better with swimming. Ranboo was proud of him, watching him go from the far end to end easily with little to no panic. (Sometimes, there was panic when Tommy realized how deep the water was or how long he’d been under for, but Ranboo helped calm him.) 

Helping Tubbo with his English homework, which was an activity all in itself because they got angry very quickly at the words on the pages, and Ranboo had to deal with many venting sessions about whether or not a semicolon should exist. But, they got through it, and then they placed video games together or drew and added to their work-in-progresses as a stress reliever. 

It was easy to just hang out with Techno in silence when he was over—hanging out in Techno’s room. Him on his computer and Ranboo on his bed, drawing as Techno worked on something for school. What was he going to school for? Ranboo had no clue, considering he was already a police officer. Ranboo suspected he didn’t like the job, though. 

He helped Niki and Sally bake a lot when they were over. It was fun, getting your hands dirty in the kitchen and creating sweets and stuff for people to eat. And he found he was actually pretty good at it. Niki and Sally were a lot of fun to bake with too, and they both had really great chemistry that was really easy to bounce off of. Plus, Karl would join in sometimes too, and Ranboo liked hanging out with Karl. 

He and Wilbur actually got along better as well. Not that they had any troubles before, and it was just a little awkward at first for a couple of different reasons. But Wilbur liked just simply walking around with him. Whether it be around the property or around town when they took the younger two shopping. 

Wilbur always cracked jokes about how he and Techno got mixed up as kids before Techno dyed his hair. Ranboo couldn’t see it. Yeah, they had similar noses, and they both had hooded eyes, but that was about it. But, it was nice to hear a bit more about how Techno and Wilbur were raised. Not that Ranboo asked about it. 

Eret and Ranboo still rode horses in the backyard. They still had signing classes, and Ranboo had actually gotten a lot better. He was able to now fully sign conversations with Eret. She had also become more comfortable with Ranboo, enough to be alone with him for more extended periods of time, especially if Niki needed Wilbur’s help. 

Ranboo found himself hanging out at the bakery more often with Tubbo and Tommy. They helped clean up the bakery before closing and opening. Ranboo often helped in the back with the actual baking, though, while the other two helped with cleaning. 

Actually, Ranboo helped so much he was basically hired into the bakery and worked after school. It was fun working with Niki to find new recipes and testing what they worked with and what they didn’t. Ranboo also was taught how to work the cash register and such. Usually, when he did that, he was met with good and kind customers. But of course, when you work in an area where you have to talk to people, some people just are not kind. 

“I didn’t order this?” A woman said, and Ranboo, already gaining a migraine, sighed. 

“Ma’am, you asked for a receipt, and right here, it said you did,” Ranboo repeated for the third time. 

“No, I want a refund!” She demanded, and Ranboo shook his head. 

“We don’t offer refunds,” Ranboo said, again, for the third time. 

“Where’s the manager, obviously he only hires children who can’t understand how adults work!” She sneered, and Ranboo rolled his eyes when he turned around. 

“Niki! Need you at the counter!” Ranboo called, and the gentle call of, ‘Give me a second,’ rang through the back. Ranboo walked back to the counter. “ She’ll be right here,” Ranboo smiled kindly. 

Finally, after about three minutes that felt like three hours of lecturing, Niki came out from the back. “What seems to be the issue?” She asked. 

“Your hire here doesn’t know how to properly treat customers!” Karen snarled, and Ranboo shook his head. 

“She got what she ordered; she paid for it. Then she demanded it wasn’t what she asked for and was asking for a refund. The receipt is right here,” Ranboo said; he sounded tired. 

“Migraine?” She asked gently, and Ranboo nodded. “Go into the back, I’ll handle this,” She promised, taking the receipt and leaving to go into the back of the shop where Wilbur was. Ignoring the screech of the woman. 

“ Is he not getting fired for how he treated me! That entire story was a lie!” She cried, and Niki spoke calmly, explaining the receipt and the situation as Ranboo walked into the back office. Wilbur looked up at him from the paperwork he was doing. 

“Another one?” Wilbur asked, and Ranboo nodded, grabbing his medicine from the cabinet. He’d started taking pills to help with his migraines. 

“She comes in every week,” Ranboo mumbled, shaking his head. “Same old thing, every. Time.” 

Wilbur chuckled as Ranboo sat down, “You get used to it,” Wilbur said, and Ranboo groaned, putting his head on to his forearms. For a while, everything was quiet, save for the woman screaming. Then, things stopped. Ranboo felt the air leave his lungs, and he tried coughing, only to find he had no air left. He looked around and saw Wilbur moving… in reverse? Suddenly, things were normal again. 

“You get used to it- hey, you sat down quickly,” Wilbur commented, and Ranboo pressed his eyebrows together. 

“Wil… you already said that,” Ranboo said, and Wilbur raised an eyebrow. 

“I.. did not. You just walked in-” Wilbur said before Ranboo’s breathe caught in his throat again. Wilbur froze, staring at Ranboo. Ranboo looked around. What the hell was going on? His chest was tight; he felt like he was suffocating. Finally, Wilbur continued, and the sounds in the kitchen came back. 

“Wil, that’s not funny,” Ranboo said, and Wilbur raised an eyebrow. 

“What’s not funny?” Wilbur asked. 

“You-you freezing like that! Stop doing that!” Ranboo said, running a hand through his hair. It had gotten longer; he refused to cut it. Wilbur raised an eyebrow. 

“Ranboo, I assure you I haven’t been doing anything… wait,” Wilbur said, and Ranboo pressed a hand to his forehead; it just seemed to pound harder. “Drink some water; I’m going to get you something to eat. Take the rest of the day off.” Wilbur said. 

Ranboo wasn’t even going to argue. 

Wilbur left the room and walked out the front, where Niki had resolved the issue by just giving her half of a refund. She jumped when she felt Wilbur behind her. 

“Tommy, work the counter real quick,” Wilbur said before dragging Niki back into a private area. Tommy wasn’t a hired worker like Ranboo was, but he stood in where others couldn’t, and he got paid for it when he did. 

“What happened?” Niki asked, “Is Boo okay?” She asked. 

“His migraine is terrible; I told him to take the rest of the day off. Did you freeze or rewind time at all?” Wilbur whispered. 

“What? No! I don’t do that in public! Too many risks!” Niki whispered. 

“Okay, so either someone in this area is, or Ranboo’s doing it,” Wilbur whispered back. 

“What? I thought he was a yellow?” Niki asked. 

“Yeah, so did I. But he said I repeated a phrase and then just froze on him,” Wilbur explained. “If it wasn’t you, Karl isn’t around-” 

“Okay, hold on. Ranboo said that?” Niki asked, and Wilbur nodded. 

“Then Ranboo was doing it. Other purples can’t move inside time-lapses unless they’re working together to make the time-lapse. I wasn’t aware of it, so it has to have been Ranboo.” 

“So what’s this mean?” Wilbur asked. 

“He could be a double like you are,” Niki offered. 

“Well Q thinks he can control fire too, considering the kitchen incident,” Wilbur said. 

