Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It started with just Tommy watching. Tommy has more free time and likes to ditch his responsibilities. And he finds this absolutely tiny mortal actually tending to fae circles? It's got his attention. And it's only a matter of time before he drags Ranboo off to watch the young little thing with him

he's so small, leaves getting caught in his hair, tripping over oversized tree roots, getting so easily scratched and bruised

It's very obvious to tell the little thing isn't being properly cared for. It's so small and it never gets bandaged up when it hurts itself

Each time it returns to the woods, it seems to have a new scratch or scar, but it's still so delicate with how it tends to the flowers and plants. getting distracted by bees and butterflies,-

not looking where its going half the time

It would be so easy to trick it into a ring. So very easy. Then they can keep the delicate little thing somewhere safe

One day, they spot it, sitting underneath a nearby tree. It was struggling with sewing up a hole in a piece of fabric, probably clothing.

Something so small yet having to sew up holes in its clothes?

Tommy and Ranboo felt gross at the mere thought

They cannot let this go on. They already had quite a few opinions on the little one’s clothes. They clearly aren't soft enough for something so tiny. But seeing it have to repair those rags? All by itself? No no, this must end.

Which one should appear in front of him? Ranboo decided that it must be him, Tommy doesn't think ahead as much as he'd like to think. Ranboo would easily bring the little creature into their circle.

Ranboo is nice. He's polite. Surely he can get the little thing into their circle and carry it home. It would be much better to take it willingly, after all.

The tricky part is for it to walk in the circle willingly. Especially with how much mortals like to warn each other of the danger fae rings. It might be easier to gain its trust first. Tend to its needs and let it come to them. Of course, they could just skip right to taking it if results don't come fast enough

It seemed startled at first to see him appear in front of it, curiosity evident in its eyes.

"H-...Hello?" It calls out, it has a small voice, fear coating its tone.

Of course, he only smiles, letting his posture read as non-threatening, allowing himself to hunch over more to appear less large, "Hello there. You're the one who's been tending to the circles, right?"

Start small. Appear like someone who is just curious. Maybe someone wanting to repay a favour. Use it as an in to start tending to its needs. 

Surprise, then it smiled, nodding. "Ah-! Yeah... Sorry if it was bothering you. I couldn't help myself."

More hesitation, curiosity. It was so open and expressive with its emotions, Ranboo could read it like a book.

That fact alone made him both pleased and far more concerned. It didn't even know better than to hide its emotions away from unfamiliar eyes. Every changeling old enough to meet those outside their family knew better. It truly was not old enough to be alone. This just further cemented it.

"No no, it's not even remotely a bother. It's nice, actually. No one's done that before. I just wanted to know if you needed anything in exchange?"

"I- No, no-" It shook its head. "I couldn't possibly accept anything. It's just something I like to do in my free time, It's not worth it to waste anything on me" 

It looked tiny next to the large tree behind it, unclear if its clothes were bought too large or it was simply that underfed, but its yellow and brown striped sweater was huge on it. It constantly had to tug the sleeves back up, holes littering the oversized garment.

"Then maybe I could offer you some of my free time? I don't really have anything to do and I like being helpful. I can cook, clean, sew, all sorts of things."

Those clothes would have to go. While there is certainly some comfort to be found in the occasional oversized garment, it's best kept as sleepwear. Wearing something that fit so poorly out in the open... It's like it's asking to be stolen away. So small, so frail. It deserved better. And Ranboo would give it.

Its blue eyes searched Ranboo's, before glancing back down. "I guess-... It would be rude of me to refuse an offer like that."

It stood up, and fuck , it looked even smaller now that Ranboo was standing right in front of it.

And that was with Ranboo trying to appear smaller and less threatening. How tiny must it be in actuality? How could anyone let such a tiny thing out of their sight? How could anyone let such a small baby take care of itself?

There's zero chance of letting it go now. He would do anything he had to in order to get it home, cradled safely between him and Tommy. And it had given him all the in he needed to put a proper plan in motion.

It didn't look at him with the same suspicion that most humans appeared to have against fae. Did the poor little thing even know what he was?

The next thing it said confirmed that it in fact, didn't.

"Ah- I forgot to introduce myself... I'm so sorry-."

Taking a step closer, it held out its palm. "My name's Tubbo ! Nice to meet you."

Oh. Oh this poor little baby. It didn't even know that it just signed its own adoption papers. It's a good thing lords his age were expected to take in at least one changeling anyway. Because there was no chance of letting it go. His precious Tubbo .

He took the offered hand in his own, so small his fingers easily engulfed the tiny digits. He tried not to smile too much. "You may call me Ran. It is a pleasure to meet you, Tubbo ."

Its face held a slight anxiousness as he spoke its name, before relaxing. "Ran-'' It repeated carefully, nodding to itself. "I like that. It's not often I meet people out here in the woods, and to think others told me that it was dangerous." 

It rambled to itself, seemingly calmer after Ranboo introduced himself. Its small hands were dirty and uncared for, just like the rest of its appearance. 

Luckily it wouldn't be filthy for very long.

"Honestly, there's nothing in the woods that could be dangerous to you. I'm the most threatening thing you could possibly run into." He keeps his tone light and slightly playful. Just to keep the little thing at ease.

He stood as close as he could get away with, taking every little detail he could. Every scrape, every bruise, every poorly treated cut. He made sure to keep his expression a happy neutral, even as disgust curled in his gut at the sight of the dirty, hole ridden, ill-fitting clothes. He'd have to see about getting its proper measurements. Both for some better temporary clothes it could wear for now and the more permanent ones to keep at home. The best he could do for now is guess.

First thing would be a bath though. Something to make it presentable at the very least. Perhaps it didn't know how to properly clean itself. He hoped that was the case. The only other alternative he could think of was a lack of access to clean water. And that... he wouldn't even dare consider it an option.

All in all, he needed access to its current residence.  He refused to call it a home. Home was with him and Tommy. But he needed to see if there was anything worth bringing along when he eventually got it safely back home. Any plushies or other sentimental items it might cry without.

It laughed at Ranboo's statement kind-heartedly, "Glad I ran into you then, boss man. I'm sure you'll scare away all the monsters."

Looking back up at him, it tilted its head "Are you sure though, about helping me? My house is a total mess." It was taking in Ranboo's more lavish appearance carefully, eyes dilating as they landed on his golden earrings. 

Young creatures always did seem to have a fascination with shiny objects, even tiny little Tubbo .

"Trust me, there is nothing I could be doing that I would consider more important than helping you. It will honestly be a relief." The statement is objective and therefore not a lie. He wouldn't want to lie to it, even if he was capable of such a thing.

He watches its every little move, taking very careful consideration with its reaction to his gold. The earrings were definitely too small to let it play with. They'd be a choking hazard.

But he could certainly acquire some toys that shone and sparkled. Nothing made out of pure gold, of course. That would be far too heavy. And perhaps when it was much older, he would get its ears pierced too. It would be nice for his little one to match him.

Tubbo smiled more, firmly nodding. "Alright then Bossman, we can head off whenever you're ready. My place isn't too far away, at the outskirts of the woods actually."

Its smile dropped a bit, as it described where it lived. "It's not the nicest place but hey! It's home."

It gently unhooked its hand from Ranboo’s, walking back over to the tree to pick up its worn backpack.  Likenesses of bees messily sewn onto it, probably by the little one itself.

"Let's get going then. The sooner we get there, the sooner I can help." He chose to ignore the fact it called somewhere else home. It just didn't know any better yet.

It would learn better in due time. He simply had to have patience. Tommy would have given up and attempted to drag it home by force by now. But he had to wait. It would be a sweeter victory to carry it home, happily bundled up in his arms.

He followed after it. The messily sown bees were cute, if more than a little sloppy. But he would be sure it got something better once it came home.

They both wandered through the thick wood, eventually hitting an old dirt road. It walked through it carefully, but knowingly, like it had memorised the way, which it probably did considering how often Tommy and Ranboo spotted it around their circle.

Just when they reached an area where trees were at the sparsest, he spotted a shabby cottage. Walls made from rotting wood and messy muddy bricks, an old well sitting a few feet away from it. 

Bee hives scattered around, hanging from the trees that surrounded the house. This was the place it seemed to call his home.

"Sorry, I know it's a bit..." It scratched at its arms, "Worn down-. But it's cheaper than any other house since people usually try to steer clear of the forest."

And that most certainly got his attention, "You were made to pay for this cottage?"

The mere thought that anyone would make a baby pay to live somewhere so run down and undoubtedly dangerous... it filled him with no small amount of rage. Though he kept his face neutrally pleasant. He didn't want to scare it.

But at least he was being shown this mess. It meant he could sort out the most important things to do first. The residence may be temporary, but it still would need to be at least semi-child proofed before he felt comfortable leaving it there unsupervised.

"Yep! I sell the honey I make here from the bees, that and the flowers I grow." It sounded proud of its accomplishments, excited to share what it did for a living.

They reached the door, and it creaked as he pulled the door open.

"Ah-" It yanked its hand back, frowning. The rotting wood from the door was sharp enough that it gave the little thing a cut, no wonder each time it returned to their circle it had a new scratch or bruise.

"Damn it- Not again... I really need to replace this door."

This whole place needed to be torn down as soon as possible. It simply wasn't safe here.

"We should get that cleaned and bandaged. Can't have our favourite gardener getting an infection from their house." He spoke softly, reaching out slowly to get a better look at its now injured hand. "I can find a carpenter if you want as well. There are plenty who are capable of making a nice door."

It let him take his hand, but frowned at the suggestion. "But Ran, I won't be able to afford it."

Its blue eyes looked at him, nothing but an innocent level of trust in them. So trusting of a stranger, completely unaware of the difference between it and Ranboo. 

Truly, if the residents of the village even cared, they would've warned it better.

"I didn't suggest that you pay. I would. You won't have to worry about a thing, Tubbo . I'll take care of it."

He would take care of everything. That stupid villages loss is his gain. It would never have to suffer again. Not with him there.

It may not have realised how easily it trapped itself in a spider's web. But it was lucky it got caught by one that would not make it a meal.

"Alright... If you're certain about this, Ran." 

With that they carefully entered the house. It appeared to only have one room, with an uncomfortable looking bed tucked away in the corner. On top of it was a yellow, orange and black quilt with a crocheted bee resting on the pillow. 

The walls were lined with shelves, most being filled with flower pots, rocks, pinecones and other pieces of nature Tubbo probably found in the woods. A collector of sorts.

The most eye catching thing was a crystal-like rock that had a honey colour. It sat right in front of the window where the sun could hit it best, causing it to sparkle and shine.

He nodded slowly, looking around the cottage and taking each detail in. The crocheted bee would have to come with. Possibly the quilt as well. Baby blankets were important for comfort. It would need to be washed first before it would be brought home, of course.

The flowers would be trickier. The pots might be too heavy for it and could fall on it if kept on a shelf. But it may knock them over and get dirt on the floor if kept down there.

The other tidbits could be kept on a much higher shelf out of reach until it was much older. Assuming it still wanted them at that age.

The crystal... yes, that certainly had to come with. He would have to find somewhere safe and out of reach to put the thing. But when it was finally old enough to have a window... he could not deny it the dancing colour provided by the sun.

"I overpaid my main carpenter last time and he said he owes me one small project now. So I can just trade that deal in. His work is good. I can send him the dimensions of your doorway so you don't have to worry about him coming here, if you would like."

Tubbo nodded enthusiastically. "I'd prefer that, if it's not too much of a hassle for you." 

It carefully set down its bag, walking to the run-down kitchen. "Would you like some tea, Ran? I can put fresh honey inside it, that stuff always makes it taste the best." 

It tugged a small stool over, climbing onto it and reaching out towards a higher shelf where tea-leaves appear to be kept.

He moved closer immediately, ready to catch it should it slip. It was too high up. But he couldn't just grab it without it expecting it.

"I would love some tea. And it's not a hassle at all. He's worked in some very odd conditions. Something this small is easy for him. You would likely have a new door within 3 days at most." One that wouldn't hurt it every time it touched the damn thing.

It managed to grab onto the box, shakily getting off the stool and setting it down on the counter. Searching through a cabinet, it pulled out a jar filled with what Ranboo assumed was honey.

Tubbo grabbed the kettle from the stove, heading to the door. "I'm just going to fill this with water from the well, I shouldn't be too long."

"Do you need any help?" Wells could be dangerous. Easy to fall into. And water gets heavy quickly. It could be too much for it.

Of course, if it declined his offer of assistance, he could just snoop more. Look into moving things off of the top shelf so it wouldn't stand on that stool anymore. Far too dangerous for something so small.

"No no! I'm alright! I've been doing this for a long while!" It responded with a smile, blue eyes quite similar to the blue jewels Tommy often received as gifts from his older brother.

It carefully exited the house, leaving Ranboo alone momentarily.

It truly didn't have anyone looking out for it... he would never let that happen again. It would be safe and cared for. He would make sure it never had to do anything by itself ever again.

He gave himself a minute after it left to snoop. He wouldn't want to get caught going through its things so he had to act fast. He opened cabinets and drawers, never spending more than a few seconds skimming through the contents.

Anything that caught his eye was made into a mental note. Mismatched dishware. Looking as if bought from multiple different places. Most cheap and already cracked.

A few scattered knickknacks tucked away in odd places. Not nearly enough food. But plenty of honey, likely to be sold later. It was truly a mess no matter where he looked though. It needed to be fixed.

He heard the light footsteps of it returning before the creaking of the door was heard. 

It groaned slightly from the weight of the water, carefully placing it back onto the stove and turning it on to let the water boil. 

"It's nice having someone over, Ran. I don't get visitors at all, especially ever since I started going to the woods. At least people still buy my honey and plants, otherwise I'd really be in a tight spot." It made idle conversation as it watched the water boil, rubbing its eyes tiredly.

"Your company is delightful. It's a loss for others if they don't bother to visit." A victory for him since it means no one will go looking.

"But I am very curious as to the quality of your honey now. I don't buy it often but a close friend of mine has a strong sweet tooth. It would be nice to buy him some."

It would allow him to provide some temporary financial aid without setting off any alarms. And Tommy would get some honey from their little one.

Tubbo practically beamed. "It's the best honey you'll ever find! I take great care that my bees are properly looked after so their honey tastes amazing!" 

It opened another cabinet, taking out a larger jar, this one was much better decorated, made from a cleaner, more refined glass. 

"Usually when I sell my honey, I offer discounts to whoever brings back the jars, so I can reuse them. But since you've been so kind to me, I'll just offer one right off the bat." 

"I can pay full price. It really is not a hassle. And you've been kind to us first. Repaying days worth of kindness with some of my free time is the least I could do for you."

He was planning on paying far more than necessary anyway. A discount is meaningless in the face of a far too large tip. Though he would prefer to think of it more as an allowance. Let the little thing buy what it wants so that it has more things to decorate its room with when the time comes.

"I'll likely buy more than one jar anyway and you deserve to be paid fairly for your hard work."

Its eyes dilated, excitement evident in its small face. "Really? Oh that's great! How many jars would you like, Ran?"

It was bouncing up and down restlessly on the balls of its feet, gripping onto the jar in its hands.

"How many do you have?" Tommy would want all of them but he should probably leave the little thing with some business prospects for now. But he could buy a majority to bring home.

But the pure excitement on its face made his heart race. He wanted to see it like that more often. Happy and excited. He wanted to make it smile. Make it feel safe and content-

Patience, Ranboo. You'll get it home in due time. Don't rush, you'll scare it.

"At the moment-?" It double checked the cabinet- "I have about 17 in stock. I can only make so many at once, rushing makes bad honey and I don't want to hurt my bees." 

It placed the jar on the nearby table, its own hands so small that even when using both of them to hold the jar, they didn't manage to properly wrap around it.

It's so small. How could something be so small? Small and fragile. He longed to scoop it up already but he had to wait. Just long enough to gain its trust in his actions. Then he'll take it home.

"I'll take a nice even 10 for now. My friend will probably want more later but, as you said, rushing is bad for the bees. And he could honestly stand to learn a little patience. Especially for something so sweet."

He didn't really bother to pretend to be talking about the honey. His eyes were practically locked on his tiny Tubbo . He couldn't look away if he wanted to.

Tubbo nodded in confirmation.

"Well, if you're sure about not taking the discount, I usually sell these for about two silver each. I used to sell them for five, but the villagers kept complaining how it was too expensive for what they got, so I lowered the price."

The kettle whistling caught the small thing's attention, and it walked back over to the stove, turning it off and reaching to grab two cups from the cabinet, its back now facing Ranboo. 

Ranboo nods slowly, pulling a coin pouch. It was a good thing he brought it just in case. It meant less trips back and forth today.

"So, five gold pieces a jar should cover it then, right? Or is more preferable? I could do 10 a jar. Or more. The price really isn't an issue."

He started counting coins, though he kept a careful eye on it. One can never be too careful with children. Especially children messing with hot liquids.

It let out a shocked squeak, turning back around to face him. 

"T-Ten?!" It croaked nervously "that would be one hundred in total, I couldn't possibly accept that much." 

It scratched anxiously at its thin arms. "Ran, I- that's so much money." 

Clearly, no one had spoiled it before if it was shocked by the price he offered.

"Ten might be too little actually. You put a lot of hard work into raising and caring for your bees and harvesting just enough honey for you to get by with. I'm most certainly undercutting you. Fifteen a jar?"

It deserves hundreds more than that but he doesn't want to overwhelm the little thing too much. Honestly, 150 gold is next to nothing. And for it, his little one? He'd be willing to hand over thousands at a mere whim.

Such a low price should hardly be considered spoiling, after all. The fact that others had thrown a fit over a measly 5 silver ? Absolutely not. This could not stand. He'd keep raising the price if he had to if that's what it took.

It swallowed thickly, before anxiously responding with "If-... If that's how much you want to pay for each, then alright Ran. You're honestly way too generous, to just some nobody like me.

Tubbo hesitantly went back to preparing the tea, its now shaky hands pouring the hot water into two cups, adding the tea leaves and a small helping of honey.

Oh but it wasn't a nobody. Especially not to Ranboo. But it doesn't know that yet. It will though. He'll make sure it knows just how important it is.

"I'm hardly being generous. The amount of money I would need to spend for it to be considered generous is more than you could imagine. I'm hardly paying you enough but I don't want to overwhelm you."

He smiles, trying his best to appear gentle, "The villagers undervalue your work and undervalue you . They wouldn't pull this stunt with a butcher or farmer. You're young so they see you as easy to push around. 5 silver is still unreasonably low. Even for those less well off. 2 silver is criminal. You deserve far more, Tubbo ."

It laughed, but its tone was openly upset. It didn't understand yet, but it seemed eager to brush off the subject as it walked back over with two mugs in hand. It carefully held out one of them to Ranboo, smiling weakly. "What can ya do, bossman, that's just how it goes around here. I'm just happy people are willing to spend their money on me."

Looking closely, it seemed like the small child had very shaky hands, but was doing its hardest to keep them still as it held out the drink for him to take.

He took the drink easily, giving it a small smile. The poor thing. So small, so unprotected. It had no idea what it had invited. He would take care of it though.

"Well, the least I can do is pay you fairly, then. It should help to tide you over at the very least. And my friend will be very happy to have honey from someone who genuinely cares for their bees. He loves all animals. Snuck a cow into his room once."

He takes a drink from the tea, enjoying the taste of it. Though he definitely sought out the faintest flavour of honey more. A gift from his little one.

It giggled softly "He snuck a cow into his room? Reminds me of the time I found a goat in my house. I kept it for about a week before the farmer found out and I had to return it." 

Sitting back down and blowing on the top of the mug, it kicked its legs back and forth. The chairs were small, clearly made for someone around its height.

A soft yawn escaped its mouth, and it rubbed its eyes once more.

"He hid it for less than a day before his dad found out. He was allowed to keep it, of course. His dad has a huge soft spot for his kids. It did have to move out of his room though."

The fact it still wasn't big enough for its tiny chair was adorable. But that took a backseat to it yawning. It was probably nap time. The poor baby needed rest.

