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Ranboo flicked his tail, glancing back up towards the ceiling. It has been a quiet night so far, the three of them winding down together while they wait for exhaustion from today’s hectic day to creep up and take them to sleep. The moon was dipping towards the horizon at this point, but none of them really care how late it is. Nothing’s planned for tomorrow anyways.
But something, according to Ranboo, was off.
His brow furrowed for what seemed like the hundredth time and Tommy sighed. Wait for it.
“You’re sure-”
“Fucking hell, Boo, yes. ” Tommy answered, dropping the scrap of fabric he’d been using to practice stitches. They just needed something to do with their hands- though sewing might not be the best option when someone’s distracting you. “Nothing’s here. Your senses are just going haywire today, that’s it. ”
Ranboo narrowed his eyes at the ceiling of their bedroom, low warble sounding as he leaned against the bedpost. “I just- I swear there’s something here.”
It was times like this Tommy was reminded just how territorial Endermen are.
Ranboo had explained in more depth after one incident- took a while for Foolish to understand why he suddenly wasn’t allowed anywhere near the house after a surprise visit.
Turns out Endermen are extremely territorial- they just don’t seem like it. Normally solitary creatures, they find a huge swath of land they’d wander and ‘protect’ from outsiders or foes if provoked. If they find others they grow comfortable with or form bonds with, they form what was called a haunting. (Tommy found it so cool that those ‘others’ weren’t just limited to other Endermen- Ranboo had told of meeting a haunting that had both a fox and human considered a part of it once.) Anyone entering territory outside of that haunting are seen as trespassers, though they are tolerated as long as it seems they are harmless.
So something was clearly setting off Ranboo’s ‘danger sense,’ but the three of them had searched the entire house twice and came up with nothing. The only place they hadn’t checked thoroughly was the attic- but only bats or a raccoon or two would nest there from time to time. Nothing that hadn’t agitated Ranboo before.
Tubbo looked up from where he was sharpening their dagger from their perch on the dresser. Old habits don’t go away easily. “You’re sure it’s not just the mobs, Boo? They’re pretty loud.”
That could be it- the three of them weren’t tired tonight for some reason and the other two weren’t as used to the background groans of mobs like Tommy was. They’d die off in a few hours as the sun rose again, but for now they were still audible.
Ranboo nodded though, glancing back down at the open book in his lap. “Positive. It’s just-” Ranboo tilted his head back again to glare at the ceiling. “I swear there’s something in the attic or bee dome- there has to be.”
Tommy rolled his eyes, pushing himself to his feet and away from Ranboo’s side. “Cool, so I’ll go check there then. Pussies.” He still didn’t know why neither of them liked the attic all that much- something about bad memories and just it being plain creepy came to mind.
They ignored the amused protests from their husbands and made his way up the ladder none of them bothered to close. It’d probably take only a few minutes to do a sweep of the accessible parts of the attic, then he could assure Ranboo that there wasn’t anything odd in their house.
The sweep was as uneventful as Tommy thought it’d be. Random, discarded things they’d thrown up here who-the-fuck-knows how long ago had gathered enough dust to warent several senzeing attacks.
It was a bittersweet experience, being up here. Memories were in every discarded item, more of them unwanted ones. Probably why they were up here, honestly.
Tommy hadn’t found anything that could’ve been tipping Ranboo off yet, either. He was starting to wonder if their husband was really just that paranoid. They wouldn’t put it past zem to be- hell, both themself and Tubbo were still trying to break their old ‘war habits’ as they called it. A bit of anxiety this late at night was fine.
Thunk.
Tommy whirled towards the noise. Dust was swirling in the air from where a satchel had been knocked over. That shouldn’t have startled him that badly- but hadn’t that been on top of that chest? Something had to have pushed it over.
Carefully, Tommy crept over to it. Nothing was out of the ordinary- nothing touched or out of place except that one thing. Maybe it had fallen on its own?
Their tail twitched as they scanned the area again. There were a few darker shadows his night vision couldn’t pierce fully, but nothing was big enough for something bigger than a bat to hide in. And he hadn’t heard any of the signature squeaking of the flying mammals yet.
To hell with it.
“Hello?” Tommy strained his ears for a response. Quiet, for a moment.
Then what he swore was scuttling answered him.
He didn’t exactly have a sword on him right now- if it turned out to be a mob after all, they’d have a bit of trouble getting rid of it without one. All the metal in the attic was rusted and old, beyond practical use. So, Tommy carefully started towards the sound with flexed fists.