“So, he has the human lie detector trait, with a small bit of the truth trait. He’s stopping and rewinding time, potentially can control fire..” Niki paused. “What if he’s a rainbow?” 

“He would’ve known-” Wilbur said. 

“Not if he wasn’t raised into it. He doesn’t even know these powers exist, Phil told us that. People born without a mark aren’t told about those with a mark. But what if Ranboo’s mark was hidden?” Niki asked. 

“Should we tell Phil?” Wilbur asked. 

“I’m sure he already knows,” Niki sighed, leaning against the wall. “If he can control fire… what’re the chances he set the fire to the houses he’s lived in?” She asked. 

“Well… wait didn’t Techno say he had a brother?” Wil asked. 

“Yeah, so?” 

“Well, rainbows come in pairs, usually. What if the brother gained control of his powers before Ranboo?” 

“A murderous brother?” 

“A protective brother,” Wilbur said, tilting his head. “Ranboo has bad memory issues. He could’ve forgotten he was a rainbow in the first place. Or that out would exist.” 

“Memory loss is a backlash of heavy use of time-lapses,” Niki mumbled. “Maybe he tried to save his parents, but couldn’t, and that caused the memory loss?” 

“It’s a theory,” Wilbur sighed. “Okay, say he is a rainbow, how can we be sure?” 

“Check for other colors,” Niki shrugged, and Wilbur nodded, glancing to the back room. 

“Close early today?” Wilbur asked, and Niki nodded. 

--__--

Ranboo had been laying in his room, his head was still pounding. None of the medications were working like they were supposed to, every noise, every bump, everything caused it to hurt more. Ranboo ignored the twist in his stomach from the eyes in the shadows, his head hurt too bad to turn a light on. 

A gentle knock at the door caused him to wince, but he hummed to allow entry. Niki and Karl were at the door, he forced himself up despite wanting to lie there with a pillow over his head for the rest of the day. He waved weaky, making room for the two on his bed. They didn’t speak yet, whether or not it was for Ranboo’s migraine, Ranboo didn’t know. 

“Karl, go get Techno for me,” Niki said, gently, but it still pounded against Ranboo’s head. Karl stepped back out, and Niki made sure to keep the light from the hallways out of Ranboo’s view. “Hey, the pain will lessen soon. C’mere,” Niki whispered, pulling Ranboo into a hug. 

Ranboo was used to being hugged by Niki at this point. And by Eret, but mostly Niki. Ranboo hid his face in Niki’s neck, the cloth of her turtleneck was soft against his face, and it blocked out any light. Niki rubbed his head soothingly, and luckily that didn’t hurt as bad as he thought it would.  

Soon, the door creaked open again, and Niki’s hand grew firmer to keep his head down. Ranboo thought it was to protect him from the light. He felt another, bigger, hand in the back of his neck. Techno. He knew it right away. Techno always clasped the back of his neck like that, whether it be to steer him another way, or as a brotherly thing when they were laughing and bonding. Either way, Ranboo knew it was Technoblade. 

Oh also he heard what Niki said earlier and it was an educated guess. 

Either way, the pain in his head started to lessen. Significantly. Now down to a light headache, Ranboo was able to lift his head again and look around without his vision being affected. 

“Better?” Techno asked, and Ranboo nodded. 

“How’d you do that?” Ranboo asked, and Technoblade moved to sit next to Niki, Karl already sitting next to Ranboo. 

Basically it went Ranboo on the right, Karl on the left. Niki in front of Ranboo near the end of the bed, Techno in front of Karl. 

“Actually we came in here to talk to you about that,” Niki said, rubbing Ranboo’s shoulder. 

“We know you found the book.” 

Chapter Text

Ranboo glanced between them all, glancing at the shelf and then back at them. 

“The book?” He asked, and Niki nodded. “As in, the book about the colors? With the fake magic and stuff?” 

“It’s not fake,” Niki said, “And I think you’re starting to realize that.” 

“It can’t be; magic isn’t real,” Ranboo said, rubbing the side of his head. 

“Of course it can,” Niki said, standing. She grabbed the book off the shelf with little struggle. She sat back down and opened it to the page Ranboo had left off on. “Which did you last read?” She asked. 

“Yellow,” Ranboo said gently. 

“Oh! Wilbur’s main power, I’m sure you’ve caught on by now that he cannot lie or can’t keep up a lie, and he is basically a human lie detector. His secondary power helps him get away with a bit more. Those parts are a little unknown, but it is what it is. So, the next power is green,” Niki said. 

“Phil and Charlie,” Techno commented. 

“Mhm, they grow things, like fruits and vegetables. They work with the earth,” Niki explained. “Here, read the paragraph,” Niki said gently. Ranboo took the book. He glanced up at Niki, and she nodded for him to read it. 

Green, a lovely earth color. The color of the trees and the grass. The color represents life and purity. This color grows. It gives the wielder the ability to grow plants, to grow life on earth. These wielders brighten this green earth and can help with oxygen production as a little treat on the side. Always have a green wielder on your side. They can make the freshest fruits and vegetables.

“Wait, so… all of the plants in the garden-” Ranboo started. 

“All naturally grown, kind of. Charlie and Phil have to help every once in a while since they have the ability to make the plants grow,” Techno spoked, and Ranboo pressed his eyebrows together. 

“Wait, but… but that makes no sense, I mean… this can’t be real-” Ranboo stammered. 

“It’s a little hard to prove, with our powers, but….” Niki thought for a moment. She glanced at the table. A tac. “Here, prick your finger,” She requested. 

“I’m sorry?” Ranboo asked as Niki picked up the random tac from on his side table. 

“Prick your finger,” She repeated. “I would have one of us do it, but I think it would be better if you did. Just do it. Don’t worry, it won’t be too bad.” She promised. 

Ranboo pressed his eyebrows together, but he took the tac. Of course, he hesitated because why the hell wouldn’t he? He knew this family was a bit strange, but damn, what was he doing? Joining a blood cult? 

He pricked his finger.

He winced, but that was about it. His finger throbbed now as a small trail of blood started to run down. Niki grabbed a tissue from the box and took the tac. Then, Techno sat up and gently wrapped his hand around Ranboo’s. It was gone. The small wound. Gone. The blood was there, and Ranboo accepted the tissue to wipe it away before Niki took it to throw it away. 

Ranboo stared at his finger. Then at Techno, then at his finger, then at Niki, then back at his finger. 

“Read pink,” Techno said, it came out gruff, and he coughed gently as he flipped the page for Ranboo. 

Pink, a pretty color. People usually associate red with the heart, but we thought, why not make it pink? After all, so many health things remind me of pink. People who wield the pink mark are healers. They’re able to heal others with a simple touch of contact. However, they cannot heal themselves, nor can they heal life-threatening wounds. Healers are perfect to have around for self-evident reasons, but in general, they’re just lovely people to be around. After all, the pink mark isn’t given to just anyone. Trust the pinks. They know the most about wounds and injuries. If they can’t heal it. Get help. Quickly. 

