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Ranboo exhales slowly as he places down his leather-bound book. He leans up slightly, staring out the window to the gardens of the castle. There, Prince Tubbo and Prince Tommy are chatting together. The bright sun makes the bleached part of Tubbo’s hair look like gold, his bright grin being the finishing touch.
‘’Let this be a peace offering for our two kingdoms.’’
Ranboo sighs sadly as he averts his gaze, placing his head on his desk. Everything better than to look at the boy whom he had been promised to.
‘’I accept your terms, King XD, I’m sure they’ll fit right in.’’
Prince Tubbo didn’t like Ranboo, which was understandable. Out of all the four heirs to the throne, Tubbo had been the one forced to marry somebody for peace. Tommy had been too bratty, and Wilbur and Technoblade had no time for marriage. Techno was too busy training while his brother was focusing on becoming king. Besides, Wilbur also had been promised to someone already, although he got the privilege of choosing his fiancé. Tubbo hadn’t gotten that, which was why he never made an effort to get to know Ranboo.
To tell everyone the complete truth, Ranboo and Tubbo had only seen each other once before they were standing on the altar. It had been with both of their dads present, which was why the Prince hadn’t completely snapped. Still, Ranboo had flicked their ears when they noticed the tight hold King Philza had on Tubbo’s shoulder.
Ranboo remembered the day vividly because he had really thought they were going to get along at that moment. Tubbo had looked so lovely, and Ranboo dared to say he looked okay too. But they should have expected nothing to come of their marriage, it had been purely business anyway.
The XD and Antarctic kingdoms had never found common ground. Enderians were simply too different from the other hybrids to form bonds. (Ironic as to why they thought a marriage would help.) War was threatened, and the emperors had decided to prevent it by making their kingdoms allies.
Their wedding day had been… well, it was big and beautiful, but it was bittersweet. Niki, Ranboo’s oldest sister and the future heir to the throne had helped him get ready. They were wed with both Enderian and Avian laws, meaning Ranboo, as the first child in the family to marry, wore his late mother’s wedding dress. Tubbo, as the first child of his family, was bathed in greens, symbolizing a new beginning.
They had both looked pretty, but both of their smiles never reached their eyes as Ranboo walked down the aisle. Their speeches were written by someone else for them, made to be perfect and polite. The ‘I do’s’ were cold and too reluctantly spoken.
And then they were married, and Ranboo’s own personal hell began. Firstly, he had to say farewell to his sisters. He had eight of them, and he loved them all dearly. Saying goodbye broke something in them, and they started despising the man who demanded that Ranboo would live in the Antarctic empire. It was an Avian tradition, which is why King Philza asked it. But Ranboo was an Enderian who held his homelands very close to his heart. He didn’t like how much it rained in the Antarctic kingdom, nor how light it always was.
When he had to hug Niki goodbye, his sister had taken him apart to stare at him with her piercing purple eyes.
‘Promise me you won’t get it.’
They had promised.
Ranboo would like to forget the wedding night. It was awkward, and very much forced. As in, they were pushed into Tubbo’s quarters by a few guards, and the door was slammed shut. Ranboo had stood at the door, fumbling with their hands to stare at Tubbo. The boy didn’t seem interested in small talk, simply falling down on the bed and muttering curses while loosening his tie.
(Ranboo thinks that might have been the moment he’d fallen in love with the Prince, although he isn’t proud to admit that.)
They’d tried to start up a conversation, but the prince had simply ignored their attempts. Eventually, Ranboo gave up and reluctantly joined his new husband in bed. They didn’t talk, didn’t acknowledge one another, both of them simply staring at the ceiling until they fell asleep.
Tommy was gone for a few months, meaning Tubbo wasn’t with his best friend all the time. This was part of the reason why the newlywed couple had an okay-ish relationship in the beginning. They had to establish their relationship to the peasants of the Antarctic empire, meaning that Ranboo and Tubbo made several trips to the Capital those first few weeks.
They brought food to people, chatted, and spread the news of their marriage. All while holding hands and shooting each other fake smiles. It was fake, and Ranboo knew this, still, he couldn’t help but feel the faint flutter of love every time he met the other’s eyes.
