Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“ Nimbus! You’re always so- so mean to me! I just want a break! ” Ranboo yelled, tail lashing behind him angrily.

“ You’re being unreasonable, here. I’m just trying to make sure you don’t get into any trouble! I’m sure Mother wouldn’t like that, hmm? She wouldn’t like for her perfect ‘gifted child’ to get into any sort of trouble! ” Nimbus, Ranboo’s sister, in an elegant dragon form, snarled back, wings flaring as she glared at her brother. Ranboo felt infuriated. All he’d wanted was a bit of alone time before another formal meeting, and Nimbus had followed him and was yelling at him for having some personal space!

“ All I want is space, why can’t you just- just leave me alone , for once! I don’t want any stupid snarky comments or whatever, either! ”

“ Because! I’m older than you, I’m supposed to look after you. You’re just a stupid kid, you’ll probably stab yourself with a fork and bleed out or something. You’re lucky I’m even wasting my time looking for you! I’d rather be doing anything other than this! ” Nimbus hissed.

“ Then do it! I don’t care! Go suck up to Mother or something, I’m going to the End City for a little privacy . Hint for you: privacy means no condescending sisters hanging around. ” Ranboo glared at his sibling bitterly. She seemed to think he was a child! Even with all the trouble he made just to be seen, he still knew how to stay alive! It boiled his blood each second she held that sickly sweet tone.

“ Oh please, you’ll mess yourself up before you even get there. Didn’t Mother tell you to look presentable in public? You can’t go to the End City looking like that and expect not to get in trouble. ” Nimbus growled, flicking his forehead with a claw.

“ Shut up, Nimbus. You wouldn’t know ‘presentable’ if it hit you in the face! ” Ranboo crossed his arms and teleported to the next small island, glowering back at his sister.

“ Oh come on, Ranboo. Get down there so we can fix you up. Void, you’re so childish it hurts . ” Nimbus snorted, teleporting beside Ranboo. “ Let’s go . ”

“ I’m not childish! ” Ranboo shouted, traitorous tears springing into his eyes. Void, he always got teary when he was angry or frustrated and he hated it! “ Stop acting like I’m being unreasonable! ”

“ You are unreasonable, Ranboo! You’re acting like a stupid, irresponsible child. You want us to like you more? Then act likeable! ” Nimbus grabbed Ranboo’s arm with gripping claws. “ We’re leaving. Don’t be disobedient. ”

“ No! You know what, no , I’m not going with you! You can tell Mother all you want about how you failed to bring me back, I don’t care! ”

“ I’m not going to let you wander off! We’re going now, I don’t care what you say. You’re being bratty. ” Nimbus tugged on Ranboo’s arm.

Ranboo’s tail lashed dangerously. “ No, Nimbus. I’m not going with you. ”

“ You are, Ranboo, whether you like it or not. ” Nimbus began to drag Ranboo by the wrist like a small child.

He growled and threw her off of him, watching with satisfaction as she tumbled with the force of the throw. 

“ Ranboo, what the- oh fuck - ” Nimbus swore as she struggled to regain her balance, tripping off the side of the platform.

Too late, Ranboo realized how close they were to the Void. It was a small island, not big enough for two fighting Enderians. He froze, watching in horror as her back claws scrabbled to take purchase in the End stone. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak, all he could do was stare in horror as her front claws slipped off smooth stone.

Nimbus wailed and flapped her wings desperately. Finally, finally she managed to teleport to a bigger island. Ranboo hadn’t moved his frozen muscles since he threw her off, but they seemed to be responding now that she was on solid ground. He teleported next to her.

“ Oh Void, Nimbus, are you- ?”

“ Fuck off! You almost killed me ! I could have died and it would have been your fault! You need to learn that your actions have consequences! We’re going to Mother, now . ” Nimbus snarled.

“ Okay. Okay… ,” he mumbled, pupils narrowed and ears pressed against his head. “ I’m sorry. ”

Ranboo had been taken to see his mother after the incident. Her response had been less than favorable.

“ You almost killed Nimbus?! Ranboo, this is disgusting, even for you. ” Jean snarled. “ You could have killed your sister! Do you have no shame? ”

“ I apologize, it was a disgrace that I will not repeat! ” Ranboo pleaded with all his might, but to no avail.

“ An apology won’t fix it, Ranboo. You’ve made a mistake bigger than anyone in this family has yet! Your punishment must reflect that. ” Jean hissed, spiked tail lashing behind her. “ Ranboo, I hereby sentence you to exile to the Overworld for a minimum of three years. After, you may begin to find a stronghold and twelve eyes of ender. Only then may you return. ”

“ Three… what ?! You can’t do this to me! ”

“ I can and I will, Ranboo. From now and until you return, you are not my son, nor a brother to any of your siblings. Nimbus, escort him out of the castle and to the portal. After he’s sent through, close it. ” Jean turned her head to Nimbus, who nodded. Did nobody care?

“ Mother-! ”

Jean only glared down at him. “ You are not my son. ”

Ranboo placed the twelfth ender eye in its frame. After so long of working, saving pearls and hunting Blazes and almost dying more times than he could count, the portal slowly flickered to life.

“Ranboo, Ran-Man, Ranboob, cool weird thing and all, but why did you want us here?” Tommy asked, sitting beside Tubbo on the stone-bricks that were crumbled enough to create a makeshift seat.

“Yeah. You’re just kinda shoving pearls into weird hole-thingys. Like one of those games babies play. Where you have different shaped bricks and different shaped holes for the bricks to go in. Kinda like that.” Tubbo mumbled.

Tommy looked over, seeing the now-lit portal. “You created a black hole, wonderful, can we go?”

“You don’t have any idea what this is, do you?” Ranboo asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Nope!” Tommy grinned. “I’m thinking of nacho fries.”

“Tommy, it’s like… a weird void thing. Ooh! A reflection of the night sky? It has stars in it!” Tubbo pointed at the portal frame.

“ No -” Ranboo started, then took a deep breath. It made sense for them not to know. He’d have to be a little patient. He teleported to sit on the edge of the portal frame. “You guys know how I talk about the End so much?”

“Mhm! It’s like your hometown, right?” Tommy nodded. “Where you grew up an’ shit.”

“Kind of. Well, uh, I was actually… banished,” Ranboo admitted.

“ What ?! Ugh, dude, that sucks.” Grumbled Tubbo.

“Not permanently! Just until I found a way back home, and this-” Ranboo gestured. “This is my way. A direct portal back home. And- and I want you to come with me. Not permanently, again, just… to visit. I’m-” he flushed and fidgeted with his tied-back hair. “I’m not sure I can do it alone.”

Tubbo squished his cheeks together. “Awweeeh, Ranboo, do you want us to come with youuuu?”

“Awwww, Ranboo!” Tommy cooed.

Ranboo flushed. “No, I just- I consider you very good friends and I find your presence calming and-” He looked away, deep purple creeping along his cheeks and ears. “Are you coming or not?!”

“ Awwwweeeh , of courseeee Ranboo!” Tubbo grinned. Tommy nodded.

Despite the embarrassment, Ranboo couldn’t help but be relieved.

“Okay, okay, great,” the Enderian mumbled. “Do you have anything you’d like to bring?”

“Nah, just got our backpacks. Phil forces me to bring it everywhere, it has basically everything I’d need, some stuff for Tubbo too, but he has his own bag.” Tommy grinned. “I should probably tell Phil where we’ll be going to, though. Did anyone bring their communicator? I forgot mine.”

“I have mine, don’t worry. You can message on it, just- uh- give me a second,” Ranboo told him. Quickly, he switched the ender-eye-like interface’s font from Comic Sans to some fancy script he didn’t have time to catch the name of. He handed it over to Tommy. “Here.”

“Fuckin’ hell, how do you read this shit ?!” Tommy hissed. He typed out a message to Phil slowly, checking to make sure every key he pressed was the right one. “It’s so curly and confusing!”

Eventually, he seemed to learn it enough to type out to Phil:

You whisper to Ph1LzA: ayo phil its tommy, going on a trip with ramboo and tubbo, be back in a few days i guess :P

“Oh come on, I pressed ‘n’, not ‘m’. Ranboo, your communicator is garbage and the font is hard to read.” Tommy shoved the communicator back into Ranboo’s hands.

Ph1LzA whispers to you: WHAT

Tommy, upon hearing the ‘ding’, grabbed the device back.

You whisper to Ph1LzA: yep sorry dadza love you be backk soon dont worry im going to see ramboos lizard mom

“Oh fuck this! I typed ‘n’, Ranboo! Not ‘m’!” Tommy hissed. Instead of instantly shoving it back into Ranboo’s hands again, he waited to see if Phil would reply.

Ph1LzA whispers to you: Tommy, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Sam’s not even done with wing repairs, you could get hurt!

You whisper to Ph1LzA: nah im good anyways byee im going to the end now love you see you soon dadza be back in a week if im not dead

“Ignore him if he replies again.” Tommy shrugged. “I don’t take no for an answer. Let’s go !”

