Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was raining when he found him.

Tubbo had turned down the alley, intent on finding something to eat for Tommy and himself when he, quite literally, stumbled upon a hunched over figure. The figure groaned, curling up into a tighter ball against the side of the dumpster Tubbo had been intending to raid.

“Oh my god,” he exclaimed, jumping back a step. “Are you— are you okay?” He couldn’t see much of the figure, besides his small, slim stature. The man released a pained whimper, shaking his head underneath his hood. Tubbo took a hesitant step forward again, crouching down in front of the boy. “I’m not going to hurt you. Do you need a hospital?”

The stranger hugged his knees to his chest, burying his face into his legs as he shook his head. “Jus’ leave me ‘lone,” he slurred, thumping his head sideways to connect it to the metal wall of the dumpster.

As his head turned, Tubbo caught sight of the man’s white undershirt stained red. “You’re hurt,” he gasped, fully dropping down to his knees in front of the individual and reaching out slowly to cup the man’s bicep. “Please let me help,” he kept his hold gentle as he slowly pulled the man’s arm away from his body, causing him to unfold himself reluctantly, now noticing the full height of the individual. “I know some basic first aid magic. Please.”

The man slowly looked up, body shaking as his blood red eyes made contact with Tubbo’s own. “I don’t want to hurt you,” the boy whispered. “Please leave. I’m so— I’m so thirsty. ”

Tubbo shot the stranger a pitying look, shuffling to collect him in his arms. “You’re okay,” he reassured, tucking the taller man against his chest as he brought his wrist up to the other’s mouth. “Drink. You look like you haven’t had a decent meal in weeks. It’s okay— you’ll be okay.” He used his free hand to pet the boy’s hair encouragingly, “You won’t hurt me. Just drink from me, okay? I’ll take care of you.” He pressed his wrist against the other’s lips encouragingly, smiling softly as he finally felt the cautious pinpricks of baby fangs piercing his skin. “Good boy,” he murmured as he continued his ministrations.

The boy sucked for a few minutes greedily before Tubbo gently tapped on the back of his neck, signaling the need for him to stop. He pulled away, licking his lips as he guiltily looked back at his savior. “I— thank you,” he bowed the best he could in their positions causing Tubbo to smile fondly.

“You’re very welcome,” he replied, intertwining their fingers so that the other man didn’t move too far away. “I’m Tubbo.”

“Im Ranboo,” he murmured, eyes trained on where their hands met as his fingers clenched and unclenched rapidly, like he was unused to having someone hold his hand.

“Were you just turned?” He motioned towards the dried blood caked on Ranboo’s white undershirt and was flaking off his neck.

The younger nodded, looking down forlornly. “I don’t really know what happened. One minute I was walking home and the next I was being pulled into this alley and my neck felt like it was being torn apart and he— he didn’t say anything— and just— just left me bleeding out and walked away like— like it was nothing— like he didn’t care and— I thought I was gonna die— I did die. But then I woke up and I was so— so hungry. ” He paused, full-body shudder making its way through his body before he continued on. “I realized what I was— what that man did to me— right away. I didn’t want to hurt anyone so I just stayed here. I was waiting for the sun to come up and finish me off.”

Tubbo gasped, pulling Ranboo back into his arms. “No,” he whispered, pressing a soft kiss into the vampire’s hair. “You’re safe. Me and Tommy’ll take care of you. Just you watch. You’re not alone in this.” He rocked the other as Ranboo broke down into sobs. “We’ll take care of you, and you’ll take care of us. Hmm? How does that sound? We’ll be a pack. Just the three of us— our own little family. We don’t need any stupid sires,” he murmured into the younger’s hair like a promise. Ranboo hugged him back tightly, wrapping his arms securely around the older’s torso and pressing his face into his chest.

“Never had that before.”

“A pack?” He asked, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

“A family.”

After a few minutes Tubbo stood up, letting go of Ranboo in the process only to reach out with his hand again once he was fully standing. “Come on, Boo. Let’s go someplace dry. I’m sure Tommy is worried about me by now.” He shot the other a blinding smile. “He’s going to love you.”

As they approached an old decrepitated church, a buff blond boy came running out at full speed. “Where the hell have you been, Tubbo?” He growled, stopping a few inches in front of the smaller boy to pull him securely in his arms. He pressed his nose against the column of Tubbo’s neck, dragging it up and down a few times before pulling away. “You smell funny.”

Tubbo laughed, pulling away to wrap his arm around Ranboo’s shoulders. “This is Ranboo, Tommy. Ranboo, this is Tommy— resident werewolf and best friend.”
Ranboo bowed politely, “It’s nice to meet you, Tommy. I’m sorry for keeping Tubbo and worrying you.”

Tommy frowned, turning to face Tubbo with a raised eyebrow, silently asking for an explanation.

“His sire abandoned him before his first feeding this morning. I found him in an alley waiting for the sun,” the witch explained, squeezing the younger’s shoulders reassuringly when he felt him tense beside him.

“What the fuck,” Tommy muttered, stepping closer to the newly turned vampire. “That’s so fucked up. Do you need to feed? God that must have been so fucking scary.” He wrapped his arms around Ranboo, pulling the taller man into his chest. “You’re okay now, though. We’ll take care of you.” He nuzzled his nose into the vampire’s neck, releasing a pleased little growl. “You smell like Tubbo. Was he your first?”

Ranboo’s eyes widened, nodding his head as he took in the two boys’ affection in a stunned stupor.

Tommy pulled back, smiling widely, “You can feed from me next.” He brought his hand up to affectionately stroke his thumb up and down the column of the elder’s throat, “The first few people a newly turned vampire feeds from determines their scent. The more you feed from us the more you’ll smell like us.” He grinned impossibly wider, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the tip of Ranboo’s nose. Tommy pulled back, wrapping a large arm around each boy’s shoulders as he led them inside. “Come on, let’s go before the sun decides to come out and hurt you.”

The vampire looked down in embarrassment, missing the fond looks the two older boys shot each other over his head.

“Mhmm, I couldn’t find any food by the way, Tommy,” Tubbo stated as they entered the nave. Tommy released the two, leaving them to weave through the aisles up to the apse where he grabbed a crumpled McDonalds bag from behind the cracked altar. “Oh you absolute beauty, Tommy. I could kiss you.”

Tommy scrunched his nose, holding out the bag for the older to grab. “Your kisses are too slobbery— if I didn’t know better I’d mistake you for the dog in this pack.”

Tubbo laughed loudly, plopping down onto a sleeping bag in the crossing of the church, patting the spot next to him for Ranboo, who was still standing hesitantly in the nave. The newly-turned vampire slowly made his way over, gently sitting down next to the witch.

“You guys live here?”

The werewolf beamed proudly, flopping down on the other sleeping bag next to them. “Isn’t it great?” He asked, stretching out on his back to look up at the stained glass textiles on the ceiling. “When we first got to Pogtopia we had this one backalley behind a grocery store— great food but keeping the territory was impossible . Tuboo nearly lost a finger. We found this place a few months later— It’s been abandoned for years and literally no one looks twice at it thanks to Tubbo.” At Ranboo’s confused head tilt, he continued, “Tubbo is a white witch. He placed a protection ward over this church once we claimed it. Anyone who looks at it just sees an empty field.”

“And— they forget all about it as soon as they look away,” Tubbo added around a mouthful of stale fries. He moaned, shoving a few more in his mouth before swallowing harshly in order to continue. “That reminds me— I need to sun-proof the windows so Boo doesn’t burn.” The young witch stood up, brushing the salt off his fingers before grabbing a sharpie from a backpack by his pillow. He looked up at the high windows sharply before diving back to Ranboo, tackling him on to the sleeping bag and covering him with his body just as a ray of sunshine broke through the clouds. “Fuck,” he whispered as Tommy frantically unfolded his sleeping bag to blanket over the two. “You okay, Boo? Did you get hit at all?”

Ranboo shook his head, eyes wide as he stared at Tubbo’s frantic face inches from his own. “I’m okay.” He brought a hand up to gently cup the older’s cheek, “Thank you.”

Tubbo beamed, leaning down to press a wet kiss to the vampire’s forehead before wiggling out from under the sleeping bag. “Stay there. Just let me tint the windows real quick and then this home will be vampire-safe, okay?”

The younger hummed his consent, startling as Tommy carefully slid into the impromptu blanket fort, smiling at the vampire as he snuggled close. He frowned, rolling onto his side to face the older in confusion. “You don’t know me,” he stated matter-of-factly.

He shot Ranboo a fond smile, reaching forward to intertwine their fingers. “I don’t,” he agreed, dragging his thumb across the other’s skin gently. “But my wolf recognizes you as pack— you smell like Tubbo and he wouldn’t feed just any old bloodsucker so I trust his gut. He has good intuition.” He brought Ranboo’s hand up to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss to the back of his hand. “Tell me about yourself. You were changed recently, right?”

Ranboo nodded, “Yeah, last night on my way home, after work.” He swallowed, closing his eyes. “I’m sure I’ve been fired by now.”

Tommy laughed, wrapping his arms around the taller man. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. I promise, it's just so fucked. Like— you had a life yesterday and today your whole world changed.”

“It wasn’t much of a life, if I’m honest,” he muttered, nuzzling in close to the older’s chest. “I had a shit job that paid for a shit room in a shit apartment.” He released an unamused laugh, “Honestly— in retrospect— getting bit and being found by Tubbo was probably the best thing that could have ever happened to me.” He was quiet for a second, basking in Tommy’s warm embrace before continuing hesitantly, “I feel safe with you guys— I know I just met you but—”

“It feels like we’ve known each other our whole lives?” The older finished, pulling back slightly to look the vampire in the eyes. Ranboo nodded before snuggling back into the wolf’s firm chest. “That’s how I felt when Tubbo found me.” He brought a hand up to gently run his fingers through Ranboo’s hair as he spoke. “I was rejected by my family pack when I presented. Tubbo found me in a convenience store in L’manberg when we were younger.” He laughed, closing his eyes at the memory. “The store clerk caught me stealing and Tubbo kicked over a display to distract him and helped me get away. We’ve been a pack ever since.”

Ranboo crooked his head, as he glanced up at the older. “What do you mean by presented? Why would your pack kick you out for that?”

Tommy shrugged, trying to look nonchalant, “I presented as a beta. Most traditional wolf packs— like my family pack— see betas as the useless second gender. If you don’t serve a purpose you get the boot.”

“I’m sorry, Tommy. That’s horrible.”

The wolf smiled airily, “It’s okay. I’ve gotten a pretty great pack out of the deal, in my opinion.”

Ranboo returned the smile just as Tubbo pulled the sleeping bag off the two of them. “Okay, the nave through apse is vampire-friendly territory.” He sat down behind Ranboo, placing a warm hand on the younger’s hip. “We’ll have to get you a bed tomorrow.”

Tommy pouted, pulling Ranboo closer to his chest, “But Ran can just sleep between us, Tubbo. Look at him! He’s so slim— he’ll fit perfectly.”

Tubbo laughed, moving to lay down and sandwich the vampire between the two of them, making Ranboo giggle. “Ah— this is true. But I still think Boo'll want his own space from time to time.” He leaned over Ranboo’s head to press a soft kiss to the wolf’s cheek. “It’s okay, Tommy, I’ll cuddle you when Boo’s not in the mood to deal with your dog breath.”

“What the hell!” Tommy scolded, reaching across to smack the witch. “So rude.” He pulled Ranboo back into his arms tightly, pulling the taller man up and over his body to snuggle him with his back to Tubbo. “Just for that you’re sleeping alone.”

“Noooo— Tommy!” Tubbo wailed, wrapping his long arms around Tommy and Ranboo from behind, pulling them close. “I’ll die without snuggles. I’m sorry for insulting you”

Tommy sighed playfully before tightening his grip on Ranboo and rolling him over his body again, laughing at the vampire’s squeak. “Tommy stopp,” he scolded once he had been settled between the two smaller boys once again. “I am not your stuffed animal.”

The wolf just smiled, pulling on the back of Ranboo’s neck so that he was pressed close to his chest. “Of course you aren’t, Ran,” He replied cheekily. “It’s time to sleep though. You can feed from me in the morning and then we’ll work on getting you some stuff later.”

Ranboo sighed, closing his eyes against the older’s chest, allowing himself to be lulled to sleep with Tommy’s steady heartbeat thrumming in his ear.
Tommy looked at Tubbo over the younger’s head once he was certain he was asleep. “We’re keeping him.”

The witch snorted, burrowing his nose in the crevice of Ranboo’s shoulder. “No shit, Tommy. We can’t just abandon him.” He paused, scrunching his face in worry. “Will we be able to handle it though? New vampires are a lot of work.”

“For him?” Tommy asked, stroking a soft line up and down the elder’s spine. “For him we’ll make it work. Ran deserves a family— and we’re the best family anyone could ever ask for.”

Tubbo laughed, wrapping his long arms around the two of them. “Hell yeah we are.”

When Ranboo woke again he was still being cradled by Tommy’s arms but his back was cold where Tubbo had been. “Tub?” He mumbled, pulling his head sleepily away from the wolf’s chest in order to search the church for his missing ...friend?

“I’m here, Boo,” the witch called from the back of the nave. He heard the tell-tale sounds of shoes hitting tile as Tubbo made his way back up to the crossing, sitting down next to the younger’s head. Tubbo ran his hands through Ranboo’s locks, tutting as he pulled out a few clumps of dirt. “You need a shower,” he stated as he dragged his fingers through his hair again, allowing his nails to drag across the other’s scalp lightly to release a few more clumps of... something . “I’ll show you to the bathroom after breakfast.” He reached over Ranboo to shake the wolf awake.

Tommy grumbled, swatting the witch’s hand away half-heartedly before pulling Ranboo closer to his chest like he was an oversized teddy bear causing the vampire to giggle. The wolf smiled, eyes still closed as he bent his head down to nuzzle the taller man. “Morning, Ran,” he mumbled, pressing his lips to Ranboo’s forehead before pulling back and making eye contact with Tubbo who was watching their interaction with a fond smile. “Morning Tubs. You get breakfast?”
Tubbo nodded, pulling out a paper bag from his backpack. “Yeah, Puffy gave me the rejects.”

“Score!” Tommy exclaimed, sitting up. He pulled Ranboo with him, setting the taller man in his lap with his back to him. The wolf wrapped his arms around Ranboo’s torso in a tight hug before extending his wrist and using a claw to create a cut, bringing it up to the younger’s mouth. “Drink,” he commanded. “You’ve got to be starving by now.” Once Ranboo attached his mouth and started sucking, the younger boy extended his free hand out for a donut from Tubbo. Tommy moaned, closing his eyes as powdered sugar rained down on Ranboo’s shoulder. “So fucking good. Puffy is the best.”

The witch hummed his agreement, mouth full of his own slightly overcooked danish. He smiled as he watched Ranboo close his eyes, mouth still firmly attached to the wolf’s wrist but sucking slow languid mouthfuls.

Tommy finished his donut before petting Ranboo’s hair back from his forehead, allowing the elder boy to continue taking unhurried swallows. After a few more minutes, the vampire pulled back, licking Tommy’s wrist in thanks before letting go and settling back against the wolf's chest happily. “You’re blood is— it’s really sweet, Tommy,” he finally stated, looking over to the back of the nave to avoid eye contact with either boy sitting next to him.

The wolf threw a half-hearted swat at the other boy. “What does Tubbo taste like then?”

He thought for a moment, closing his eyes as he turned to rest his cheek against Tommy’s clavicle. “Like— like chai." He stated, "Like spicy tea. You’re more like vanilla.” He hummed contentedly, scenting against the wolf unconsciously. “You’re really warm like vanilla too.”

Tommy smiled, wrapping his arms around the elder again and pressing a soft kiss to the other’s cheek. He heard Tubbo shuffle closer, wrapping his long arms around them both from Ranboo’s front. The vampire hummed happily between the two.

He felt Tubbo press his lips to his forehead, murmuring softly against his skin, “How about that shower, Boo? You feeling up to that?”

Ranboo hummed happily, nodding his head against the witch’s as he wrapped his arms around the other’s shoulders. “ Please. ”

Tubbo giggled, standing up with Ranboo still wrapped around him causing the vampire to squeak in quite an undignified fashion as his feet were lifted off the floor. The witch giggled again, wrapping his arms under the taller boy’s butt to lift him higher around his body, Ranboo wrapping his legs around the other’s waist as Tubbo began walking the two of them off to the left transept and down a narrow passageway. He brought Ranboo into what was once probably the priest’s quarters, moving past the moth-eaten bed and into an adjoining bathroom that was much cleaner than the rest of the church.

The witch set Ranboo down on the sink, moving to start the shower. “I’ve charmed the room to have running water. Unfortunately it only lasts for about fifteen minutes before the magic runs out so you’ll have to take a quick shower. Sorry.”

Ranboo smiled appreciatively at the older. “No that’s okay. Thank you.”

The boy beamed, running to press a quick kiss to the other’s cheek before running to the door. “I’ll leave some clothes outside for you. You can just bin your ruined ones.”

The vampire shot the boy another grateful smile as Tubbo closed the door before stripping and getting in the shower. He sighed as the warm water pulsed down on him in heavy torrents. Knowing he didn’t have a lot of time, he grabbed the soap, liberally pouring it onto his hand and scrubbing at his hair and neck thoroughly. As the water cooled, the pressure dropped as well, causing the vampire to shiver and turn off the shower. He wrapped the towel hanging next to him around his body, padding over to the door to retrieve his newly borrowed clothes.

Cautiously, he made his way back out to the crossing, his bare feet making little taptaps along the linoleum as he went. As he neared, he saw Tommy sitting up on his sleeping bag, Tubbo wrapped up firmly in his arms as his neck was thoroughly scented by the wolf. He inched closer, carefully trying not to interrupt their personal moment. Tubbo looked up, smiling at Ranboo as he patted the area next to him. As he sat down, Tommy shifted, moving to scent the vampire as well. He hummed happily, nuzzling Ranboo’s neck softly. “You smell like us,” he whispered into the younger’s skin. “You smell like home.”

A few weeks after Ranboo joined the two older boys’ makeshift pack, Tubbo grabbed the younger’s hand and led him excitedly up a set of winding stairs. The two ran up, avoiding the one step that had rotted through and making their way out into the cool night air at the top of the bell tower. Ranboo gasped, eyes roaming greedily over the gorgeous city skyline as they moved to sit on the half wall overlooking the bright city lights.

“Breathtaking isn’t it?” Tubbo asked, threading his fingers through Ranboo’s.

The younger nodded, eyes unable to leave the view long enough to glance at the witch.

“I come up here to think a lot. My family coven’s home had a tower similar to this— though their tower overlooked this old, cursed lake instead of a bright city. Very different ambiance,” he grinned, squeezing Ranboo’s fingers as the vampire finally tore his eyes away to look at the other. Tubbo looked up at the sky fondly, “The stars are still the same though. You know— there’s this old saying that stars are souls that were ripped from their lives too soon. I— I had a cousin— my aunt’s daughter— when she presented her aura to our coven, she— it was green— and white — and they— they were all dark— black witches. My aunt took one look at Aimsey’s magical core and tore her power straight out of her chest. Her screams— I— I will never be able to get those screams out of my head. My family coven,— they’re not good people— the worst actually. They hate anything light or good and if there’s even a hint of it in your aura they’ll drain you and leave you as a husk before you can blink.

“My— I felt my aura develop shortly after they— after they killed Aimsey. It— it was white and I knew that if my coven found out I was as good as dead. So I hid it— my power. Let them think I was a late bloomer and then that I was a dud when I still didn’t present.” He took a deep shuddering breath, leaning into Ranboo’s shoulder when the younger wrapped his arm around his waist, offering silent support as he listened. “A coven has no use for a dud— there’s no power to draw from or cast off from— so they cast me out.” He brought his arm out in front of them, rolling up his sleeve where a faded burn mark sat innocuously. “I ran— lived on the streets of L’manberg for a few months before I found Tommy. We decided to start over— neither of our families wanted us so we made our own.”

It was silent for a few minutes, Tubbo pressing his face in the younger’s chest as Ranboo rubbed soothing circles on his back. “Thank you for sharing your past with me, Tubbo. You— you were so brave. I’m is so proud and happy that you’re here.” He brought a hand up to card his fingers through the older’s hair. “You’re so good, Tubbo. We’re so lucky to have you.”

The two sat up there, basking in each other’s presence. Ranboo looked up at the stars appraisingly, “Which star do you think your cousin is, Tubbs?”

A small smile slowly stretched across the older’s face as he pointed, “That one— next to Pollux— she was too kind not to be a part of his constellation.”

Ranboo pressed a soft kiss to the witch’s hair, “I’m sure she’s watching over you. I know she would be so proud of the person you’ve become— what you’ve made for yourself.”

“She would have loved you— and Tommy— she would have loved Toms.”

“I’m sure we’d have loved her too,” He rubbed the boy’s back, noting the shiver that ran through the older’s body. “Time for bed, yeah?”

Tubbo nodded, shifting over the side wall to stand up, hand clasped tightly with Ranboo’s. “Sleep with me tonight?” He asked, avoiding eye contact with the vampire.
Ranboo smiled, wrapping his arm around the older as he kissed his cheek fondly, “Of course.” He turned back to the night sky, bringing a hand up in farewell, “Goodnight, Aimsey.”

The witch bit back a sniffle, shooting the elder a wobbly smile as he too waved goodnight to his cousin. “Goodnight, friend.”

Chapter Text

Ranboo was fucked.

He was utterly and completely fucked. Dawn was approaching rapidly and he was much too far from home to reach safety in time.

The sun was going to kill him.

He bit his lip, eyes searching the shopfronts frantically before they settled on a shabby-looking boutique with an over-sized awning. He frowned, making his way over to the covering, pulling his hood up and over his head and wrapping the sleeves over his fingers.

This was going to have to do.

Tubbo was going to kill him— if he survived the day, that is.

He groaned when he tested the door only to find it inevitably locked. The vampire dejectedly slid down the wall, pulling his knees up to his chest as he made sure all of his skin was covered by his clothing before ducking his head down between his knees and covering the sides of his face with his sleeve-covered arms. He tried to settle in for a long day of waiting for night, praying that the thugs that had chased him so far from home wouldn’t find him again, knowing that if they did he was a goner for sure.

Maybe a few months ago, when he was alone and had shit to live for he wouldn’t have cared what happened to him, but since meeting Tommy and Tubbo, he had something to live for and someone to protect— someone to miss him if he didn’t come home.

