Identity: a dsmp fanfic (incomplete)

6

He woke with a start, gasping for air. His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness around him. The pain all over his body faded as he realized the past minutes were only a dream. It had felt so real. He could still hear the piercing whistle and see the bright flash.

But he wasn't up on the podium anymore. He was- wait where was he? More importantly, who was he? He scrambled to remember and sighed with relief as the events of the day before came rushing back.

His name was Tubbo. He and his new friends had lost all of their memories, but his husband, Ranboo, was helping them remember.

As for where he was, he was laying on his side next to Ranboo on an improvised bed they had put together earlier. Techno was snoring gently on a similar, yet smaller pile of blankets and pillows on the other side of the room. Phil was sleeping in Techno's bed one floor above. He'd been given the bed because he needed to rest from his injuries. Edward was asleep in his boat near Techno.

It was still dark outside, maybe 2 am? Tubbo yawned and rolled over onto his back to stare at the ceiling. He lifted his hand, studying the jagged scars he'd yet again watched the creation of. He didn't feel tired anymore. A draft blew through the window. He shivered and pulled the covers tighter around the two of them, rolling back to his side. The movement must have woken Ranboo to some degree. He stirred and searched for Tubbo's hand above the blanket, squeezing gently when he found it.

"What's wrong, Bo?" he asked through a yawn, still half-asleep. Tubbo remembered something Ranboo had told him yesterday. Sometimes they called each other 'Bo' and 'Boo', the last bits of their names.

"Nothing, I just had a bad dream."

Ranboo stretched and rubbed his eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he sounded more awake now.

Tubbo had had this dream every time he could remember being unconscious or asleep since waking up in the void. Every time he had it the dream got longer and more detailed. He didn't want to talk about it until he learned its entire significance.

"N- no, I'll be fine."

"Well, if you change your mind," Ranboo let the offer hang in the air, yawning again as Tubbo sat up. He stared at his half-asleep husband. His button-up shirt was as ruffled as his hair, and his cheeks looked raw from crying earlier. Tubbo couldn't remember anything about him that hadn't happened yesterday. But he knew that they had something together before he lost his memories. He also knew that they still could have something together. He just needed to figure stuff out. Remember, or at least learn, who they both were.

He absently adjusted his grip on his husband's hand, tangling their fingers together. Their jackets lay folded on a nearby shelf, side by side, Ranboo's crown resting on his. Tubbo looked back at Ranboo, staring intently. He wondered how they ended up together.

"You're staring, aren't you?"

"What?" Tubbo was startled out of his thoughts. Ranboo reached up and brushed Tubbo's bangs back behind his ear, revealing one bright eye.

"I used to get uncomfortable because you would stare so much, so you grew out your bangs to hide your eyes. Even after I felt better about staring you still kept them long."

Tubbo shook his head, knocking his bangs loose to cover his eyes again. He grinned goofily and Ranboo laughed.

"Actually, I might have..." Ranboo sat up and dug his hands into his pants pockets. He pulled out a thin elastic loop. Tubbo leaned forward to let Ranboo slip the loop over his head to rest on his neck before he lifted one end over his horns and ears, pulling his hair back from his face. Tubbo adjusted the band, tucking loose strands and tightening in places.

"You used these headbands a lot when you worked on the nukes."

Tubbo recoiled in surprise.

"Nukes?!"

Ranboo held Tubbo's elbow, gently pulling his forearm into the beam of moonlight shining through the window. Amid the jagged scars lay a tattoo of a radioactive symbol.

"You made sure of the best protection for your family. Day and night you worked long and hard. Sometimes you would leave one morning and not come back until about this time the next day. I would wake up when you climbed into bed and you'd tell me every detail of your day. Your worries, your hopes, who you talked to. Sometimes you'd share stories of your life before I became a part of it."

Ranboo looked up to meet his husband's gaze. Tubbo studied his vibrant eyes, green and red.

"Is it my turn?" Ranboo asked.

There was a cute worry crease between his eyebrows. Tubbo gently smoothed it with his thumb before answering.

"I think so," he trailed his hand down to cradle his husband's cheek, letting the silence last. They were so close he could hear their hearts beating in sync. "but you're not in this alone."

"I'll admit, you two are cute together. But go to bed. No one can sleep with your constant flirting."

They each threw a pillow in Techno's general direction, laughing, then lay down. Tubbo rested his head on Ranboo's shoulder, feeling his husband's tail curl around his ankle. He wouldn't be having any more bad dreams tonight.