“Hello?” he tried again. The same sound came again, closer this time.
Tommy huffed. “Seriously, if you’re a person or some shit, stop lurking and come out already.”
Again, no response other than shuffling. Stubborn bitch. He peered around a chair towards the sound, spotting a stack of boxes and chest piled in a corner. Some were open, but most were closed and sealed.
Tommy decided to shut their mouth over another call when he spotted a box moving in time with the sounds. Okay, not creepy at all. They changed course for that instead, hand hovering over a non-existent hilt while their heart beat in their ears.
Slowly, as carefully as he could, he crouched next to the box and took the lid in his hands. After a breath, they cautiously opened it.
Nothing jumped out at him immediately, so at least that was a good sign. Careful to keep a steady pace, eventually the box was opened fully. Tommy peeked his head over the rim.
To say he was startled would be an understatement.
Out of everything they were expecting, they weren’t expecting a fucking kid.
The child cowered even further into the corner of the box, bright red eyes wide and pupils slitted. From what Tommy could tell, they were wearing old, torn to shit clothes of his- the red and white aesthetic with ripped jeans gave it away. It was hard to make out features with how the kid was curled in on themself so much, but Tommy thought he could make out ashy black skin that blended well with the low light.
Neither of them moved for a long, tense few moments, locked in a staring contest. All the cautiousness was replaced by a wave of panic and confusion- there’s a fucking child in their attic, what the fuck do they do- and, oddly, what felt like… protection? Or sympathy?
Must be because the kid was wearing his old clothes, he decided.
“Hey.” Tommy breathed. The child flinched despite the soft tone, pressing themself further against the corner of the box. Tommy saw a bit more clearly why the box had moved- the kid was shivering like they were trapped in a blizzard.
Tommy stood, backing away from the box while still keeping the kid in sight. The tremors died down at the distance. “Hey, it’s alright. I’m not gonna hurt you, just-” What was he going to do? There’s a fucking child. In his attic.
And they wanted to protect it.
Tommy suppressed a groan. Maybe he finally understood why the hell Ranboo and Tubbo had fallen and taken Micheal so quickly when they saw him.
Tommy didn’t move a muscle when the kid started moving after a minute or two, uncurling from their spot to cautiously poke their head over the rim of the box. It was easier to see the matted jet-black hair of the kid now, as well as what seemed like scars over and under their wide eyes. Tommy growled under his breath- seems like no kids had it easy on this server, huh.
The kid noticed the growl, and instead of flinching away as Tommy expected, peered further out of the box. They opened their jagged mouth and hissed back at Tommy.
It was then Tommy realized that the hisses and clicks he’d been hearing hadn’t been from an angry spider lingering outside their home.
No, it had been coming from a frightened spider ling and inside their home.
So. What the fuck are they going to do?
Tommy responded with a small, instinctive chitter while his mind raced. There was just a kid. A mob hybrid. In their attic. Alone. And hurt and probably hungry. They wanted to at least offer the child help, but they weren’t sure what would happen if he tried to go back downstairs to bring them something or even take them downstairs with him. They had to be what was setting Ranboo off- how would zey react to Tommy helping them?
And why the fuck was Tommy somehow attached already?
The spider hybrid hissed again, softer, curious. They still hadn’t left the confines of the box.
Tommy cleared his throat, the spiderling ducking their head again so their eyes hovered over the top of the box. He made sure to keep his movements slow, stepping backwards and palms open. “I’ll- I’ll be leaving then, I guess. Maybe next time I’ll bring you something to eat, yeah?”
The hybrid tilted their head curiously. They probably didn’t know Common, now that Tommy was thinking about it. He felt a pang in his chest when he thought that maybe they didn’t ever even have a guardian to teach it to them.
Tommy backed away until the box was no longer in sight, then turned his back to it. Their mind was a mess of emotions and instincts, not a clear thought coming through other than to tell their husbands. Maybe then they could all decide what to do.
Tommy was maybe ten feet away from the latter out of the attic when the loud thunk of a book falling caught his attention. Though, this time, he wasn’t as surprised by what they saw.
The spiderling froze as Tommy looked at them, stiffening on their perch on a half-eaten-away bookshelf. Their lanky but small form was much more visible now. Their arms were probably skinnier than they should be, all four pairs of legs ending in two dull finger-like claws.
They blinked at Tommy, tense, waiting for a reaction. Neither of them really seemed to know what to do now.