Ranboo glanced up at Techno… pink hair. Pink eyes. “You… the pink-” Ranboo stammered. Techno nodded, grinning a tiny bit as he leaned back against the footboard. 

“Read purple, would you?” Niki asked, and Ranboo glanced at the one just before pink. 

Purple. A beautiful color, deep or light. This power stops time and can reverse it. Not fast forward, however. You must’ve already experienced these things before you can redo them. But, because nothing moves when time is frozen, that includes the atoms that make up everything. Including the oxygen, we breathe. That’s right. When time is frozen, those who froze time will struggle to breathe during the duration of time. 

Ranboo pressed his eyebrows together, looking up at Niki, “Purples… freeze time?” Ranboo asked as if he hadn’t just read about it. 

“And they reverse it,” Niki added, adjusting her skirt. “But we can only reverse it so far, or it gets physically painful. Like bone-crushing. So, we usually only freeze it.” 

“And it suffocates you?” Ranboo said, and Niki nodded. 

“Most of us have oxygen masks or tanks that are affected by the time freeze or lapse, so we use those to breathe and stay longer,” Karl explained, leg bouncing against the bed. 

“Let’s go back to the blues,” Niki said, flipping the page back. “There are many different blues. Teal, dark blue, aqua, and icey.” 

“Why so many?” Ranboo asked, and Niki shrugged.

“Just how it is,” Niki explained. 

Teal. A pretty color and a mix between cyan and green. Also, the color for speed. The wielders with this color are the fastest people alive, but like with actual running, you get hungry very quickly. So don’t run for too long; your body needs the proteins and nutrients. Or, always keep a snack on you. Either way, make sure to keep yourself well-fed, even without the teal power. Eating is important. 

Dark blue. A color most call mysterious, well, depending on the situation. It’s a flattering color, and it fits well with almost everything. It’s the color for telekinesis. Lifting items and controlling them with your mind. Big or small, you name it, a dark blue can most likely lift it. It takes a lot of power, though. The bigger the object, the harder it is to move, which means a clear head a concentration. 

Aqua blue. Also a beautiful blue color. Team and AB and a pink together, and you’ve got a perfect match because AB people can see just how injured someone is, but they can’t actually heal anyone. So, team an AB and a pink together, and bam! Perfect duo. 

Light baby blue. The color for water control, and we couldn’t have a blue without the control of water. These people have to have some form of liquid water around them in order to use this power. At least 5 oz (or around 147 ml) of water must be controlled. Yes, more water can be made from this for more strength, but this takes extra effort than just using the starting amount of water.

Ranboo looked up, rubbing his forehead, “Okay.. pause. Wait,” he sighed. “So… all of this is real?” He asked, again, for clarification. Niki nodded, smiling kindly at him. “And all of you… have these powers or at least one of them?” 

“Well, most people in the world do. We try to keep those who don’t... protected. We try to keep them unaware that people with magical powers exist,” Karl explained. 

“But I don’t have powers, so… why admit this to me?” Ranboo asked. 

Niki hummed, “We’re not so sure you… don’t have powers,” Niki said. 

Ranboo gently scoffed, “Of course I don’t… I would’ve known by now... Right?” Ranboo asked, and Niki shrugged. 

“Some people don’t find their power until they’re adults because their marks are hidden. But, let me tell you why I think you’re… more than you think. Let’s take a break from reading this for a moment,” She said, taking the book and setting it aside. 

Ranboo glanced her up and down as she readjusted on the bed. 

“Stay with me, okay? I know it’s overwhelming, but just stick with me.” 

Chapter Text

They’d talked for hours, just trying to explain the basics of everything to Ranboo. Slowly, he was understanding and coming to terms with it, but he still seemed cautious. As if this was all an elaborate prank. Of course, this would’ve been a very thought-out and huge prank to pull on someone for seemingly no reason. Still, slowly but surely, Ranboo started to make sense of what they were telling him. 

“Do you want to finish reading the rest of the powers? Or do you want to talk to Phil about it? He’s a better source of information, but he’ll only make sense if you’re open to the idea of it,” Niki said kindly. 

Ranboo looked at the book; both talking to Phil and reading the book would be a good source of information for this topic. But… the book still seemed very thick. Of course, he wouldn’t have to finish it, but it looked overwhelming. But talking to Phil also seemed very overwhelming. 

Either way, they didn’t have time when the door opened, and Wilbur came in looking very panicked and very out of breath. Techno immediately stood up, “What happened?” Techno asked, and Wilbur took a moment to steady his breathing. 

“Tubbo,” Wilbur said, pointing behind him.

Ranboo stood up with the others and left the room behind Techno but moved quickly past him down the stairs and into the living room. Tubbo was lying unconscious on the couch, his head in Eret’s lap as Eret stared down at him with her white eyes, her hands brushing through his hair. 

Phil was kneeling next to him, Tommy next to him holding Tubbo’s hand. Ranboo stepped closer and could see Tubbo’s neck being engulfed with black veins that ran up to his cheeks and down through his arms. 

“I found him a couple miles down the road,” Wilbur explained, watching as Techno stepped forward and placed a hand on Tubbo’s forehead. Nothing. Techno looked at Phil, shaking his head. 

“Is he… alive?” Niki asked gently, and Phil sighed. 

“He’s breathing, which is a good sign, but this… this is the work of….” Phil said, before glancing at Ranboo, then back at Niki. 

“He knows,” Niki nodded. 

“It’s the shadows,” Phil finished. “Something… someone within the shadows attacked him, and they’ve infected him. With how quickly it’s spreading….” 

“Wait… the shadows,” Ranboo mumbled, “The black power? I thought- the book said they only hid people from the real world in another realm,” Ranboo said, confused and worried for one of his best friends. 

“Yes, but there are also monsters that can be controlled by the people in the shadows, that’s also in the book,” Phil explained, and Ranboo nodded. Right, these shadows hold monsters. These monsters are dangerous to be let out of their void homes. 

“So… what can we do?” Tommy asked, looking up at his father. 

“For an infection like this, the only way to remove it is to get the person who placed it to reverse it. But with how many black marks there are out there, including Tubbo’s father, there’s no way of telling who placed this curse on him. And it very well could’ve been a loose monster as well…” Phil spoke gently, the worry was evident in his voice, and fear was present on his face. He very obviously didn’t know what to do. 

“Is he gonna… is he gonna die?” Tommy whispered, and Techno placed a hand on him, squeezing gently, but no one could answer his question. 

“Could... “ Wilbur started, and everyone glanced at him, “Could you contact Kristin?” Wil finished after a moment of thought. “Maybe she can find the source of the spread-” 

“Kristin is watching other things, Wil. If she knew something, she would’ve told us by now-” Phil started. 

“Phil, this is Tubbo’s life at stake here,” Wil said over him, “You can’t try contacting her even for a few minutes? She’s one of the most powerful people we have, and she works in the shadows; if anyone knows what this is, it’s her .” 