He sighed, knowing how worried his two pack mates were going to be but having no way to fix it. Ranboo had no idea how much time had passed since the sun came up. He could hear the busy foot traffic from the main street around the corner along with the random hurried footsteps as someone rushed past him to get out of the sketchy side street. The sun was warm on his back, seeping through his clothes and most likely giving him a light sunburn from the overexposure. Tommy and Tubbo had been sure to educate him on the dangers of the sun during his first few years of vampirism. He shifted slightly, butt numb from sitting in the same position for so long, limbs freezing from the biting winter wind, and back itching from the sun’s burning rays.

winter wind, and back itching from the sun’s burning rays.

It was going to be a long day.

All of a sudden his back went cold, causing him to jerk and nearly sit upright to see what had happened. He released a tiny whimper, pressing his arms more tightly to his head in the hopes that whoever had come across him would decide he was uninteresting enough and leave him be. There was some shuffling as the person blocking the sun from him moved closer.

“Are you alright, sir?”

Ranboo groaned, tucking his knees tighter to his chest. “I’m fine,” he muttered. “Please leave me alone.”

The person in front of him shifted even closer, snuffling slightly in the winter air before gasping and sniffing more noticeably. “You’re a vampire,” he stated, crouching down and allowing the sun’s rays to reach his covered back once more.

The young vampire whimpered, shuddering as the heat returned.

“Oh god,” the stranger exclaimed. “George, get your umbrella. He’s a baby.”

There was an urgent hum of acknowledgement from another stranger Ranboo couldn’t see before there was a sound of an umbrella opening and his back was cool once again. He sighed, relaxing his posture slightly as he felt the two men crowd him in, shielding him completely from the sun. A large coat was draped over his back, the hood pulled up over his head as one of the strangers tucked the sides of the coat around him.

“You’re okay,” the stranger said, gently pulling Ranboo’s arms away from his head so that he could pull them into the sleeves of the over-sized winter coat. “We’ve got you.” Ranboo felt a large hand gently ruffle the top of his head over his hood. “You can look up, kid. George’s put us in a tinted bubble. The sun won’t hurt you.” He felt the hand move down to softly rub at his sore back.

Carefully, Ranboo tilted his head to the side, testing the waters slowly only to meet a wide, hoodie-clad chest. He looked up to meet a smiling face with brown hair sticking out from underneath a beanie. The world was weird, he noted, like he was looking through a pair of sunglasses. He blinked rapidly a few times before sitting up completely, looking up to find the sun high in the sky above him, muted in color. Ranboo looked back down, furrowing his eyebrows at his two saviors. The first man had bulging muscles underneath his not so tight hoodie as he smiled at Ranboo softly, his hand having moved to the vampire’s elbow when he had sat up. The other man had black hair, shooting Ranboo a wide smile as he crouched down in front of them.

“Hi, kid,” he greeted, voice soft and melodic as it flowed out of his mouth. He brought a hand up to softly ruffle Ranboo’s bangs where they were poking out from his hoodie. “What are you doing out so late?”

Ranboo shrugged, looking down at his scuffed shoes as he bit his lip. “I ran out of time before the sun came up.”

The raven-haired frowned, wrapping his large hands around Ranboo’s smaller ones. “What’s your name, honey?”

“Ranboo,” he muttered, distracted by the warmth radiating from where the man was touching him.

He smiled, rubbing his thumb softly across the back of the vampire’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Ranboo. My name is George NotFound but you can call me George.”

“I’m William,” the brown-haired buff man exclaimed, smiling widely as if he was internally laughing at an inside joke Ranboo wasn't privy to. “But everyone calls me Wilbur or Will.”

“Thank you for helping me.”

“Where’s your sire, Ranboo,” Wilbur asked, motioning to his back towards George who immediately jumped to scoot behind the youngest and pull the coat and hoodie away from his back, making Ranboo lean forward as his back was exposed. George tutted, slowly rubbing his hands up and down the burned skin gently.

“I— I don’t have a sire, Wilbur,” he responded, eyes unwillingly falling closed as George’s hands soothed the burn.

Wilbur’s eyes widened, squeezing Ranboo’s hands tightly. “What do you mean you don’t have a sire?” He asked, alarmed. “You— you’re just a baby. Who is taking care of you?”

Ranboo frowned, looking away. “He— he left me right after turning me. I— I don’t think he intended for me to last long after sun-up.” He felt George’s hands still on his back as he spoke. “I’m not alone though. I’ve got a— a pack.”

“A pack?” George asked, hands slowly moving again as he finished healing the vampire’s back, carefully pulling the boy’s clothing back into place. Ranboo nodded, looking up to meet the witch’s concerned eyes. “Why would your pack let you go out so close to sunrise, kid?”

“It wasn’t when I left— I got— it’s not the best neighborhood,— I got chased and I ended up here. It took me forever to lose them and— I’m honestly not sure where entirely here is— if I’m being honest. But— Tubbo is sick and Tommy is the only one strong enough to carry him to the toilet if he needs to throw up so I went out for food and medicine.” He bit at his lip as he scratched his wrist anxiously. “They’ve got to be so worried by now.”

Wilbur hummed, wrapping his arm around Ranboo in a hug, fully engulfing the smaller boy in his arms. “You’re okay, Ranboo. Is your phone dead? Do you want to use mine to call them to let them know you’re safe?”

Ranboo shook his head, burying his face in the other’s chest as he sniffled sadly, allowing a few tears to escape his closed eyes. “None of us have phones.”

He felt the larger man stiffen around him as George brought his hand up to gently pet Ranboo’s hair. “Where do you and your pack live?” George asked, keeping his voice eerily even as if he was biting back on an emotion he didn’t want the younger to pick up on. “We’ll drive you home and help you explain what happened to your packmates, huh? We can stop and pick up some food and medicine for them too.”

“I really don’t want to be a bother,” he murmured, trying to pull away from Wilbur. The larger man growled, keeping a firm hold on Ranboo as he nuzzled his face into the younger’s neck.

“You’re not a bother, Ranboo— never a bother.” Wilbur pulled back just far enough to press a soft kiss to the vampire’s neck. “Let us take care of you.”

George laughed standing up and reaching his arms above his head to stretch. “Let’s go meet your pack, Ranboo,” he sang, stepping back to make room for the other two to stand up as well. He paused, frowning, “I can’t hold the shield while we’re moving, kiddo.” He pulled the giant coat’s hood as far over Ranboo’s face as it would go, reaching down to zip it up to his chin as well. “This will protect you from the sun but you’re not going to be able to stand the light.”

The witch gestured towards Wilbur who cautiously opened his arms as he asked, “Can I carry you? You can hide your face in my chest so that way no light can get to you.”

Ranboo was silent for a moment, thinking hard before hesitantly nodding his head. It was a lot of blind trust he was giving to the two virtual strangers but he couldn’t deny how safe they made him feel. “Thank you, Will.”

Wilbur smiled, stepping forward to wrap his arms around the younger boy and lifting him up. Ranboo wrapped his arms around Wilbur’s neck and buried his face in his chest. George stepped forward, tucking in the sides of Ranboo’s hood and tying his sleeves together, making the younger giggle cutely into Wilbur’s chest.

“My god,” Wilbur scolded playfully. “Don’t be so adorable when I can’t see your cute little face to appreciate it, my beloved.”

“My beloved?” Ranboo asked as he felt the elder begin to move.

The wolf laughed, shaking the younger in his arms. “You’re cute— like a puppy.” He let out a little giggle, “Too bad Alpha hadn’t found you first— you would have made an adorable wolf. Very cuddly.”

Ranboo buried his face further into the wolf’s chest, feeling his face try valiantly to produce a blush. He heard George giggling ahead of them as he heard the sound of a car door opening. He felt his body tilt backwards as Wilbur sat down in the car, keeping Ranboo in his lap as George closed the door behind them. After the witch got into the driver’s seat, Wilbur reached behind his neck to untie Ranboo’s sleeves.

“You’re safe in here, Ranboo,” he murmured, petting the back of the younger’s head. “We’ve got vampires in our clan so all of our cars are sun-tinted.”

The vampire pulled back, smiling gratefully to the elder before shifting into his own seat next to him. “Thank you.”

George clapped from the front seat. “Now, beloved,” he started, grinning widely. “Where are we going?”

Ranboo paused, frowning when a thought occurred to him. “I— I don’t think you’ll be able to find it. Tubbo charmed our home so that no one can see it.”

George smiled fondly, reaching back to ruffle the younger’s hair. “That’s a smart kid you got in your pack. Is it just the three of you? You, Tubbo, and— Tommy, right?”
The vampire nodded, smiling at the mention of his packmates. “Yeah— Tubbo and Tommy— they’re the best. We live in Logstedshire.”

Wilbur laughed incredulously, “You’re a long way from home, kiddo. We’re in dream smp lands.”

Ranboo’s eyes widened, staring at the wolf in shock. “I ran that far?”

George giggled from the front seat, starting up the car and pulling into traffic. “You’re supernatural, Ranboo. It’s really not that far for someone like you.”

“It is when you’re still a newborn,” Wilbur stated, frowning at the younger. “It’ll take a bit before you build the stamina to run like that without draining your reserves. Are you thirsty, Ranboo?”

He looked down at his lap, swallowing thickly. “I— I have it under control. Don’t worry.”

“You said that Tubbo was sick right? Which means you won’t be able to feed from him and if Tommy is caring for him then he will need all of his energy as well.” The wolf wrapped his arm around the younger’s waist, pulling him carefully into his lap again. “Take from me, okay?” He pulled his free arm up to his face, nicking his wrist with his tooth before holding it out to Ranboo. “Please?”

Ranboo sighed, wrapping his fingers around the elder’s wrist, “I’m— Thank you,” he whispered before latching his lips onto the other’s skin and taking hesitant swallows. He closed his eyes, humming contentedly as the wolf’s blood hit his tongue. Ranboo continued sucking as Wilbur petted his hair; he heard a phone vibrate and George shift to pull it out of his pocket and bring it up to his ear.

“Hi, Dream,” the elder sang, pulling onto the highway. “Ah, yeah— we’re gonna be late to dinner... Dreaaaam, don’t be mad— we made a new friend!... Mhmmm— yeah... Caught a baby vamp hiding from the sun... yeah, we did... of course, Dream... no, he doesn’t... mhmm, yeah, we’re taking him back to his house now. We’re gonna stop and get some food and medicine though first— that was the whole reason he was out in the first place... yeah, we’ll take care of them... Love you too, Dream— we’ll call you when we’re on our way home.” George hung up, looking at the pair through the rearview mirror. He smiled, catching Wilbur’s fond smile as he watched the baby drink from him. “That was Dream— he’s one of our mates,” George explained, watching Ranboo’s eyes widen as he released Wilbur’s wrist.

“Was he calling you back home? I’m sorry— you can just let me out here. I can walk the rest of the way back.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Wilbur scoffed, bringing his wrist back up to the younger’s mouth, silently encouraging him to drink more.

George laughed, “Yeah, Dream told me under no uncertain circumstances that we were not to leave you until you and your pack were safe and secure.” He grinned, tapping lightly on the steering wheel to the beat of the song playing lowly through the speaker. “He’s a mother hen like that.”

Wilbur giggled, nodding his head in agreement. “Don’t let Dream hear you say that George,” he replied, smiling widely as he did. “He’ll take away your smoochin’ rights.”

The raven-haired laughed loudly, “Dream couldn’t stay away from these lips if he tried. All I’d have to do is start crying and he would fold like a house of cards.” He made eye contact with Ranboo in the rearview mirror grinning widely. “Dream is secretly a softie for his clanmates,” he whispered conspiratorially.

The wolf’s phone rang, making the two jump as Wilbur pulled out his phone and answered it.

“Phil?” He asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

“Hello, little one. Please call me Phil— the boys will give you my number before you all part tonight. I am absolutely horrified about what happened to you— please consider me your adoptive sire from now on, okay?”

Ranboo’s eyes widened, nodding his head as he stared at the phone still pressed to the wolf’s ear. “Ah— he—hello, uh, Phil. Um— thank— thank you.”
Wilbur smiled, reaching up to ruffle the younger’s hair fondly. “Phil is ancient— you should call him Oldza.”

“What! ” The younger vampire giggled, pressing his face against Wilbur’s chest. “Don’t make me come over there, Wilbur! This old man can still kick your ass. ”

“Ah— sorry!” Wilbur sang, smiling fondly. “Gotta go— love you— bye!!” He ended the call, shoving the phone back in his pocket as he ran his hand up and down the younger’s back.

“So,” George interrupted, slowing down the car, “What exactly am I looking for, Ranboo?”

Ranboo’s brows furrowed as he paused to think. “I think Tubbo said that it looks like an empty field? That and you forget about it as soon as you look away.”

Wilbur snorted, “That’s convenient.”

“Well, I can see it,” Ranboo replied, folding his arms across his chest as he pouted.

The two older men giggled, Wilbur pressing his face into Ranboo’s neck. “It’s very clever, kiddo. You should be proud of your packmate.”

“How close are we?” George asked.

Ranboo looked around the neighborhood. “Ah— turn left up here. It should be three blocks up on your right.”

George smiled at the younger through the rearview mirror before turning. “I’m going to stop at this convenience store up here, okay pup? You said your packmate was sick?”

He nodded his head, frowning slightly as he watched George park. “Ah— That’s not really necessary, George. I can just go out again after it gets dark, Tubbo— Tubbo should be okay until then.”

Wilbur frowned, twisting Ranboo in his lap so that he could look the younger in the eyes. “You risked your life to go out and get medicine, Ranboo. Why are you downplaying this situation?”

Ranboo looked down in embarrassment, picking at the dirt under his nails as he mumbled, “I... don’t have any money for medicine.”

“Then how were you going to— ...Oh,” the wolf murmured in understanding, rubbing up and down the younger’s back soothingly. “It’s okay, kiddo. We will take care of it— just tell us what you need.”

“I’m— Tubbo has magic sickness,” he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut so that he wouldn’t have to look at either of their horrified faces.

George turned around fully in his seat, staring wide-eyed at the younger. “Magic sickness? Ranboo— are you sure? Magic sickness is incredibly rare in young witches.”

He bit his lip, sucking in a deep breath as he breathed out, “Tubbo doesn’t have a coven to balance his magic. He— he just has me and Tommy.”

The witch hummed sadly, reaching out to squeeze the younger’s shoulder reassuringly. “Let’s get him some stabilizers then, huh?” He pulled Ranboo’s hood back up over the vampire’s head, pushing Ranboo’s face gently into Wilbur’s chest. “Keep your head down until I close the door again, pup. I’ll knock on the door before I open it when I get back.”

Ranboo tucked his head in close, breathing in the wolf’s warm cinnamon roll scent as he did so. Once the door slammed shut, he carefully sat up, giving Wilbur a weary glance before turning to watch George walk into the convenience store through the tinted windows.

“This— this place you live,” Wilbur started, still rubbing soothing circles on the younger’s back. “It’s— you have an actual home — right? Like— you’re not living in like a concealed alley or something, right?”

The younger bit is lip, closing his eyes as he nodded hesitantly. “We’re not living in an alley, Will.”

“But it’s not a house— is it?”

Ranboo sighed, letting his head drop on to the other’s shoulder. “No— it’s not a house.”

Just then there was a knock on the car, signaling Wilbur to wrap his arms around Ranboo to prevent any sunlight from touching the younger as George opened the door and slipped in. “Alright,” he sang, starting up the car again. “I got the stabilizers and some cup noodles for your packmates.” He threw a teasing smile back at the vampire before pulling back into traffic. “You can have some of me if you’re still thirsty.”

The youngest looked out the window, for once very thankful of his vampirism so that neither of them would know how embarrassed he was through his blush, though he was sure they could still figure it out from his obvious body language.

“Is this the field, Ranboo?” George asked, slowing down the vehicle.

“Yeah,” the vampire assured, sitting up in anticipation as the church came into view, looming over them. The cracked bell tower cast a dark shadow over them, leading towards the front door. Ranboo reached for the door only for Wilbur to pull him back with a startled yelp.

“What are you doing, Ranboo?” He exclaimed, wrapping his arms tightly around the younger one to prevent him from making a break for it again.

“Uh— going inside?”

“My beloved— the sun will fillet you in seconds— you can’t go out there.”

Ranboo cocked his head in confusion before the realization dawned on him and he burst into cute little giggles. “I’m sorry— I forgot you couldn’t see. The path to the door is in the shadows— there’s a big tower blocking the sun— as long as I move quickly, I’ll be fine.” He reached for the door handle again, patting Wilbur’s hand reassuringly.

George carefully stepped out, grabbing the bag from the convenience store before closing the door behind him and turning to face Ranboo’s door. The younger took a deep breath before pushing open the door and hopping out, lacing his fingers with each of their hands as he led them up to the front door.

Once they neared the steps, he heard the two gasp in unison as the glamour melted away, leaving behind a decrepit church. The old door creaked ominously as the vampire pushed it open.

“Toms?” He called, stepping inside. “Tubbo?”

There was a heavy crash, frantic footsteps stampeding towards him as Tommy ran at full speed towards him from the transept.

“Ranboo!” He cried, sweeping the younger up into a fierce hug, burying his face in Ranboo’s neck as tears escaped his eyes unabashedly. “Ran, what happened? We thought— we thought you were—” he cut off, biting back his choked words as he gasped in the younger’s scent. “Don’t— don’t ever scare us like that again, please.”

Ranboo cooed, wrapping his arms around the larger man as he rubbed his hand up and down Tommy’s back. “I’m sorry, Tommy. I’m okay— I would never leave you two. I promise.” He pressed a kiss to Tommy’s cheek, pulling back slightly to wipe away the older’s tears. “There now— everything is okay. I'm here.” He cupped either side of the wolf’s face, pulling it down to press a firm kiss to the center of his forehead before pulling back completely. The vampire turned slightly, gesturing to the two still standing at the entrance to the nave who were watching on in obvious adoration. “This is George and Wilbur— they saved me this morning.”

Tommy took a step towards the newcomers, eyeing them up intensely before bending and bowing his head to the ground. “Thank you for helping my mate, sirs.”

The elder wolf squealed, jumping forward to pull Tommy back into an upright position before bringing the younger wolf into his arms for a tight hug. “God, Ranboo,” he scolded, rocking the now-very confused Tommy in his arms like an over-excited two year-old. “You didn’t say that your Tommy was such a cute little puppy!” Wilbur cooed, smiling widely at the younger wolf who turned to stare wide-eyed at him.

George snorted, pulling Wilbur away from Tommy with an apologetic face. “I’m sorry, Tommy. Please forgive him— it’s been a while since he last saw a wolf pup.” He rolled his eyes, reaching up to lovingly pet his clanmate’s hair. “I’m sure you know how alphas are— always wanting to smother babies.”

Tommy slowly nodded in bewilderment, reaching up to rub at his scarred-over pack mark. “Ah— sure. Uh— overly affectionate alphas,” he mumbled, moving back to wrap his arms around Ranboo again. “Totally a thing.”

“How’s Tubbo?” Ranboo asked, moving up the nave towards the crossing where he saw a Tubbo-shaped lump curled up in the vampire’s sleeping bag.

“Not good,” Tommy whispered, turning somber as he crouched down by the brunette boy’s head. “I’m not sure what to do— he’s never been this sick before.”

Ranboo kneeled down, pulling the blanket back slightly to take in the witch’s ashen complexion. The boy was out cold, the commotion not even stirring him as he slept on, taking in shallow, stuttered breaths as sweat trickled down his face in rivulets. He brought his hand up to gently brush back the older’s sweaty bangs, leaning down to whisper, “Hi, Tubs. I’m home and I brought medicine. Don’t worry— you’ll be better in no time.”

George kneeled down next to him, pulling out the stabilizers and tipping one of the strips into his palm. He pinched it between his fingers, bringing it up to his lips to gently blow on it before handing it over to Ranboo. “A bit of my magic,” he explained, smiling at the boy. “To give his immune system a boost.”

The vampire smiled, carefully placing the strip on the younger witch’s tongue. He watched as the boy began to glow a soft pink as the stabilizers worked their way through his system, softly petting the boy’s hair. Tubbo moaned, nuzzling his head into Ranboo’s hand in his sleep.

“Mhmm, Boo,” he mumbled, cracking an eye open. “You made it home before the sun?”

Ranboo chuckled, “I’m fine. How are you feeling?”

Tubbo shot the younger a grateful smile. “You nabbed me the good shit, didn’t you?”

“Ah— actually— my friends got you your medicine.”

“Friends?” The younger witch asked, shooting Ranboo a playful smile. “Tommy and I are your only friends, Boo.”

The vampire smiled, gesturing towards Wilbur and George hanging a few feet back behind him. “I made some new friends today. This is Wilbur and George.”

Tubbo raised a heavy arm in a half-hearted wave. “Hello, Boo’s friends.”

Wilbur shot the younger a smitten smile, squatting down so that he could smooth back the young witch’s hair. “Such a cutie. We’re your friends too, Tubbo.” He giggled, looking over to Ranboo fondly. “Your packmates are adorable, Ranboo. It’s official— we’re stealing all three of you.”

George burst into a fit of giggles, moving to plop down in the group’s loose circle and pulling out the cup noodles from the bag. “I’m sure you two are hungry,” he said as he hovered his hand over the cup, steam quickly rising out of the top before handing the first one to Tommy. Wilbur and Ranboo helped pull Tubbo up into a sitting position, the wolf happily moving to prop the younger up against his chest. The elder witch quickly heated up the other cup of noodles in his hands before handing it to Wilbur who immediately started to feed Tubbo despite his protests.

“Ah! You’re sick. Let me take care of you, pup,” he chided, a bright smile on his face.

The younger wolf was halfway through his cup of noodles before he froze, fork halfway up to his mouth as he looked over at Ranboo in horror. “Hungry— Ranboo! You haven’t fed yet— oh my god you must be starving. I’m so sorry!”

Ranboo smiled, pushing the noodles closer to the older’s mouth. “I’m okay. Wilbur fed me on the way home.”

He swallowed, setting down his cup and leaning across the circle to sniff at the younger’s neck. “Ah— that’s what I smelled,” he murmured, smiling slightly as he sat back. “Wilbur smells good on you.”

The vampire huffed, looking away as the rest of the room burst into quiet snickers. “Eat your noodles, Tommy,” he grumbled, shooting the older a fond smile so that he knew he wasn’t actually mad at him. He reached his arm out, wrapping it around Tommy’s shoulders as he pulled the boy to rest against his chest. Once the boy set his empty cup aside, Ranboo pressed a soft kiss to his temple, running his hand through his shaggy hair as he murmured, “Sleep pup, I know how tired you are. You took such good care of Tubbo— let me take care of you now, huh?”

Tommy nodded his head tiredly, allowing his eyes to close as he relaxed his full body weight against Ranboo’s tiny chest, dropping off into sleep.

“How close were we to losing you today, Boo?” Tubbo asked, frowning as he stared at Tommy’s slumped frame. “Be honest.”