"Are you tired? I'm sorry if I've been keeping you needlessly awake."

It shook its head "No no, I'm alright! I've been having fun talking to you. I just didn't sleep all that well last night, boss man." 

It barely held back a second yawn, closing its eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. "I know this might sound weird because we've only just met, but I've been having a blast having you over. Will you come back tomorrow or will you be busy with something else-?"

"You can always take a short nap. It's important to rest when you need it. I know the way back so you don't have to worry about me either."

It was so tired. Even as it denies it. Phil always said little ones are like that. Denying their needs because they're having fun. It was sweet that it wanted to stay up while talking to him. But Ranboo had to be careful not to encourage that behaviour.

"I can come back tomorrow." Screw whatever duties he had. "Trust me, I'm not too busy to not come visit you. Would you want to meet here or near the rings?"

"I can go to the rings, I know the way pretty well-" It responded confidently, finishing off its tea pretty quickly in a few quick sips. 

"I'll finish watering my plants and I can go there to meet with you tomorrow. Sorry we had to cut our conversation short, I can always stay up a little longer-" It got up to put it's mug into the sink, stretching out his arms tiredly. 

"No no, believe me, I understand. I would honestly prefer if you rested. It's healthier that way," He finishes his own tea quickly before standing up. He follows it over to the sink, placing the mug carefully in it.

"And you really have no reason to apologise. I'm more than willing to wait to continue our conversation. All I need to do is get a measurement for your door before I leave. And the sooner I get home, the sooner I can get that commissioned."

The door would probably make everything else seem even more shabby by comparison. Foolish tended to go all out with his creations, no matter how small. But it would hardly matter in the long run. They could always take the door off and add it to its room if it liked it enough.

"Alright, if you say so, big man." Another yawn. 

"I'm gonna go lay down while you do that- I feel like I might fall over if I stay stood up any longer"

It wandered back over to where it's messy bed stood, climbing onto it.

He watched as it crawled into bed, holding himself back from going over and tucking it in. He'd lose any self restraint he had left if he did that. Actually being able to treat the tiny thing like a child? He'd be done for.

Instead, he allowed himself to smile, "It's alright, I'll be sure to shut the door behind me when I'm done. Sleep, Tubbo. I will see you tomorrow."

With the simple command spoken, it took only a moment for it to fall asleep, taking in deep, shaky breaths.

It clutched the plush close, curling up against the quilt. 

That only left Ranboo alone, standing in the middle of the small cabin, with an unconscious little child laying only a few steps away from him.

He had to take several breaths. It would be so easy to steal the child away now. He had its name. It didn't even hesitate. And he now had confirmation it worked too. But... no. He had to hold off.

Still, he couldn't stop himself from walking over and gently moving its hair from its face. It was so tiny. He could fit its face in his palm. How could something so tiny be left alone? An infant denied a cradle...

"Don't worry, my little honeybee. You'll be home by week’s end. Safely tucked away between Tommy and I. We'll take care of you until the end of time. I swear it to you."

He gave himself a long moment to just watch it sleep before he set to work. He had to tidy up at least a little bit. Then he had to measure the door and gather the jars of honey. He would get its own measurements eventually. Before they took it home. They had to have everything prepped and ready for it.

He returned to his ring, plan in mind. The cottage was left in a slightly better condition than it had been earlier that day, with the only trace Ranboo had ever been there being the neat stacks of gold left on the table.

Chapter Text

Tommy seemed restless when he arrived back at the ring, completely bored out of his mind. Only perking up once he spotted the jars of honey, raising an eyebrow.

"Where is it?" Came the simple question, clearly referring to the child Ranboo left behind at the cabin to rest.

"Give it time. I'm making a list of things we need to get for its room first. Everything is much worse than we thought. It's completely by itself, working but barely paid. It's ridiculous. But , it has agreed to meet me here tomorrow."

He hands the jars of honey over to Tommy, grinning to himself, "It's so... unaware of its surroundings, Tommy. It gave me its name . No prompting necessary."

"I- what ?" Tommy laughed in disbelief. "It just- gave it to you?" 

Searching the taller's eyes, the other realised his friend was not joking. "Fuck, That's- Did no one tell it? None of the other residents?" 

Thinking more over what Ranboo said, Tommy shook his head. "Who would leave a baby on its own? To work no less. My family refused to let me leave home til' I was at least 2,000, and even then Techno told me Will wanted me to stay for longer."

"It has no one. It's off by itself in some run-down, rotting cottage. It had to buy that thing itself! No one is looking after it. The most it was told was to stay out of the rings themselves. I don't even think it was told why. Cause it has no idea what exactly I am and it's not like I'm hiding it."

He sighs, levelling Tommy with a serious look, "it's by itself. And it's far too trusting. I don't want to scare it so I have to go slow. It's- it's so small . Smaller than it looked over by itself. Its hands don't even fit around those honey jars."

"It... it sells honey. Apparently , it used to be 5 silver a jar. But the villagers complained so much it had to drop the price to 2. silver. I managed to convince it to accept 15 gold a jar. Not nearly enough but even that tiny amount made it nervous. No one has been spoiling it."

Tommy was usually the type to keep things light-hearted, but there was no denying the anger bubbling in his icy-blue eyes. "They made it lower the price? For gods’ sake, If I didn't have half the self control I do, I'd level that village. You know I would." His expression changed a bit, Ranboo knowing what he was going to ask before the words were even spoken. "How long do we need to wait? I mean, you already have its name."

"It will be home by the end of the week. We need clothes that will fit it. Nothing it has will do. I plan on getting its measurements tomorrow. And we need bee decorations in its room. It loves bees and it will make it feel better. Maybe a goat when it's older."

"And," He pauses, a grin crossing his face, "We need to get it to give you its name too. Should be easy enough. It's going to be both of ours, after all. It would be more meaningful for it to give you its name itself, rather than me giving it to you."

Tommy smirked, nodding. "Would you want me to come with you tomorrow, then?" 

He wanted to go, he really wanted to. It was a bit unfair that Ranboo spent all day with it, even if he knew why it had to be that way. But if both of them were there, Ranboo could stop him in case he did something.... unwise .

"Yes. You do need to try some of the honey first, of course. It's so proud of its bees. It practically lit up when I mentioned buying a few jars. It would mean a lot to it if you had nice things to say about it."

The sooner it could get used to Tommy, the better. It was going to belong to both of them. So it needed to have a good relationship with both of its caretakers.

It wouldn't be seeing anyone else for at least another 200 years, after all. And even then, it's still iffy visitation for the rest of their family. No one beyond that. It would be longer but Ranboo was doing his best to be realistic with Phil being very pushy when it comes to grandbabies.

"Oh I'd love to try some of the honey. We should head home, anyways." 

Tommy hesitated for a moment. If it was any other random person, they wouldn't have been able to read his facial expressions. But Ranboo and Tommy knew each other very well, and could read each other better than most. The only one who managed to rival Ranboo in doing so was probably Wilbur himself. 

"Should we tell-... Should we tell the others? About it?"

It... it was a good question. And his own hesitance would be easy to read.

"We... we should probably wait. Until the baby has settled down a bit. And we've made it very clear they can't have it. Your dad would probably take it for himself, with how cute and tiny it is. Techno would probably try to take it if he saw it. That's how good it is."

Was he being selfish? Absolutely. But he didn't want to share their baby with anyone other than Tommy. He would have to share if they knew. Especially this early on.

"That's a good point. We've gotta wait til it's our changeling." He didn't like waiting, but if this was going to go smoothly, he had to be patient. "Let's go home then, they're all going to wonder where we've been all day, so might as well come up with an excuse if we want to keep it a secret for the time being."

A smile rose to his lips. "That and we have a room to arrange."

"We could always claim to be committing arson again. Phil would scold us but it would be believable enough. We'll need a different one for tomorrow though..." He couldn't even hide the grin that stretched across his face if he wanted to, "a perfect room. Completely baby proofed. It seems to like to climb with how many things it keeps on high shelves."

"It's so small yet places things on high shelves? Looks like we might need a carpeted floor then just in case we choose to put bookshelves in the room." Tommy pondered. 

"What else-..." Suddenly, Tommy laughed, as if he just came up with a great idea. Which he did. 

"You remember that bird mobile Phil had hung above my bed when we were younger? You did say he liked bees.-" He didn't fully explain his idea, smiling widely.

He knew Ranboo was going to catch on to what he was implying.

Oh. Oh . "Oh, that would be perfect . It would be so adorable laying underneath a bee mobile. So small and peaceful." It would be perfect. They would make everything perfect for their little one. Their perfect little changeling.

"It also seemed to like my earrings so we need to get adequately shiny toys. Maybe a few bee plushies with golden embroidery? Nothing too heavy though."

"Course... Can't have it hurting itself on its own toys. I didn't manage to see it up close and even I could spot all those cuts. Can't believe it went this long without someone else trying to snatch it up-" A satisfied smile on his face, a glance to his friend. "But I'm not complaining. It practically served itself on a silver platter for us alone." 

It didn't take long to reach home, Phil stopping them before they got too deep inside the large building they called home. His wings spread wide to stop them from walking past him.

"Hey you two, what's gotten you both so excited? You're smiling from ear to ear."

"Oh, you know... going about the world..." Ranboo starts awkwardly.

"Learning ‘bout some real pricks. I greatly considered arson-" Tommy continues. It's not technically a lie.

"I bought some really good honey? Want some?"

Phil tilted his head, smiling good-naturedly. 

"As long as you didn't actually set anything on fire, that's perfectly fine. I was looking for you two because me and your brothers have some important business so we'll be gone for at least two weeks." 

Tommy smiled widely. "Oh? Really?"

"Yes. I am asking you two, don't burn the place down while we're gone."

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him." Ranboo reassured. He was 80% of Tommy's impulse control anyway. And Tommy would be far too busy to go commit arson anyway. New parents are always too busy for arson.

"Oh yeah? Maybe I'll be keeping an eye on you, Ranboob. Right wrongun you are, you'll probably get into trouble first." History says otherwise but Ranboo doesn't bother to argue. He's too focused on how much easier their plans just became.

They waved Phil goodbye after he finished hugging them both tightly. 

"We have to choose a room close to ours." Tommy commented quietly, glancing around carefully for signs of his two older brothers. If they were leaving today he assumed the two would be packing but one could never be too sure.

"One close to ours but one they also aren't likely to check in. One with a lock on the outside, not the inside." He whispers back, just as careful with checking their surroundings. They couldn't have their changeling getting out after all. It would probably toddle right into Techno or Wilbur. Or worse, Phil.

They still had to be careful. Two weeks alone to sneak it in could only help so much if others catch on. "We may need to make sure it's soundproofed too. Just so if it cries, they won't come running. But we still need to be able to monitor it when we aren't in there..."

"When they leave, I can nab some books Phil has, I'm sure he had a way of monitoring us before. He always seemed to know when we needed help after all, some kind of spell most likely." 

They weren't sure if it was going to be a fussy child or not, so sound proof seemed like the way to go. "Do you think it would like a nest bed? I'm a big fan of them personally but Wilbur always preferred the square ones." 

"It has a square one right now... but that could just be because it was there or because it was cheap... it has to buy its own things. It might not be able to afford a nest bed. We could try the nest bed and see if it likes it?" It's comfort comes first. They would make sure their Tubbo was comfortable and happy. Cared for in every sense of the word.

Tommy nodded enthusiastically, what can he say? He loves nest beds, they were the perfect shape to be both comfortable and easy for multiple people to lay in. 

"I say we try the nest bed, I think it will like it.'' They reached the hallway where Ranboo's and Tommy's room stood. They had multiple empty rooms surrounding them, mostly used for storage and alike. When they were younger, Wilbur would hide in the empty rooms and jump out to scare them, only later to be scolded by Phil. 

"Hm.... There's rooms across from ours, but also one that's right in-between."

"I need to talk to Foolish anyway... we could go in-between and get him to install some internal doors so we can enter through our rooms rather than the hallway. Keep it as close as we can." It would be so close. Always at least one door away from either of them. Easy to watch after. Easy to keep an eye on. So so close.

"Sounds perfect. Just keep it on the down low when you talk to Foolish. I don't trust him to not tell anyone."

Foolish knew so many people, who could tell others which could eventually trickle down to Wilbur finding out, or Techno... or Phil. 

"I'll start gathering blankets and pillows, I even have a few old plushies I can give to our little one." Tommy had two large plushies, a cow and a goat.

He could part with one of them, place it in their child's bedroom. "The goat one. It said a farmer's goat wandered to its property once and it got to keep it for a week. It seemed to like that. Just the memory made it happy."

"But yeah. I'll be careful with Foolish. He may be talkative but he's easy to bribe. He'll keep it quiet. Or else."

He would have to look at his own old things. See if he had anything good enough for their little one. Some baby blankets at the very least. He had been bigger than it when he had been taken in as a changeling. They would certainly be big enough to wrap their baby in. They were in very good condition. Maybe one of his stuffed cats too. He'll figure it out.

With their tasks sorted, the two parted ways to get their own separate things done. Tommy grabbed stuffed animals, blankets, pillows, old toys and books. Anything he thought that it might like got added to the pile, as long as it didn't look too dangerous. He would never want to put the thing in danger. It also seemed clear that the rest of the residents of their house would be gone by the time Ranboo returned from Foolish.

It's easy enough to commission Foolish. Getting him to understand he had to keep his mouth shut was a little less so. But Ranboo was certain he paid enough. And threatened enough. The man had two little ones of his own. He at least understood the importance of keeping the newest changelings under wraps for at least the first 50 years.

There would have to be a lot of room renovations. The room would have to be soft, not a hard edge in sight, minimal dangers. They would manage it though. And quickly. For their Tubbo .

When Ranboo walked into Foolish's establishment, the man greeted him with a smile. "Hey, Ran! How've you been?" he got out from behind his counter, almost tripping on a piece of wood he left on the floor. "It's been a while since we've last spoke, to what do I owe the honour?" 

"I'm alright, been keeping busy. I do need something from you though. Not too much. Just a few doors. One loose one. And two installed at our house. And I need them before the end of the week. That doable?" It would be. Foolish was considered the best for a reason. He could do anything asked of him both beautifully and in a timely manner. You just had to pay enough. 

"Oh? A project you're working on? Seems exciting. Of course I can get that done for you, quicker than quick." 

He seemed as jovial as always, probably one of the most happy-go-lucky people Ranboo knew. 

"Do you have any specific style or material you need these doors to be made out of?"

"Project is not quite the term I would use but... It's definitely an undertaking. I do need you to be more... discreet about it. I'll pay extra, of course." Ranboo said thoughtfully "And I don't have many specifications this time. Just the dimensions for the one by itself. The two that need to be installed just need to be lockable. And made from a material that won't splinter easily. You know more about it than I would."

He pauses for a moment, "And would it be possible to get bee designs carved into it? On the side without the locking mechanism." 

Foolish scribbled down the order into his notepad, nodding intently. "Mhm, mhm. Can do. You know how I usually do orders, you can pay me after it's finished." He paused before looking up. "I will need a day to make the installable doors before I arrive to set them up."

"Yeah, yeah, that's okay. We just really need them done before the end of the week. They can't be installed after that."

Regardless of Foolish's work, they will be taking it home when he originally planned. If Foolish wasn't able to get the doors finished and installed by then, oh well. Because there's no way he'd be letting Foolish anywhere near his changeling.

"Don't worry about a thing, Ran. You know I work fast, I can get everything ready by tomorrow and show up to install it for you." Foolish didn't ask questions about why he needed the door, although they may need to hide the toys they laid out for their changeling before he arrives just in case.

One can never be too careful, especially considering how Foolish is in close contact with people who know their own family very well.

"Sounds great. And again, I really need you to be discreet about this. I'm dead serious. Phil, Techno, and Wilbur can't know about this. If they find out because you were talking to people, we're gonna have problems, okay?" Definitely an understatement. But Ranboo had to make him understand without being too forceful. Too much force is counterproductive. And he needed everything to go smoothly. Needed to make sure everything was perfect before he took their Tubbo home.

He looked up, a tad confused before he took in Ranboo's expression. A nervous smile climbed onto his face, and he nodded. "Oh of course. Don't worry about a thing, Ran. I'll stay dead silent about this." 

Foolish scribbled down a few extra notes on his notepad, such as when the doors needed to be finished. "Could you give me the door measurements? Then you can head on home and I can get to work on them."

"Thanks, Foolish. I really appreciate it." He relaxed a bit, pulling out a note and passing it over. Door measurements. Something a lot smaller than most doors Foolish made, in all honesty.

Its cabin had been tiny. And the door had matched. Ranboo nearly had to duck to walk through it. And every door at home was large. Large enough that Ranboo could sit up straight on Techno and not smack his head on the frame. This door? Tiny. The door was tiny, yet it still stood taller than Tubbo . The walls of its cabin were small, yet it still couldn't reach the highest shelves.

Foolish looked over the measurements, more confusion filling his eyes as he did so, but nodded regardless. "I'll bring everything tomorrow then, Ran. Thank you for commissioning me."

"Thanks, Foolish. You're the best. You'll get paid extra for this one." Ranboo would pay whatever price for his little one. No questions asked.

That being sorted, Ranboo waved as he left. He needed to tell Tommy the good news. And they needed to make sure anything they needed to hide was hidden. Both in the baby's room and their own, since Foolish would be in their rooms. It was a really good thing Phil was gone. The man was still very defensive about anyone he considered 'his kids'. He would certainly be less than thrilled to learn someone outside the family had been in the personal chambers of his youngest.

But perhaps that would be extra incentive to stay quiet.

Tommy was rifling through old boxes when Ranboo entered his room. He had managed to find a bunch of his old toys and alike that Phil never ended up throwing away. When Ranboo walked up to him, a smirk replaced the pleasant smile that Tommy wore, and the blond pushed a book towards him.

"Found the book I was talking about earlier. Has monitoring spells as well as different light spells that Phil used to cast to entertain us when we were little. Not to even mention the many more magic spells and tips that help with changelings."

A dark grin crossed Ranboo's face as he picked up the book and began to flip through it, "We'll have to memorise everything in here. Can't risk carrying it around on us. But... this is perfect ." They had a way to keep an eye on their precious little Tubbo . No matter where they were. And they had a way to keep it entertained and happy. And even more little things that made it just perfect .

"We do also have to worry about getting food to it without raising suspicion. Do we want to try solid food or should we stick to baby food for a while? It's so small I'm worried it might choke."

Tommy thought carefully about that. "I think we should stick to baby food- just in case. We can even make it honey flavoured since it seems to like it. As for getting the food over, that's something we need to figure out but we've got two weeks to not worry about it while they're gone." he stood up, his red wings stretching out to help alleviate some of the stiffness from sitting down for so long.

"True. Foolish said he'd be here tomorrow with everything. So we can start getting the room properly set up soon. It's gonna be perfect , Tommy. Perfect for our changeling." He was practically giddy. It was going to be hard not dragging their little one home early. Especially once the doors are installed. But he could be patient. It would only make it sweeter when it finally was home, curled up between them in its little nest. Their little baby.

Tommy easily matched Ranboo’s excitement. Before, he never really understood why his brother's and father were so protective over him. Understanding even less whenever Phil would laugh and say "You'll one day understand."

Now he finally understood. 

And he was not going to fuck this up for him or for Ranboo. This was going to be perfect.

They would get their little one home soon. They would pamper and spoil it and tend to its every need. It would want for nothing. Tended to with every ounce of love and care it so desperately deserved yet had been denied. They would never let it be alone again.

And it had no idea what was coming for it.

The next day came quickly, Tommy waiting impatiently at the door, checking every few minutes to see if Foolish had arrived yet. He knew how restless he seemed, but the quicker they received the door, the faster they could go see their baby.

The good news is Foolish doesn't really take that long. It just feels like forever because they've been waiting since they woke up early that morning. Ranboo at least tried to keep busy to occupy himself. A fruitless effort, really. His thoughts were only on their little one, all alone in an old cottage out to hurt him.

Neither were in particularly patient moods by the time Foolish finally did arrive. Even with the man being earlier than one would have estimated.

