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Ranboo was covered in a red cloak, gift from Techno. He was walking through the Main SMP, just to clear his head. Smelling like burger grease from being with Wilbur all day. The sun was getting ready to set and Tommy was sitting on a bench, watching the waves on some lonely beach not too far from everything.
Before he decided to go on a walk he was feeling horrible- nauseatingly terrible- no. It was-…he was just…upset about an argument he had with Tubbo earlier.
It was about Wilbur, like it always was. They know Wilbur can be manipulative, but it’s how he copes with not wanting to be lonely. As long as Ranboo was aware of it right? Then they were safe from the manipulation.
He sees the boy bathing in the orange hues of the setting sun. He looks as tired and despondent as ever. Sporting the usual green bandana around his neck, he had an old red cloak like Ranboo’s on the back of the bench. Though Tommy had some symbolic embroidery on it, bedrock and swords, and emerald sown into the gold clasp. A faint sting of jealousy stirred in Ranboos chest, but he pushed it away.
He sat next to Tommy on the bench, just to give the boy some comfort if he needed it. Ranboo considered themselves to be a good friend to Tommy, a rare title for people nowadays. But lately Tommy seems to have been completely avoiding him. No doubt Tubbo told him about Ranboo and Tubbos business adventures, and he’s taking it personally. Letting old biases around the man cloud his judgement about his own friends.
Ranboo felt irritated thinking about it. This talk of nations and sides and old wounds that should be closed by now. Or at least be healing. Ranboo couldn’t help but look at Tommy with an annoyed gleam as he seemed to be completely ignored the taller hybrid. Ranboo opened their mouth to get Tommys attention but-
“You know they don’t actually care about you. Right? Not for who you really are-”
“Excuse you?” Ranboo cuts off Tommy with a tone much more harsh than they intended.
Tommy looks unphased by the uncharacteristically biting tone.
“Who are you talking about-”
”I’m talking about Wilbur and Techno dumbass. They don’t care about the person you are, they care about what you are to them.” Tommy has this eerily neutral expression, but there’s a deathly melancholy in his gaze. He stares out on the waves softly crashing into each other.
“What I am to them…? What are you talking about?” Ranboo has now calmed down. He was just upset about the argument he had with Tubbo earlier. And now it seems Tommy seems to want to pick the same fight. Fine, he can explain himself again. But what did Techno have to do with any of this-
“Or I guess I should say…” Tommy turns to stare at Ranboo, not into their eyes, but just at their tall figure, “who you’re replacing.”
“Who I’m replacing-” He sputtered at the accusation. “Tommy I know you had your hardships when you were with them but I think if you gave them both another chance you could be friends with them again-”
”Friends? Is that all you think we we’re?”
Tommy lets out this horrible sick giggle. Usually Tommy’s little giggles brought a smile to Ranboo’s face, made them feel all warm and safe inside. But this only made him feel uneasy.
Tommy speaks quietly, just some soft muttering. He stares back out at the waves. He’s thought about these words that he’s wanted to say to Ranboo for a while.
“They weren’t just my friends. I was their brother. Their stupidly loyal dependent younger brother. Separately, of course, I don’t think Techno and Wilbur ever cared about each other aside from being allies when it benefitted either of them. And certainly we were not brothers by blood unless you count the blood I spilled with them when I was with them.”
“More of a reason you should fix things with them. Show them the independent man you are now. No longer just a boy.”
Tommy just laughs again. Prime he didn’t used to be this bitter.
“Your missing the point Ranboo. They like you because you're like me. Stupidly loyal and dependent. You excuse their actions, follow them around. If they tell you to put down your bow or pick up a wither skull you would. I don’t know why you do it, and yeah I don’t care.” Tommy fixes the green, worn bandana around his neck. “But you are doing exactly what I did for them. I did all of that and loved them like my family. I went to war for them. And you would too. But there’s a difference between us.”
Tommy stands up and stares down at Ranboo with this disgusted squint and tired smirk.
“Enlighten me.” Ranboo mumbles with annoyance. He doesn’t understand what Tommy is trying to do here. Hurt their feelings, cut things off, or maybe even warn them.
“You will never be their younger brother. You will always be the replacement. My replacement.” Tommy took his cloak off the back of the bench, and walked off. Who knows where he’s going. Ranboo should go after him. But their just trying to process the conversation that just happened.