“Too close,” Ranboo admitted quietly, running his fingers through the wolf’s hair. “I would risk it again in a heartbeat. You and Tommy are too important to me.”

Tubbo released a little high pitched whine as he slumped out of Wilbur’s hold to wrap his long arms around the vampire. “You’re too important to us too, Boo. Please don’t risk yourself for us like that again.”

Ranboo chuckled humorlessly, wrapping his free arm around Tubbo’s shoulders as he pressed a firm kiss to the top of the elder’s head. “No promises.”

The other huffed, pressing his face harder into the vampire’s chest, pushing him into a slow fall onto the sleeping bag behind him. Tubbo hummed happily as he settled against Ranboo’s chest, giggling as Tommy grumbled sleepily at the change in positions.

“Can we come back tomorrow, boys?” George asked, slowly standing up as he watched the three younger boys snuggle into their sleeping bag.

Tubbo spared the elder witch a glance as he nodded his head. “You don’t have to, though. We appreciate you helping us but— we can’t— we can’t give you anything in return.”

Wilbur frowned, crouching down so that he could brush back Tubbo’s bangs. “We don’t want anything in return, Tubbo. We just want to make sure you three are okay, alright?” He gave the boy a soft smile, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before moving away and standing up again. “We’ll be back tomorrow morning, boys. Sleep well!”

True to their word, George and Wilbur came back the following day a few hours after sunrise baring a duffel bag and a small stack of bentos. “We brought breakfast,” George sang, skipping through the nave towards the three boys sitting cross legged in the crossing on top of their sleeping bags. It was clear that Tubbo had just woken up, still exhausted from his recent bout of sickness. He leaned heavily against Tommy’s chest, humming contentedly as the wolf combed through his hair with his fingers.

“Ah— you didn’t have to do that,” Ranboo admonished softly, standing up to meet them.

“Don’t be silly,” Wilbur chided as he scooped the young vampire up into a tight hug.

George shook his finger at Wilbur playfully as he sat down on Tommy’s other side, pulling out the bentos and dividing them between the boys. “Don’t get any funny ideas, Will. It’s my turn to feed the new baby— you got to feed him yesterday.”

The elder wolf rolled his eyes fondly, accepting the bento provided to him with the hand not wrapped around Ranboo’s midsection. “Oh don’t worry, Georgie. You made sure I wouldn’t forget.” He threw the elder witch a wink as he popped open the box, moaning happily as the box’s aroma hit his senses. “Fuck, I love phil’s cooking.” He smiled widely at Tommy and Tubbo, gesturing towards their still closed boxes. “Eat, kiddos. Phil’s food is literally the best.”

“You— you didn’t have to bring us breakfast,” Tommy stammered, carefully popping the top of the bento off, closing his eyes as the smell of omelette and pancakes filled his nose. “Thank you.”

George smiled, reaching over to pull the wolf’s head close for a quick kiss to the temple. “No need to thank us, pup. We just want to keep you boys happy and healthy, okay?”

Tubbo nodded excitedly, happily digging into his bento with rigor. “This is delicious,” he praised around a mouthful of pancake.

The elder witch rolled his eyes, pulling Tubbo’s lanky frame into his lap as he ate. He pressed a soft kiss to the younger’s shoulder, humming happily as he rubbed the boy’s indented stomach. “There’s more where that came from, sweetie— eat your fill, okay?”

The boy nodded happily, inhaling another pancake as he leaned back into George’s chest. “Thank you,” he mumbled, closing his eyes as he ate.

“They’re still hot,” Tommy whispered, holding the pancake gingerly in his hands as he stared at it in wonder.

Wilbur giggled, reaching over to pull the younger wolf into his side as he ruffled his hair again. “Karl is a genius at household spells. When he heard we were bringing you boys breakfast he insisted on making sure it stayed warm so you two could have a hot meal.”

George finished his own bento, setting it aside as he rubbed Tubbo’s stomach. “Ready to switch babies so we can feed the last of the pups?”

The elder wolf grinned excitedly, standing up with Ranboo again only to set him down on George’s unoccupied thigh and picking up Tubbo in return before sitting down again. He quickly snatched the boy’s half-eaten breakfast, pulling it closer so that the witch didn’t have to reach to get more food. He brushed back Tubbo’s bangs as he pressed a featherlight kiss to his cheek.

The older witch giggled happily, wrapping his arms around Ranboo’s waist in a tight hug before releasing one of his arms and bringing his wrist up to the younger’s mouth, “Drink baby.”

Ranboo shook his head, “I’m okay, George. You don’t need to feed me.”

“Drink,” he huffed, pressing his wrist closer. “You’re newly turned— you need blood near-constantly.”

Tommy’s brows furrowed, leaning forward. “Really? Have we— have we been starving you, Ran?” He asked, voice cracking.

“No!” Ranboo cried, leaping forward to pull the young wolf into his arms. “You two take such good care of me. I’m completely fine— I promise.” He turned to George, frowning as he brushed back Tommy’s hair. “I’m fine, George.”

George sighed, scooting forward so that he could rub Tommy’s back along with Ranboo. “I didn’t mean to imply you and Tubbo were hurting Ranboo, Tommy. It’s very taboo to abandon your newborn in the vampire world. Typically, a newborn is brought home to be cared for by a whole clan. A new vampire does need near-constant blood, Ranboo.” He brought his other hand forward to gently rub at the young vampire’s shoulder. “Your throat isn’t supposed to constantly burn. The first few years for a new vampire are always the most difficult. Your hunger abates a bit around the five year mark. The fact that you and Tubbo were able to keep Ranboo from going into a rage by yourselves is an incredible feat by itself.”

Wilbur nodded his head in agreement. “Trying to feed a newborn by yourself is nearly impossible and incredibly taxing,” he added, playing with Tubbo’s hair. “We are so incredibly proud of you, pups.”

“Let us help you,” George pleaded, pressing a series of quick kisses to each boy’s head in his arms.

Tommy hesitantly nodded, “He’ll still smell like us?”

“Yes,” George assured, smiling softly. “Ranboo will always smell like you— you two were his firsts. Each person after that will have a smaller, less noticeable impact on his scent. They will always be yours firsts. We just want to help keep you all healthy.”

Hesitantly, the younger wolf nodded his head, bringing another pancake to his mouth as he made eye contact with Ranboo. “Eat, Ran,” he encouraged.

George pulled Ranboo back into his lap fully, bringing his wrist up to the younger’s mouth again as he pressed his lips encouragingly to the younger’s neck. He carefully pierced the witch’s skin, swallowing a moan at the first flash of freshly brewed coffee on his tongue. Ranboo closed his eyes, slumping back against George’s chest, vaguely aware of the world around him as he took slow, lazy swallows.

“What’s in the bag?” Tubbo asked between bites, gesturing towards the duffle the elders had abandoned on the edge of their nest of blankets. Wilbur smiled, petting the boy’s hair as he set down his bento. The elder wolf leaned forward, pulling the strap closer to him before unzipping the main compartment and pulling out a mound of fabric before handing it to Tommy to inspect.

It was a coat— a top of the line, insulated winter coat. Tommy’s eyes widened as he held it up, choking on his saliva. “Wil— why—”

“It’s December, Tommy. We want to make sure you three are warm,” Wilbur explained, rubbing the lanky witch’s arm soothingly as he pulled out another just as kitted out jacket and handing it to Tubbo. “There’s one for Ranboo too,” he added, smiling fondly at the two’s baffled expressions as he combed back Tubbo’s hair.

“Thank you,” the young witch whispered, stroking the fabric reverently.

George smiled, petting Ranboo’s hair as he gestured to the coats, “Karl and I laced them with heating charms too— you three will be nice and toasty in them.”

Ranboo released the elder’s wrist, giving the wound a lick to seal it. “Thank you.”

He felt a sloppy press of lips against his temple as George giggled against his skin. “We are just happy to take care of you.”

He turned in the witch’s lap, giving the man a calculative look. “But why? I’m— I’m not saying we’re not eternally grateful— because we are— but you don’t know us. You don't owe us anything or— can gain anything from us. So— why are you helping us?”

Wilbur whined unhappily, burying his face in Tubbo’s neck as George rubbed Ranboo’s stomach, shifting the boy to one side in order to pull Tommy onto his other thigh and wrapping his arm around his stomach as well.

“We don’t want anything from you, Ranboo,” George whispered, his words vibrating against the back of Ranboo’s skull. “The three of you are such sweet kids. And— I don’t know what happened to you all but none of you deserve to be barely surviving in an abandoned church with just a make-shift pack.”

Tommy bristled, pulling away. “We do just fine, George. We don’t— we don’t need your pity.”

“This isn’t pity,” Wilbur stated firmly. “We know what it’s like to be in your position, kid. We’ve all been there at one point or another. I saw myself in your eyes, Tommy— when you jumped up to meet us yesterday. You’re brave and loyal to your pack— you protect them with everything you have. I can see how much you love them and I just want to make sure you never have to lose them.”

The younger wolf teared up, biting his lip as he looked down at the ground. “I— I do love them,” he admitted quietly, allowing a few tears to escape. “I don’t want anything to happen to them. They’re— they’re everything to me.”

“Oh Toms” Tubbo cooed, pulling himself out of Wilbur’s lap to wrap the younger wolf up into his arms. “We love you too, puppy.” He pressed a series of soft kisses to the other’s cheek, opening his arms to engulf Ranboo into the hug as well when the boy scooted forwards out of George’s lap.

“You and Tubbo are everything I could have asked for,” Ranboo murmured, pressing close to Tommy’s back. “You’re the perfect pack— my sweet wolf.”

Tommy whined, burying his face further into Tubbo’s chest. “Love you, guys.”

George and Wilbur came back the next day. And the next. And the next. Before the three knew it, they were practically waiting at the door like eager puppies for their two friends to come see them again. George had taken to sitting with Tubbo after breakfast, stretching the capabilities of his magic and teaching him how to effectively harness it without over exerting himself. The younger witch was practically glowing in the following weeks, happily trailing after George like a little duckling. He inhaled any and all information the elder gave him, excitedly showing him the sphere of light he created and contained the night before and was still glowing strong.

The wolves also excitedly got along like a house on fire. Wilbur immediately wrapped Tommy up in his arms every morning, allowing the younger some much needed scenting from an alpha he didn’t know he needed to calm his inner wolf. Tommy enjoyed the other’s playful, exuberant nature; watching the other flit around from one boy to another, telling stories about their pack that had them all in stitches.

The boys went to bed each night with full bellies and warm hearts after their new friends left for the day. Ranboo watched the stars through the hole in the roof above the apse, one arm around each of his mates, and thought life couldn’t get much better.

Chapter Text

“When are you going to let us meet the new babies?”

George sighed, taking a large sip of his coffee as he watched Phil and Sam cook dinner from where he was leaning up against the far cupboards. “They’re skittish,” he replied tiredly, watching Sam’s careful hands turn the meat on the cooktop. “They really like your cooking though. Tommy literally moans every time he eats your food.”

Phil scoffed, “Of course he does— my food is the best.”

The witch rolled his eyes looking over to Sam who was still grilling the meat with a soft smile creeping across his face. “Phil has a point,” the wolf added, pointing his tongs to the younger playfully. “It’s been nearly three months since you met those kids and we have yet to see so much as a picture of them.” He reached over, gently cupping George’s face. “And besides, just feeding a newborn by yourselves is exhausting— don’t think we haven’t seen your under-eye circles.”

“He already feels more guilt about feeding from us than he has any right to— the kid was downplaying his thirst to the other babies since he met them because he didn’t want to be a burden. I can’t imagine more people offering themselves to him will make him feel any better about it.”

Phil sighed, stepping forward to pull the younger witch to his chest, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead as he pulled away from the hug. “Let us try . George— the baby needs another vampire around to grow properly and a wolf without a pack will turn feral. And you know what happens to solitary witches.” He brushed back the younger’s hair. “Let us come with you. I’m not saying I’m planning on dragging them home with us today— I know they’re scared. But you know me— I want to make sure the new babies are safe, yeah?” He said before moving back towards the counter where he had been cutting vegetables. “Humor this old man, huh? Let us see for ourselves that the kids are okay.”

George sighed, closing his eyes as he took another sip of coffee. “Alright. Just— don’t come on too strong? I don’t want to lose them because they got spooked.”

Phil smiled at the younger placatingly. “I’ll be on my best behavior, I promise.”

The closer they got to the church, the deeper Phil’s frown got. “Not a word, Phil,” George warned as they pulled up next to the curb.

“This area— this is where my babies are living? It’s a horrible neighborhood.” He huffed, glaring out the window. “Where is their home by the way?”

Wilbur smirked, gesturing to the field to their right. “We’re here.”

Phil’s eyes widened as he gasped, “What! They live outside? That’s it! I don’t care how skittish they are— they’re coming home with us this instant.”

“It’s a glamour, Phil,” George giggled, stepping out of the car. “We told you this.” He reached his hand out for Sam who took it gratefully as they made their way up to the front steps, Wilbur and Phil a few paces behind.

The pack alpha hummed thoughtfully next to George as the church finally shimmered into view. “This place has seen better days,” he remarked, placing his hand on the worn wood of the front door.

He nodded in agreement, knocking on the door three times before opening it and stepping inside. The others followed, Phil and Sam looking around speculatively.

“Puppies!” Wilbur called skipping into the nave.

There was a squeal before a lanky blur of arms and legs collided with Wilbur’s wide chest, making the elder chuckle. “Good morning, Tubbo,” he greeted, pressing a kiss to the boy’s cheek.

“You’re later than usual— Toms was worried you weren’t coming.”

“I was not!” Tommy called, running forward to join their hug, sticking his tongue out at the witch in the process. “Tubbo was the one who was worried.”

The two pulled away, engaging in a fierce glare-off until another voice broke their concentration. “Enough, boys,” Ranboo called, making his way through the pews to meet the rest of the pack. “It appears Will brought guests— so behave.”

Tommy’s head snapped towards the newcomers, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

“Hello, my name is Philza Minecraft. I am George and Wilbur’s clan head. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Ranboo shook his hand, elbowing the other two to do the same when they didn’t immediately react. “It’s very nice to meet you Philza— Will and George have told us a lot about you.”

Phil smiled widely as he dragged his hand up to the younger’s cheek, stroking it softly with his thumb as his expression softened. “Such a sweet boy,” he stepped forward further, wrapping Ranboo into a hug. He hummed, dragging his cheek across the top of the other’s head happily. While still holding the young vampire in his arms, he lifted his eyes to meet the other two babies as well. “You two can call me Phil as well,” he sang, eye-smiling at them as they watched their mate get completely swaddled by the elder vampire.

It was silent for a moment before Sam stepped forward, waving to the younger boys as he gave them a soft smile. “My name is Sam. I am the pack alpha of our clan.”

George stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Tubbo’s shoulders as Tommy took a hesitant step towards the alpha. “Tommy. Beta. This— this is my pack,” he stuttered, trying to stand tall in front of the imposing alpha.

Sam grinned, stepping forward to cup the back of Tommy’s neck. “You have a lovely pack, Tommy,” he murmured, pressing his nose into the other’s neck, scenting him.

Tommy’s eyes fluttered closed, body swaying as he fell under the alpha’s grip. Sam wrapped his arms around the younger boy, smiling against his skin as he whispered, “Such a good boy.” Wilbur stepped up behind the young wolf, wrapping his arms around the boy as he growled comfortingly in his ear.

“Good pup,” he murmured, shooting Sam a knowing look over the younger's head.

Tubbo turned to look at George in question.

“Tommy’s been without an alpha for some time, Tubbo,” he explained quietly, rubbing his thumbs in little circles on the younger witch’s hips. “He needs an alpha’s attention to soothe his wolf.”

The younger nodded his head in understanding, turning to face the wolves again as Tommy sagged into Sam’s hold completely, only being held up by the two older wolves’ arms.

“Isn’t Wilbur an alpha?” Ranboo asked, still swathed in Phil’s arms.

“He is,” Phil explained. “However he’s not a pack alpha so while he can soothe Tommy’s wolf he can’t fully placate it like a pack alpha can.”

Tubbo frowned, “Even though Sam isn’t his pack alpha?”

Sam pulled away from Tommy’s neck while still keeping a tight hold on the younger. “His wolf feels comfortable with Wilbur and since we share the same pack scent, he instinctively trusts my wolf as well.” He combed his fingers through the boy’s hair, humming thoughtfully as he pulled Tommy to sit down on his lap in a nearby pew. “Good pup,” he murmured as Tommy tucked his nose into the hollow of the alpha’s throat.

The clan head picked up Ranboo, chuckling at his startled yelp, before moving to sit down on their pile of sleeping bags, made softer by the many blankets and pillows George and Wilbur had gifted to the boys over the last few months. He kept Ranboo in his lap, using one of his fangs to pierce his wrist before pressing it to the younger’s mouth, making him jump. “Drink,” he commanded, tone leaving no room for argument. “Fledglings need near constant nourishment—it’s no wonder you’re so malnourished.” He tutted, pressing further until Ranboo latched on, moaning softly at the taste of the elder’s blood. “All three of you,” he continued. “You’re all skin and bones— even with my dinners I’ve been sending with my boys.”

Tubbo shifted uncomfortably, gingerly sitting down on the other side of the makeshift bed with George quickly following to bracket him with his thighs. “We managed just fine on our own, Phil,” he reasoned. “And we’ll manage just fine when you get sick of us— we don’t need your charity.”

George gripped him tighter, pulling him back against his chest as he released a whine from deep in his throat. “This isn’t charity, Tubbo. Charity was bringing Ranboo back so that he didn’t burn in the sun. We kept coming back because we like you. We— we want to get to know you all better. And to take care of you— we aren’t— we won’t ‘get sick’ of you. You three are special to us.”

“It’s like puzzle pieces we didn’t know we were missing until we met you and saw where you fit into the holes,” Sam added quietly, still stroking a blissed out Tommy’s hair.

Ranboo pulled away from the clanhead’s arm to give the rest of the room an inquisitive look. “So what does that mean?” He asked, licking his lips to clean them of blood as Phil wrapped his arms around him possessively.

The elder vampire chuckled, “It means that we’re going to keep you safe and healthy because you’re a part of us.” He paused, watching the boys in front of him fondly. “It also means that we aren’t going to be happy until you’re under our roof sleeping in actual beds and eating three meals a day.” He brushed his fingers through Ranboo’s hair before pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head.

George released a world-weary sigh, dropping his forehead onto Tubbo’s shoulder. “Philll,” he whined. “You promised.”

Phil rolled his eyes. “You couldn’t have honestly believed that I’d see their living conditions and not immediately demand they move in.”

“Move in?” Tommy startled, pulling away from Sam as he stared wide-eyed at the clanhead. “You— what? What’s wrong with this place?”

“Well for starters, you’re ‘home’ is missing half the roof,” he argued, pointing towards the large, caved in portion behind the apse.

Tubbo bristled, pulling away from George to cross his arms. “I sealed that. It’s perfectly safe.”

Phil sighed, “I’m not downplaying your magical skill, Tubbo— you are a very talented witch. It’s the principle of the matter. A home shouldn’t be in shambles, pup. You deserve beds and warm meals that haven’t been kept heated by magic and you deserve to be safe and loved and have constant access to cuddles and an education if you wanted it. You can’t get those things here.” He pulled Tubbo across the makeshift bed and into his arms, dragging a cool finger up and down the side of the younger's neck. “My sweet baby,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Let us bring you home, huh? Let us keep you safe?”

The witch froze in his hold for a moment before melting completely, sinking into the vampire’s side. He closed his eyes as he turned his face to bury it in the elder’s neck. “Can we think about it?” He mumbled against cool skin.

“Of course, my precious,” he whispered. “You take all the time you need. we aren’t leaving you.”

Phil and Sam made it a habit to join George and Wilbur when they visited the babies every morning. They entered the church three weeks after meeting, George pressed tightly against Sam’s side to hide from the chilling March winds.

“Babies!” Phil sang, gliding through the nave towards the pile of boys buried under their blankets. “What are you all still doing sleeping?”

“It’s cold in here,” George whispered, reaching towards the vampire to grab his sleeve.

“Babies?” Sam called, stepping closer to the boys, footsteps getting quicker the closer he neared. He dropped to his knees, pulling Tubbo’s limp form up into his arms. “He’s freezing,” he exclaimed, fully pulling the boy from the nest and into his lap, folding him close to his body.

“What happened?” Wilbur demanded, running to pull Tommy to his body. He gasped as he was met with cold skin.

George reached forward, hand hovering over Tubbo’s chest as his eyes glazed over.

A sniffle sounded, causing Phil to jerk forward out of his shocked stupor to pull Ranboo into his arms. “I— I can’t get them to wake up. Phil— Phil please— I— they’re not waking up,” Ranboo sobbed, wrapping himself around the elder vampire desperately. “Please help them. I— I don’t know— know what happened.” His words slurred out of his mouth as if he had little control of his tongue as he spoke.

“Magical exhaustion,” George stated, pulling Tubbo into his arms as his hands started to glow white. “It— it happens to solitary witches that exert too much of their power at once. My best guess is that he tried to combat the cold front last night. He would have pulled from Ranboo and Tommy.”

Phil pressed a kiss to Ranboo’s sniveling face, allowing the younger to bury his nose in his neck. “It’s okay, baby,” he murmured, rocking the younger in his lap as he watched George work. Wilbur was pressing frantic kisses to Tommy’s face, practically shaking as he held the younger. “We will take care of you— you’ll all be okay. Don’t worry, precious.”

Ranboo sniffed, sobs slowing as he held onto the vampire.

“He’s probably starving,” George called, not breaking line of sight with Tubbo.

“I’m on it,” the elder replied, bringing his wrist up to his mouth to nick it with a fang before bringing it to the younger’s lips. “Drink, sweetheart. Do it for me, huh?”

Slowly, Ranboo began to drink, still sniffling through his straggling tears as he clutched Phil’s arm like a lifeline.

“Ran?” Tommy slurred, slowly sitting up in Wilbur’s arms. Ranboo ripped himself away from Phil, flinging himself desperately on his mate, openly sobbing and he clutched the confused wolf. “Ranboo? What— what’s wrong? What happened?”

He clutched at the young wolf frantically, reaching up to cup his cheeks as he dropped his head to Tommy’s chest. “Pup,” he whimpered, tears renewing as they welled up in his eyes again.

“Angel,” Phil whispered, placing a gentle hand on Ranboo’s back to encourage him to pull away. “Tommy needs to eat— and so do you, baby. You two need to gain back your strength before you pass out again.”

