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Ranboo's unconsciousness didn't last long, much to the annoyance of his exhausted mind, which protested the drag back from sleep. He was so tired.
"He's not dead!" Came the declaration right into his ear the second his eyes fluttered open, Leah sounding almost disappointed.
Ranboo groaned lightly, rubbing his eyes against the brightness of the ceiling. Everything hurt.
Everything.
His back was on fire, burning where he'd landed, his head was screaming badly enough that nausea was threatening to rise, and every joint and muscle was protesting the fall after his strenuous week.
Deep breaths through the pain, Ranboo reminded himself, squeezing his eyes shut.
"Leah, step back for a moment."
Ranboo could've cried when a familiar hand pressed against his forehead, Puffy's palm blissfully cool. The delirious part of his mind wondered whether she'd hold him close if he curled up on her lap. Whether she'd keep him safe through the pain.
He wanted to be safe.
"Hi there lovely," she whispered as Ranboo's eyes fluttered open, streaming in the bright light. His glasses had flown off somewhere, and he had nothing to protect his eyes from the fluorescence. "I'm so sorry about that - I should've been more thoughtful."
"It's okay-" Ranboo said, or rather tried to say, as it mostly came out as a jumbled slur.
They weren't in the training room anymore, he noted - someone must have carried him back out to the corridor. Raised voices echoed through the open doors, and music blared from a speaker somewhere, although no one seemed to be celebrating.
Well, he supposed the birthday boy knocking himself out put a bit of a damper on the party mood.
"Is he awake? Good- I'll check for a concussion quickly, but I didn't see any visible wounds and I think it might've been more the shock than the head injury."
Ranboo's eyes widened fully, then, comically round with shock.
"Doc?" he questioned in disbelief, "How-"
"Doc? Nah kid, I'm Cass - nice to meet you. I'm Puffy's civilian friend who is most definitely here legally."
Puffy rolled her eyes and sighed, but her lips were upturned and there was something fond in that look.
"Cass? But-"
Ranboo yelped as Doc lightly flicked his nose, before she pulled a torch out from the first aid kit that usually lived in the kitchen.
He obediently flicked his eyes left and right, following her finger as she checked his pupils, but didn't cease to stare in disbelief. That wasn't her actual name, right? Right?
Doc didn't use aliases pretty much ever, and nor did she ever tell anyone her name-
Maybe he was overthinking it.
Ranboo's head still hurt.
It got a little better when his glasses were returned to him, deep purple dimming the stark whiteness as Doc carefully slid them back onto his face.
"What are you doing here?" he tried again, wincing as he shifted.
"You know me, Boo - I never turn down free cake." the mischievous grin on Doc's face softened a little, "And I wouldn't miss your birthday. Seventeen whole years already - you're almost an adult."
Ranboo made a face, scrunching up his nose. Being an adult didn't sound fun. They did taxes and stuff.
"Almost." he agreed, "Is- how many people are here?"
"Not many," Puffy reassured him, glancing down the corridor, "All the HITs, Astro and his parents, Python is lurking in a corner because we promised him pizza, and a few of the other Mentors promised to pop in at some point when they're off duty. And myself and Cassie, of course."
"I did try to convince Poker to come, but he was in charge of the brain cells today."
Ranboo stifled a giggle at the thought, but couldn't hide the grin. At least Lexi wasn't silly enough to turn up at the Heroes Tower as a full on Villain - he'd be really upset if his friend got arrested, especially on his birthday.
"I wonder sometimes how you got your reputation for being the responsible one," Puffy said, shaking her head.
"Trust me, I have no clue either, I'm making up everything as I go along, and as long as I say it confidently, people take me at face value. Right- no concussion, but I want to give you a healing dose to sort out any aches. You're wincing a lot - did he hit you again?"
Ranboo flinched back minutely at the blunt accusation, eyes darting to Puffy. He didn't want her to know that Teagon hit him. She'd take it the wrong way - like Ranboo didn't deserve to be hit, like it wasn't punishment.
