Family Ties (DreamSMP Fanfic)

Chapter 7: Just Your Average Sleepwalker

The first sound Nyssa hears is sniffling. She looks around to see Tubbo perched on a table with a pile of tissues next to him. Tommy is standing a few feet away looking slightly scared of his best friend.

"What's wrong?" Nyssa asks, concern in her voice.

"The- the garden," Tubbo wailed. "It's broken."

"What do you mean? How can it be broken?" Nyssa approaches the man carefully, not wanting to disturb him even more.

"It's- it's," Tubbo tries to say.

"He means that it got destroyed," Tommy finishes. He glances at Niki and Nyssa with his hands outstretched, uncertain of how to handle the sobbing man. "He ran in here a few minutes ago and started crying. I called Ranboo and he's on his way now."

Niki wraps her arms around Tubbo's shoulders. "It's going to be okay, Tubbo. Gardens can regrow."

But Nyssa felt a tang of sadness that their garden had failed. All of their hard work had amounted to nothing? It was difficult to believe that nature had gotten the best of them.

Tubbo let out a loud cry, "There were footprints!"

Nyssa hung her head low. "We should have built a fence to keep the animals out," she scolds herself.

"No! Human footprints!"

Nyssa's head jolts up in surprise. Did she hear that correctly?

"What the fuck? Someone intentionally wrecked our garden?!" Tommy shouts in anger.

Tubbo's shoulders shake with sobs as he bobs his head.

"I am going to find this little shit and give them a piece of my mind." Tommy clenches his fists and paces around the room. "Whoever did that is fucking messed up. I bet it was J-"

Just then, the bakery door bangs open and Ranboo comes barreling in to see Tubbo, particles buzzing nervously in his wake. He immediately drapes his jacket over Tubbo's shoulders and reaches out a hand to cup his husband's cheek, but freezes just before touching his tear-streaked skin. The tall man bows down to meet Tubbo's eyes and asks him, "Are you okay?"

Tubbo releases a soft whimper and says, "I'll stop crying now so you can hold me." 

Ranboo smiles softly and turns to Tommy, "Thank God you called me. I was asleep when I heard, but I came here as fast as I could."

Tommy gives the man a stern nod. "We need to find out who did this. Do you have any ideas?"

Ranboo shakes his head, long hair flying around his face.

Niki's eyebrows pull together. "Why would someone want to ruin something so beautiful? And something that has value to you? It's evil."

Tommy meets her eyes in a cold, meaningful stare. "That is exactly the reason someone would do this."

And that was when Nyssa noticed the mud. On the floor. On Ranboo's shoes.

"Ranboo," she calls softly.

His head, barren without his signature golden crown, swivels to face hers.

"Why are your shoes covered in dirt?"

All five pairs of eyes focus on the large footprints staining Niki's bakery floor.

The tall man cocks his head at the footprints, not registering that they belong to him. His mismatched eyes brim with questions. "I didn't do it." He turns to face Tubbo and puts his palms on his husband's knees. "I swear, I didn't do it," his voice becoming more desperate.

"How do you know you didn't do it?" Tommy approaches Ranboo, anger and betrayal clearly written on his features.

"I- I didn't." Ranboo glances around the room, searching for answers as his dark particles shake around him. "Why would I do that? I wouldn't want to do that. Why would I do that? Why?"

Nyssa watches as Tubbo gently removes Ranboo's hands. She steps in, wanting to ease their panic. "It's okay, Ranboo. We'll figure it out."

Tommy glares at her, voice rising. "No, it's not okay. He destroyed something of value and doesn't even remember doing it. He doesn't have control over himself. He's dangerous."

Ranboo's eyes widen as he takes in Tommy's harsh words. The room is filled with the abrasive buzzing noises of his particles.

"It's just a garden, Tommy! Our friend is more important." Nyssa shouts.

The blonde boy faces Tubbo and sharpens his words like knives, aiming for the kill. "Today it's a garden. But tomorrow it could be Michael."

The particles freeze.

Nyssa sees the exact moment Tubbo's heart breaks. His eyes widen at Michael's name, imagining just what Tommy described. Then he turns to his husband with fresh tears on his cheeks.

Ranboo witnesses his realization, too and stands up shakily. He reaches for Tubbo's face once again, and his hand pulls back so quickly Nyssa questions whether she saw him reach out in the first place. The only evidence of his touch are the red blisters growing on his skin.

Tubbo meets Ranboo's intimate gaze and whispers, "You told me you were okay."

Ranboo's ears droop. "I can leave, if you want. I can stay somewhere else for a while," he offers in a strained voice.

His husband avoids his eyes, "I'll be the one leaving," he says. "You need to get help, and you can only do that here."

Tubbo finds Nyssa. "We'll help him," she promises. Niki nods in agreement.

"And-" Tubbo pauses. "I'll be taking Michael, too," he finishes with a long breath.

"I know," Ranboo's voice cracks. "It's for the best."

Unsure of what to do next, Tubbo starts to shrug off Ranboo's oversized jacket.

"Keep it. What's mine is yours and all that."

Straightening his clothes, Tubbo hangs his head and walks towards the door. Before he steps out, he lowers his voice so only Ranboo can hear. "Please be careful. Please fix this so we can be a family again." He gulps, "I- I like having your face around." And with that, he leaves Ranboo behind.

Nyssa wonders that if Tubbo had only glanced back, would the sight of his husband's burning tears been enough to make him stay.