"Good morning, Tom, Ran!" He greeted after being let in.  "Now where do these doors have to go?" He was holding all three effortlessly, laughing light-heartedly at his own attempt to make light conversation.

Tommy put on a smile, but Ranboo could tell how restless he actually was behind it.

"The small one can just be set down here. We're taking it... somewhere else. But the other two need to be installed in our rooms. Follow me." Ranboo tried to sound friendly but, well... he really wanted to get to his child already. So he definitely was rushing a bit.

Undoubtedly, the behaviour would be immediately clocked as atypical to the other man. Ranboo had commissioned plenty from him before. With all sorts of odd time constraints. But he never was in such a rush his words could be considered rude. Not like now. But Foolish seemed pretty calm about it, it probably helped that Tommy was making his usual light conversations, joking around and laughing with him.

They quickly arrived at their quarters. Last night, Tommy gently placed all of their baby's items that they gathered in his closet so Foolish wouldn't spot them, so it was safe to lead him inside. 

"So it's pretty simple. One door in each of our rooms, connecting it to the room in the middle. We need to be able to lock it in our rooms. That's doable, right?" He hoped it would be fast. He would, of course, give Foolish all the time he would need. But he would definitely prefer the installation to be fast. If only to avoid pacing like a nervous mess in front of Foolish. It should be fine.

"Sounds good! It should only take about ten minutes, you know I work fast."

Tommy nodded quickly, giving Ranboo a glance. "Thanks again, Foolish. You're really doing us a solid."

He nods quickly in agreement, "Yeah. We really appreciate it. There's a reason you're our go-to for everything. Whatever you want as payment is yours. Within reason, of course."

They paced around as he did the instalment, time going by agonisingly slow. After all, Ranboo promised it he'd be back. It's probably waiting by their circle by now.

Once Foolish was done, he gently handed them a slip of paper that read out the price. "Pay me whenever you two can, you seem extremely restless so you can just drop off the cash at my store by tomorrow."

"You'll have it all by tomorrow morning. Thank you, Foolish. We really do appreciate it a lot." Ranboo pocketed the invoice, grinning widely. "We'll hopefully be less busy the next time we need to commission something."

The important part is that they were ready to properly begin preparations once they were done visiting it. Getting it just as attached to Tommy as it already was Ranboo. Their perfect little one. It would be home soon.

The second Foolish left, so did they. They left it waiting for them long enough.

Chapter Text

When they appeared in the human realm, it was sitting by the same tree as before. Every now and again it would look around, nervousness and impatience painting its expression.

As if it thought Ranboo wasn't going to come back.

Oh, and that simply would not do. There is nothing that could stop Ranboo from coming back to it. So he called out as soon as he was in sight.

"Sorry we're late! The door took a bit longer than we expected. I hope you weren't waiting for too long?"

It perked its head up, eyes dilating as it landed on Ranboo. 

"Oh, Ran! I was worried you weren’t going to show up. No, I wasn't waiting too long." It paused for a moment before looking confused. "Wait-.... we?"

Baby blue eyes connected with Icy blue ones as it spotted Tommy. 

"Ayup." Tommy greeted casually. "Nice to meet ya. Name's Tom, I'm Ran's friend."

"Specifically the one I told you about yesterday. With the sweet tooth and inability to sneak a cow past his dad for more than a few hours."

His tone was light. Playful. Distracting from the fact he couldn't take his eyes off it. It looked so small, sitting off by itself. But it's reaction just to him coming back? He had to hold himself back. Otherwise he would take it away and he was supposed to be keeping an eye on Tommy's behaviour today.

"I told him about you when I gave him the honey and he wanted to meet you. I figured he could keep you company while I figure out how to install a door. I hope you don't mind."

Tubbo got up onto his feet, nodding. "It's nice to meet you, Tom! I'm Tubbo ! I met Ran yesterday while tending to the flowers of the ring." Tommy barely held back a dark smirk, replacing it with a much more light-hearted one. 

"Ey? Sounds like a blast, Ran's a great guy despite being a bit of a bitch." 

It burst into soft giggles, a cheerful smile bright on its face.

Ranboo gasped in mock offence, "Jeez, Tom. Just because I can't insult and annoy my way into someone's heart like you can-" He shakes his head, sighing. But he can't hide the grin on his face.

Goal number one for the day was already achieved within a minute. It really needed to be taught better than to go around giving its name to every stranger it meets. But, for now, it's naivete works to their advantage.

Tommy playfully punched Ranboo's side lightly, snickering to himself. "Oh, but Ran, it's my most lovable trait. Everyone says so." It was smiling as it watched the two bicker, albeit a tad bit shyer now that the two seemed distracted with each other.

Today, instead of the striped sweater it wore the previous day, it had a Cinnamon-brown one, with chocolate-brown overalls. It still wore the muddy, ripped shoes from the previous day though.

Its new shyness did not go unnoticed, and Ranboo playfully elbows Tommy.

"I was just trying to give a proper warning before you decide to get all overwhelming. But I really do think you'll like Tom, Tubbo . I had to stop him from just eating straight honey for dinner last night. Like a maniac."

"And no, Tom. Don't even start with how your eating habits get you 'all the women'. Just go talk animals like you wanted to."

Tommy scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I do get all the women, mind you." 

He walked forward, carefully holding out his hand toward it. "I'm sure we'll get along! Do you like goats, Tubbo ?"

It curiously tilted its head before nodding. "I do! It's one of my favourite animals next to bees." 

Reaching into the bag he had with him, Tommy pulled out a crocheted goat plush, gently handing it to the small boy. The way its face lit up made Tommy want to melt and pull it into a hug, and never let go.

'Stay strong, Tommy. Just a few more days.'   Ranboo thought, unable to help from smiling at the interaction. It really did effortlessly sweep them off their feet with the smallest things.

The way it already clung to a plush it just received... precious. Absolutely precious. He could already imagine how happy it will be when it finally settles in at home. Just a little more time. Then they'd be ready to bundle it up and carry it to its room.

"Should we go back to your cottage? Maybe you could show us your bees?"

It turned its head to meet Ranboo's eyes, "Oh-! Yes, yes.-" Running over to grab its bag, it gently placed the plush into it before turning back towards them.  "We'll have to take a bit of a different route this time, there's a bunch of villagers crowding around that I spotted on my way here, some kind of sale I think. I don't want them to see you, they're not too fond of outsiders."

The thought of those villagers anywhere near it soured the mood a bit. They couldn't bother to take care of a baby. Honestly, it was a good thing that it wanted to go a different route away from them. Because he doubted that he and Tommy would be able to stop themselves from hurting those pesky little maggots for neglecting the little one so thoroughly.

"Sounds good to us. Just lead the way, we'll be close behind." We'll always be close by.

With a nod, it started to lead them onward. Just like it said, they took a different route than last time, off the beaten pathway and over a small, shallow creek. Eventually the trees thinned out, and its cottage came into sight, Ranboo catching the way Tommy's face soured as he took in the house's appearance.

The most he could do was try to remind Tommy that it was all temporary. The house would likely be destroyed as soon as all of its things worth keeping were removed. Alongside the nearby village that allowed it to live like this. Not even Phil would argue with that course of action when they eventually tell him about it.

"Did you sleep well, by the way? I forgot to ask that earlier. You seemed pretty tired yesterday."

"Oh-! I slept very well actually, it's strange to be honest. It's the first time I've actually slept somewhat decently in a long while." It laughed as they reached its door, Tubbo turning around to look up at the two behind it. "How about you two-? How was your night?"  

"We're gonna have some family moving in soon so we've been putting a room together for them. But aside from that, we didn't do anything out of the ordinary last night. Tom actually went to bed at a reasonable time."

"Ex cuse you, boob boy, I always go to bed at a reasonable time-"

"Sunrise is not a reasonable time, Tom-"

"It totally fuckin is-"

"Your sleeping pattern is horrendous and I can't believe dad let's you get away with it-"

"Cause I'm the favourite, bitch!"

"You're brothers?" It asked curiously, tilting its head.

"Nah, we just grew up in the same house. But he's like a brother to me." Tommy answered casually. 

"Oh, alright!" Turning back around, it went to grasp onto the doorknob despite the cut it received last time.

"His dad just likes all of Tom's friends to call him dad too. If Tom's older brothers weren't as responsible, his dad probably would adopt any kid he saw without hesitation. Real dad complex, that guy."

He moved closer the second Tubbo reached for the doorknob, "wait, let me, I don't want you to hurt yourself again. It's got a vendetta for you."

Laughing, it nodded and moved out of the way so he could open it. "Thank you, Ran. I really do appreciate how kind you've been to me."

This time around, when they walked inside, it was a lot colder. It was to be expected considering that it was early in the day, and it appeared to have no fireplace nor any other way of heating or insulating its home. 

But it would probably be even colder during the nights, meaning the little one had to huddle in its small bed, with thin blankets while its house was freezing.

Tommy gave Ranboo a glance-

and Ranboo returned it. They may have to move faster than he originally thought. The chill hadn't been noticeable yesterday. He didn't even think about it. No wonder it couldn't sleep.

"A little chilly in here... were you too hot last night and opened a window?" Maybe... maybe there was the slightest chance it preferred things to be cold...? It was a stupid thought but he needed to know.

"Oh-! No, no. It gets cold here very often, but it's not that bad."  It set its bag onto the chair, just like yesterday and took out the plush, gently placing it on its bed next to the bee. "It's not as bad as when it rains. I have a hole in my roof so the water leaks in. I tried fixing it once, but I fell off, broke my leg." It laughed it off, as if it was just a silly story to tell. "Was an overall bad day for me." 

No. There- it- it was laughing? At being so uncared for that it hurt itself in an effort to fix something? Something it shouldn't have had to fix in the first place? He hid his hands behind his back so it wouldn't have to see how they curled into fists in anger.

"You broke your leg? Are you okay? Does it still hurt?" They could find a doctor- bribe them into secrecy- anything to make sure it was healthy and uninjured.

"Ah, don't worry about it Ran! That was months ago, it's all healed up by now." It responded casually. As if it getting hurt was normal . "I just put a bucket under where the hole is whenever it rains now, I didn't want to try going back up there." It turned around to look at the two, Tommy putting in the biggest amount of effort to keep a neutral look on his face.

"I can look into patching the hole today while I'm here? I'll be putting on the new door and a little extra work won't be that difficult." Just act normal. Act. Normal. Don't let it know you're on the verge of saying fuck it and carrying it away.

"Oh-? Really? Are you sure, Ran? I don't want to take advantage of your kindness, boss man." 

Tommy walked over, gently placing a hand on its shoulder. "Don't worry about it, man. Ran's all about helping people, I can keep you company while he does that." The contact with it calmed Tommy down a bit. It was here . With them. Soon it will come home with them too, to a comfortable, soft bed. In a safe, secure room. In a clean, warm house with no holes. 

"Trust me, I wouldn't offer if I wasn't okay with it. You should show Tom your bees. And talk his ears off about them. Cause he will go on for hours about spiders if you let him and he needs to be on the receiving end of an insect lecture."

"Spiders aren't-"

"I know they aren't insects, Tom. You've lectured me for 8 hours straight just on tarantulas. I'm aware. You two just go have some fun."

So while Ranboo was out, setting up the door, it showed Tommy its bee farm. Showing how he named every queen bee in each hive and how each hive was given a town name. 

They sat in the field, and exchanged information with each other. Tubbo happily stating bee facts while Tommy ranted about how a spider beetle wasn't an actual spider, since it has six legs instead of eight for a good few hours.  It happily listened to Tommy talk, giving its own input every now and again.

It was adorable. It just looked so happy just to have someone nice to talk to. Someone who actually cared about what it had to say. Someone who let it ramble nonstop and wasn't annoyed by the end of it. It was overjoyed that Tommy actually listened to what it had to say and seemed genuinely curious about its interests.

The poor thing had been denied so much that even the smallest amount of love was met with surprise. They would have to spoil it again and again until it learned just how much it truly deserved. Which was far more than what it was getting, a nd Tommy was absolutely delighted to discover that it already didn't mind his touch. He could poke and nudge and wrap an arm around it and it would only smile and respond in kind. Clingy. It was so clingy already. And it had hardly known Tommy all that long.

Tommy could fully wrap his arms around its entire body, probably twice over if he tried. All the light touches, it getting used to them being nearby, it was going to make the move a lot easier.

"Do you want to go to the creek when Ran is finished?" Tubbo asked in its usual soft, curious sounding tone.

"A big man like myself would never pass up the opportunity to do a bit of splashing." Just because Ran was a bit of a coward when it came to water doesn't mean he had to be. And besides. Who was he to turn down a subtle request proposed by his changeling?

"Ran should be done soon. Even a tiny rich boy like him can manage to put a door on." Ignoring the fact that Ran is taller than him. He will never admit to being the shorter of the pair. But that was alright. Standing next to Tubbo he definitely felt tall, but that was to be expected from it, being so small.

When Ranboo walked back over to them, door finally installed and roof patched up enough to last them until they took their changeling home, Tubbo walked over to him, having to crane its neck to be able to look him in the eyes.

"I asked Tom if he wants to go to the creek, he said yes but I thought I'd ask you too." 

Going anywhere near water sounded terrible but... it wanted to go to the creek. It wouldn't be asking if it didn't. And Ranboo could never deny Tubbo . "Sure. Sounds like a nice area to rest." All he would be doing is keep an eye on it and Tommy anyway. Make sure Tommy behaved himself and didn't overwhelm it with affection.

Even though all either of them wanted to do was give it all the affection they could.

They walked back to where the creek was, Tubbo sitting by the bank and pulling off its shoes and socks before dipping its feet into the cool water. Tommy joined it a few moments later, returning to talking about random subjects as they splashed in the water, it pointing out a few frogs that were hopping across from them.

Ranboo sat by the bank, staying away from the water but occasionally chiming in to the conversation.

It was nice. Peaceful even. This is something they could do again. When it was older and could have short trips outside of the house with them. That wouldn't be for another several hundred years at the very least. But it looked too happy and calm to deny it forever.

Maybe they could build it a conservatory or a greenhouse if it loved plants and nature so much. That way it will be safe, but not denied of something it enjoys. That would have to happen after the rest of the family found out about their child though. Maybe an apiary too. They probably wouldn't be able to take any of its preexisting hives with them but they could set it up with new hives to care for when it was older and the rest of the family knew.

For now, those would have to stay as plans for the future. They would have to wait. As it was now, it was too small for them to even consider letting it out of its room yet. Not until it was officially there's and Phil couldn't interfere.

Tubbo was yawning by the time the sun began to set, but covered its mouth in an attempt to hide it from them. It probably didn't want to go to sleep, which was normal for young kids to not want that, however-

"You tired?" Tommy asked softly, icy blue eyes searching tired baby blue ones. 

"No..." It answered back, unable to hold back another yawn.  

"It's okay if you're tired. We could go back to your cottage. Stay there for a little bit until you are tired enough to sleep." They want to tuck it in. To whisper it bedtime stories. To see it curled up and resting under their watchful gazes.

"Alright Ran..." It slowly got up, and went to put on its shoes. Tommy, however, decided that it's unfair that he got to hug and touch the little one all day. Ranboo deserved a turn.

"Offer to pick it up, Ran..." Tommy whispered quietly as he passed by to go grab his own shoes. His eyes practically light up at the idea of being able to carry his little one.

He approached carefully, "Would it be alright if I carried you, Tubbo ? It's getting kinda dark out and you're staggering a bit. I don't want you to trip and hurt yourself."

"I-..." It thought about it for a moment, before shrugging. "You can try, boss man. I'm a bit heavy if I'm gonna be honest." It walked towards Ranboo, Tommy watching carefully from the sidelines. Ranboo was surprisingly strong,  so even if it was heavy, it wouldn't matter to either of them.

"I can handle it. Don't worry about it too much." He smiled before preparing to scoop it up into his arms.

He had prepared for it to be heavy. Actually, legitimately heavy. But no. It was so light that Ranboo overcorrected and nearly picked him up far too fast. It was lightweight. Even for its size. It thought it was heavy? How could it possibly think it was heavy?? Who told it that it was heavy???

He gave Tommy a look of concern. Their little one was underweight if anything. Too light for its size. Something else to fix when they were finally able to take care of it. Tubbo yelped a bit in surprise, not expecting to be picked up so effortlessly, clinging onto Ranboo's shoulders for support. 

"Jeez, you're strong Ran..." it laughed nervously, looking down at the ground then back up at him.

Tommy returned the look of concern, walking a bit closer to where they stood. 

"Thanks, I do a lot of exercise with one of Tom's brothers." He was sure to hold it close, soft but firm. Ensuring that he had no chance of dropping it. "You're safe. I promise I won't drop you, Tubbo . Now let's get you off to bed. It's been a long day."

They easily found their way back to the cabin and by the time they reached the door Tommy nudged him.

"Little one's fallen asleep." He simply murmured, unable to hide the smile quickly growing on his face.

Tubbo was resting its head on Ranboo's shoulder, one hand lightly clinging onto the fabric of his shirt. It was breathing calmly and slowly, as if it felt perfectly safe in his arms.

He couldn't help but let out an inhuman purr as he looked down to see his little one peacefully sleeping in his arms. It tried to argue that it wasn't tired, yet the second it could rest somewhere where it knew it would be safe and protected, it couldn't help but to sleep.

"Its so small ... and it's not even remotely heavy, Tom. The sacks of potatoes Tech has Wil carry are heavier than it.'' And Techno intentionally made those bags lighter than normal just so Wilbur was capable of lifting the damn things off of the ground.

Tommy laughed, glancing at Ranboo. "So tiny, and to think it thought it was heavy." 

It shivered in Ranboo's arms, trying to nuzzle closer and hide away from the cold. "Shit-... we should probably go inside."

Unfortunately, it was not much better inside. Much to their disdain. It was barely warmer inside the sad little shack. And certainly not warm enough for their little one to be comfortable. Even when buried underneath all its thin blankets.

"Tom, do you remember any heat spells? Just... something to make this a little more suitable? Even for just a night?"

He thought for a moment before nodding. "I can make it last for a few hours, just so it doesn't ask questions when it wakes up." Tommy activated the spell in the middle of the room, hoping it would cause the entire house to heat up gradually.  "There, should be warmer in just a few minutes."

Tubbo seemed content enough, sleeping deeply and peacefully underneath thin blankets and a worn quilt. 

He reaches out a hand, gently carding it through the tiny thing's hair. "We really need to make sure everything's ready quickly. I'm having a hard time holding back from taking it home. I can't imagine how you're faring."

Tommy let out a long whine. "I'm struggling so much here, Boo. We gotta set that room up tonight because I don't know how much longer I can wait for. It's driving me up a wall." He walked over, hesitating before patting it on the head lightly. "Soon, Tubbo . Soon you'll come home with us." 

"You'll be home, safe and sound, warm and fed. All soon, Tubbo . You'll be home soon."

He ensured it was tucked away, safely buried under its blankets and cuddling with its plushies. Soon. They'll get the room set up tonight. They'd find their old baby clothes if they had to. But the thought of it spending much more time alone in a cold house that leaked and hurt it... this couldn't go on much longer.

"Before we go, we should get it's measurements." Tommy suddenly remembered. They needed clothes that fit it nicely. Probably made from cotton and other soft fabrics, many sweaters since that's what it seemed to like wearing.  While their old baby clothing was a good idea, he was sure that they were still too big for their changeling.

"Oh yeah. Yeah, we need those. Just try to make sure it stays calm and asleep. I don't know how we would explain this if it woke up."

He took out  measuring tape. It would be a bit tricky with it sleeping. He'd have to move it around to get everything he needed. But they'd be able to get it proper clothes. Something meant to fit it comfortably. Anything they would find would certainly be too big. It needed to be made.

Tommy calmly started to card his fingers through its hair as Ranboo started to take all the measurements they needed. Every time it seemed to stir, he'd simply hum softly, and lightly scratch at its scalp. "Sleep, Tubbo." He murmured. "Everything's alright."

