Forever Found - Unfinished.

by LunaEclipse1057

Summary:

Ranboo has been in the foster system for years, and they finally find a home that sounds nice.

Notes:

Major Triggers: Child abuse, but i deleted the graphic bits bc i became too pussy

Chapter 1: Forever Escaped

Ranboo shot up the stairs as fast as his wounded legs could run, shouting and plates smashing echoing from the kitchen. He raced into the small room he was assigned and closed the door, quietly to not anger them further. Taking the chair in the corner of the room, he put it against the door, preventing anyone else from coming in.

 

The tears finally started coming down, he was in so much agony. He (painfully) got down and reached under the tiny cot that he barely fit on, and pulled out the stash of medical supplies he snuck in. Opening the box it was revealed he was nearly out of pretty much everything.

 

Sighing, Ranboo took out the bandages and began to wrap his more critical cuts. This time, there were only two, and they were both on his right arm.

 

He was able to do it extremely quickly, as he’s had years of practice. The Foster System was not kind to many children. There were so many houses just doing it for the tax benefits or even for servants. He had only had one family that was kind to him, but he was only able to stay a few days. He missed them.

 

Finishing the bandages, he sighed and laid down on the bed frame that lacked a pillow and mattress. He turned on his side and sobbed himself to sleep.

 

--__--

 

He woke to a hardcover book being thrown at his head. He cried out, slipping off the bed. Ranboo looked up to see Liam, his foster ‘dad’, standing above him. He tried to stand, but Liam shoved him back down, his hands on Ranboo’s shoulders. Liam then used one hand and grabbed both of Ranboo’s wrists, holding them together above his head.

 

Liam chuckled, which make Ranboo start trembling. He knew what that laugh meant.

 

(an - i deleted this part cause im not that comfortable having it in anymore, basically ranboo has bad time. im sorry if anyone doesnt like the fact this got deleted, its just my choice and wants)

 

Ranboo heard steps going up the stairs, and didn't dare make a sound until he heard the door to the basement close. He let out a sob and didn't stop crying until he heard a buzz. He looked up, expecting Liam to be back, but no one was there, he looked around, and saw a light coming from a table, but it turned off quickly. Looking closer, his eyes widened, and he knew he could finally get out of here.

 

He tried standing up, but the pain was unbearable. It hurt so badly, he didn't know what to do. He resorted to slowly crawling his way over to the table. He was in so much pain, he was so out of breath by the time he got there.

 

You deserve it, though.

 

He reached up, and fumbled, but finally grabbed the phone, and pulled it off the table. He tried unlocking it, but there was a passcode. He froze, not knowing what to do, but remembered something that he was told before.

 

"If you need 9-1-1, then you can swipe to the right and it brings up the emergency call, although it's only on some phones."

 

He held his breath and swiped to the right.

 

It worked.

 

He gasped softly, more tears falling, and dialed 9-1-1, putting the phone to his ear.

 

"911, what's your emergency?"

 

He could finally breathe again. "I-I n-n-need to g-get out, I-I c-can't take it anymore,"

 

"Okay, may I have your name and age?" The voice that crackled through was soft, feminine, and calming.

 

"R-R-Ranboo, f-fifteen.."

 

"Alright, Ranboo, I'm glad you called. My name is Hannah Rose, but you may call me Hannah. May I please know what's going on?"

 

"F-Foster... ab-abuse... I-it hurts-" he was starting to breathe faster, he felt himself panicking. What the hell was he doing?

 

"Okay, I'm going to ask some questions, but first, can you give me your address? I need to know so I can send officers over."

 

Ranboo shakily gave the address, before saying "I-I do-don't know h-how long I-I have..."

 

"Until someone comes to you, or until you pass out?" The voice grew more concerned.

 

"F-First, a-and I-I some-sometimes go s-semiverbal," it was growing more and more difficult to say full sentences.

 

"That's perfectly fine. Do you want me to ask you some questions, and then you can respond however you can?" Hannah asked. "They'll be yes or no questions."

 

Ranboo hummed in response. "Alright, I've sent officers over, but I'd like you to stay on the line, so I can make sure you stay safe. I'm going to begin the questions now. You said you were in the foster system?"

 

Ranboo nodded but realized she couldn't see that. Idiot . He hummed a positive response. "Alright. Are they abusing you?"

 

Ranboo replied with a shaky "Yes"

 

"Okay, is it physical? Emotional?"

 

"A-All..."

 

"Okay, the officers should be there soon. Are there any other children in the house?"

 

"N-No," Ranboo stuttered, then froze when he heard sirens. "I-I hear sir-rens..."

 

"Those are the officers I sent. I'm going to let you go, so you're not still on the phone when they come to you, but know you did so well, and you're free."

 

Free...

 

"Th-Thank you..." Ranboo was on the verge of tears.

 

"Of course." He heard the line click.

 

There was a loud banging coming up from upstairs, and a lot of commotion followed. Ranboo curled into himself, trembling, trying to ignore the loud noises. When a gunshot could be heard, he gasped and began to hyperventilate, and it only made it worse when the door was opened, ensued by heavy footsteps.

 

"I found the kid!" The voice was new, unfamiliar. It wasn't deep, but definitely masculine, and had a strong accent. The voice came up behind him. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm an officer, I'm here to get you out of here."

 

Ranboo tried to sit up but crumpled back on the ground. "Hey, hey, kid, you don't need to get up. Just rest, the ambulance should be here soon. My name is Officer Ponk. You are Ranboo, right?"

 

Ranboo's adrenaline was promptly being replaced by tiredness. "Mhm.."

 

"It's okay kid, get some sleep."

 

The last thing Ranboo heard before passing out was more sirens, and people with stretchers running down the basement stairs.

Chapter 2: Forever Comforted

Summary:

Ranboo meets someone..

Notes:

Will all the chapters start with Forever? Yes.

When Ranboo woke, it was in a warm bed. It felt nice, comfortable even. He hadn’t slept in a bed in ages. He felt calm until he remembered the events from before he passed out.

 

He sat up before the pain set in, and he groaned, slumping back into the bed.

 

“Be a bit more careful, kid!” Ranboo turned his head to see Puffy, his social worker, sitting on the other side of the hospital room. “You need to rest.”

 

“Puffy!” Ranboo tried sitting up again, to no avail. Puffy instead walked over to the bed.

 

“Hey, Ranboo,” she said, smiling softly.

 

Ranboo’s face fell. “I’m guessing you’re looking for emergency placements?”

 

Suddenly, Puffy couldn’t keep eye contact with the kid. “Yes, I will admit, it has been proving rather difficult. More so than it has in the past, actually.”

 

“How so?” Ranboo raised an eyebrow.

 

Puffy sighed. “We have so few emergency households available right now, and we are at max capacity at the home.”

 

Ranboo groaned. “So, what happens if we can’t find a place..?”

 

Puffy sighed. “Not sure. I do have someone I want to call, though. They haven’t fostered in a few years but they adopted everyone they fostered.”

 

Huh. “Okay..”

 

Puffy smiled softly. “Don’t worry, Boo, you’ll love him.”

 

We’ll see.

 

—__—

 

A few days later, Ranboo was still in the hospital, but today, Puffy said he had a guest.

 

“Who wants to see me ?” Ranboo had asked.

 

“Remember how, a few days ago, I said that I wanted to try and see if that person wanted to foster you?” Puffy asked, and Ranboo nodded. “Well, he’s on his way here, to meet you.”

 

“Oh,” Ranboo muttered.

 

"I'm sorry, I should've asked you first, but it all happened so quickly," She frowned slightly.

 

"O-Oh, uhm, i-it's alright," Ranboo stuttered. "I-I'm fine meeting him."

 

Puffy smiled, as she got a text from someone. "Oh, that's him now. He said he's in the lobby. I'll go get him, is that alright, dear?"

 

Ranboo nodded, and she left the room, closing the door gently behind her.

 

Ranboo sighed. Okay. You are okay, this is okay! This is fine, it's not like you've been abused by nearly all of your 27 foster houses. This is fine. I'm fine.

 

He sighed, laying his head back.

 

He isn't ready for this.

 

Almost on queue, the door opened, and Puffy came in, along with a tall, blonde-haired, pale-skinned male. He had a green sweater and jeans on, tennis shoes, and could make out a tattoo of some kind on his wrist, it looked like the bottom of a red heart, with a black outline and a peek of another black something. The man’s smile was almost contagious.

 

“This is Phil Watson,” Puffy said, and Phil waved. “He’s the one that will be offering you a home right now.”

 

The man, Phil, walked over to Ranboo and offered his hand. Ranboo hesitantly shook it. “Nice to meet you, Ranboo!” His voice wasn’t too deep, and comforting, in a way. Ranboo liked it.

 

“I’m going to be right outside, you two,” Puffy said. “Just call if you need anything.” She winked at Ranboo before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

 

So, now it was just Ranboo and a complete stranger in a hospital room together. Yes, because this is totally normal, mhm! This is exactly what I wanted to do today. I didn’t have anything planned anyway.

 

Actually, that last one was true. He didn’t have anything planned. He was stuck in the hospital, for fucks sake!

 

“So,” Phil said, sitting down on the chair Puffy was sitting at before. “What are your pronouns?”

 

Ranboo just looked at him. “What..?”

 

Phil raised an eyebrow. “You’ve never had a foster parent ask for your preferred pronouns?” When Ranboo shook his head, Phil’s eyes grew wide, but quickly returned to his natural, soft-eyed grin. “Well, I’ll be the first.”

 

“Oh, well,” Ranboo started. “I use He/Him, but I’ve been wanting to experiment with They/Them and maybe neopronouns.” He remembered that one of the kids in a previous foster home used Xey/Xem, and xey had explained the concept of neos to him.

 

He missed xem.

 

“Alright, then,” Phil nodded. “So, tell me a bit about yourself.”

 

“Oh, uh, I’m fifteen, I like to write and listen to music,” Ranboo said.

 

“Nice! My middle child, he writes music,” Phil chuckled.

“Does he?” Ranboo asked. “What’s his name?”

 

“His name is Wilbur, but his stage name is Wilbur Soot.”

 

Ranboo’s eyes widened. “Wait, did you say Wilbur Soot ?”

 

Phil nodded. “You know him?”

 

Ranboo smiled. “Know him? He’s my favorite musician! When I can, I listen to his Your City Gave Me Asthma album!”

 

Phil’s grin grew, which Ranboo didn’t even think was possible. “That’s amazing! He’s never actually met someone that knows his music, so having you around will make him so happy.”

 

Ranboo let out a short laugh, then caught himself and ducked his head. “Sorry.”

 

Phil chuckled. “Sorry for what?”

 

“For, uhm, all that. Getting that excited.”

 

Phil’s smile grew concerned. “You don’t need to apologize for that, mate.”

 

“I… I don’t?” Ranboo asked.

