Chapter Text
Tubbo woke up particularly on edge that day. He dropped an egg on the ground when making breakfast, there was a slight nick in his neck that was bothering him to death and while checking on his bees he tripped and fell face first into a planter.
He was having a shit day, overall. And Tommy's snoring wasn’t helping one bit, so he took it upon himself to wake the blond bastard up.
"Ay, Tommy. Wake up you fuck." He said loudly while shaking the blond's shoulder. He stirred, but didn't wake up. "Oi, Tommy." He shook him harder, it didn’t work.
Well, it was time for drastic measures.
He grabbed an empty water bottle on top of Tommy's dresser and filled it with water. He came up to the boy and emptied the bottle right on his head.
Tommy immediately awoke, jumping of surprise. "Ahhh! Tubbo what the fuck!" He screamed, voice still hoarse.
"Waking you up. Come on, we got things to do. The boys are already up, we have to take them to school and you sleeping in is the last thing I need right now. Come on." Tubbo said, voice commanding and angry. He was clearly stressed, Tommy took notice.
"Oh my Prime, what crawled up your ass today? I'm just fuckin' tired you piece of shit." Tommy asks while getting out of bed and stretching.
Tubbo sighed and answered heavily "Nothing, today's just been shitty." He quickly folds the comforter on Tommy's bed as the blond walks to the bathroom mumbling something Tubbo couldn't quite catch.
As soon as the boy is out of sight he goes out of the room as well. Tubbo walks to the children's room just down the hall and opens the door to find the two boys, Michael and Shroud, already in uniform.
It was a simple pair of gray trousers and a white shirt underneath a navy blue jumper with the school's symbol on it, a yellow diamond shape with a star in the middle. Similar to Snowchester's flag.
They both looked so cute he almost got distracted from the fact that neither had shoes on. Tubbo quickly helps the two children to finish getting ready and rushes them downstairs for breakfast.
They finish eating and Tommy takes the children to school. When the three are out the door Tubbo occupies his mind by cleaning the mess. He washes the dishes, cleans the children’s room and vacuums the floor.
Tommy came back around midday just to grab a bite before going to “continue his build” - an excuse to go see Phil and Techno on their base. But the two ate a nice meal and Tommy left. And just like that, Tubbo was alone in the mansion. Again.
And now there was nothing to clean, nothing to distract him. So he did as always and went up to his room. The bed was way too large for him now, and it got cold at times like this. So he couldn't lay down and nap.
The goat hybrid then went to his closet and opened it wide. And there they were, in all of their dusty glory. His husband's old clothes. They had been in desperate need of a wash for a few years now, but Tubbo could not bring himself to touch them anymore. The fabric burned him and his eyes watered too much.
It has been three years already. Sometimes it felt like an eternity and sometimes it felt like Ranboo stepped out of that doorway just yesterday.
He didn't know for how long he stood there, but when he finally closed the door his eyes were wet with tears. Tubbo walked over to his bedside table and pulled out a letter from the first drawer. The only thing Ranboo left for him, a short notice.
He had already memorized it, but he read it again in search of an answer he knew he wouldn't find.
"Dearest Tubbo, I have made a decision. I found evidence of the impossible and I decided to search for it.
I am sorry for abandoning you, but after I get my answers I promise I will try my hardest to come back home. I still love you and Michael with all of my soul, but I simply can't keep living in the dark.
This was a very difficult decision to make and I've wondered about it for months, but it's time I find out who I am. Again, I love you and hope you understand.
I'm sorry.
With all my love, Ranboo"
The letter was confusing and a shock at first. He found it on top of the dresser the morning we woke up alone for the first time. He cried a lot that day. He cried for a long time after that too. In fact, he was crying now.
Ranboo turned out to be another betrayal to add to the list.
Woe clawed at his chest like a beast. Puffy had said in one of their meetings “Truth is, we never stop grieving. We never forget the person who went away. We just deal with our emotions one step at a time. And grief can take a long time to get past.”
Tubbo never forgot that, grieving was a cycle and he was back at square one once again. Another depressing day, alone. But he had to be strong, for his child and for himself.
So he recollected himself, washed his face and started planning what to make for dinner.
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Tommy was excited for today. It was a good day, beautiful clear skies and the fresh air was relaxing. He walked calmly through the forest, observing the scenery and basking in the quiet environment.
It was cold, but he was already accustomed to the chilly evenings now that he was living with Tubbo. Besides, the cold grounded him when no one else could.
He was on a familiar path to Phil and Techno’s base in the tundra, He could already see the pink beacon from the portal and he was headed straight there.
It might be strange for some how he is so buddy-buddy with Techno and Phil of all people, but after Ranboo’s disappearance he came into contact with them again. At first, Tubbo wanted to know if they knew anything about the place Ranboo went to since his husband was very good friends with the two anarchists, but to no avail - they knew nothing and were very distraught with the news.
They had apologized to each other after that, Techno had a long talk with him and in the end, after stubborn resistance, they went back to being friends. Even Phil wanted his forgiveness, and they became very close after that. It was almost as if he had a dad again.
Phil also talked about Wilbur, which was a painful conversation to have. Wilbur had gone away to a place called Utah, and he hadn’t sent a single letter back to either of his family members. It hurt, but the guy wanted a new start and who was Tommy to privy him of that after all they went though. He just hoped Will was satisfied.
They had put L’manburg to rest, and he was finally healing.
When he arrived at the property he knocked on Techno’s door to no answer. He then knocked on Phil’s door, complaining loudly about the cold so the old men would hurry up already. No one answered. They must be in the back, Tommy figured, and went looking for the two.
He went to the turtles, nothing. Checked the dogs, nothing. No one with the cows either. Were they in the training grounds? He hadn’t listened to any fighting sounds. He checked anyways and the place was empty too.
Well, he would wait inside the house then. No use freezing outside just to wait for them like a loyal puppy awaiting their owner. He would do that inside the house.
Tommy went inside Techno’s warm cabin and got comfortable in front of the fireplace, relaxing his body and taking off his boots. He wrapped himself with the throw blanket on top of the couch and laid down. Surely a quick nap wouldn’t hurt right now, he thought.
Just as he was about to fall asleep he heard voices outside. Techno and Phil, surely. And then he heard a third. A voice he hadn’t heard in very long.
He gets up and looks to the front door, expecting the impossible. Techno throws the door open in a panic and there he is, standing right behind his brother. A tall man with half white, half black skin and covered in scars. He was clad in strange purple tunics, no armor in sight.
Ranboo stood stone faced, staring at him with familiar bi-colored eyes. Tommy did the same, frozen in place.
Fuck.