And it relaxed every time, leaning into his touch. Letting them care for it. Ranboo wrapped up quickly so they could tuck it back in.

It would be warm tonight. Warm and cared for. Dreaming pleasantly through the night. And they would return yet again tomorrow. They cannot leave their little one alone for long, after all. Now that they've found it, they can never let it go.

It took them longer than expected to leave the cabin after that, them wanting to watch over their little one just a little longer . But the two knew they had to head home, so they could set up it's room as well as have new comfortable clothing. 

When they got back home, Tommy didn't waste any time removing the items from his closet. 

"You know my old nest? I grew too big for it but I think it's the perfect size for its bed." They wouldn't be able to cuddle it in its bed but that was alright, that's what they had their own beds for.

Both of their own beds would be perfect for cuddling. Once they childproofed their own rooms too. Its own bed just needed to be comfortable and big enough to sleep in, "it will still probably look tiny in it. But it would be perfect." It would be so cute to see it curled up in their old things. They just had to get everything put together. They would forgo sleep if it meant they got to see their little one home sooner.

"You can go grab it, it's in the attic. I'll take one of my bookshelves and we can use it to cover the lower half of the window." 

That way, it will still have daylight coming through but no way for it to endanger itself. They could even bolt the bookshelf to the wall in case it tried to climb up it, they didn't want to risk the furniture falling down and hurting the baby.

"I'll get it. We'll also have to anchor any furniture that's even a little bit heavy. Just in case. It will probably climb on it. Luckily we have all the tools we need for that."

The room would be perfect. Plenty of soft toys to play with. And while it could climb on some of the furniture, everything would be bolted down. And low to the ground so it couldn't hurt itself if it fell off while climbing.

Soon. Tubbo would be home soon.

When Ranboo came back into the room, Tommy had already dragged in several carpets, moved the bookshelf in and was currently bolting it to the wall. They were lucky that Techno taught them both how to be handy with tools, otherwise this would have been a lot harder than they wanted it to be.

"I found a bunch of unused carpets in one of the storage rooms, so I thought we could use them." Tommy hummed, smiling slightly. "It seems so fragile, so I was worried... I often forget how fragile babies are. We're going to have to be careful."

"We'll have to make sure every edge is padded. It... it was so light and small. It would be so easy to break it on accident. We have to be careful. It's probably even more fragile than normal babies because of the lack of care."

It was tiny and underweight. It already admitted to how easily it broke when talking about how it fell and broke its leg earlier. It didn't even seem to understand why that information was horrifying to learn. It seemed to think it was normal and funny, even. How else has it been hurt but just hasn't mentioned it yet?

"Mhm, I'll go get some of the padding, I'm sure Phil probably has some stored around from back when we were younger. You can bolt down the bed and organise the plushies while I do that."

Tommy got up, his wings stretching as he did so before folding back up, and exited the room. He reminded himself that they should temporarily bolt the door that led to the hallway. After all, they'll only be entering through their own rooms until the others know about it.

They also need to make sure their little one won't be able to get out through the door. It would still probably be able to reach up and touch the doorknob. So it was better to be safe than have it get out and run directly into one of the others.

The best they could do is make preparations for any scenario they can think of. And adjust to anything it does that isn't expected. Bolting down furniture, minimising hiding spaces, making every surface they could soft. They could only prepare for so much. But they would do whatever they could to keep their little one safe. So they would organise and reorganise until it was perfect.

Tommy returned rather quickly, giddy about finding an old sippy cup that used to belong to Ranboo. He'd washed it thoroughly since it was at the back of the cupboard collecting dust for a long while. It was decorated with cats and it seemed to like animals so, why not give the object some use?

"Look what I found, Ran!" He called

"Wh-" He pauses what he's doing, turning to Tommy, instantly recognizing the item in Tommy’s hand with a delighted grin, "Is that what I think it is? Where did you find that?"

"It was stashed in the back of a cupboard, like right next to a bunch of other baby stuff that used to belong to us along with the padding." He took out a pacifier he found as well, which displayed a ladybug on the front of it. That one used to belong to Tommy, ever the bug lover even as a baby. 

"This just gives us a head start without raising any eyebrows. With the amount of dust this stuff had before I washed it, I doubt the others would notice them missing."

"Yes. That's perfect. We'll get something more customised for it later. When they know that it can't be stolen and it's safe to get it all its own stuff."

Not that he would ever complain about their baby using their old things. Phil made sure everything was in good condition before storing them away. Everything up there would be safe to use. They just had to bring it all down.

"Oh, it's going to be adorable with all of this."

They spent almost the entire night setting up the room, Tommy even beginning to crochet tiny bees to attach to his old mobile so they could hang it above the bed.

Soft carpets littered the floor, every chest of drawers, bookshelf and any other piece of furniture firmly bolted to the floor and walls. The main door and window was sealed shut just in case and the bed organised with plushies, several pillows and warm blankets. 

Tommy placed his old toy chest in the room, filling it up with some of his and Ranboo's old toys, albeit choosing them very carefully to make sure none of them were potentially dangerous. Anything with a sharp edge was an immediate no, sticking to softer dolls and building blocks with rounded edges. 

They would never let anything that could potentially hurt their accident-prone changeling into the room. Maybe when it was older, it could get more complex toys. But not right now.

They pulled out old children's picture books to line the bookshelves with. Set up a comfy sitting area with plushies and pillows to rest on. Perfect for story time. They could bring it home by tomorrow night at this rate. The lost sleep would be worth it.

When they finally went to bed, neither of them got any good sleep, too filled with restless energy.

They knew they had to feed the changeling some fae food to completely seal the deal. But Tommy doubted it would be difficult. When Ranboo came downstairs to find Tommy, he found him with a box of food and a smile wide on his face.

He grinned just as wide once he realised what Tommy had, eagerly joining him. They were so close.

"You packed something good, yeah? Nothing it could hurt its teeth with?"

"Yes! It's just soft fruits, bread, and some pasta. I double checked Phil's book and it had some foods listed that babies can eat easily." Tommy replied, just as excited as Ranboo was. "We'll spend the day with it, and let it eat its first lunch as ours ." 

Bring it home when it's all sleepy, tuck it into bed.

It will be theirs.

It didn't even matter how little sleep they got. Their eagerness was enough to keep them wide awake all day. They would have a lovely lunch with their little one. Feed it until it was full and happy.

And by day's end, it would never be without them again.

Their little Tubbo .

Chapter Text

It wasn't waiting for them when they got to the human realm, which immediately made Tommy frown. Until he realised they never said that they were going to come back.

The little one probably thought they weren't. A simple enough fix. They knew the way to its run down cottage. They would simply invite themselves over.

It wouldn't reject their presence. It already knew on some level that it belonged to them, even if it wasn't aware of it. It must be so lonely already. They wouldn't be long though.

They headed right to its cabin, spotting it watering the flowers that were growing by the cabin, humming a soft tune to itself. It hasn't seen them yet, too absorbed in its task.

They both grinned, approaching it cheerfully. They called out to it, though. No point in needlessly startling it with their sudden appearance.

"Good morning, Tubbo ! How are you feeling? Did you sleep well?"

It turned around, a smile quickly rising to its face when it spotted them.

"Ran! Tom! Lovely to see you both so early. Yeah, I did sleep pretty well. I don't remember when I did fall asleep though, hope I didn't pass out on you."

"It's alright. We helped you get back here safely. I'm just glad you were able to get some good rest. You seemed exhausted last night."

It would learn in time that they don't mind it falling asleep on them. Especially in their arms. All in due time though.

"It's a really nice, pleasant surprise seeing you two. I didn't expect you to show up though." It frowned a bit. "I'm a little messier than usual since I was watering my flowers."

"That's alright, man." Tommy reassured, gently handing it the box of food. "We got you some lunch, so how about you take a break for a bit?"

"Getting dirty comes with the territory of gardening. And we're used to a little bit of dirt, anyway. One of Tom's brothers has a weird, elaborate potato farm that he makes us help out with sometimes."

Ranboo rambles a bit, watching intently as it took the food from Tommy. "We can help out after we eat if you would like."

"Oh! That would be great! Thank you, by the way, for the food. That's very kind of you." They sat down in the grass, Tubbo opening up the box and peering inside.  Tommy had to hide his satisfied, dark smirk as it took the first bite of one of the fruits.

"Does it taste good? It's from our garden. Tom tried to get the ripest ones for you." Ranboo smiles, eyes never once leaving its face. It's theirs. It was theirs .

It nodded, smiling brightly. "It's really good! Better than those I get from the market, seriously."

Tommy laughed when it finished eating the fruit quite quickly, "Don't eat too quickly, Tubbo , don't want you to choke."

"There's plenty more where that came from. You don't have to rush to eat. I mean, we have all the time in the world, after all."

"And more in the basket."

"Yeah, that too."

The look on its face alone gave away how it was enjoying the food, finishing the rest of it quite quickly. That made every single moment of waiting worth it.

It was theirs. Forever . 

"Would you like us to help with watering the rest of your flowers now, Tubbo ?" Tommy asked smoothly. 

Theirs. Forever and always. It sealed its fate itself.

It nodded, looking happy and content with a full stomach. They would allow it one more day outside. One more day to have fun in the open. Once it was home, it would have to stay inside until it adjusted.

"Sounds good! But I have something to tell you first..." it adopted a much more worried expression.

"I went into town this morning, to buy a few new seeds, and when I talked about meeting you two... people got mad at me and told me to stay away." That sad expression on its face broke Tommy's heart. "I got mad back at them, since they clearly didn't know you..." 

Ranboo can't help but reach out and gently take a hold of its hand. A soft source of comfort.

"We've never met anyone in town. You're the only one in this area we've talked to... Did they say why they didn't want you near us?"

They were already planning to get rid of those villagers. But perhaps they needed to make it more painful than they originally planned. How dare they try to bully their little one away from them. Right when it was finally starting to receive the care it deserved to.

"They only told me that you were dangerous and I should stay away from the circles in the forest." It inched closer, eyes drifting to the grass. "I'm sorry they're talking about you like this."

Tommy, personally, was fuming. He had to use all his self control not to let it show on his face.

"It's okay, Tubbo . We're just glad you're still willing to talk to us. Even with them trying to tell you we're dangerous."

"We would never hurt you, Tubbo . We promise. We aren't a danger towards you."

They lean in a bit closer, careful not to crowd it.

"Of course! You're the nicest people I've ever met." It answered, an innocent smile on it's face. It pushed the empty box of food back towards them, and got up, pulling its hands out of Ranboo’s hold. "You wanted to help me water flowers, right?" 

They got up as well, smiling at it as they did so. It trusted them so much. It didn't even think to believe the villagers. Even though their warnings were somewhat valid. Even if they refused to properly explain why. Idiots.

"Yes, we'll help you with anything you want help with, Tubbo . Watering flowers included."

It laughed excitedly "Alright then, fellas! Let's go then."

Their baby's last day outside for a long while was fun. They got to water flowers, check on the beehives, help it sort out the kitchen (even if it wouldn't be returning to it) and even returned to the creek to see the frogs.

They returned to the cottage, laughing after Tubbo was raised up into the air and onto Ranboo's shoulders for the walk back.

It was nice.... so nice .

A wonderful final day outside. A day they could look back at fondly in the future. When they finally have settled down.

They were both counting down the minutes until they could take it home. They were so ready to see it curled up safe and sound in its room. The wait was practically killing them

When it yawned, Tommy knew it was almost time. While it was docile now, he was fully aware how upset it might be if they tried to take it while it was awake.

Humans were like that, unaware what was best for them. Their changeling would soon know.

They would wait for it to fall asleep. To relax against them, completely open and trusting. Then they would take it home.

It was still human. It wouldn't understand why they were taking it, yet. It would get angry and upset and maybe even scared. They all start out that way. But it would understand as it settled. It would learn. And they would love it every step of the way.

They murmured stories to him, Tommy reciting myths his older brothers used to tell him.

Its body relaxed against Ranboo, bee plush in hand...

Breathing slowed...

Blinks grew slowly and longer...

Until finally it fell fast asleep.

"Finally..." Ranboo breathed softly, a dark smile gracing his features. "It's finally time to take you home, baby."

They would move fast. Take what is needed from the cottage and then leave the rest behind. They might come back for some items later if their little one truly needed them. But right now their focus was getting it tucked into bed as soon as possible. Safe and sound and away from any and all prying eyes.

Ranboo was tasked with holding onto their little one. Tommy meanwhile, grabbed the quilt, which would need to be thoroughly washed, as well as its plushies and a few of the stones and nicknacks littering its shelf.

"Leave its clothes. It can wear some of our old baby clothes until we get some properly made for it."

Their old clothes were in better condition than all the clothes it had here. And made of softer materials. Sure, they would all be a bit bigger than it was used to but they would certainly be more comfortable overall. They already had one of Tommy's old onesies laid out in its room, ready to be used back home.

It barely took any time to gather everything and start moving. They had to get to the ring quickly before their baby got cold and started to shiver again. No wasting any time

They made their way through the woods, Tommy murmuring soft reassurance to their little one.  "We're almost there, baby... I know you're cold."

Tommy was excited, he could barely keep still as they neared their circle.

So close, so close .

Ranboo did his best to keep it bundled close to him. Letting it leech whatever warmth he could give them. "You'll be nice and warm soon. We'll keep you so happy and comfortable. We're almost home."

They reached the circle, and stepped inside.

Tommy let out a soft laugh, because fuck , he was so happy. Their little one was bundled up, ate fae food, and was inside their circle.

Repeating in his mind like a mantra.

mine, mine, mine, mine, mine .

Ranboo wasn't fairing much better, unable to even remotely hide the possessive look that grew on his face with each step.

It gave them its name, ate their food, trusted them enough to be carried around and not wake. It was in their circle, it was coming home. "Welcome home, little one." He practically purred. "Let's get you to bed."

The house was quiet, save for the sounds of footsteps and Ranboo’s gentle hums.

When they finally, finally reached it's new bedroom, Tommy paused. "We should change it out of its filthy clothes. We have one of my old onesies on the bed."

It was a yellow cow one, it had fabric flowers sewn onto it and reminded Tommy of bees. So of course that was the one to give their tiny little honeybee.

"It will need a bath at some point. It really seemed to like playing in the dirt. But not tonight. We don't want to wake it up."

Ranboo hums softly, gently setting it down to change it. They would have to throw the old clothes away. They were filthy. Hole ridden and oversized. Not worth keeping. They would get it something better.

Once it was changed, safe and warm in its new clothing, they gently tucked it into the warm, thick covers. Tommy placed the goat plush next to it, but hesitated on the bee.

"I want to clean this one first... before we place it on the clean bed." He explained

"We should wash it fast then. Before it wakes up. Babies can get really upset if they wake up and their favourite toys are missing. It might cry."

"True, I'll go do that really fast. You go fill up a bottle just in case it wakes up hungry. I know we learnt that it can eat solid meals, but we should still stick to softer foods just for a little while."

Tommy left the room quietly, walking to his bathroom to wash the bee carefully. Ranboo readjusted the blankets on their little one before setting off to prepare a bottle. Just in case.

He felt so happy, each step he took light as air. Ever since he saw it alone, he knew he needed to bring it back home. And now their precious baby Tubbo was home. Safe and sound in its nest. Sleeping peacefully for now. If only they could have successfully done this sooner.

It would get harder when the others got home, but at least they got a head start. It would take a month of eating fae food to be irreversibly theirs.

In a way that Phil or anyone else couldn't take it away. But they were both willing, oh so willing to do that.

For their baby.

They would do whatever they had to. They would do whatever it took to keep their baby. Ranboo would fight Phil if he had to. He would lose but he would try if that's what it took to keep it.

Anything for Tubbo .

Ranboo kept the prepped bottle close by, content just to sit by the bed and watch it rest. Occasionally reaching out to brush its hair away from its face.

Tommy came back, tucking the now washed plush next to the child, letting out a content sigh. "The mission was a success, Ranboob." He joked lightly, smiling at his friend.

Ranboo smiles, staring down at their baby with affection. It was so peaceful, happily snuggling its plushies.

"It looks so happy... How fussy do you think it will be when it wakes up? Phil says you wouldn't stop screaming for the first few hours."

"It's hard to tell... we haven't seen it mad before, so who knows. But no matter how it acts, we can handle it, man."

Tommy smirked confidently, pointing at himself. "The great powerful Tommy with his best sidekick: Ranbus."

"True. Dealing with you definitely gave me some experience with angry, chaotic children."

He teases slightly. But they could handle it. They would take care of Tubbo no matter what it's mood may be when it finally wakes

Speaking of, they heard the little thing groan, stretching out before rubbing it's eyes.  "mh-?" It whined, eyes slowly opening, Tommy's smile growing.

"Morning, Tubbo . It's still pretty early. Or late. I've lost track of time. You can go back to bed if you want."

His voice is soft but he's careful not to order the little thing to bed.  They could handle it being awake.

"R-...Ran?" It sat up, looking around. Its expression turned from sleepy and confused to shocked and a bit scared in a matter of seconds as it took in its environment, and then looked down at what it was wearing.

It probably could feel the difference in material, the onesie they gave it was much softer after all.

"Wh-?!... What the fuck is going on?!" 

That-.... That was the first time they heard it curse. It was a surprise to hear it speak that way, but Tommy also cursed a lot as a baby. So it's probably normal.

"Hey, it's okay, relax. It's okay. You're safe, we're just back home." It's confusion had been adorable. But the fear was less so. He would fix that though.

"What?" Its eyes focused on Ranboo before drifting to Tommy, then back to him. " Who's home?! Cause this ain't mine, Ran." It now sounded more angry than scared, but the fear was still there in its expression.

"Yes it is. I know it's a big change but that little shack of yours wasn't good enough. And now we won't have to leave you alone."

His tone was almost cheerful as he looked down at it with a smile, "It will just take a little adjusting but we'll be right here."

It gave them a dumbfounded look. "This-... This isn't funny, Ran. Where the fuck am I? What is this place? Tell me now, or else- you're freaking me out, man." It sounded very upset, they supposed they should've expected it to be fussy at first, especially in the early stages. 

"I did tell you. You're home, baby. Specifically, we're in your room. We've been preparing it for you for a few days now. Isn't it nice? I mean, it's not perfect yet. We definitely rushed a few things but it was necessary."

They could handle a fussy baby. Their precious little baby. It was certainly going to end up throwing a few fits. But that would be fine. It could throw a fit all it wanted and they would be there to comfort it.

" Home?! B...baby?!" It snarled, moving to get up. It quickly realised the bars in the way, blocking the way to easily get off the bed without climbing. 

"Ran, this is not my home.- What the fuck are you on about? Is this what the villagers warned me about? Did you kidnap me?!" It was throwing wild accusations around, it was clearly distressed.

"Calm down, bee. I know you're scared and confused but its okay .'' Tommy reassured, before turning to Ranboo and murmuring "I heard babies get fussy when they're hungry... but I don't know how easy it will be to feed..." 

Ranboo frowned, "Those villagers were stupid. Leaving a baby out all alone and refusing to help take care of it. They didn't even bother to warn you correctly. They didn't deserve to have you anywhere near them. We're gonna take care of you though, Tubbo . We simply brought you home and we're going to take care of you. Now..."

He held up the bottle, contemplating. "...how do we feed a baby? It will probably try to bite us if we just reach over and try to give it the bottle."

Tubbo growled lowly, baring its teeth aggressively. "I'm not a fucking baby, the hell is wrong with you?!"  It shifted backwards, trying to get farther away from them but hit the back of the cot almost immediately.  It looked down at where it was sat, before standing up on the bed. 

"Oh-... Sit down, you might hurt yourself." Tommy immediately said, giving a glance to Ranboo.  Instead of listening, it climbed over the bars and tried to get out of the bed.

"Oh! Oh no no no," Ranboo was instantly up, taking a hold of it from under its arms and lifting up, "You shouldn't climb on things, little one. You could hurt yourself. If you're hungry, we can feed you little one. But you shouldn't be doing anything that dangerous until you're older."

It yelped, kicking and screaming as it was lifted up into the air. " Put me down, you fucking jackass. " It snarled, but it wasn't much use. "I am not a gods-be-damned child, let me go now , Ran!"