Ph1LzA whispers to you: Tommy, wait, this is a very bad idea , please don’t!

Ranboo looked awkwardly at the communicator, then closed it. The End was perfectly safe, Phil was just being worried. It was sweet how much he cared about Tommy, but he’d been a little overprotective since what Ranboo liked to dub the Wing Incident. A few more pings came from the communicator, but, per Tommy’s instructions, he kept it shut.

“Okay, so like, how do we enter…?” Tommy stood over the portal, head tilted. Tubbo shrugged.

“Just fuckin’ jump in it, I guess?”

“Follow my lead.” Ranboo grinned, stood, and fell backwards into the portal, back to his home.

---

"Okay, so where the fuck are we!?" Tommy screamed. He and Tubbo had just emerged from the portal after Ranboo. The land they were in was barren, only endstone for land and an endless dark sky.

"Ranboo? I think your tele-portal broke or some shit. This is weird ." Tubbo shuddered.

Ranboo beamed up at the sky. He’d almost forgotten the indescribable color of the deep abyssal sky. Some said it was a simple black, but to Enderian eyes, it was so much more . It was beauty, it was life, it was home .

“Oh Void, I’m actually back,” he whispered to himself.

" This ?! This is where you live?!" Tubbo gasped. "It's so- so dull and boring, no offense."

"Yeah, for someone so… extra, I wouldn't have thought this to be your home." Tommy agreed.

Ranboo laughed. “You have no idea. It may seem simple at first glance, but there’s so much more .” He strode a little further towards the edge of the floating island, and his heart soared as the first spire of his true home came into view. “You didn’t seriously think I would like just sitting on End stone doing nothing, did you?”

"No clue, you're pretty boring sometimes." Tommy snorted. He and Tubbo both walked towards Ranboo, tilting their heads as they saw the island.

"Okay, wait, so if where you live is a floating island, what's the point of this big old thing?" Tubbo stomped his foot on the ground he was standing on.

“It’s just a landing platform so you don’t fall.” Ranboo shrugged. Tubbo and Tommy seemed to notice the gaping void below the platform for the first time.

"Wait wh- Holy shit -!" Tubbo shouted, moving away from the edge, Tommy following.

“Yep. The Void,” Ranboo told them.

" How the fuck are you so calm!? " Hissed Tommy. "That's a fucking death trap!"

“It’s the Void. You get used to it. What, you didn’t think there would be a Void after years of me saying it?!”

" Why the fuck is there a void!? " Tommy snapped.

"We thought you were in a cult or something! 'I swear to Prime' is our weird fuckin' religious swear, I thought you worshipped voids or shit! My thought process wasn't, 'Oh Ranboo says I swear to the Void instead of Prime, he must live above a gaping void '!" Tubbo hissed, wings fluttering anxiously.

“Well that’s stupid. Of course there’s a Void! How could there not be? That just doesn’t make any sense,” Ranboo argued.

"There's not a hole of death in the Overworld, Ranboo! There's just land and sea and bedrock! You don't fall to your death into an abyss there!" Tommy stepped even further away from the edge of the island.

“You get used to it. Besides, we can just teleport-” Ranboo paused. Right, it would be a lot harder without teleportation. 

"See the fuckin' issue!?" Tommy snorted.

“To be fair, every Enderian can teleport, even the ones in dragon form. We don’t get a whole lot of visitors, Tommy.”

"Wh- there are more dragons than your mother!? How?! What?! I thought every Enderian looked like an enderman!" 

“Tommy, how would that even make sense ? Mother is a dragon, of course she’d have dragon children!”

"I don't know! And if she's a dragon, why aren't you!?" Tommy stopped, before whispering, "Are you adopted?"

“ No, I’m not adopted! Enderians have a form system. They imprint on the things around them for the first three years of their life, then take on those characteristics. The two things around here are Endermen and Mother, so that’s why some of us are dragons and some are Endermen.”

"So you could've been a dragon ?!" Tommy wrinkled his nose. "Fuckin' weird."

"I think it would've been cool!" Tubbo grinned. "Dragonboo."

“Never call me that again, please,” Ranboo muttered, then spoke up. “Anyway, you’ll see. My siblings are pretty recognizable.”

"Dwagonbwooooo!" Tubbo grinned, using a cooing voice. "Dragonboo! Would that make you a rawr rawr instead of a meow meow?"

Ranboo flushed. “Shut up! We don’t speak about that incident!”

"I know, I haven't told anyone, I just think it's funny." Tubbo shrugged. Then, he leaned forward and whispered, "Meow meow."

Ranboo flicked Tubbo’s forehead and started walking away. “Oh Void, this was a terrible idea. My siblings are going to have a field day .”

"Nah, knowing you, they're probably all- all like, fuckin' prissy and shit." Tommy crossed his arms.

“Tommy, no, you have no idea. ” Ranboo grabbed his Avian friend’s shoulders. “They’re ruthless . I’m probably the most mature of all of them, and you’ve seen me on a bad day!”

Almost as if on cue, a small dragon pounced Ranboo's side, squealing. "Boo!"

" Holy fuck that's a lizard- " Tommy jumped back.

“Oh Void - ugh, hey , Caustik. I’m back. You missed me?” Ranboo’s voice was deadpan, but his little sister squealed in excitement.

" That's your sister!? " Tubbo shot upwards, hovering over everyone, out of reach.

"Ranboo!" Caustik squealed. "You're back! You're back! Everyone else is so boring , you're back!"

“Unfortunately, she’s one of them,” Ranboo muttered to Tubbo. 

"One of- how many siblings do you have?" Tubbo asked, letting himself float a bit closer to the ground.

"Yeah, I realized we never asked." Tommy blinked. "Hello, Ranboo's lizard sister."

“Forty-one,” Ranboo replied. On his shoulder, Caustik just stared at them in wonder. “Fifteen live here, not including myself.”

"That's- what - how!?" Tommy blinked. "That's a lot. Holy fuck."

Ranboo sighed. “Yep. Pretty much every egg she lays makes another one, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there are even more now.”

"Ignoring the fact you hatched out of a goddamned egg like a chicken -" Tubbo spoke, seemingly ignorant of Tommy's sudden death glare in his direction, "You have that many siblings?! That's terrifying. Okay. Wow."

“Yeah! Mother had Sen while you were out. He’s gross. Anyway, who are these? Are they your friends? They don’t look like Endermen, what are they? Are they scary? Do you need help, Boo? I’m brave, I can help!” She tried to get higher up on his shoulder.

“ Ow , those are talons! Stop that! They’re just my friends, stop- ugh- stop interrogating them!” Ranboo tried his hardest to pull Caustik off, but she refused to move from his shoulder blade.

"Uh- I'm Tubbo?" Tubbo blinked, finally landing on the floor instead of flying higher up to avoid being attacked by what now very obviously a child.

"I'm Tommy, the biggest man of all time." Tommy grinned.

Caustik looked at him with wide eyes. “You’re a man? A human? But you don’t look like a human, you have those feathers, are you actually a human?”

"Ew- no! I'm not a human, they're fuckin' gross. Dislike. Absolutely hate. No, I'm just a man. No 'hu' here." Tommy snorted. "Ely- Avian, specifically."

"I'm a Bee Hybrid!" Tubbo chimed in. "Used to be a Shulker, decided that was boring and my body locked me inside a fuckin' shell thing and now I have wings. Very awesome."

“You were a shulker?! How do you switch hybrids? Was it painful? Can I be a bee? What’s a bee? It looks cool, I like your stripes. Can you teleport or just fly? ‘Cause I can do both, I’m awesome. Do you think-”

“ Caustik, ” Ranboo hissed at her to stop asking questions. She sulked but quieted down.

"I can- Well, I can explode? If I do that I die, though, so I don't do that. Otherwise I just fly and eat flowers." Tubbo blinked. "Uh, I don't think it hurt. It was kinda like a looooong nap, I guess. Bees are like, tiny bugs with yellow and black stripes. And I dunno how you switch hybrids, it just sorta happened. I got trapped in my shulker box, took a nap, finally burst out of my shulker box, woke up with wings. And I don't think you can be a bee, but Ranboo also said you guys shapeshift or shit? So I dunno." The bee hybrid shrugged.

“I’m eight, I can’t shapeshift anymore. Maybe I could get Sen to-”

“No, Caustik. Hush. You’ve asked enough questions for now. Go tell Mother I’m back.” Ranboo finally lifted her off, ignoring the indignant flapping of her wings.

“But Ranboooooooo ,” she whined.

“Nope. Tell her. And don’t-”

She was gone before Ranboo could finish his sentence. “Aaaaaand, she’s going to tell everyone. Great. You two ready to be overrun by the personifications of ‘annoying’?”

"Uh- sure?" Tommy blinked."They can't be that bad, right?"

"Yeah, how hard can it be?" Tubbo shrugged.

The Enderian just stared at him. “Oh, you’re going to find out.”

Several of his siblings slowly started appearing, each crowding to look at him either from afar or up close. Ranboo squared his shoulders and bowed. “I’ve returned from my exile having learned my lesson. It’s good to see you all.”