Every day, they would report to the King. Usually in the morning. Tubbo would receive advice or orders that moment, or he would be directed to his classes of the day. Unlike all the other Princes, Ranboo didn’t have any duties in the castle. Secretly, he knew the reason why.
Enderians could produce children on their own if they were in love. No intimacy required. Philza was probably hoping the couple would get close enough for them to start a family in a couple of years. Royals always were required to have children as more potential heirs to the throne, it was nothing new. The King would very likely suggest adoption if the pair wasn't close enough in a couple of years.
When Tommy came back, a big shift happened to Ranboo’s and Tubbo’s dynamic. Where Tubbo maybe would have spent time with Ranboo originally was now Tommy-time. And it didn’t help that by looking so much happier he only looked more lovely.
The most embarrassing moment was when Ranboo had come to breakfast and the seating positions had changed. Where he originally sat, Tommy was chatting next to Tubbo. The only empty seat was now five stools away. With a deep purple flush, Ranboo had stood there, unsure of what to do. In the end, he made it easier for everyone by skipping family meals from that point on.
Ranboo had an attic in the castle, filled with bookcases and paintings. They started spending almost all of their time up there, writing letters to their sisters, or simply observing the gardens where Tubbo usually was keeping to his bees.
Tubbo and Ranboo weren’t even proper adults yet, which was why they didn’t necessarily have to see one another every day. When they would grow up, they would get their own chambers where they would start a family. But for now, it was easy for King Philza to forget about the anxious Enderian that hid themselves away. It was so easy in fact, that Ranboo sometimes didn’t speak to anyone for weeks.
Ranboo was awoken out of his thoughts by a cough. He shot up, gagging as he doubled over. The tickling sensation in his chest and throat was all too familiar as he threw up blood. A few purple flowers followed, falling down slowly on the now ruined ground.
It was about a year ago that Ranboo first spat out purple petals coated in blood. They’d been horrified, not that he didn’t know about the disease, but this confirmed the absolute truth that Tubbo simply didn’t care about him any longer. Enderians were known for getting Hanahaki quickly if they ever bonded since it wasn’t very much their nature to fall in love. Still, Ranboo had promised his sister he wouldn’t get it.
They had cried themselves to sleep that night, clutching a pillow and pressing their face into it to prevent themselves from burning. He hadn’t told Tubbo the next time they mandatorily saw each other. He kept to himself, writing, and silently hoping it wouldn’t get worse.
It got worse.
It got so much worse.
Because Ranboo was older now, Philza and XD (yes, the two Kings discussed the marriage rules between each other. It was highly important the contact wouldn’t water.) had decided Tubbo wasn’t allowed to be ‘childish’ anymore and that they had to share beds. It only worsened the relationship between them, especially since Ranboo was still trying to hide his sickness.
Tubbo had asked him once, why he coughed so much. Ranboo had nervously laughed it was just from being in a different biome than he was used to, and that it didn’t hurt him. He hid his petals and blood in pillows that he pressed against him in his sleep.
Ranboo still, to this day, doesn’t know what he saw- or sees, in Tubbo. The Prince does not care about him, so Ranboo doesn’t get why his little crush isn’t ending. He was dying over this, and no one knew! He hadn’t told Niki, it would be too sad.
The Enderian vwhoops sadly, eyes going to the window again without their permission. Tubbo, perfect thing that he is, is still tending his bees while talking with Tommy. Really, Tubbo is the most perfect thing in the world. Kind, caring, funny, and beautiful. Sadly he has just never shown Ranboo those sides.
Ranboo thinks he might be going crazy. He has perfect hearing, which means he can hear the Princes' conversations even from up here. Sometimes, he likes to pretend he’s down there, talking with them. They joke along, in that tower, laughing and shaking their head while coughing up petals of love.
They had tried to be social, to be liked, but every attempt failed. They only did things wrong, nothing was good enough. They gifted Tubbo things, courted him properly like they were pushed to, but nothing came of it. Tubbo ever ignored Ranboo’s nameday, which he knows the boy didn’t forget as Philza had announced it to the kingdom.
Ranboo gags again, throat closing up. He pants, claws going to his neck. He can’t breathe, the flowers inside of his lungs are preventing air from entering. The Enderian cries out, falling to the ground as blood mixed with petals flows out of their mouth.
A Prince dying of love when their species wasn’t made for it was just ironic. It was kind of funny, actually.