"Awe... it's probably cranky, Boo... we woke it up.-" Tommy realised, frowning. No wonder it was in such a fussy mood.

"Aw... we'll get you fed and back to bed, baby. I'm sorry we woke you," He cooed, holding it closer, uncaring of how it kicked at him. "You need to eat well and rest to grow, little one. You're so small... and young. You can't be any older than 50."

"Wh-?!" It looked at them, shocked. "I'm not fucking hungry- I..." It's expression was shifting so much as it processed what they were saying "R-... Ran, How old are you?"

"Eh... a couple thousand. Phi- ah, Tom's dad, has an estimate of my age. Once you hit 1,000 there's no point in counting individual years. Unless you wanna rub in the fact you're older than someone."

"By a single fuh- uh, a single year! It doesn't mean anything." Tommy protests. But he's a bit more careful at least. Just because the baby swore doesn't mean he should swear around it. What if it picked up that bad habit from him already?

Its eyes widened, and it laughed nervously. 

"I'm...-" it hesitated, "I'm 17..." Its voice came out as a terrified croak, voice raspy and expression filled with dread. 17? It was 17 ?? It was even younger than they thought it was. Oh. Oh the poor baby. It should still be in the cradle.

"Tom..." He looked towards Tommy, face filled with a mix of horror and sadness. It was so lucky they found it. The villagers would have just... left it to die. It was too young to be left alone for longer than a few minutes.

Tommy shared his horrified expression. No, no this simply wouldn't do. The poor baby was neglected and forced to grow up way too quickly, to a stomach-turning degree.

If Phil found out? That village would not only be ashes, but any related family members would be cursed for generations to come. 

"...What are you?" Came the terrified, tiny whisper from their little one.

"I... what is the term humans use again? Is it still fair folk? Wait, no, fae?" He responds off handedly, readjusting his hold on it to cradle it against his chest instead. "...the villagers just... left you? All by yourself? They neglected you when you're only 17? They didn't even bother to properly warn you..."

"... fae ." It squeaked, eyes somehow getting wider, r ealisation washing over its face all at once.  Then, it started kicking again. Kicking and screaming and struggling with all its might. 

"Oh- Careful Ran-... I think we might need to feed it now, and put it to bed. 

" LET ME GO, NOW. " Nothing but pure panic in its voice, it was upsetting to hear it sound so scared. But they had to push through.

Once they lasted a month, and it was officially theirs, they could ask help from the rest of their family. They had experience raising both of them at the same time, so how much of a hassle could one baby be? 

"Hey hey, no, calm, calm- Tubbo, calm down. You're safe, baby."

He sighed, readjusting to cradle it in one arm, "Here's what we're gonna do right now. We're gonna get some food in your belly, little one. Then we're gonna have a nice little nap. You're still tired so you're extra fussy right now." He took the bottle in his free hand, holding it up to Tubbo's mouth, "drink up, little one. You can nap after this."

It wasn't struggling as much as before once the command set in, but it still chose to clench its jaw, refusing to let the bottle be put inside its mouth. Teary eyes angrily staring up at him, droplets already rolling down its cheeks. 

Tommy crooned lowly, in some effort to give it comfort, mimicking the sounds his own father would make when they were distressed.

"Aw, c'mon baby. I promise it tastes good. We made sure you would only get the best food." He stays gentle, not forcing it. He knows better than to command it to eat. And it would be better anyway if it ate on its own without force.

He purred softly, trying to give his own comfort. The poor little thing must be so overwhelmed. They would make it better. It turned its head to the side stubbornly, glaring at the walls and avoiding eye contact.

Luckily, it was limp in their grip, but it refusing to eat was worrying. He made no attempt to smother the noise of concern caused by its behaviour.

"Baby, you need to eat. It's good. It's just food. Do... Do you need to see one of us try it first?"  It glared harder, shaking its head but keeping its mouth firmly shut.

Tommy let out a soft wounded chirp, wings unfurling from where they were hidden. Now that it knew they weren't human either, there was no reason to hide them.

"Maybe... maybe it's just not hungry?" Ranboo was cautious, worried, "maybe it's just tired? We could try feeding it again later, Tom... it might just be nap time only right now."

He just wanted to take care of their baby. Was it always going to be difficult to get them to eat early on? They couldn't just starve it. They weren't monsters , unlike those villagers.

Just then, they heard a stomach growl, eyes immediately snapping to the child in Ranboo’s arms who bore a horrified look on its face. Tommy laughed softly, "I think it's just fussy... Will said I was like that too."

"Do you wanna try, Tom? I'm probably just not holding it right." He passes the bottle over then readjusts his hold on the little thing. Trying to make it feel more comfortable in his arms.

Tommy carefully held the bottle, moving it closer, letting out soft coos and croons. But much to their disappointment, Tubbo just growled and kept its mouth clenched tightly shut.

"I... oh gods this will be harder than I thought." Tommy whined, "I don't want it to starve, Ranboo-" Tommy was extremely tempted to just command the baby to eat. It had to , had to eat fae food. 

"Baby... baby please eat. We promise it's okay but you gotta eat. We're gonna have to command you if you don't and that isn't going to be very comfortable."

His voice is soft. Comforting. But still very worried. It had to eat. They could try to see later if the problem was just that particular bottle. But right now he was only concerned about getting it to eat. Through any means necessary if need be.

It bared its teeth angrily, and then bit down harshly on Tommy's hand when he tried to push the bottle back towards it. It drew blood, the red liquid dripping down its face, coating its teeth. It swallowed thickly, eyes still sending death glares at the bottle.

They stared for a long moment. Silent. Just watching as it swallowed the blood down. Then the silence was broken, the both of them practically cooing, "good job, little one. Good job. We're so proud of you."

It looked really confused, its mouth opening for a moment as if it was about to say something. But Tommy didn't waste any time, swiftly but gently pushing the bottle into its mouth, and giving a gentle squeeze to the bottle. 

Tubbo had to swallow it down to prevent itself from choking on the liquid, whining and struggling in Ranboo’s grip once again.

"There you go baby, there you go. That's it. That wasn't so hard now was it? Just drink up then we can take a nice little nap." Ranboo cooed, his hold on it staying firm and steady even as it struggled. No amount of kicking would loosen his grip. He would never let his baby go. "Drink up. You'll feel better soon."

The bottle was soon empty and Tommy gently removed it, even as the little thing coughed.  He chirped softly, "There... now I think it's time to put it back to bed."

"Fuck you." It sniffled angrily, tears rolling down its cheeks once again.

"Shhh, you're okay, little one. You did really good. It's time to rest now." He hums softly as he gently sets it back in bed and wipes the tears away.

It doesn't hesitate when it sits back up, growling darkly. "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you . I hate you, Ran. Both of you."

Tommy turns to talk to Ranboo, but it seems to take that opportunity to try and climb out of the bed again.  "Ah- No, baby please don't do that-." Tommy pleaded, but it wasn't listening.

"Baby, no, you could hurt yourself, lay back down, please,"  When it doesn't listen, still growling out insults as it tries to climb out, Ranboo simply picks it back up.

"Do you not want to be left alone? We weren't going to leave. We would still be right here."

"Yeah, bee... we weren't gonna leave. You won't- won't be alone, we promise." Tommy echoed, trying to give Ranboo support considering how squirmy the baby was being. 

"I want you to let me go back to my cabin, back home, away from you ." It shouted back, trying to kick and bite at the taller man.

" Tubbo , you are home. That crumby hovel was temporary from the moment Tom found you all alone by our ring. You're home now, baby. And we're going to take care of you." He ignored the kicking and biting, instead looking at Tommy with a tired smile.

"I don't think it will settle down on its own. Your nest is big enough for all three of us, right? Maybe if we lay down with it, it will calm down a bit?"

Tommy nodded excitedly, wings flapping happily. "Oh that would be such a good first night with it, Ran!" His excitement was evident in his voice, a smile wide on his face. "and if it doesn't settle down, we can compel it to and figure out a solution when it's asleep..."  

Ranboo grins, holding it even closer, "it's gonna look so cute sleeping next to us. Once it settles, of course." Children had a lot of energy. The real question is if it would tire itself out before they decided they had enough and compel it to sleep.

It kicked and screamed the entire way to Tommy's bed, and tried to clamber off of it once they set it down. Tommy was the one to grab it this time, letting out a sad warble when it still wouldn't settle down. 

"Alright-... Tubbo, calm down baby. " Tommy sighed, he wasn't mad at it of course, but if it kept struggling he could potentially drop it. 

It went mostly limp, angry tears leaking from its eyes all over again. The poor baby cried so easily. Who knows how often it cried all alone in a rotting shack. It was a good thing they were here now. They could take care of it.

"There you go. It's a lot nicer to be calm, isn't it? Let's get all comfy. I'll go get your bee and goat while you rest with Tom, okay? I'll be right back, baby."

Tommy gently laid it down in the bed, shifting and adjusting the blanket until it covered the small thing, hushing and crooning all the while. Once he was satisfied with how it was tucked into bed, Tommy joined it, laying one of it's wings protectively over it. He could barely hold back the happy, soft chirps that came out of him at that point.

Their baby was finally safe.

Ranboo isn't far behind, having quickly grabbed the two plushies. He set the two items next to their little one before laying down on its other side, effectively caging it protectively between the two of them.

An odd yet pleased purr built in his chest as he settled. He didn't even attempt to hold back his fondness. Their baby was safe. Their baby was home.

Their baby would never be without them again.

Chapter Text

The night passed fairly quickly. Much to their delight, it only took about 30 minutes for the baby to fall asleep, even as it was whining and whimpering.  Their child had a lot of waterworks, which made Tommy's heart ache thinking about how alone it was before they found it. 

Waiting a bit longer to make sure the little thing was sleeping peacefully, Tommy hissed quietly at Ranboo to get his attention. "I think I know what to do about our little one's restless sleeping..." 

Ranboo visibly perks up at that, though he's careful not to move in case it woke their little one up. "So what's the plan, Tom?"

"Remember when you were younger, you used to have nightmares and struggled to fall asleep?" Tommy started, smiling calmly, "My dad would mix your food that you would eat before bed with this stuff that made you all sleepy..."

Tommy lightly brushed his fingers through Tubbo's hair, a fond look in his eyes. 

"We could use that, perhaps... just until it settles down a bit more. It seems to be very teary-eyed so it may just not like the dark or being alone or just going to bed in general and the move is very stressful on small kids... so it just seems like the best option without risking its own health."

"That... sounds like a really good idea, actually. We can slowly wean it off of the stuff as it settles down. Could take a bit. A lot of things can stress it out right now. Babies are so fragile and they don't understand why things happen... We can use the stuff for bedtime, but maybe try our luck for naptime? So we can know when we can start adding less and less. We don't wanna accidentally create a dependency."

"That's a good idea. We'll do it at first for naptime and bedtime, then as it calms down, move to only bedtime... and then only do it once in a while if it needs it until it eventually won't need it anymore." Tommy nodded, making a few mental notes in his head. Tomorrow he needed to do some shopping, but it wouldn't be too hard. He knew a store that sold the stuff they needed, and no one they knew worked there so that was a bonus.

Plus if anyone does ask questions, Tommy can just say Ranboo needed it again. Yes, that lie would probably get Ranboo babied for the next century or so if it got back to their family. But it would be worth it if it meant keeping their baby sleeping comfortably.

"We just have to make sure we're giving it the stuff at a consistent time. So it just starts associating that time of day with naptime and bedtime. Consistency and routine will help reduce the stress."

"Yes-... that's smart." Tommy hummed in agreement.  "That's what we can do... Tomorrow morning I'll go pick up the stuff, as well as some other supplies. I'll try to be as subtle as I can though, but we need softer foods so we can mix liquids with them. It's very young but we know it can eat fruits and bread." 

This time, it was Tommy's turn to yawn. "But for now... let's sleep. It's been a long day for all of us."

"Mmmm maybe stuff like applesauce could be a good idea. It's not a lot of liquid so it won't make it noticeably runnier. And a bit of sugar can help mask the taste." He hums, staring down at their little one with unabashed fondness. Their precious Tubbo .

"Yeah... let's get some rest. We're gonna have a long day tomorrow."

Tommy woke up to the bed shifting underneath some sort of weight. He groaned, rubbed his eyes and realised-

Tubbo was trying to sneak off the bed. 

He nudged Ranboo awake before gently grabbing the child from behind, earning a sharp yelp from it. "Shhh... It's just me, baby. Don't cry."

Ranboo let out a soft noise as he woke, taking a moment to register what was going on before sitting up. "Good morning, baby. Were you trying to go off and explore without us?" He kept his tone light, trying not to startle it further.

It just snarled at them, tugging at the onesie. "Get this off me, you fucking jerk ."  The baby was struggling in Tommy's grip, who loosened in fear of holding it too tight, only for it to manage to pry itself out of his grasp. 

"Ah-, damn it-... Ran-, help?"

He sighs and easily scoops it up, cradling it close to his chest with a tired smile. "It's a little early to be running around and yelling, little one. Do you want breakfast?"

"No the fuck I do not . I want to go home, I want to leave, I want to get out of this... thing ." It was freaking out again, Tommy attempting to chirp softly to calm it down again.

"You are home, though... I know you're scared and confused. This is a big change for all of us, but it's going to be alright..." Tommy turned to Ranboo, "Do you think you can handle feeding it while I get the supplies we talked about yesterday?" 

"I'll get it fed, don't worry about it. You focus on getting what we need, Tom." Ranboo hums gently, holding Tubbo close. Not letting it wiggle its way out of his grasp.

"What would you like to eat for breakfast, baby? We could try a bottle again. Or maybe some nice softer fruits and bread." It bared its teeth, letting out a growl that almost sounded like a hiss that Ranboo himself would make when he was mad. It grumbled and muttered sharp curses under its breath as it scratched at the hands holding it in place. Ranboo only coos at the growl, uncaring as it scratches at him. Uncaring of its anger. Was this how Phil felt when Tommy first started chirping?

"We'll start with some fruit for now. You really didn't like the bottle last night but the fruit seemed fine yesterday afternoon."

" Yeah . Until you fucking kidnapped me, Ran. You're a fucking maniac." It snapped back, legs kicking uselessly to try and wiggle out of his hold. Tears were already dripping down its face, but the angry expression remained. It was like the two of them combined, Tommy was an angry baby while Ranboo cried a lot.

"It's not kidnapping. We just took you home where you belong, baby. Any fae that looked at you would have done the same. So small and neglected." He won't admit it aloud, certainly not with it in the room, but he liked that their baby seemed to mimic them. Without even realising it. Surely it was proof that it was meant to be theirs.

"Th-! That's wrong-! " It shouted back, voice breaking as it did, more angry tears rolling down red, puffy cheeks. "You can't just take a person, Ran. I'm not your child, I'm almost an adult, I lived alone for as long as I can remember." It explained, its voice shaky as it tried to calm down.

"Oh. Oh baby... you're only 17. You're barely out of the cradle. You shouldn't have been left alone. Especially not for that long. You need someone looking out for you. You need someone taking care of you. I'm sorry it took us so long to find you but we're here now, Tubbo . We're here and we'll look after you, we'll love you, Tubbo ." He had a hard time keeping the sadness out of his voice. It couldn't even remember the last time someone had been caring for it. That wasn't okay. It was far from okay. But there was no changing the past. There was only making sure it had a happy present and future.

It groaned loudly in annoyance, eyes narrowing before it bit sharply on Ranboo's arm. Its teeth were mostly blunt but it still managed to break through skin and draw a bit of blood.  " Let me go, for the last time Ran. " It demanded, swallowing nervously even as blood coated its mouth once again.

He winces only slightly at the bite before just cooing at the sight of it swallowing a little bit of his blood, "Aw, I know you're hungry, little one. I'll get you some food." He doesn't let it go as he heads off to get some of its food. It can drink as much of his blood as it wants until then. Because it meant his baby was eating.

They arrive at the kitchen, where it seems that Tommy had at some point set up the highchair that used to belong to him in the past, decorated with all sorts of bugs and even having old doodles that belonged to the two of them. "Oh you've got to be kidding me." Tubbo whined. 

"Oh good, Tom found the highchair!" He says cheerfully, adjusting his grip on Tubbo to gently place it down in the chair. He used the built in straps to buckle it into the chair. Silly little baby had a runaway streak. "There we go. Now let's get you some food."

For now, while no one else was home it was alright for the small thing to be around the house, but when the rest return they'd have to move the highchair to its room temporarily.

"Oh this is so fucking embarrasing..." Tubbo whined into its palms.

"It's not that bad. It's Tom's old chair from when he was a baby. He outgrew it but his dad's a bit of a hoarder. Which is good for us. Buying a brand new highchair and all the other baby stuff would have way too many people poking their noses into our business."

He chatters happily as he gathers some fresh fruit, slicing it into bite sized pieces that his baby could easily eat. He put the slices on a plate alongside a soft bread roll. "Do you want me to feed you or do you wanna try eating by yourself?"

" I don't want any of your food, Ran! " It shouted back, trying to pull itself out of the highchair, fumbling with the straps.  "Get me out of this, I'm not a baby for crying out loud."

"Don't try to get up, little one. You'll fall. One broken leg is more broken legs than you ever should have had." He hurries over, carrying the plate with him, "And if you don't feel comfortable eating on your own, I can feed you. It's really not an issue, baby."

It whined, a strange look of defeat in its eyes. "I... Don't you dare. I- I can feed myself. Because I am not a baby." Eyes glared at him as Ranboo placed the plate in front of it, a conflicted look lighting up in its eyes. Ranboo simply smiled at it, waiting patiently after he set the plate down. It's being given a clear choice. It either eats willingly, or he feeds it. Just like last night, there's no getting out of it without eating.

"There you go, baby. Some nice, tasty fruits for you. And some bread. Not a bad breakfast. A whimper, before it took one of the fruits and slowly took a bite. It was eating very slowly, and carefully. As if it was hesitant, or scared of what it was being fed. But it was eating. But tears could be seen forming in its eyes again. It really did cry a lot, the poor thing, but that was normal with infants.

He coos, gently reaching to wipe the tears from its eyes. His poor little crybaby. It was kinda cute. "It's okay, baby. You're doing such a good job. Eating all by yourself." He almost sounds genuinely proud of it for managing to pick up slices of fruit and eat them.

It whined, a disgruntled look on its face. Tubbo jerked its head back when Ranboo's fingers wiped away the tears, breathing heavily. It took it about 10 minutes to finish eating, glaring at its plate the entire time, but it didn't try to get out of the chair. It was almost done when footsteps were heard coming down the hall. Tommy was back.

"I'm so proud of you, baby. Isn't it tasty? Oh, Tom's gonna be so happy you ate something willingly. Do you want some juice?" He smiles, very lightly ruffling its hair. It's going to need a bath soon. It still was dirty from playing with the flowers. But that could wait a little bit. "Welcome back, Tom! We're in the kitchen."

It shook its head, sending him a glare that was more cute than scary.

Tommy peered around the corner, a smile appearing on his face before walking over. He lightly shook the plastic bag filled with the items he bought, wings stretching out from where they were hidden. "I got everything... I think we should change its clothes and let it play in its room a bit before we let it nap."

He looks towards Tommy, a wide grin crossing his face at the sight of the bag. Hopefully that would be the longest amount of time one of them would have to be away from their baby for the next 2 weeks. It will get much harder to stay with it all the time once their family comes home, after all. They have to savour the time they have.

"Oh, that's a good idea. Let it get some of its energy out. It hasn't really gotten the chance to explore its room yet either. It might feel better if it has the chance to get more familiar with its environment. It's gonna spend a lot of time in there, after all." He turns back to Tubbo , giving it a friendly smile, "Are you done eating, baby? Nice and full? Ready to go play?"

"I want to go home." It responded blandly, "I hate you. I hate you so much-."

Tommy walked right up to the small child, combing his fingers through its hair even as it jerked its head back. "How difficult was it to feed, Ran?" He asked softly, keeping his eyes fixated on their baby.