"No." he said, and it was technically the truth. The tattoo that felt more like a brand with how hot it was burning wasn't being hit.
Doc hummed in disbelief, but didn't call him out, pressing a red solo cup into his hands. The mixture of fruit punch and healing ichor was slightly odd, but Ranboo had eaten way worse things in his life, and a weird texture wasn't enough to put him off pain relief.
He practically melted into the carpet as it hit his bloodstream, going boneless at the first moment of painlessness he'd had all week. He didn't miss the concerned look that flashed between Puffy and Doc, but he was way too tired to try and assure them right now. Was it rude to miss your own birthday party? Probably…
"If you just want to head to bed, no one would blame you, lovely."
Ranboo almost whimpered when Puffy's hands started to card through his hair, smoothing down the errant curls, but shook his head.
"I want to go. Everyone came for me… I don't want to disappoint them."
He didn't miss the way Doc's lips twitched, but she stayed silent, looking to Puffy for guidance.
"… If you really want to go, I won't stop you." The elder Hero said eventually, "But you have to promise me you'll take it easy and go to bed when you get too tired. You look exhausted, duckling."
Ranboo felt exhausted.
So much for a holiday.
He managed to pull up a smile, though, and it was almost real. "Thank you Puffy. For the party too."
Doc's healing had worked it's magic by now, and when Ranboo rocked forward to get his feet under him, his legs didn't buckle.
"We take birthdays seriously, here." Puffy replied, saying nothing about the iron grip Ranboo had on her arm, pulling himself up the rest of the way, "We even have a dedicated budget."
"Because people keep dying and getting a HIT to their eighteenth birthday is far less common than the public knows?" Doc's voice was light, but there was an edge to it that Ranboo didn't quite understand. Nor did he understand the look that passed between the two women, sharp and meaningful.
How did Puffy know Doc anyway? She'd said they were friends, so long ago when Ranboo was first arrested, but had never elaborated further.
"Because birthdays are very special days and everyone deserves to be celebrated for existing." Puffy corrected firmly as they approached the main party again, "Behave, you monster."
Doc rolled her eyes, but giggled. Ranboo stared in disbelief. He didn't think he'd ever heard Doc giggle. Laugh, sure, on occasion, but never something so childish and light. Who was Puffy to her?
He didn't get a chance to ask, however, before they were sweeping back into the training room, where Purpled and Leah appeared to be attempting to strangle each other while Tubbo gave rapid fire commentary like a particularly sadistic sports reporter.
"Excuse me! There will be no murder on my shift! Do you know how much paperwork I'll have to do? Python, why aren't you supervising?"
The man shrugged, his hands shoved down inside the neon green hoodie he was wearing, "I was. Lee was winning."
"Damn right I- OW WHAT THE FUCK PURPLED! YOU BIT ME!"
Ranboo couldn't help but grin, watching Leah roll around dramatically on the floor while Purpled grinned.
Puffy sighed so hard he was surprised her lungs didn't collapse, "I have no idea why Sam thinks you're capable of being a Mentor… Finch, did it break the skin? There are so many germs inside the human mouth."
Leah paused her agony-filled writhe for a moment to check her arm, tugging the fabric up to reveal deep teeth-marks, but no blood. "I have sustained a life-threatening injury and I demand to take this to court. I'm going to sue!"
"Don't worry Purp, I'll be your lawyer."
"I think that might genuinely be a worse outcome than if I represented myself," replied the blonde flatly, but there was amusement in his eyes as he looked towards Tubbo.
"Hey! I want a lawyer too! Fred, stop eating all the snacks and get over here! Ranboo, you too, we need a judge."
Ranboo hesitated only a moment before he crossed the room, leaving Doc and Puffy to go socialise with the adults. He didn't know why he felt stilted all of a sudden - these were his friends, he'd lived with them for two months, they trained together, played together, stuck together. Maybe it was just the week with Teagon that had thrown him off balance, the forceful reminder that he didn't deserve any of this, that he was just pretending to be a person and they bought the act.