“I get your point, Wil. But if the person she’s watching… loses control, we’re all at risk,” Phil spoke calmly, and as much as it pained him to say it, he knew he had to be that voice. 

“So you won’t even try to save him?” Wil asked, and Phil swallowed thickly. 

“If Kristin knew something, she would’ve told us,” Phil said, and Wil shook his head with a slight eye roll. 

“Right, yeah, because she always comes back,” Wilbur mumbled, and Phil gave him a warning look. “Phil, she’s always scared of returning here because she thinks she can fix everything from the shadows. Sometimes we need to know things so we can protect ourselves out here. Tubbo is dying, for fuck sake!” 

Ranboo flinched a bit at the yelling, but his eyes stayed trained on Tubbo; the veins were growing longer and more worrisome. His entire throat was utterly blacked out like a void. 

Ranboo heard shuffling in a corner and turned to look. A shadow… and something in it. A figure, about six feet tall, with a smiling mask. Ranboo recognized it. But from where? It tilted at Ranboo, and a small wave came from the figure. 

“Guys,” Ranboo spoke softly as Phil and Wil continued to argue a bit. “Guys!” Ranboo raised his voice a bit, catching them both off guard, and everyone looked at him. Then they looked in the shadow’s direction. 

The mask tilted again, and a finger raised to its smile. Ranboo pressed his eyebrows together. 

“Ran… you see someone?” Charlie, surprisingly, spoke. Ranboo turned and looked at them. 

“You don’t… you don’t see him?” Ranboo asked, and everyone shook their heads. Ranboo looked back at the shadow, and the mask waved at him again before disappearing into the shadows. 

“Ranboo,” Phil spoke, and Ranboo looked down at the ground for a moment. 

“Hold on,” Ranboo mumbled, running back up the stairs. 

“Ranboo!” Wil called, moving to chase after him, but Karl stopped him. 

“Hold on, he knows something. Let him do what he needs to do,” Karl spoke gently, and Wilbur paused, and they all stared at the staircase, waiting for him to return. 

Ranboo rushed back into his room, digging through his bags. Finally, he found what he was looking for. The photo. Ranboo stared at the youngest child in the picture. Holding the smiling mask. Ranboo blinked, taking the photo downstairs. 

“Boo-” Tommy started, standing up again. 

“My brother’s alive,” Ranboo cut him off, looking at Techno. Techno stood up from where he was kneeling next to Tubbo, and Eret even looked up more. Ranboo offered the photo to Techno. 

“What?” Techno asked, taking the photo, and Ranboo pointed to the mask. 

“He… he was in the shadow,” Ranboo said, looking back at the corner. “You said they never found him, never found his body- what if he never died?” 

“Ranboo, that’s not-” 

“The fire started in the middle of the night. According to you and that book, the shadows are another realm… he could’ve escaped into there. It would explain why you never found his body and how I just saw his mask-” Ranboo rambled. 

“Ranboo, if he was in the shadows, why would he just resurface now?” Techno asked, and Ranboo shrugged. 

“Does it matter? I mean, you’re like 10 years old, you’re parents die in an unknown fire, and you’re most likely trapped in a place you don’t even know how you got into; it would probably be pretty difficult to get out of,” Ranboo said, and Techno straightened his back. 

“If he never came back out, there was probably a chance he didn’t even know how he entered in the first place, and by the time he figured it out, he was already too comfortable. Or he was trapped and physically couldn’t get out,” Niki spoke up as well. “If he was ten… controlling the shadows, that’s a tough power to control, especially as a child…” 

Techno sighed, glancing at Phil, who was looking at the shadow in the corner biting the inside of his cheek. “Phil,” Techno said, and Phil glanced over at him. “What do you think? You think he’s still alive?” 

“I don’t know,” Phil said, and Ranboo felt the air grow thick. He glanced at Wilbur, who tilted his head, and Phil seemed to recognize his mistake immediately. 

“You knew?” Wil asked, mainly for Ranboo, who looked like he was having a hard time simply standing. “You didn’t tell any of us that his brother might still be alive? Hiding in the damn shadows?” 

“Wil,” Niki started, and Eret pressed her eyebrows together; they didn’t like when Wil was angry. It caused the ground to shake. 

“Wil, I simply told-” Phil started.

“When Mom came back,” Tommy cut him off, and everyone glanced at him. “She was actually here again… the note-” 

“You spoke to her without any of us knowing?” Techno asked, and Phil sighed. 

“She had concerns. She’s taking care of it,” Phil started. 

“Does it have to do with him?” Ranboo asked, and Phil glanced at him. “He’s my brother, Phil. I deserve to know. Does it have to do with Dream?” 

Phil stared at Ranboo for a while and nodded. 

--__--

Everyone was now sitting in the living room. Ranboo was sitting next to Tommy on the floor; Tommy leaned against him while holding Tubbo’s hand, which was slowly becoming infected with the black veins. Eret hadn’t moved, but Wilbur and Niki moved to sit next to him. Techno was seated next to Quackity, who was sitting next to Karl and Charlie. Charlie was actually leaning against Quackity slightly, and Phil was leaning against the wall. 

After a few moments of silence, something started moving from the shadowed corner again, and Ranboo looked over towards it. Of course, only Ranboo saw it. But Phil caught the message and looked over. 

“Kris?” Phil called, and just as he did, a woman stepped out of the shadows. She smiled kindly, and Tommy was immediately standing and running over. Tommy hugged Kristin, who squeezed him back. Everyone else smiled or looked in amazement; even Phil himself couldn’t hold back a grin. 

“Hello, my son,” She spoke gently and kindly, kissing Tommy’s head. “Go sit back with your friends; I have a few things to tell you all. Especially you, Ranboo,” She said, looking directly at the poor kid, who leaned back against the couch as Tommy sat back down next to him, leg bouncing as he sat down and retook Tubbo’s hand. 

Sitting in Phil’s main chair, which was centered in front of the group, Kristin started explaining the story of Dream and Ranboo’s life. 

“When I’d first met Dream, he was about ten years old. He never spoke, and he was lost within the realm,” She started. He was burned, and all he had on him were the clothes on his back and the mask in his hands. I’ve never heard a word from him; in the decade I’ve known him, nothing has ever come from his mouth. What I do know, however, is how he communicates with his power. Dream is a rainbow, and if you do not know what that means, Ranboo, he can control every single power known to man, just… not as strongly. I’m marked with black, so I control the shadows significantly better than a rainbow mark, but Dream… Dream doesn’t seem to have the limitations most Rainbow’s have.

“Dream is the reason your house went up in flames, Ranboo,” She said, and Ranboo’s heart and face dropped. Tommy looked over at him, but Ranboo was just distantly looking through Kristin. “And to rub salt into the wound, he’s set every fire that’s killed your families in the past. And I fear he’s infected Tubbo…” She trailed off. 

“Why…?” Ranboo asked, voice hoarse and weak, looking directly at her again. 