 

“Yeah, of course, you don’t,” Phil said. “In fact, I’m happy that you can let down your guard around me. I consider that to be one of the most important things when having a foster kid.”

 

Ranboo thought about the words he’d just heard for a minute, then spoke, “I don’t understand you.”

 

Phil raised an eyebrow again. “How so?”

 

“You’re so… kind,” was the response. “You aren’t upset at me for anything yet, you haven’t asked me to do anything yet.”

 

Phil sighed. “Yeah, the foster system sucks ass, but that’s what people like me are here for. Giving hope those people like you.”

 

He was stunned. This… could this actually be a good house..?

 

What are you even saying? Of course, it’s not. There are no good houses in this system. These are all lies to get you to trust him, and you’re falling for it.

 

Ranboo couldn’t make eye contact any longer. “Stop it…”

 

“Stop what?” Phil asked.

 

“This whole game of charades. I know what this is, I’ve been through it before. It’s just a sick way to gain my trust so you can break it and hurt me,” Ranboo started shaking, grabbing both his arms.

 

“Ranboo,” Phil started, but he was interrupted.

 

“ NO! Stop it! Stop trying to make me feel like I matter to you because I know I don’t! ” Tears started to fall. “ So just tell me! Tell me what I’m going to be? A p-punching bag? A-A-A servent? Som-Something for you to play with? JUST TELL ME!”

 

Phil walked up to the broken down child slowly, and asked, “May I sit on the bed?” His voice was softer.

 

NO! IF YOU DO, THIS IS IT. THIS IS WHEN HE’LL HURT YOU.

 

“...O-oka-kay..”

 

Phil sat down next to Ranboo. “May I hug you, Ranboo?”

 

The question caught Ranboo off guard. “Wh… What..?”

 

“May I hug you?” Phil asked again.

 

Ranboo answered by turning around and flinging his arms around Phil’s shoulders. He sighed, and held the back of Ranboo’s head by the crook of his shoulder, and gently rubbed circles into his back.

 

“I’m sorry, that you’ve been in the system long enough to have this mindset. But I want to change that.”

 

For the first time, Ranboo wanted to stay.

Notes:

SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG

Please, take care of yourself, my shining stars!

I love you! <3

Chapter 3: Forever Here

Summary:

Ranboo arrives at the Watson house..

SORRY UPLOADS HAVE BEEN SLOW <3

Notes:

Wheeeee, being sick is fun-

Over the next three days, Phil was there at the hospital, talking and hanging out with Ranboo. He stayed for hours, getting to know Ranboo, and sometimes they just sat there, quiet for around an hour or two. Those were some of the times Ranboo enjoyed the most, just sitting there, silently communicating. It felt nice.

 

On the fourth day, Phil came in with news. “You’re coming home, today.”

 

Ranboo glanced up from the book Phil gave him. It was called Divergent, and he was on Chapter Six. He’s been enjoying it a lot. “I… I am?”

 

Phil nodded, a smile resting on his face. “Mhm! I just told Wilbur that you like his music, and he’s actually here, waiting outside.”

 

Ranboo’s eyes widened. “Wait, Wilbur Soot is here?”

 

Phil nodded. “I’ll tell him he can come in if that’s okay with you.”

 

Eagerly, Ranboo nodded, and Phil stepped out of the room. Ranboo couldn’t believe what was happening. He was about to meet his favorite musician, not to mention going to live with him . This was just, insane!

 

A few seconds later, the door opened, and in came Phil, as well as a tall boy with messy brown hair, green eyes, and a golden sweater. His oval glasses rested on his nose.

 

“Ranboo, this is Wil. Wilbur, this is your new foster brother, Ranboo.” Phil said as he closed the door.

 

“Hey, mate,” Wilbur smiled at the kid, who was staring wordlessly at him. “I heard you like to listen to my music?”

 

Ranboo nodded and swallowed. “Y-Yes, I do.”

 

Wilbur chuckled. “Surprisingly, I’ve never actually met someone who’s a fan of my music, so I’m just as excited as you are.”

 

Ranboo nodded. “S-So, are you a-adopted or h-his?” He quickly realized what he said. “S-Sorry, y-you don’t h-have to answer-”

 

Wilbur interrupted gently. “You’re fine. I was actually in the foster system for around six years before Phil adopted me.”

 

Ranboo’s eyes widened slightly. “Wait, really?”

 

Wilbur nodded. “In fact, the only child of Phil’s that’s his birth child is Tommy, the youngest of us. He’s a few months older than you, I believe. My older sibling, Techno, was also in the foster system, for around eight years.”

 

Ranboo just nodded quietly. “So, you wanna get your stuff together? You’re free to leave whenever, so.”

 

Ranboo nodded again, and Wilbur smiled, as he and Phil left the room, leaving Ranboo alone. He jumped from the bed, and almost fell, his left leg limping. He grabbed the crutches they provided him for support.

 

He gathered his stuff, which wasn’t much, just clothes, his book, the little care bag the hospital provided with dental care and such, and a stuffed animal Phil had brought him. It was a little black cat plush he named Enderchest. He stuffed it all into the plain duffel bag he was given, and putting on his shoes, walked out of the room, where Phil and Wilbur were waiting for him.

 

“You ready to go?” Wilbur asked, and Ranboo nodded. “Right then! Let’s head to the car.”

 

Luckily for Ranboo, his room was on the ground floor, and he didn’t have to go down any stairs or be stuck in an elevator with them.

 

Reaching the front desk, Phil started to sign all the paperwork to get Ranboo out of the hospital. Ranboo, from the corner of his eye, caught a side look from Wilbur, who gave him a gentle and warm smile.

 

--__--

 

In the car, Phil was driving, Wilbur was in the passenger seat (He wanted to give it to Ranboo, but he declined), and Ranboo had the whole back to himself. He was laying down, the duffel bag acting as a pillow, Enderchest in his arms. It was already 9:00 at night, and looking out the window, the colorful lights from the city behind them were contrasting the black sky.

 

“We live in a pretty large house in a small neighborhood outside the city,” Phil said. “We’ll be there in fifteen minutes tops.”

 

Ranboo grunted in approval, and turned on his side, facing the back of the seat. He heard sighing, and the conversation between Phil and Wilbur followed in hushed voices.

 

“I hope he’ll be alright,” Wilbur said.

 

“He’s going to be just fine, Wil,” Phil reassured him. “You and Techno turned out just fine, and he will, too.”

 

“Right.”

 

--__--

 

The rest of the car ride was spent in silence, with only hushed voices from Wilbur and Phil disturbing it. If this was Puffy’s car, he’d be fast asleep by now.

 

Eventually, Ranboo felt the car slow down, and come to a stop. Looking at the car’s clock, it was 9:13 pm.

 

He looked out the window to reveal the two-story house. It was the biggest house Ranboo had ever been fostered in.

 

He heard Phil and Wilbur open and close their car doors, and Ranboo sat up, grabbing Enderchest and the duffel bag, and scooted over to the door, where Wilbur was waiting with his crutches.

 

Phil helped Ranboo up the stairs but paused before opening it. “Do you want to meet your other foster brothers now or tomorrow morning?”

 

Ranboo didn’t need to think about this one. He was exhausted. “Tomorrow…”

 

Phil nodded. “Understandable. I’ll tell Tommy to back off.”

 

Opening the door, Phil helped Ranboo through the door. The entirety of the downstairs and upstairs hallways walls was a pretty creme color, and the floor was a stunning brown-grey wood. The couches were a velvety red, and looked so, so comfortable. The throw pillows on them looked handmade. The rug underneath the oak coffee table was a simple tan but fit well.

 

Walking in, there were photos of what Ranboo assumed to be the whole family. The most recent-looking one had Phil, a brunette woman that Ranboo assumed to be his wife, a pink-haired kid, Wilbur, a blonde kid that looked around Ranboo’s age, and a brown-haired kid that could easily be Tommy’s brother. They were at a park, being chaotic.

 

Ranboo wished he could have a family like that.

 

“Is that him?!” Ranboo nearly lost balance on his crutches from the startle. Luckily, Wilbur caught him, and swiftly set him upright.

 

“Tommy, you’ll meet Ranboo tomorrow,” Wilbur called out. Ranboo looked, and up the stairs, was the blonde kid. “Ranboo, you’ll meet him later, but that’s Tommy.”

 

Rolling his eyes, Tommy walked away from the staircase, and the sound of a door being shut followed. Phil chuckled. “That’s Tommy for you. Anyways, unfortunately, the room you’ll be staying in is upstairs, but the doctor said that you won’t need the crutches much longer, so it won’t be that big a deal. Wilbur, can you get Ranboo situated and head to bed?”

 

“Totally,” Wilbur nodded, and Phil smiled, hugged Wilbur, and almost hugged Ranboo, but thought twice and just gave him a comforting smile.

 

“Alright, I’ll help you up the stairs, if that’s alright?” Wil turned to face Ranboo, who only nodded. “Alright!”

 

Putting Ranboo’s right arm over his shoulder, he helped Ranboo up the stairs, and when they got to the top, he smiled. “Well, you see that door at the very end of the hall right there?” He pointed, and Ranboo looked over, nodding. “That’s your room. I’ll leave you to unpack and get some sleep.”

 

Ranboo nodded, before quietly saying, “Goodnight, Wilbur Soot.”

 

Wil chuckled. “Please, just Wilbur is fine. Even Wil if you’re up for it. Night, though.”

 

Wilbur walked into another room, and shut the door. Sighing, Ranboo quietly hopped over to the room Wilbur pointed at, and opened the door. The bed was quite large, actually, and had plain white sheets. The room was very empty, but Ranboo didn’t complain. The bed was more than enough.

 

He set his duffel bag on the ground, too tired to unpack, and climbed into the bed, Enderchest in hand.

 

He rolled on his side, and swiftly fell into a dreamless slumber.

 

Notes:

<3

Thanks, my shining stars!

Chapter 4: Forever Confused

Summary:

Ranboo meets the rest of the Watson family, and Phil makes plans.

Notes:

Sorry it's so short, I got sick-

Ranboo woke from one of the best nights sleep he’d ever had. He hadn’t slept on a real bed in months, besides the hospital, of course. He sat up slowly and stretched out his arms, stiff from the lack of movement. He scooted over to the right side of the bed, where his crutches were waiting for him. Picking them up, he realized he was still in the clothing he wore yesterday and decided he didn’t want to make a bad first impression on his new housemates, so despite his tiredness, he decided to change.

 

Getting out of the bed, he went over to his duffel bag and got to the ground to access the bag easier. Opening the bag, he pulled out a hoodie and jeans. Not the most impressionable, but better than the clothes he wore yesterday. Besides, they were comfortable.

 

He also grabbed a hairbrush, and quickly but gently brushed his messy bedhead, then slowly put on the hoodie and jeans, which covered the bandages on his arms and legs.