“I called Niki,” George stated, pulling away from Tubbo before reaching for Tommy. “I need her to help me heal Tubbo. I’ve got him in a stasis for now so he won’t get any worse but he needs a recharge and I can’t do that alone.” He pulled Tommy from Ranboo’s arms gently, nudging the near-hysterical vampire towards his clanhead. “Keep drinking, sweetheart. You need to recharge too. Let us take care of you, okay?”

Phil pulled the younger back into his arms, bringing his sluggishly bleeding wrist back up to Ranboo’s lips. The vampire tried to pull away, releasing a distressed whine as he tried to reach for Tubbo. “Tubbo is fine, precious,” Phil murmured, smoothing back his hair as he brought the younger’s head back to his wrist. “Eat, baby. Let us take care of everything.”

He held the baby close as he drank, quietly humming an undecipherable lullaby as George began scanning Tommy.

“What happened?” A new voice broke in, the door to the church flying open as a pink haired woman practically flew in. She quickly made her way to the crossing, dropping down on her knees harshly next to Sam.

“Tubbo has magical exhaustion. He drained himself and the other two,” George replied, pulling away from a wobbly Tommy who immediately collapsed back into Wilbur’s chest again. “We need to recharge Tubbo so he can heal his core.”

The woman nodded, pointing towards the boy in Sam’s arms. “This him?”

George moved towards Tubbo, bracing the younger’s thighs with his palms. “Yeah— take his top half?”

She nodded, motioning for Sam to let go of the younger, lying him flat on the sleeping bag before bracketing his upper body. The two witches began to glow a bright white as they transferred some of their circle energy to the young boy between them.

Ranboo pulled away from Phil’s wrist again an alarmed yelp, jerking forward to grab at his eldest. “Shh,” Phil hushed, pulling him back to his chest again. “Tubbo is okay. George and Niki are just recharging his core. I know it looks scary but it’s completely harmless.” He pressed a gentle kiss to Ranboo’s neck, humming softly. “You’re being so good for me, precious. Just relax, I’ve got you.” Ranboo closed his eyes, taking a deep shuddering breath as he leaned back into Phil’s chest again.

“Phil,” he whispered, lips barely brushing against the older’s collarbone as he spoke. “Is— is it still— you said— can we go home?”

“Home?” Phil whispered back, unbelieving of what the younger vampire just asked.

“Yeah,” Ranboo nodded, looking over to Tubbo and Tommy in worry. “Yeah. I— I need help— keeping them safe.”

Phil smiled, pressing a soft kiss to Ranboo’s cheek. “Of course, my love,” he murmured, tucking the boy closer to his chest. “Let’s get you three home.”

The clanhouse was bigger than Ranboo expected. It sprawled across a large expanse of land in a valley between two hills, filled with wide, open windows that the vampire eyed wearily from inside the car. Wilbur pulled into an underground parking garage, pulling into a spot near the door. Sam parked next to them, getting out of the car quickly to pull a still-sleepy Tommy from the backseat and firmly wedging him under his arm as he helped the younger to the entrance. George opened the door to the backseat, carefully pulling Tubbo from where he had been resting in Ranboo’s lap into his arms.

“Come on, sweetheart,” Wilbur murmured, reaching in once George had moved out of the way to grab Ranboo's hand. “Let’s go inside and get you three settled.”

The younger took his hand gratefully, standing up on jelly legs. Wilbur wrapped one of his strong arms around his waist, pulling the vampire in close as they made their way towards the door. “All of the windows have UV protection, Ranboo,” he explained as they entered the home, climbing up the stairs to a mudroom with a dorky little sign hanging on the wall reminding them to wipe their paws. “You can enjoy the sun from anywhere inside of this house and be perfectly safe.”

Ranboo hummed, eyes fluttering closed in exhaustion as he gripped the elder’s shirt. He tried to keep his eyes open, following his mates forms as the other carried them up a set of stairs. A whine escaped him as Wilbur led him down another hallway away from his boys.

“It’s okay, my beloved,” he murmured, picking the younger up so that he was holding onto him like a koala. “We are just putting them to bed. We’ll put you to bed with them after you’ve eaten— you must be starving again by now.” He brought his hand up to run through the younger’s hair as he sat down on a long L-shaped couch.

“Promise?” Ranboo whispered, eyes closing again as he dropped his head down onto Wilbur’s shoulder.

“I promise, baby. I will tuck you in myself.” Wilbur turned the tired boy to sit sideways on his lap, bringing his wrist up to the younger’s mouth. “Now— drink for me.”

Ranboo bit down, too tired to feel any sort of guilt. His eyes closed completely as his head dropped to Wilbur’s chest, still sucking lazily.

“Is that one of the new babies?” A voice asked in a hushed whisper.

Wilbur hummed, “Yeah. This is Ranboo, Karl.”

“What happened?” He asked curiously, moving to sit at Wilbur’s side to better see the young vampire.

“Magical exhaustion. The poor kid accidentally leeched off of Tommy and Ranboo. He’s gonna have a massive amount of guilt when he wakes up.”

Karl scooted closer leaning into Ranboo’s space, making him crack open a sleepy eye in question. “Can I feed him next?” He asked, wiggling excitedly. “He’s so tiny and soft, Will— I want to wrap him up!”

Wilbur rolled his eyes, reaching out with his free hand to ruffle the witch’s hair. “If he wants to— but give the poor boy time to adjust. He’s had a very stressful day.”

The witch nodded his head in understanding, smiling brightly as he leaned in to press a quick, featherlight kiss to Ranboo’s forehead before sitting back and facing the television.

Sooner than the wolf would have liked, Ranboo released Wilbur’s wrist and turned to bury his face into the other’s neck. “Sleep now— want Toms ‘n Tub,” he mumbled into the wolf’s skin.

“Okay, baby,” Wilbur whispered, wrapping his arms around the younger as he stood up. “Say good night to Karl.”

Ranboo tiredly flapped a hand in the general direction of the couch releasing a half-formed, “Nigh’, Kal,” from his mouth before tucking his head further into Wilbur’s neck. He heard a coo from the couch as he rounded the corner towards the staircase.

The bedroom they had set up for Tommy was cracked open so Wilbur quietly tiptoed in, nodding to Phil who was sitting in a chair by the bed watching as the two younger boys slept soundly.

“He fed?”

“Mhmm,” Wilbur nodded, carefully placing Ranboo down on the bed. The younger vampire immediately rolled to wrap his arms around Tubbo’s stocky frame, snuffling quietly into the boy’s neck. “Met Karl too— kind of. Not sure how much he’ll remember of that interaction when he wakes up.”

Phil chuckled, reaching forward to pull Wilbur’s larger frame into his lap as he pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, pup. You’ve done such a good job taking care of the babies. I’m is proud of you.”

Wilbur released a high pitched whine, folding himself down into Phil’s chest as he nuzzled his clanhead’s scent gland. “Phill,” he whined, rubbing his canines across the elder’s skin affectionately.

“Quackity and Sam are waiting for you in the den, angel,” Phil murmured, carding his fingers through the wolf’s hair. “Let your mates take care of you, yeah?”

He nodded slowly, still mouthing at the elder’s neck. “Gogy?”

“George is with the coven, sweetheart,” he reassured. “And I will stay with the new babies so they don’t wake up alone. Go— Everything will be fine.”

Phil nudged the younger into standing. Before he reached the door, Wilbur turned around and crept back to the bed, dropping soft kisses to all three of their babies’ heads before actually leaving. Phil released a breathy chuckle, sitting back in the chair to watch over his newest nestlings.

Waking up felt like wading through molasses. Tubbo felt the softness of the bed underneath him, the warmth of the blanket on top of him, the smell of fresh linen and something flowery— lilac, perhaps? On his right was a line of heat, Tommy’s soft vanilla scent wrapped around him like a warm hug. On his right was undeniably Ranboo’s sugar sweet coffee and chai scent, his cool body pressed up tightly against his back. While his two mates were familiar and welcoming, the rest of his surroundings were not. His eyes snapped open, taking in the soft gray of the walls and modern bedroom furniture with rapt attention.

“You’re okay, little one,” a voice cooed, making Tubbo flinch before the voice registered in his brain and his shoulders slumped in relief. “That’s it, treasure. It’s just me,” Phil murmured, getting up from his chair and making his way around to the other side of the bed so that the younger witch could see him. “How are you feeling?” He asked, reaching over Tubbo to push the boy’s bangs back.

He closed his eyes at the elder’s touch, taking stock of his body. “Mhmm— sore?— what happened? Where are we?”

Phil smiled softly, leaning over to press a kiss to his forehead before moving to sit on the side of the bed, arm propped between his and Tommy’s bodies. “You’re in my clan’s home, angel. You experienced a severe case of magical exhaustion but we caught it in time and you’ll be perfectly healthy by the next new moon.”

Tubbo’s eyes widened, shifting to sit up before Ranboo released a high pitched whine, tightening his hold on the elder. “I— I didn’t hurt them did I?”

“Just made them sleepy,” he lied, smiling reassuringly to the younger boy in front of him. “That’s why they’re resting too. I promise, baby— all three of you are just fine.”

He nodded his head slowly, looking between his two pack-mates in worry. “I— but that doesn’t explain why we’re here.”

“Ranboo asked us to bring you all here,” Phil stated. “He’s quite protective of the two of you. But he also knows when to ask for help— your sickness really scared him. We’re more than happy to welcome you three into our home.”

Tubbo frowned, looking between a still sleeping Ranboo and Tommy. “We— we can’t keep going on our own, can we?” He asked forlornly.

Phil sighed sadly, stroking the younger’s cheek fondly. “No, baby. You can’t. But you aren’t on your own anymore. You have us— this clan. We are so fond of all of you and we so desperately want you with us.”

“You all barely know us— most of your clan hasn’t even met us yet! How can you be so certain?” Tubbo asked desperately.

“I’ve been around for over a millennia,” Phil started. “With every new addition to the clan, my magic connected to them instinctively before I even knew their names. The same can be said for you, angel. The second I smelled the three of you on George and Wilbur I knew that you belonged with me— us.”

The witch cocked his head as he looked at Phil in confusion. “Magic?”

Phil nodded, smiling down at the younger as he brushed his thumb fondly over Tubbo’s lips. “I’m a witch— in a sense. I created a spell eons ago. Idiotically, I tampered in magic I shouldn’t have and created a spell that turned me into what I am today. I was the first vampire.”

Tubbo frowned, “So— if you were the first, that means you turned other vampires?”

“Every vampire I turned is in this clan.” He sighed heavily, looking away in shame as he explained, “I wasn’t in the right frame of mind after the change. And in my absence my old coven stole my research. They turned others— many against their will. Dream was one of them.”

Tubbo looked at the clanhead in awe. “You created vampires with your magic? Wow, Phil! You are so cool.”

Phil released a soft laugh, leaning forward to press his lips to the younger’s forehead. “I don't’ know if ‘cool’ is the right word but I appreciate the compliment none-the-less.” He stood up, reaching down to gently push Tubbo’s shoulders back down onto the bed. “Now, Tubbo, you’re still exhausted. I’d like for you to rest longer, alright?” Tubbo nodded begrudgingly, pouting up at Phil who was smiling. “Good boy.” The vampire leaned down, pressing another soft kiss to the younger boy’s cheek before stepping back. “I’ll let you sleep, now. Please rest well.”

Tubbo nodded, smiling up at Phil. He murmured a quiet, “Thank you, Phil,” before closing his eyes again, listening to Phil’s near-silent footsteps as he left the room.

Tubbo was still tightly holding Tommy, drifting somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, when the younger of the two woke up.

“Tub?” He croaked, voice rough with sleep. “Where are we?”

“Phil’s home,” the witch whispered tiredly in reply. “I had— I over exhausted my magic, Tommy. I— I think I hurt you and— and Ranboo. I’m so— sorry.”

Tommy quickly wrapped his arms around the elder, pulling Tubbo close to his chest as he broke down into quiet sobs. “It’s okay, Tubbs,” he murmured, petting the back of Tubbo’s head. “Ran and I are fine. You didn’t hurt us. You’re okay, Tubbo.”

There was a snuffling behind them as Ranboo groggily pulled himself up from the pillows to wrap his arms around their oldest from his back. “We’re fine, baby,” he reassured, pressing a little kiss to Tubbo’s neck as he caught the wolf’s eye over the other’s shoulder. “You did nothing wrong and I’m not upset with you— not in the slightest.”

Tubbo bit his lip as more tears fell from his eyes. “You should be. I— I could have killed you.”

Ranboo sighed, pulling himself up into a sitting position and waiting for the others to do the same before speaking. “You could have— it’s true. It— it was a pretty close one. But it’s not your fault! You’re a solitary witch that was trying to keep our whole pack warm in the middle of winter. You did the best you could and I’m so proud of you— always proud.” He pulled the other into his arms again, allowing the older to press his face into the crook of his neck. “I— we need help,” he admitted into the witch’s hair, closing his eyes so that he couldn’t make eye contact with Tommy frowning in front of him. “I asked Phil to take us home with him. They— they’ve proven that they can take care of us and— and I can’t keep you two safe on my own.”

“We take care of each other,” Tommy retorted, crossing his arms across his chest defensively.

“We do,” he acknowledged. “But— we need our own kind, too. You know that, Toms. A wolf needs other wolves— especially if they’re not an alpha. And a witch can’t function in a pack without other witches to share their magic with.” He paused, taking a deep shuddering breath before continuing. “And— and I need a sire.”

The wolf whimpered quietly, scooting across the pillows to wrap his arms around the other two. “Do— do you think we can trust them?”

Tubbo pulled back to look the other two in their eyes. “I think they’re our best bet. They wouldn’t have put so much time and effort into us just to hurt us, right? We— we aren’t anything special.”

Ranboo nodded sagely. “I think they’ll take good care of us. And if worse comes to worst, we’ll all run away together in the middle of the night— start over in The Badlands or something.”

The three broke down into giggles, clinging to each other as they collapsed back down onto the overstuffed pillows. They were interrupted by a chipper knock on the door as George popped his head in, smiling widely when he saw all three of the boys awake. “Good morning, angels,” he sang, skipping over to plop down on the bed next to them, wrapping his arms around Tommy’s waist. He leaned over to press a quick kiss to Tubbo and Ranboo’s cheeks before tickling Tommy’s side playfully. “Would you all like to join us for breakfast? The rest of the clan is dying to meet you. If you aren’t ready though, don’t feel like you have to. I can bring your breakfast up here and we can have a floor picnic— just the four of us.”

The boys deliberated, silently conversing with their eyes before Tommy nodded his head to George. “We’ll come down and eat with you all. We want to meet your clan too.”

George gave the others a small, fond smile, ruffling Tommy’s hair as he stood up. “Let’s go then, huh? I’m sure you’re all starving. Dress code is pajamas only!”

Tubbo giggled, shakily getting up from the bed as he accepted the hand George offered to him. The four of them made their way downstairs, past the grand living room Ranboo vaguely recognized from the night prior, and into a large, warmly lit dining room. The table was long and low, cushions lining the floor around it that were filled with people. The low chatter flowing around the room came to a screeching halt as the four boys entered.

“Babies,” Phil called, standing up with his arms stretched wide open for them in greeting. The three fell, almost in unison, into his arms happily. Phil hummed, stroking Ranboo’s hair fondly before stepping back to face the room. “My sweet angels,” he called, addressing his clan. “These are our babies: Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo.”

There were small waves and excited smiles aimed at the newcomers who quickly waved back. The witch next to Wilbur squealed in excitement, making grabby hands at the boys. “They’re so cute!” He turned to the beta wolf on his other side, “Jack— aren’t they just the cutest?”

Jack smiled widely, nodding frantically as he smiled at the newcomers. “They look younger than me too! I’m not the youngest anymore!”

There was a chorus of giggles that made their way around the table. Phil gently pushed the boys over to an empty area of the table between where he and Sam were sitting.

Sam smiled widely at the boys, reaching down to pull Tommy down under his arm as he nuzzled behind the younger’s ear. Ranboo sat down next to the wolf, Phil dragging Tubbo down on the other side of him so that he could have the two boys on either side of him. The wolf sitting on Tubbo’s other side smiled brightly at him, sticking his hand out in greeting.

“I’m Purpled— omega.”

Tubbo took his hand hesitantly, smiling at the wolf. “It’s nice to meet you, Purpled.”

The wolf smiled fondly, clucking the younger under his chin before dishing him up a plate. Tubbo hummed happily as the food was set in front of him. The table slowly began to hum with conversations again as everyone fell back into what they were doing before the youngest three arrived.

Sam kept his arm around Tommy’s shoulders as he plated food for himself and the younger, talking to a vampire named Sapnap sitting on the other side of him.

From the other side of the table, the witch that had squealed when they had walked in jumped excitedly in his seat. “Do you remember me, Ranboo?” He asked, leaning forward across the table. “It’s okay if you don’t— you were pretty out of it last night.”

Ranboo furrowed his brows as he tried to think back to last night. “You— you wanted to— feed me?”

The witch nodded frantically, shooting the younger a wide encouraging smile. “I’m Karl.” His whole body vibrated in his seat as he spoke, almost as if he was gearing up to pounce at Ranboo from across the table. “I would be honored if you let me feed you next.”

“And what if I wanted to feed the baby next?” An omega wolf asked from a few seats down, butting into their conversation playfully as he smiled at the witch. “I’m older, so rightfully, you should let me feed him first.”

Karl whined, his lips dropping into a pout as he shot the other a betrayed look. “You wouldn’t, Quackity. You— have you smelled him? Just a little bit of my scent and he would smell like the world’s best coffee shop! You have to let me feed him next!”

Wilbur cleared his throat, reaching up to scruff Karl by the back of the neck lightly, immediately making the younger boy calm down. “And what did I tell you last night?”

“That it’s Ranboo’s choice whether he feeds from me or not— not mine,” Karl entoned sullenly, looking down at the table as tears threatened the corners of his eyes.

Ranboo watched on, biting his lip anxiously as Karl became more visibly upset. “I— I uh... I don’t mind drinking— um— feeding from you, Karl,” he whispered, fingernails digging into his palms as he spoke.

Karl’s head shot up, eyes shining in excitement as he stared down the young vampire. “Really?” He asked, “You mean it? Because— it’s okay if you really don’t want to drink from me. I know you barely know me.”

The younger shrugged, shooting Karl a tentative playful smile, “I didn’t know any of them at all when I drank from them. And you’re right, I do kind of smell like a coffee shop right now.”

The witch giggled happily, wiggling in his seat under Wilbur’s firm hand. “Eat your dinner first,” Wilbur commanded, his smile undermining his serious tone. At Karl’s pout he added, “You can’t feed him if you’re not well fed first.” Karl sighed sadly, nodding his head in acquiescence as he took a big bite of food.

He wagged his fork threateningly at Ranboo as he swallowed his food, “After dinner, you are going to be mine.”

Wilbur rolled his eyes, shooting the younger witch a fond smile. “I hope you’re ready to be cuddled to death, dear. Karl gets clingy when he feeds our vampires— he loves being able to smell himself on his clanmates.” He threw the vampire a wink. “And good choice to drink from Karl next— a dash of hot chocolate will really pull your scent together.”

Ranboo looked down, thankful for the lack of blood that otherwise would have flooded to his cheeks. He leaned further into Phil’s side who smiled back fondly, wrapping his arm around his waist and squeezing encouragingly. Tubbo had fallen into an excited conversation with the girl on Purpled’s other side about the practicality of using healing stones over herbs. Niki was shooting the younger a wide smile as they spoke in between bites while Purpled kept scooping more food onto their plates. There was a wine glass filled with dark red liquid that Phil sipped from languidly, there were also a few others around the table that had similar glasses who, Ranboo assumed, were older vampires as well.

As dinner came to an end, Karl shot up from the table to make his way around to squeeze between Tommy and Ranboo. Sam chuckled, pulling Tommy into his lap to better scent the younger’s neck while still holding his conversation with Sapnap and a vampire named Dream. The witch hummed happily, taking Ranboo from his clanhead and into his own lap only to press his nose to the column of the younger’s neck. “You smell fucking delicious, Ranboo,” he whispered, running his nose along the other’s skin softly. “Can you smell it? George’s coffee, and Wilbur’s cinnamon rolls— Phil’s freshly baked cookies. Tommy’s must be the vanilla— I can smell it on him too. Mhmm and that lovely spicy chai that must be Tubbo’s scent. You smell absolutely delicious.” He pressed his lips to Ranboo’s skin in a smile before reaching around and lifting his wrist up to the younger’s lips. “Please let me be a part of your scent?”

Ranboo’s eyes were wide as he stared at Karl’s arm as if it were a rabid animal before glancing up to Phil for guidance. The elder smiled fondly, running his fingers through his newest baby’s hair as he nodded his head encouragingly. With a deep breath, the young vampire bit down, closing eyes as the warm liquid hit his tongue. He took long, slow pulls from the witch, cautiously dropping back to lean heavily against the other’s chest as he drank. After a few minutes, he released Karl’s arm who quickly used his free limb to his advantage to further pull Ranboo against his chest, cooing happily as the younger pressed close to his neck, small hands creeping out around his midsection in a cautious hug as he was turned around to face the other.

There was a tell-tale click of a camera shutter from across the table, Wilbur’s muffled squeals an obvious indication for who was at fault. Fingers were combed through Ranboo’s hair as a body leaned over him to press a soft kiss to Karl’s lips. “Why don’t you take the baby to the den, Karl— let him snuggle while we watch a movie.”

He felt the older nod his head, chin bumping against his scalp, before the ground underneath him shifted making him yelp unhappily as he held onto the witch tighter. Hands wrapped under his thighs, hoisting him higher as Karl stood up gracefully. “I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered, dropping a soft kiss to the younger’s hair. “Go back to sleep, I’m just moving us to someplace more comfortable.”

Ranboo scrunched his nose cutely, pushing his face tighter against the other's neck. “ ‘m not ‘sleep.”

He heard George chuckle from behind them, “Of course you weren’t, angel.”

They sat down, George’s arm wrapping around Karl’s shoulders as he settled with Ranboo in his lap once again. Slowly, the area around him grew warmer as the clan made their way into the den from the dinner table, talking lowly among themselves even as an animated movie began playing on the screen.

Tommy watched as Ranboo dropped off in Karl’s arms. He was amazed by how quickly the vampire had acclimated to the new environment and all of the people floating around enough to fall asleep. The wolf felt so wired that he was afraid he’d never be able to fall asleep again. Sam wrapped his arm around his shoulders, pulling him tighter into his chest from where they were sitting on another couch with a few other members of the clan. A wolf named Punz was seated next to him, tucked underneath Jack’s arm. They were the only beta wolves in the pack, as Punz explained, and they were happy to invite Tommy into their very exclusive beta-only cuddle club. Jack reached around the smaller wolf to cluck Tommy under his chin playfully.