“It took Dream years to find you again, Ranboo. He’s… I think it’s his way of protecting you. Getting rid of those who’ve done you wrong. I’ve never been powerful enough to stop him, and I promised him that if you ever found your way to Phil, you’d be safe. I’m not sure he believes me… considering,” She paused, and Ranboo glanced at Tubbo. 

“But why Tubbo?” Phil asked, “He’s… the nicest one here, save for maybe Niki or Eret,” Phil said, and Niki grinned a bit, and Eret looked down a bit bashfully. 

Kristin shrugged, “Why did Dream kill Melissa with her parents? She wasn’t even 10 yet,” she said, and Ranboo’s heart ached. “Sorry, that was insensitive of me. My point is, Dream doesn’t care. If you’re associated with who he thinks is hurting Ranboo, a greater chance is you’re not making it out alive. I know you guys have done nothing to hurt Ranboo, not like his other families have, and I can’t get an answer from him. Like I said, he doesn’t speak. He pulls me around and has me follow him, but I never understand what he’s saying. Or if he even can speak.” 

“Can you bring him out here?” Ranboo asked, and everyone, save for Eret, looked at him. 

“You want… the person who wants to kill us in the house?” Quackity asked. 

“He’s my brother, and very obviously, I’m the reason he’s doing this. Maybe I could… talk to him?” Ranboo offered. 

“If he wanted to talk, wouldn’t he have just come to see you already,” Techno asked, “Why would he hide himself for so long? Why not just prove he’s at least alive? ” 

“Fear, probably,” Kristin spoke. “And Ranboo didn’t know he was a rainbow, so he probably wanted to protect you from that side of the world.” 

“Wait, wait, I thought you said Dream was the rainbow,” Charlie spoke. 

“They both are; rainbow’s come in pairs,” Phil said, and Ranboo seemed even more confused. 

“So.. can I or can I not talk to my brother?” Ranboo asked. 

“I seriously think that’s a bad idea,” Quackity said, and Karl nudged him. 

“So you’d rather have Tubbo die then?” Ranboo asked, and Quackity looked at him, “Please if you have any other ideas, I’m all ears. But he’s my brother   who’s been killing for me, apparently. If I can prove that I am perfectly safe here, maybe he’ll release Tubbo. So please, if you have any other ideas, I’m all ears.” 

“Ranboo, you’ve just found out about… everything,” Kristin stated, “You can’t possibly be ready to face someone as powerful as Dream-” 

“So what? We wait? We wait years until I learn how to control things? Wait for you all to die? Who else can get through to him? Who else means as much? He killed our parents for reasons I don’t even know… I barely remember them. He’s hurt enough people for me. I can’t let him hurt you guys too. Just… let me talk to him,” Ranboo was basically pleading at this point.

He needed some way to stop this. And if he could be the one to save them, then he will. 

Chapter Text

Ranboo was led out to the backyard when nightfall came. They could go far enough with the ample space, so at least there was a little distance between them and the house. Ranboo finished reading about the leading powers before the sunset. Learning about the final blue, icy blue. The ability to control ice at will, but if there’s no water to freeze, powerless. 

He’d already read the pink and purple colors, so there were a couple others. 

White, a pure color. Untainted with the tint of others, this mark can transform into any animal it wants, as long as there’s a white counterpart of it. If the animal is not naturally white, then you’ll stand out against that animal. Any animal you’ll ever change into will be a pure as the snow. But be careful; this power takes a lot of energy, almost as much as dark red, strength. 

Silver is an excellent power since you can go invisible. But of course, when you do, you’ll be blinded to the world. We suggest getting glasses or goggles that help with this. Your vision, however, can never be perfect in the state of invisibility. So be careful. 

Brown. This power controls the earth. (Rocks, sediment, sand, you get the picture.) This power is very popular when mixing with other marks, like orange or yellow. No one ever knew why; it just likes being partnered. But if you’re not surrounded by rocks or sand or dirt, you’re out of luck. 

Rainbow, the final marking for the list of powers. Rainbow incorporates every single power. But this takes a lifetime to master. Because you have to learn every power individually, with all of the drawbacks and have to deal with the fact that each power will not be as strong as the ones who have single or double powers. Rainbows come in pairs; if one rainbow is born, expect another rainbow to be born next or for them to find each other as friends. If you ever meet a rainbow who claims never to have met another, they’ve either lost theirs or are still searching. Give it time. They’ll find you. 

The rest of the book was support with how to handle and use each power in great detail. Ranboo red a couple of them, mainly the black and dark reds, but soon nightfall came, and Kristin insisted on doing this tonight. Tubbo was slowly losing against the veins, and everyone was on edge. 

So Ranboo stood at the edge of the woods, just about 500 yards away from the house. Kristin disappeared into the shadow of the night, where the black marks thrived and the perfect time. Ranboo glanced back at the house; he knew Tommy was looking out of the window, trying to see as far as he could while still staying as close to Tubbo. Techno was probably still trying to heal Tubbo despite it being useless. Eret was probably trying to calm Wil down with Niki. Charlie, Karl, and Quackity were talking about one thing or another; Phil was probably pacing and glancing out of the window. 

Either way, they were are far away, with Tubbo, praying Ranboo is able to do something. 

Kristin returned from the shadow realm, a small… unreadable look on her face. “C’mon, Dream. He’s here now,” She called, and out stepped the masked man again. Ranboo almost collapsed to his knees. 

Seeing him in full was… overwhelming for Ranboo. Even back as a child, Ranboo’s always had a height advantage. Despite Dream now being 6 foot, Ranboo towered over him with a couple of inches. The mask was the same as it had been a decade ago, scuffed up, and it looked like it was falling apart, but Ranboo had made it. He remembered that. He remembered making that mask. 

Back then, Ranboo was Dream’s sister. Back then, they were attached at the hip. They hid together, they built things together, they shared a room even. Back then… it was a long time ago. Dream tilted his head at Ranboo, reaching up and pausing at the mask. 

“You can take it off,” Ranboo said gently. “I won’t judge you.”

Dream hesitated, very obviously, but he slipped it off. Ranboo suppressed a gasp at Dream’s scarred face. The closed eyes, the lopsided mouth. He had been burned, and badly. He was wearing all black, of course, no surprise there. His sandy blond hair that Ranboo remembered from the pictures had darkened to a light brown. Maybe from the lack of light.  

Kristin stood silently as the two brothers took each other in. Dreams one eye scanned Ranboo, despite having watched him grow his entire life. It was mesmerizing to see in proper person. 

Ranboo smiled at him, “It’s been a while. Almost a decade…” He spoke calmly, catching Dream’s attention again. “I’m not your little sister anymore… not a girl at all. But I feel like you know that.” 

Dream nodded, stepping forward. Ranboo resisted the urge to step back and stood still as Dream approached him. Dream placed a hand on Ranboo’s shoulder. It was… cold. Ranboo felt a shiver run down his spine, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kristin stiffen. She knew the coldness of Dreams hand. 