Suddenly things start to click in place. Those longing stares from Techno, like he’s waiting for an annoying joke or something to go wrong. Ranboo is far too put together to ever let anything go wrong. Those snide comments that Wilbur is quick to apologize for like he was waiting for Ranboo to refute. Waiting for some loud argument, followed by even louder laughter. But nothing.
“-maybe to me but not Ranboo please Wilbur-”
”Tommy! I don’t care man! You had your chance now get out of here!”
A small shove sends Tommy into the floor on some sandy dirt. Tommy is clearly fighting back tears, but his glare is firm in it’s anger. Wilburs expression shows regret but he doesn’t apologize as he turns around and walks back into the van. That’s strange. Usually Wilbur apologizes to everybody when he steps out of line. Which is often. But not this time it seems.
Tommy stands up, dusts himself off with shaky hands, and walks past Ranboo.
“Even though you’ll never be me, you really don’t want to be.” Tommy mumbles as he passes Ranboo. Ranboo stops dead in his tracks. They turn to talk to Tommy, but the blonde boy is keen to keep walking to wherever he’s off to next.
“Wilbur-” They say softly as they enter the van, “I saw Tommy are you guys- is he alright?”
Wilbur quickly turns his back to Ranboo, he’s trembling. After a moment he sighs and turns back to smile at Ranboo.
“Of course we are! He’s just being Tommy- you know how he is. Clingy, loud ‘Oh Wilbur I hate you and want you to die’- Well Tommy I’ve already been there done that so you should stop whining-” Wilbur drones on in a frantic tone. Wilbur didn’t often talk of Tommy, but the more he did, the more crazy his eyes got.
“What was the argument really about?” Ranboo says in a comforting tone. Wilbur was just a man who needed some TLC and he’d open up more.
“More ungrateful jabberings. Tommy is Tommy. None of us can ever change that, and that’s why he’s so important. He’s diehard loyal, but he always finds his path. Even if he walks his path alone, he is sure in his ways.”
Wilbur looks at Ranboo.
Yes-man.
That’s all Ranboo is to him.
Tommy was never Wilbur’s yes-man.
And Ranboo will never be Wilbur’s Tommy.
Ranboo didn’t believe Wilbur. Sure it sounded believable, but Wilbur knew Tommy better than everyone except Tubbo. He could spin thousands of imaginary stories about Tommy and still make it sound just like him.
“I guess…let’s get the day started.” Ranboo stood up and put on their apron.
“You seem…busy-minded.” Techno muses with an awkward glance. He really was terrible at consoling people.
“Ah well, yes I just- I don’t know. Something weird happened earlier. Between Wilbur-…and Tommy-”
”Tommy?” Prime why did Techno perk up at that.
“They we’re talking earlier and it was like Tommy was arguing with Wilbur and asking for something.”
”What was he asking for?” Ranboo could practically see Techno sorting through all his chests inventory in his mind already at the prospect of Tommy needing something.
“I don’t know. He said my name. Then Wilbur kinda pushed Tommy and he fell on the ground and walked away.
“Hm. That’s…Tommy usually fights back. At least that’s how I taught him. I guess he never learned he could do that with Wilbur.” Techno makes a small comment. It sounds…insulting. Usually Techno insults Tommy, but this time it felt different.
Concern.
For someone he swore he hated.
The two carry on with tending their farms, but when they go into Techno's house for a break and some warmth, Phil wanders in with a letter.
“Hey Techno- you’ll never believe who has just delivered you a lett- Oh, hi Ranboo.” Phil smiled warmly at the Enderman hybrid. And in turn Ranboo waved back politely.
“Whose the letter from?” They had a feeling they knew exactly who the letter was from. He only knows one person who ties up letters with spider silk instead of leather envelopes or wax seals.
“It’s from Tommy. He came here with no jacket, just the old cloak-” A shift in Techno's posture at the mention of the cloak. “And some worn boots. Handed it to me and said, ‘it’s for Techno. Don’t get your hopes up, I haven’t been a man of many words lately.’ Then left.”
Phil looked uncomfortable recalling the boy. Tommy was a sore spot in the syndicate. Especially for Phil and Techno. Especially for…Techno.
Techno simply took the letter and read it. Phil read it over Techno's shoulder. They both after looking at each other, looked at Ranboo.