"Yooo, the Boo's back!" Shouted Tidel from the back.

"Tidel! Proper speech!" Hissed another sibling of Ranboo's, recognizable as Tornato.

“You’re back !” Myst was bouncing on her feet. “You’re actually back!”

“ Mother said you were banished,” huffed a dragon sister, Grecir.

“I was, but it’s been four years. She said at least three. I’ve fulfilled the requirement- oof !” Ranboo was cut off by Hurican charging into him with a hug. 

"I got a stick! And guess what I did with the stick? I stabbed myself in the hand on accident! And now I got a cool scar, look!" Hurican shoved his hand into Ranboo's face.

“That’s nice-”

“Stop showing everyone your scar, it’s gross, Hurican!” Tornato shouted at him.

"Sounds like someone's all mean because their twin isn't identical ." Solor snickered.

Eklipse nodded. "Exactly, if Solor got a scar, I'd get one, too. We're better twins than you are."

"Oh shut up-" Tornato started before they were cut off.

"Tornato, remember who you're talking to," Solor said with a smug grin. Tornato snapped their jaws shut.

“Still keeping the empire going, huh?” Ranboo asked with a quiet laugh. 

"Oh absolutely. We have blackmail on Mother now." Snickered Eklipse.

Solor nodded. "Yup."

“No way! Mother doesn’t have anything to blackmail. You’re just lying,” Grecir protested.

"Mhm, sure. Then I wonder why we've suddenly somehow gotten away with everything, it must be a miracle." Solor glared at Grecir. "I know your secrets too, don't test me."

Grecir huffed, but didn’t say anything else.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” A honey-smooth voice asked. Nimbus strode in front of Ranboo, looking at him coolly.

Solor backed away to let Nimbus have some space, because apparently she needed that, now. Maybe Ranboo just hated her after everything that happened, but it seemed every breath she took was done just to annoy the hell out of Ranboo.

"I have returned, Nimbus." Ranboo dipped his head. "After four years of exile. I deeply apologize for my former disgraces.”

"...I assume you would like to speak to Mother, first of all. Second of all, who are these… Overworldians you've brought to the End?" Nimbus growled.

“Their names are Tommy and Tubbo. I’ve grown a companionship with them during my exile. You may meet them later, because you’re right in assuming I’d like to speak to Mother.” Ranboo met Nimbus’s eyes, silently challenging her to protest.

"...Okay, you may see Mother. She is in the main room of the castle, I'll show you and your friends to her."

---

Ranboo strode beside his siblings and friends, heart thudding in time with his quick footsteps. Technically, he could just teleport, but that wasn’t the proper way to do things, not in the End. It was too casual, too quick. And the End was nothing if not needless formalities and dragging things out longer than they had to be dragged out.

His mother Jean was curled around the pillar in the center of the main End island, rumbling gently to the egg atop it.

Oh. Great . Another sibling. How thrilling. Maybe this one wouldn’t bite Ranboo to all hell and back.

She looked over at him wordlessly, and he bowed deeply. His hair fell over his face at the grand gesture. “ Mother. I’ve returned after four years of banishment. I have learned my lesson and I can only hope that you’ll accept me back after my disgrace. ” He didn’t lift his head, staring at the cold end stone.

“ You may relax. The gesture has been received. ” Jean commanded. Obediently, Ranboo raised his head to look at his mother. Her head was only a few feet from his face, but it was much larger, and he could see the scrutiny in her gaze. “ Ranboo, I hereby allow you back. Your exile is over. It’s good to have you back. ”

Ranboo fought back a wide smile and dipped his head. “ Thank you, Mother. ”

She lifted out a claw, and he stepped onto it, letting her inspect closer. Her eyes inspected every flaw of Ranboo’s, looking into his very core with just her focused gaze. Eventually, she spoke.

“ Your time in the Overworld has taken a toll on you, Ranboo. Appearances are everything, and you’ve let yours slip. How many times have I told you to hide those imperfections on your cheeks? And there are deeper water scars now, how tedious. You must look presentable if you are to represent our kingdom. How long have you been wandering around looking like that? ”

He put a hand to his cheek softly, suddenly all-too aware of the starlike freckles and deep purple scars. His siblings tittered behind him at the scolding. “ I’m sorry. I must have let it slip after so long in the Overworld. I’ll cover them immediately. I apologize. ” He bowed again, and she finally let him step back onto the ground.

“ I’d expect so. ” She turned her gaze to Tommy and Tubbo. “ And who is your present company? ”

“ They’re companions from the Overworld. The bee hybrid is Tubbo and the Elytrian is TommyInnit. ”

Jean’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “ You’ve brought an Elytrian to our End? Ranboo, have your wits slipped as well? You know our feud with their kind. ”

“ Yes- yes, but he’s not a threat! I promise you. He has no wings. Technically, he is considered an Avian. Besides, I will not let him out of my sight. If he acts out, I will take the punishment for him. ”

“ This is an act of insubordination, Ranboo. Your record of misbehavior is not good. Unless you’d like to be sent out to the Overworld again for another few years, I suggest you shape up. ”

Ranboo looked down, eyes burning at the harsh words.

“ However, I’ll allow it. He’s already here, and I’m feeling nice. Without wings, he is not a threat. Now, make yourself look presentable. I’ll start working on a feast for your return. ”

The Enderian bowed again and repeated. “ Thank you, mother. I will. ”

With that, she flew off, and Ranboo was left alone with his siblings and Tubbo and Tommy. 

"What'd she say?" Tommy asked. "I can't understand those warbles. I think I recognized your name though!"

“Ranboo got told off,” Solor singsonged and giggled. “Mother’s upset at him.”

“Hush.” Ranboo put a hand on his head in a silent warning not to continue, then looked up at Tubbo and Tommy. “She wasn’t too pleased about having an Elytrian here, but she accepted it.”

"Odd." Tommy grumbled. "Why would she be mad about that?"

“Old feud. She’s still mad about it even after more than a century.” Ranboo rolled his eyes.

Tubbo blinked. "The- the feud is a century old or your mother is-"

“Mother is wise and experienced. She’s lived for many centuries.”

"Got it. Enderian aging rules are fuckin' weird." Tubbo nodded.

"That's stupid! Why would a feud make her hate me? You know what, I'm going to make her like me! I'm the greatest Elytrian in the world, I'll make her love me."

Ranboo laughed at his confidence. “Sure, Tommy. I mean, you won me over, I doubt she’ll be too mad for long.”

“And she also told him to clean up,” Grecir crossed her arms smugly. “You should do that.”

Ranboo glared at her. “Hush! You don’t need to repeat everything she does, Grecir. That was private.”

“What?! I’m just translating for our guests.” Still, the smugness in her expression told him that she was enjoying his embarrassment.

“You-” Ranboo growled, and whipped his head away, taking a breath to ease his temper.

"It's fine, we don't really need translating!" Tubbo smiled. "Ranboo usually tells us what he needs us to know."

“See? It’s fine. Now leave me alone while I get ready for dinner. I don’t need all of you under my feet.” Ranboo crossed his arms.

Some of them huffed and complained, but dispersed anyway, watching curiously from afar. 

“Void, they’re annoying. But I suppose she’s right, I do need to clean up,” Ranboo conceded.

"Why? You look great, bossman! You already 'cleaned up' before we got here." Tubbo's wings fluttered.

“You’re sweet, but there are still things to do.” Ranboo smiled and strode to one of the obsidian pillars that served as housing for him and his siblings. Tubbo and Tommy followed him, seeming perplexed.

The Enderian ascended the first set of steps and approached the mirror. Jean really was right, he was letting his appearance slip. Every little flaw stuck out in the white light of the endrod-lit room. 

He adjusted his cloak, noting the barely-noticeable light purple stain on its fabric. He removed it, just in case, and folded it into his bag, then took his hair out of the low ponytail it was kept in. He brushed it back and braided it, speaking as he did. “Appearance is very important. There can be no flaws in an Enderian’s appearance. We represent the End; we must look it.” He dusted a black powder over his face, working it into the skin on his cheeks and ears until he couldn’t see the imperfections his mother had pointed out. For good measure, he dusted it on his arms as well, covering the starlike freckles completely.

"But you look pretty as yourself." Tubbo grumbled. "Your freckles are nice! They're not flaws."

“To Mother, it is, and I follow her regulations on appearance. She’s wise and graceful,” Ranboo told him. His ear flicked, trying to detect any other flaws. Every little thing could be used against him; he needed to be perfect for his return. He covered another freckle that had been half-visible and tried to get his hair to lay flat-- but not too flat, so that it lacked volume.

"Ranboo, hate to break it to ya', but you're not going to someone's wedding, you're going to dinner with your family. I don't think you need to cover yourself up like that! You look fine ." Tommy huffed, crossing his arms. "And Tubbo's right, your freckles are nice. However, I will stab both of you if you tell anyone back home that I said that."

Ranboo looked in the mirror anxiously, tail swishing back and forth as he debated. There were still things that he could fix , that he needed to straighten or put in place so that he looked presentable. There were little marks still present that he longed to just wipe away, even though he knew that would be impossible.