“You’ve been- protecting me?” Ranboo asked, and Dream nodded, squeezing Ranboo’s shoulder again gently. “But… you’ve been hurting people… people I care about,” he continued. Dream face stiffed. Dream moved to step away, but Ranboo gently kept his hand where it was. “Hey, I understand, okay? You don’t want me hurt, and that’s okay. That’s a normal big brother thing… but you can’t kill and hurt other people.” 

Dream’s one eye was piercing through Ranboo in a way that made Ranboo fear him like he’d feared no one else. He swallowed thickly, and he gripped the hand harder. 

“Tubbo did you… did you infect Tubbo?” he asked, and Dream tilted his head silently. The quiet was eerie, but Dream nodded. “Can you free him?” Ranboo asked, and Dream’s head tilted to the right almost entirely, like someone possessed. “Dream please, he’s done nothing to hurt me-” 

Dream made a shushing sound, placing his hand over Ranboo’s mouth. Ranboo whimpered in fear as his brother traced a fingernail down his cheek. Ranboo felt his knees give, and he collapsed to the ground, feeling it tremble beneath him.  Dream shook his head. Ranboo grabbed the hand with his own trembling one and slowly moved it from his face. 

“They’re not hurting me, Dream,” Ranboo whispered, looking up at him. “They’re helping me. They’ve helped me. I’m safe here, okay? You don’t have to watch me anymore.” 

Dream’s head moved and looked at Kristin, who was standing by silently. Fear shone in her eyes as Dream straightened out his back. Ranboo gasped as the grass beneath him wrapped around his legs and held him down. He looked up at Dream with fear, and Dream glanced down at him. 

Dream still spoke no words, and Ranboo’s head snapped over to Kristin. Veins from trees wrapped around her throat. She choked, trying to rip away the veins, but they only grew thicker and more robust. Her face paled as she lost oxygen, her eyes rolled back as she fell to the ground, gasping for air. 

“Dream, please! No, leave her alone!” Ranboo called, knowing he was the cause. “Dream, c’mon. I know you know her! I know you trust her! I just met her. What are you doing! She’s innocent!” 

Kristin fell completely quiet as her oxygen was stripped from her. Dream glanced at Ranboo, tilting his head and placing his mask on once again. He started on his way to the house, patting Ranboo’s head as he passed. Ranboo struggled against the veins and roots holding him to the ground. 

Dream stalked his way to the house, disappearing into the shadows again for faster and better access. Leaving Ranboo struggling outside and Kristin hardly breathing next to him. 

Chapter Text

Wilbur glanced out the window, and in the dark he couldn’t see anything more than a couple yards away. This worried them. They were sitting next to Eret, who kept rubbing his shoulder gently. Then, the power went out. Wilbur gripped Eret’s hand. 

“That cannot be good,” Quackity mumbled. Wilbur’s stomach crumbled. 

“Dad… what’re the chances… that Dream’s gonna hurt Ranboo?” Wilbur asked. 

“Honestly? Higher that I’d like,” Phil whispered. The lights flickered back on, and everyone jumped upon seeing a masked man standing in the middle of the living room. 

“Dream-“ Techno started but immediately something from the darkness underneath the couch grabbed him. Techno’s mouth was covered, his eyes rolled back as the blackness wrapped around him.

“Tech!” Wilbur called, trying to reach their brother.

 But something filled the back of his throat, and he choked, coughing into his hand, he saw blood splatter from his mouth. He felt more bubble up in his throat. And he coughed, feeling himself become lightheaded already as he collapsed, struggling to get air into his lungs. Deep crimson splattered the carpet. 

Veins wrapped around Phil, and he struggled to work against them. Dream looked at Phil, wrapping veins coming from the vents around his throat. Phil tried to use his own power, but he was weak against Dream. He shouldn’t have been. But he was. Phil felt trapped, watching his kids suffer. 

Charlie was being hung from the ceiling with vines, swinging as the vines wrapped around him like a cocoon and squeezing. Charlie’s screams were muffled as the sounds of bones crushing and snapping along with mushy sounds of muscle and blood fell from the cocoon.

Karl was in the same boat as Will, choking on their own blood, gasping for air. Wil was limp against the floor, blood spilling from his throat as his eyes dulled. 

Niki screamed as she was thrown into the ceiling. Her head cracked against it as she was thrown repeatedly, she was dropped onto the couch, head bashed in, blood and bones very clearly visible from the ripped open skin. 

Tommy was in the same state as Tubbo was. Black veins pouring from his throat to the rest of his body. He was passed out against the ground laying over Wilbur. 

Phil trembled as his entire family died in front of him. However, he didn’t see Eret. But Dream must’ve not noticed as he turned to Phil. He took the mask off, and Phil jumped seeing his face, gasping as veins wrapped tighter around him. 

“We never…” he gasped, “We never hurt him…” 

Dream tilted his head. Staring Phil down as he stepped closer, Phil swallowed thickly. 

“Dream. Enough,” A voice said and Dream snapped his head over. 

Ranboo stood with Eret behind him. As Dream moved to hide in the shadows. Ranboo grabbed him and pulled him out, forcing him to stay exactly where he was. 

“You’re going to reverse it.” Ranboo said, his eyes shining almost the same way Dreams did. “And you’ll reverse it now.” 

Chapter Text

Dream stared at Ranboo, then back at Eret. He lifted his hands to control vines but Ranboo simply looked at it and forced it down. Eret took a step back, but she was otherwise fine. 

Dream’s eyes widened and he stared at Ranboo again. 

“I will help you, Dream,” He spoke carefully. “I can save you. Save us. But you need to reverse what you did to my family .” 

Phil coughed, “Ran… he can’t-“ 

“Reverse time,” Ranboo said. “Reverse time with me. You’ve proven to be one of the strongest people out there, Dream. I’m your brother. I’m your blood.

“You’ve done what you believe you need. But you’re wrong. You’ve hurt me . This? This hurts. More than any other home ever has. You’re hurting me, Dream.” 

Dream’s eyes widened even more. And something bubbles up in his chest. Half of his mouth opened ever so slightly. Ranboo held a hand out. 

“Fix it with me, Dream,” Ranboo whispered. “Take my hand. Fix it with me. We can bring this family back. I’ll stay here, and you’ll be able to visit. They’ll have no memory of this. They’ll never know. You can tell me all about mom and dad, about what we used to do for fun as kids. How you met Kristin. You can teach me more about how to use these powers.

“We can be brothers again. You don’t have to hide and fight for me anymore. But I need you to fix this with me. Please.” 

Ranboo waited. And Dream didn’t do anything but stare at him for a long while. Dream took the hand, and he squeezed. 

“Brother,” Dream whispered, and Ranboo stiffened. “Help…” 

Dream was going to reverse it. He really was. But there’s a monster within him. The same one who killed their parents those years ago. The same one who set fires to Ranboo’s family. The same one who just mercilessly slaughtered this family. 

Ranboo seemed to have understood what was happening before it happened. But that didn’t change anything as vines wrapped around him, along with shadows of monsters. Ranboo tilted his head, just like Dream. And smiled. 

Smiled as blood poured from his mouth. Smiled as Phil screamed and choked against the vines a final time. Smiled as the light drained from Dream’s eyes. He smiled.