The reminder that at some point they'd figure it out, and they'd stop being his friends. Leah would stop dragging him into their games, Tubbo would stop barging into his room to ramble about his projects, Fred would stop doing puzzles with him late at night when he couldn't sleep, Purpled would stop practising parkour and rock-climbing in the jungle gym. Astro would stop looking at him like he hung the stars, would stop doodling patterns and stars on his arms, would stop demanding to be carried to bed whenever he stayed the night in the Tower.
It was all temporary, no matter how good it felt, and Ranboo had forgotten.
"Hey. Is your head hurting?" Leah's voice was uncharacteristically soft, looking at Ranboo with such concern he wanted to sob. He had to keep it together, everyone had put themselves out for him, he had to be grateful. Actions meant more than words.
Ranboo pulled up a smile. It was almost real.
"I'm just tired. Long day, you know?"
No one looked convinced. Not even Ranboo. But they didn't pull him up on it, and he was so grateful for it.
"We can adjourn court for today," Tubbo said, filling the sudden silence, "Cmon, it's loud in here, let's go somewhere quieter."
"How much of the food do you think we can get away with stealing?" Leah said thoughtfully, staring at the table.
"If we're confident, we can just pick up as much as we can carry and walk out. And failing that, Ranboo can start to cry."
"Why me??"
"You look the saddest! No one can resist your sopping-wet-depressed-cat vibes!" Fred sounded far too cheerful for Ranboo's liking, but he had to admit his logic was sound.
"I'll go get Astro." Purpled volunteered quietly, looking over to where their smallest friend was attempting and failing to stop a helium balloon from floating.
"I think that's technically kidnapping, but we can make the argument it's a birthday present for Boo."
Ranboo couldn't help but giggle at that, "Mech, I don't think human trafficking is forgivable under any circumstances."
"Shushhh my child, and go get the mini chocolate cake thingys. Does everyone know what they're doing?"
"Crime!"
Fred really was too chipper about their new career paths. Somehow, Ranboo couldn't make himself care. His smile was returning, a real one this time, as they piled their hands high with treats and dashed out of the gym amidst a whirl of giggles. The adults knew exactly what was happening, they all knew that, but it was more fun to pretend they didn't, that they were escaping cleanly.
Purpled followed them moments later, with a small child clinging to his back, and something clutched in his hands.
"Are those-"
"You got Puffy's keys?!" Leah's shriek was so loud it echoed off the walls, and they all winced, looking towards the training room doors like they might burst open.
Ranboo swore that he heard a faint, familiar chuckle, but if anyone else did, they didn't say.
Purpled grinned, looking livelier than Ranboo had ever seen him before, "I figured we could head up to the rooftop."
"The roof! I wanna go to the roof!"
"Stop squirming or I'll drop you."
Astro only giggled, the bluff falling empty.
"I didn't know we could even get to the roof-"
"Sure we can! Not the heli-pad bit, that'll have people in it, but there's this private garden thing that my d- that President Schlatt uses to host parties. It'll be warm and quiet up there."
It took a moment, but somehow Tubbo managed to juggle the bowls in his hands to thread his arm through Ranboo's, pressing close to his side.
The goat-hybrid was warm, his mechanical arm skin-temperature. Ranboo leant into him as they made their way towards the lift, Purpled swiping Puffy's key card with a flourish.
Ten minutes later, they were spread out on a swathe of artificial grass, under streams of fairy-lights and heated lamps. Tubbo still hadn't let go of Ranboo's arm, and was now half-draped across him, chatting to Fred about some TV show Ranboo had never heard of. It was so nice, he thought dreamily, laughing at Leah's attempts to catch a cocktail sausage in her mouth, to be so close.