“What-? Huh-?” Ranboo stared between them.
“It just says,” Phil begins.
“’Leave Ranboo alone.’” Techno finishes.
Ranboo feels a creeping sense of irritation.
“But he wrote it in Piglish for some reason. I mean you probably weren’t supposed to hear this letter but why keep secrets.” Techno shrugs casually.
Piglish. Technos native tongue. He seldom uses it, only to send secret messages. Or Ranboo should say, he only used it to send secret messages to two people.
Phil, of course.
And Tommy.
“How do you want to proceed Ranboo?” Phil murmurs as he tries to read everyone's expression.
“I’ll handle it.” Ranboo quickly stands up and leaves, with no argument from Phil or Techno.
“Please Tommy you don’t need to do this secret message spreading and going behind my back to turn them against me-” Ranboo storms into Tommy’s lawn with the bench. Tommy stands up, cutting Ranboo off.
“I’m not turning them against you. I’m saving you.” His tone is even. His eyes are tired.
“Saving me from two people who care about me-?”
”-Who care about the idea of what you could be. They don’t care about you, not really. And you don’t deserve that Big Man. You have someone at home who cares about you more than anyone, and you’re losing that for people who only see you as a memory of what they once had-”
”Do not bring up Tubbo-!”
”No I’m gonna fucking bring up Tubbo because I will gladly die again if it means protecting my best friend from being hurt! You are hurting your Tubbo!” Tommy is shouting now. Showing more emotion than he has the past few days…weeks…months…
“Well I can’t just cut off Wilbur and Techno- Not after they did so much for me.” Guilt creeps up on Ranboo at the thought of just leaving behind Wilbur and Techno. How lonely they’d be.
“Yes you can. If you know whats good for you, and your family, you can. They aren’t good for you.” ”You don’t know that-” ”Alright fine- you want me to fucking prove it?! You want proof that they see you as a replacement of me?! Fine.” Tommy walks away and comes back with a two discs. Random ones, that Tommy doesn’t care about.
“Talk about these, and tell them how much you have started to care about them. Just see what happens. It’ll be a short moment of reveal, but you’re smart enough to catch it.” Tommy has this bitter challenging tone. “And something tells me you’ve already started noticing since we had our first talk about this. This will just solidify it.”
Ranboo wants to argue. He just slaps the discs down with a firm hit that makes Tommy flinch and walks away.
Ranboo finds himself staring at the ceiling in his bed. Tubbo was still laying next to them, but refused to face them or even be close to them. It was so cold, Ranboo could hardly stand it anymore.
“Tubbo…?” Ranboo’s tone was soft.
“What…” Tubbos voice was tired, and laced with it’s usual annoyance.
“What will it take for you and Tommy to just talk to me…?”
After a beat of silence, Tubbo sits up. In the dark room Ranboo can feel the shorter mans glare.
“Don’t pretend to be stupid Ranboo, you have seen how Tommy reacts around Wilbur, even just the mention of the name- We all know how Wilbur used to treat Tommy we just never said anything until by then he was already dead and the damage was done!” Tubbo was angry. Again. It’s not Ranboos fault Tubbo knew things about Tommy that no one else knew.
“And Technoblade-”
”And Technoblade.” Tubbo cut him off. “Do these scars mean nothing to you? Do my scars from war after war and explosion after explosion show nothing?” Tubbo’s voice sounded desperate. He was tired of arguing.
Another beat of silence.
“Tommy gave me a test. He says they don’t really care about me. Just…that…I’m repl-”
“Replacing him? Yeah, it doesn’t take a genius to see that.”
Ranboo feels a twinge annoyance. But now hearing two people say that, on top of everything else.
“Look Tubbo, I’m sorry for how this all makes you feel-”
“How about you wait to see what happens tomorrow and see if you’ve earned mine and Tommy’s forgiveness before apologizing.”
Tubbo laid back down, and back into sleep he went.
Ranboo can’t help but get this terribly sick feeling in his stomach. He wants to puke. He doesn’t even know why. But they don’t get a lot of sleep because of it.
“Ranboo? Hey Ranboo? Ranboo- Ranboo!”
Wilbur’s loud shout snaps Ranboo out of his thoughts.
“Oh sorry-! I was just lost in thought.” Ranboo lets out an awkward chuckle.