"It handled the sliced fruit better than the bottle. But it was slower. Mostly because it wanted to eat by itself. Before you get concerned, I cut everything into tiny bite sized pieces so it wouldn't choke. Plus I was right here watching the whole time just in case." He smiles, looking at it with a soft expression, "It looked like it was on the verge of crying the whole time. Kinda like I did a lot after I was brought home."

Tommy crooned gently, "That's cute... Alright, let's take it to its room. We have plenty of toys there so after we change its clothes, we can let it explore."

Two weeks to spend with their baby, with no distractions.

Perfect.

They should invest in sound proofing however, considering how teary-eyed their little one was.

"It angry cries so much, it's adorable. It's like we got mixed as babies. But also shrunk? We were a lot bigger than it... Though it definitely has a taste for blood we didn't have. It bit me on the way to the kitchen." He didn't even mind being bitten. So long as it swallowed the blood it stole, it was hardly a waste. He could be bitten as many times as it needed to feel full. Just as long as it ate.

"Techno's going to love it..." Tommy commented, something prideful bubbling up in his mind. Even if they were going to hide it from them, he still wanted their family to love it just as much as they did when the rest inevitably found out.

"They're all going to absolutely adore it. That's why we have to hide it until it's safe." Their baby was perfect. So brilliantly perfect. None of their family would even hesitate to try to steal it away from them. To raise it as their own. They couldn't find out until the month was over.

Tommy unstrapped it from the chair, and picked it up, carefully cradling it even as Tubbo struggled. "Calm down, baby... we're just taking you back to your room." He reassured kindly.

"We're gonna go play for a bit before nap time. It's gonna be fun. And I'm sure you're gonna wanna look around your room a bit." Babies were prone to thoughts of running away. Having the chance to thoroughly explore their environment and find no viable escape should lessen that urge to run. They went to its room through Ranboo's door this time. It also had to be used to both of their rooms, so it didn't feel stressed if it did happen to wander into either room.

"What should it wear today, Ran?" Tommy called, scanning the closet filled with their old baby clothes. They would have to deal with them for the month. The skilled tailor that they knew would be too risky to go to until the rest of their family knew. Puffy was practically a family friend. One of her son's was best friends and rivals of sorts with one of Tommy's older brothers. Her other son was Foolish, so with the information of ordering lockable doors would easily expose their secret.

"Hmm... do you want to pick, baby? Or do you want one of us to pick for you? You'd look really cute in any of them. Even if it's all a bit big for you. You can have clothes tailored to fit you in a few weeks." Ranboo smiles softly at Tubbo . Who didn't seem even remotely happy. That was okay. It's hard to be happy during the first few days. Before you adjust to the fact you're an infant.

"I want my old clothes, Ran ." It snarled bitterly, still trying to struggle out of Tommy's grip. But luckily, Tommy had learnt from last time and kept a firm hold on the baby.

"Your old clothes were filthy and filled with holes..." Tommy explained calmly.

"Even if we thoroughly washed them, they would likely just fall apart at the seams. These clothes are soft, clean, and not on the verge of falling about. I looked in your closet. None of your old clothes were salvageable."

"I don't want to wear baby clothing." It stubbornly answered. 

Tommy tilted his head slightly, before looking back into the closet, then to Ran. "Do you think we have soft sweaters, perhaps? It might like those more..."

"Maybe... if we do, it's going to be really big on it. But if we roll up the sleeves and safety pin the neckline, it could probably wear one like a big dress."

Tommy nodded. "Yeah, that could work."  He looked down at the angry child in his arms, "Would you prefer that, Tub?" 

"... Yeah." came the quiet response, earning a happy chirp from Tommy.

Ranboo grins, "great. Let's find a nice sweater for you. Something comfortable that you won't trip over."

They want their little one to be happy and comfortable. And if that means watching it run around in a sweater that will undoubtedly look giant on it, then that's just what they'll have to do. "I'll give it one of mine, Ranboo, can you take the baby for a moment?" Tommy asked, adjusting his grip on Tubbo . 

"Of course." There's no hesitation from Ranboo as he takes Tubbo from Tommy's grasp. It still shocked him sometimes. How small and light it was. Tiny and fragile. It's a good thing there was nothing that could harm it now.

"Ran. Put me down, I can stand on my own." Tubbo suddenly spoke up, lightly biting on its own lip anxiously.

"You'll have plenty of time to stand and walk around once we get you out of your pyjamas, baby."

It let out an annoyed groan, and wore a pout until Tommy returned with one of his sweaters. It was light orange with darker orange splotches.  Too big for their baby but it would be comfortable enough, paired with a romper from the closet. "Are you gonna be nice while we get you into new clothes, baby?"

He wouldn't be surprised if it threw a fit when they tried. They could change it easily when it was asleep but it hasn't been an easy child while awake.

"I want to get dressed on my own." 

Tommy grabbed a washed-out brown romper from the closet, glancing at Ranboo. 'Does it match?' Ranboo squints at the romper before nodding, satisfied. He ignores Tubbo's statement.

"...Ran... I want to get dressed on my own. I told you this countless times that I'm not a baby."

Their baby was desperate to be independent. It needed to understand that, it was only little. It couldn't do these things on it's own yet. " Tubbo , baby, I know this is a lot for you to process. But you don't have to force yourself to take care of yourself anymore. We're here to take care of you now. So let us take care of you. It will get easier if you just accept it."

He looks at it with a small smile. It would learn with time. Just as every other child did. Even the most stubborn of babies understand eventually.

"I-!" 

"Put Tubbo down on the carpet, Ran... we can start getting it dressed." Tommy chirped happily, today was going well for them so far. No matter how difficult Tubbo was being, he knew it would all be worth it.

Ranboo nods, carefully setting down their kid on the carpeted floor, ready to catch it if it tried to run before they could get it dressed. It just had to wait another minute to start playing. Just another minute. Babies were just impatient sometimes. It was a struggle to get it undressed, Tubbo squirming and whining until tears were once again rolling down its face.

"Shh... It's okay, baby. I'm sorry, but you will get to play soon." Tommy reassured gently, grabbing the new, clean clothes from next to him.

"It's so fussy... Just a minute, little one. I know you're impatient and want to go play but you gotta wait a minute for us to get you dressed." It was cute when it cried. He understood now why Phil always cooed over him when he cried, if he was even half as adorable as their Tubbo . Ranboo wanted nothing more than to scoop it up and comfort it. But clothes first.

Tommy first tugged on its romper then pulled the large sweater over its head, lightly tapping the baby's nose once they got it on. It was difficult because of how much Tubbo was squirming, but that was alright. They managed to do it anyway- 

and Wilbur said Tommy wasn't responsible... ha , He'll show him.

Ranboo moved to help it sit up once Tommy was done, practically purring at the sight of their little one still cutely pouting. "There you go, baby. Are you ready to go play? Actually look around your room a bit?"

"... Whatever." It seemed to be in a grumpy mood, glaring at the floor.  It was a shame, they really did miss how it laughed, but they all started like this. They couldn't allow themselves to get cold feet just because the first little while was difficult.

It took months for Tommy to properly calm down, to stop being angry and start enjoying himself. Ranboo himself was skittish and avoided contact as much as possible for just as long. All babies had their funny quirks after they're first taken home. It just means their eventual cheer will be all the more sweet when they do eventually snap out of it. They just had to encourage the behaviour they wanted to see as much as they could for now.

Ranboo set it down on a soft playmat and Tommy brought out toys from the toy chest.  "Alright... I think it's time we eat something, Ran. We haven't eaten since yesterday, and now that Tubbo is playing, it will give us some time to do that." Tommy said, stretching out his wings that have grown stiff from lack of use. 

"Yeah. Something fast though. I don't want to leave it unsupervised for too long. Even with all the safety precautions."

Tommy ruffled its hair affectionately, and the two exited the room.  "While we're down here, we should figure out how we'll sneak food up there when my family gets back... and probably make a bottle for when it's naptime."

"We could try getting food in the middle of the night. It would be hard with Wilbur's insomnia but we're less likely to get spotted by Phil and Techno. We could probably try to pass most of it off as midnight snacks..."

"That's a good idea. It'll be easier ‘cause there's two of us, one can distract if we spot him." Tommy continued as they reached the kitchen, glancing at where he left the bag of shopping from earlier. 

"I can make us some sandwiches, you can make it's bottle ready. We can bring our food to its room, so we can eat comfortably and not worry about it getting hurt without us there." Tasks decided, Ranboo goes to make the bottle. Carefully reading the instructions of the sleepy drugs. He has to make sure not to give too much. It could negatively impact their little one.

Tommy made sure that they both had their own sandwiches, even slicing Ranboo's into triangles, since he liked his like that.  When they were younger, Techno used to cut their food into all kinds of shapes, once even cutting their sandwiches into the shapes of swords. Tommy tried to hit Wilbur with his, bursting into tears when it fell apart.

Memories such as those he hoped they would have with their own little one.

They would get their own cute moments eventually. Once Tubbo settles down. Once they can carry it around the house without worry. Watch it bond with the rest of their family. They could hardly wait for those moments.

Once everything was ready, they headed back upstairs. Tommy opened the door and nearly dropped the plate when he saw Tubbo climbing up the bookcase, trying to reach the window's latch.

"Holy-! Ranboo, oh shit-!!"

" Tubbo, get down! " His voice was definitely panicked as he compelled it. He didn't even think before doing so. Only focusing on how their changeling could get hurt. Mechanically, the child climbed down, sitting at the foot of the bookcase, Tommy quickly placing the plate on the dresser before running to wrap his arms protectively around their baby .

"Oh gods..." He breathed, not letting it wriggle out of his grasp. Ranboo placed the bottle beside the sandwiches before rushing over to the other two.

"Why would you do that? Why- baby, the window has been sealed shut, why would you climb up there?"

It whined before growling out, "I wanted to leave. The doors were locked, so I tried to get out through the windows." 

Tommy warbled sadly, red wings wrapping around all three of them.

"Baby. It's not safe out there. You would have fallen and hurt yourself even if the window could be opened. Which it won't." Ranboo reminded gently. He runs a hand through its hair, trying to keep his voice even and calm. "Where would you have even gone, baby?"

" Home ." It shouted, slamming its hands down onto the carpeted floor. "I want to go home , I want to go back to my shitty cabin where I can do what I want and not be treated like I'm a toddler."

" Tubbo . You aren't even in the same world as that rotting hovel anymore. We're taking care of you. But if you leave this house, you'll just be picked up by a complete stranger and you would just be their baby instead. You can't leave."

Then, it started crying. Not tearing up quietly like it did before, but bawling its eyes out.

"Oh, baby..." Tommy hushed, hugging it more, "It's gonna be okay... you're safe."

"I know, I know, it's a lot, baby. But we all have to learn eventually. It's better to learn quickly rather than have reality come crashing down on you. We're here to take care of you, baby. We aren't here to hurt you." He gently wipes away tears, holding both it and Tommy close. It cried more, until its sobbing turned into tired sniffles. 

"Alright... I think it's time you take a nap. You've had a tough day today, I promise tomorrow will be better."  Tommy turned to Ranboo, motioning for the bottle. "You cried a lot, so you should drink something before you rest, baby."

Ranboo nods, collecting the bottle before offering it toward Tommy. "I'm... starting to think maybe I shouldn't have just repeated what Techno told me... I think I made it worse..."

"Do you think so? I mean, Techno told me that too..." Tommy grabbed the bottle, moving it closer to Tubbo .

The baby looked so tired, it didn't even realise the bottle was pushed into it's mouth until it had already been done. Just like last night, Tommy lightly squeezed on the bottle, until eventually all of it was swallowed down. "There we go... See? Everything's alright..."

"I mean, it did just cry harder than I think it's ever cried before... I don't like making it cry... it worked with me because I'm weak willed. But its so soft that the whole speech might have been too harsh." Still, he lightly ran his fingers through its hair, trying to remain at least a semi-comforting presence while it drank.

"I wish we could ask for advice without risking its safety... but there's nothing we can do right now. Just wait the month out, and hope for the best." When the bottle was empty, Tommy gently pulled it out, smiling as he saw the effects of drugs already working on their little one when it yawned.

"There... I think it's naptime now..."

"We just need to last the month. Then we can ask for help as needed. We can do this." He smiles as it yawns. He was curious about how fast-acting the drug would be for their little one. Good to know it was effective when all of it was consumed. "Let's get you to bed, baby."

Each day was similar leading up to the rest of the family's return. 

Tommy would wake up, check on Tubbo while Ranboo got it's breakfast ready. They would struggle to get it dressed even while it whined and growled. They moved it's highchair into the bedroom so they could start getting to a routine for when the family comes back. 

They would feed it, then set it down to play, even if it didn't exactly do that. It mostly just stared at the ground, and sometimes rocked itself back and forth. After that they'd feed it a bottle, and let it nap for a bit. When it woke up, they'd feed it dinner, let it play a bit more. By then it was actual bedtime.

The two were getting the hang of things.

Then Phil, Techno and Wilbur came home.

Chapter Text

All at once, any routine they were in became more difficult to maintain. They couldn't just stay locked away in their rooms day in and day out. Phil would have kicked down their doors to baby them if they even tried. No, they had to keep up an act of normalcy while keeping a close eye on their baby. Which was far and away easier said than done.

They had to start working in shifts, all the while hiding the new door that appeared in both of their rooms.  Ranboo knew illusion spells, so that part wasn't too difficult. But as for the rest? Much more difficult.

It had been about 4 days into their return, when Techno confronted them about their weird behaviour. They were hoping they were flying under the radar. That no one would notice. But Techno had always been the most observant out of all the family. It was hard to hide anything from him. They probably should have seen this coming but they were not the most forward thinking pair.

"What are you two up to?" He asked plainly. He was always direct, never tiptoeing around questions.

"Oh, hi Tech..." Tommy awkwardly greeted.

"Hi Techno. What do you mean?" Ranboo asks, keeping a friendly smile on his face even as he internally panics.

"You two have been more quiet than usual ever since we got back. Not only that but you've been sneaking around, and very fidgety. You always seem to want to be in your rooms." He listed off, maintaining eye contact with at least one of them at a time, swapping to stare at the other every now and again. Ranboo practically shook under the eye contact but trying his best to maintain it. Eye contact was uncomfortable but he could manage. It was just Techno. Techno was safe to look in the eyes.

"We've... been planning a surprise. So we really can't tell you about it." A technical truth. A baby would be quite the surprise.

"A surprise?" He asked, his tone agonisingly slow. "and It's not anything dangerous?"

"Not even remotely dangerous." He allowed himself to sound confident. It wasn't a lie, after all. Tubbo wasn't dangerous. It was just tiny. 

The mountain of a man gave each of them one last long stare, before huffing in amusement. "Alright then. Don't let me spoil your fun."

"Thanks Techno. Have fun with whatever it is you're doing," Ranboo says awkwardly. Ending conversations was... always so bad. Why did he agree to handle any talking needed to hide the baby again?

Right, because Tommy couldn't hide a single half truth from his family. Too prone to overexagerration. He nodded before walking past them.  Once they've decided it had been long enough, they both let out sighs of relief. These two weeks couldn't end soon enough.

The routine was normal with their baby, it just killed them to not be able to spend more time with it now. It still cried a lot, demanded to go back to its old cabin and bit them a lot . It was fine, they trained with Techno, they could just bandage it up and pass it off as a wound from that-.

It was going to be just fine.

Nevermind the fact they were intentionally gathering some of their blood the more and more it bit them. Their baby liked the taste of blood. Who were they to deny it something it clearly enjoyed? Especially something so easy to get. 

They would do anything for their baby. No matter the cost. It was worth it for the moments when it was calm. When it was so tired it couldn't complain and they could hold it close and read it stories as it drifted off to sleep. When it was older, they would revisit their times in the outdoors. 

When the month was over they could start building greenhouses, conservatories and apiaries. They would make it the happiest it's ever been, even if the first month was difficult, it would have a happy life.

They had 2 days left when Wilbur came up to them, a curious look in his eyes.

It put them on the defensive almost immediately. A curious Wilbur was dangerous. Techno could be talked away easily enough if he's curious. He just wanted reassurances that they were safe when he was curious. Wilbur though... Wilbur tended to not let go of a topic. He would stubbornly cling to an idea unless you took drastic measures to make him focus on something else. Less observant than Techno but harder to deal with when he finally does notice something.

"Hello Tommy. Hello Ranboo." He greeted, smiling gently, looking between them carefully. Observing their every move.

"Ayup, king..." Tommy answered, trying to keep a happy yet neutral expression on his face.  He couldn't lie to Wilbur. Out of all his family members, he knew Tommy the most.

"Hey Wilbur," Ranboo greets. This could end very, very badly if they say one wrong thing, "What's up?"

He was careful to keep his expression from betraying his nerves. There wasn't much he could do to help Tommy. He can only hope he can do enough to lower any of Wilbur's suspicions.

"Techno told me you were planning a surprise. Mind giving your favourite older brother a hint as to what it is? I'm dying to know." 

Tommy laughed nervously, "Sorry, Will. We can't man. It'll ruin the surprise if we do. Plus it's not finished yet." Not a lie, their baby wasn't finished becoming officially, irreversibly theirs.

"And since when were you the favourite older older brother?" Ranboo says with a slight grin, "I'm pretty sure it's still Techno." It's a cheap distraction. But maybe it would be enough. Wilbur's been distracted before by dumb contests that meant nothing.

Wilbur gasped in a mock-offence. "What? How is Techno better than me?"

"He can sword fight." Tommy answered simply, shrugging. He had a challenging smirk on his face.

"That does automatically make him cooler. Didn’t you trip and fall on your face last time you bothered to come to the training grounds? Y'know, the single time you actually went there last century? Techno doesn't trip over his own feet."

Wilbur crossed his arms, annoyed. "I take you guys on road trips!" He practically whined. "I also have your backs when dad gets on your case. How am I not the cooler brother?"

A stupid argument, but the issue was successfully overcome.

"You like to stay inside all the time when we don't go on road trips. All you do is play guitar, read, and flirt with the salmon lady."

"Plus Ranboob could best you in a sword fight and that automatically makes you lame. He's not even good with a sword."

"Wh- hey c'mon, why do you always switch to making fun of me?"

"Because you're a sad sad wrong'un, boob boy." They argued for at least an hour or so before Wilbur was called to help their father with something. Tommy groaned, rubbing his head.

"Two more days, boober."

"We can fend them off for two more days... maybe next time we can distract him by saying he's not even Techno's favourite older brother? ‘Cause his favourite is definitely Dream and it distracts Wilbur because Dream isn't even technically his brother?? Just... two more days. We're so close, Tommy."

There were comments here and there, but the next two days were calm.

A day after the month was over, Wilbur cornered them again. This time he had Techno in tow. They wanted to wait a little longer, just in case they got the times wrong but now they had to deal with this. "Oh, hey guys? What's uh, What's up?" Ranboo's smile is a hesitant one. They wanted more time. Yes, they could address this now. But only if they had to. Poor Tubbo would probably be so skittish when these two came to meet it.

"Hey Ranboo. Tommy. I have a question for you." Wilbur started, a mix of curiosity and a hidden lace of anger in his eyes. "Where's your old baby stuff? I was looking for it earlier because I was in that reminiscing type mood. Nostalgic and all that..." They took steps closer, "Do you happen to know what happened to them?"

They both froze, clearly not at all expecting that question. That... They had to have figured it out. Why else would Wilbur look? Everything had been coated in a thick layer of dust so this was clearly not something he normally did.

Still, Ranboo tried to press his luck, "We, uh... are letting someone else borrow it right now."

" Who? " Techno snarled, looking directly at Ranboo. A simple underlying message. ' Don't try to deceive me. '

"...a friend?" They were friends. For the few days before they brought their baby home. It's not deceit. It's not.

" Ranboo ." Techno said darkly, "You're trying to mislead us. It is not going to work." 