Smiled as Eret tried to free him, but only got wrapped up as well, and got put on the ceiling with Charlie. Her bones cracked and popped without a scream. His white clothes stained red. And Ranboo’s eyes dulled as Wilbur’s did. 

Ranboo fell limp against the vines and monsters as pops, cracks, and bumps came from him. Ranboo’s heart exploded. Dream knew that. He could tell. 

The room fell dark. And Dream was surrounded by a darkness he was not comfortable with. A darkness he did not know. But of course. Where there’s dark there's light. 

When Dream finally came back to, he screamed. His unused voice was broken down, painful, but he screamed. The vines, the shadows, everything was gone. Leaving only bleeding bodies, a dead family. 

Dream collapsed next to Ranboo, lifting up any part of his mushed body he could, rubbing his finger against his cheek. The cheek that still had color, but was fading as Ranboo continued to bleed out. 

Dream screamed. Dream freezes when he’d realized what he’d done. He’d killed the one person he’d meant to protect. His monster won. The side of Dream… the side he never knew was there. It won. 

No. No there was no monster. Nothing possessed Dream. He did this. He did this and he had to reverse it. He could… he was strong. 

Dream glowed purple as he forced himself to reverse it. Reverse the death. Reverse the heart ache. Reverse it. He’d go as far all the way back to when they were children. 

He just needed to reverse it. 

Chapter Text

Reverse it. 

Reverse it. 

Reverse it. 

Reverse it!

Nothing felt real to Dream anymore. He didn’t register anything anymore. He stared at Ranboo as he bled. He felt his vision start to blur, and then, there was a change. A change in his world. A change in the timeline. Something snapped. Everything went in slow motion. The deaths he’d caused. His own parents fire, hearing their screams as he was swallowed into the shadows. The times he killed Ranboo’s foster families, and now, Phil’s own family.

Phil. The husband of Kristin. The woman who protected him in the shadows. Sheltered him. The woman he’d just killed, and for what? What was the reason? There was no harm done Ranboo. They’d never hurt Ranboo. He hurt Ranboo. And now? Now he had to reverse it. 

But he was, he was reversing it. Dream realized as he body started to lose oxygen, as his breathing started becoming close to nothing, as Ranboo rose from the ground, as the blood found its way back into Ranboo’s body. Ranboo’s smile, Ranboo’s kind eyes. 

He kept going, seeing Eret return back to her place next to him, but that’s as far as he got before he couldn’t take it anymore. He stopped, collapsed to his knees, and immediately, Ranboo was next to him, taking his hand, touching him without fear. Dream looked at him, and Ranboo smiled back at him. 

“I’ll help you,” Ranboo whispered, “Save my family. Save my home. Take my hand,” Ranboo said, and Dream did. Then, time was changing again, the world around them was going backwards and they stood in the middle. Watching as, one by one, each one of them revived by simply turning back time. Both of them suffocating, but both of them powering through it, holding each other's hands, bringing Ranboo’s home back. 

When Techno was finally standing, Ranboo and Dream let go. Dream immediately fell to the floor, and Ranboo dropped down to help him. 

“Ranboo! Ranboo, back up!” Techno said, immediately trying to pull Ranboo away. 

“Stop! Stop!” Ranboo snapped, pushing Techno away, “We just did a massive time jump, he’s harmless, stop,” Ranboo breathed, looking up at Techno. Techno looked down at him, confused, and then Ranboo was hugging Techno. 

Techno froze again, but eventually hugged him back, “What happened?” Techno asked, and Ranboo shook his head as he pulled away. 

From the shadow’s appeared Kristin, and Ranboo looked at her. She smiled at him, before kneeling down to lift Dream’s head. Dream coughed, blood coming from his throat. Ranboo knelt down next to him, taking his hand. 

“He’ll be safe with me,” Kristin promised, “You’ve just saved him, Ranboo. He won’t hurt us anymore,” She whispered. 

“Is he gonna die?” Ranboo asked. 

“I won’t let him,” Kristin promised. “You’ve not lost your brother yet. But right now, I think everyone, including Tubbo, needs an explanation,” She said gently, and Ranboo turned to see Tubbo sitting up, dazed and confused. 

“Tubbo!” Tommy yelled when he noticed, pulling the other into a tight hug. Tubbo hugged him back, and everyone else started gushing over him, no one else had a clue what was going on, but they knew Tubbo was alive, and Dream was with Kristin. 

“You’ll see Dream again, I promise,” Kristin said, and Ranboo nodded, finally letting Dream go. 

Ranboo joined the others in making sure Tubbo was okay, struggling himself to believe he was. Eret seemed to sense it, because she placed a hand on his shoulder, and gave him a gentle squeeze. Ranboo looked up at him and smiled, to wish he returned it. 

“Ranboo, what happened?” Wilbur asked, and they all turned towards him. Ranboo took a deep breath, before opening his mouth to tell the story.

Chapter Text

After that whole, big, scary thing. The family took a couple days to regroup, but Ranboo was itching to know more. He stayed in his room a lot, pacing, looking at the book but never picking it up. He tried asking for Dream, or Kirstin in the shadows, but he got nothing in return. He was about to start pulling his hair out. 

He picked up the book, finally, and decided to finish it. He needed to know. He needed it. It was too late anyway. 

He walked out of his room, and found his way at Phil’s office. He caught Eret walking around, and he smiled at him. Ranboo returned it. Eret glanced at Phil door, and then the book in Ranboo hand. She nodded encouragingly, signing a “Go” before going to pat his back and then leave to go find Wilbur. 

Ranboo knocked on the door, getting a hum from Phil. Ranboo opened the door. 

“Pardon me, Phil. But we really really need to talk,” Ranboo said desperately. Phil looked up at him. “I can’t keep sitting in my room, with this book taunting me, and all I know is that there are powers, my brother and I are people who can control all of them, and said brother murdered my entire family and was able to take it back. Where did this come from? Where did the powers come from? What is this?” Ranboo found himself sounding more and more broken as time went on. 

“Ranboo, some of these questions I can't answer,” Phil said softly. “Meet me in the living room, I’ll explain everything I do know. Okay?” 

Ranboo released a gentle huff but left Phil to walk to the living room. Wilbur and Eret were sitting on the same couch they were when Ranboo first arrived. Quackity was cleaning, clearly thinking too hard about something. Karl was messing around in the dining room. Ranboo knew they were all trying so hard not to break down, and he felt like he was the cause of it. 

Finally, Phil came to join them. As more people piled in and started talking, Ranboo felt more and more invisible, and he didn’t even know if he actually was or not, considering one of the powers was literally invisibility, then again, he could see so he doubted it. 

“Phil,” Ranboo said urgently, but Phil just glanced at him, and Ranboo sighed, trying very hard to keep his emotions in check. It wasn’t like Phil was trying to brush him off, they were all struggling to get back to normal after the Dream incident, but it was so hard for Ranboo to even try. He hardly had any answers. 

