Your real family

7

Ranboo had always suffered from short-term memory since the day he turned 8. Not that he could remember that day, but the one thing that stuck with him was the way his heart had dropped. He didn't want to forget his great-grandpa's birthday, he didn't want to forget the smell of his mothers perfume-- and he most definitely would never want to forget his mother. He missed his mother, he wanted her to come back so badly, but every time he hoped, the hope was then buried under a piece of debris, never to be found again.

Ranboo would occasionally stare at a photo of his mother for about an hour straight so that he would never forget her smile. His dad said it wasn't good for him, but he found a sense of safety in the presence of even her picture. In fact, the colour of her night-coloured, black hair  prevented him from weeping — somehow.

It was no shock that Ranboo cared about Tommy's sudden disappearance, but after a week had passed, it was surprising that Ranboo remembered the day clear as ever. Tubbo had spent about a half hour trying to find out where Tommy could've possibly gone, but besides the endless effort he contributed, Tommy was absolutely nowhere to be seen.

Ranboo paced around his living room, nudging the sofa with his thighs on the way around. They both knew where Tommy had to be; his house. If Tubbo and Ranboo were dumb enough, they might've thought he was safe, but they both knew for a fact that Tommy was in great danger.

Someone knocked on his door: slow—fast—slow. Ranboo strutted towards the old, almond-brown door, still deep in his thoughts. The door creaked open to reveal a blast of cold air swarm in like a hive of bees, but his heart dropped at who he saw next.

First, he saw the flash of pink hair skidding through the wind. His eyes darted to face a red-eyed man whose stare was enough to cut through the soul of the most notorious serial killer you could ever imagine. Ranboo could pinpoint the exact moment his heart lurched straight down to his stomach. The moment TechnoBlade opened his mouth to speak.

"It's about Tommy." Techno's face hadn't even shifted since they'd made eye contact, it poised itself in a forever calm-but-anxious look.

Ranboo furrowed his brows. Well, I thought you'd taken him back to your house, you monster. Of course he didn't say that out loud, he just invited the pink haired man inside of the cramped, polished-brown house.

"Tea?" Ranboo blurted out as they both took a seat on a small glass table, sat on two tall black stools.

"No, I'm okay thank you." Techno paused before he opened his mouth to speak once again. "Tommy is missing."

Ranboo was not expecting that.

"What?" Ranboo stuttered, he was sure that they'd brought him back to their house, but now as he looked back at it, what if he had been kidnapped?

"And the last thing we heard from him was this little note in his room, saying not to worry as he will be hanging out with you and that Tubbo guy." Accusing, Techno was accusing him and Tubbo. He was saying that Tubbo and Ranboo had hidden Tommy — or worse.

"N-no we didn't do anything to Tommy, we looked away for one second and he was gone!" Ranboo half mumbled the last part, stumbling on his words. His leg bounced underneath the table and Techno had obviously noticed.

Techno sighed as he continued his next words. "Well then, where is he? And why didn't you think to tell us that he was gone? Also, how come you forced him to not tell us that he left?" Technos questions bounced into Ranboo's ears like a basketball being thrown and it getting stuck in the hoop. Except, the words were now stuck in Ranboo's ears and the only way he could get them out, was by answering them.

"First of all, we have no idea where he is, that is the problem. Next, we don't know where you live or have any of your phone numbers, and the last question..." Ranboo trailed off of the last question. Why had they told him not to tell his family? They seemed nice enough. "And the last question... I don't remember, but it was something important."

Techno raised an eyebrow and stood up, skidding the stool on the polished, wooden floor in the process. "Well, if you're not gonna tell me, then I'm gonna leave. I just want you and Tubbo to know that this is your fault."

Ranboo shivered when Techno slammed the front door behind himself, the breeze smacked Ranboo in the face. But all Ranboo could think about was Tommy.

Tommy.

Tommy.

Tommy.

-/-/-

Pain.

All he could feel was pain.

Tommy grabbed at where the pain began — his right leg, but all he was met with was air before his hand slammed right into the hard, wooden flooring. Blood flooded the ground, swarming Tommy's hand with thick, warm red. Tommy winced in pain as he clutched the now soaking, red bandages that covered his thigh with stinging pain that never ends. Tears raced down Tommy cheek whilst he gritted his teeth, trying to resolve the pain, but it would never stop.

It would never leave.

Tommy stared down at where his leg was supposed to be, but all he was met with was flashbacks of a netherite axe swinging down at him from above. And who might've been holding that axe you may ask? Well, it was Phil.

Tommy couldn't forget that moment, he knew he would never be able to forget it. He knew he would never forget the way Phil hadn't hesitated, the way Wilbur had said that it was his fault and he deserved it. And the way Techno said it was for his own good and that if they didn't do this he would've ran away and god knows what would've happened to him.

However, the one thing Tommy did forget were the red flags. He believed them, he believed this was his fault, he believed he deserved this and he believed they were his family. His real family.

The air tightened around Tommy's throat when he heard the door handle twist until the door creaked open. Techno's braided pink hair entered the room first before you could see his whole face. He stepped forward into Tommy's room which was now decorated with blood. In his hands, he held another bandage which he intended to change Tommy's old bandage into.

"Tommy," Techno managed whilst he undid Tommy's old bandage, ignoring the whimpers Tommy released. "I told Ranboo and Tubbo you were missing."

"What? Why?" Tommy blurted out through his wincing.

Techno furrowed his eyebrows in concentration as he wrapped the bandage securely around Tommy's aching limb. "Well, we couldn't risk them coming over... Why do you need them anyways? You have us."

Tommy dug his nails into his palm when techno tightened the bandage to block out the pain. "I- I don't... it's just they're my friends, but never mind, I don't need them."

Tommy thought he saw Techno grin but it was gone in a flash, he might've just been seeing things. Once the bandage had been secured, techno brought out something from behind the door. To Tommy's surprise, Techno was holding a crutch.

"So you can get around easier." Techno smiled as if he'd solved all of Tommy's problems, Tommy seemed to buy it.

"Thank you!" He cheered at Techno, his grin wide.