Ranboo wasn't sure when he started to run his finger's through the other boy's hair, but by the time he realised, Tubbo's head was laid in his lap, and he'd been idly twirling curls through an entire conversation with Purpled. It was warm, comfortable, and familiar somehow. Natural.
And with a start, Ranboo realised he didn't want to let go.
Tubbo was… Tubbo was incredible. He was scarily smart but endearingly nerdy, hilarious but kind, he made Ranboo feel safe, and more importantly, he made him feel normal. Ranboo could spend forever sitting like this, grinning down at hazel-green eyes and star-dusted freckles.
When he traced a thin, pale finger across the bridge of Tubbo's nose, the other boy only laughed, staring up at Ranboo with glowing smile before lunging up and licking his hand so grossly.
Ranboo shrieked, throwing himself backwards and trying to act disgusted through his laughter.
Tubbo followed, rolling them around on the grass, wrestling playfully while Leah cheered and Purpled started betting mini quiches on the outcome of the fight.
Ranboo was absolutely gonna win, 10/10, he was so not being thrashed, and if Astro hadn't decided to dive-bomb and slam an elbow into his ribs, he would've proved it.
No sooner had he caught his breath was he wheezing again, as Leah decided it was his time to go, death by suffocation. Purpled paused only long enough to move Astro out of direct harm's way before he and Fred flopped down too.
Of all the ways Ranboo had lost oxygen privileges in his lifetime, this was absolutely the best way.
"Are you having a nice birthday, Boo?" Tubbo laughed, sounding a little strangled with the weight of three very-muscled-almost-grown-adults on him, but not at all regretful of the actions that led to this point.
"The best." Ranboo replied, and he meant it, "I love you guys."
"We love you too. I love you."
A hand wormed its way through the pile of bodies to squeeze his. Ranboo squeezed back.
"I think you're alright too."
"Wow," Leah said wonderingly, "I think that's the nicest thing Purpled's ever said to anyone."
Ranboo would've replied, except Fred had rolled over and his lung capacity was currently near zero. Best birthday ever.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Meanwhile
Puffy was a nice person.
She was a very nice, kind, understanding and sympathetic person, even to her enemies.
She had never wanted to kill someone as much as she wanted to kill Teagon Rowan.
She had also, in a similar though not quite as lethal way, never wanted to throttle Cassie as much as she did now.
Stood across the room, arms folded, scowling like a thundercloud and looking so much like the child Puffy had once adored, who she'd mourned and then hated and then forgave and understood. Asclepius had been a spitfire, loud and brash and rigid in her morality. Asclepius would have tracked down Teagon Rowan in two weeks flat and broken as many limbs as needed to bring him to justice.
Cassie Whitlock would've had that child swept to safety before Puffy had even breathed in his direction.
The Doctor just stood there, stony faced and set, and told Puffy it was for the greater good to let a child be viciously abused.
"That's not fair, Puffy, and you know it. I have hundreds of children I am responsible, and thousands of adults. I cannot trade the life of one boy for all of those."
Something cracked in the storm, a well of agonising grief so deep that it swept every ounce of anger away from Puffy's frame, sent her sagging towards a chair, head in her hands.
"You're right, god- god, I'm so sorry, Cassie-"
"Doc, please."
Puffy swallowed hard, "Doc, right- I'm so-"
"Sorry. You mentioned." The girl's- woman's - voice had gone chilled. Puffy couldn't blame her. "Did you actually want to have a productive conversation? Or just hurl some more insults? If it's the latter, I'll take my leave."
"I shouldn't have yelled at you, Ca- Doc, I apologise. I'm not angry at you, I'm angry at that monster."
Doc stared a moment longer, before her shoulders dropped a little of the tension she was holding, and she crossed the room to take a seat. They were in Sam's office, waiting for the Warden to finish up a last-minute meeting, but Puffy couldn't bring herself to relax, even in a space supposedly safe.
"I know you are, Puff. I'm angry too."
