mcyt one shots that i write at 3am

The Balloon that Belonged to a Dead Man

oh wow a non-ship fic

// major character death (but like,,, ghost) , brief panic and derealisation

i miss free trial smp

also HC for this universe: phil adopted wilbur, tommy, and ranboo (tommy and wil are blood brothers, ranboo is not). jack and tubbo are brothers. ranboo and tubbo are dating :)

•

"WILBUR!"

The man's head shot up suddenly at the sound of his name, but it was too late. His fearful eyes were already clouded in the smoke from the explosion, and any words he may have shouted were masked by the loud hiss and boom of the creeper. Ranboo ran over to him, tears in his eyes that stung a little, but he didn't care. He got there, and all there was was a crater housing his brother's limp corpse.

"Wilbur..." Ranboo whispered kneeling down beside the body, pulling his brother up into a tight hug. Of course, Wilbur didn't respond. His limp body just rested heavily against Ranboo, only his thin frame supporting it. Tears slipped freely down his face, no matter how painful it was. Ranboo slowly evened out his panicked breathing and calmed down. This was real. Ranboo was real. Wilbur was dead now, and that was real too. Ranboo climbed up out of the crater, and sat on the edge of it with his legs dangling in the pit. He pulled out the spyglass and turned it over in his hands while he waited for Wilbur's body to eventually despawn.

"Ranboo!"

The hybrid's head shot up at the sound of the voice. It was distant, and there was nobody around that it could've come from. No one else was awake. And it sounded like...

"Wilbur?" he questioned.

There was a soft laugh, and it echoed, "Yeah, man! It's me!"

Ranboo sighed with relief and couldn't help the grin on his face. He could still talk to Wilbur, so it wasn't just Phil! He could talk to all the dead!

"Ranboo, I just want you to know that my death wasn't your fault," Wilbur consoled, "I know you feel guilty, but it was really my fault for not paying attention. So don't worry about it!"

"But I-"

"No buts! Not your fault! Although I am still going to tell everyone that it was."

"Wha- Wilbur!"

"Anyways, I've decided that all my stuff belongs to you now. Feel free to take whatever you want from where I died, then come up to my balloon."

Ranboo thought for a moment, then dropped back down into the crater. He took Wilbur's trench coat, hanging it lightly over his own shoulders before laying Wilbur's body down. Not a few seconds later, it despawned. Just in time. Ranboo slipped his arms into the coat sleeves, wrapping it tightly around himself. It smelled of Wilbur - well, of dirt and copper, but that was Wilbur. The coat fit a little small, but that was the be expected due to Ranboo's height and awkward body proportions. He stood up and stuffed his hands into the pockets. Wilbur's spyglass was in there, and Ranboo felt the tears prick his eyes again with a sad smile. Wilbur loved his skyglass.

He sighed and climbed back up out of the pit, throwing one more glance back at the now-empty crater before heading over to Wilbur's dirt balloon. Ranboo tightly gripped the ladder with his shaky hands and exhaled slowly before pulling himself up and beginning to climb. When Ranboo reached the top, there was nothing there.

"You know, Phil's always a crow when he appears," Ranboo announced, knowing that Wilbur was there despite not being able to see him. They decided to try and keep the conversation as light and as normal as possible.

"Of course he is," Wilbur responded, a smile evident in his tone, "I think I'll just appear as myself, like a proper ghost! Though I can't manifest psychically in this world until I fully pass. I'm just waiting for Her to pick me up."

Her again. Ranboo remembered Her from when he first spoke with Phil after he passed. Maybe She was Death?

"Is it dark?"

"Dark, very cold."

A silence fell over the two, as did another wave of guilt over Ranboo.

"So what do I do now?" Ranboo asked, "Phil's dead, you're dead. I don't have anyone..."

"You have Tubbo!"

"Tubbo only gets three hours a day before he passes out, some weird curse from the Gods or something," Ranboo sighed, "I love him, I really do, it's just so difficult when we already have limited time and he's barely around."

Wilbur hummed sadly, "Yeah, I get that. But either way, Phil and I aren't really gone! You can still talk to us!"

"I guess, but it's just not the same..."

"I know. But hey, at least you're still alive! And I have faith that you'll make it til the very end."

"Me too," Ranboo agreed.

Silence again.

"I have to go soon, She's almost here," Wilbur said, and Ranboo nodded.

"I've heard She's very kind."

"I'm sure She is," Wilbur sighed, "Ranboo, before I go, I want to leave you my balloon. You can do what you want with it. It's yours now, and so is everything else I owned."

"But Wil-"

"No arguing, I insist. It's all yours!"

Ranboo smiled sadly, "Thank you. Remember, I love you like a brother, Wil."

"You are my brother, Ranboo. Strong as blood."

Ranboo pulled Wilbur's coat tightly around himself and smiled, like Wilbur was giving him one last hug.

"Stay alive for me, Ranboo."

"I will."