“You should feel honored, Tommy,” he intoned solemnly. “No one has been invited since I joined the pack.”

The youngest grinned, burying his face in Sam’s chest who laughed deeply, rubbing his hand up and down Tommy’s back. “It’s true, pup. Even I’m not invited— and I’m their pack alpha.”

“Yeah,” Punz argued playfully. “You’re our alpha . No alphas allowed— club rules.” He threaded his fingers through Tommy’s as they all entangled themselves in each other. Dream came into the room, throwing on a drama before collapsing on Phil and Tubbo’s laps in exhaustion.

“Are you tired, angel?” Phil asked, combing his fingers through the other vampire’s long hair.

Dream hummed, turning to bury his face in Tubbo’s stomach and inhaling deeply. “Fuck. The babies have no right smelling this good,” he murmured, snaking his arm around Tubbo’s stomach to keep the witch close. “You’re my new pillow, ‘Tubbo. I could drown in your scent.”

The younger boy blushed, tilting his face up to look at the ceiling to avoid making eye contact with any of his newfound mates all giggling around him. On the other side of the young witch, Quackity had firmly planted himself in Purpleds’s lap, humming happily as the other wolf rubbed little circles on his stomach. The omega was engrossed in his phone, jabbing at Purpled’s abdomen every time he chuckled at something on the screen.

“Hush, Purp,” he shushed, pinching the younger’s thigh as he looked up to Tubbo. “What’s your favorite color, treasure?”

Tubbo furrowed his brows as he cocked his head in confusion. “Me?” He asked, turning his head to fully face the older wolf. At Quackity’s nod, he shrugged, “Yellow— why?”

Quackity shook his head, a mischievous smile spreading across his face as he turned the screen away from the witch. “No reason, angel.” He reached over to pet Tubbo’s hair fondly. Purpled rolled his eyes behind his mate’s head, rubbing his nose into the other’s neck fondly.

He glanced back down to the phone, shifting slightly. “Go with the right one— yeah, that one. I like the stripes.”

“It looks like a bumblebee,” Quackity replied, giggling into his hand. “I love it.” He glanced up, making eye contact with Tommy, whose head had fully relaxed against the alpha’s chest, eyes half closed as he watched the clan interact around him. “What about you, Tommy?” At the wolf’s confused head cock he elaborated, “Your favorite color, sweetheart.”

“Mhmm,” Tommy murmured, closing his eyes. “I like red.”

“Red?” Quackity asked, scandalized. “How boring. ”

Tommy frowned, squinting one eye open to glare at Quackity. “I guess I like yellow too.”

That made Quackity smile, giving the younger wolf an approving nod before going back to his phone. “Thank you, Tommy.” He was silent for a few minutes before turning the screen so that Purpled could see it again. “This one, Purp?” Purpled hummed in approval, giving the other a soft peck to the column of his neck.

“It’s perfect,” he whispered, smiling into the older’s skin. He glanced over to Tommy, his smile widening as he caught sight of the younger fully asleep in his alpha’s arms. The kid looked so tiny wrapped up in Sam’s arms. Punz caught Purpled’s eye, winking exaggeratedly.

Quackity shifted in Purpled’s lap, looking over to where Ranboo was still curled up in Kar’s arms. He made eye contact with the witch, mouthing is he asleep?
Karl shifted, glancing at the vampire’s face before nodding causing Quackity to scrunch his face before turning back to his phone.

“Ranboo likes royal blue,” Tubbo stated, tucking his head into Phil’s neck. The wolf threw him a grateful smile before turning back to his phone with renewed vigor. Tubbo closed his eyes, fingers unconsciously threading through Dream’s hair. The vampire hummed in his sleep, nuzzling closer into Tubbo’s stomach. Sitting around in a warm living room, a drama playing in the background while the clan chattered quietly around him, Tubbo thought that he could get used to this.

Chapter Text

Ranboo woke up the next morning still cocooned in Karl’s arms. The sun was streaming through the large bay windows to the right of him making the vampire hum happily at the feeling of having sun warmed skin once again. He allowed himself a moment to enjoy the warmth from the sun and Karl encompassing him from all sides before slowly sliding out of the witch’s arms. The witch whined in his sleep before turning to wrap his arms around George’s waist instead. Ranboo smiled fondly before quietly shuffling back to the kitchen.

Inside the kitchen, sitting at the island, was Wilbur with a smaller vampire in his lap. Wilbur waved with his hand not currently being drank from by his clanmate. “Good morning, baby,” he murmured, pulling out the stool next to him. As Ranboo sat down, Wilbur gestured to the vampire still drinking from him. “This is Sapnap, dear. He’s our youngest vampire next to you.”

Sapnap pulled away from the wolf’s wrist, smiling at Ranboo as he gave the younger a shy wave. “Hi, Ranboo.”

Ranboo waved from his seat in return as the backdoor to the kitchen opened and two more clan members walked in.

“Good morning, George, Dream,” Wilbur greeted, watching as the two made their way to the fridge where the taller of the two pulled out the necessary ingredients for a smoothie, slamming them on the counter aggressively.

“You don’t have to do that,” the smaller whined, dropping his head onto the taller’s shoulder as he began to throw the fruit into the blender.

“Don’t even start with me, George,” he replied grouchily. “I’m already pissed at you. Go sit next to the baby while I make you your goddamn breakfast.”

George sulkily moved to drop down on the chair next to Ranboo, letting his head thunk against the counter top as he pouted, making Wilbur laugh. “What did you do to piss off your soulmate this time, Gogy?” He asked.

The vampire at the blender flipped his head around to glare at George fiercely. “This idiot fed me before feeding himself.” He turned back around to pour the smoothie into a cup before slamming it down in front of George aggressively. “Eat.”

“I’m sorry, Dream,” he whined, taking a large sip to appease the boy in front of him.

Dream huffed, folding his arms across his chest as he glared at the witch. “You will be.” All of a sudden, as if a switch had been flipped, he stood up straight, turning to fully face Ranboo and smiling widely. “Good morning, Ranboo. I’m Dream WasTaken, please call me Dream.”

“Uhm— good morning, Dream,” Ranboo stuttered, feeling the whiplash of Dream’s complete 180.

The vampire cooed, coming around the island to wrap his arms around the younger. “Oh you’re so cute.”

Dream nuzzled into his neck, humming as he breathed in Ranboo’s scent. It wasn’t long, however, before he was interrupted by Quackity who pulled Dream away to pick Ranboo up and set him in his own lap. “Sorry, angel,” he apologized, ruffling Dream’s hair affectionately. “I need to feed the baby.”

Ranboo shifted uncomfortably in Quackity’s hold. “Ah— I’m okay, Quackity. You— you don’t have to feed me.”

The older vampire rolled his eyes, moving to wrap his arms around George as he watched Quackity melt into mom-mode. “You’re a baby, Ranboo. You’re always hungry. Do you not want to drink from me? I can go get one of the others.”

Ranboo’s eyes widened, shaking his head frantically. “Ah— no, that’s— that’s not what I meant.”

“You’re not hungry?” Quackity asked, alarmed. “We need to get Phil then. That’s not healthy.” He went to stand up with the younger in his arms, making Ranboo yelp and wrap his arms around the wolf’s neck.

“Quackity,” Dream started, hiding his giggles behind his hand. “I don’t think that’s what he meant either.”

“We have to watch this one closely, Quackity,” Wilbur replied fondly. “He has a tendency to not want to burden his mates with his needs.” He reached over to brush back Ranboo’s hair. “We’re working on it though.”

Quackity relaxed, sitting back down with the younger. “Ah, that makes sense.” He brought his wrist up to Ranboo’s mouth, humming happily as he bit down. “Good boy.”

Ranboo’s eyes involuntarily closed as his senses were flooded with the fresh scent of cucumbers and melons. He heard a chorus of coos from everyone around him making him very thankful once again that he could no longer blush. He tried to pull away out of embarrassment but Quackity held him to his wrist, tutting sweetly.

“It’s alright, baby. Just ignore them— you’re being so good. Drink your fill.”

Just as he finished, Tommy and Tubbo walked in, blurrily rubbing their eyes until they took in the sight of their mate. Tubbo smiled playfully, making his way over to Ranboo to pinch his cheeks. “I will never get over how cute you look when you’re eating, Boo.”

Ranboo pulled away, glaring at his mate. “Shut the hell up, Tubbo.”

He felt a sharp pinch on his side, making him flinch as he whipped his head around to stare at Quackity in shock. “Nice words, Ranboo.” He turned his mom-glare onto Tubbo, “Don’t torment Ranboo, Tubbo”

The two looked down, chastised.

Sapnap stood up from Wilbur’s lap, reaching out his hand to Ranboo. “You want to come see my room, Ranboo?” He asked, wiggling his fingers enticingly. The younger vampire nodded, happily taking them out from the awkward tension that had begun to stifle the kitchen. “We’ll be back later,” he called, pulling Ranboo up the stairs and towards a bedroom near the end of the first hall.

He opened the door into a clean, sparsely decorated bedroom with a large bay window that bathed the floor in the morning sunlight. Sapnap led the other over to his bed, flopping down as he sighed happily. He turned his head to look at the other vampire. “How old were you— when you were bit?”

“Eighteen,” Ranboo replied, relaxing into the pillows beside Sapnap.

“Really?” He asked, his smile stretching wide across his face. “I was twenty.” He giggled

Ranboo joined him in his giggles, ducking his face into the other’s shoulder. “How long have you been twenty?”

Sapnap groaned, throwing Ranboo’s hand away in disgust. “Ugh. How could you Bella Swan me— you heathen.”

The younger burst into cackles as tears made their way from his eyes. “I’m sorry, Sap. I couldn't help myself.”

He relaxed back into the pillows and took the younger’s hand again. “Phil bit me twenty years ago.” Sapnap squeezed Ranboo’s fingers tightly as he spoke. “I had met Punz in college. We were both studying business communications and he brought me home once to work on a project and I never really left. I fell in love with everyone almost instantaneously and they fell for me just as hard. I wanted to spend forever with them. Phil and I had talked about me being turned when I got older— I wanted to get rid of this baby face, you know? But one day I just collapsed. Woke up in the hospital to a doctor telling me I had an inoperable tumor and that I’d be lucky to get three months.” He took a deep shuddering breath, moving to press his face into Ranboo’s neck to inhale his scent. “Phil took me home that day and begged me to let him turn me. I agreed— I’ll never regret that decision. But— sometimes I wish I had had more time to be human first, you know? I— I had a list— of all the things I wanted to do before Phil turned me. You didn’t even get the chance to make a list.”

Ranboo nodded, chin bumping against the top of the other’s head. “I hate my sire for taking away my humanity— but I don’t regret the family I gained because of it.”

Sapnap hummed happily, moving back to lean against the pillows lazily. “We’re really happy we found you three, too.” He glanced over to send the younger a fond smile. “You know... I’m really glad you’re here, Ranboo,” he murmured, closing his eyes as he squeezed the younger’s fingers. “Because I grew out of my baby fangs ages ago but everyone still treat me like I need to be fed every ten minutes— don’t get me wrong, I love their attentiveness— but still, it’ll be nice to have someone else to take some of their attention off of me. Let them see that I’m not a baby anymore— that I can take care of myself and others.” He laughed, squeezing the younger’s fingers again. “Sometimes they will try to over feed me— they’re constantly worried that I’m not eating enough. So— know you can tell them no if you’re genuinely not thirsty, but I know from experience that the thirst won’t fade for the first few years no matter how much you drink.” He threw the younger a knowing look. “And you are never allowed to feel guilty about asking to eat. You have twenty very willing people in this house that are happy to feed you. I think feeding the babies is one of the everyones favorite things to do— right after holding us down for a full-body cuddle and if they can do both at the same time? Oof.”

The younger burst into giggles, burying his face in Sapnap's chest. “They do like cuddling, don’t they?”

Sapnap nodded frantically, his eyes wide in mirth. “I mean— I do too but sometimes a boy just wants to play video games, you know?”

Ranboo’s head bobbed, smiling widely. “I haven’t played a video game in ages ,” he sighed wistfully.

“Racing or shooter?”

Ranboo grinned, “Shooter.”

They were interrupted a few hours later by a knock on the door before Dream and Karl came in.

“Time for my babies to eat,” Karl sang, coming over to plop on the bed by Sapnap’s hip. He plucked the controller from the younger vampire’s hands and pulled him into his lap, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Dream came over to Ranboo, the younger setting down the controller before Dream took it. The vampire smiled softly at the baby and pulled him into his arms. “Hi, angel,” he whispered, holding his wrist in front of Ranboo’s mouth. “Can you drink for me, please?”

Ranboo nodded, murmuring a small, “Thank you,” before biting down.
“I ate this morning, Karl,” Sapnap whined from next to him, trying to twist his mouth away. “I’m not thirsty— I promise.”

Karl frowned, wrapping his arm around the vampire’s waist. “Just a bite then, Sap. You’re still a baby despite what you may think. There’s no reason for you to push yourself.” Sapnap sighed, biting down on the wrist pressed in front of his face reluctantly. “Good boy,” Karl murmured, voice sweetening as the younger finally began drinking.

The two older clan members shared a look over top of their charges, smiling as they relaxed against the bed with their babies in their arms.

Tubbo and Tommy had been dragged from the kitchen after they had eaten by George and Wilbur, the two older boys excitedly showing off the game room. The four of them played all morning until Niki called them for lunch. Jack came waltzing into the kitchen and plopped between the two youngest boys, resting an arm on the back of each of their chairs.

“I get you two after lunch,” he declared, smirking at a now pouting Wilbur and George. “Sapnap gets time with his new friend, it’s only fair that I get the same treat.” He brought a hand up to play with the baby hairs on Tubbo’s neck as he dropped the other to the plate in front of him, practically inhaling his food.

Once the three had finished eating, Jack led them upstairs, passing a very satisfied looking Dream and Karl on their way. They filed into a cluttered but tidy bedroom where Jack sat in the middle of the bed and patted either side of him for the two boys to join him. He wrapped his arms around the two boys again, pulling them back and to his chest as he leaned against the headboard.

“How old were you when your wolf decided you were done aging, Tommy?” He asked, breaking the comfortable quiet. “I assume very early twenties— you have more of a baby face than I do.”

Tommy shrugged, tucking his face against the older wolf’s shoulder. “I don’t know? I don’t think I’ve stopped aging yet. And if I have, it's too early to tell.”

Jack tensed, looking down at the other wolf in shock. “You mean to tell me you’re actually in your early twenties?”

He nodded, “I’m nineteen . So is Tubbo.”

The wolf laughed, throwing his head back as he did so.“I mean— I’m far older than what I look but I stopped aging around twenty-one. I hope you two stay this age. I’m tired of being of the youngest.” He rolled his shoulders, bringing his hands up to run his fingers through both boys’ hair. “I’ve been around since the 1300’s but the clan still treats me like I’m a baby sometimes.” He sighed heavily. “I’ll never escape the coddling if I’m the only one, so please don’t age anymore, okay?”

Tubbo giggled, squeezing Jack’s waist as he nuzzled into the wolf’s neck.

“Are you really seven hundred years old?” Tommy asked.

Jack nodded, “Was born in the 1250’s. Left my family pack to join Purpled and Punz.” He threw a conspiratorial smirk at the younger boys. “The only ones older than us are Phil, Techno, and Sam, Quackity, and Wilbur.” The wolf flipped on the television, turning on an american sitcom for background noise. “Don’t ask me how I survived before the internet though. I genuinely don’t have a clue.”

The other two burst into giggles, Tommy quietly murmuring into the older’s chest, “I’ve missed the internet.”

“How long have you guys been on your own?”

“I found Tommy when we were fifteen,” Tubbo replied, shooting the younger wolf a sad smile. “We’ve been together ever since.”

“Mhmm,” Tommy hummed. “Saved my ass from the world’s meanest clerk.”

Jack laughed, dragging his finger’s through the younger wolf’s hair again. “What did he do? Yell at you?”

“No— he threatened to cut my hand off.”

The older wolf growled, sitting up slightly.

“To be fair,” Tubbo cut in, placing a placating hand on the older’s chest. “He did catch Tommy stealing and it was Las Nevadas— that city’s not exactly known for being progressive or forgiving to strays. And I don’t think he actually would have. He looked like he might vomit just touching my puppy.

Tommy huffed, crossing his arms in contempt. “Rude. I wasn’t that dirty.”

“You hadn’t showered in two weeks when I met you,” Tubbo deadpanned, raising an eyebrow. “I’ve eaten from dumpsters that smelled cleaner than you did.”

The wolf paused, gearing up to plead his case before dropping his shoulders and shrugging. “Yeah... So have I.”

The three burst into giggles, tangling against each other on the bed. After a few minutes, they calmed down, relaxing against one another again as they tuned into the television.

It was silent for a while before Jack broke the silence, murmuring, “You know you’ll never have to eat out of dumpsters again right? Or— or go for weeks without showering. Or not have a bed to sleep in.” He wrapped his arms around the younger boy’s shoulders, dropping soft kisses on the tops of each of their heads. “We’ll take care of you,” he whispered into Tubbo’s hair.

Tommy hummed happily, burying his face in the wolf’s neck. “Mhmm,” he murmured into the elder’s skin. “Beds are a plus.”

“And the food,” Tubbo added. “I’ve never eaten so well.”

Jack brushed the taller boy’s hair away from his face gently. “Surely you ate with your family coven?”

Tubbo shook his head. “They— they were all black magic witches. It was eat or be eaten, you know? It’s how we were raised. We had to fight for everything— food, water, affection. It didn’t matter. I was never good at fighting either so more often than not I’d go hungry. It's a miracle I survived my childhood, if I'm honest.”

The elder lip leaned down to press his lips to the top of Tubbo’s hair. “Never again. We are happy to feed you and take care of you any time you want.” He grinned into the younger’s hair, “We’ll even make you sit in our laps while you eat so we can scent you.”

The three dissolved into happy giggles, leaning against each other as they relaxed against the bed. Tommy had no doubt of the truth in Jack’s promise and he couldn't wait to learn more about each of his new mates.

Chapter Text

“The babies need their own things,” Techno declared over breakfast one morning a few days after the three youngest had moved in. “Not that I don’t love Boo in my sweatshirts— please don’t stop wearing my clothes whatever you do, baby— but I’m sure they’d like some of their own things, too.”

Karl jumped in his seat excitedly. “Shopping? Oh! I’ll take the babies!”

“I’ll go too,” Dream added, wrapping his arm around Tommy’s waist as he nosed at the younger’s neck while the wolf ate. He cooed delightedly as the younger blushed in his arms.

Phil frowned, playing with Purpled’s baby hairs as the younger wolf sat in his lap. “I don’t know how I feel about the babies going shopping without supervision.”

“Yeah,” Sam agreed, folding his arms from his seat across the table. “It’s too early to let them roam without an adult.”

“They wouldn’t be alone. Karl and I are coming with,” Dream argued, folding his arms across his chest petulantly. “We can take care of the babies!”

Dream rolled his eyes, “We’re three hundred years old, Sam. I don’t think we classify as babies anymore.”

Ranboo raised his hand hesitantly from where he was sitting in a very satisfied Techno’s lap. “Ah— we’re all adults? And Tubbo, Tommy, and I have been taking care of ourselves our whole lives. We don't exactly need adult supervision.”

“Besides,” Tubbo added, shifting in George’s lap. “We can just go back to the church and grab the things we already have instead. If we get that stuff, we won’t really need anything.”

Karl hummed unhappily, pouting at the younger. “But I want to get you new things, Tubbo.”

Wilbur came shuffling through the door into the dining room, tiredly plopping down onto the chair next to Dream and giving Ranboo an amused look. “You will always be a baby in Phil’s eyes, Boo,” he murmured. “I’m nearly as old as him but Phil still treats me like one of his babies. You have no hope kid— just accept your fate.”

The younger vampire sighed, dropping his head back to rest against Techno’s shoulder in resignation.

“We’ll take the babies,” Dream stated, folding his arms across his chest.

“I’ll come too,” Sapnap declared, skipping into the room and dropping down on the chair next to Quackity who immediately wrapped his arm around the younger’s shoulder to pull him into his chest

Phil released a world weary sigh as he looked up at the ceiling. “At least take one of the elders with you.”

Karl jumped in his seat excitedly, clapping his hands as he shot Phil an appreciative smile. “You’re the best, Phil! Oh, this is going to be so much fun!”

“Don’t get bed sheets for them,” Quackity stated, playing with Sapnap’s hair as he guided the younger to his pulse point to feed. “Those should be coming in the mail today.”

Tommy shifted uncomfortably in Dream’s lap. “You really don’t have to get us anything, guys. We’re really fine with what we already have.”

“Nope!” Karl sang, reaching over to pinch Tommys cheek. “Don’t take my fun away from me, Tommy. Let me buy my babies nice things.”

Phil stood up, making his way over towards a glass cabinet on the far wall and pulling out a small wooden box. He carried it carefully over to the table, setting it down gently before taking his seat again. The elder vampire pulled out three navy blue chokers with small fire opals hanging from the fronts of them. His hand glowed a bright white-blue for a moment as he held the stones in his hands before setting two of them on the table and walking over to Tommy still in Dream’s lap. He brought the choker around the young wolf’s neck slowly, pressing a kiss to the boy’s cheek when he didn’t question the elder’s motives as he fastened the choker. He did the same to Tommy and Ranboo before putting the box back in the cabinet and pulling Purpled back into his lap.

Dream smiled, pressing a series of little kisses along the column of Tommy’s neck as he played with the stone around the younger’s neck.

“Collaring the babies already, Phil?” Wilbur asked mischievously. “You move fast don’t you?”

“If I recall, Will,” Phil started, nipping at Purpled’s neck possessively. “You were the one to collar Jack before Sam had even gotten his fangs out of him.”

Wilbur huffed, wrapping his arms around George petulantly, “Like you didn’t do the same damn thing the second Punz brought Sapnap home.”

“Um,” Ranboo muttered, reaching up to finger his choker. “What exactly did you just do?”

Tubbo hummed thoughtfully as he played with his choker. “These are opals. They’re used in tracking spells, right?” He asked, as he turned to look at Phil.

The clanhead nodded his head, smiling fondly at the younger witch. “That’s right, angel. Can you feel what else is in them?”

The boy was silent for a moment, his irises whiting out as he focused. “Protection charms— lots of protection charms... is that— did you put an anti-tampering charm on these?”

Phil smiled widely, reaching over to fluff the younger’s hair in praise. “You’re such a talented young witch, Tubbo. Good job.”

“Phil,” Tubbo started, frowning as he looked at the other warily. “Why did you make it so we couldn’t remove them?”