But Tommy’s words made sense, so he muttered sheepishly, “I suppose it’s good enough as is.”

"See, you're good. Don't worry." Tubbo nodded. "Ooh! Ooh! Can we see your rooooom ?" Ranboo thought it was a bit funny how Tubbo said that, it made him think of a kid having a sleepover at someone else's house for the first time. In a way, that technically was what was happening.

“Sure,” Ranboo laughed. He led Tommy and Tubbo up the spire, teleporting intermittently to save himself some of the strain. The open archway came into view and he couldn’t help a smile. As he looked through it, it dawned on him that he was home . It was a simple room with several soft pillows and chairs for him and his siblings. Nothing personal, it wasn’t even his , but it was the place where he spent his time when he wanted at least a shred of the privacy he could never get. 

“We don’t have, ah, designated rooms, but nobody really comes up here, so I tend to think of it as mine.”

"What? No rooms? That sucks." Tommy scoffed. "No privacy, man. That must suck sometimes."

“That’s the least of it. ‘Privacy’ is a foreign term in my family.” Ranboo huffed.

"That must be the worst." Tubbo groaned. "You have like… you said seventeen? Seventeen siblings living with you! Must get annoying."

“Seventeen including myself. Technically sixteen siblings. And you’re right, it gets endlessly annoying, especially when the younger siblings trail after you like a shadow , Caustik .” Ranboo cast a glare towards the open archway, where a wide-eyed dragon sibling peered out.

“I wanted to see what you were doing!” She whined.

"Did she hear everything?" Tommy asked.

Ranboo crossed his arms. “There’s no way she wasn’t at least there. Caustik seeks anything new like a moth to the light.”

“What’s a moth?”

“Don’t-” Ranboo started.

"They're very weird flappy bugs that birds sometimes eat. However, I love moths. In fact, I want one named Clementine. Very pretty name. However moths live very short lives." Tommy huffed.

“Is Clementine here? What does she look like? Do you have a drawing or a picture? Show me, show me!” 

"I sadly do not, for she does not exist yet. However! I have made many drawings, which I also didn't bring. I can make them, though. I am a very talented artist, the best of the best." Tommy grinned.

“Show-!”

“No!” Ranboo interrupted and grabbed his scaly sister off the obsidian floor, shielding his eyes against her indignantly flapping wings. “Caustik, go do something other than bother my friends!”

“But they’re newwwww ,” she whined.

“You’ll get to talk to them at dinner. Shoo.”

Caustik apparently realized that she couldn’t argue with Ranboo’s firm tone, because she sulked and flew away, out the obsidian-lined window.

“I swear to Void , she’s only gotten more annoying,” Ranboo muttered.

"Aw, she's just curious." Tubbo sympathized.

“You get sick of it eventually. It’s all fun and games until it’s ‘ Ranboo, where does the void go? ’, ‘ Ranboo, why is the sky black ’, ‘Ranboo, what is End stone made of? ’”

"I guess. I've been blessed with the power of being an only child, so I wouldn't know." Tommy shrugged.

“You should be very glad , trust me,” Ranboo groaned. “Now, I think it’s time we go to dinner.”

--- 

Ranboo never liked family dinners. For one, it always seemed arbitrary, because there was no real time to tell what was dinner and what was breakfast or lunch. But Mother always kept track, and so that would he what the meal was, and if they dared to disrespect the apparent time, they would get a disappointed glare, which, in Ranboo’s opinion, was worse than the anger.

Second of all, all his siblings were there, and they drove him up the wall . It was all either icy silence or much too loud fighting. Ranboo didn’t know which he liked more.

And now he was bringing his friends there, so it was bound to be even more formal. Just great .

He sighed and led them forward to the center of the island. The table was set up around the center pillar, circular and open-centered and big enough for all his family and more. Some were already sitting down. Jean was staring at him and his friends.

Ranboo took a shaky breath and bowed. “Good evening, Mother.”

“ You still look messy. You’ve missed some spots. But I suppose it will do. Sit. Your friends may take the places beside you. ”

“I’m sorry, Mother. It was short notice. I’ll clean up better next time,” he murmured, biting the inside of his cheek.

"Where- where do we, um, sit?" Tubbo mumbled from beside him.

“Beside me. Either side,” Ranboo instructed and quietly sat. The siblings already there were staring, some of them smirking at his misfortune of being told off.

"Okay." Tubbo nodded, both him and Tommy following Ranboo silently and sitting either side of him.

“She can understand you, by the way. She just refuses to speak English, because Enderian is the better language,” Ranboo told them. “So say whatever you’d like, as long as it’s polite.”

"Gotcha, bossman." Tubbo nodded.

"Okay, but like, what does 'polite' mean? Polite, in my opinion, depends on the person. For example, Phil wouldn't bat an eye if I shouted certain swear words at the top of my lungs, however your Mother could murder me or something." Tommy asked.

“ Your friend is not very sophisticated, is he? ” Jean asked, and Ranboo flushed.

“Mother! Being polite goes for you, too.”

“ Do not command me, Ranboo. You’re already testing my patience. ” She growled.

Ranboo looked away at the scolding. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I hope you can forgive me.”

“ I will, child. Tell your friends the rules. ”

“Alright, so, uh-”

“ Speak correctly, while you’re at it. You’re representing us. ”

“Right,” he murmured. “Okay. We have some rules of what and what not to do. Normally, speaking English at the table is rude, but you can’t speak Enderian, so that’s not a choice you have to make. Swearing is rude, fighting is to be generally avoided, sit straight and still-”

"But I got back issuesssss ." Tommy complained. "And I can't sit still, it's like, impossible."

“Ah- his wings were … removed. May you excuse him?”

“ I suppose .”

“Thank you. Tommy, you’re excused from that one. Anyway, try to limit slouching, even so. Do not insult Mother or any of the customs.”

"I don't know what the customs are, but I'll try." Tubbo shrugged.

“Thank you. That should be all-”

“And don't forget to not almost shove someone into the void and kill them,” Nimbus added sarcastically. “ That one’s punishable by banishment. Just ask Ranboo.”

Ranboo flushed deep violet. “ Nimbus . I’ve apologized for that disgrace countless times. It’s been four years!”

“Still happened, little brother. ”

Ranboo glared at her, but bit his tongue.

"Uh…." Tommy looked down. "I'm sensing some tension in the atmosphere."

“You think? That’s Nimbus, she hates me because of a mistake I made four years ago .”

“ Ranboo. Nobody hates anyone here. We’re family. ” Jean reminded him.

“Right,” he muttered. “Nevermind. Nobody hates anyone because we’re a family .” Even though you banished me for nothing more than a mistake and left me behind for a fourth of my life. But no, we’re family , and family loves each other. What a joke.

Ranboo saw Tubbo lean over to whisper something to Tommy, which the blonde seemed to nod back to. But otherwise, they didn't speak.

"May we introduce ourselves?" Another one of Ranboo's siblings, Hurican, asked.

“ You may ,” Jean nodded.

"Thank you." Hurican quickly dipped his head before looking back up. "I'm Hurican! I use he and him pronouns. I'm also Tornato's twin."

Almost immediately after, Tornato spoke up. "I'm Tornato. They and them for me. I'm Hurican's twin."

“ I’m Sen!” A little half-dragon half-enderman chirped, peering above the table. He was sitting on another enderman-formed Enderian’s lap. 

“You’ll have to excuse his excitement, he’s three. I’m Weaterfell, the oldest here other than Mother. She and her pronouns.” The older Enderian laughed lightly.

“This is Solor,” one of the other brothers introduced.

“And this is Eklipse.” The one who’d been introduced gestured at the first.

“They’re lying, they like to switch places. Solor’s horn is on his right,” A dragon-form enderian informed Tubbo and Tommy. “I’m Grecir.”

"Okay… I'm starting to notice a pattern in names. Ranboo, I feel like everyone here is a mispronounced way to say a nature-thing." Tommy looked at Ranboo who shrugged.

“It sounds better in our language. Pretty sure it’s just a coincidence.”

"I very highly doubt that. Who- who coincidentally names their kids after like ten different storms? But whatever you say, I guess."

Thankfully, Jean didn’t seem to take offense to that comment, and the introductions continued.

“Lune, they/them.” One of Ranboo’s siblings muttered.

“ Stop slouching. ”

They yawned. “Sorry, Mother.”

“Tidel.” Another one of them glared down at the table.

“Are they okay?” Tubbo asked quietly.

The Enderian to his other side snorted. “Just edgy. ‘Sup. I’m Amali.” 

“ Proper speech! ”

Amali just rolled their eyes. “Alright, Mother. Since Pallan is all stubborn and never pays attention, there it is.” They gestured toward an Enderian who seemed to be zoning off, stuck in its own head. “And since this is taking way too long, the others are Frosk, Myst, Nimbus, Cloyd, and Caustik.”

"Gotcha." Tommy nodded. "I'm going to forget everyone's names inevitably, so don't take offense if I do. There's a lot of you."