 

Using the crutches, he stood back up and made his way to the stairs. He sat down, and scooted down the stairs, when halfway down, he heard, “Do you need some help there?”

 

Looking past the railing, he saw someone that he recognized as the pink-haired person in the photograph from yesterday. They still had the pink hair, but it was much, much longer, styled in an elegant braid.

 

“Oh,” Ranboo muttered. “No, I-I’m alright.”

 

The person nodded, and once Ranboo got down the stairs, helped him on his crutches. “You’re the new foster?”

 

Ranboo nodded, and they smiled gently. “I’m Technoblade, They/Them, but you can call me Techno. Nice to meet you, Ranboo, right?”

 

“That’s my name,” Ranboo confirmed.

 

“Oh, good morning, Techno!” It was a feminine voice Ranboo hadn’t heard before. He turned to where the kitchen was and saw a pretty woman with long, brown, wavy hair and emerald green eyes that matched Phils. “And you must be Ranboo.”

 

She walked over to where Ranboo and Techno were, and put out her hand. Ranboo took it and shook it. “My name is Kristin. I’m Phil’s wife.”

 

Ranboo nodded, and Kristin continued. “I’m just about done with breakfast. Tommy, Wilbur, and Phil are waiting at the kitchen table, how about you two go sit with them?”

 

“Yeah, sure,” Techno nodded, as Kristin smiled and walked off. “Cmon, you’ll get to meet the child.”

 

“Child..?” Ranboo asked. From the picture he saw last night, there wasn’t anyone that looked under the age of fourteen.

“That’s just what Wilbur and I call Tommy. He’s a few months younger than you are.”

 

Ranboo nodded and followed Techno into the kitchen, where he saw the same blonde hair teen from last night, wearing a red and white baseball tee. He was drinking out of a coffee mug, looking especially tired, while Phil and Wilbur were just laughing at him.

 

“Toms stayed up all night talking to Tubbo?” Techno laughed as they walked into the kitchen in front of Ranboo.

 

Phil slowly stopped laughing and nodded. “Mate only got like, three hours of sleep. He’ll be alright after his coffee, though,” He noticed Ranboo at the doorway. “Oh, morning, Ranboo! Did you sleep well last night?”

 

Ranboo nodded, not wanting to mention the fact that was the first night in a bed in a few months. “T-The bed was really comfortable, thank you.”

 

Phil smiled. “Of course! I see you’ve met Tech, did they tell you their pronouns?” When Ranboo nodded, he continued. “Well, you met Wilbur last night, and I know you just met Kristin, so this is Tommy.”

 

Using his thumb, he pointed to him. “His pronouns are He/Xey. He’s a few months younger than you are. Tommy, this is Ranboo.”

 

Tommy waved, and took another sip of xeir coffee, looking much more awake. “Nice to meet you, Ranboob.”

 

Ranboo was about to correct him but decided against it. There was a knock at the door, and suddenly, Tommy was wide awake, jumping out of xeir seat and rushing to open the door. He opened it and revealed a short, messy-haired brunette kid that looked Tommy’s age.

 

“Hey, Tubso!” Tommy wrapped his arm around “Tubso”’s neck and led him inside, closing the door. “Tubbo, this is Ranboo, he’s a new foster brother. Ranboo, this is my best friend, Tubbo.”

 

Tubbo waved and smiled. He was wearing a yellow and brown striped shirt and overalls. “Nice to meet you, Ranboo!”

 

Phil chuckled. “I should’ve known you’d be coming over. You and Tommy talked all night, of course, you’d make plans to hang out.”

 

Tubbo laughed, then sniffed the air, “Oh, what’s Mumza cooking?”

 

Ranboo raised an eyebrow. “Mumza?”

 

Wilbur nodded. “It’s what we call mum every now and then.”

 

“If you must know, Tubbo,” Kristin chirped. “I’m making pancakes, bacon, and eggs for breakfast. Have you eaten yet?”

 

“Nope!” Tubbo hummed, excitedly. “You’re a much better cook than my dad is.”

 

Tubbo and Tommy sat back down at the table as Kristin got out the plates and started to dish out the food.

 

“T-Thank you,” Ranboo muttered when she set his plate down on the silver tablecloth. She nodded and sat down next to Phil.

 

Everyone began eating, and Phil noticed Ranboo sitting idly. “Why aren’t you eating, mate?”

 

Everyone started looking at Ranboo, except for Wilbur, for whatever reason. “Oh, u-uhm, u-usually I ha-have to be told when I-I can eat,”

 

Phil chuckled sadly. “Not here, mate. You’re alright to eat whenever you need to.”

 

Ranboo slowly nodded, and picked up the fork, taking a bite of the bacon. It was good , but he couldn’t get everything that was happening out of his head. He was being treated like a person? He could eat without being told? Have a bed? What?

 

“So, does Ranboo over here have to go to school tomorrow?” Tommy asked, pointing his fork to the new kid.

 

“No, Kristin and I wanted to give them about a week or so to settle in.” Was Phil’s response.

 

Ranboo was confused. Usually, he was just thrown right into school, most times the very next day. He’s never been given time to adjust before.

 

They continued to eat, having small talk, Tubbo and Tommy talking about what they wanted to do for the rest of the day.

 

“Well, if y’all are going to do all of that, you aren’t coming with me and Ranboo.” Phil chuckled, which Ranboo was realizing he did a lot.

 

“Where are we going, again?” Ranboo asked after swallowing his last bite of eggs.

 

“Oh,” Phil nodded. “I'm going to take you to the mall, get you some clothes and things for your room if that’s alright with you.”

 

Oh. “Y-yeah, I mean, I don’t have anything planned so,” Ranboo responded.

 

“Is it alright if me and Wilbur come along?” Techno asked, and Wilbur nodded. “We don’t have anything planned.”

 

“Yeah, sure, if Ranboo’s okay with it.”

 

“I am.”

 

Phil chuckled, and Ranboo mentally sighed.

 

Don’t get attached, Ranboo.

 

Just, don’t. Get. Attached.

Notes:

Please, take care of yourself, my shining stars!

I love you! <3

Chapter 5: Forever Frightened

Summary:

Ranboo goes to the mall to pick out some stuff but...

Notes:

WHAT'S THIS? AN UPLOAD TWO DAYS EARLY? WHOOOOOO-

But, seriously, thank you for the support, I love you Discord server, have fun, and cry.

<3

Ranboo didn’t expect to be in this situation.

 

He was in Phil’s car, in the front seat (despite him offering to give it to Wilbur or Techno, they had him sit there), crutches next to him, Phil driving, and Techno and Wilbur laughing in the back seat about something Ranboo didn’t understand.

 

The whole ride, he was just looking outside the window, not paying much attention to what was happening inside it. The main thing he did notice inside, however, was the blue handicapped sign hanging from the rearview mirror.

 

They’d been in the car for around ten to fifteen minutes when Phil suddenly said, “We’re around two minutes away from the mall, kids.”

 

Wilbur stifled a laugh. “Kids, huh?”

 

Phil rolled his eyes. “You’re my kids, are you not?”

 

Wilbur chuckled as the car made a turn into a fairly busy parking lot, and turned into the nearest available handicapped parking spot, and they got out of the car. Looking out, Ranboo noticed how big the mall was.

 

Phil must’ve noticed Ranboo looking at the blue sign in the car, because he quickly said, “We have the handicapped parking because Wilbur has asthma. It’s to the point where walking halfway across the parking lot would make him need his inhaler,” He paused, then turned to Wilbur. “Speaking of which, Wilbur, you got your inhaler? We’ll probably be walking quite a distance today.”

 

Wilbur pulled one out of his pocket and showed it to Phil. “Never leave home without it!”

 

Techno chuckled, and gently pushed Wilbur to the side, walking past him. Wilbur laughed, punching them in the shoulder.

 

Ranboo wondered if that’s what having a brother was like.

 

They walked into the mall, grabbing a large cart on the way in. After actually stepping foot in the building, however, Ranboo’s breath hitched. The place had four floors, with countless shops on each. It was overly crowded and extremely loud and busy.

 

Ranboo stayed behind Phil as they walked, weaving through the crowd and getting bumped by other people a few times.

 

They slowly made their way to the nearest store they’d need, which was a furniture store. Walking in, Techno said they could split up, and go to the food court and get some lunch for later.

 

“I don’t trust you and Wilbur alone together at the food court if I’m being honest,” Phil half-joked. “Wilbur, do you mind staying with Ranboo and getting things for their room?”

 

“I’m fine with it,” Wilbur said, and turned to Ranboo, awaiting an answer.

 

“Sure,” Ranboo replied nervously.

 

Phil nodded, put a hand on Ranboo’s shoulder, and squeezed it gently, which helped stabilize him, before walking off with Techno.

 

Ranboo turned and saw Wilbur smiling at him. “Well then, looks like it’s just you and me, kid.” He chuckled and started walking towards the area with the bedding.

 

“So, what colors do you like most?” Wilbur asked. “We can get whatever bed sheets and comforters you want, but I know they’re color-coded here.”

 

“Oh,” Ranboo started. “I like black, white, silver, gold, and purple the most.”

 

Wilbur nodded, smiling again. “Alright, we can paint your walls silver if you want, and have the other furniture be the other colors.”

 

Ranboo hummed in agreement as they reached the bedding section of the store.

 

After looking around for a bit, Ranboo found a cool bed set. It had a plain black sheet, with a heavy comforter, also black but sprinkled with almost glowing white that almost looked like stars. The pillowcases were identical, and they even came with a little star-shaped lamp. Sure, it could have been marketed for kids, but, hey, it was nice.

 

Ranboo pulled it off the shelf and showed it to Wilbur. “Oh, that’s nice. Go ahead, put it in.”

 

Nodding, Ranboo put the set in the cart and set off after Wil.

 

They walked around the store, grabbing pretty much whatever Ranboo wanted. They got a small rug to put at the edge of the bed, a thing of LED lights to hang up on the wall, a couple of books to read, a few hexagonal storage spaces to hang on the wall, some bean bag chairs, a stuffed zombie-like pig guy, and even a desk and PC for him.

 

When Wilbur mentioned that, he was really hesitant to accept it. It was a fucking computer , after all. But Wilbur insisted, so they put it in the cart.

(TW!!!!!!! ACTIVE SHOOTER, FLASHBACKS, DEATH, INJURIES, A LOT OF SHIT BE SAFE)

(TW ENDS AT: "Hesitantly, Ranboo nodded and lowered his hand, revealing his grazed shoulder.")

They checked out, Ranboo holding the stuffed pig, and were about to leave the store to catch up with Phil and Techno when a gunshot rang in the air.

 

Screams came from outside the store, and an alarm started ringing from the loudspeakers. Ranboo froze up, he couldn’t move, until Wilbur grabbed his hand and pulled him to the back of the store, behind a shelf. They sat down next to a group of around seven people, who all were just as terrified as they were.