Tommy and Ranboo both sat up straight, pulling away from everyone. The youngest vampire immediately brought his hands up to the choker, trying to unclasp it only to find his fingers kept falling over it like water. He looked up at the elder in alarm, pulling on his collar frantically until Techno reached up to wrap his fingers around the younger’s wrists.

“Relax, little one,” he cooed, bringing the younger’s wrists down to rest in his lap as he pressed a soft kiss to the younger’s cheek. “We can take them off as soon as you guys get back from your shopping trip. It has nothing to do with keeping you from taking it off.” The vampire swallowed thickly, taking a shaky breath against the younger’s skin. “It’s the only spell that over rules a thrall order. We very nearly lost Dream because Phil hadn’t thought that the tracker on him needed to be reinforced with an anti-tamper.” He ran his nose up the column of Ranboo’s neck, feeling the younger relax slightly. “We all have the same charm, sweetheart. Only Phil can remove them.” He let go of one of his hands to show the younger a similar looking bracelet around his left wrist.

“And I will,” Phil added, his face serious as he watched the youngers’ expressions carefully. “The second you ask me to, I will take them off. It’s a peace of mind thing. I don’t want to control you but I need to know you’re safe when I’m not directly in front of you to protect you myself.”

Tommy sighed, finally relaxing back into Dream’s arms again. “Some warning would have been nice, Phil. We— we’re putting a lot of blind trust in you all here.”

Phil nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry for breaking that trust, my babies. I will do better in the future to ask first. Do you need me to take them off?”

The three thought for a moment, silently conversing with each other before Ranboo shook his head. “No, we’re okay with them on for now. Just— please check with us in the future first?”

“Of course, treasure.”

Two hours later found the boys in the backseat of a very nice SUV with Sapnap and Jack begrudgingly on their way to the mall. Dream and Karl were in the front seats, singing along to a girl group playing on the radio, and they could see Wilbur and George following behind them in a sleek black Mercedes. They all agreed to let the youngers have this bonding adventure with limited supervision. Wilbur and George agreed to wait in the atrium of the mall so that they were close but not hovering while the kids went shopping.

Sapnap grabbed Tubbo and Jack’s hands, dragging the two towards a shop with loud, bass-heavy music pumping out of it as soon as they met up at the entrance.

“Keep your phone on!” Wilbur called as they ran off. He sighed, looking at the remaining four in resignation. “This is why you kids have trackers. Always running off on me.” He grumbled, wrapping his arm around Tommy for a quick hug before pushing him gently into Karl’s eagerly waiting body. “Go have fun, kids. Don’t worry about getting phones for them. Niki and Techno are taking care of that this afternoon. Just focus on essentials and wants.”

Dream shot the wolf a blinding smile as he wrapped his arm around Ranboo’s waist. “We’ll be good, guys. You have fun!” He called as he pulled the younger boys out of the atrium and deeper into the mall.

It didn’t take long for Karl to drag Tommy away from the other two and towards a boutique with an excited, “You will look so good in this.”

The older vampire rolled his eyes fondly as he pulled Ranboo to a much more reasonable looking store. He smiled serenely at the younger as he kept Ranboo’s hand securely in his as they made their way around the shop. “I know you’re uncomfortable with all of this but we have more than enough money to take care of you three so there’s no reason for you to keep wearing the rags you came home in when we can get you new clothes with no problem.” He shot the younger a smile as he held up a fuzzy oversized gray sweatshirt to Ranboo’s chest. “You’re getting this.” He grabbed another one in pink, throwing it in their basket as well. “We can match.”

Ranboo shot the elder vampire an overly fond smile as he followed behind Dream as he led him through the store. The boy was a professional shopper, stopping at seemingly random intervals to pull something off the rack, hold it up to Ranboo, and then either shake his head in disgust before returning the item or gently dropping it in their pile. As the basket filled, Ranboo began eyeing it more and more wearily. “I— really don’t need this much, Dream.” He hedged.

“Don’t be silly, Boo,” Dream said, leaning up to press a soft kiss to the younger’s cheek. “You deserve nice things. Let me treat you.”

The boy sighed, reluctantly indulgent, smiling as he continued to follow Dream through the store. As they were nearly finished with the third store, Ranboo saw something that made him pause.

“What are you looking at, baby?” Dream asked, coming up behind the younger to wrap his arms around his waist affectionately. “Do you want that crewneck?”

Ranboo shook his head as he stared at it. “It looks like something Tommy would kill for, though.”

Dream smiled into the younger vampire’s neck. “Let’s get it then. I bet Tommy will give us cuddles for such a nice present.”

He hummed happily, turning to press his face in the older’s chest. “Thank you, Dream.”

They put the crewneck in their basket before making their way up to the register. Ranboo had learned after the first store to not look at the total price so he turned away, looking out the front door to watch passersby outside the shop. A few minutes later, Dream skipped up to his side, wrapping his arm around the younger as he led him to a bench nearby. They sat down as Dream set their bags under the bench.

He pulled Ranboo’s head down to rest against his neck, pulling the boy’s hood up to block his face from the public. “Time to eat, angel,” he murmured, pulling his shirt down slightly to give Ranboo a better angle.

Ranboo whined, nuzzling Dream’s throat affectionately. “Can’t we wait until we go home? What if someone sees?”

Dream pressed a soft kiss to the other’s head, shushing him as he said, “No one will see, baby. And no, you can’t wait. Phil would kill me if I let you go that long without eating.” He smiled goodnaturedly, “Come on, don’t you want to feed from me? You’ve been here almost a week and you haven’t drank from me yet. I’m starting to think you don’t like strawberries.”

“I love strawberries,” Ranboo muttered, pressing close as he carefully bit down near the elder’s collarbone.

The older vampire hummed happily, tucking Ranboo’s face closer to his chest as he made sure the younger’s actions were completely hidden by his hoodie. “Such a good boy, Boo.”

They were quiet for a few minutes, Dream texted an update to Wilbur and George with an attached selfie of the baby sucking on his neck to which he received a long string of heart emojis in response.

Once Ranboo had drunk his fill, he carefully licked the wound closed, making sure all traces of the elder’s blood was cleaned from his skin before pulling back. Dream giggled, reaching over to swipe a stray drop the younger missed from the corner of his mouth. “Such a messy baby,” he cooed, squeezing Ranboo’s cheeks.

“Dream,” Ranboo started hesitantly. “Why do you only taste like George? Aren’t— have you only ever drank from him?”

Dream sighed, pulling Ranboo close to his chest again as he played with the younger’s hair. “No, I’ve drank from everyone in the clan. But George was my first. We— we’re a lot alike— you and I. When George found me I had been nearly drunk dry and left for the sun by my sire.” Ranboo released a tiny ‘oh,’ pressing a soft kiss to the elder’s neck in encouragement. “It was just George and I for the longest time. He fed me and kept me safe in this little cottage he had built in the middle of the mountains. I was almost 40 when we finally ventured back into town and by then I guess I had grown out of my nestling phase so my scent was locked in to just George’s.”

“Wow,” Ranboo whispered, pressing a kiss to the base of Dream’s throat. “I’m sorry, Dream. I’m glad you had George.”

“Me too, Boo. Me too.”

“How—” Ranboo started, biting his lip. “I mean— how did you cope? You know... with your sire just— just fucking off?”

Dream combed his fingers through the other’s hair. “It wasn’t easy. A vampire— we need sires. It’s like written into our DNA or whatever. Without them our growth is stunted. It’s part of the reason the elders refuse to see me as an adult. Physically, I’m stuck somewhere between fledgling and adult because I didn’t have a sire until I was nearly a hundred.”

“What does that mean? Stuck between?”

“I never grew a sun tolerance,” Dream started, laughing humorlessly. “I should have built up some immunity by now but you and I are at the same risk of being burned by the sun. At the same time, my bloodlust has grown with me, thankfully. I’m only slightly behind my age range in tolerance in that respect. Phil suspects that I’ll never develop a thrall either— which is fine by me I have zero desire to thrall anyone ever.”

Ranboo’s brows furrowed, looking up at the other in confusion. “What is thrall anyways? I’ve heard you guys mention it a few times but I don’t know that term.”

“Thrall is kind of like mind control. It’s how sires used to control their fledglings in ancient times. It’s also used by less civilized vampires to steal away humans to drink from. It puts the victim of thrall into a hypnosis. Your brain gets all fuzzy and you just— do whatever you’re told. Sapnap once thralled me by accident. It was the weirdest experience of my life and he cried for days after.”

“What did he make you do?”

“It was when we met the wolf pack for the first time. None of us had ever interacted with wolves before so they were unknown threats, you know? But George found Jack tied to a stake in the center of this little village we were passing through. The townspeople had caught him on the full moon and were planning on burning him for witchcraft. George released his magic in a fit of rage— nearly wiped the town flat. He freed Jack and everyone could smell his pack coming too fast for us to run so Sapnap told me to go hide but I refused because I wasn’t about to leave George, you know? He got this really, like, panicked look in his eye and his voice changed when he told me to hide again. My brain went numb and I ran and hid in one of the remaining houses. They found me hours later because the thrall hadn’t worn off and I couldn’t come out from my hiding spot. It took Phil another two hours to help Sap undo the thrall and release me.”

The younger vampire hummed thoughtfully. “Why couldn’t Phil just, like, override Sap’s thrall with his own?”

Dream pet Ranboo’s cheeks, leaning down to press a soft, affectionate kiss to his nose. “A thrall can only be removed by the vampire that did it or by death. Obviously, there was no way Phil was going to kill one of his own so he had to teach Sapnap how to reverse it himself.”

Ranboo reached up to play with the choker around his neck. “And this— this prevents me from getting thralled?”

“Nothing can prevent you from getting thralled. But it prevents you from removing it while under thrall. That way we can come swooping in to save you like comic book superheroes and kill the motherfucker who thinks they could ever take what is ours.”

The younger giggles, pressing his face back into Dream’s neck. “That sounds nice.”

“What does? Being under thrall?” Dream asked aghast.

“Being yours.”

They were silent for a few minutes, Dream humming thoughtfully as he played with Ranboo’s hair before the sound of hurried footsteps rushed towards them. Ranboo pulled up just in time to see a wide-eyed Wilbur dart over to them from the staircase. “There you are,” Wilbur panted, wrapping his long arms around both of the boys. “You weren’t answering your phone, Dream.”

Dream shifted, pulling his phone out of his pocket. His eyes grew impossibly large when he saw the seven missed calls on his lock screen. “What? I— oh. I’m so sorry. I accidentally turned it on silent when I put it in my pocket. I swear I wasn’t trying to worry you.”

Wilbur sighed tiredly, pressing a soft kiss to the other’s temple before pulling them both into standing positions. “Time to go home, babies. The sun is almost up,” He murmured, bending down to grab their bags. “Everyone else is waiting in the atrium.”

The second Ranboo was in sight, Tubbo and Tommy bodily collided with him, knocking him to the floor.

“Boo,” Tubbo cried, pressing his nose into the younger’s neck. “You’re okay.”

Ranboo glared up at Wilbur who offered a hand to the younger guiltily. “I’m fine, guys,” Ranboo murmured, slowly standing up with the two boys still attached to him. “They just overreacted. I promise, I’m okay.”

Tommy sniffled into his hair, running his nose affectionately across the shell of the younger’s ear.

George came up to their sides, running his hand through Ranboo’s hair in greeting before pulling the younger’s hood up. “Sun’s coming up. We need to go before you boys get caught in it.”

Ranboo nodded, steering the boys in his arms towards the exit. He spotted Dream and Sapnap receiving the same treatment from Wilbur as he fretted, making sure they were completely covered from any possible early morning sunlight.

The group made their way out to the cars, Wilbur and George ushering the vampires into the cars quickly before getting the others situated as well. Ranboo had a packmate on either side of him, Sapnap and Jack opting to join Will and George in the Mercedes while Karl and Dream drove the SUV home. The youngest vampire pet Tommy’s hair soothingly while Tubbo clung to his other arm tightly.

“I’m honestly okay, guys,” he murmured quietly in the hopes of not drawing attention to themselves from Dream and Karl in the front seats.

“You're not allowed to scare us, Ran,” Tommy muttered petulantly into Ranboo’s skin. “You promised you wouldn’t leave us.”

“And I didn’t,” Ranboo replied in confusion. “Where is this coming from, Tommy? You were fine when we left this morning?”

Tommy nodded into the younger’s neck morosely. “I don’t know. I just— I don’t like not knowing where you are. It was scary— when George and Wilbur couldn’t get a hold of you and Dream. I thought— I thought I lost you. I— feel like I’m losing you.”

Ranboo sucked in a breath, wrapping his arm securely around Tommy’s back to tuck him against his chest firmly. “You will never lose me, Tommy. You, me, and Tubbo against the world, yeah? I will always choose you and Tubbo over any of our new mates. I’m sorry I ever made you think that was even a possibility.” He paused, leaning down to press a kiss to each of their heads. He took a deep, shuddering breath, quietly asking, “Do we need to leave?” He ignored the way Dream and Karl stiffened at his question, focusing on the boys next to him. “We can pack up and leave. Find a new city. Just the three of us. If that’s what you want, I’ll do it in an instant. Whatever you need.”

The wolf sniffled, wrapping his arms around Ranboo tightly while Tubbo tiredly shook his head against his shoulder. “No, Ran,” Tommy replied. “I like it here— with them. I just— I can’t lose you. I know you’d never leave us but I need— I— I don’t know what I need.”

Ranboo rubbed the other’s neck soothingly. “Do you need to mark me, baby?”

All the occupants in the car froze at the vampire’s words before Tommy slowly nodded. “If— if that’s okay with you. I’d— really like to claim you.”

Tubbo pulled away slightly to pull the neck of his t-shirt down some. “We’ll match, Boo,” he whispered excitedly. “We can both be Tommy’s.”

Ranboo smiled, pressing a kiss to the witch’s cheek before turning to Tommy. “When we get home, yeah? The three of us’ll go up to your room and spend some much overdue time together.”

The wolf hummed happily, going silent for the rest of the drive home as he nuzzled into Ranboo’s neck.

Ranboo kept his promise. They excused themselves from everyone quickly, making their way up the stairs undisturbed. The vampire assumed that Dream and Karl played a large part in that.

Tommy dropped heavily onto his bed, immediately opening his arms to the other two who were quick to join him. The wolf took his time scenting each of them thoroughly, before cocking his head to the side for Ranboo. “Please feed from me?” He asked quietly. “You haven’t fed from me since we were in the church.”

The vampire hummed sadly in apology before sinking his fangs delicately into Tommy’s neck. It was quiet for a few minutes while Ranboo drank. Tubbo took that time to wrap his long arms around the two of them to bring them both against his chest in a big cuddle.

Once Ranboo had drunk his fill, he pulled back, eyeing Tommy inquisitively. “How are you feeling, Toms?”

Tommy smiled, “Better. Like it when you smell like me the most.”

That made Ranboo laugh, pressing his face into the elder’s neck again. “I’m sorry I scared you today,” he murmured, turning the mood serious again.

“Thank you. I’m sorry I overreacted.”

Ranboo shook his head, pulling back to shoot Tommy an intense stare. “You don’t need to apologize for your reaction, Tommy. I know why you felt that way and I should have known you would have reacted like that.”

Tommy nuzzled his cheek in thanks before examining Ranboo closely. “Can I really claim you, Ran?”

“I’ve honestly been waiting for you to ask for months now,” the younger admitted sheepishly.

The wolf grinned widely, repositioning the three of them so that Ranboo was in his lap and he was tucked between Tubbo’s legs. “I didn’t think you’d want it, Ran. Conventionally, vampires don’t let themselves be claimed.”

Ranboo rolled his eyes, “What part of any of this makes you think we adhere to social conventions?”

Tommy laughed out loud, tucking his face into the other’s neck. “You make a good point. Can I bite you here?” He asked, pulling down the other’s shirt slightly to reveal his collarbone. “It’s where I have my mark on Tubbo.”

At Ranboo’s excited nod, Tommy bodily picked up the smaller man and turned him around so that he was straddling the wolf’s lap. Tommy licked at Ranboo’s skin greedily, moaning when he felt Tubbo pressing soft kisses to the back of his neck, before pulling back to extend his canines. Without further fanfare, Tommy sunk his teeth into the younger’s collarbone, closing his eyes at the happy little sigh Ranboo released as he sunk against the wolf bonelessly.

Once Tommy had finished claiming the younger, he pulled back, humming happily at the sight of his work. “You’re mine,” he whispered, leaning forward to press his lips to Ranboo’s contently. He pulled back only for his mouth to be replaced with Tubbo’s who pressed his lips first to Ranboo’s, then turned Tommy’s head so that he could claim his as well.

“We’re each other’s,” the witch corrected quietly.

They fell asleep like that, tangled up in each other's arms as the sun rose above the horizon.

Tommy woke to the sound of a camera shutter going off. He opened his eyes blearily, eyeing Quackity and Karl in confusion. The two elders were standing in the doorway to his room with their hands over their mouths. Quackity’s other hand was still hovering in the air, his phone’s camera pointed to the three cuddled on the bed.

“Sorry, angel,” he whispered, pocketing the phone. “You looked too cute to not capture.”

The beta rolled his eyes fondly, turning his head to nuzzle into Ranboo’s hair again. The elder wolf tiptoed into the room, Karl following silently behind him.

“Do you boys want to come down for lunch?” Karl asked, sitting down gently on the bed near Tubbo’s hip. The younger witch grumbled, brows furrowing in his sleep as he reached out blindly to pull Karl down to lay against his back. “Oh?” he murmured quietly. “Are we going to cuddle first?

Tubbo released a soft hum of agreement, tightening his hold on Karl’s wrist. “Sleep,” he grumbled, tucking his face away further into his pillow.

Quackity cooed, inviting himself to lay down on the other end of the bed so that he could bracket Ranboo on his open side. “You boys have zero right being this cute,” he whined, pressing a kiss to the vampire’s forehead before leaning over him to give Tommy the same treatment.

Tommy hummed happily, running his nose along Ranboo’s new claim mark.

“Ah, so that’s what you boys were doing,” Quackity murmured. “Can’t say I’m surprised. Congratulations, Tommy.” He shot the younger wolf a mischievous look. “Can’t wait to see what you boys will look like with all of our claims on your skin too.”

The younger looked away, red bleeding up his neck in embarrassment as he played with Ranboo’s hair to distract himself. “Maybe one day,” he hedged noncommittally.

Quackity smiled fondly, closing his eyes as he buried his face into the vampire’s hair. “It’s no rush, baby. We have all the time in the world to woo the three of you.”

Chapter Text

Tubbo rubbed his eyes tiredly as he shuffled down the stairs into the den. He looked around in confusion, brows furrowing as he asked, “Have you guys seen Tommy?”

Sam sat up, looking at the younger witch in alarm. “He’s not still in bed?”

He shook his head, moving tiredly over to collapse on George. “No, I felt him get up a few hours ago. Figured he’d just come down here for cuddles.”

The pack alpha shook his head, standing up. “We haven’t seen him yet this morning. I’ll look around for him.”

Tubbo hummed worriedly, nuzzling into George’s neck to avoid looking at the rest of the room. Most of the clan was awake, collected around the room as they relaxed against each other in the early morning. He sat up suddenly, jumping out of George’s arms to make his way over to the calendar hanging up on the wall separating the den from the kitchen.

“Oh,” he murmured quietly, closing his eyes.

“What’s wrong, treasure?” George asked, coming over to wrap his arms around the younger’s waist.

Tubbo hummed again, biting his lip as he turned to tuck his face into the elder’s chest. “It’s the full moon tonight.”

George nodded in confusion. “It is. Is there something wrong with that?”

“No,” Ranboo whispered, coming down the stairs slowly. “But it explains where Tommy went.” He shuffled over to the witches, his bare feet smacking quietly across the hardwood. The vampire wrapped his arms around Tubbo’s waist, pressing soft kisses to the back of his neck. “We should go find him before he gets himself stuck in a hole again.”

Ranboo let out a little meep as he was picked up from behind before being tucked firmly into Techno’s lap. Techno’s coffee and bamboo scent invaded his nose as long arms wrapped around his waist. “Don't worry, they will find Tommy, baby,” the elder murmured, turning Ranboo’s head to press into his neck. “You need to eat.”

George dragged Tubbo back over to the couch, tucking him in the space between his legs as he reached forward to grab some fruit he had been nibbling on before the younger came down and pressed it to the witch’s lips. “So does this little one.” Tubbo took a half-hearted bite of the fruit as he looked over George’s shoulder towards the staircase in worry.

He turned back to Ranboo who was resolutely refusing to bite down on Techno. “He could be anywhere,” he fretted, pulling on his lower lip.

Techno sighed heavily, giving up to just tuck Ranboo’s head against his chest. “They will find him. What’s the big deal anyways? Pups always go a bit feral before the full moon. They’re closer to their wolf even before the sun sets and they shift. I’m sure he just went to go run off some steam in the woods.”

Tubbo shook his head resolutely. “You don’t get it. Tommy isn’t— he doesn’t like shifting.” Everyone in the den froze, looking at the young witch in shock. “He’s— Tommy is— small .”

“He was the runt,” Ranboo breathed.

Everyone sucked in scandalized gasps around them. “Ranboo” Quackity admonished, glaring at the younger in displeasure. “I never want to hear that slur come out of your mouth again.” He sniffled, scrunching his face unpleasantly as he turned to tuck his head into Purpled’s chest.

“What?” The younger vampire asked, sitting up in confusion.

Tubbo nodded his head in agreement looking around at the clan in concern. “It’s a slur?” He added, equally confused.

Purpled nodded his head, frowning at the youngers. “You didn’t know?” At their confused headshakes, he sighed and continued. “It’s a cruel, archaic term in wolf history. Quackity was the quote-unquote ‘runt’ of his original family pack. It’s not something that you use to refer to someone you love.”

“But— that’s what Tommy told us he was,” Ranboo murmured, looking down. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t know it was a bad word.”

Quackity sighed, getting up to sit next to Techno and pulled Ranboo into his arms. “It’s okay, angel. I forgive you. Just please don’t use that term again alright?” Ranboo nodded his head in understanding, burying his face in the elder wolf’s neck.

Tubbo huffed angrily from his spot on George’s lap. “Just another thing that fucked up family pack of his did to him.”

“What happened to his family pack?” Purpled asked, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees. “You guys don’t talk about your pasts much. Why isn’t Tommy still with them?”

“They cast him out,” Tubbo whispered, playing with George’s fingers in his lap. “He was born the ru— the smallest. So, you know, he was always the last to be fed and he— he never got any attention or praise that his siblings got. But they were his family, so— he loved them. They’re— really traditional though. So when he presented as a beta—”

Quackity sucked in a breath, squeezing Ranboo tightly. “They cast him out.”