“Yep. A lot is an understatement,” Ranboo muttered.

“ Don’t be ungrateful, Ranboo. Your siblings are a positive thing ,” Jean reminded him.

Ranboo resisted the urge to roll his eyes and simply asked, “May we eat?”

“ You may. Serve yourselves, guests first. ” Jean placed down a few plates. Golden apple slices, chorus fruit, and shulker meat were stacked high. Ranboo took a few and gestured to Tommy. 

“Go ahead. Don’t eat until everyone is served, though. Tubbo, I brought an allium if you need it,” Ranboo offered.

Tubbo sighed. "Thanks, bossman."

Ranboo handed the flower over, watching in amusement as Tommy snatched up several slices of golden apple and a singular chorus fruit.

“ Why’s he only grabbing the fruits? ” Caustik asked.

“ He’s Elytrian. Hush, ” Ranboo responded.

“ Elytrian, huh? He doesn’t look it. What happened to the wings? ” Frosk asked.

“ And look at that slouch! No wonder Mother doesn’t like them ,” Nimbus muttered.

“ No wonder Ranboo made friends with him, ” Cloyd snorted.

“ And what is that supposed to mean?! ” Ranboo demanded.

"I have no clue what anyone here is talking about." Tubbo mumbled, looking at the allium in his hands

" They can't even speak Enderian! They should at least know the basics! " Nimbus muttered.

" They're from the Overworld, what would you expect? " Cloyd grumbled. " People from there are stupid. "

“ At least say it to their face instead of hiding it behind a language barrier,” Ranboo growled. 

" I'd rather not. Void knows how attached you can get to people. If they're hurt by what I say, you'd probably throw me in the void again. " Nimbus hissed.

“ That was one time! I bet you’re just too scared to be outed as a jerk to our guests, ” he hissed back.

" Nah, it's mainly 'cause they're the only friends you have, I'd rather not take them away from you. " Nimbus glared at Ranboo.

“ Oh, and what friends do you have? Imaginary ones? You’re jealous, aren’t you, Nimbus? ”

“ At least Mother and our siblings actually like me instead of pretending out of pity. You should have just stayed out there! ”

Okay, that one stung. Ranboo looked up at Jean, but she didn’t seem to be paying attention. All his other siblings avoided his eyes. 

" What, are you gonna cry? Might as well ruin your makeup, it's not fooling anyone. " Snorted Nimbus, clearly uncaring about Ranboo's feelings.

Ranboo’s hands shook on the table with anger, a warning warble in his throat. “ Maybe you should have just fallen. Maybe then you’d get out of everyone’s hair for good. ”

" Maybe I should have. Not only would you have been banished longer, but I wouldn't have to deal with your sh- crap when you got back. " Nimbus wasn't backing down.

“ Void , you don’t know when to shut up, do you? For someone so- so prissy , you never seem to catch the hints. Makes sense that you’re not polite. ”

"I'm the prissy one? Sure. And you know what? I admit I don't know when to shut up. But you don't know when to quit and give up. There's no winning this argument, Ranboo."

Ranboo glared at her. “ I should have stayed back in the Overworld. I didn’t have to deal with jerks like you there. Maybe you should take a trip. Learn how to be a decent person. ”

" Funny. I didn't almost kill my sibling out of anger. It seems all this time banished did nothing to change you. You're still the angry, stubborn, idiotic kid Mother left. You know, if I'd thrown you into the void, I probably wouldn't have even gotten banished. You know why? Because nobody cares about you. Nobody likes you, take a hint. " Nimbus gripped her fork tightly.

Ranboo stood, putting his hands on the table abruptly. “Mother, I’d like to be excused now.”

Jean looked at him in mild surprise. “ What for ?”

“ You heard everything Nimbus said! That’s why! ”

“ It’s just teasing, dear. But if you must, I’ll excuse you. ”

Ranboo’s tail whipped back and forth as he turned away. He tried to ignore the taunts coming from Nimbus behind him.

“ Go cry, scar your ugly face even more. Then Mother might care about you out of pity. ”

He looked back at Nimbus with his best glare despite the hurt that bloomed in his chest. “Good bye .” 

With that, he teleported up to the room that he considered to be the thing that he had the most ownership of in this entire realm and tried not to let the burning tears in his eyes roll down and make him even more flawed.

--- 

Tubbo shoved the allium Ranboo had previously given him into his mouth, chewing quickly.

"May we be excused?" He asked, looking up at Jean.

Tommy looked at the bee hybrid, midway through chewing an apple. "Wh- oh fine ." He grumbled.

The dragon tilted her head, gave a growl, then nodded. Tubbo took that as a yes.

"Thank you! The food was good, I'm sure, but Tommy and I can't eat meat, really, and I'm supposed to eat a lotta flowers. Anyways, nice talking, goodbye!"

The Enderian siblings looked between each other, perplexed. Most of them stared after Tommy and Tubbo.

“Do you want someone to go with you? I’m finished with my meal as well,” Weaterfell offered.

"I'm good, thanks!" Tommy smiled.

If you’re sure,” she murmured. Some of the Enderians looked between each other, looking rather awkward.

“Nimbus, that was a little harsh, wasn’t it?” Myst mumbled.

“Nothing that wasn’t true,” the older Enderian snorted. “He’s being dramatic, as always.”

Tubbo started to run the second he and Tommy were out of sight.

"What the fuck happened there!?"

“I don’t know, man! I don’t speak vwoop!” Tommy sounded panicked.

“Does it look like I speak it either? He looked upset, and his ‘vwoop’-speak was pretty shaky. His siblings seemed mad. Did they get in a fight?” Tubbo wondered aloud as he tried to traverse the unfamiliar spires to find Ranboo’s ‘room’.

“Obviously! Fuck, they looked like they were about to kill each other!”

“Sorry! I have no siblings, or parents for that matter that are still around! I don’t know how families act!” Tubbo grumbled, his wings fluttering anxiously as he found the familiar hallway leading to the room.

Shaky breaths came from it, and Tubbo could just make out Ranboo’s slumped form, blinking furiously down at the ground as if trying not to cry.

“Hey, bossman. You good?” Tubbo’s voice got softer as he entered the room. “What happened?” He moved to sit near Ranboo. These weren’t like his usual fits, those were more angry and dramatic, usually involving the abuse of a stuffed animal or screaming into a pillow, this was quieter and sad, like he didn’t want anyone to know he was even feeling this way.

The Enderian swallowed and dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief, frowning down at the black that came off. “Fine. I’m fine . Nimbus was just being a jerk.”

“Yeah, sure .” Tommy snorted. “And I’m fucking Santa Claus or something. Seriously, you’re not fine, and I doubt that’s it. What actually happened?” Tommy sat on the other side of Ranboo.

“She was just- she was rude, okay? It’s nothing I haven’t heard before.” Ranboo fidgeted with the cloak on his lap.

“Well what’d she say?” Tubbo mumbled. “You don’t have to tell us, but it sounds like she wasn’t being ‘just rude’.”

“You know, the personal stuff. How I got banished, how I have to cover my imperfections, how I’m… not Mother’s favorite, to say the least.” Ranboo swallowed and sighed shakily. “Like I said, Nimbus hates me.”

“That was shitty of her to say.” Tubbo grumbled. “Ranboo, first of all, getting banished was definitely a punishment you didn’t deserve, and it sucks that it happened to you. Second of all, you’re fucking beautiful! Don’t listen to her, she’s a dickhead.”

“Agreed,” Tommy nodded.

“Well it happened, and now everyone hates me. Besides, I have to try to look even halfway decent. All of them, they don’t have any flaws to cover! The only one that comes near is Cloyd, and he doesn’t have nearly as many.” Ranboo looked down at his hands, the backs covered in the white dots that he seemed to hate.

“First of all, nobody hates you, and if they do, I’ll gladly gouge their eyes out.” Tubbo huffed. “Second of all, I bet they all have ‘flaws’ to cover. But honestly? I don’t see them as flaws. Not on you, not on anyone else. These ‘flaws’ make you unique and beautiful! If everyone looked the same it’d be boring.”

“Maybe for overworlders, but you don’t understand. Uniformity is a strength for us. Mother allows us to have some definitions, but there’s a reason we’re all so similar. Enderians are meant to be uniform, to be perfect . They all seem to have no trouble with it, it’s just me .” Ranboo wiped at his eyes again, skin steaming when it came in contact with the tears.

“Well, no offense, but the End is kinda stupid. At least- at least in that sense!” Tommy snorted. “Ranboo, Ranboob, friend, buddy, pal, you’re awesome the way you are. Also, Phil told me there’s no such thing as perfect, that standards made by society are too high, blah blah, I dunno. Just know, nobody in this entire- this entire universe is as perfect as I am, so just be yourself.” He put a hand on his chest, emphasizing how perfect he claimed to be.

The Enderian gave a watery laugh. “I swear, you’re a child.”

“We’re the same age!” Tommy whined. “I’m not a child! You’re- you’re the child! Not me, never me. There is no ‘Child’ in my name. Just simply Thomas Danger Careful Kraken Innit. No child there.”