Tommy let out a frightened chirp, wings ruffling up when Wilbur turned around and walked in the direction of their rooms. 'oh shit-'

Ranboo whimpered, shrinking under Techno's gaze and unable to hide the panic that appeared on his face as Wilbur walked towards their rooms. "Wh- wait, can- can't we just... leave it be for a few more days? It's nothing bad-"

Techno grabbed them both by the wrist, leading them to follow Wilbur.  "If you're hiding what we think you are, Phil will be informed." He said plainly.

They both stay silent. There was nothing they really could say. They were caught. Plain and simple. Anything they did would just further incriminate them. Not that they even could incriminate themselves anymore. Wilbur was probably about to enter its room. Wilbur pulled down the handle, an annoyed huff when it didn't open, glancing at Techno for assistance. Letting go of their hands, giving a simple command of " Stay ." Techno kicked the door down.

Their hearts shattered as they saw their baby back itself into a corner, pure panic and fear in its eyes.

" Please , It's so scared, calm down-" Tommy immediately started.

"You're scaring it, let- let us go in first, Techno, please-" Ranboo pleads, hesitantly reaching forward to tug at the larger fae's sleeve, "Please, it's scared ."

They saw how both of their eyes softened at the sight of the baby. They hadn't seen one since Tommy and Ranboo were little, so of course they'd react that way. "H...How? When? Where?" Wilbur began, looking at them for answers, but letting Tommy enter to calm it down.

"Hey, Tubbo . It's okay... everything is fine-."

" What the fuck?! " It shouted, sounding extremely panicked and confused.

"Baby, shhh, it's okay. Relax. I promise it's okay." Ranboo slides past right behind Tommy. Their baby was more important. So much more important.

"Just breathe, baby. Your, ah... your uncles just wanted to see you. It's okay to relax." They could hear its heartbeat, thumping loudly like a frightened rabbit. 

A soft chuff from behind them. Techno . They knew he wasn't mad anymore. How could he be after seeing their perfect little one?  Wilbur, however, was another case.

"I'm getting Phil-..."

"Wh- Wil no! He's going to make it even more overwhelmed. It would cry!"

Ranboo pulls it closer to him protectively. As if he could wrap his arms around it and hide it away from the world again. This was not how he was hoping to introduce their baby to the family. But it was too late, he was already down the hallway calling out for their father.

Techno walked closer, tilting his head. "How long have you had it for?" Tubbo shrinked back, refusing to make eye contact with him. 

"...A bit over a month now. We'd already been planning on bringing it home and then you told us you would be gone for two weeks so- so we took advantage of that time..."

Whatever false peace had fallen over them was shattered quickly. Phil always came running when his children called. And his eldest rarely called on him for trivial things. (No, wanting attention is not trivial. Not to Phil.) It barely took a minute for him to appear.

The man walked in, eyes widening at the sight of the child. They knew how baby-crazy this man could be. Especially with how they ended up with the custody of Ranboo, and how they nearly had an additional brother out of Dream. If it wasn't for Puffy being as tough as she was, Phil would've probably succeeded with his many attempts to steal him.

But they knew it was too late for that, all they had to worry about is their child, who cried way too easily.

"Dad..." Tommy started nervously

"Mate... where'd you get a baby?" It was far too late. Phil's eyes were practically gleaming as he stared at Tubbo. Undoubtedly, the man was already planning to simply scoop it up and take it away. It was in his nature to do so.

Ranboo held it even closer, internally thanking the stars it took this long for them to be found out. Because it meant they could derail Phil's train of thought before he plucked their baby from them, "It's already been over a month since we brought it home, Phil..." a nd Phil didn't even bother to hide his clear disappointment at that.

"We hid it because we knew you'd try to take it from us!" Tommy growled, more annoyance than actual anger. He could never actually be mad at his father. Nor his brothers. They cared, that's why they did this.

Tubbo struggled in their grip, tears forming in the corners of his eyes once again. "Let me go, Ran. I swear to the fucking gods-." 

Techno chuffed again. "Reminds me of Tommy..."

Phil cooed, stepping further into the room. He may be disappointed at the fact he couldn't steal the baby from his children. But he still could help care for it. And he could not deny the cuteness that was an upset baby. He loved seeing them angrily pout. "It gets angry like Tommy did but it cries a lot more. Nearly as much as I did, honestly. It's adorable. I miss its laughter though..."

Tommy's expression darkened, and he glanced at Ranboo before saying, "If you saw the state it was in before... fuck it would've made you so mad. All of you."

Remembering the broken house, it brushing off breaking it's leg, the disgusting behaviour from the older villagers, needing to sell its own food to survive and even then needing to lower the price. Ranboo swallows before making direct eye contact with Phil, "It was by itself, no one was looking after it... it's only 17..."

The room was silent aside from the baby's whining at that. It was a horrifying thought, honestly. The idea that a baby as young as 17 was by itself. Forced to take care of itself. That alone was enough to cause distress and rage. It would only get worse when they would eventually give their family all the details. But after their baby calmed down. Their baby came first.

"I'm- It's been having trouble sleeping so we've been using the same formula that Ranboo used to take. I think we should put it to bed before we explain everything." Tommy concluded, going to grab the bottle they left earlier from the dresser.

"Alright Tubbo , please don't give us grief today." He handed the bottle to Ranboo. Tommy usually fed it but Ranboo needed to practice, just in case Tommy was busy one day. Ranboo took the bottle. He still wasn't the best at it but he was getting better. Though he could tell near immediately that there it would be giving them grief today, gritting its teeth and turning its head away.

Phil came to kneel before the trio, watching intently. After a moment of Ranboo struggling, he reached out to adjust their position, speaking softly, "You're holding it wrong. It won't be comfortable eating like that. It's a good attempt based off of memory and books though."

"It's so determined to be independent, we've been trying our best to work with what we had." Tommy spoke softly, sighing in relief when Ranboo finally managed to get it to take the bottle.

Wilbur crossed his arms. "Can't believe you two got a kid before me or Techno." 

Tommy smirked, "We're just smarter than either of you, Wil."

"Techno had his chance and couldn't manage to keep me hidden from Phil. You just refuse to even try to find a kid. You don't have to be jealous when you weren't even playing."

They definitely would have been caught too soon if it weren't for the two week head start their absence had given them. But it was enough. They had succeeded in making sure their kid was theirs before their family found out.

"You do know what this means though, right you two?" Techno asked, a smirk growing on his face.

Tommy tilted his head, a bit confused. "What-?"

"In two weeks, it will be one of us."

"We've been counting the days, Techno. The longest we were going to keep it hidden was another week. We don't know what to expect change wise so there was a high likelihood of needing help..."

He smiled softly down at Tubbo , who was still angrily sipping away at its bottle. Though it was definitely starting to drift off, blinking slower and slower with each passing moment, "But I can't wait to see."

"Do you think it'll have wings like us? Horns like Ranboo?" Tommy was excited just thinking about it.  A fae's appearance was based on who the caretakers were along with some other strange factors that give it individuality. For example, all of Phil's children have wings. But Wilbur had sharp teeth, Techno grew tusks from his bottom lip and Tommy's wings were slightly smaller than average. 

Tubbo could become anything and that mere thought got all of them restlessly thrilled.  It was always an exciting day when a baby's fae traits came in. When it officially became something better than human. Something they would never have to let go of. Their little changeling.

Ranboo moved carefully when it finished its bottle, gently depositing it into its bed. Tucking it in so it could sleep peacefully and comfortably.

"Alright, it's asleep. Now you will explain everything." Techno said sternly, but his eyes were fixated on the baby, laying in its bed.

Everyone's eyes were.

"This is Tubbo . Tommy originally found it tending to our ring. We watched it for a while before we did anything. It... gods, it was so small out by itself. Showing up with a new scratch or bruise every day. Sitting by itself before leaving. We had to bring it home." Ranboo started, smiling excitedly, "So we made a plan and I went to talk to it, see what exactly the situation was, y'know? And- and it just- It gave me its name almost immediately. It didn't even know what I was even though I said the ring was mine. The village nearby had told it the rings were dangerous but didn't give a single explanation as to why, a nd it took me to where it was staying and it was so hard to not drag it home right then and there. It was a rotting shack that it had to buy ! It cut itself on the door just trying to open it. There wasn't a single other person around and it had to sell honey to even keep living and the villagers made it lower its prices from 5 silver to 2 silver."

It seems he wasn't the only one who was angered by what he was saying. Phil kept a neutral expression, but they could feel the angry energy coming off of him.

He was pissed.

Techno and Wilbur weren't fairing any better.

"It let us touch it, ate our food without thinking twice. I swear if we didn't take him, another surely would have." Tommy continued

"It let me pick it up and it was so light . It's put on weight since we took it in and it's still underweight. And that's not even mentioning the fact it broke its leg trying to patch a hole in its roof so that awful hut would stop leaking when it rains."

"And then later when it told the villagers about us, they just yelled at it to not go near us and still didn't explain why. It was too late by then. We both had been freely given its name and entry into its hovel and it told us about it right before eating our food. But how dare they fail so badly."

Phil nodded, puffed up feathers betraying his cold expression and making his anger obvious. "hm... they never took care of a little child. How disgusting."

"Oh-! But I know something that you will like, dad." Tommy suddenly piped up, gaining his father's attention. "Our little one likes eating its food with our blood."

Phil physically perked up at that, a pleased grin stretching across his face, "aw, just like a lil Techno. It's always fun when they're a little bit vicious. I can't even count how many times Tech bit me before I understood he liked the taste of blood."

"It's definitely got a strong jaw. But we've made sure it's been getting an even mix of our blood. It's easiest to mix it into its bottle."

"I'm actually glad you know now... We've been having a lot of trouble with how weepy and stubborn the little thing can be." Tommy admitted, fidgeting with his hands.  "It tried to climb up the bookshelf on its second day to get out the window."

Now that they knew, they could start letting it explore the house, and even start getting it it's own clothing, bed and items. It could get things that fit properly. And they wouldn't have to leave it alone for as long or keep switching off who got to spend time with it. The rest of their family could help now. They could start getting it everything it could possibly want. Everything it deserved. They would be able to spoil their baby rotten.

The rest of the day went well. Phil taught them tricks, along with setting up a plan for the following day. Wilbur would go with Tommy to Puffy's to order proper clothing, while Techno went to Foolish to get a bed properly made.

But then Phil, while they were struggling to get the screaming and kicking baby into its new clothes after it woke up from its nap, asked them something. "How did you wash the baby while we were here?"

Tommy froze. ' Shit .'

"....it wasn't really getting dirty?" Ranboo tried awkwardly.

Which was the absolute wrong thing to say based off of how Phil proceeded to scold them both for the next hour before scooping the baby up and disappearing into the bathroom. They could hear how it screamed and whined to be let go from where they were standing. But unlike them, Phil wasn't above using commands to make children listen, so it quickly quietened down.

Phil was a lot more strict in his parenting style than them. Had to be in order to deal with his fussier than average babies. Ranboo and Tommy, by comparison, were soft. Still, there was a lot they could learn from the old fae. They had a much calmer two weeks ahead of them, and when it was over and their baby started changing.

They would all be there to comfort it. Their little Tubbo . It will become something better than human. Something more. Their son . They spent the two weeks preparing. Everyone reacted to their changes differently. Some spent their time changing in pain. Some simply woke up the next morning with new features. There would be no telling how it would go for their precious, tiny Tubbo .

They kept their changeling distracted. Tried to get it to play and rest and eat. Let it stay in their rooms while changes happened in its own room. Foolish was commissioned for another door as Techno had damaged the original one beyond repair.

It was, over all, a fine two weeks. But none of them slept as soon as they crossed that two week line. They all sat nearby. Resting and waiting. Just in case their baby needed them.

Chapter Text

To put it in the most simple way possible. Tubbo hated his life.

He grew up as a scrawny kid on the village streets, struggled to get money, learnt how to farm and harvest honey from bees. He learnt how to fight tooth and nail to survive. He got his own home, his own beehives, and everything he needed. Then he made a very big mistake. A huge mistake. No, he made many huge mistakes that led up to the worst mistake of his life.

Number one: he trusted another person.

Number two: he got attached.

Number three: he didn't heed the villagers' warnings.

Those three mistakes led him to where he is now. On a carpeted floor of a locked-from-the-outside child's bedroom. Dressed in clothing that looked like it belonged to an infant yet fit him embarrassingly well. Fed food made for babies and probably drugged milk.  Stuck inside a house belonging to five insane fuckers.

It was bad enough dealing with Ran and Tom. But Techno? Will? Phil?! They were somehow worse than the previous two combined. They talked above him like he couldn't hear them, and acted like half the time they couldn't hear him. They called him an 'it' for crying out loud.

It was hard not to cry, and he did cry. A lot actually. An embarrassing amount of tears were shed, in all honesty. But their recent topic of discussion around him terrified him. He was going to change. Tubbo didn't want to become a fae, he just wanted to be normal.

He wanted to go home, even if it was cold, even if the wood was rotting, even if his roof had holes. He would've preferred it over this. It drove him crazy how they treated him. 

That was when the pain began, and that was when he wished for those soft gentle touches and hugs once more. The pain was unbearable. Coming from two points on his head, two points on his back and a stinging hot, feverish feeling from his ears. It made his head pulsate and caused him to let go of a small bit of pride he had left. Just for a moment.

He called out for them. Cried out for help. Barely a second passed before one of the doors opened and they all came into the room. Quietly shushing his cries, delicately pulling him up off of the floor. Gentle hands pet through his hair, hold him close and whisper sweet reassurances as he cries.

It all felt like too much. Too sharp, too hot. Tears streamed down his face, though they felt more like magma. The sensation of it was too much. Too much. Too much as cool hands wipe at his face. Too much as he was cradled close, held like something precious. Too much as they all whispered to him, over and over.

Baby boy, you're okay sweetheart, you're doing so well baby, just a bit longer Tubbo, you'll feel better soon, you're so strong, baby boy, just rest now, we're here, we're here, we're here .  

*----*

Tommy cradled the small child, whispering soft encouragement. He hoped their little one would be able to sleep through its transformation, but that didn't seem to be the case. They heard it cry out for them. He and Ranboo had left it in its bedroom to play, Ranboo helping Phil cook dinner while Tommy planned to train with Techno.

All of that was immediately dropped when they heard the small thing cry out for them. It had never done that before, so all of them were immediately thrown into a panic.

They had found their child laying on the floor, crying from pain. And there wasn't much they could do beyond comfort it and hold it as it changed. Their baby needed them in that moment. But all they could do was try to comfort it. Try to calm it. Try to get it to breathe past its sobs.

"Back hurts... hurts , please make it stop." It begged, sobbing into their arms. 

Phil immediately moved to, much to Ranboo and Tommy's dismay, rip a hole in the back of Tubbo's shirt. "It's faster than taking it off," Came his simple explanation. There were red marks on its back, skin breaking and peeling away as something pushed to the surface. 

It was an agonising few hours. At some point Wilbur got it something to drink mixed with a light remedy, and it gulped it down without much thinking. It's sobbing died down a bit, the medication dulling the pain without interfering with the transformation.

Wings broke through the surface and the poor boy screamed.

They weren't feathery like Tommy's though. No, they were more akin to bee-wings.

They do what they can. Cleaning up its back, careful of the new wings. Tiny little things that looked as fragile as the rest of it. So fitting their Tubbo . They let it cry into them and do their best to comfort it through hours and hours of pain. But they can only watch and clean up split skin, blood, sweat, and tears.

That wasn't the end, Tommy shaking Ranboo's arms excitedly as branch-like antlers grew from its head and its ears sharpened to a point.

He was dry heaving by the end of it, breathing heavily as the new weight caught him to lose balance. He was one of them. They very gently held him, cooing as his changes finally stopped. He was adorable. Just as cute as they imagined he would be.

"There you are, baby boy. Let's get you cleaned up, then you can rest, okay?" The boy whined as they took him to the bathroom and cleaned him up. They washed away the blood from where the horns and wings sprouted, massaging carefully where the new appendages were growing. 

Tubbo seemed very shaky, whimpering still about how his body aches. 

His eyes opened, and they saw his pupils. What was previously blue were now honey-coloured. "Hey Tubbo. The worst of it is over now. We're just getting you nice and clean so you can get some sleep. You did so well. You're so strong, baby."

While Phil and Tommy would definitely miss the blue eyes, there was no denying how much the pretty honey suited him. Especially with the new wings that he seemed to flutter without realising. Wings took awhile to get used to. Horns were far easier to deal with by comparison. It's a good thing he has plenty of time with them to get used to them.

Tommy went to fetch new clothing, frowning when he realised they needed holes for wings. Phil sighed and used scissors this time to cut holes into it. They'd have to get custom made clothing to accommodate them, but they were willing to do that for their child.

Ranboo pulled him out of the tub, gently dried him off making sure to be extra careful around the wings before they got him dressed in the softest clothing they had, being gentle when they slipped the fragile wings through the slits.

When they reached his cot, the boy had already fallen asleep, body reaching a feverish temperature. That was normal, they knew it was normal but it didn't make it any less upsetting to see their little one in pain.

They could do nothing but wait for the fever to break and the pain to pass. It was unlikely that any of them would be able to sleep, too wrapped up in keeping a watch on him. Even when Phil insists on them taking shifts so everyone has a chance to rest.

They stick close. Just because everything was normal so far, did not mean it would stay that way. And it was better to keep an eye on Tubbo rather than be caught off guard again, a nd it was important to them that Tubbo wouldn't wake up alone.

When he finally woke up, Tommy called out for the rest of the family. Tubbo looked around, confusion filling his gaze. The blond lightly placed a hand on his forehead, feeling for the fever.  "Not as bad as before, that's good." He concluded, the newly formed fae too much in a daze to pull away from Tommy's touch. "How are you feeling, Tubbo? Does it still hurt?" Tommy's voice was soft as he smiled down at him. 

The others slowly filtered into the room, most of them looking utterly exhausted but delighted to see him finally awake. They didn't crowd him too much, babies still get overwhelmed easily and he would be extra delicate right now.

"No...?" He murmured, rubbing his eyes. Tubbo's wings buzzed, causing the boy to yelp in surprise, turning his head back to see what made the noise. His eyes widened when they saw the yellow bug wings, breathing growing faint. "Wha-? What the fuck?" 

Tommy's fingers brushed lightly against the antlers, flowers growing off of them already. Perfect . Even better than anything they could have guessed. "That's good. It means your changes are pretty much done. And they really do suit you, baby." Ranboo says as he peeks over Tommy to look at their little one. "It might take a bit of time to get used to walking again. Horns can really mess with your balance. But we'll be right here to help catch you if you fall."

"Horns?" He asked, looking up at Ranboo with a confused expression plastered on his face. Tubbo's fingers travelled up, and brushed over where the antlers were growing from, freezing on the spot. "Holy shit-..." Came the terrified reply.

"Antlers to be more specific. They're bigger than I imagined but, again, they suit you. Balance will be annoying until you're used to their weight. But at least your wings aren't heavy so it should be less adjusting than it would be if they were feathered."

"All of my boys fell over backwards the first few days after their changes. Wings are a lot heavier than people would think." Phil chimes in from a short distance away, "Though those who have more bug-like wings say they don't interfere with balance too much so the antlers are the main concern for him."

"I don't-... How did this happen? " He searched their eyes for the answers, like he couldn't understand what events led up to him changing in this way. He looked so scared, so confused. "What am I? "

"You're one of us, Tubbo. Better than human. Perfect. You're perfect ." And they look at him with pure, unfiltered fondness. Even as he's doomed to spend the rest of his eternity with them.

Tubbo went pale, wings buzzing more in panic. "No-... I can't be. " For the first time in a while, he tried to get out of the bed, wings mildly aiding him though not a lot. It would take him a bit to truly learn how to fly. He was scared, scared of the changes. This was also normal. Everyone reacted that way to first seeing how their body changed.

They're careful to reach out, to help him keep his balance. It's adorable to see him need help for something so simple. Their poor baby really does try so hard to be independent. "It's okay. The change is odd for everyone. It might be a bit hard to recognize yourself in a mirror for the first few days. But it's far better than being human ."