“Mhmm,” the younger witch mumbled. “A wolf pack like that has no use for betas. They really did a number on him— nearly killed him. They— they stripped him of his pack bonds and then just— left him alone in the woods to bleed out. Tommy is strong though.”

“My poor baby,” Quackity fretted, turning to look at Sam who had just entered the room with a sleepy Punz in tow. “Sam” he pleaded.

“Where does Tommy usually go on the full moon?” Sam asked, moving to kneel in front of Tubbo.

“Usually he spends it in the church with us,” Tubbo whispered, twisting his fingers in his lap. “We cuddle and give him lots of pets.” He paused, thinking carefully, “The first full moon after Boo joined us though, Tommy ran off to hide in the park.”

Ranboo huffed out a laugh, dropping his forehead onto Quackity’s shoulder. “I remember that. Tommy was so embarrassed when I carried him home.”

Quackity’s eyes widened, “He’s small enough to carry ?”

The younger boys nodded their heads in unison. “Mhmm,” Tubbo affirmed.

George giggled into Tubbo’s neck. “You’d never be able to guess with how muscled he is in human form.”

“He likes small spaces when he’s a wolf,” Tubbo stated, looking back at Sam. “I once found him wedged in a chipmunk hole out behind the church. It took me and Ranboo over an hour to get him out.”

Sam smiled reassuringly at the younger, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to the witch’s forehead. We’ll find Tommy and bring him home before you know it, Tubbo. Just stay with the clan while we do, okay?” Tubbo nodded hesitantly, turning to press his face into George’s chest. “In the meantime,” he continued, turning to face Ranboo. “ Please eat— both of you.” Ranboo looked away, biting his lip. Sam frowned, moving to crouch in front of the younger vampire. “I mean it, Ranboo. Eat. I know you’re worried but we will take care of it. If I have to worry about you too I won’t be able to focus all my attention on finding Tommy.” It was a dirty play and everyone knew it but it had the desired effect when Ranboo sighed heavily and shifted back into Techno’s lap to nibble at the elder’s neck. He felt his hair being ruffled from Sam’s fingers as he stood up, murmuring a soft, “Good boy,” before making his way towards the kitchen where Phil was watching.

“He’s still wearing the tracker,” the clanhead started, pulling a small, square piece of enchanted glass from his pocket. His hand glowed a soft powder blue as it hovered over the pane before he handed it to Sam. “Bring my baby home.”

Sam shot the other a fond smile, leaning forward to press a kiss to Phil’s cheek. “We’ll be home before you know it.”

Phil chuckled, rolling his eyes, “Yeah, yeah. Be safe, okay?”

“For you? Always.”

“Why’d you bring me with you?” Punz asked as they trekked towards Tommy’s tracker. “I would have thought you’d want to bring Wilbur or Jack since they’re closer to Tommy.”

Sam shot the younger wolf a sad smile. “Tommy needs someone who can relate to him.” He reached over to wrap his arm around the younger’s shoulder, pulling him close. “You know intimately what it’s like to be abandoned by your alpha.”

Punz whined sadly, stopping in his tracks to bury his face into the alpha’s neck. They were silent for a moment as Sam combed through the beta’s hair with his fingers. “It helps that you’re a beta too. You know what his instincts are like better than any of us.”

The younger wolf nodded his head pulling away to lace his fingers through his alpha’s. “Let’s go find our wayward puppy.”

The Alpha smiled approvingly as he held up the glass square in the hand not holding Punz’s. They walked on for a few more minutes, keeping their eyes and ears peeled for signs of their youngest wolf. Punz brought his hand up to stop Sam from moving forward. He pointed towards a hollowed out stump where a small white tail was sticking out.

Punz released Sam’s hand, taking a careful step forward. “Tommy?”

There was a startled yip as the tail tucked itself inside of the stump. Punz took another step forward, crouching down to peek inside. “Hi, pup,” he whispered, carefully sitting down cross legged in front of Tommy. “Can you come out?”

Tommy released a quiet, high pitched whine as he scooted further back into the stump.

“Hey, it’s okay, angel,” He murmured, placing his hands on the ground, palms up. “I just want to make sure you’re okay. That can’t be a very comfy place to sleep, yeah? Wouldn’t you rather cuddle with me?” Tommy whined again, covering his nose with his paws to hide his face. “Hmm? Very exclusive beta-only cuddle club, remember?” The baby wolf made a distressed noise, scooting out slightly on his belly. “That’s it. Good pup.” He pushed his hand forward through the grass towards the younger wolf. Tommy wiggled forward more, carefully resting his snout in the elder’s palm. Punz smiled, using his fingers to scratch under the younger’s chin fondly.

It took nearly twenty minutes for Punz to fully coerce Tommy out from his hiding spot and into his lap. The wolf’s tiny body was no longer than the elder’s forearm, which broke Punz’s heart. He carefully cradled the younger in his arms as he pulled Tommy up to rest against his chest. “Such a good pup,” he praised, pressing a kiss to the top of Tommy’s furry head.

The wolf yipped brokenly, trying to bury his face in the elder’s jacket.

Sam cautiously walked up to the duo, “You’re okay, Tommy. Thank you for coming out. Alpha is proud of you.” Tommy whined, turning his head towards the alpha. “You’re such a beautiful wolf.”

Tommy snuffled, turning back into Punz’s chest who chuckled fondly as he pet the younger’s fur. After a few minutes, Tommy began to wiggle in the elder’s arms, asking to be put down. Punz set the pup on the ground, stepping back a few feet as Tommy’s bones snapped and popped as he grew back into his human form.

The younger looked down at the ground as he pulled on his pajama trousers uncomfortably. Sam cooed, stepping forward to wrap his arms around the youngest wolf. “You’re okay, Tommy. You can get rid of those bad thoughts I know you’ve got swimming around in that beautiful head of yours. We aren’t mad nor do we think any less of you for your wolf.”

“But I’m a runt,” Tommy breathed, choking back a sob.

Sam shook his head, frowning at the younger. “You’re my pup,” he stated with utter conviction. “I don’t ever want to hear you call yourself that again, alright? There is nothing wrong with being a small wolf.” He pulled the younger in for a tight hug. “Your size says nothing about your character and everything about the character of the ones who raised you, Tommy.” He tucked the younger’s head into the crevice of his neck and shoulder, releasing his peppermint scent to soothe the boy.

“Your pup?” Tommy whispered into his skin, his voice thick with emotion. “Really?”

The alpha pressed a firm kiss to the top of Tommy’s head, “Really.” He rubbed his cheek against the younger’s, relishing in his scent on the other’s skin. “Mine.”

Tommy sniffled, pressing close as tears began to make their way onto the elder’s neck.

Sam hushed the younger, rocking him slightly in his arms as he brought him to sit down on his lap on the ground.

“You don’t want me,” Tommy whispered, scenting the elder’s neck for comfort. “ ‘m broken— no good.”

The elder shook his head, pressing another kiss to Tommy’s head as Punz joined them on the ground. “Just because your family pack couldn’t see past their own backwards ideals doesn’t mean we hold the same standards to our pack. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”

Tommy peeked out from Sam’s neck to shoot the other beta a confused look. “Because you’re a beta?”

Punz pulled up his t-shirt, displaying a scarred patch of skin where an alpha’s bite had once rested. “Because I was pardoned too.”

The younger sucked in a breath, scooting out of Sam’s arms to crawl into Punz’s. He leaned down, tucking his face into Punz’s neck to scent the elder beta. “Punz,” he murmured sadly.

The beta brought his hand up to comb through Tommy’s hair. “I didn’t understand how Sam could want me either,” he whispered. “But he did and he loved me and taught me how to love myself too. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a beta or being a— a runt . You are beautiful, and kind, and smart. And everything that this pack needs.” He pressed a kiss to Tommy’s temple, smiling into his skin. “And we will love you regardless of where you came from or what you are.”

Tommy sniffled, clenching his eyes shut tight as he scented the beta. “Can— can you tell me? About your— your first pack?”

Punz released a humorless laugh, leaning into Sam’s chest when the elder shuffled over to encompass both his betas. “It wasn’t much of a pack. That scar was a first bite and a pardon.”

“You’re a turned wolf?” The younger asked, astonished.

The beta nodded his head, “It was back in the fourteen hundreds. My village was raided by a pack of rogue wolves. I was one of the few survivors. None of us were supposed to make it through the change and when the alpha of the pack realized we were still alive he came back for us.” He rubbed at his scar thoughtfully. “It was the most pain I have ever experienced.” Tommy nodded his head in agreement, rubbing his cheek against the elder’s collarbone in comfort. “I really wasn’t supposed to survive the pardoning. I had already been weak from the change when the alpha came back and ripped through my packbite. I don’t think I would have made it if it hadn’t been for Niki and Karl. They found me in the middle of the woods, wandering around half out of my mind. They brought me back to their home and patched me up. A hundred years later we stumbled into Sam’s pack and never left.”

“Wow,” Tommy murmured, unconsciously mouthing at the elder’s neck. “I’m sorry.”

Punz smiled, petting the younger’s back. “It’s okay, baby. As horrible as my beginning was, it got me to where I am today and I could not be more thankful for that.” He dropped his neck back so that the youngest and the oldest could both scent at him. “I’m just so thankful we found you when we did, Tommy,” he murmured. “You’re the missing piece to our pack we didn’t know we needed.”

Sam hummed in agreement. “I can’t imagine my life without you now that I’ve met you,” he added fondly, making the younger blush. The three cuddled until the sun had made its way high into the sky and they were interrupted by their growling stomachs. “We should get home and eat before the moon comes out.”

Tommy whined, turning in Punz’s lap to wrap his arms around the elder’s shoulders.

“It’ll be alright, Tommy,” Punz murmured, stroking the younger’s back as he shifted to let the alpha stand up. He accepted the hand that was offered to him as he stood up as well, keeping a firm hold under the younger’s butt as he did to keep him close to his chest. Tommy wrapped his legs around the elder’s waist as Punz began walking back towards the house, Sam’s hand a gentle guiding force on his lower back the whole way.

The second they made it through the back door they were bombarded by worried voices. Punz let Tommy down who was immediately wrapped up between Tubbo and Ranboo who dropped to the floor with the wolf.

“Tommy,” Tubbo cried, pressing his face into the other’s chest. “What the hell is wrong with you? You don’t just leave you fucker . Dammit, Tommy. We’re a pack . You have to talk to us.”

Ranboo snuffled, fruitlessly biting back his tears as he buried his face in the other’s neck. “Tommy,” he whimpered, running his teeth along the other’s neck affectionately. “Love you, Tommy. Please don’t leave again.”

Tommy wrapped his arms around the other babies, pulling Ranboo into his lap. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

The two cuddled close, ignoring everyone around them as they reunited.

Phil’s voice broke through the quiet with a heavy sigh as he stepped up to the boys on the floor, exasperatedly asking, “Now that all the babies are home can we please feed them?”

Sam made a startled noise as he looked down at the babies in alarm. “What do you mean? Didn’t Tubbo and Ranboo eat when we left?”

Phil huffed, crossing his arms. “ No . The brats. They took one bite and then refused to eat until Tommy came home.” He looked down at the now two guilty babies on the floor. Ranboo buried his face in Tommy’s neck, pointedly not looking at the elders as he hid.

Tommy squeezed his waist. “ Ran ,” he admonished. “You need to eat.”

“I’m fine,” Ranboo muttered tonelessly. “I’ve gone way longer without eating. And besides— I wasn’t the only one not eating.”

The elder sighed exasperatedly as he looked up at Phil for help. The clanhead shot the boy a fond look as he bent down to pick up Ranboo despite his protests.

“Tommy is home, Ranboo,” he scolded, carrying the smaller man over to the couch. He sat down, tucking the younger against his neck with little room to squirm away. “I’ve humored you thus far. Now it’s time to eat.” He brought his finger up to make a small incision on his neck next to the younger’s mouth before pulling the other’s legs over his lap to cradle him to his chest. Ranboo made a noise of protest, trying to pull away fruitlessly. “Ranboo,” Phil growled warningly. “Time. To. Eat.” The fledgling sighed exasperatedly before finally latching onto the elder’s neck and drinking with vigor. “Good boy,” Phil murmured, cupping the younger’s nape to hold him there in case he had any clever ideas of trying to escape again. “I don’t know why you feel the need to fight us about feeding. What did that prove, huh? Nothing.” He used his thumb to rub soothing circles on the vampire’s neck as he felt Ranboo swallowing begrudgingly against his hand.

He looked up to see Tubbo and Tommy being swaddled by the others on another couch. Phil chuckled to himself as he heard the younger boys’ whining as they were each secured in someone’s lap while they were hand-fed lunch by Niki and Techno.

“Niki,” Tubbo whined, trying to twist away from the fork near his face. “I can feed myself.”

Niki snorted, pushing the fork against the younger’s lips until he finally relented and opened his mouth. “Clearly not,” the elder scolded, picking up more chicken for the younger while he chewed. “Otherwise you would have eaten when you were told. Now you get to be fed by me while Jack holds you like the baby you are.” He held up the fork again, barely giving the younger time to chew. “Eat.”

Tommy had accepted his fate much more gracefully, relaxing against Wilbur’s muscled chest tiredly as Techno fed him between little praising kisses. “Good boy,” the vampire murmured happily. Wilbur nuzzled Tommy’s neck as he ate, rubbing little circles on the younger’s hips.

Once they had deemed the babies sufficiently fed, they released them from their holds, allowing the three of them to drop down onto the floor and into each other’s arms again. Tubbo immediately curled up into Tommy’s lap while Ranboo pressed a series of kisses to the wolf’s shoulder.

The rest of the clan started doing their own thing again once they were assured the babies were safe and sound. Most of them left the living room but those that stayed gave the three on the floor a wide berth as they moved throughout the room. “How are we doing it tonight?” Ranboo whispered into the wolf’s skin.

Tommy turned his head, resting it on Ranboo’s as he rubbed Tubbo’s back. “I— I kind of want to run with the pack— if you two are okay with it.”

Tubbo turned in his arms, giving his best friend a serious look. “If that’s what you want, we one hundred percent support your decision.”

Ranboo nodded his head in agreement, “Whatever you’re comfortable with, Tommy. We have your back.”

The wolf buried his face in Tubbo’s chest, sniffling happily as the two boy’s cuddled their wolf.

“I still expect puppy cuddles,” Ranboo added, kissing the side of Tommy’s head.

The elder nodded dutifully, a playful smile spreading across his face. “Oh don’t worry, Ran. I know you can’t survive without my cuddles.”

Ranboo nodded his head sagely. “I really can’t.”

Tommy’s smile grew soft, pressing a soft kiss to Ranboo’s forehead. “Love you.”

It was nearing six o’clock when Sam came back into the living room, dropping down into a crouch next to the loveseat the three newest members had congregated on. “We’re about to leave for the run, Tommy,” he murmured. The younger wolf nodded, shooting the alpha a nervous smile as he turned to the two boys still in his lap. Tommy pressed a kiss to each of their cheeks before shuffling them off his lap, lovingly arranging them so that they were pressed closely together making them giggle.

“Love you,” he murmured.

Tubbo beamed up at the wolf, blowing him a kiss. “Love you more. Have fun Tommy.”

“Love you,” Ranboo whispered, closing his eyes against the younger’s shoulder. “See you in the morning?”

Tommy nodded in the affirmative. “See you in the morning, Ran.” He stood up, accepting the hand the alpha offered to him.

Sam wrapped his arm around the younger’s shoulders as he led him out to the backyard where the rest of the pack was waiting. Jack and Purpled bounded up to the younger excitedly.

“I’m so excited you’re running with us tonight, Tommy,” Jack exclaimed, jumping around the younger. He wrapped his arms around Tommy, nuzzling their noses together affectionately. Purpled wrapped his arms around the younger from behind, nipping at his neck playfully.

The pack alpha came over to the trio, “Have you ever ran with a pack before, Tommy?” At the younger’s embarrassed headshake, he smiled softly, reaching up to ruffle the younger’s bangs. “That’s alright, baby. We have a formation when we run to keep everyone safe: Wilbur takes the lead, my omegas follow, then Punz and Jack with me at the back of the pack. As the youngest, you’ll run with the omegas.” Tommy nodded, eyes wide as he shifted nervously. Sam cupped his face, “No one here will think any less of you for your size. We all want you here because we love you, Tommy.” He leaned in conspiratorially to whisper in the younger’s ear. “In fact, I guarantee everyone is going to absolutely love your wolf.”

Tommy looked down as he blushed, nodding his head to the alpha who kissed the top of his head in praise. He glanced back at the window of the house where he spotted Tubbo and Ranboo watching with wide smiles. He could see Phil behind them, an arm around each of their shoulders as they watched on. Tommy threw up his hand in a wave before walking over to the rest of the pack.

Punz reached over to squeeze the nape of the younger’s neck. “Ready to shift, baby?” He asked.

The younger beta nodded his head slowly watching as the others began to shift around him. His self consciousness grew as he saw the sizes of the other wolves, even the omegas were larger than him. Punz seemed to sense his apprehension, rubbing his shoulders soothingly. “You won’t alway be as small as you are now, precious. The more your wolf is enriched the better you’ll grow. Until then— let us enjoy how small and cute you are.” He pressed a kiss to Tommy’s cheek before nudging the younger forward encouragingly.

The omegas were all already shifted bouncing around excitedly as they watched Tommy with rapt attention. Purpled and Jack were both about the size of a mastiff who towered over Quackity who barely reached Punz’s knee. Tommy took a deep breath as he allowed his wolf to take over. He felt himself shrink down into his wolf form, thankful to note that he and Quackity were nearly eye to eye. Tommy stumbled over to the omegas, always a little rocky on his paws when he first shifted. He felt a wolf pick him up by the scruff when he almost fell over. Purpled released him as soon as he was on all fours again, yipping happily as he hopped in circles around the smaller wolf.

There was a quiet, breathless “ Fuck ” muttered by Wilbur and a near silent reply of “I know ” from Sam.

The rest of the wolves shifted, getting into position as they took off into the night. Tommy felt like he was soaring, running in circles around the omegas as they pounced playfully. Jack nipped warningly as he strayed too far away from the pack, pulling him back into line with an overly fond yip. They reached a clearing a few miles from the house where they all laid back to relax under the moonlight. He rolled around in the grass with Jack and Purpled for what felt like hours before Wilbur padded over to pick him up by the scruff with his teeth. He carried the pup over to the other wolves and gently set him down between his front paws as he laid down and began grooming the younger.

Tommy whined goodnaturedly, fighting half-heartedly for a few seconds before surrendering to his fate. Wilbur growled approvingly, licking back his fur. He was thankful to see the omegas receiving the same fate as him by the other alphas and betas; poor Jack had been ganged up on by both Punz and Quackity and was currently whining pitifully between them.

The youngest wolf closed his eyes, head rocking with the motions of Wilbur’s licks as he was lulled into a pseudo sleep. He relaxed against the older wolf, head dropping down onto Wilbur’s paws as he let out little contented snuffles into the quiet night. It was nearing early morning now, and he figured a few hours of rest under the watchful eyes of his mates could be permitted.

Ranboo couldn't stop pacing. The second Tommy ran out of sight, his feet started moving. Two hours in and he was still going strong. By this point, his nails were bitten down to the bud as he continuously checked out the window every time he turned around.

“Ranboo,” Sapnap called from the sofa. Ranboo ignored him as he continued pacing in front of the window. Tubbo had taken a different approach, asking Karl and George to teach him some kitchen magic to distract him. The three were in the kitchen, protective wards thrown up to shield the rest of the house in case the youngest witch’s magic went wayward.

Phil, and Techno were sitting off in the far corner talking quietly amongst themselves. Every once in a while, Ranboo would catch one of their eyes and he’d quickly look away before the worry in their expressions could cause him more guilt.

Sapnap sighed exasperatedly, “Ranboo. Come here, baby.”

The younger resolutely ignored him, turning to pace back to the far side of the window once more. He continued on for another few minutes uninterrupted before Dream stood up. He shuffled up behind the younger, wrapping his long, lanky arms around Ranboo to prevent him from moving forward further. “You make me tired just looking at you, Boo,” he muttered, pressing his lips to the fledgling’s neck. “Come lay down with me.” Ranboo shook his head, looking out the window again. Dream sighed, picking the young up around the waist and pulling him over to the couch despite his protests. “That wasn’t a question, baby.” He laid his head down in Sapnap’s lap, tucking Ranboo’s head firmly against his chest as he threw a leg over the younger’s trapping him to the cushions. He carded his fingers through the fledgling’s hair as he whispered, “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Tommy is safe with the pack.” He hummed, “Just relax. Are you thirsty?”

Ranboo shook his head, burying his face in the elder’s chest.

“Ranboo,” Phil chided warningly.

The younger released a world weary sigh, slowly nodding his head. “Yes,” he mumbled.

Dream smiled affectionately, dragging the younger’s mouth up to the junction of his neck and shoulder. Without fanfare, Ranboo bit down and began to drink begrudgingly.

“You can’t keep refusing to eat just because Tommy or Tubbo are out of your direct line of sight,” Phil scolded. “It’s not healthy, baby. Please don’t make me have to put a monitoring charm on your collar as well.”

Ranboo pressed his face closer to Dream’s neck in embarrassment. Ignoring the elder as he continued to drink slowly. He felt the air move as Dream flapped his arm behind his back, most likely trying to send Phil ‘not the time’ vibes. It seemed to work, because the elder ceased his scolding, turning back to his conversion with Techno amicably.

Sapnap petted the younger’s hair as he hummed lowly to himself. Ranboo fell asleep like that: mouth against Dream, being pressed against tightly, Sapnap’s hand in his hair, and the other’s soft voices a gentle backdrop in the late night.

Tubbo sighed from the door of the kitchen, leaning against the frame heavily.

“Is he okay?” Karl asked, pulling at his lip nervously from his place behind the younger witch.

“I think he will be,” Tubbo replied carefully, watching Ranboo’s body finally relax against Dream as the younger fell asleep.

Karl wrapped his arms around the younger’s waist as he rested his chin on Tubbo’s shoulder. He sighed sadly against the younger witch’s skin. “I just wish I could take all of your traumas away,” he murmured. “The three of you— you're such sweet boys. You don’t— you don’t deserve any of the bad things that have happened to you.”

Tubbo dropped his hand back against the elder’s shoulder as he hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe— but without those traumas we would have never met the clan.”

The elder released a soft, sad giggle. “Alright, I’ll give you that, baby.” He squeezed the younger’s hips affectionately. “Do you know why he reacted like this though?”

He shrugged, eyes watching his youngest closely. “He’s always reacted badly when one of us left. It was an adjustment— not being able to leave the church at the same time. The first time we left him home alone he nearly lost it. We found him shoved in a cupboard crying when we got back. The refusing to eat is new though. Usually he eats more when he’s worried.”