He felt the world shake beneath the house, and it caught him off guard, in fact, it caught everyone off guard and the house fell silent. 

“Wil?” Niki asked, and Wilbur shook his head, before glancing at Ranboo. 

“You alright Ranboo?” Wilbur asked, and Ranboo just stared at Phil, who swallowed thickly. 

“Will someone please tell me what the fuck this all means?” Ranboo finally snapped, tossing the book onto the table. Everyone stared at him in shock for the strong language, and Ranboo just exhaled shakily. “I come to this house a normal kid and now everyone has power? Do I get no answers for this?” Ranboo asked, looking at everyone. “My brother came back from the dead, tried- I need something to steady all of this one. Where did this book come from? Why do you have it? Why do people have powers? What all can everyone even do here? Will someone tell me more than just “Oh yea we’ve all got powers by the way!” I need something.” 

“Ranboo, like I said, some things can’t be explained,” Phil said carefully. 

“Then what can be?” Ranboo asked, quickly. “Cause I’m going crazy. Dream’s completely disappeared. You all are basically ignoring what happened, it’s like I’m alone again and I just want something to go off of that has more depth than that!” 

Phil sighed, grabbing the book off the table. “What I can tell you, is that this book has been in my family since it’s been written,” Phil started. “My family believes it was written by an original rainbow, the first one on earth. However long ago that was. No one knows where the powers came from, or why they’re attached to some people and not others. They just are, they’re there and there’s nothing to be done about it.” 

“If we’re going in color order of power,” Phil said, opening the book. “Starting with bright red, Tommy controls fire.” Ranboo glanced over to Tommy as he opened his palm and a flame ignited, he quickly put the small fire out, having complete control over that little burst. “Sally has dark red, super strength. She, sadly, isn’t here right now to desmostate.” 

“Orange, we don’t have an orange user here anymore, but Sapnap, an old foster of mine, was both an orange and a bright red user. He could control fire as well as summoning. Yellow is clearly, Wilbur. That one I knew you did know,” As Phil spoke, Ranboo glanced at Wilbur, who gave him a shy smile. “Charlie and I are greens, we control plants.” Just as Phil said that, the greenery in the room started to grow ever so slightly faster and brighter, but stopped before getting too big. 

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a dark blue,” Phil mumbled, and Wilbur shrugged in response. “Nor an aqua blue, or a teal, actually we’ve only had light blue. Tubbo and Quackity,” Phil said, and Ranboo glanced at the two who were standing next to each other. “You’ve wondered why Tubbo was so good at swimming? There's your answer. Quackity is really training Tubbo to control it better. I know you know about Karl and Niki being purples, and Techno being pinks. Never had a magenta, thankfully.” 

Phil sighed as he flipped the page, “Eret’s a white,” He said, and Eret shifted immediately to the white cat from the barn, hopping into Ranboo’s lap. “Loves turning into a cat. Still deaf in this form though. “Dunno if we’ve ever had a silver or gray, but Kristin’s a black, clearly. Wilbur is also a brown, meaning he can control the ground/earth, and cause earthquakes because of it.”

Ranboo ran a hand through his hair, and Phil sighed, “And then you and Dream are rainbows, they come in pairs, and usually are weaker than those who control one or two powers. But you both…seem to be stronger than any rainbow I’ve ever come to pass with. Maybe your parents were also rainbows, but I doubt it. Rainbows are almost as rare as magentas, which are surprisingly rare and I think it’s because it’s one of the more annoying/useless powers. Hair or eyes changing to emotions just seems…well very annoying.” 

“My hair color doesn’t change,” Ranboo mumbled, squeezing his hair at the roots gently. 

“Hm, no. But your eyes have occasionally. No one’s ever pointed it out though. Probably because we didn’t notice,” Phil explained with a shrug. 

“How do you not notice someone’s eyes changing color?” Ranboo asked. 

“I mean… Eret’s eyes are pure white, we don’t really keep track of everyone's eye color, for all we know, Karl’s as much as a magenta as he is a purple,” Tommy butt in, and Ranboo chuckled softly. 

“Ranboo, I know you’re severely confused, and I know I haven’t been the most helpful with the powers. I’ve been trying to talk to Kristin but she’s not…responding. She knows more about a lot of these powers, more than I do. Her book has more information about the history, I've just never been able to read it or even look at it because it’s in the shadows,” Phil explained more, and Ranboo nodded slowly. 

Ranboo looked down at Eret, who was looking up at him, blinking slowly with the white cat eyes, and Ranboo smiled as he pawed his shoulder gently, opening his mouth with a silent meow. Ranboo looked back up at Phil. 

“I should hate him, should I?” Dream asked, and Phil sighed. 

“Not exactly,” Phil disagreed, catching Ranboo off guard. “Dream’s…troubled, that much is clear and obvious. But he’s also grown up in a place with demons and monsters after murdering his own parents whether it be on purpose or accidently.” 

“Then he became obsessed with finding and protecting you, the last family member he knew of standing,” Techno added on, and Ranboo glanced up at him. “Hey, I’m just sayin if it were me? I prolly wouldn’t be much better than he is,” He said. Ranboo caught the small smile twitch on Wilbur’s lips. 

“He needs help, Ranboo,” Phil said, catching his attention. “And honestly? I don’t think he can heal from this trauma he’s both been through and caused. But, from what you’ve told us, you’ve clicked something in his head. I think…I think he's going to be better, he’ll accept the help we can give in, and I think…I hope he’ll listen better. Now that he knows that you know he’s alive, you’ve talked to him, you’ve shown that we mean something to you, that we’re not hurting you, he has no reason to try and come after us again. Dream’s hurt, and we may never be able to fully heal him, but we can start to help the wound.” 

“So…he’s not completely hated here?” Ranboo asked, and Wilbur leaned again him, getting Ranboo to look at him. 

“I’m the man who can’t lie and can tell when people are lying. Phil’s right,” Wilbur said, and Ranboo smiled. “Is he our favorite person? No, of course not. But, he listened to you, we’re all alive and able to fuck around for more days to come. Like everyone, he can learn, he can grow. Shutting him down and off will just make him worse.” 

Ranboo nodded in agreement.

“Remember, Ranboo,” Phil said, and Ranboo looked at him again, he’s had to do a lot of looking around, his neck was starting to hurt. “You’re not your brother's mistakes,” Phil said, and Ranboo exhaled shakily. “As a father, I know you’ve been thinking too hard about this. For your own sanity, and probably ours and Dream, don’t start blaming yourself for his own issues. What you need to focus on; is working with these new powers. I’ll try contacting Kristin about the book, see if it knows anything more about powers in general. And if I do find something out, I’ll call a family meeting, because I’m sure the rest of these guys would love to know as well.” 

There was a chorus of small chuckles of agreement, and Phil smiled. “You’re not alone, Ranboo. Not anymore. Everyone here can and will help you. And I’ll even hire some specific magic users to help with ones that none of us can control. Like most of the blues.” 

Ranboo chuckled softly, nodding. 

“You’re home, Ranboo. This is where you belong.”