“Well, um,” Tommy started, watching as the spiderling blinked at the words. Maybe they could understand Common? It’s a shot. “Can- do you know Common? Is that why you followed?” Maybe they recognised the word ‘eat’ or something.
The kid slowly nodded, a small hiss that seemed like it was directed at Tommy following. Carefully, Tommy crouched, keeping his movements predictable and harmless.
“Did you come all the way from over there, to me?” Tommy asked, voice soft and hushed. The spiderling glanced over Tommy’s crouched figure, death grip on the cabinet loosening, then nodded.
Tommy’s heart melted.
The spiderling didn’t seem hostile, just… scared. Tommy had no fucking idea how actual spiders behaved, much less their hybrid counterparts. Maybe they were younger than they appeared? He did know that hostile mob hybrids grew fast- so while the spiderling looked around ten-elevenish, they were probably closer to Micheal’s age, maybe older.
How long had they been alone?
The cabinet wobbled dangerously as the spiderling moved and stumbled down it. Tommy reflectedly reached out to catch them as they fell the last bit, but they sprung back up from the floor and scuttled backwards, seemingly fine.
Tommy noticed how as soon as the cabinet was released, the spiderling stood upright on two legs, wrapping their extra limbs around their torso to attempt to keep them hidden. Tommy narrowed their eyes at that- they were clearly taught how to hide their hybrid status.
The spiderling stood stock still, waiting for Tommy to make the first move. He sighed, glancing over them again. They barely reached to head even from his crouched position- smaller than Micheal, though piglins did grow fairly quickly.
...Maybe the other two wouldn’t mind if they at least helped the kid?
Tommy slowly extended a hand, watching the spider’s head snap towards it. He debated with himself for a moment, before giving into the almost hopeful look on the spiderling’s face. “There’s food downstairs, if you want it.”
They glanced between Tommy’s outstretched hand and their face, clearly trying to decide what to do. Tommy’s tail swished against the ground impatiently as he tried to keep an open expression- not a smile by any means, but not hostile either.
A quiet, questioning click came from the spiderling, and Tommy responded with a comforting coo. That seemed to make up their mind, as they reached out and hesitantly placed one of their hands in Tommy’s.
Tommy held back a relieved sigh at that as he reassuringly squeezed their hand. The spiderling glanced back up at him, still cautious but trusting.
“Okay, let’s- oh what the fuck- ” Tommy barely managed to not flinch away as the spiderling started forward, carefully unwrapping their limbs form their torso as small arms hugged his neck.
No, he wasn’t going to cry, definitely not, stop it this is too heartwarming-
Tommy cautiously returned the hug, relaxing as all the spiderling did was secure their hold with their other limbs. They were well aware that the kit had venom in their fangs that could hurt like hell even if it didn’t poison them. But it seemed for now that he had earned the spiderling’s trust.
His heart swelled with pride and affection at that fact. Seemed like the kit also got attached just as quickly Tommy did.
“Okay, you alright to come downstairs with me then?” The spiderling nodded, their grip tightening slightly. Tommy slowly stood, making sure they didn’t jostle the kit. When they were sure the spiderling’s hold was not loosening, they carefully made their way to the trapdoor.
The spiderling hissed as it opened, low light flickering up into the attic. Tommy ran a hand across their back, an attempt at comfort that seemed appreciated. “Yeah, it’s bright, innit? Keep your eyes closed and the headache will go away soon enough.”
The spiderling curled further into him, obediently closing their eyes and burying their face in his neck. Their hold was secure enough that Tommy didn’t need to hold them at all, so he was able to use both hands as he started to descend.
Tommy chuckled to themself as the trapdoor closed above them. Yeah, Ranboo had been right, but something setting him off wasn’t dangerous at all.
Tommy breathed a soft sigh as they touched the ground, wrapping their arms back around the tense spiderling. “Hey, you’re alright. It’s okay.” Tommy blinked up at the lights. They weren’t bright at all, but maybe the spiderling wasn’t used to them. “Do you want me to dim them more?”
They seemed to think for a moment, before, surprisingly, shaking their head. “Allrigh.”
Tommy tried his best to hide surprise- it was more like the spiderling was mimicking him from earlier, and it wasn’t the clearest, but it was still Common. Or they were just a fast learner.
Maybe the spiderling could stay for a bit longer than just one day.
“Okay.” Tommy nodded, angling towards the stairs. “You hungry? That’s a dumb question, of course yo-”
“Tommy?”
