Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

     Schlatt stares at the man across the room from him, face schooled to boredom but claws tapping with anxiety against the arm of the chair he’s sitting in. Ed, the captain of this ship, shakes just the tiniest amount- the way someone does when their foot bounces. A sly smile cracks Schlatt’s careful expression, breeding a tension in the captain’s shoulders. Good. As unpredictable as stressed people can be, he can read Ed like an open book and stressing him out will make him easier to manipulate. Make it easier to get into his head.

     The door to the office slides open with a hushed whoosh, and a woman in a red version of Ed’s uniform practically falls in, heaving for breath. “You.” She points aggressively at Schlatt. “We found your kid, but he is absolutely feral and is trying to kill anyone who gets within ten feet of him.” Schlatt’s calm demeanor is immediately replaced with concern, and he jumps to his feet. The woman leads him through the ship, down a flight of stairs and into the large open space that Schlatt assumes is the shuttle bay.

     Vehicles, things that fit the definition of a ‘shuttle’ fill the room, lined up and ready to go whenever needed. In the corner to the right of the entrance, is a small collection of five or six people dressed in red and orange uniforms forming a partial circle around a little ball of brown fluff. Schlatt plows his way through the crowd, easily shoving them out of his way. He crouches down beside the shaking form of his son, curled into the fetal position against the wall. He takes one look at the boy, and immediately turns back to the woman who got him from Ed’s office.

     “Get them out of here.” He orders, gesturing aggressively to the people around them.

     “Are you sure? He’s a major security concer-” She starts, but Schlatt cuts her off with a snarl; baring his teeth. “Okay- okay, we’ll go. We’ll stay in the hallway if you need us.” She gets everyone to file out, the door shutting quietly behind them. Tubbo’s head pops up out of his ball as it does, ears flicking in relief.

     “Come here you little shit.” Schlatt grumbles, snagging the smaller sheep by his jacket collar and pulling him against his chest. Tubbo sobs hard into Schlatt's chest, his claws digging into Schlatt’s suit-jacket. “What happened? What’s got you all riled-up?” Schlatt asks, careful with his tone so he doesn’t cause more distress in the teen. He gently drags his claws up and down Tubbo’s spine, soothing him easily.

     Tubbo pulls his head out of Schlatt’s chest, peering up at his father with big, teary yellow eyes. “I- I’m sorry, dad.. I just got s-so overwhelmed, and all those people..” He trails off, bottom lip trembling. Schlatt can see his own reflection in his son’s vaguely rectangle pupils. Schlatt plants a hand on the back of Tubbo’s head, curling his fingers into the smaller’s fluffy hair and pushing his face back into Schlatt’s chest.

     “Are you alright? Are you hurt at all?” He asks, gently detangling Tubbo’s curls with his claws.

     Tubbo shakes his head. “No. I think I hurt some of them, though. Got one in the arm pretty bad..” The teen’s words trail off into more soft sobs and sniffles.

     “Deep breaths, Tubs.” He murmurs into his son’s hair. You’re such a pain. He thinks to himself. It’s not Tubbo’s fault, he probably arrived in a similar manner as Schlatt, thrown violently through a portal into a strange and threatening environment, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s just made Schlatt’s prospects of having the upper hand here basically moot. He sighs, tightening his grip on the smaller sheep, and hauls the both of them to their feet. Tubbo pulls away but grabs for Schlatt’s sleeve while he brushes himself off. “Let’s go make sure the captain knows you’re not a danger. Tubbo wipes away a bit of blood in the corner of his mouth on his sleeve. Schlatt will have to figure out later if that’ll get them in any trouble.

     He guides his son out of the shuttle bay and right into the waiting group of crew members. All of the orange jacket wearers have been replaced with red jackets, which Schlatt guesses are probably security, and are accompanied by the captain. Ed’s eyes flick from Schlatt to the younger sheep behind him. Schlatt rolls his eyes at him before grinning darkly, looking to regain his control over the situation.

Chapter Text

     The bouncing of Tubbo’s leg makes his hoof click against the uncarpeted metal floor of the med bay, slowly building Schlatt’s irritation. He places a firm hand on Tubbo’s thigh, silently instructing him to be still. His fidgeting switches from bouncing to twisting his fingers. Schlatt glares at the almost breaking force he’s using on his fingers, deciding to remove his tie and then hand it to Tubbo to fidget with.

     “What’s got you so stressed?” Schlatt asks. Tubbo hardly ever gets this anxious, and they’re only here so the medical officers can ensure he’s not injured internally. He’s not in trouble, nor has he ever expressed a fear of the doctors, so what gives?

     “Ranboo was there when the portal opened, and I was sucked through. I don’t know if he was too, but..” He says, trailing off. Tubbo’s expression twists from one of worry to murderous rage. “I’ll fucking kill anyone who puts hands on him.” He snarls, more to himself than anything, as his claws rip into the red fabric of Schlatt’s tie. A pair of light footsteps catch both of the sheep’s attention, both of their heads snapping to face the woman who steps through the curtain separating their little corner from the rest of the med bay.

     The woman in the green uniform looks a little hesitant to approach the two any further. Schlatt relaxes, sitting back and propping himself up on his palms and crossing his legs. Tubbo has to look to his relaxed father before he can settle down in the slightest.

     “I am Doctor Finn and the chief medical officer of this ship.” She says, walking around the examination table to stand in front of the men. “There is luckily no internal bleeding from your arrival on the ship, but I have some questions about your health.” The doctor speaks directly to Tubbo now, briefly looking at the paper on her clipboard. “First, do you drink?”