“Five months,” Ranboo reminded him. There was still a pull upwards in his brows, and he looked shaken, but he was smiling lightly. As he and Tommy bantered, Tubbo was starting to realize why he was the way he was.

He fussed over small things, but small things mattered in the End. Presumably, even a couple uncovered marks was enough for Ranboo’s mother to point out, judging by how he’d reacted at the beginning of the meal. He was private and possessive, but having sixteen siblings must mean absolutely no privacy, so that was understandable, too. All of the abnormalities Tubbo had just chalked up to being Ranboo, his princely, slightly-obsessive friend, were starting to look like more than simple quirks.

Tommy groaned. “Sure, fine, whatever you say. You’re not right, I’m just simply too tired to argue further.”

Tubbo looked over at Ranboo. “Seriously though, man. You good? You know they’re all wrong, you’re fuckin’ awesome, right?”

“Thank you,” Ranboo mumbled. “I- I kind of lost my temper there. Sorry for rushing out and leaving you alone.”

“Dude, it’s fine!” Tommy put a hand on Ranboo’s shoulder.

“Yeah, at least you didn’t try and kill a stuffed animal or something.” Tubbo nodded. “If you ever need to be away from a situation, it’s best you leave. It’s better for everyone, stops the argument sooner.”

Ranboo laughed quietly. “Probably because there are no stuffed animals to murder. That’s a feature of the Overworld.”

“ What !? Dude no , that sucks!” Tubbo groaned. “No stuffed animals?! Dude, I’m going to buy like… seventy, and bring them all here for everyone. We need to bring this up to your mom, tell her to force people to start mass-producing them. Everyone deserves to have like ten stuffed animals.”

“I doubt she would allow it, but it’s a thought,” Ranboo hummed lightly. “If it did happen, though, only the worthy should be allowed a stuffed animal. None for Nimbus, Cloyd, Tornato, or Grecir. Myst, Weaterfell, Tidel, and Lune are okay, though. The rest are on thin ice.”

Tubbo snorted. “You’ll inherit the throne of the plushies. You’ll make your own kingdom of stuffed animals. A Build-a-Bear will be the national monument.”

Ranboo laughed. Before he had a chance to add anything, Solor appeared directly in front of him. Tubbo and Tommy both startled, but Ranboo didn’t seem surprised. The Enderian just sighed.

“What’s going on?”

“Nimbus said she’s sorry.”

“Genuinely or because Mother told her to?”

Solor’s awkward silence was enough for both Tubbo and Ranboo to tell the answer. The older Enderian sighed. “Okay. Tell her and Mother I’ll be down again soon.”

Solor nodded and disappeared.

“Ranboo, may I have permission to verbally or physically harm your sister if she says anything else rude? Because if she does I’d like to knock the shit outta her.” Tommy grumbled.

“Nah, that’ll only make her and Mother annoyed.” Ranboo muttered. He covered up the lighter patches where his makeup had come off and sighed. “It’s okay. And even if you’re right about flaws being okay, I still want to look presentable.”

“...I guess. But, but , the second you get out of public or whatever, you’re taking that off. Your face is pretty just as it is.”

“You never ‘get out of public’ when you have siblings like mine. But sure, if we’re alone, I’ll take it off,” the Enderian offered.

“Great.” Tubbo yawned. “I’m fuckin’ tired.”

“You can rest here if you’d like. Just be careful not to get too deep into sleep. It can get… ah… destructive.” Ranboo paused, before clarifying, “It explodes. An explosion happens.”

“Oh my Prime, I forgot about that.” Tommy sat upright, looking more awake. “Nevermind, not gonna sleep. Too scared. Phil never slept, so neither will I. Mhm. I never sleep. In fact, because I never sleep and also because I am such a big man, I’m going to drink coffee. Adults do that.”

“You slept for three days once,” Ranboo reminded him. “It wasn’t even two years ago, either.”

“That was a moment of weakness! I never sleep anymore. Never. Never again will I ever sleep.” Tommy reached over in his bag, pulling out a coke. “This shall do.”

The Enderian rolled his eyes. “Sure. Now I’m going to hear out Nimbus. You wanna come along or stay here?”

“I’ll come!” Tommy offered.

“M’ gonna sleep. I’m tired.” Tubbo’s eyelids were drooping. He yawned again.

“Do you have something to keep you awake? Remember, you will cause an explosion if you enter REM sleep. Something about the Void is hostile to that.”

“That’s… terrifying.” Tubbo murmured. “No, don’t think I do. M’ sorry.”

“Here.” Ranboo pulled an endrod from the side of the wall and put it closer to the chair Tubbo was half-lying in. It was really bright and honestly kind of annoying, but his friend seemed to think it necessary.

“Whas’ dat’ do?” Tubbo mumbled, already half asleep. He felt like he was going to pass out any moment. Sleep deprivation hit him like a truck .

“Makes it lighter so that you sleep lighter. It usually works to prevent that type of sleep so that you don’t, y’know, explode.” 

“Gotcha, b’ss man.” Tubbo mumbled. He turned away from the light a bit, but it still shone. Thankfully, not enough so that it kept Tubbo up . The bee hybrid closed his eyes, grumbling a few words under his breath that didn’t even make sense to him. “G’night.”

“Goodnight, Tubbo.” Ranboo smiled down at him.

--- 

“Just you and I, innit, Ranboob?” Tommy strode beside Ranboo as he went to confront his sibling. 

“I guess, and don’t call me that.” Ranboo snorted. He was feeling a bit more comfortable now, at least since he and Tommy were, primarily, alone. No annoying siblings either criticizing him or following him around like lost puppies. Except for Caustik, but there was almost no getting rid of her.

“Mmm, sure, Ranboob, whatever you say,” Tommy laughed and ducked away from Ranboo’s flicking hand. Honestly, it reminded him of his siblings, except… different. Maybe it was the fact that he chose to have Tommy around, but a lot of the annoyingness or malice was gone when it was just his Avian friend.

 “Rude.” Ranboo huffed. “Anyways, I have the thing with Nimbus… uh, is there something else we can do after?”

“Where do you guys hang out ? I mean, this is nice and all, but it’s a bit small, innit?” Tommy crossed his arms and caught up to Ranboo’s pace.

“Sometimes we hang out in the End City, sometimes we mess around in small, secluded areas. Sometimes we just like to be alone, though.” Ranboo explained, tail whisking behind him.

“ End City ?” Tommy looked excited at the prospect.

“Uh- yeah. It’s a city where the endermen live. Kinda like our kingdom? There’s a few of them, but the biggest one is near the castle.” Ranboo mumbled. “The endermen there are really nice, actually! Some endermen live in the Nether and the Overworld, they tend to have secret villages there, but most endermen live in the End Cities. I can show you around later, if you want?”

“Oh, fuck yeah!” The Avian beamed. “Let’s fucking go!”

“Not yet! I still have to deal with Nimbus. After, we can go. Promise.” Ranboo smiled.

“Okay, big man. Deal with that prick and then we can get going.”

Nimbus and a few more of his siblings came into view, and Ranboo took a shaky breath. The words still stung, even after the initial shock.

“Uh- Greetings, Nimbus.” Ranboo mumbled.

“ Hello. ” Nimbus spoke in Enderian, prompting Ranboo to do the same.

“ Solor said you had an apology for me. I’d like to hear it. ”

“ I apologize for my misdeeds, Ranboo. ” The apology sounded forced, and Nimbus avoided eye contact.

“ Which are? ” If this was going to be forced, Ranboo wanted to make the most of it. “ Recount the misdeeds you apologize for. ”

“ You’re just being unfair. But if I must, I apologize for… criticizing you on your actions and looks. ” Nimbus growled.

Ranboo smirked at the faint flush on Nimbus’s face. “ You are forgiven. ”

“ Great. Wonderful. ” Nimbus hissed, turning away. She stormed out, clearly mad and somewhat embarrassed.

“Now that that’s over with, we can go,” Ranboo smiled over at Tommy.

“Cool, great, uh… how do we get there?” Tommy asked.

“It’s through that portal over there. You just telepor- oh. Oh, that would be a problem, wouldn’t it?” Ranboo hummed in thought.

“You think? Is there any way we can still go? I have cobble if we need to tower!”

“Do not put that ugly block in my home, please,” Ranboo muttered. “Here. I have a pearl somewhere, I think. I save some in case I ever need it. You have to aim up. If anything happens, I can grab you. If it goes into the void, it won’t do anything, so don’t worry about falling. Unless it hits bedrock, but I can grab you if that happens.”

Ranboo searched through his bag, looking around to find the pearl he knew he had somewhere. Before he could even blink, a black hand snatched a leather-bound book out of his bag. Ranboo shouted and reached out, but Tornato teleported out of his reach.

“‘Do Not Read’, huh?” They grinned devilishly. “You keep your juicy secrets here, Ranboo? Oooh, let’s hear about how our brother’s been doing in the Overworld!” 