 

Wilbur pulled out his inhaler and started breathing into it, but Ranboo didn’t notice. Hell, he didn’t realize they’d moved. He wasn’t at that mall anymore. 

 

He was at house six.

 

He stared in horror, ears still ringing violently from the sudden bang, holding onto the lifeless corpse of the three-year-old girl he’d grown so close to in the few months he’d been there. Her stunning, shimmering, happy blue eyes were dulled, a sight the five-year-old Ranboo never wanted to see. He ran his hand over her bloodstained shirt, a shaky breath releasing when he felt a hole in her side.

 

He felt like he was going to pass out, his head hurt like hell, his vision was blurry with tears, his mind was racing at a hundred miles an hour, nothing made sense anymore, he felt so numb, what was happening -

 

He looked up to see the father of this poor, poor girl, looking down mercilessly at the sight, gun still in hand. Ranboo noticed the reek of alcohol in the room. He scoffed, then smirked, and raised his gun at Ranboo.

 

“You seemed to really enjoy Lora’s company,” he said, his voice low, words slightly slurred. It shook Ranboo to the core. “Why not join her?”

 

Ranboo’s eyes widened, a tear finally falling down his cheek. His voice could barely raise above a whisper as he desperately pleaded for his life to be spared. He was only five, he wasn’t ready to die!

 

The man chuckled darkly and clumsily cocked the gun. He was about to pull the trigger when he was tackled to the ground.

 

Ranboo, still clutching the lifeless body of Lora, scooted back, and saw the one that knocked him down was his wife. She’d always been gone for work, but the rare times she had been there, she took care of him and Lora.

 

“ What the fuck have you done, Randy! ” she screamed, voice filled with broken, unhinged rage, tears streaming down her face. Ranboo gasped softly, she never cursed or raised her voice. It scared him. “ You killed her, you fucking killed our child, how could you! She was ours, what is wrong with you?! I already called the cops, you’re going to jail for this, I hate you, I fucking hate you! ”

 

Randy scowled, raised the gun to her head, slurred something Ranboo didn’t understand and-

 

Ranboo was brought back to reality by the sound of another gunshot firing, and screams, this time much, much closer. He looked up to see a man in a black hoodie and mask, standing in front of the aisle they were hiding in. He gasped softly and started clutching onto Wilbur, who held him close.

 

“If any of you make a sound, I will not hesitate to shoot.”

 

Why are their voices so similar, Ranboo thought, his vision blurring.

 

He unwillingly let out a small whimper, and then he heard a loud bang that rang in his ears. He let out a yelp. His arm burned . It hurt so badly, it felt like someone was holding a lighter to his skin. He fell forward, grasping his arm with his right hand, shaking violently. Ranboo felt Wilbur’s hands rest on his spine and stomach, supporting him.

 

He let go to see that the bullet grazed his arm, slightly tearing the sleeve of his hoodie open. He winced at the sight and glanced back at the shooter, who was looking down on him mercilessly.

 

He looked up to see the father of this poor, poor girl, looking down mercilessly at the sight, gun still in hand.

 

“I said,” he stepped forward, and leaned down, getting right in Ranboo’s face. “No. Talking.”

 

He chuckled darkly and leaned back.

 

The man chuckled darkly and clumsily cocked the gun.

 

The man backed off, and Wilbur grabbed him, pulling him close, being careful of the wound on his arm. Ranboo silently sobbed into his chest, not noticing that Wil was taking another breath from his inhaler. An older woman across the aisle stared at Ranboo with a worried expression.

 

The doors to the shop burst open, and Ranboo, as well as a few other people, flinched. Loud, quick footsteps filled the otherwise dead silent room, and the sound of multiple guns cocking ensued.

 

“Put down your weapon, you’re under arrest,” A new voice spoke up, and the words said seemed to relieve the other people in the room. “Put down. Your weapon.”

 

The sound of metal clattering on the floor rang throughout the room, and the sound of handcuffs clinging onto wrists followed.

 

Suddenly, an officer appeared from the aisle the shooter was being arrested in and told everyone that he was the last of three to be arrested and that in a moment, the mall would come out of lockdown and be closed for the day.

 

He then asked, “Is anyone injured?”

 

Before even Wilbur could talk, The older-looking woman spoke up, her voice sweet, like honey. “This young man over here.”

 

Wilbur nodded a silent thank you to the old lady, who gave him a small, apologetic smile, then turned his attention to the police officer making his way over to Ranboo. He kneeled down, and said in a gentle tone, “Can you move your hand so I can see the injury?”

 

Hesitantly, Ranboo nodded and lowered his hand, revealing his grazed shoulder. The police officer looked at it closely, then said “The skin is barely broken, and it’s easily patchable, so luckily you won’t need to go to a hospital. You should be able to easily patch that up at home.”

 

Ranboo nodded, and Wilbur spat out “We have family in the food court. Can we go to them now?”

 

The officer nodded. “I’ll have an officer go with you, just in case, but yes, I’ll let you. Have you paid for your things?”

 

Wilbur hummed a positive response and helped Ranboo stand up, grabbing his crutches for him. He acted as the left crutch, gently putting Ranboo’s arm over his shoulder to support him as he walked.

 

The officer that helped them, who Ranboo finally noticed was named Officer Sam (his nametag said it), signaled another officer over.

 

“Boys, this is Officer Karl.” He pointed to Karl, who smiled and waved. “Karl, take these boys to the food court? The rest of their family is there.”

 

Karl nodded, then waved them over, signaling for them to follow him.

 

Leaving the store, Ranboo silently limped, Wilbur whispering soft coaxing words in his ear, as well as pushing the cart. They walked slowly, but that was fine, the food court wasn’t that far anyway.

 

They reached the court in around five minutes, and it only took one scan around the room to see the bright pink hair that could only belong to Technoblade. Phil was next to them. Both Wilbur and Ranboo’s hearts lifted at the sight, and Wilbur couldn’t help but call out their names.

 

A lot of other people in the area turned their heads, but they didn’t care. The only turning heads they cared about were the ones that belonged to their family.

 

Temporary family, Ranboo. They’ll get tired of you. You just risked Wilbur’s life! What if the shooter missed and shot him instead? He could be dead, and it would be all your fault. Why did you make a noise? Why ?! You didn’t make a noise when they fucking beat you half to death, why do it now?

 

He hated how loud his voices were.

 

“WIL! RANBOO!” Ranboo snapped out of his self-loathing episode at the sound of Techno’s voice ringing through the room. He saw the teen running up the stairs, Phil not far behind.

 

“DAD! TECH!” Wilbur called out but didn’t leave Ranboo’s side.

 

Techno reached them first, bear-hugging Wilbur, who accepted it and wrapped his free hand around their neck. Phil came shortly after, grabbing Ranboo, and pulling him into a group hug, everyone in the family involved.

 

Including Ranboo.

 

Family…

 

--__--

 

The car ride home was dead silent. This time, instead of Ranboo riding shotgun, it was Techno. Wilbur and Ranboo were in the back, Ranboo (hesitantly) leaning against Wilbur, and Wil whispering things in his ear.

 

Once they entered the house, however, things got a lot more chaotic. Tommy and Tubbo were waiting for them in the kitchen, Tommy nervously pacing back and forth, biting his fingernails to stumps. The door opened, and instantly both of the fifteen-year-olds heads turned.

 

“Phil! Wilbur! Tech!” Tommy shouted, and ran up to Phil, giving him a giant bear hug. He pushed his face into his father’s chest. Tubbo was right behind him.

 

“We heard what happened at the mall, it was all over the news! It’s all anyone has been talking about in the neighborhood!” Tubbo said, not taking any breaths between words. “Are you okay? We heard that there were like, twenty shots fired!”

 

Phil nodded. “We’re okay. Unfortunately, we were separated when it happened. Techno and I were at the food court while Wilbur and Ranboo were in one of the stores. Ranboo got grazed in the arm with a bullet, but we can just patch it up here,” Tommy and Tubbo looked over at Ranboo, eyes widening after seeing his arm. “While we take care of that, can you go with Techno and help them start unloading everything from the car?”

 

Simultaneously, Tubbo and Tommy shot their hand to their forehead like a soldier greeting his commander. “Aye aye, captain!” They ran off outside, pushing each other slightly as they went. Techno, who was shaking their head and chuckling, followed, shutting the door gently behind them.

 

“I’ll get the medical kit,” Phil turned to Wilbur. “Can you put Ranboo on the couch for me?”

 

Wilbur nodded, and Phil left to go get the medical kit from the upstairs bathroom closet. Wilbur slowly walked with Ranboo and laid him down on the longest couch. It felt so soft, he loved the feeling. He slowly dragged his left hand over the fabric.

 

“Do you want me to help you get that hoodie off?” Ranboo froze. He remembered he wasn’t wearing anything underneath it. Both Phil and Wilbur fucking Soot would get to see his scars, maybe even Tommy and Tubbo and Techno-

 

“Hey, hey,” Wilbur put a hand on Ranboo’s chest, which, normally would make him panic more, but for some reason, it calmed him. Ranboo didn’t even realize he was beginning to hyperventilate. “It’s okay.”

 

Ranboo nodded, then stuttered, “I-I don’t h-have anyt-thing undernea-ath.”

 

Wilbur hummed. “You don’t like people seeing your body?”

 

Ranboo nodded again, then added, “S-scars…”

 

Wilbur’s eyes were suddenly filled with understandment. “Would it make you feel better if I had my scars showing while you did it?”

 

Ranboo raised an eyebrow. “Y-you have scars?”

 

Wilbur chuckled sadly. “No one leaves the foster system without a few of them, do they?”

 

Ranboo nodded. Even if you only had two houses, you always leave the system with a scar or two. Wherever that be mentally or physically. The system has never been kind.

 

Without another moment passing, Wilbur took off his sweater, leaving his chest showing. Ranboo couldn’t help but stare. There were at least fifteen scars on his chest, a few more on his stomach.

 

Ranboo averted his eyes, then let Wilbur take off his hoodie. Once it was off, Wilbur gasped softly.

 

Ranboo had over thirty, probably closer to forty. Some looked newer, others looked so faded, they were barely visible.

 

Not visible, always there.

 

Phil entered the room and seemed to understand exactly what was going on. He silently sat down next to Ranboo and opened the medical kit. “Okay. We’ll need to clean it first. It might sting.” He got out a wet towel with some ointment on it and started softly dabbing it on the graze.

 

Ranboo winced. Phil was right, it burned like hell . He grasped onto Wilbur’s arm, before realizing what he was doing and let go.

 

“I don’t mind,” he gently whispered. “You can grasp my arm if it helps you.”

 

Ranboo nodded and hesitantly kept grasping his arm as Phil continued to clean the scrape. A few minutes later, he pulled the towel away and got out some adhesive dressing as well as plaster. He started to wrap it around the injury, making it tight enough to stay but not enough to hurt him further. Once he finished, he wrapped the plaster over it.

