Chapter Text
“Dream, please detain and escort Tommy out of my country.”
For just a moment, the entire world came to a standstill with those words. Exile, Tommy was being exiled. For a crime that he didn’t commit alone.
Part of Ranboo wanted to stay quiet, to just stand off to the side and watch the proceedings. He didn’t want to put himself directly into Dream’s line of fire after all. Another part of Ranboo though started to twist, an uneasy feeling riling up in the pit of his gut. This was wrong. It wasn’t just a matter of the trial being unfair, something about Dream just felt off. Yet here Tubbo was, going along with it while Fundy gave a deep glare at the goat hybrid and Quackity looked so terribly betrayed.
Ranboo didn’t know what to do because at this point he knew there wasn’t any way he was going to get Tommy out of being exiled. If he stayed here then he might be able to pass messages along to Tommy, to do something that could help him. Would that actually help though? The curling feeling started to crawl higher and higher up into his throat, constricting terribly as it tried to squeeze out the words resting in the back of his throat. This wasn’t fair. Tommy hadn’t committed this crime alone.
“Wait!” Ranboo shouted, hands shaking slightly as he turned towards Dream. “I’m going with. Tommy didn’t burn George’s house down alone after all, I helped. I helped and Tommy was willing to take the fall all alone. So I’m going with him.” Ranboo straightened up slightly, narrowing his eyes with his conviction. There wasn’t any back down now, but funny enough the thought didn’t scare him as much as he thought it should. Instead, the stifling sensation in the bottom of his stomach finally started to unclench and ease up. This was the right decision, even if there was bound to be hell to pay for it.
Dream paused, still holding Tommy’s arm. “A willing exile? I don’t think you understand, Ranboo. This isn’t going to be a vacation, this is going to be a punishment.”
Tommy glanced between the two, seeming somewhat unsure of himself. “Well I mean, if he wants to come along, I don’t mind. And he is telling the truth, he did actually help so I think it’s very fitting.” Tommy nodded to no one in particular.
“A punishment?” Ranboo asked, glaring a hole through Dream at this point. “A punishment you say? A punishment for what? An accident. That’s real rich coming from someone with the accountability of a five year old given everything I’ve seen on this server so far. With that said, you’re right. It’s a punishment, Dream, so punish me. I helped. I should be punished too, right? Or are you specifically targeting just Tommy?”
He didn’t know why Dream’s words had pissed him off so much. There was just something so disgustingly saccharine and simultaneously slimy in the way he spoke. It made Ranboo’s skin prickle and the little puff of fur at the end of his tail nearly doubled in size while his tail itself lashed rather agitatedly. “Come on Tommy,” Ranboo said, grabbing the blonde’s wrist and moving past Dream without even a hint of hesitation. “We’re exiled. We can go anywhere we want though as long as it’s not the greater SMP.”
“No.” Dream caught his shoulder. “I’m keeping track of you two. If you’re close enough to L’Manburg, you’re going to go back. This is a punishment for griefing, a rule that Tommy has repeatedly broken. You can join him, but I’m giving you an out here because you’re new.” Dream forced Ranboo’s hand away and pulled Tommy forward harshly. “Come on, Tommy. We’re going. Pick a direction.”
“Oh are you now? You’re gonna keep track of us huh? That’s not sketchy or anything,” Ranboo drawled, rolling his eyes rather dramatically. “Don’t you grab him like that,” Ranboo said rather simply, moving a couple steps forward so he was chest to chest with Dream. “If you’re going to grab a person’s wrist, you grab it gently. Now you’re right. Tommy is going to pick a direction. And we’re going to leave. But we’re picking where we stop, and we’re going to keep going so that you don’t have to worry about your little SMP getting griefed ever again,” Ranboo said before smiling ever so pleasantly and prying Dream’s hands off of Tommy.
Dream stood to full height and gave Ranboo what was surely a withering glare, intercepted by the mask. “ You are not the one in control here, Ranboo. The punishment was under my discretion, not yours.”
“Do you even know the definition of exile? Do you even know the legal definition of an exile? Like, the entire point is kind of supposed to be the lack of any contact,” Ranboo said, his greatest weapon in this moment being the bored indifference with which he answered Dream’s words. “Also, why the hell are you deciding this? If it’s George who was wronged, shouldn’t he be in charge of the punishment? Like, where did Tubbo ever say you were in charge? Where did George ever say you were in charge. Who are you?”