“Yeah? You wanna talk about it?” Wilbur goes over to help Ranboo flip the burgers.
“Oh well- it’s just…”
Ranboo thinks for a moment. How does Tommy even expect him to bring this up? It’s so not like Ranboo at all to just care about some discs.
He backs up and sits on a chair behind Wilbur. ”Well- I just had these discs and lately I can’t stop thinking about how much I…care about them.” Ranboo is a horrible liar.
Wilbur is silent for a moment. He’s flipping the burgers, his back turned to Ranboo. Then he lets out a low chuckle.
“Seriously, I mean you know better than anyone else what kind of trouble discs bring Tommy.”
Ranboo froze in place. He didn’t even realize the discs fell to the floor. And Wilbur didn’t even seem to notice his slip-up.
“My names…Ranboo.” They mutter quietly.
Wilbur now quickly straightens and turns around with a shocked expression.
“Right- Yes I meant- I knew that- you’re-”
Ranboo picked up the discs.
Replacement.
“I need to go.”
Ranboo was quick to turn around and leave.
“Wait- where are you going? It was one slip-up! Ranboo-! See I know your name-”
But Ranboo was long gone. He had someone else they needed to visit.
Techno and Ranboo had met over a cup of tea. He told Techno of how he’s quit his job with Wilbur.
“Good for you. Wilbur’s…erratic. He’s my best friend’s son and we knew each other when we we’re younger but…I don’t trust the kind of man he is now. Or really ever was.” Techno sips his tea.
“Yeah…I suppose I just try not to listen to rumors.” Ranboo shrugs.
“You gotta remember, rumors still all started from some level of truth.” Techno puts down his tea cup. He begins to walk over and organize his chests in the living room.
“Yeah, you’re right…but anyways I did have another thing I wanted to talk about.”
Techno didn’t turn to face Ranboo, but his ears turned to show his attention.
“Lately, I’ve been finding myself attached to these certain items. I just…really am like- devoted to them.” Ranboo had no idea what it was that made Tommy so obsessed with these stupid discs that he’d drop friends for it, so they were making this up on the spot.
“Yeah? What items? Is it like armor or weapons?” Techno mutters.
“Well…no not exactly. It’s- uhm- discs.”
Techno lets out a sigh.
“I thought I taught you better than to get attached again Tommy-”
Techno’s jaw snaps shut as he quickly turns around to face Ranboo. He has this horrified expression. He’s…embarrassed. The Blood God seemed embarrassed. Ranboo didn’t even realize their own expression had twisted into an annoyed expression.
“I see it now.” Ranboo whispers as they keep their gaze fixed on Techno for a moment.
“See…what?” Techno murmurs nervously.
“I'm the replacement.”
Techno looks terribly confused as Ranboo turns to leave.
“I’ll send Tommy your regards.” Ranboo shuts the door behind him.
When Ranboo returns home after the long contemplative walk back, he sees Tommy and Tubbo sharing drinks in the kitchen. They both turn to face Ranboo.
“You were right Tommy. I don’t even know why I doubted you.” Ranboo walks over to the counter. After a moment, both Tubbo and Tommy stand up to hug the taller man.
“I know. But I can only pray they didn’t treat you how they did me.” Tommy mumbles.
“Treat me- how- what did they do to you Tommy-”
“That’s not important Ranboo. Now we’re back together again. That’s what’s important.” Tubbos soft voice is like the sweetest honey in the world to Ranboo. Finally he has his husband, and his best friend back. There is no weight on Ranboos shoulders, this lingering sense of terrible feeling. Just love. For who they truly are, and not someone they could never be.
Still, Ranboo can’t help but see that look in Tommy’s eyes, something horrible, like he’s planning on doing something he knows he’s gonna regret. More often than not, victims will find a way back to their abusers. They’re clear of mind to know how to save other people from abuse, but never do they know how to save themselves.
Ranboo feels a horrible dread every time Tommy comes over and his red cloak is covered in red sand and grease stains. According to Phil’s letters that he’s started sending, it’s lonely without Ranboo. So Tommy is avoiding Techno still. Techno was always the better option. Those two could repair what they had and make things more fair between them. But Wilbur. Whatever Wilbur has done to Tommy…Ranboo needs to save Tommy, just like how Tommy saved them. Please, don’t let it be too late-