 

“There,” Phil pulled away from his arm, putting the bandages and other various medical supplies back in the medkit. “I’m done.”

 

Ranboo nodded, unable to make eye contact with him. Wilbur had put on his sweater by now, and Ranboo began putting on his. By now, Techno, Tommy, and Tubbo were done putting everything inside, and were in the kitchen, hanging out.

 

Wilbur nodded, and then looked inspired. “Hey, Phil, what day is it?”

 

Phil raised an eyebrow. “Uhm, it’s Thursday, isn’t it? Why?”

 

Wilbur smiled. “What do we do every Thursday, dad?”

 

He chuckled. “I see where you’re going with this,” He turned to the kitchen. “Techno, Tommy, Tubbo! You wanna do Thursday Movie Night™?”

 

Their faces all lit up. “Only if you make hot cocoa!” Tubbo yelled.

 

Phil laughed and stood up. “Have you had hot cocoa before, Ranboo?”

 

Ranboo thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. “I-It’s been a few years, but, yes.”

 

Phil nodded, then clapped his hands together, making Ranboo flinch slightly. “How does everyone want their hot chocolate?”

 

“Peppermint stick and whipped cream.” Was Techno’s reply. The more Ranboo thought about it, the better the sound of peppermint in hot chocolate sounded.

 

Wilbur shouted, “I want marshmallows and whipped cream! Carmel sauce on the whipped cream please, and a gingerbread man cookie.”

 

Tubbo was next, “I want the same as Wilbur, but chocolate sauce and sprinkles instead, and you have those gingerbread man cookies? ‘Cause, if so, I want it.”

 

Tommy laughed, “We do, and I want the same thing Tubso is havin’! Just no sauce.”

 

Tubbo pushed xem, laughing too. “Still want the sprinkles?” Tommy responded with a nod and smirk.

 

Phil muttered, “I’ll be having mine with whipped cream and carmel sauce, as well as a cookie on the side, so, Ranboo, how do you want yours?”

 

Ranboo was caught slightly off-guard. “O-Oh, uhm, can I have whipped cream, peppermint stick, and carmel sauce? S-sorry if it’s too much.”

 

Phil nodded, then Tommy interrupted, “Get the man a fucking cookie!”

 

Wilbur and Tubbo both burst out laughing, and agreed with him. Techno even said “Get me one, too.”

 

Ranboo chuckled lightly.

 

This… this was nice.

 

Phil came back with the hot cocoa and cookies around ten minutes later. Ranboo took a sip, and wow was it good. And, Techno has good taste, the peppermint was amazing. The way it blended in with the creaminess of the whipped cream and the sweetness of the carmel and chocolate, it was fantastic. Even better, it helped calm his nerves. Peppermint always did that for him.

 

Phil sat down on the couch, next to Wilbur and Ranboo. “What are we watching?”

 

“Shouldn’t we watch a holiday movie? It’s like, three weeks to Christmas.” Wilbur responded, but Tommy stuck out xeir tongue.

 

“Nah. It's like, just turned December! We should watch Up!”

 

They sighed and turned the movie on.

 

Ranboo… Ranboo was having a good time… for once.

He was getting attached.

Notes:

JOIN THE DISCORD I'LL ADD THE LINK HERE AFTER SCHOOL IT'S IN THE LAST CHAPTER OKAY I HAVE A TEST BYEEEEEE-

Love you shining stars!

Take care of yourself!

Chapter 6: Forever Stressed

Summary:

Ranboo's first day of high school...

Yikes...

Notes:

SORRY ITS BEEN SO FUCKING LONG

Shorter chapter but

The next week went past far too quickly.

 

As soon as Ranboo blinked, it felt like, it was the next Friday, and Ranboo’s first day at this new school.

 

He took an evaluation to see what grade he’d go in (he hadn’t been to a school in years), but to everyone’s surprise, he was two grades ahead of his age, because he’s a smartass-

 

because while he didn’t go to school, he spent free time doing and learning school work online. It impressed the principal.

 

So, here he was, in the same grade as Wilbur! Great!

 

He was in the car with Techno and Wilbur, Tech driving, because according to both Techno and Phil, Wilbur can’t drive for the life of him.

 

The roads leading up to the school were extremely busy, which made Ranboo a little nervous. Apparently, this high school is the biggest school in the district.

 

Once they turned into the school parking lot, they could see why it’s earned that title. The thing was giant and had two sub-buildings attached to the main one, which contained the entrance.

 

They drove across the parking lot, until finding a section of parking spaces that were painted. They pulled into one that was red and black striped with dual swords in the center.

 

“Students get to paint their parking spots on the first day of their senior year,” Techno explained.

 

“Oh, that’s cool.”

 

Techno nodded as they got out of the car, a red and black backpack hanging off one shoulder. Wilbur stepped out with his yellow bag, and Ranboo with the purple and silver one Phil ordered online for him. He pulled up the half black, half white mask he brought. They’d talked to the principal before, and he agreed Ranboo could wear it. Helped with anxiety.

 

“What’s your schedule, again?” Wilbur asked. Ranboo pulled the folded piece of paper out of his hoodie pocket and looked at his classes.

 

“Uhm, the first period is pre-calc, with Mr. Punz,” Ranboo started.

 

“Oh, my friend Niki has that first,” Wilbur nodded happily, as they started walking to the school. “You’ll love her.”

 

Ranboo nodded, then continued. “Second period, world literature, with Mr. Johnson. Then, third, we share that class, creative writing, Mr. Antfrost. Fourth, physics, Ms. Alyssa. Then, lunch, with you and Tech, fifth is U.S. history, with Mr. Schlatt, which I have with you. Sixth is computer science, with Mr. H, and seventh is the period I help out in the library.”

 

“Nice,” Tech said, opening the front doors to the school. The halls were crowded with students, and Tech waved Wilbur and Ranboo goodbye, disappearing into the crowd. Ranboo started fiddling with his thumbs, breathing getting faster.

 

He felt a hand on his back. He turned to see Wilbur behind him. “Hey, remember, it’s one period, then I get to see ya again.”

 

Ranboo nodded and smiled at him. “Yeah.”

 

--__--

 

He looked at the door to H123, grasping the strap of his backpack tightly. The bell had rung around a minute earlier, but he was still looking for the classroom.

 

Best I’m not any later than I already am.

 

He slowly opened the door, and the entire class turned around and stared. He felt his face burning up and was glad the mask covered it. The teacher glanced over and smiled brightly.

 

“Ranboo, is it?” he asked, and Ranboo nodded in affirmation. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Mr. Punz.” He walked over and shook his hand. He had a firm grasp. “I was just about to take attendance, is there anyone here you know?”

 

Ranboo thought for a moment. “Uhm, o-one of the people I l-live with says that a girl n-name Niki was in here?”

 

Mr. Punz’s face lit up. “Ah, yes. Niki, can you raise your hand?” Ranboo turned to the students to see a smiling girl with the same color hair as Techno raising her right hand. “That’s her. You can sit next to her if you want to?”

 

Ranboo nodded and walked over to where she was sitting in the back of the classroom. He put his bag down next to the chair and sat down.

 

“Hi! You must be Ranboo,” Niki said quietly. Her voice was soft, had a slight German accent. “I’m Niki, but my full name is Nihachu. I’ve known Wilbur since he joined Phil’s household, which was a few years ago.”

 

Ranboo nodded. Niki seemed nice. “Nice to meet you, Niki.”

 

By now, Mr. Punz was taking attendance. Eventually, he called out “Ranna Beloed? I don’t remember there ever being a Ranna…”

 

Ranboo felt a small weight grow on his chest, and he nervously raised his hand. “U-Uhm, I-I’d pre-prefer Ranboo…”

 

The teacher nodded, smiling softly. “Of course!”

 

From the corner of his eye, he saw Niki smile gently.

 

--__--

 

The rest of the first period was easy. They were starting a new unit, and it was something Ranboo already knew well. He even helped Niki out with a few problems, which she was more than grateful for.

 

So, next was world literature. With Mr. Johnson. He made his way over there, and was the first person to arrive, it being so close to his first period.

 

He walked in, and was greeted by a balding older man, in a blazer and tie. He turned around to face Ranboo, and revealed a broomstache mustache.

 

“You must be the new kid,” he said. His voice was rough, and the way the said it made Ranboo slightly uncomfortable.

 

“Y-Yes, I-I am.”

 

“Hm,” he said, and walked over to the teen. “You know, I was told that you’re supposed to have certain accommodations…”

 

Ranboo nodded. He helped set them up. “Y-Yes, u-uhm, having e-extra time on t-tests, l-leaving class a-a tad early to avoid the h-halls, n-not having to ask to g-go to the bathro-room, a-and unlimited counsler vis-visits, right?”

 

Mr. Johnson nodded. “Yes. Just so you’re aware…” He leaned down to get on Ranboo’s level. “ You aren’t getting those from me .”

 

He leaned back with a dark grin, and walked to his desk, Ranboo frozen in shock. Unfortunately, kids started entering the classroom, so he acted like nothing happened, and sat down at the desk he was assigned.

 

He barely registered Mr. Johnson didn’t care when Ranboo corrected him from Ranna.

 

The whole class, Mr. Johnson hardly noticed Ranboo. Which was good, because he wasn’t there. Physically, yes. Mentally? His mind was far, far away. He didn’t know how much time had passed.

 

The next thing he knew, he was standing up. No, not standing. Running. Where was he? Oh. Oh, he’s in the hall. He’s still running. Is that a voice? Oh, he’s crying.

 

When his mind cleared up enough for him to realize where he was, he was in a bathroom stall, the door locked. He sniffed, and slid down the door, sitting on the ground, knees to his chin.

 

The bell rang, and immediately, outside the bathroom door, the halls became bustling with activity and conversations. The door flung open, and laughter and conversation came into the bathroom. Ranboo curled in on himself, trying to stay as silent as possible.

 

They didn’t leave until a few minutes after the bell rang. He knew he should get to class, get his bag from the previous class, but he couldn’t bring himself to move.

 

He flinched when the door opened again, not knowing how much time had passed.

 

“... Ranboo?”

Notes:

Eat!

Sleep!

Drink!

Take your meds!

Bind safely!

Love you, my shining stars <3

Stay safe.

Chapter 7: Forever Beginnings

Summary:

Ranboo continues their first day of school!

Notes:

HI OMG

So I wanted to post this chapter, sorry if it seems rushed or short, it probably is, I wrote most of it just now on a car trip-

I’m working around my new schedules and everything to write but motivation has been running very slim recently so I’m making due with what I got!

I’m going to try and write more often, this work is still indeed on a temporary hiatus since things have been kind of crazy lol

Please, comment any mistakes you see, I will be editing it later to fix formatting and mistakes pointed out to me.

