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Ranboo walked out of the kitchen holding a cup of tea while his tail flicked behind him, his goat hybrid husband was sitting in an old rocking chair, wrapped in their comforter and watching the snowfall as the sunset was starting.
It's the evening light
Shining through the curtains
Ranboo paused to admire Tubbo, seeing small streaks of white hair on half of his head, it warmed Ranboo’s heart to see the white streaks, they resembled him and showed Ranboo that Tubbo was thinking about him and subconsciously using his shapeshifting abilities to display them.
Ranboo let out a pleased vwoop sound as he felt his chest rumbling with a soft pur. The sky was painting Tubbo’s features a lovely orange hue while Tubbo turned to him with an ever so soft smile.
Ranboo walked over and handed the tea to his husband who gratefully took the drink into his small hands.
Ranboo’s heart warmed exquisitely at the sight of his husband.
The time before the night
When everything is golden
*
Ranboo woke up to an empty bed, Tubbo was often busy with work and so this didn’t shock him, the hybrid was probably doing something important that Ranboo would forget about if he had been told.
He was shocked to see Tubbo curled in the recliner chair, wrapped in some lousy blanket with cold coffee on the table.
You're sitting on the chair
Wrapped inside a bedsheet
Ranboo tilted his head when his saw half of Tubbo’s hair was white and he was muttering about Ranboo in his sleep.
Playing with your hair
Ranboo smiled when he heard the dream had been pleasant and cleaned up the mess, deciding to make a small breakfast.
When he went back to the living room he woke Tubbo up gently and got a small yawn from the hybrid.
“Oh hey Boss man.”
“Hey Tubbo. I made you breakfast.” Ranboo handed the plate and a cup of juice to his husband before striding away.
Tubbo tilted his head before smiling softly at the comforter Ranboo draped over Tubbo’s lap in his return.
“Are you going to sit with me?” Tubbo asked and Ranboo stopped tying his tie to sit on the couch next to the recliner, shocked when Tubbo moved to the couch to sit next to Ranboo.
They stayed separated, but close. They didn’t make contact with each other often, but being close was good enough.
Tubbo hummed as he watched snow outside the window, while his hair returned to its usual color with a few white streaks.
Tubbo watched out the window, and Ranboo watched Tubbo.
Watching people on the high street
*
Tubbo was laughing, and Ranboo was staring - admiring - loving. Ranboo felt something warm on his hand and smiled when it was Tubbo interlocking their fingers as they walked across the beach, shoes and jackets discarded.
If I wished myself a superpower
They had travelled away from home to find a warm place to just relax away from the cold.
I would make this moment last for hours
Ranboo sat down and Tubbo sat next to him on a blanket that was in some grass away from the sand with food littering the blanket.
“The sun will set soon.” Tubbo exclaimed, “I’m so glad we came out here!” Tubbo had a wide grin on his face as he squeezed Ranboo’s hand.
Ranboo hummed, “the light will look beautiful here compared to in Snowchester.”
If I had my will, time would just stand still
“I know and I’m excited! I haven’t seen a sunset away from the cloudy snowy biome in so long! This is going to be so fucking cool!”
Wait for me until I find some magic film
Ranboo rubbed his thumb along Tubbo’s knuckles, “then I’m glad I took us here.”
Tubbo just offered a smile before biting into a sand which. Ranboo was purring very softly.
To take a photograph and live inside
The sun started to set and Ranboo just sat back to admire Tubbo in full, the colors always painted his skin wonderfully.
Ranboo’s tail wrapped around Tubbo’s waist unconsciously and Tubbo only smiled warmly.
The sun is going down
Your skin is like a painting
Ranboo admired as Tubbo’s eyes went wide with joy over the colors that painted the sky, the sky had looked beautiful with the oranges mixing perfectly with the yellows but nothing could compare to how Ranboo thought of Tubbo.
The light is perfect now
Nothing could ever be as beautiful.
The sunset would fade, but Tubbo was there forever.
But I can feel it changing
*
“Oh look, Boo!” Tubbo said, crouching down near a passed out baby pigman who had a chicken stuffed animal. “He looks hurt.”
Ranboo thought about their unfinished house that they never had reason to ever finish, “we can keep him somewhere safe till we get the house done. If he wants us.” Ranboo said, his hands folded behind his back politely.
“Really!? Like we can adopt him!?”
Kids are probably soon
Ranboo smiled fondly as Tubbo awoke the small boy and eased his fear with reassuring words and even a hug.
“If that’s what he wants, Bee.” Ranboo spoke nervously for the outcome of the future. He was sure everything would work out.
Don't get me wrong, I'm ready
They kept the child they named Michael in a safe place and went home, planning to get to work in the morning on the safe place to keep him.
“What if I’m not a good parent?” Ranboo asked and Tubbo simply grabbed his hand.
But will I know what to do
When we're no longer two
When us means more than me and you
“You’ll be great.” Tubbo promised with a hopeful smile.
*
The day they adopted Michael was the best day they had in a while. Michael was helping Tubbo make cookies as a celebration while Ranboo had to step away.
He was greeted with cookies he had no idea were being made, “Boo, we said we were making some!” Michael had said but Ranboo claimed he hadn’t heard it.