They placed him on the carpet, Phil telling them to give him some space to try and get used to his new limbs. The wings lacked total motor control at that point, but their little one needed to learn how to balance himself. Tubbo pushed himself onto his knees and tried to stand up, before falling down from the weight of his antlers. They were lucky the carpet was there otherwise he really could have hurt himself. "It's so heavy-..."

"If you stand up straight, it's a bit easier. Do you want something to hold onto?" Babies tended to hold onto things when they learned to stand. Relearning balance is easier when you aren't free standing. But their baby has to want help. He'll just get fussy if help is forced onto him.

"...sure." He responded hesitantly, shifting to sit on his knees again. Tubbo rubbed the back of his neck, the weight of his new antlers probably causing some stiffness there.

Ranboo offers him a hand, smiling, "Just hold onto me. It's easier when you can lean against someone." Much to their shock and joy, Tubbo took the offer, using it to help him stand up. He put his entire weight onto the taller fae as he rose up onto his shaking legs, even resting his head against Ranboo's side.

Ranboo easily remains stable as Tubbo finds his footing like a newborn fawn. He can't help but smile all the while. "There you go. You're already doing way better than I did when I first got my horns."

"Cause I'm stronger than you." Came his snarky reply, causing chuckles to go around between the family. No one argued against him. You never tell a baby they're wrong when it's about something silly. Though if Tubbo ever got into a fight with Ranboo when he was a baby, Tubbo certainly would have come out victorious over the skittish beanpole who fell on his face so many times he would have broken his nose if the floor wasn't soft.

"That you are... you wanna try walking? I'll be right here to help you stay stable, baby." They helped him wander out of the room, but when they reached the stairs he paused. 

"... I'm- I- I'm gonna fall, Ran." He murmured softly, looking at the others. "I don't wanna go down them."

"I can carry you down if you want. I won't ever let you fall, okay? None of us will."

"...Fine. Just be careful, 'Kay?" He mumbled, annoyed.

Techno gave a wary glance to Ranboo, "Are you sure you can carry him down? If you can't, I can do it for you..." Ranboo grins excitedly as Tubbo gives his permission, pausing only to give Techno a slightly annoyed look. He can carry his baby just fine, thank you very much.

"I'll be careful." He says as he picks Tubbo up, holding him close.

Tubbo clung onto him nervously as they walked down the stairs, wings buzzing erratically, only letting out a sigh of relief once they reached the bottom. "I can't wait to go flying with him-!" Tommy laughed, a big smile wide on his face. Things could not be more perfect.

"He's still fresh. He has to stay inside for a while longer until it's safe for him." Phil scolded.

"You still have all the wing exercises first too. Remember how you had to strengthen your wings for months before Phil ever considered pushing you off the roof?" Ranboo points out. "Plus normal bee wings move differently than normal bird wings so we might have to look into different ways for him to learn to fly too if his wings work in a similar way."

"We can ask Sneeg to help out." Wilbur pointed out, relaxed. "He has similar wings to Tubbo, after all." 

Tommy frowned, while he did trust Sneeg, he wasn't sure if he was ready to let more people see his baby yet. Ranboo leans over to set him down, though he's sure to stick close so Tubbo can lean against him as they walk. Still offering his hand for him to hold onto in case he needs it. "The ache will go away as you adjust to the wings. Just give it a bit."

"We should feed him now. Changelings need a lot of energy especially after developing their new forms." Phil hummed, directing them to the kitchen.

"Your first meal, as truly one of us." Tommy sighed, smiling at the thought

"Oh, it's gonna be so nice. Let's get some food. You must be so hungry, baby." They guide him toward the kitchen, fond smiles on each of their faces.

Tubbo still grumbled when they placed him in his highchair, demanding something that wasn't baby food, but at least he wasn't outright denying their affection. It was a genuine improvement, which they didn't fully expect. Just another thing to ask Phil about later when their baby was asleep. 

It delighted them regardless of whatever odd scenario was at work. They would ask later, sure, but for now they would simply have to take full advantage of Tubbo's lack of hostility. Eagerly feeding their baby solid but soft foods to keep him happy.

He would still have his bottle later when it was time for a nap... though perhaps he was tired enough that they could try to settle him down to sleep without adding anything to his bottle. The little thing was yawning still. He might not be able to stay awake once he lays down.

Wilbur had the genius idea of bringing down some of Tubbo's toys along with some soft blankets and pillows into the living room area so he could be with the rest of the family and not isolated. Should he feel tired enough he could sleep on his own, otherwise he could just play with his toys.

Play with his toys or read a book with them. Techno was eager to, once again, read the copy of "The Art of War: Baby Edition" that he somehow still had aloud to Tubbo. Despite the fact Tommy was sure he had thrown that very same book in the nearby river the second he was allowed outside unsupervised in his own childhood.

Regardless of what he decided to do, they had no plans of leaving Tubbo alone for any minute of it. He would have a hard time getting anywhere until he regained balance and leaving their baby alone, with no way to get to them was a scenario no one wanted to see.

Tubbo leaned against the foot of the couch, using it to help himself keep upright. He didn't seem that interested in the book that Techno immediately started reading to him, instead distracting himself with a train set Wilbur bought for him recently. I t was the kind you could pull apart and rebuild however you want. Once Phil asked him who the people were, that he pretended were getting run over by said train, laughing when the answer was 'All of you.'

They had found it hilarious and endearing. Yes, they knew he was completely serious. And undoubtedly their baby would try to hurt them if given the opportunity. But it was impossible to be at all intimidated by something you could pick up without breaking a sweat. Even when he was fully grown, on some level they knew he wouldn't get all that bigger. Some fae never got that tall, and some never got that strong.

Two good examples were Puffy and George. Puffy was a powerful fae, however she was shorter than most fae around, ironically enough her own children towered over her. As for George, despite being fully grown for tens of thousands of years, he was still one of the weaker fae. There was a likelihood of their little one staying that way forever, even if it got older.

He could be strong. Enough so to rival anyone in their family. But that would be far far down the line. And given how small he was now, he would be lucky if he gained half a foot of height total as he got older. Their little one would stay little and they would love every moment of it. Though undoubtedly he would complain for years about it. 

There was a knock at the door, immediately catching everyone's attention and putting both Tommy and Ranboo on high alert. Their baby was exposed. No one could see him now, not when he was so fragile. Who fucking dared to come now of all times?!

It only took a few seconds after the knock for the door to open, as it had been more of a courtesy knock rather than one seeking permission to enter. Why seek permission you've already had for longer than anyone could count, after all?

A horned man stepped inside their threshold, looking only vaguely annoyed, "Techno! I can't believe you just stood me up! We were supposed to-" The man freezes as he finally spots them all defensively huddled around Tubbo. Though Techno had a knife in his hand that he pulled out of somewhere and looked like he had been on the verge of attacking.

"....Is that a fucking baby?!"

Chapter Text

Dream stood, looking all shades of confused. 

Unlike most fae, Dream wasn't baby crazy. He was Ranboo's original caretaker, before handing the reins over to Technoblade. He claimed he wasn't ready to take care of another, considering he could barely take care of himself and had much more enjoyment out of adventuring and hanging out with friends. He still acted as Ranboo's godfather, helping out whenever needed. He is the main reason Ranboo developed horns, albeit slightly different to Dream's more ram-like ones.

"Uh... Sorry ." He awkwardly started, looking between each person except for Tubbo. Most of them relax a bit once they process who had barged their way into their home. Ranboo and Techno more so than the others. But that was mainly due to their own history.

"You're lucky I didn't stab you, Dream." Techno huffs as he puts away the knife, "What are you even doing here?"

"You skipped out on our meet up and didn't explain why! You could have just said you had a kid at home!" Dream crossed his arms, pouting, as if it was Techno's fault he barged into their house. It wasn't the first time he's done this. He usually lets himself into their home, acting like he lives here since he practically grew up there. Phil would've stolen him as a child if he wasn't under the threat of Puffy kicking his ass.

"Plus, even if you stabbed me. I coulda survived, you know that." He said confidently. 

"Dream you could've knocked-..." Phil started,

"I did though. No one answered so I let myself in, you know how it goes."

"You waited a single second before letting yourself in," Wilbur argues but Dream just waves it off.

"I knocked and no one answered. If Techno had bothered to tell me Phil decided to adopt again , I would have waited a bit longer. But instead he ditched me!"

"He's me and Ranboo's kid, Dream!" Tommy said, pride in his voice.

Dream went silent, tilting his head to the side. " Oh ... uh- How'd you hide 'im from Phil, then? Did you wrestle him back like my mom did that one time?"

"Little shits brought him home when we were gone for two weeks." Phil's tone is fond even as he rolls his eyes, "But they managed to hide him for an additional two weeks before we found out. The change just happened."

"Neither of them would be able to beat Phil off like your mom can and we all know it." Techno says with a shrug, "Congrats on not being a grandparent, by the way. Narrowly dodged that responsibility."

Dream burst into his usual wheezing laughter, Tubbo nervously looking at the new person he didn't recognise.

"Well, if you guys want me to leave, I can totally do that. I will only take a small bit of offence." The ram fae joked light-heartedly, no heat to his statement.

"Yeah that would be for the best, you can come back over once he can handle other people who aren't direct family?" Ranboo says a bit awkwardly, offering a small smile.

"Besides, you gotta go yell at your mom and brother cause both of them know about the kid and apparently decided not to tell ya." Techno adds, getting up to escort Dream out the door even though it was right there.

"Oh come on-... They knew ?" 

Techno walked Dream out of the house, and they heard distant conversation between the two before the pink-haired man walked back inside. "Dream's a cool guy, Tubbo. I'm sure you'll like him when you get to know him a little later..."

"When you're older and can handle being around people you don't know. You're still really young and it's normal to not meet strangers for a long time after the change." Their Tubbo was brave, he would probably be able to handle meeting new people sooner than others would.

"I'm not young though." He argued back. That was a topic he always seemed to have issues with. Demanding to be treated like an adult. Poor thing was so used to being treated poorly by those villagers. So used to being neglected by them. Needs not being met. It still grossed them all out, the mere idea of it, so much so that Tommy was already plotting horrible ways of getting back at the village now that their changeling was officially, well, changed.

They would fix everything with time though, and get their baby used to being able to rely on others for things.

"Well fae are considered young for the first two or so centuries. And you're only seventeen so..." He snorted in response, annoyed. He wasn't as outwardly aggressive as he used to be, but certain things would still retrigger them. He was numb to them calling him pet names at this point, but still despised it when they tried to do things for him.

' Stubborn like Techno and Tommy. ' Phil would say.

It was a work in progress. Slowly getting him more and more used to them helping him and caring for his needs. He'll eventually accept it without complaint. But they'll keep doing things for him even when he does. Stubbornness be damned.

The first time he properly flew came surprisingly quickly, only 11 days later. They knew bugs never needed to learn how to fly, they just innately knew, but they didn't expect that same rule to apply to their child. Tubbo had fluttered his way to the top of one of his bookshelves, and now was terrified because he had no idea how to get down, fear getting in the way of using his wings properly. 

It wasnt too uncommon for children with wings to find themselves on top of things with no way down. Especially when first learning to fly. Granted, they all expected at least several more months before they had to worry about Tubbo getting somewhere he wouldn't be able to get down from.

They should have known better, really. Tubbo didn't have to wait for flight feathers to come in. His wings were ready for flight as soon as he could handle moving them enough to manage it. Luckily Tommy had no trouble getting up and protectively scooping Tubbo up from the top of the bookcase. Easily carrying him back down to the ground where Ranboo was having a heart attack.

It was lucky most of them had wings and Ranboo was already very tall, otherwise they would've had a lot of issues dealing with him. The amount of times, when Techno's flight feathers first came in, that he and Dream got stuck in high places when Puffy was looking after them. Techno still remembers how she scolded them after she called Phil over to help.

Techno being able to fly is half the reason why Dream got so good at climbing, and also why he has a scar on his face from falling down after the pink-haired fae lost his grip on his friend. 

When Tubbo reached the ground, he cried about never wanting to fly again. "No fucking shot, man. That shit sucked, I coulda died."

"You'll change your mind eventually, honeybee. It's scary when you're new to flying but when you get used to it, you won't wanna stop flying." Tommy reassures. No one in the family had a fun time when they first managed to get someplace they couldn't get down from alone. Ranboo was lucky he didn't have to deal with that shit much. He just got to be ridiculously tall and lanky.

They would never forget their changeling’s first actual escape attempt. 

It took another three weeks before that happened, managing to slip out after Wilbur forgot to lock his bedroom door after trying to do some family bonding with the boy. Tubbo managed to exit the house, escaping into the nearby woods, causing the entire family to panic. It was the most terrifying experience Ranboo and Tommy could possibly imagine. They couldn't find him. Tubbo was gone. Alone. There wasn't a single scrap of calm left in the house. Gone into the woods with the child.

The woods weren't dangerous. Large, expansive, easy to get lost in, almost impossible to find a way out of to one unfamiliar with it. But not dangerous. Not to a fae. They split into teams to find him. Techno going with Wilbur, Tommy with Ranboo and Phil taking to the skies to search from above. 

Three hours passed, and they didn't find anything, returning to their home to figure out a new plan. Perhaps a spell or charm to help locate him. 

They arrived to their door, left wide open.

It has them all on edge as they enter the house, prepared for a fight. They were tired and worried, but if someone had made the mistake of breaking into their home while they were gone. Or worse yet, their baby made it home and someone decided to take him while they were all gone... that threat would not last long.

When they entered, they spotted a very, very familiar sheep fae sitting on their couch. Laying next to her was... 

Tubbo . 

He was fast asleep, breathing sounding like he'd been crying and tear tracks down his face.

"Hello, Philza." She greeted calmly. They immediately all relax, though Tommy and Ranboo almost immediately rush over to check over Tubbo like a pair of mother hens.

Phil sighs before calmly greeting her back, "Hello, Puffy. It's good to see you."

"How do you have so many little ones, yet are fantastic at losing them?" She laughed, moving to give Ranboo and Tommy space.  "I swear, it feels like just yesterday when you lost this one in the woods when he barely reached my shoulders." Puffy gestured light-heartedly at Techno, who lowered himself down to allow her to ruffle his hair. "You're lucky I ran into the little thing."

"Trust me, I'm not trying to lose them. Wilbur left the door open after setting him down for a nap." Wilbur looks properly scolded at that but doesn't argue as Phil speaks, "But we really do appreciate you bringing him home."

"Of course." She lightly slapped Phil on the back. "Don't even mention it, It wasn't all that difficult either, he seemed pretty relieved to find another person so he followed me back to your place without much of a struggle."

"He's still very new. His brain probably couldn't handle being alone for so long, and the woods are always scary for the little ones the first time." Phil looks at Tubbo with a soft expression. Tommy and Ranboo were definitely fussing over the kid. Making all sorts of worried noises at the tear tracks that stained his face.

"You should probably tell your little ones how their changeling's behaviour will shift, by the way." She spoke quietly, directing her full attention to Phil. "They should be prepared for it, considering what I've heard about his behaviour before the transformations happened."

"Ah. I knew I was forgetting something. I'll tell them after we get Tubbo cleaned off and put to bed properly. They won't be able to focus on anything else until they're sure he's safe. You know what it's like when you get your first kid. Always worrying over the smallest things." His voice is fond. But quiet as to not disturb the others. 

"For sure. Foolish was the most irresponsible child. I swear if my hair wasn't already white, he and Dream would've given me grey hairs." She smiled, already heading to the door. "Well I have to be off, I need to make dinner since my son is having friends over. If you need any help, you know where to find me."

"I appreciate it, Puffy. Truly. You have our thanks." He waves as she leaves before putting his full attention on his kids.

He would have to make dinner soon himself. But his kids came first. He had to get everyone settled down and calm. Ranboo had pulled Tubbo onto his lap, hugging him tightly. Tommy on the other hand grabbed pillows and blankets, piling them onto the boy. 

"He could've gotten hurt, oh gods- what if his horns got chipped or wings got ripped?!" Tommy whimpered, pacing back and forth even as Ranboo let out a wounded noise at the mere thought.

"Boys, boys, calm down. You're gonna wake him up if you keep worrying like that. Deep breaths." Phil soothes gently. "He's just a bit dirty is all. Nothing that can't be easily fixed with a small bath. Relax a bit, he's okay."

"Why would he run away? I thought he was happy, I thought he was finally comfortable-" Tommy sobbed, wrapping his arms around his father for comfort. He thought that Tubbo would finally see them as his family, so why would he try to run into the woods where he could easily get hurt?!

"Shhh, it's okay, Tommy. His mind isn't fully settled yet. It's his old human part clinging on and still insisting that he isn't safe. It will level out with time."

Ranboo was still wrapped around the boy, tail swishing around and thumping against the couch anxiously, acting like if he let go Tubbo would just disappear from his arms. Said boy was still fast asleep, trying to push his way closer to the taller fae, in search of more warmth.

"Do you boys remember being in denial about being babies? Even after the change happened?" Phil asks, moving closer to place a comforting hand on Ranboo's head. "Do you remember internally arguing with yourselves about whether or not you were safe and if you were, in fact, a child?"

"No..." Tommy lied, pouting a bit. He didn't really like talking about his past, it was embarrassing for him. He hated it that Phil was always right, even if that thought brought him comfort too. He could always ask Phil for help, and he'd know what to do. Phil smiles nonetheless, easily able to see through Tommy but not calling him out on it. He knew what all his kids went through. He was their dad after all.

"Well... fresh changelings aren't fully done even after the physical changes finish appearing. Their brains need some time to catch up. Right now, Tubbo is at the stage where his brain has started to change and accept us as his family. Accept that he deserves to be cared for. But there's still a stubborn human part that wants to run away. His feelings are at war with each other right now which makes him confused and scared at times." He calmly explained, "What most likely happened is he escaped, ran out into the woods, and almost immediately shut down once he realised he wasn't somewhere safe and none of us were in sight. Luckily Puffy found him so he could be brought home safely."

Ranboo let out another wounded sound, the thought of their changeling alone and scared in the woods, making him even more upset than before.

"We need to be more careful... Start locking the front door. I know we usually keep it unlocked but-... I don't want to risk Tubbo getting out again. Not until his brain has fully developed properly." Wilbur hummed thoughtfully.

"Well, he wouldn't have gotten out if you didn't forget to lock his door after putting him to bed." Tommy snapped back.

"Tommy," Phil scolds softly, "Your brother made a mistake and he will be making up for it later. But Tubbo is perfectly fine. There's no reason to try to pick a fight right now. Let's get him to bed and we can focus on how Wilbur can fix this later. Techno, please lock the door if you haven't already." He gathers his family together, trying to move their attention away from their worries. Tubbo would be fine. He just needed time to adjust. For the stubborn human part of him to finally die off. It was just a waiting game.

They all went through it. The most stubborn of the bunch was Techno, to be sure. Nothing could match how difficult he was, but once his friend was deep in the mindset, he soon fell through. Tubbo's human side wouldn't last. It didn't stand a chance ever since his son spotted him near his circle.

Those villagers, those stupid, meaningless pests, had practically handed Tubbo over to them on a silver platter. Signed him away without a care. It's fortunate that they were the ones who found him and not something that would mean him harm. He met his family instead of his doom.

They would keep him safe as that human half withered and died to further fuel his fae side. No amount of stubbornness would fend off that fate forever. Tubbo's desire for love and affection would win before long.

-and it didn't.

Every day that passed by, Tubbo's want to run seem to dissipate. With every gentle touch, soft word, loving glance- He became less of a human, but more of their child. It didn't take long for him to start relaxing into their hold, asking them for help, accepting his place in the family tree. Just like Phil said.

It was only a matter of time.

He was theirs.

Forever-

and one day in the future, he too will get a changeling of his own, and understand why they did what they did. He would deny ever acting the way he acted, just like Wilbur did. Just like Techno. Just like Ranboo and Tommy.

*----*

"Hello-?"

Tubbo smiled, staring down at the little child in front of him.

"Hiya."

"Are you a bee?"

"I am, but I don't sting, so don't worry. What's your name?"

" Michael ."

"Nice to meet you, Michael . I'm Tub."