Tommy froze in his tracks, right above the stairwell. They forced a small, sugary smile on their face and turned towards their husbands.
Granted, neither of them looked mad or angry in any way, just… concerned. And they had caught Tommy basically starting to kidnap a child. So, not the best situation.
Tommy gave them both a toothy grin. “Hey!”
“...Hey.” Ranboo replied. He glanced over the tense spiderling clinging to Tommy with an unreadable expression. “I’ll take it you found… the something?”
Fuck. So the kit was what had set Ranboo off.
“Um, yeah?” Tommy wanted even a shred of their normal confidence or bradivo- he hated the feeling of being scrutinized. But it was late, his mind was still reeling from the rush of emotions that had flooded through him earlier, and yesterday had been long. They just didn’t have the energy.
Tubbo flicked his ear, but made no move towards Tommy. It was hard to tell what they were thinking or feeling with their eyes covered by messy curls- but Tommy swore there was amusement in his stance. “Sooo, they were just. Up there? Alone?”
“Yup. Dunno how long.” Tommy answered. His tail flicked anxiously behind him. “I thought- thought’d be fine if they got something to eat, y’know?”
Tubbo and Ranboo glanced at each other. Tubbo just shrugged, a small smile slipping onto their face as they headed down the stairs. “I’ll get them something. Let you two have your conversation.”
Ranboo and Tommy looked at each other as Tubbo disappeared down the stairs, Tommy shrinking back slightly under the inspecting look. It was a habit really- he knew that there was no hostility behind the gaze, but it still put him on edge to feel so scrutinized. Well, they were carrying the thing Ranboo had been stressing about for however long now, so they guessed it was deserved.
Ranboo coughed after an awkward silence, finally glancing away from Tommy. “Well, are we just gonna stand and wait here for Tubbo then?”
Tommy stifled a sigh as he started forwards, past Ranboo and towards their bedroom. “Yeah, no, Boo. I’m not standing while we wait an hour for Tubbo to find something they deem ‘worthy.’”
“He just likes quality.” Ranboo returned, clearly relieved at the banter they fell back to easily. “You’re one to talk.”
“What’s wrong with liking clean food?”
“Nothing, I just think it’s funny-”
“Fuck off.” Tommy sat down on the bed, tucking his legs underneath him. By now the spiderling had opened their eyes again and kept glancing up at Ranboo for a split second before hiding their face again.
Ranboo just rolled zeir eyes at Tommy’s antics, hovering next to the bed. It looked like he was debating something in his mind, tail flicking slowly as zeir brow furrowed.
“I-” Tommy’s voice seemed to startle Ranboo out of zeir mind, blinking over at them. “I can go somewhere else.” Tommy continued, “If you want.”
Ranboo immediately shook zeir head, sitting down next to them, though visually tense. “No, no, it’s okay, just-” Ranboo glanced between Tommy and the spiderling, a ghost of a smile on his face. “Just’ll take some getting used to.”
Tommy couldn’t suppress the small chitters that escaped him- he didn’t even have to ask and Ranboo was already on board. Hopefully the little spiderling would actually want to stay because at this rate Tommy wasn’t sure if they’d be able to say goodbye.
Surprisingly, the spiderling glanced up when Tommy made the vocalizations, blinking up at them for a moment. Tommy blinked back.
The spiderling hissed at Tommy, surprisingly hostile. He flinched backwards a bit, confused. Why were they now suddenly mad? They hadn’t been upset throughout the entire time Tommy had found them- the tremors had died off fully when Tommy had brought them into the dark bedroom.
Oddly enough, Tommy’s wince made the spiderling’s face light up, and the angry click started again, louder this time.
A low, warning warble came from Ranboo, who looked just as surprised to hear it from himself as Tommy was. The Enderman opened zier mouth to probably apologize, but snapped it shut again as the spiderling turned towards the sound.
Instead of cowering back or hiding, they slowly unwrapped their limbs from Tommy’s torso, warning hiss building in their throat. Ranboo looked between Tommy and the spider hybrid- a bit panicked actually- but Tommy only shrugged as a response. He was as clueless as zey were.
The spiderling- he still needed to ask their name actually- seemed to lose some of their confidence when neither Tommy or Ranboo responded, a quiet, clicking trill coming from their throat. Ranboo ducked zeir head and responded with his own trill, far more staticy but almost mimicking the spiderling’s one.
They immediately brightened again, the low warning hiss not matching the brightness in their eyes. Tommy just looked between the two as something dawned on Ranboo and he responded with his own low humming. The fuck was going on?