He ate a cookie happily nonetheless, his tail curled around Tubbo’s waist while Michael played with Shroud who had come over for a play date while Tommy was visiting Phil.
Michael had a huge grin on his face.
If I wished myself a superpower
I would make this moment last for hours
“I’m so happy we found him.” Tubbo said, “He’s really been the best thing for us in a long while.”
“I agree.” Ranboo said, “he’s been the best gift we could have ever received.”
If I had my will, time would just stand still
Wait for me until I find some magic film
They spent the rest of the night watching movies and eating more cookies, after dinner of course. It was truly a wonderful night.
To take a photograph and live inside
*
“My life was only good before L’Manberg was blown up!” Tubbo yelled and Ranboo froze, his eyes tearing up. Oh.
Ranboo nodded, “I have to.. I have to go throw the bread into the river.” Ranboo said and walked away.
Tubbo had admitted that his life was only good before Ranboo - before Michael - before everything they had done together.
But Ranboo didn’t blame him, Ranboo was just a good supply of money and a good distraction.
It wasn’t real.
Tubbo didn’t love him, it all made sense now as Ranboo fell next to the river bank, grabbing his head while his eyes flickered between their normal and purple. “He never cared.” Ranboo determined.
Because it was what Tubbo admitted to.
Tubbo never cared about Michael. He never cared about Ranboo.
I need some way to prove that this was real
Ranboo couldn’t breathe, his head was suddenly losing memories of everything they had been through, maybe it was a coping mechanism but it’s not fair, he loved Tubbo.
He couldn’t grasp the memories but without the memories was any of it real? Was he real?
Did any of that happen?
A memory is not enough
Ranboo wrapped his arms around himself, tears sliding over his face and burning him, his mind flashing with images of Tubbo.
Tubbo with Michael, Tubbo on the beach, Tubbo in the snow, Tubbo in the recliner after all-nighters, Tubbo watching the sunset in the rocking chair.
Tubbo, Tubbo, Tubbo.
What were his hugs like?
What did he feel like?
Why couldn’t Ranboo remember them hugging or even sharing their love for each other? Ranboo had said he loved Tubbo.
So why couldn’t he remember the words being said from Tubbo.
I'm scared that I'll forget the way it feels
-
As Ranboo was dying, he had yelled to everyone that Sam had taken Michael.
But what he said, in a soft whisper to himself, was something sacred and for his ears only. “I love you, Tubbo.”
To be young and in love
*
Ghostboo saw Tubbo sitting in the chair, a blanket around his shoulders and a warm cup of tea in his hands. Tubbo was looking out the window and watching the snow fall. Ghostboo smiled warmly at the sight, taking note of half of Tubbo’s hair being white to match Ranboo’s and how he wore both rings on both horns.
Ghostboo sighed and his eyes went purple as he let out soft vwoop noises as Ranboo, Tubbo’s Ranboo, could see through his eyes.
Ranboo teared up and let the tears fall, burning the ghost’s face without an ounce of remorse.
Ranboo whimpered and fell to his knees, forcing Tubbo to acknowledge him and run over.
“Ghostboo?!” Tubbo crouched down and grabbed Ghostboo’s shoulders. “Hey what’s going on?”
Ranboo let out a broken sob seeing his husband. Ranboo delicately lifted his fingers to touch the white hair, then the ring, then the scarred side of the goat hybrid's face.
“Oh Bee…” Ranboo whispered, “I’m so sorry.”
“B-Boo?” Tubbo stuttered, “what? Wait, how long are you here for?”
“Not long enough.” Ranboo frowned, “It’ll be alright though.”
Tubbo hugged Ranboo with zero hesitation, usually Tubbo needed time and space before even considering getting physical with anyone. But here he was hugging Ranboo like it didn’t hurt every fiber in his being or burn the nerves on his skin from the horrid memories of his past. Because nothing burned quite like Ranboo’s death.
Ranboo purred as he hugged Tubbo back, he had his whole limbo to cry about this, so he’s going to enjoy it. Because he can’t have this for long.
Let me stay right here
They stayed on the floor of the house in each other’s embrace for an hour or so. They clung to each other as tight as they could because they’re lives did depend on it.
“I have to go soon.” Ranboo warned and Tubbo shook his head vigorously into Ranboo’s chest.
“Please don’t.”
Ranboo’s heart cracked, “Bee.”
“Please..”
Just a moment longer
“I came back to give you a better memory than the one you had before. When we last spoke before I died we were fighting. And I’m sorry for what I had said then. And I know you didn’t mean what you said, I know that you were happy with me, I do. And I’m sorry I could ever think differently of you. I want us here together to be how you remember me. Not the fight.”
“I will. I will forever, I promise.” Tubbo said, “I love you.”
The picture is so clear
Ranboo kissed Tubbo on the head gently, he was always oh so gentle, “I love you too.”
Ghostboo’s eyes returned to normal for a moment before he disappeared completely.
Tubbo sat on the floor and let out a mix of laughs and sobs, at least he got to say he loved Ranboo one last time.
And at least Ranboo could finally have a memory of the words to hold with him forever.
Please let this last forever