Midnight Arson (Platonic! Ranboo x Tubbo)

Chapter 24: The Battle (Part 2)

(!) TW: suicidal talk, major character death (!)

During the endless chaos, Dream had remained behind his pillar. He tried every phone number, every group chat, every side channel he knew, and yet his friend gave no response. The ex-con peeked out from his hiding place; his jaw nearly hit the floor. Technoblade, being the warrior that he was, traded blows with the citizens of Las Nevadas, lost in a sea of dreamons and crimson tentacles. It literally couldn't get any worse.

But out of the corner of his eye, Dream caught Ranboo take out his communicator. Is he seriously texting someone?! In the middle of a war?! Dream screamed in his mind. What could be more important than what's happening right now?! And that's when it hit him: Ranboo's threat from earlier. Dear, gods, he thought. He must be activating the nukes. Don't worry- you can fix this. You can fix this. There's still time.

"Ranboo! RANBOO!!"

The enderman hybrid whirled around to face the last person he wanted to see right now: the ex-dictator and his former manipulator, Dream. A wild, untamed anger ignited in Ranboo's soul. How dare this man show his face? How dare he have the audacity to revel in the server's demise? It was a twisted kind of sadism, and Ranboo wouldn't stand for it.

"What?! What do you want, Dream?!" the sentient yelled. "Is this what you wanted- the whole server to go up in flames?" he scoffed. "You know what? You're sick. You're psychopathic-"

"RANBOO, LISTEN TO ME!!" Dream begged. "YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME!! I didn't want this. I never did. But my friend, he can help-"

"Help?" Tubbo cut in with a guffaw. "Help with what? What more could you possibly do?! You killed this server. This is your fault."

"I was possessed!" Dream shouted. "You have to believe me!" His eyes filled with a desperate kind of sadness, the fugitive turned to the enderman hybrid. "Ranboo!" he pleaded. "Call off the nukes. Please!"

But the creature could only give the man an empty stare, his expression blank. "I- uhm, I-" Ranboo didn't know what to do. If Dream had been possessed this whole time, then was any of this really his fault? And what about Wilbur? Hadn't Fundy mentioned he was possessed, too? Did that mean the two dictators deserved to die?

It was Tubbo who came to a decision first. "Don't you dare cancel those nukes!" the goat hybrid yelled. "There is nothing left to live for on this server. Only death can save us now!"

Michael's high-pitched cries reached Ranboo's ears, crushing the humanoid's soul. The piglin was drowning in distress, desperately trying to hide himself in Tubbo's coat. Seeing his son in so much pain tore Ranboo's heart to shreds, and forced tears to flow freely down his face. Oh, gods, he had made a mistake. A grave mistake. They were all going to die.

The sentient gasped out a sob. "I could have!" he cried. "I could have saved you! What about growing old, and bringing up Michael? Did you ever think about that?!"

Tubbo raised his head to meet his platonic husband's waiting gaze. And in a sad, hollow whisper, he said, "I'd rather choose death."

Then, it happened.

The rocket whizzed over the Las Nevadas plains and struck the center of the casino dead-on. A blinding, white light shot forth, while the Earth began to tremble. Ranboo screwed his eyes shut and braced for impact. Suddenly, a deafening BANG! erupted from the missile, but for some reason, the latter half of the explosion sounded...muffled.

Ranboo reluctantly opened his eyes to see crimson vines above his head. They threaded together, and encased him in a cocoon, sealing him off from the violence. "Wha- NO!!" The sentient could hear the final cries of everyone on the outside, from Fundy's last howl to Michael's dying squeal. It was all too much.

"NO!! NOOOO!!"

Ranboo wanted to scream, wanted to claw his way out his cage to save his companions. Instead, the humanoid collapsed into a panic, sobbing his heart out on the checkered casino floor. Everyone he ever cared for was dead- dead. How could he live on without his platonic soulmate, or his son? And what about Techno, or Philza? The crushing weight of regret broke the poor, desolate soul further. He was nothing, nothing without-

"Dream?"

His senses instantly on high alert, Ranboo whirled around to find a stranger stood behind him. The man crossed his arms over his chest, and narrowed his eyes. "Wait...You're not Dream. Who are you?"

Bet you thought that was the end, right? WELL YOU'RE WRONG!!

WHO COULD DREAM'S FRIEND BE?! VOTE FOR A HAPPY ENDING!!

As always, thank you for all the support everyone, especially the wonderful comments!! My grandmother likes to read them. They make her smile. :)

[Image Credits] 

"GLASNEVIN CEMETERY [APRIL 2018 VISIT]-138834" (Cropped Slightly) by William Murphy (https://www.flickr.com/photos/80824546@N00/41611287932/)