And with that, enjoy the long overdue (and kinda crappy) Chapter 7!

“... Ranboo?”

The voice belonged to Wilbur.

Unlike before, the door was closed shut quietly, rather than slammed. They sniffed.

“W… Wil..?”

“Yup. Just me,” Wilbur sat down, back to the stall door. “Did something happen?”

He was quiet for a moment, then said, “Y..yeah.”

“Mind telling me what happened?”

Ranboo stayed silent for another few moments, then said, “T-teacher..”

“Last period?” Wilbur asked.

“Y-yeah… H-he said t-that he didn-didn’t care ab-about the ac-accommodations… tha-that he wo-wouldn’t give th-them to me…”

Wilbur became furious. “What?! Why?!”

Ranboo’s breathing hitched, and Wil took a breath. “I’m sorry for yelling, but do you know why?”

“Mm-mm..” Ranboo sniffed again.

“Hey, Boo, I-“ Wilbur stopped himself. “May I call you Boo?”

Ranboo thought it over. “Y-yeah.. no-no one else..”

Wilbur smiled gently. “Got it, but Boo, we can go to the principal and tell him. Your teachers were told directly by him to follow those accommodations. If he doesn’t give them, he can get fired.”

Ranboo hummed. “Cmon, our third period teacher is waiting for us.”

Ranboo stood up, and hesitantly unlocked and opened the stall door. His face was slightly red and blotchy from crying. Wilbur opened his arms, a silent offer, and Ranboo fell into his arms. It was warm, comforting.

Ranboo had had a few hugs before. None of them had been sincere.

He liked it…

◾️◽️◾️◽️◾️◽️◾️◽️◾️◽️◾️◽️◾️◽️◾️◽️◾️◽️◾️◽️◾️◽️◾️◽️◾️◽️◾️◽️

The rest of the third period went alright, the teacher was understanding of Ranboo’s situation.

He arrived in their fourth period a few minutes after the bell. The teacher was having a one-on-one talk with a student. They had messy brown hair and pale white eyes. The teacher heard the door open, then smiled.

“Ah, Ranboo, is it?” She asked. When Ranboo nodded, she looked at the student. “Both of you, can you please come with me? The rest of you, keep working on those worksheets from yesterday.”

Ranboo went out of the classroom with them. “So, Ranboo, I have been informed about your current situation. I’m also aware that Eret,” She pointed to the student. “Has been in a similar situation, and knows your brother, Wilbur. I thought it would be nice for the two of you to take this period off and get to know each other a little bit.”

Ranboo turned to the kid- Eret- who smiled. “I need to get back to the classroom. I hope you kids can get to know each other.” The teacher went back inside.

Eret sat down on the floor, back to the wall. They motioned for Ranboo to join as well, which he did.

“So, lets get introductions out of the way,” Eret said. Their voice was much deeper than Ranboo had expected but smooth. “I’m Eret, obviously, I’m a Junior, 17, and I use any pronouns.”

“Wait, any?” Ranboo raised an eyebrow, fidgeting with a small scab on his left thumb. “You can do that?”

Eret smiled, seemingly eager to teach someone about the subject. “Yeah! The label for it is being genderfluid. It’s really interesting to look into.”

Ranboo nodded. “Oh, uhm, well, I’m Ranboo, junior, 15, and I think They/Them?”

Eret smiled. “Nice to meet you, Ranboo.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the period was extremely pleasant. They didn’t even talk about the whole foster thing. They learned they share a love for Lemon Demon, as well as a variety of other artists.

Eret got a text a few minutes before the bell rang. “Oh, Wil’s telling me we’re going to have a new person at our table. I’ll assume he’s talking about you?”

“Most likely. Do you sit with him at lunch?”

Eret nodded. “There’s a fairly big group of us that sit together. You’ll meet them in a-“

The bell rang, cutting Eret off. She stood, reaching her hand out to Ranboo.

They took it, accepting the help up.

Notes:

WHOOO THIS WAS A ROLLERCOASTER TO WRITE

Chapter 8: Forever Anew

Summary:

We meet some new friends!

Notes:

OMG OKAY WE HAVE ALMOST 7000 HITS?! WHAT!!

Also, I'm so sorry about the break, I lost all kinds of motivation for this story, and everything has been nuts.

If you've read some other fics of mine, you might've known I've been "grounded". I'm technically forbidden from communicating online, but they didn't find my AO3 so I continue my writing

I actually have the next two or three chapters planned, so there may be rapid fire updates!!

Anyways, let's continue the adventures >:D

Ranboo didn’t know what they expected at lunch, but this certainly wasn’t it.

 

Multiple people were there, including Niki and Wilbur, but by Ranboo's quick count, they saw around 4 people. Wilbur seemed to be cracking jokes, like the charismatic shit he is, and they seemed to be landing well, considering one of the kids was wheezing in a way that reminded Ranboo of a tea kettle.

 

By this time, Eret and them had already gotten their lunch, which didn’t seem half bad. There were multiple lines, each serving different things. The two got the New York style cheese pizza, Eret claiming to be a vegetarian.

 

“Hey, guys,” Eret said, grabbing their attentions. Everyone but Wilbur and Niki seemed fairly confused as to who Ranboo was.

 

Now that they were closer to the table, Ranboo could get a good look at the unfamiliar faces. There was one with brown hair, one red and one blue eye, as well as some kind of flame tattoo on his right cheek. The other, the one wheezing, was blonde, and had green eyes, and maybe some freckles, but that was all they could make out. They were also wearing a mask.

 

“Eret, I see you met Ranboo!” Wilbur smiled, patting a seat next to him. Eret sat in a different spot, so Ranboo took that one.

 

“Uh, so,” The brown-haired person spoke up. “Who is..?”

 

“Ah, right, heh,” Wilbur scratched the back of his neck, smiling. “Dream, Jack, this is a new foster sibling, Ranboo. Boo,” Wilbur pointed. “The blonde one is Dream, and the other is Jack. I know you’ve already met Niki and Eret.”

 

“Nice to meet you, Ranboo,” Dream smiled. Ranboo could see how his mouth moved from under the mask.

 

Jack laughed. “Yo, we got another mask wearer! Is there going to be, like, a fight?”

 

Niki chuckled. “I can imagine, like, a cowboy style face-off.”

 

“‘There’s only room for one of us at this table,’” Wilbur made an impression of a cowboy, which was so terrible the whole table couldn’t help but burst into laughter. 

 

“So, Ranboo, is it?” Dream asked, to which Ranboo nodded. “I like it.” He turned to Wilbur. “How long has he-”

 

“They,” Wilbur quickly corrected. “I forgot to mention, but Ranboo uses they/them pronouns.”

 

“Ah, I’m sorry.” Dream said, clearing his throat. “How long have they been at your house for?”

 

“Ab-about one or two weeks.” Ranboo filled in, and Dream smiled.

 

“Well, if you haven’t figured it out yet,” Niki spoke up, “Wilbur and his family are good people. I think you’ll be able to find a good home with them.”

 

Ranboo nodded.

 

We’ll see…

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Techno, Tommy, and Tubbo were informed of what had happened that day during the car ride home. They were pissed, to say the very least.

 

“What kind of teacher does that?! Tubbo complains, referring to the second period. “That’s fucking shit!”

 

The car filled with agreements as the five pulled into the driveway, next to Phil’s car.

 

Tubbo got a text as they got out of the car, then looked at his phone. He hid it well, Ranboo couldn’t lie, but they could see Tubbo grimace a little at the screen before putting it back in his backpack. “Father said I could stay the night.”

 

Tommy cheered, wrapping his arms around the shorter.

 

As they walked inside, they were greeted by Phil. “How was your days?”

 

Before anyone could get a word in, Tommy and Tubbo were quick to tell the stories that Ranboo and Wilbur had relayed to them.

 

It didn’t take long for Phil’s fatherly instincts to kick in. “How the fuck does he still have a job.” Phil said, shaking his head. He turned to Ranboo. “What was his name?”

 

“Uh, his last name was Johnson, he-he teaches World Literature.”

 

Phil smiling softly, then, grabbing his keys, put a hand on their back. “I’ll talk to the principal, don’t worry.”

 

“Oh god, he’s pulling a Karen.” Techno snickered.

 

Phil rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Tech.” He couldn’t help but laugh with him, though. “I’m actually high school friends with the principal. I’ll talk to Callium.”

 

After Phil closed the door, Wilbur mentioned, “It’s weird to hear someone refer to Mr. Seepeakay as Callium.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

That evening, Phil opened the door, using his time out of the house to run errands.

 

He smiled as he saw the boys asleep on the couch. Wilbur, Tommy, Tubbo, and Techno were close, snuggling under the same blanket as the brothers they are. He glanced over to the side to see Ranboo on the other side of the couch, laying on top of the blanket.

 

His smile shrunk a tad, but he kept it in his mind it’s only been two weeks.

 

They’d get better with time.

 

Time.

Chapter 9: Forever Understanding

Summary:

Ranboo and Tubbo seem a little more alike then previously thought.

Chapter Posted: 05/26/2022

Notes:

TW: Drunk guy ._.

Ranboo woke up to the front door opening. They jolted up, and their eyes met Tubbos, whose hoodie was over his head, and he dashed into the rain before Ranboo could say anything.

 

Ranboo was thankful they slept in their clothes from yesterday, and they ran out of the house, following him. They flipped their own hoodie up, disliking the feeling of wet hair. It made them want to crawl in a ditch. They always assumed it had something to do with ADHD, or the possible autism.

 

They ran for a while, before they saw Tubbo fall, gasping as he tried to get up.

 

“Tubbo, what’s going on?” Tubbo jumped, startled.

 

“Jesus, Ranboo, you can’t scare me like that!” He panted, getting back on his feet.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

Tubbo averted eye contact. “I need to go back to my house. My father needs me.”

 

Ranboo hesitated. “I saw you cringe when you got a text from him yesterday. Is there something going on?”

 

Tubbo rubbed the back of his neck, and it moved his hair, revealing a small scar on the back of his neck. “He just needs me to do something. It’s nothing.”

 

“At one am?”

 

He opened his mouth to say something but jumped as his phone began to vibrate. He looked at it, and tensed up. Ranboo noticed the caller ID was “Father”.

 

(TRIGGER WARNING FOR DRUNK PERSON, YOU’LL KNOW WHEN IT’S DONE)

 

Tubbo shakily answered the phone and put it up to his ear. He dropped it, though, after realizing it was on speaker.

 

The voice that came out of the speaker was deep and rough, and very obviously drunk. He slurred his words and couldn’t speak proper sentences.

 

“Toby!” He shouted, which was followed by the sound of glass shattering. “Get your f-fucking ass over here before I- find you myself!”

 

Tubbo fell to his knees, shaking violently, mumbling apologies to his father under his breath. Ranboo quickly dropped to the ground and hung up.