Ranboo dropped the bag and teleported after Tornato. “Drop it! Tornato, give it back !”

“Getting real defensive there, huh? Must be good.” Tornato giggled. They peered at Ranboo from the edge of the island, then stepped off and disappeared, reappearing a good 20 feet off. 

“Give it back! Mother, make them give it back! That’s mine !”

“ It’s just a bit of harmless teasing, dear. You need to get thicker skin about this type of thing. I may have convinced Nimbus to apologize, but you need to stop making a big deal out of little things like this. ”

“Yeah, Ranboo, calm down, it’s just a joke,” Grecir echoed.

“No, that’s my thoughts ! Give it back!” Ranboo shouted at his younger siblings.

“Read it, read it!” Myst giggled.

“Yeah! Read it, Tornato!” Hurican grinned.

“Do not -!”

Tornato put on a theatrical voice. “Year two, August fifth-”

Oh, Void , Ranboo remembered this entry. It had been recently after Tommy’s wings were cut off. Ranboo was watching over him, writing as the Avian slept off the pain of losing his wings. “No! Stop that, stop it!”

“-I’m worried about Tommy-”

Ranboo flushed deep violet and reached out for Tornato. Again, the devious eleven-year-old teleported away. “Give it back, now !”

“Awwww,” Myst put a hand over her heart. “Ranboooooo, you’re so-!”

“No! Shut up! Tornato !”

“-Even though he says he’s okay, he’s been looking at the sky more and more-”

Ranboo managed to snatch the book back before Tornato could read any more. He was blushing deeply, furious and embarrassed. “This is mine ! Not your little book of gossip!” He pulled the leather book close to himself and kept it shut tightly.

“Oh come on , Ranboo. It was just a joke. There’s no need to be so dramatic,” Cloyd scoffed. “What is the deal with you and the melodrama today?” 

“I’m not being dramatic!” Ranboo hissed, turning to Cloyd with a furious expression. His tail lashed behind him and his eyes were narrowed, pupils narrowed into slits. The only way he could look any more cat-like is if he bared his fangs.

“If you say so,” Cloyd muttered with a roll of his eyes. “What, are you gonna hiss at me now? I’m just keeping you accountable. The whole point of your banishment was to be better-behaved, and you’re obviously failing that. How many strikes are there now? Three? Four?”

“Void, just leave me alone , Cloyd.” Ranboo looked away, still flushed deep purple. “Come on, Tommy. Just- let’s go.”

“Uh- okay. Okay.” Tommy nodded.

“Just throw this into the portal,” Ranboo muttered, depositing a pearl in Tommy’s hand. Without another word, he teleported through the portal as well, ignoring his siblings’ complaints behind him.

---

Tommy felt awkward, for one of the first times in his life. He didn’t usually get sheepish or not know what to say, but this was definitely one of those times. He was in a desolate plain of end stone, only interrupted by oddly geometric purple trees, beside his currently deeply flushed friend.

For one, that was a shit thing to do, to take away someone’s personal thoughts and read them aloud. Tommy acted a bit impulsively sometimes, but Prime , this was another level. He felt awful for Ranboo, even if the only thing that got leaked was that he cared about Tommy. Which, by the way, warmed his heart, even if it was a bit embarrassing.

And that was another point entirely. To think that Ranboo wrote about him, about caring about his well-being, it was sweet. He hadn’t shown many signs of concern in Tommy’s recovery, and yet, the proof was on the page.

“So… uh… big man. Big R. Ranboo, my pal, how you doin’?” Tommy asked, tapping his fingers together awkwardly.

“...I feel like a melted salamander.” Ranboo mumbled. “That’s genuinely the only way I can explain it.”

“Understandable,” Tommy nodded his head, then asked, “Is this like, a new thing, them being completely unaware of the definition of privacy?”

“Nope. For as long as I’ve been alive, ‘privacy’ and ‘boundaries’ have been nothing more than myths. I feel kinda bad for the oldest of us. No clue who they are, but they must have had it awful .” Ranboo’s tail flicked.

“Dude, that fucking sucks. You had to grow up like this?”

“Mhm.” Ranboo grumbled, looking annoyed at even the thought of growing up with his siblings. “Pretty much. I was around twelve when they exiled me, though, so… It wasn’t all my life. Still, it pretty sucked.”

“ Twelve ?! In hindsight, it’s obvious, but like, holy shit , dude, it’s another thing to hear it straight-out. They threw a twelve-year-old out to the wolves?!” Tommy shouted in disbelief.

“I wouldn’t put it like that , but I guess? There’s been harsher punishments, and I did mess up pretty badly. It was deserved, though a bit petty for it to be that long, and for them to still not forgive me on it.” Ranboo shrugged, and he seemed so casual about it, which confused, scared, and shocked Tommy.

“That’s not normal, Ranboo! Phil- Phil wouldn’t just be cool with me going to a completely different dimension with no gear all alone when I was twelve , let alone make me ! That mother- well, I guess she’s not a motherfucker, just a mother- but she’s fuckin’- she’s weird, man! She’s sus!”

“Did… did you just call my mother sus?” Ranboo stopped walking. “What. And- and even then, it’s completely normal, at least for me. People parent in different ways! And again, it’s not the worst thing that could’ve happened to me. Permanent banishment is up there, there’s being disowned and disgraced completely , which is a whole other thing. And even then, I deserved the punishment. I almost threw Nimbus into the void on accident! She could’ve died.”

“ You could’ve died! It was an accident, right? You said it yourself!”

“I lost my temper, I was sent to the Overworld to learn a lesson on how to maintain it.” Ranboo started walking again. “And I had like… a few chorus fruit on me, and an old map, though the terrain changed a lot , it was a few hundred years old. I wasn’t completely defenseless. And I found you guys after the first few weeks, everything turned out fine.”

“You wouldn’t have learned if you’d died ! Fucking hell , who does that to a kid as a punishment ?! She could have just grounded you!” Tommy argued.

“A grounding would have taught me nothing. I’d be stuck in, like, a spare room, staring at a blank wall for a week or two, and nothing would have changed.” Ranboo mumbled. “By sending me to the Overworld, I actually learned a lesson. I fought like, so hard to get back here, you don’t even know. Finding a stronghold and twelve ender eyes isn’t easy. I learnt a lesson by doing that! Hard work is a good punishment. Did Phil ever like, make you clean the house or something as a punishment when you acted up? It’s a regular punishment, maybe our parents just… parent differently.”

“That’s different! A fourth of your life, Ranboo! And they’re still as petty and asshole-ish as they were when you were a kid! They haven’t forgiven you after four fucking years ! You were twelve ! I was kind of a dick when I was twelve, too, but Phil didn’t kick me out of the nest and expect me to fly with my wings tied behind my back!”

“They’re petty, sure, but they’re family. Family’s supposed to love each other. Even if we fight sometimes, we have to love each other.” Ranboo mumbled. His voice sounded somewhat automated, as if he’d been told this by someone before and was just repeating the words back to Tommy.

“Love isn’t something you ‘ have to ’ give. Hell, going by that definition, I’m your family more than they are!” Tommy crossed his arms.

“You are family, Tommy. But they’re still my family too. I have to love them, I can’t just leave them or whatever, that’s not right. If I left, I’d be no better than- than… than something bad, I dunno.” Ranboo’s tail brushed along the endstone he walked upon.

“I don’t think they’re good for you, Ranboo. They left you -”

Ranboo whipped his head back and glared at the Avian. “Tommy. I’m done with this conversation, okay? You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Okay. Okay, I’m sorry. We’ll talk later. End City now, aye?” He smiled reassuringly at Ranboo.

“Okay.” Ranboo muttered, looking down. “We’re almost there.”

“Cool, cool.” There was an awkward silence, but it didn’t last long before the city came into sight. Tommy gasped at the sight of it, taking in the beautiful architecture.

“Here it is!” Ranboo blinked as they approached a city. End stone bricks and purple blocks created tall buildings, short shops and other assorted places in between them.

Tommy looked around in wonder, grinning widely. “Holy shit! Ranboo, that’s so cool ! What’s up at the top? Prime, I wanna see it all! This is so cool !”

“Uh… businesses, offices, some people live there. They’re private though, those are where people work and live. They’re not public, so we can’t go there. We can visit some shops or restaurants though.” Ranboo offered, ear flicking.

“What about up there?” Tommy pointed to the furthest building, branching out into the sky. It had a purple ship-like thing tethered to it, floating as if it was on water when only the air surrounded it.

“Uh, it uses teleporting parkour to get up there. It’s kind of a history place? It used to be a shulker place, but we’ve renovated most of it to be a history museum and stuff. It has info on wars and history of the kingdom.” Ranboo explained.

“Dude, that’s so cool. Honestly, I don’t look it, but I’m a little bit of a history guy myself. Things like revolutionary wars and shit have always been pretty cool to me. ‘Sides, I can handle it! I have wings- kind of. Technically, I only brought Sam’s backup wings, they’re in my bag, but they flap, like, half of the time. He’s doing some tune-ups on the real ones.”

