Poplar St. (OFFICIAL WATTPAD UPLOAD)

Unfamiliar Territory

"Look, I don't know what's wrong with him either," Tubbo snapped, awkwardly sinking down next to Ranboo, pulling his husband's head into his lap.

Quackity stared in horror at the single bat-like wing extending from Ranboo's back.

He'd been decently sure it hadn't been there before. Judging from the bandages and the amount of blood everywhere, the thing must've ripped out of Ranboo's back like a dull knife through paper, and that gross, almost tumor-like lump on his right side—

With a sickening ripping sound, the inflamed, swollen skin suddenly began to tear open.

Tubbo's eyes went wide with horror. "Oh god—"

Ranboo, despite still appearing to be unconscious, let out a blood-curdling wail.

"Shit shit shit Phil said he'd be back!" Tubbo hissed, scrambling for a cleaner-looking cloth. "Quackity help me! We have to slow down the bleeding—"

Quackity took one look at the bloody ivory-white wingtip slowly ripping its way out of Ranboo's back, gagged, and barely made it out of the tent before he collapsed in the coarse red dirt, his margarita from last night making its unceremonious reappearance on the ground in front of him.

He groaned.

Quackity had never been good at medical stuff. The sight of mangled flesh made his stomach turn.

Even so, he forced himself back into the tent.

Ranboo appeared to be unconscious, but was squirming feverishly on his stomach, wrenching his head from side to side as he whimpered and sobbed in pain. Tubbo looked like he was about to burst into hysterical tears as he held the bloody cloth against the wound, trying to staunch the blood flow.

The wing was halfway out now, its shimmering white skin soaked and dripping with purple gore.

"Grab me a regeneration potion," Tubbo choked out, hastily wiping his nose on his sleeve. "C'mon... c'mon Boo hold on... please..."

Quackity grimaced.

He brushed aside the empty potion bottles and peered into the crate they'd been sitting on. There were only four bottles inside, two regeneration and two healing.

"Tubbo, wait," he blurted, forcing himself to study the wounds and make a plan. He wasn't Ponk, that was for sure, but he wasn't an idiot, either. "Let the wing come all the way out before you use the regen on it. If you use it now the skin's just gonna have to rip and tear open all over again and he's gonna bleed more."

Tubbo looked panicked. "But—"

"Trust me, kid. Please."

Tubbo opened his mouth like he wanted to argue but shut it after a moment, swallowing hard, tears making a slow crawl down his filthy cheeks. He gingerly stroked Ranboo's dual-toned hair, sniffling. "You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay."

Quackity sighed, forcing his nausea back down, and poured a healing potion down Ranboo's throat.

Hopefully that would keep the kid alive for now.

"We need clean water," Tubbo said suddenly.

Quackity blinked. "Huh?"

"Ranboo keeps his own potions on him," Tubbo mumbled. "So he can go in the water without it hurting. We forced one down his throat so we could clean the blood off him. Hoglins have a good sense of smell, and moving him right now wouldn't be a good idea."

"How'd we even get to the Nether?" Quackity grumbled, scowling at the bucket and concentrating hard. The water settled somewhat, the blood separating out a bit so it was less cloudy.