“The fuck are you doing?”
Ranboo gave Tommy an amused glance before returning zeir focus to the spiderling, who had by now fully un-entangled themself from Tommy. They were in a half-crouched position, looking ready to pounce. If there wasn’t a gleeful look in their eyes, Tommy would’ve thought they were going to strike at Ranboo. He was still prepared to snatch the kit if they did, though.
“I think it’s like a game.” Zey responded. Zey ducked zeir head down to lock eyes with the spiderling, soft growl mixing with the more hostile chirps. The spiderling bristled, but a small giggled forced it way out of their throat.
“Like, see who can scare the other? Like play-fighting or some shit?”
Ranboo nodded, feigning a wince when the spiderling bared their fangs at Ranboo. The action made them beam even more. “It’s fuzzy, but I think I remember playing it when I was younger. It’s like a competition, who can make the other bolt, kinda thing. Don’t remember what I called it though.”
Tommy nodded, opting to sit back and watch the ‘competition’ go down. Ranboo could easily win- Tommy had seen him actually pissed before, and they knew how scary it was- but it was clear zey were holding back to entertain the spiderling. And it was working.
Ranboo responded to the spiderling’s ‘threat’ with a soft but growing warble, claws flexing in as his jaw opened and dropped far past what was humanly possible, showing off zeir sharp fangs. The spiderling squeaked and crouched back, almost tripping over Tommy to put some distance between the two.
Ranboo clicked zeir jaw shut and backed off, clear by his expression thinking zey’ve gone a bit far. Tommy was ready to either comfort one or both of them or hold back a fight, but instead is surprised.
The spiderling- they really need to ask for a name- jumps up the moment Ranboo backs off, flexing all of their claws and baring their teeth as the pairs of slits above and below their eyes open. Tommy freezes because holy shit that’s cool and Ranboo yelps in surprise.
The kit grins wide as Ranboo stumbles back a bit, turning to beam at Tommy. Six pairs of bright, gleeful red eyes shine up at them as six of their arms wave excitedly. “Win! Win’er!”
A grin splits Tommy’s face in half. The spiderling just seems to get more excited by the reaction, practically vibrating with elation. “Yeah, you did win, didn’t you? Just more evidence that Ranboo is a pussy, innit?”
Ranboo makes an overexaggerated hurt look and opens his mouth to speak, but is interrupted by snorting. Both Tommy and Ranboo turn towards Tubbo, who’s leaning against the bedpost with a steak in their hands. Neither of them had heard the goat hybrid come in. (He shouldn't be surprised, Tubbo had been a spy afterall.)
Tommy swears the spiderling didn’t move an inch, but a second after they realized what Tubbo’s got in his hands suddenly it’s in theirs, and they’re crawling back onto Tommy’s lap to eat it, still trilling about their victory like they didn’t just spring over Ranboo and back to Tommy in the blink of an eye.
Both Tubbo and Ranboo let out shocked laughs, both looking actually proud of the spiderling. Tommy can tell the other two are quickly falling for the kit.
Yeah, the spiderling was probably staying.
“So.” Tubbo starts, planting himself between Ranboo and Tommy. Ranboo’s tail wraps around their waist. “We keeping them?”
Tommy looked over the spiderling. They were entirely focused on the steak, sharp fangs and claws easily ripping through the meat. They can’t bring themself to care about the small mess the spiderling is making- it’s not too bad of a mess anyways.
…Maybe they could?
“Well,” Ranboo interjects, “we kinda need to know if they have a name first before we decide anything.”
“You say that like you didn’t just have a hissing match with them.” Tubbo retorts, earring a soft shove. “You’re caught, Boo.”
The two start throwing light banter back and forth while Tommy keeps his focus on the spiderling. The steak is somehow almost gone already and was quickly being finished- how long had it been since the kit ate? Tommy waits for them to finish and look up at him, all six eyes still open and full of curiosity and relief.
Tommy isn’t really sure how to start the question, so he just says it. “D’you have a name? Do you know it in Common?”
The spiderling tilted their head, seemingly thinking over the question. The other two had quieted down, so the stretching silence was much more noticeable.
Maybe they didn’t have one- that was fine, they just now need to think of something-
A soft hiss-like sound started, then cut off abruptly. Tommy furrowed his brows at the spiderling, who was squinting up at Tommy, concentrating. “What?”