 

(IT’S OVER, BUT PANIC ATTACK AHEAD SOOOO)

 

They turned their attention to the hyperventilating Tubbo. They sat down a respectable two feet away from him, getting on their knees.

 

“Tubbo, can you look at me, please?” Ranboo gently coaxed, keeping their voice as steady as possible, ignoring the feeling of their wet hair.

 

Tubbo shook his head, shivering from the cold. “I’m  out going to hurt you, I just need you to look at me for a moment, alright?”

 

Hesitantly, Tubbo peeked his eye over his knee. It broke Ranboo a little, seeing Tubbo this way. “Thank you. Now, can we take deep breaths?”

 

They spent five minutes together, Ranboo taking deep breaths and Tubbo mimicking them. Eventually, Tubbo fell into Ranboos arms.

 

“I-I don’t want to go back..” Tubbo mumbled.

 

“I won’t let you.”

 

They walked back to the house in the rain, taking off their wet clothes and falling back asleep in each others arms.

Chapter 10: Forever Happy

Summary:

Ranboo and Co go to a themepark! Hooray!

Notes:

OMG IT TOOK WAY TO FING LONG TO POST THIS IM SORRY

The next morning, Ranboo woke to the smell of syrup. He sat up from the floor, back hurting like shit. Last night, Ranboo had let Tubbo sleep in their bed. The shorter had passed out immediately and they didn’t know if Tubbo felt comfortable sleeping with them all night.

 

Looking at the bed, Tubbo wasn’t there. Most likely downstairs.

 

They sat up, stretching, arms sore. They didn’t feel the best, but that was understandable considering they were in the cold rain last night.

 

They decided to just go downstairs in their pajama pants and t-shirt, mainly because they were too tired to care, but they also felt comfortable enough to not need to make an impression anymore.

 

Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, they found Tommy and Tubbo happily eating waffles (that explained the maple syrup smell) at the breakfast bar. Tommy turned to them, face completed with a milk mustache.

 

“Ayyy, big man is finally awake!” Tommy chuckled, grabbing Ranboo’s waist and pulling them in once they got close enough. “How’d you sleep?”

 

They looked to Tubbo, who silently shook his head. He must not want Tommy to know yet. “I slept well. Thank you.”

 

Techno and Wilbur came in shortly after. Wilbur offered to make them waffles, which Ranboo hesitantly accepted.

 

“Phil said we might be going to the theme park,” Techno said, taking another sip of xeir coffee. “You know, the one down Pine Cove and Glen?”

 

“Why the smaller one?!” Tommy groaned, leaning back in his seat. “I wanna go to the big one! You know, the one like thirty minutes away?”

 

“He said he didn’t want Ranboo to be too overwhelmed. That place is always busy as shit, especially over the weekends.” Ranboo gratefully nodded.

 

Well, guess he should get ready.