     “Like, alcohol?” Doctor Finn nods. “Yeah. Not very often, but yeah.” Tubbo responds, shrugging.

     The doctor nods and writes something on the paper. “About how often do you drink, and what is your usual drink of choice?”

     “Well, my current favorite is usually a glass of wine with dinner on my weekly date nights..” Tubbo takes a minute to think before finishing his answer. “But I used to have a glass of neat whiskey daily about six months ago.” The doctor’s brows furrow and she hums in concern.

     “How long did that last? Why did you stop?” She asks next.

     “A year, maybe? It started around the time I turned eighteen and my dad couldn’t stop me.” Tubbo shrugs again. He motions his head at Schlatt as he comes up in the conversation. The doctor briefly turns her concerned gaze to Schlatt, and he can’t quite decipher what that means. “A major stressor was removed from my life and I had the support of my dad and husband.”

     “And you’re only nineteen?” She asks, eyebrow rising skeptically.

     “Nineteen and a half. ” Tubbo spits, crossing his arms indignantly. I am an adult, and can do as I please.”

     Doctor Finn sighs. “If this isn’t a cultural or legal practice on your home-world, then we will have to forbid you from consuming any alcohol while on The Orville, in accordance with The Union’s laws.” She says, writing on her clipboard again. Tubbo scoffs but doesn’t argue. She turns to Schlatt to speak to him now. “If it is found that you are supplying him with alcohol, you will also be prosecuted under the law.”

     Schlatt shrugs nonchalantly. “Fine, whatever. I don’t care. It’ll be good for him anyways.” Schlatt never wanted his son to start drinking in the first place, but he’s right in the fact that no-one could stop him once he turned eighteen. It also didn’t help matters any when he entered the presidency.

     “Alright. Just outside is the ship’s first officer, Kelly Grayson, and she will escort you two to your quarters for the time you spend with us.” The doctor says, an air of finality in her voice as she makes to leave.

Chapter Text

     Ranboo wakes up cold. He rubs his eyes, slowly adjusting to the dim orange light in his face, and tries to stretch- but hits the cold metal surrounding him instead. Immediately, claustrophobia bubbles in his chest, and he starts to panic. He can’t even roll over, so he’s stuck on his belly in this tiny space. Ranboo splays his hands out on the ground, using the feeling of the cold metal to ground himself and keep from working himself into a full panic. The communicator strapped to his wrist blinks on as he receives a message.

      I hope you’re safe. It’s from his husband, Tubbo. Ranboo scrambles to hit the call button on the small device. It doesn’t even ring twice before Tubbo picks up.

     “Ranboo? Are you okay? Where are you?” Tubbo asks, a mix of relief and concern in his voice.

     “I- I don’t know. I fell through the same portal you did, but I hit my head, and I just woke up and I don’t know where I am or- or what’s going on.” Ranboo cries into his communicator, starting to hyperventilate.

     “Okay, Okay, just take some deep breaths.” Ranboo can hear his husband barking at someone on his end, and then he comes back to speaking to him. “Alright, we’re coming to find you. Just sit tight.”

     “Just be quick, please.” Ranboo whimpers. “I love you.” The call cuts out, and he’s left alone again. He doesn’t like being alone. He’s never liked being alone. It makes his skin crawl and just makes his anxiety spike to insane levels. He starts to shiver, spacing out as he stares down at his hands. He would be rocking himself, if he could sit-up, but for now all of that anxious tension in his belly has to be relegated to his thrashing tail. Ranboo genuinely feels like he’s going to throw-up if he has to sit here for much longer.

     He gets lucky though, as he can finally hear the approaching angry shouts of his husband. He’s just ahead, practically screaming at someone else. He goes quiet for a minute, and then Ranboo can hear the slamming of something on metal before it gives way. More shouts follow from voices he doesn’t recognize. It’s only a few tense seconds before Tubbo comes army-crawling towards Ranboo through the small crawl-space.

     Elation replaces the all-consuming rage on his husband’s face once their eyes meet. “Boo!” He exclaims, hurrying forward so he can lay flat on his belly and hold Ranboo’s face. “We found you!” His warm yellow eyes survey Ranboo’s face, his own twisting in concern. “Oh, honey..” He murmurs as gentle thumbs caress Ranboo’s cheeks, wiping away tears he hadn’t known were falling. The nerves in Ranboo’s face have all but been completely destroyed, so he couldn’t feel them falling or the pain that comes with them as they burn through his skin. “Let’s get out of here and get you patched up, hm?” Tubbo hums sweetly, nuzzling their noses together.

     Tubbo carefully guides him out of the crawl-space with soft hands and gentle words. He’s pressed into the wall behind him once they’re out, Tubbo putting himself between him and the small crowd of uniformed people waiting for them. Schlatt steps through the crowd and then turns to face them, grinning tensely.

     “Alright everyone, thank you for your help, you may return to your duties.” He says, ushering them away. Eventually, the three of them are the only people left in the hallway. Schlatt grabs one of Ranboo’s arms, and Tubbo grabs the other, and he’s basically dragged down the hall. “Finn!” Schlatt shouts as they enter a room. Ranboo is made to sit on one of the tables in the room, and he’s starting to feel a little light-headed. The stress of the situation made his heart race, and now it’s dropping too quickly. He sways slightly where he sits, before he slumps over in Tubbo’s arms, and his vision goes dark.