“Shhh-” they started again, then cut off with a growl. With a small, determined nod, they blinked back up at Tommy. “Shrrrrow-d.”
“Shroud?” Tommy asked. The spiderling brightened and nodded enthusiastically. “Shroud’s your name?”
The spiderling nodded again, mimicking how Tommy said their name in Common a few times. They then placed a clawed hand on their chest before motioning towards Tommy. “You!”
Tommy caught on immediately- he could thank having to decipher Micheal’s originally broken mess of Piglin and Common for that. “You want to know my name?”
Their heart melted further as Shroud nodded excitedly, small vocalizations much more apparent. Tommy sat up a bit straighter, hand unconsciously coming up to rest on the copper ring around their necklace.
“My name’s Tommy, kit. Tommy.”
Shroud blinked up at Tommy. It was both freaky and cool how they blinked- not all at the same time, an odd off rhythm before they widened. Hopeful.
“‘Om- Momm-y? Moma?”
Tommy’s breath hitched. Ranboo and Tubbo noticed- he could tell they’d moved closer, hovering closeby and ready if needed.
Normally, if anyone tried to call him something like that, they’d get yelled at and shut down quickly. There was no way in hell he’d tolerate someone calling him by dead pronouns. He’d found- made- a life for themself. He didn’t want far too old memories plaguing him until he died.
But he just couldn’t bring himself to care with the spiderling. It was… surprisingly endearing.
It was just a title anyways, right? Just a name for a caregiver.
Tommy laughed breathally. “Yeah, you can call me- call me Moma if you want, kit.”
The spiderling beamed, throwing themself at Tommy and wrapping him in a tight hug. Hisses and clicks and grunts in what Tommy could assume was in whatever native tongue the kit had were babbled happily. Tommy returned the hug, decidedly not crying, while Shroud continued their excited spiel.
They felt an arm wrap around them and let themself lean into Ranboo. Tubbo had settled on their other side, a bit close to the edge of the bed, but he didn’t seem to mind.
The goat hybrid is the first to speak as the ramblings start to get a bit quieter. “You sure you’re fine with Shroud calling you that, big man?”
Tommy lets a fond grin slip onto his face, not for the first time wondering how the fuck he’d gotten so lucky with his family. They all understood each other and knew where the lines were or could be, and knew how to look out for one another.
He tilted his head towards Tubbo, the goat hybrid meeting him halfway for a headbut. “There’s exceptions to everything, Bo.” They glanced down at the spiderling as they shifted, curling up to a more comfortable position and still latched onto Tommy. “This can be one.”
Tubbo smiled and nodded, opting to lean on Tommy’s shoulder instead of replying. Ranboo hummed, shifting his arm so it rested across both of zeir husbands. “Just tell us if it’s ever not one anymore, okay?”
Tommy nudged zem with his shoulder. “You worry too much, bitch. It won’t, and that’s a promise.”
Shroud’s grip on Tommy slackened as the spiderling’s breathing evened out. Tommy carded his fingers through the matted hair, untangling knots while the spiderling drifted off to sleep.
Before any of them knew it, the sun was streaming through the windows and both Shroud and Tommy were still fast asleep. Ranboo and Tubbo decided to let them sleep in longer than they normally would- just to ease Shroud into a more diurnal clock. Not just because neither could bring themselves to wake the two when they looked so comfortable.
“Y’know,” Tubbo commented, bringing Ranboo’s attention away from his sewing project. Mending torn clothes would normally be Tommy’s job, but for obvious reasons, they were unavailable right now.
Tubbo glanced over to where Micheal was flipping through a colouring book and explaining the pictures to Dogboo, who was sleepily curled around Micheal. “I never thought Tommy would’ve been the one to find a kid to adopt. I mean, with all your pets-”
“Oh shut it. You like Enderchest and Enderpearl more than I do.”
Tubbo rolled his eyes. “I was just saying, out of all of us to find a stray, Tommy was my last guess.”
Ranboo chuckled, returning his focus to his project. “Same here. But hey, I’m not complaining.”
Tubbo groaned, propping his head on his hands as a realization struck. “Oh god , we’re all becoming Phil. Plucking kids off the street and shit-”
Ranboo laughed, bright and full. He was right- zey just hoped their little family would turn out slightly less traumatized. But really, Ranboo took that as a compliment. Phil could be one of the most helpful and comforting person on this server if needed, and Ranboo took a certain pride in being compared to zeir father figure.
The family might be a little dysfunctional, but it was his. And Ranboo wouldn’t have it any other way.