“Still, I don’t want you to fall. If you really want to, I could help you, but you’re not doing it on your own. You could very easily fall into the void.” Ranboo mumbled.

“Nah, it’s over end stone. Besides. Ranboo. My bud. My pal. I literally slow fall. That’s like, one of my main abilities.” Tommy laughed. He unzipped a bag he’d been carrying and took out the backup prostheses Sam made him. It was nothing fancy, and Tommy had mentioned wearing the backups was uncomfortable, but it still allowed him to fly. He affixed them, flinching when the nerve endings connected. “ Fuck , man! Okay, okay, fuck , I’m good.” The Avian stretched out the metal wings, flapping them experimentally. 

“Okay, fine, but don’t die.” Ranboo mumbled. He teleported onto the first platform, waiting for Tommy to follow.

The hybrid took off, clumsily cutting through the air with his prostheses. Once he got to the edge of the first platform, he pulled himself up, panting and fluttering his wings to help the task. “I told you! How many more of these to go?”

“.....Twenty-nine.” Ranboo blinked.

“Oh fucking Prime - okay. Alright. Not backing down from the challenge now! I’m so good at this I won’t even be winded by the end of it!” Tommy grinned and took off to the next one.

Needless to say, his boast did not end up being true. At the top of the shiplike structure, he heaved for breath, metal wings spread out far behind him. “ Who decided that parkour would be the best way to get up there ?!” Tommy panted.

“We can teleport. It’s not made for non-enderians.” Ranboo snorted. “But we’re here! Take a look around, look at the history of this place.”

Tommy dragged himself up, stretching the prosthetic wings. “ Ugh . Okay, okay, this shit better be good.”

He stood up and looked around, taking in the history. Tapestries of shulkers and dragons and endermen adorned the place, catching his eye quickly. Chorus fruit wound around the inside, tailored to grow around the edges. He took a deep breath and wandered over to the edge. Swords and potions sat below glass, a simple plaque labeling their significance. 

‘ The first sword of the Angel of Death ’, one of them read. Tommy’s eyebrows furrowed. 

“Uh? Ranboo? I think your history’s wrong.”

“What?” Ranboo blinked. He walked over to Tommy, tail whisking back and forth in the air behind him.

“Look. This is Dadza’s title. This is like- this is something like 170  years old. He’s like, 30. I haven’t checked, but he can’t be much older. Plus, he never mentioned going to the End.” Tommy pointed at the plaque.

Ranboo blinked. “Wh- Tommy, the Angel of Death was in like, a war with our people. It’s basic history. Maybe it’s a different Angel? Maybe your dad’s grandpa or something?”

“No, this even looks like his sword, though. The inscription’s even the same. ‘ Hiasobi benihime ’. That’s his sword.” Tommy frowned.

“...I don’t know what that means, but cool?” Ranboo blinked. “Maybe it’s, like, a passed down thing.”

Tommy looked down at the plaque again and read the description.

This sword belonged to the Angel of Death, the Elytrian enemy of the End. He was well-known as being an Elytrian of great fighting prowess and boundless strength. However, the great Ender Dragon managed to disarm him and force him to retreat in the Battle of Chorus.

“Great, nice, but who the fuck was he?!” Tommy hissed at the sword, as if it could answer him. “Dadza never mentioned anything about having a really cool dad or grandpa or whatever the fuck, but this was also 170 years ago!”

“Maybe he doesn’t know specifically? Maybe he forgot to tell you?” Ranboo wondered aloud.

“Ranboo, that’s stupid. This is literally the exact same sword. Listen, let’s just look through this.” Tommy muttered. He looked around the museum, frowning, then perked up. “ Look ! Look, that’s them!” He pointed to a tapestry on the wall, depicting an Elytrian and a Piglin back-to-back. Both held swords, but the Elytrian’s was long and thin as compared to the Piglin’s massive broadsword. Tommy knew those figures like the back of his hand. “That’s them, I know it is!”

“Really?” Ranboo blinked. “But these tapestries are hundreds of years old. There’s no way!”

“It’s them, I swear . Even the little things like the wing shape or the markings on Techno’s arms. Look. It’s faint, but there are three black marks. Not to mention the cape. And the context of them together? It’s them !”

“But it’s over a hundred years old, Tommy! You said your dad was thirty!” Ranboo blinked.

“I never checked! I mean- I dunno, maybe your history’s wrong! Maybe the dates are wrong! I don’t know!” Tommy put his hands up for emphasis.

“I doubt Mother’s wrong with date and time, she’s normally very good about that.” Ranboo mumbled.

“Well what other Piglin and Elytrian team do you know where the Elytrian is called the ‘Angel of Death’ and has a sword with a very specific inscription ? Look, we can look around more, see what we can find.” The prosthetic wings on Tommy’s back ruffled and flared, showing his unease.

“This is very odd.” Ranboo mumbled. “But yeah, we should look around more.” His tail swished behind him.

Tommy peered around corners and looked carefully. The chorus branches caught his eyes again. It seemed to be leading somewhere, twisting around the walls on either side. Sure enough, there was a small staircase in the floor that led to a smaller room where the two sides of the chorus branches twined and created a bloom. Tommy’s eyes drifted underneath it.

Wings.

Elytrian wings, a stunning black-and-gray mix that would have been beautiful, had it not been cut off its owner and hung on the walls like art. Like Tomny’s had been.

Tommy choked back a gasp and blindly grabbed toward Ranboo, backing into him in shock and horror. 

“Wh- Tommy, are you okay?” Ranboo asked, letting Tommy lean on him for support.

Prime, he was going to throw up. It was so familiar, so achingly familiar that it had his head spinning and his heart throbbing in his chest, threatening to burst out.

Dream’s hand on his wing, pulling, tearing. Sapnap’s knife, hurting everything it touched. Isolation and pain and death and grief and mourning-

“Tommy! What happened?! Are you alright?” Ranboo shook his shoulders.

He blinked away the growing tears in his eyes. One had rolled down his cheek while his head was still spinning. He could barely breathe, let alone speak, but he managed to choke out a few words. “The- the w- the wings, Ranboo- the wings -”

Ranboo looked over, seemingly noticing something and flinching himself.

“Oh Void, I thought Mother was taking them down… Oh Void, I’m so sorry, Tommy.” Ranboo hugged Tommy.

Tommy couldn’t tear his eyes away. It was horrible, it made the part of him he’d worked so hard to compress to nothing scream at him again, but he couldn’t look away. That Elytrian, no matter how old, had gone through the same thing as him. Their wings were put up as a fucking decoration, like how his had always meant to be. Techno recovered them, sure, but those could just as easily be his, hanging on the wall, taunting him. He was back at that deep, suffocating place, trying to breathe correctly and slowly starving himself, waiting to be sold to a man who wanted him as a decoration.

He thought he’d recovered . He thought he’d moved on , but now the feelings were twisting up inside of him all over again and he was so, so scared .

“Let’s- Okay, ⟊⟒⌇⎍⌇ ☊⊑⍀⟟⌇⏁… Okay, uh, Tommy, they’re- okay, let’s just- let’s just, um, go, okay?” Tommy barely felt Ranboo grab his arm to slowly lead him away from the display .

He blindly followed, only stopping when it got out of sight. In those wings, he’d seen his , hung up on the wall like some sort of decoration . He choked back another distressed chirp and hugged Ranboo tightly, burying his face into his friend’s cloak to block out the sight, even though it was burned into his eyelids.

“Okay, okay, we’re out of the building, Tommy, we’re not there anymore. We’re- do you want to go back out of the city? Tubbo’s probably- he’s probably awake by now, you can- we can go back and talk about it there, okay?” Ranboo mumbled, wrapping an arm around Tommy. “You’re okay, don’t worry.”

“I- I- I thought I was better- I thought I was done with this, I thought-” Tommy held back tears. Even in this state, he knew crying all over Ranboo would only hurt him.

“No, it’s fine, don’t worry.” Ranboo whispered, leading him out of the building. “It’s fine, okay? You went through a lot , it’s perfectly understandable that you reacted that way. I genuinely thought they’d have taken them down by now…”

“Why- why do they have… those … in the first place? Just to make the place look better? As- as some sort of trophy ? That’s not a trophy, that’s just a sign that someone went through agony !”

“I know, Tommy, I know. They- they were trophies of war. We were supposed to take them down, along with the dragon heads. We were supposed to take them down too! I remember Mother talking about that forever ago. She said she would, why would she change her mind?” Ranboo hissed. “It’s morally wrong, I agree.”

“Let’s- let’s just go , please. Maybe we can ask your mom why they’re still up, or about the Angel of Death or whatever. Get things straightened out…” Tommy murmured, finally pulling away from Ranboo. 

“Mhm.” Ranboo nodded. “Okay, let’s- let’s just do that.”

Tommy pulled the prosthetic wings off, unable to stand keeping them on any longer. It hurt, but having the unwieldy weight off and not having to pretend that those were his wings, the originals, was better than keeping them on.

He floated down to the ground and tried to pretend that he was okay again.

It didn’t work too well.