“Yoooooo!” Quackity shouted from the background. “Okay, but he’s right, like does L'Manburg even legally acknowledge George as the king considered it was a coup?”
“Quackity!” Tubbo snapped. “Just- stop it. Stop it, take this out of my country. I don’t care, just- Dream, do what you need to do.”
“Your country? Isn’t this supposed to, you know, be a democracy? It sure wasn’t when it was Schlatt’s country,” Fundy muttered. It was just quiet enough as to not put himself directly into the line of fire but loud enough that Tubbo absolutely heard it.
The goat hybrid shot him a glare. “Fundy.” He scowled, but turned away. “Dream, I give you full permission to do what you think is right, as long as it’s for the good of L’Manburg. Just- keep the walls down.”
“Wait, don’t we even get a say in the decision?” Quackity asked.
“No, you don’t , because you’re just a vice. Look, Big Q, we can talk later, I’m- I’m going to think.” The president stared down at the ground and started off towards the white house.
Quackity’s expression went carefully blank for a moment as he watched Tubbo, eyes flitting across the younger boy’s expression. “Tubbo. That’s the wrong fucking answer,” Quackity said.
Ranboo didn’t know much about Schlatt’s presidency, but he knew enough to see the similarities between what Schlatt used to say to Quackity and what Tubbo had just said now. “It doesn’t matter anymore,” Ranboo said, shaking his head and pulling Tommy a little closer. His tail wrapped loosely around Tommy’s leg as he watched Tubbo. Ranboo kind of understood where Tubbo was coming from with his decision, he could understand the pressures that Tubbo was under, but when he felt the way Tommy was so tensed up under his grip he couldn’t help but also feeling disappointed.
“We’re leaving. You can follow us if you want, Dream, but we’re leaving now and we’re stopping when Tommy says he feels comfortable with the spot,” Ranboo said, looking at Dream with an expression that brokered absolutely no arguments.
“Wh- Tubbo just said-” Dream sputtered.
“Don’t care! If you do, then start walking.” Ranboo just pushed Tommy along carefully, making sure that his grip wasn’t going to accidentally hurt him.
Tommy simply glanced up at Ranboo, content to ignore Dream. “Alright, where we goin’, big man?”
“Far away from here,” Dream interjected, coming to lead again. “Come on, this way. If you’re not going to pick a direction, I will.”
“Far away from here,” Ranboo responded to Tommy, as though Dream hadn’t spoken at all. Without missing a beat he turned both himself and Tommy in the opposite way that Dream was heading.
“Ranboo, get the hell back here,” Dream hissed. “You’re not in charge, I am!” And with that, he was taking an axe out of his inventory, pointing it to a decidedly unfazed Ranboo.
“But why?” He asked like an insolent toddler. Ironic, considering Dream was acting more like one than Ranboo was. “You aren’t in charge either. It’s kinda really sad if you have to use violence to get your way. You aren’t a very smooth talker, are you Dream? Now I know why half the server decided to pick Wilbur instead.”
Dream swung the cruel blade of Nightmare with a snarl, only to have it strike empty air.
“Strike one!” Ranboo cheered, already five feet away. Purple particles were glittering at his feet and Tommy stumbled in confusion for a moment, but Ranboo was easily able to bear the weight of them both. “So Tommy, what do you think about starting a nice little cow farm?” Ranboo asked, still ignoring Dream.
Tommy looked around, clearly confused. “The fuck-? Uh, Yeah, yeah sure, that sounds nice.”
“Tubbo said I was in charge of the punishment!” Dream shouted from behind them.
“I literally don’t care!” Ranboo shouted back as the distance between them started to grow larger and larger. “Now Tommy, what kind of houses do you like more? Obviously we’re not just gonna stay in the tent, and I think we should try and build something cozy.”
“Anything with cobblestone really, moss is nice too. Oh! And oak, I like oak, because it is clearly the best wood.” Tommy said matter-of-factly.
And it was in that fashion, with Dream trailing behind them trying to get their attention, that Ranboo and Tommy walked to their semi-willing exile.