"But not surprised."
"No. I knew something like this would happen one day, that Rowan would continue to escalate. I've been keeping tabs for the best part of six years."
This, being the stark black letters scrawled across Ranboo's back, unmistakable even in the short glimpse Puffy had gotten when the boy had knocked himself out on the door-frame. She hadn't seen whatever was up under his neck, but Doc had felt something being healed when she dosed him up, and apparently it tasted like a tattoo. Whatever tasted meant, Puffy had long since stopped questioning how people percieved their powers.
She'd also fixed up dozens of new bruises, cuts and a fractured rib, but that was practically normal, as fucked up as it sounded.
"And you-"
"No, Puffy, I really, really can't. So many people would die if I gave away his identity. Even more if I attempted to remove Ranboo from the situation. I have power here, influence, but only here. Outside the City I hold very little standing."
"But I do."
The blonde's head snapped up, looked at Puffy with eyes that never used to be so old.
"Puffy…"
"I have that power. I could get him away, into witness protection, a thousand miles away. Somewhere Rowan would never find him."
Doc swallowed, fingers tapping against the plastic arm of the chair.
"You'd only get one shot. He's powerful, he has the resources and the possessiveness to come after him hard. Throw everything he has at the search. If he found Ranboo, then at best we'd never get another shot, and worst everyone would die."
"Why are people dying? And also why is there a criminal in my office, Puffy I told you to stop doing this."
"Excuse you, Warden, I am simply an innocent civilian-"
"Asclepius you were always terrible at disguises. You're not even wearing a mask."
"I'll have you know that you and Puffy are the only Heroes who've put my identities together, I didn't technically debut as a HIT and I think all my classmates are dead or transferred out. And technically I'm off duty, so-"
Sam sighed, rubbing his eyes as he sat heavily in his office chair, "Asclepius I have just spent two and a half hours dealing with bureaucratic idiots who've never tried to herd Heroes in their life, the only reason I'm not calling security is because Puffy is with you and it doesn't seem to be a kidnapping scenario. What are you doing here."
"One, stop dead-naming me, it's Doc now. Two, ask Puffy, she asked me to stay. Oh- and the dead people are only theoretical, we're discussing escape plans."
"For-?"
"Ranboo." said Puffy firmly, "I'm done watching that poor boy be destroyed. I want him out of that man's life, and out of this City. We have the power to do so, there's a whole program dedicated to it. We-"
"- cannot currently do that."
Puffy's shoulders tensed, and she glared at Sam, "What do you mean we can't do that right now. I swear to god if you mention anything about contracts-"
"It's not the contract. I can break that with a little paperwork. In fact, it's not anything legal at all. I'm not heartless, Puffy, just practical. Active abuse victims do not like to be uprooted from what they perceive as safety. I doubt if Ranboo is even consciously aware he's being abused. He wouldn't come willingly, and we would lose all the trust he's come to place in us. I'm happy to run all the paperwork in advance, to keep it quiet and secure, to prepare a safe-house months in advance, but you need him to come willingly, Puffy."
Puffy didn't realise her hands were clenched until small fingers caught her wrist, Doc carefully prying bloodied nails out of crescent wounds in her palms, tracing a faint sheen of gold across the cuts. She stared blankly down, the laminated floor looking back impassively.
"Fine. You do the paperwork, and I'll get Ranboo to come willingly."
"You won't be alone. I'll get Poker in on it too, Ranboo adores him. We will help him, Puffy. It's not too late."
When the hand slid to clasp hers, Puffy squeezed back.
"Thank you, Doc."
"Anytime, Puf-"
"As touching as this is, I do need you to leave my office sooner rather than later, before someone walks in and sees us fraternising with a criminal."
"I am not-!"
"Cassie! Out!"
Puffy couldn't help the chuckle as the blonde made her swift escape, throwing a middle finger up at the door.
It wasn't too late, she repeated to herself, it wasn't too late.