 

~~~~~

 

The theme park wasn’t too busy, like Techno said, but it was still nice. Around twenty coasters, if they had to guess. Of course, that wasn’t including things such as ferris wheels and minigames.

 

Ranboo was currently sitting down at a bench, eating a grossly oversized and overpriced corndog, while watching Tubbo, Tommy, and Wilbur go on the tallest ride in the park. They swore they could see Wilbur about to throw up from all the way down there.

 

Technoblade sat down next to them. “Not a fan of roller coasters?”

 

Ranboo shook their head. “No, not necessarily. Too much violent and sudden jerky movements.”

 

Techno nodded, chuckling. “Yeah, I feel the same. I prefer minigames.”

 

Ranboo smiled. “You’re saying the Great Technoblade, the Hypixel fighter, will not ride a rollercoaster?”

 

Techno was about to say something before what Ranboo said fully kicked in. Zey snapped zeir head to Ranboo.

 

“I wasn’t told. I just figured it out.” Ranboo assured. “I mean, I’ve fought you before, even if I did lose horrifically.”

 

The pinkette scanned Ranboo up and down, before a face of realization set in. “You're the Enderwalker?”

 

“That’s right, Blood God,” Ranboo laughed awkwardly. “Had to keep myself alive somehow, so if foster homes wouldn’t give me food I had to find a way to earn it.”

 

Ranboo finally made eye contact with Techno, and an immediate sense of dread flooded them. Zey seemed so… sad. Hurt, even. Did I say something wrong? Did I do something wrong? Why are zey looking at me like that?

 

Ranboo was carefully pulled into a hug by Techno. “I’m sorry you had to go through a place like Hypixel. Fighting rings are no place for a kid, especially this one.”

 

Ranboo slowly held him back.

 

Unfortunately, they were interrupted by the chaos that was their other three siblings, and they had to keep moving throughout the park.

 

…

 

Other three… siblings…

 

Yeah.

 

That sounded right.

Notes:

:)

Next one wont take as long I swear

Also my first day of school was today

Chapter 11: Forever Bruised

Summary:

Ranboo returns to the ring

Posted: 08/16/22

(Happy one year <3)

That night, Ranboo laid awake thinking. They knew Techno wouldn’t want them to go back to Hypixel, but… 

 

It had been too long. They’ve been at this house for two weeks now, in the hospital for three days, and couldn’t find time to go during their last three weeks at their previous house. Over a month out of the ring.

 

They couldn’t afford to stay out any longer. They’d lose credibility and, most importantly, sponsors. Who are basically just gamblers.

 

Either way, that money has always been vital to staying alive.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

18759402. This was the place.

 

Ranboo turned away from the numbers spray painted on the bricks and flipped up their hood, sighing through their mask. They shifted the backpack's weight to one side and entered the alley, stopping at the concrete wall abruptly ending said alley.

 

They pulled out a small device from their backpack, and hit play.

 

. . . - -  - .  -. .  . . . - -  . - .  . - -  . - - . - .  . - . .  - . -  . . . - -  . - .

 

After a few seconds, they heard a click, and a hidden door opened in front of them. A man with quite a few tattoos stood inside, smoking a cigarette, smirking.

 

“Welcome back, Enderwalker. Been a while.” He said roughly.

 

Ranboo simply nodded, and walked inside. The narrow hallways soon led into a big open room with lots of fighters ready to be presented. A few stopped and whispered and stared at them, but they chose to ignore them.

 

They approached a desk in the back, with someone writing down peoples information. “Sorry kid, signups just closed a few minutes ago. Come back tomorrow.”

 

“Can’t you make an exception?” Ranboo asked.

 

She looked up annoyed. “Unless your someone important, no.”

 

Ranboo leaned down, elbows on the table. “And if I am?”

 

“I highly doubt someone your age would be anyone of value or popularity kid. Go home.”

 

“Try me.”

 

“Then state name and rank.”

 

“Enderwalker, rank seven.”

 

She looked at them as though they were crazy, then pulled out a device. She scanned his eye, something they were used to since no one ever believed they were who they said they were. They heard a ding, and she seemed very surprised.

 

“M-my apologies, I’ll make sure you have a fight, s-sir.”

 

They rolled their eyes and walked off to the changing room, unlocking a stall. They quickly changed into the Hypixel regulated uniform, though kept the mask and fingerless gloves. Ranboo couldn’t wait until they reached rank eight. Then they could pick out what they wanted to be their signature look.

 

They sat in the main room for about an hour, fidgeting until the woman at the desk told them it was their time.

 

They went to one of the two entrances to the ring, the other leading directly across. They could hear the announcer from there.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen,” He said. “We have some very, very exciting news today. One of your favorite fighters, after a month of not coming, is back in the ring and ready to fight!” The crowds cheers were loud and eager. “First, I’ll present The Griffin, a new fighter quickly climbing the ranks!”

 

They’d never heard of the Griffin before. But it seems the crowd did.

 

“And returning to you tonight, you know him for his agility and speed, the Enderwalker!”

 

It’s time.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Ranboo stumbled out into the alley two hours later.

 

Everything was dizzy. They’d won the tournament, and reeled in some good money, but jeez were they out of the game. Fights were harder than normal.

 

They started walking back home, head spinning. They’d been thrown head first into the ground a few times, so they just hoped it wasn’t too bad. They knew they looked like shit, though.

 

Ranboo didn’t get too far, making it about a mile before having to collapse onto a park bench. Almost their entire body was throbbing with pain, they felt like they were going to puke. They knew they couldn’t get home on their own, so what were they going to do?

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

It was 2:49 when Techno got a call.

 

Zey groaned, picking it up. “Who is it and why are you calling so early.”

 

Zey heard coughing on the other end, then, “T-Tech?”

 

Zey sat straight up, suddenly awake. “Kid?”

 

“H-hey, I may or-or may not be a-at a park slowly b-bleeding out.”

 

“ What ?” Techno jumped out of bed, starting to get dressed. “How did this happen?”

 

“Soo you know how I’m in H-Hypixel..?”

 

Techno sighed. “Kid you know I didn’t want you there anymore. Look,  just tell me where you are and save your strength.”

 

Ranboo gave the park name, and Techno was soon out the driveway.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Ranboo was nearly passed out when zey arrived. “Hey, hey, kid, look at me.”

 

They weren’t looking too good. “T-tech?”

 

“Yeah, yeah it’s me,  just try and stay awake until I get you home, alright?”

 

Ranboo nodded slowly, and Techno picked them up, driving back home.

Chapter 12: Thank you <3

Summary:

Just a thank you

So, I realized the last chapter was posted 08/16/2022. If you didn't know, the very first chapter was 08/16/2021.

 

Thank you all, so incredibly much, for the past year of Forever Found. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions and issues but I still love writing for it, even if updates are slow. The fact that we have nearly 10k hits on one of my own solo fics is insane to me, and I feel like I'm a bigger part of the community than I ever imagined I'd be. None of it would be possible without you.

 

<3

Chapter 13: Forever Listening

Notes:

Date Posted: 09/02

When Ranboo woke up, they were in a bed, not their own. As they looked around, mind still foggy, they recognized the wallpaper to be Technos.

Speak of the devil.

"Don't sit up," zey said bluntly.

"'M sorry," Ranboo mumbled.

"It's okay, kid, really." Techno said. "Though I'd like to know why. I'm guessing credibility?"

Ranboo nodded, the movement stinging his neck slightly. "I need the money."

Techno raised an eyebrow, before a look of realization set on zeir face. "Kid, you don't need to make money for yourself anymore. We're providing for you."

"I want money in case I'm on my own again."

"Kid," Ranboo was taken aback by how desperate Tech sounded. "We would never leave you on your own. If you decided you wanted to leave, we wouldn't let you go on your own. And we wouldn't kick you out. Only way your leaving is if you want to."

"You can't say that," Ranboo muttered. "Nothings permanent."

"We are." Ranboo raised an eyebrow. "Everyone but Tommy was a foster kid, even Tubbo, though he isn't Phil's. Wilbur and I were both adopted, by our own choice."

"And I have every bit of confidence Phil would love to adopt you, too."

...

"Can you tell me about when you first got here..?"

Ranboo fell asleep to Techno's stories.

Chapter 14: Forever Thinking

Notes:

HOLY SHIT GUYS!

Thank you all so much for ten thousand. This fic has been a long time coming and I am beyond happy that you all are here for the ride.

When Ranboo woke up in the middle of the night, they were surprised to see Techno asleep in the chair next to him. They were still in Tech’s room.

 

They thought about what Techno had said.

 

“And I have every bit of confidence that Phil would love to adopt you, too.”

 

Would he?

 

Ranboo’s never had a house where adoption was a possibility. You stopped earning money once the adoption forms were filled out, at least in Ranboo’s state. Besides, they’ve never felt safe enough in a house to even consider adoption as a possibility.

 

So, the question stood.

 

Did Ranboo feel safe enough here to be adopted by Phil?

 

They weren’t sure.

 

I mean, yes, so far Phil hasn’t hurt Ranboo. No one in the house had. It was quite the opposite. They had been so nice to them!

 

But how long could they keep it up? How long was it until they got tired of them? How long until Tommy got bored of him? How long until Wilbur realized they weren’t worth the trouble? How long until Techno decided to stop him from going to Hypixel?

 

How long until Phil decided the money wasn’t worth it?

Chapter 15: Forever Different

Notes:

I had to make a new Grammarly because the original was so long that it crashed my PC over and over.

Also, I am so fucking sorry that it took 3-4 months to post, I just lost motivation for this fic and writing in general for a while.

Also, happy new year!

 

Two months.

 

Ranboo had officially been at the Watson household for two entire months.

 

And, wow, has it been fucking incredible.

 

For the first time in their life, they felt happy, safe, and comfortable in their skin. They felt like they could do or be anything. They felt like  Ranboo .

 

And, gosh, just being around everyone was like a breath of fresh air. Tommy's chaotic nature, Wilbur's way of carrying himself, Techno's way of pretending zey don't care, Kristin's kindness, and Phil's cheerfulness all blended nicely. They were nice to be around, and they keep using the word "nice" because that's the best way to describe it.

 

The people, the routine, everything was just  nice .

 

Speaking of everyone.

 

"Ranboob!" Tommy called from downstairs. "Dinner!" Ranboo stretched, sitting up from their bed.

 

Their room had changed a lot in the past two months. The walls had been painted a royal blue, and they stuck glow-in-the-dark stickers on the ceiling. They put a desk in the corner, where they had a semi-new laptop closed, as well as several notebooks, colored pencils, and their memory journal. It might sound like a mess, but it was all organized. It irritated Ranboo when it wasn't.

 

They recently went to a therapist, who said they might have autism. Maybe that's why.

 

Ranboo ran down the stairs and slid into the dining room, where everyone but Techno was already sitting down, "Hey, guys."

 

"Hey!" Wilbur called, patting the seat next to him. The teen gladly took it.

 

"Techno's cooking so be prepared for potatoes," Tommy groaned. Ranboo's noticed xey doesn't like it whenever it's Techno's night to cook.

 

"Hey, don't diss the potato lifestyle," Tech joked as zey brought out the baked potatoes.

 

"Besides, zey only cooks once a week," Kristin said, smiling. She'd just gotten back from a long business trip, so it was nice having her back. "I think you can deal with that."

 

As Ranboo got their food, they noticed that the news was on in the other room. They could barely hear what the spokesperson was saying.

 

"In a worrying turn of events, the recent uprising in the local prison two weeks ago was just confirmed to have resulted in an escaped convict."

 

Phil turned up the TV.

 

"Justin Belovi, age twenty-three, was in prison for the murder of his parents, Renee and Preston Belovi."

 

Ranboo spat out their food.

 

"Boo?" Wilbur asked.

 

"Justin Belovi has been in jail and juvie for the past twelve years. There have been mentions from other prisoners that he had intentions to find his little brother, who is seven years younger than him. The story of his relationship with his brother is split. Some say that he was going to kill the infant along with his parents, and others say that he killed his parents to protect him. We're putting up an image of Justin now."

 

The Watson family, now neglecting their food in preference of watching, stared at a splitting image of Ranboo. The same nose, same chin, and same eyes, just blonder.

 

"If anyone has any information on Justin Belovi, please contact your local police station."

 

Ranboo turned off the TV before falling down onto the couch, slumping. It was silent for several minutes before Kristin spoke up.

 

"Ranboo? Is that..." Her voice trailed off. "Your brother?"

 

"Yeah," They muttered. "It is."

 

"Well, shit!" Tommy yelled, drawing attention to him.

 

"Tommy," Phil warned. "Not the time."

 

"Wait, so," Wilbur said. "The woman said that he was either protecting you or trying to kill you. Which was it?"

 

"How am I supposed to know?" Ranboo shot back, tossing their hands into the air. "I was, like, three!"

 

"Either way, there is now a fucking criminal that's potentially trying to find them," Techno shook zeir head.

 

Ranboo wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

Chapter 16: Forever Learning

Summary:

Ranboo learns some stuff

It had been a few days, and needless to say, after hearing about the escape of Ranboo's brother, the Watson family took more precautions when leaving the house, especially on the off occasion when Ran would join.

 

The school had been made aware of the situation, so they were now doing their schoolwork online. Tommy decided that he would as well, so it would feel a little more normal. Tubbo wasn't happy when he couldn't do the same.

 

The whole thing made Ranboo antsy. Yes, the police promised them constant updates about the situation, but the unknown was unsettling. Not to mention this was their brother who killed their parents.

 

And potentially tried to kill them. Fun.

 

They also didn't like being cooped up in the house. Were they scared? Absolutely. But they needed some air, and the backyard wasn't cutting it anymore.

 

They felt trapped. It was a familiar feeling, but that isn't to say it was pleasant.

 

They couldn't fix being stuck, but they could get some more information.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

That night, once everyone had fallen asleep, Ranboo hopped onto their laptop and opened Google.

 

Justin Belovi

 

It took a page or two to find anything that wasn't super sketchy or just about the escape, but they found an article about him. According to said article, he had been moved into the adult jail a few months before he should've been due to getting into fights. There were a few recorded escape attempts, mostly in juvie, but none were successful. Justin was a frequent member of various drug rehabs in prison but had been showing unusually good behavior in the few months leading to his escape.

 

As they scrolled to the end of the article, it showed an image of their brother. They looked down at their reflection on their phone screen. The two did look similar. It was undeniable that they were related. It was creepy, to Ranboo. It shouldn't have been, but it was.

 

What scared them the most, though, was the twinge of hope they had when thinking about Justin.

 

They shouldn't be relieved that their criminal of a brother was out, but it gave them some kind of feeling that they couldn't describe. They knew they weren't alone, but this was different! They thought they didn't have any remaining family members, yet here was a brother, a biological brother.

 

It was conflicting, to say the least. Finally, they had confirmation that they weren't the only one left, but that other person might want to kill them.

 

They needed to sleep.

Chapter 17: Forever Scared

Summary:

Ranboo realizes something

(TW for shooting at the end)

Notes:

Sorry it's been so long, I tried to make this chapter extra good to make up for it! We're approaching the climax of the story, so be ready!

The next day, Tubbo came over to play video games. They spent most of the day in Tommy's room with his Wii and PlayStation 3. It was one of the small things Ranboo liked about Tommy; his love for old gaming consoles. And as it turns out, Tubbo was cracked at the old Mario Kart game.

 

It was pleasant, just hanging out like nothing was wrong. Ranboo forgot about everything happening outside of the room for a few hours. The distraction was greatly needed, even if it only lasted for a little while.

 

But, of course, they had to return to reality at some point.

 

"So, Ranboo," Tubbo said, mouth full of the goldfish they brought up as snacks. "How are you feeling about everything?"

 

They took a second to respond, concentrating on the corner they'd been struggling on during the race. "I don't know. I don't think it's set in yet. I mean, it's hard to believe."

 

"Not every day that the brother you didn't know you have escapes jail," Tommy added, physically leaning their body to correspond with the turn, something the taller noticed xey did quite frequently.

 

Ran rolled their eyes. "Thanks, Tommy."

 

"No problem."

 

"That is scary, if you think about it," Tubbo put down his controller while Tommy shot xeir hands up in the air, complaining about how the brunette wins every time. "I mean you've got to be pretty stressed out right now, Boo."

 

"I guess, yeah," They muttered when the previous night came to mind. "I looked him up. He wasn't usually a good inmate, but he'd been acting well the last few months."

 

"He planned it out," Tommy added bluntly.

 

"I just," they stopped themselves, not knowing what to say. "I don't know what's going to happen, you know? Everything was going  so  well. I mean, I finally feel like I belong somewhere, I'm happy, I have a good friend group, and suddenly life slaps me in the face again!"

 

They didn't give Tommy or Tubbo a chance to respond as they stood up and started to pace. "This happens every time, too! Every time I finally feel happy, I feel like I'm in a place I'd like to be in, something happens, and I'm back to square one. Next thing I know, they'll pull me out of here and transfer me to another area to keep me away from him, and I'll never see you guys again!"

 

"Ran-" Tubbo tried to get a word in.

 

"It's happened before!" But Ranboo just kept talking. "It's happened  several  times before. All I want is to stay in one place for more than a year! I want a normal life, where I'm not bouncing around from house to house, I don't have to worry about when I have to leave, and where I don't have a criminal brother trying to find me! Is that too much to ask?"

 

They finally turned to the other boys, getting a good look at their faces.

 

They might've gone a bit too far.

 

"Boo," Tommy's voice was strained. "Are you okay? Like, mentally? That was a lot."

 

“I…” That… was a good question. Were they okay?

 

What were they thinking, of course, they were!

 

Except their brother had escaped jail and was looking for them.

 

Except they were terrified.

 

Except they've been in and out of houses for most of their life.

 

...

 

Maybe they weren't as okay as they once thought.

 

------------

 

On the outskirts of town, around 20 or so miles away from the Watson household, a man, most likely around the age of 50, drove into an abandoned warehouse. Upon getting out of the car, they were greeted by a young man.

 

"Well?"

 

"I found him."

 

The young man chuckled.

 

"Good. Thank you for your help, it means the world to me."

 

He reached into his pocket.

 

"But,"

 

He pulled out a gun and shot the older man in the head.

 

"Not enough to justify the fact you know who I am."

 

No time to clean up the body.

 

He had been careful to not leave any traces of his existence.

 

Besides.

 

He had a brother to rescue.

Chapter 18: Discontinuing.

Summary:

:/

hey
so
Wilbur's an asshole.

I've kinda lost all motivation to write anything MCYT related, especially DSMP, and Wilbur being a shitty person definitely solidified it, so I'm not continuing my DSMP stories.

Notes:

Please, take care of yourself! I love you, my shining stars! <3

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Forever Found