Hold Me Tight, and Don't Let Go

I have returned! Everything's been a mess, I finally watched the vod for The Lessons, and I had Thoughts™

Warning for mentions of burn injuries!

Ranboo: they/them

Tubbo: he/him

~0~

        Knowing there was a side to themself that helped Dream without them being aware was scary enough. But when the lessons started appearing, it had reached a whole other level of terrifying.

        Why, why did they have to start experimenting with the enderwalk?

        Ranboo started searching for answers to focus on something other than their fear, but to no avail. When they woke up, they simply found themself somewhere far from home, burn marks where the water had hit their skin, the page they'd left their book on still empty.

        And maybe they shouldn't have been ignoring the fog in their head. They hadn't regressed in over a week, they knew it would happen sooner or later. With the combination of the anxiety of not knowing what the lessons were about or why they were appearing now, the frustration of Sam not listening to them, and now their attempt to find out more about themself on their own failing miserably, the entire day had left them feeling so very small, the world around them seeming so very big.

        They were barely able to stumble back to Snowchester, their thoughts blurring into nothing more than a desperate wish for their paci and their Bo. Once they finally made it through the front door of the mansion, they dropped fast and hard. "Bo!" they cried, collapsing on the floor of the entryway, curling into themself. Tears were threatening to fall, as if water hadn't already burned them enough that day. "Bo," they called again, quieter this time, as their voice began to feel as though it were failing them.

        The sound of footsteps hitting the floor reached their ears, a soothing voice they couldn't place soon following, not that they could tell what was being said. Hands reached to comfort them, but the touch caused the recent burns to sting, making them pull away. The voice kept speaking, and slowly Ranboo opened their eyes.

        Tubbo sat crouched above them, a worried look on his face. In one hand was a familiar purple object the enderman hybrid was quick to reach for. They put the paci in their mouth, the usage of the comfort item finally let them calm down just a little bit, gave them something to focus on other than their racing thoughts. It sounded as though Tubbo was asking a question, not that the regressor could make out the exact words. Words felt impossible, so Ranboo wordlessly crawled into their caregiver's arms, burying their face in Tubbo's chest.

~0~

        The goat hybrid held the little close, careful of the burns. Tubbo knew he'd have to treat those, but for now it seemed the little needed comfort more than anything else. The enderman hybrid seemed to have slipped very young, as they appeared to be nonverbal, so he'd have to ask about what happened another time. Whatever happened must've really messed them up, since they weren't making any response to his words, verbal or otherwise. Ranboo lightly shook in his arms, and he could feel wetness seeping onto his shirt. He rubbed circles on the little's back in an attempt to soothe them, and it did seem to help.

        He made a promise to himself and to Ranboo that no matter what happens he'd always be there for them, that he'd always love his little Boo, and he'd take care of them whenever they needed him.