Karl hummed unhappily.

“He— despite how long we’ve known him, we don’t know much about his past before he was changed,” Tubbo continued. “Ranboo doesn’t like to talk about his past. All we know is that he was living rough all alone before we found him.”

The elder pulled him back into the kitchen, wedging him firmly between himself and George. The two hugged him sadly, pressing soft little kisses to his cheeks before pulling away and turning back to the potion they had simmering on the stovetop.

“We’ll take care of you,” George murmured, lacing his fingers through the younger’s in a promise.

Tommy practically skipped through the clearing as he shifted back to his human form. He felt Purpled wrap his arms around his back as he climbed up him like a tree, making the elder giggle.

He giggled. “You can carry me home, right?”

The younger hummed in agreement, hooking his arms under Purpled’s thighs to secure him to his back making the other squeal excitedly.

“Tommy,” Sam called, standing beside the rest of the wolves who had all also shifted back to their human forms. “Time to go home, pup.”

He ran over, holding on to Purpled tightly so that the other didn’t fall. He skidded to a stop in front of the alpha making the wolves laugh.

“Did you have fun, pup?” Wilbur asked, wrapping a hand around Tommy’s waist. The younger nodded his head as Purpled hopped off his back to go cling onto Quackity. Wilbur took the younger’s freed space to wrap both his arms around the beta in a warm hug.

Sam stepped over to the duo, wrapping his arms around the youngest’s waist. “Can we talk angel?” Tommy bit his lip, frowning as he nodded his head hesitantly. “It’s nothing bad, sweetheart,” he reassured, pulling Tommy over to the circle of wolves. He sat down on the ground, patting the grass in front of him for the youngest who dutifully took a seat.

The rest of the wolves all sat down as well, making a semi-circle out from their pack alpha. Sam leaned forward to take Tommy’s hands in his, a serious look spreading across his face as he stared at the youngest.

“Tommy,” he began. “We love you so much. And after the run we all agree that you fit perfectly here. I— we’d like for you to join the pack. You’re— exactly what we’re missing and we’d be honored if you agreed to take our mark.”

Tommy’s eyes were saucers as he took in the alpha’s words, staring at him like he had spoken a foreign language. “You— you want me?” He breathed, turning his head to see the encouraging and hopeful looks on each of the other wolves surrounding him. “Really?” At the enthusiastic round of nods and reassurances he received, he took a deep, steadying breath, looking down at his and Sam’s joined hands. “Can— can I think about it? I— really, really would love to but— but I can’t make that kind of decision without talking to Ranboo and Tubbo. I— they were my pack first and I’m not— won’t give them up. No matter how amazing you all are.”

Sam smiled, pulling Tommy into his lap so that he could press a soft kiss to the younger’s forehead. “Of course, baby. I would never ask you to choose between us. We’re hoping eventually all three of you will join the clan but we don’t want to push you too fast. I just— I couldn’t walk away from today without giving you the option to join us. And the offer will always be open. If you’re not ready now but decide a few years down the line that you do want to join then all you have to do is ask.” He hugged the youngest as close to his chest as possible, running his hand up and down the younger’s back. “We will always want you, Tommy.”

The beta tucked his head into the alpha’s neck, hot tears making their way down his face as he gripped Sam’s shoulders like a lifeline. “Sam,” he sobbed. He heard Quackity coo from behind him before he felt the omega’s body press up against his back as he was enclosed in what quite possibly might have been the world’s best hug.

“Such a good pup,” Quackity crooned, pressing little kisses up the side of the younger’s neck. “We love you so much.”

After Tommy’s tears subsided, Sam stood up, keeping the younger in his arms as the pack made their way back to the house.

The second they breached the treeline to the backyard, the door to the house flew open and a blur shot out towards them. The wolves raised their heads in alarm at Dream’s petrified shout of “Ranboo!”

The youngest vampire practically flew through the backyard, bodily colliding with Tommy’s larger frame and knocking him to the ground. “Ran?” Tommy panicked, quickly flipping them over and tucking the younger’s head into his chest. He could smell the putrid scent of burning flesh as Ranboo grappled at his back for purchase.

“Tommy,” he cried, gripping the elder’s t-shirt frantically. “Tommy.”

Tommy sighed in relief as he felt a large blanket flap over the two of them, fully blocking out the sun. “Ran,” he admonished, pulling back to stare at the younger’s tear streaked face. He took in the reddening skin, some areas, like his fingers, where he had received the most exposure, had turned a horrid shade of black. “What were you thinking , Ranboo?”

“You— you were gone,” he sobbed, scrabbling to pull the wolf closer to him.

He could hear the others talking from outside their impromptu blanket fort. “He woke up in a panic,” Dream muttered nervously. “I know he was upset but— I think he had a nightmare. We— we couldn’t console him. The kid wouldn’t even eat.”

Sam hummed, worry evident as he said, “Let’s get them inside. George— can you make a bubble for me?”

It was silent for a moment before the blanket was pulled back, revealing a very concerned pack alpha. “I don’t know what to do,” Tommy fretted, tears making their way down his cheeks as he examined his packmate. “I’ve never seen him like this. He’s— he’s really burned.”

“It’ll be okay, pup,” the elder assured, helping Tommy pull back slightly from the vampire. Ranboo made a high-pitched keening noise as the wolf moved away, making to follow him. Tommy shushed his mate, pulling Ranboo to sit in his lap instead as he cradled the elder. Sam carefully took the blanket and wrapped it around the younger boys. “I’ll lead you inside, okay? I’m afraid he won’t react well to having your scent muffled by the blanket if we just wrapped him up.”

“Good thinking,” Tommy whispered shakily. He took a deep steadying breath as he stood up, standing still so that Sam could tuck the blanket securely around the two. The elder wrapped his arm around Tommy’s waist, keeping the blanket cinched in his grip as they trekked the rest of the way to the house.

Once they were inside, Sam removed the blanket before continuing to lead them over to the couch where Karl and George were waiting with burn salve. Tommy sat down, keeping Ranboo in his lap as he did his best to hold back his tears. Tubbo was quick to join them on the couch, reaching up to pet the younger’s hair as he pressed a kiss to Tommy’s cheek.

They heard Karl suck in a breath through his teeth as he took hold of one of the vampire’s hands. “Fuck,” he muttered. “This is going to take more than just salve.”

“Niki,” George called shakily. The younger ran up, eyes wide in terror as she inspected the baby. “I need you to help Karl with his hands.” He shifted over on the coffee table they were sitting on, making room for her. Niki nodded determinedly, rubbing her hands as they began to glow white. George took another tin of salve and began rubbing it in to the vampire’s neck and face, clucking disapprovingly whenever Ranboo tried to hide his face in Tommy’s chest again.

Tommy could hear Phil herding the clan out of the living room, sending them to the den with words of reassurance before coming over to the group on the couch. “How is he?” He asked. His face was pinched with worry as he moved to sit down on Tommy’s unoccupied side.

Karl sighed, “He burned himself pretty bad. I— I’m afraid his hands might scar.”

George tilted the younger’s head up, making Ranboo whine as he tried to bury his face back into Tommy’s neck. “Ranboo,” he scolded, pulling the younger’s chin towards him again. “Stay still. I'm trying to help you.”

Ranboo whined, “ ‘m fine, Gog.” He slurred, trying to pull away. “Jus’— jus’ lemme— Toms.”

“You’re sitting on Tommy’s lap, Ranboo. You need to sit still so we can help you, okay?” George explained, keeping the younger’s chin in his grip as he worked the salve into his cheeks. “You need to behave, baby.”

“What— what happened?” Tommy asked, holding tightly to Ranboo’s waist.

“I’m not entirely sure, treasure,” Phil replied. “He— he’s been off since you left last night. We got him to eat once from Dream but not much.” The clanhead wrung his hands nervously as he watched the witches work.

Tubbo bit his lip. “I— I think his sire abandoning him really messed with him.”

Karl sighed, “That’s more than just being abandoned by a sire— that’s a lifetime of abandonment issues.” He grabbed some gauze from the table behind him, wrapping the blackened fingers after coating them with the burn salve liberally.

“I— “ Tommy looked up, making eye contact with Sam standing near the entrance to the den. “I can’t right now, alpha,” he choked out, swallowing down the sobs that tried to bubble up his throat. “I’m sorry.”

“Can’t what, Tommy?” Tubbo asked, looking between the two in worried confusion. He frowned when the wolf just shook his head in response.
“It’s alright, pup,” Sam murmured, giving the younger a sad, understanding smile. “I understand. You take care of your pack. We’ll still be here when you’re ready.”

Tommy turned to bury his head into Tubbo’s chest, biting back sobs as Ranboo tried to press himself against the elder in concern.

“Tommy,” he mumbled, pulling away from George to rub his cheek against the hollow of Tommy’s throat. “S’kay, Toms. Yo’re ‘kay.”

The elder wrapped his arms around Ranboo’s body, holding him close to keep him still so they could finish their work. “I am, Ran. You’ll be okay, too.”

They were silent as the witches finished healing Ranboo the best they could. “The baby needs to eat,” Sapnap stated, looking worriedly between Tommy’s red rimmed eyes and the very out-of-it vampire in his lap.

Tommy nodded tiredly, tucking Ranboo’s head against his neck. He used a nail to nick himself to entice Ranboo to drink from him. The younger sniffed curiously before he pressed in closer and sank his fangs into his mate’s neck. The fledgling drank sluggishly, like he was trying to hold himself back even as he was starving.

Phil sighed, cautiously reaching forward to brush back the younger vampire’s bangs. “At least he’s eating.”

“Not well,” Tommy mumbled, dragging Phil’s hand down to feel the slow movement of the younger vampire’s throat making the elder hum disapprovingly.

They were silent as they watched Ranboo drink. Eventually, George corralled Niki and Karl into the den with the rest of the clan, leaving Phil with the babies. The clanhead leaned back on the arm of the couch, opening his arms for Tommy and Tubbo to cuddle into him. They wedged a now-sleeping Ranboo between them who didn’t so much as twitch at the change in positions.

“I’m worried, Phil,” Tubbo confessed quitely.

Phil brought his hand up to card his fingers through the boy’s hair. “We’ll figure it out together, baby. I’ll make sure Ranboo is alright. I promise. We will take care of you.”

Chapter Text

Ranboo woke up feeling like he had been steamrolled by a truck. He groaned, rolling to press his face into the warm chest against his side, immediately whimpering when the touch sent stinging pain through his face.

“Ow,” he muttered, idiotically trying to nuzzle his face into the chest again for comfort. He whined, opening his eyes to see a slightly amused but still very concerned Tommy in front of him. “Hi, Tommy.”

“Hi, Ran,” the elder replied, bringing a hand up to comb through Ranboo’s hair. “Feeling better?”

Ranboo’s brows furrowed, “What happened?”

Phil spoke up from underneath them softly, “What do you remember from this morning?”

The younger paused, thinking back through his fuzzy memories. He remembered feeling anxious— really anxious. Why had he been so anxious?

Oh.

He felt his body stiffen as he looked over to Tommy. “You left. I— I don’t know why I reacted like that. I’m sorry, Tommy.” He looked away, closing his eyes. “I hope I didn’t ruin your run.”

“Ranboo,” Tommy choked out. “You nearly killed yourself.”

“I—”

“Look at your hands,” He growled. “You’re not going to be able to use your hands for weeks and that’s with Karl's healing magic. How could you be so reckless?”

Ranboo shook his head, sitting up. “I’m— I don’t—” He looked over to Phil with tears in his eyes. “I don’t know why I freaked out so much.”

Phil sighed, shuffling Tubbo and Tommy off his chest so that he could move to pick up the younger vampire, setting him in his lap as he rocked his body gently. “I know you’re scared Boo. It’s been a lot of change in the past six months. But you need to talk to us when you feel like this. How can we help? What do you need?”

The younger shook his head, burying his face in Phil’s neck. “I just need to stop overreacting. I’m sorry. I’ll— I’ll do better in the future.”

“I don’t want you to apologize for having emotions, baby. Promise me you’ll talk to one of us next time you get scared and all is forgiven,” Phil compromised, brushing back the younger’s hair fondly. He smiled when he felt Ranboo nod against his skin. “Good boy. Now— who do you want to give you breakfast?” The younger tensed in his arms and he tutted reproachfully. “Not eating is not an option, little one.”

The boy was silent for a moment before quietly whispering, “Tubbo.”

The witch released an approving hum as he sat up to collect his tiny mate in his lap. He tucked Ranboo’s head close to his neck, closing his eyes as he felt Ranboo begin to drink from him. Phil carded his fingers through the younger’s hair as he tucked them both under his arm. Tommy took the silent invitation to curl around the clanhead’s free side as he watched Ranboo drink with rapt attention. Ranboo pulled back after a minute, making the other couch inhabitants frown.

“There’s no way you’re full yet, Boo,” Tubbo complained. “Please eat. I promise I’m okay to feed you.”

Ranboo played deaf, nuzzling into the elder’s chest stubbornly. Phil sighed heavily, shaking his head sadly. “We’ll try again in a bit.”

“He’s probably in too much pain to eat,” George called from the doorway. The witch came over to the couch, carefully resting his hand on the baby vampire’s hair. “Isn’t that right, baby?” Ranboo hummed, closing his eyes as he leaned back into the touch. George smiled, bending down to pick up the young vampire from Tubbo’s lap. “Let’s go find Karl and heal you up some more so you can eat.” The fledgling nodded tiredly, resting his head gently on George’s shoulder. “Techno made lunch, boys,” He said, nodding his head towards the kitchen. “Please eat well— and make sure our lovely clanhead eats as well!”

He could hear Phil’s disgruntled huff as he walked off with the baby, laughing as he turned toward the den where he knew Karl was waiting.

Tubbo bit his lip, looking nervously to where Ranboo was sleeping against Wilbur’s chest. “Are you sure he’ll be alright?” He asked, pulling on his ear.

Phil smiled from his seat next to Wilbur. “Boo will be fine, angel,” he reassured. “He’s been doing a lot better these last few weeks. The baby will be fine without you for a few hours. I promise.”

The witch giggled, smiling softly as Quackity wrapped his arms around Tubbo. “Phil and Wilbur will take good care of the baby while we’re gone.” He reached up, pinching the younger’s cheeks. “It’s my turn to treat my sweet baby.” Quackity nuzzled between the younger’s shoulder blades.

Tubbo smiled, moving forward to drop a kiss onto Ranboo’s forehead before dutifully turning his cheek for Phil and Wilbur to give him kisses as well. He blew them both a kiss before accepting Quackity’s outstretched hand and letting the elder lead him towards the door to the garage. “Where are we going?” He asked as he buckled himself into the passenger seat.

“You’ll have to wait and see,” Quackity said, starting the car and backing out. They sang along to the radio as Quackity drove them to Kinoko Kingdom. Tubbo squealed excitedly as they stopped in front of a movie theatre.

“Really,?” He asked, bouncing excitedly in his seat. “I’ve never been to a movie before.”

“You haven’t?” Quackity asked in astonishment as they got out of the car. At the younger's head shake he smiled sadly and wrapped his arm around his waist. “Well then— I’m happy to be here for your first.”

Tubbo scrunched his nose cutely as they entered the theatre. “Don’t say it like that. It’s weird.”

Quackity smiled as he listened to the witch excitedly reenact the ending of the movie as they walked down the street towards an ice cream shop. The elder had just hit the crosswalk button when Tubbo abruptly stopped talking. He turned to look at the younger to see what happened only to find the boy frozen in his tracks a few feet behind him.

“Tubbo?” He called, cocking his head in confusion.

“Auntie—” the boy stuttered, taking a step back as he stared at something behind Quackity.

The wolf’s eyes widened, whipping his head around just in time for him to be hit with a paralysis jinx by a short, white haired woman. “Idiot child,” the woman snarled, holding Quackity’s limp body up by his neck. Her long, yellowed nails dug into his skin like talons as he gasped for breath, uselessly trying to fight back despite the jinx. “You think you keep power to yourself? That belongs to the Goetic.” Quackity’s eyes widened as he was forced to watch Tubbo fall to his knees in front of the Goetic witch.

“Please don’t hurt him, Auntie,” the boy begged, bowing lowly. “I’m sorry— sorry.”

She held out her glowing red hand to the younger witch. “Let Auntie taste,”

Tubbo bit back a sob as he extended his wrist, allowing the witch to snatch him up in her grip. Her magic burned his skin, making him bite back a scream as she pulled at his power. The witch threw Quackity’s limp body to the ground as she pulled Tubbo closer.

The woman hissed sharply, shaking Tubbo in anger. “What is this? First dud, now light . Another sun— just like my Aimsey. Disgusting.”

Quackity stared on in horror. He wasn’t in control of his own body, each limb felt as though thousand pound weights were anchoring each of them to the ground. The wolf whined in panic as Tubbo sobbed harder.

The witch used her talon-like fingernails to yank down his shirt to examine the younger’s claim mark. “You wretched boy— you mistake ,” she hissed, pressing her nails into the boy’s skin until blood bubbled up, trickling down his chest and onto his shirt. “You let a mutt claim you? Shameful.”

“I’m sorry, Auntie,” he sobbed, dropping his head as the woman shook him violently.

She dragged him away from the paralyzed wolf still lying on the ground.

Quackity whined frantically, unable to open his mouth as he struggled against the spell. “ ‘m sorry, Quackity,” Tubbo gasped as he was yanked away, his arm still being held by his aunt as she continued to drain him, tendrils of red magic digging into his skin like rose thorns. “ ‘m sorry.”

The wolf was forced to watch his baby get dragged away through his tears by the Goetic as his body stayed uncooperative. An elderly man stumbled over to him as Tubbo disappeared around the corner, “Are you alright, son?” He pulled out his phone, “Should I call you an ambulance?”

Quackity focused all his energy into shaking his head, tears streaming down his face as he struggled to sit up. The man helped him, letting him lean against his chest as Quackity gasped for air. “She— she took him,” he gasped, trying to get his hand to move to his pocket where his phone was. “My baby— I need— I need to call—"

The man patted Quackity’s shoulder gently, eyes centering in on where the wolf was trying to get his hand with little success. He brought his own hand down, pulling out the phone easily and placing it in Quackity’s hand. “This what you need, son?”

Quackity nodded, shaky fingers unlocking the screen and pulling up Sam’s contact information. He hit the call button, waiting anxiously as it rang a few times before the alpha answered.

“ Quackity?” Sam asked. He could hear George and Jack bickering playfully in the background . “ Are you having a good time with the baby?”

“A— Alpha,” he bit off a choked sob. He felt the old man behind him rub his shoulder again. “Alpha. She took him.”

“ Who took him?” Sam asked, all playfulness in his voice gone as it was replaced with his serious alpha tone.

“ Quackity. What happened? Where’s Tubbo?”Quackity sobbed. “I don’t know— alpha— I don’t know. Can’t— can’t move. She took my baby.

He heard Sam take a deep, steadying breath through the phone. “ We’re on our way, baby ,” he murmured. Quackity could hear the increased frantic voices in the background as the clan hurriedly made plans. “ Take a deep breath for alpha. George is making a portal right now. We’ll be there in thirty seconds.” Quackity nodded even though Sam couldn’t see him. “ I’m hanging up now so I can come through. I’ll be right there. ”

Quackity let the phone drop from his numb fingers as the man patted his shoulder again. “Some pack you got there, kid.”

The wolf nodded, struggling to sit up on his own as the white glow of George’s portal opened a few feet in front of him. Sam stormed through first, immediately collecting Quackity from the old man’s hold. “Baby,” he murmured, tucking Quackity’s head into his shoulder.

“He’s been hexed pretty badly,” the old man informed, standing up now that Quackity had someone else supporting him. “I only saw the tail end of what happened. But there’s not anything I can do against a Goetic.”

Phil stepped out of the portal, reaching out a hand to shake the man’s. His eyes glowed black as he held on for a moment longer than socially acceptable before pulling away and nodding his head. “Thank you for your help, sir. I appreciate you looking after my pup in my absence.”

The man nodded, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably as he took a step back. “I hope you find your packmate.”

The clanhead nodded, taking a second to shoot the man an appreciative smile before turning back to Quackity. “Angel,” he cooed, running his fingers through the wolf’s hair. “Can I take a peek in your memories?”

Quackity nodded gratefully, leaning into the touch as Phil’s eyes glowed black again. As his eyes faded back to normal, the vampire released an animalistic growl. “That woman is dying today,” he hissed, pressing a kiss to the omega’s forehead. He turned to Sam, “Take Quackity home, Send me the party— we’re going hunting.”

Techno stepped through George’s portal, his face set in a determined scowl as he examined the intersection keenly. Phil stepped up to meet him, bringing a hand down onto the back of the younger vampire’s neck. His eyes fluttered dangerously as he watched Quackity’s memory though Phil.

“I’m going to tear that bitch apart with my teeth ,” he growled, clenching his fists tightly.

Purpled and Jack stepped through the portal next, quickly followed by Niki and Karl. George wrapped his arms around both of the witches. “Bring our baby home, yeah?” he whispered against Karl’s temple. The elder nodded determinedly before George opened the portal, nodding once to Phil before stepping through and closing it behind him.

Phil stepped forward, the hunting party forming a circle around him as they eyed the glass pane in his palm. “He hasn’t gotten far,” he stated, forever thankful the babies had grown fond of their collars and had never asked for them to be taken off. “We need to go south.”

The party headed off, practically flying as they trekked through the city streets towards Tubbo’s beacon. They made their way to the industrial district of Dream SMP Lands where they followed Tubbo’s tracker to an old warehouse near the river.

The clanhead motioned towards the sides of the building. “Karl, Niki— seal this place off. I don’t want any of these bastards getting out. Purpled, Techno, Jack— you’re with me. Let’s go ring the doorbell.”

Purpled growled menacingly stepping in line behind Phil as the vampire made his way to the heavy metal doors. The wolf’s enhanced ears could hear Tubbo’s strangled whimpers from outside and it took everything in him not to just barge through the door ahead of his clanhead. Phil, however, did not waste any time in opening the door with a strong burst of his magic.

There, in the center of the large, empty building, was Tubbo. He was lying face up covered in a sinister red light as three other witches loomed over his still form. Jack released a window rattling snarl as he took a threatening step forward.

The witches paused, the tendrils of black magic hovering in the air as they glanced over at the pack unconcerned. An old, haggard looking woman took a step forward towards Phil. “Auntie found the dud,” she explained gleefully, gesturing backwards towards Tubbo. “Not a dud— little trickster.” She smiled, showing off a set of rotting teeth as she turned around to face her coven again. “Gonna eat him right up.”

Phil growled, taking a threatening step forward as well. A flash of sharp magic flew up in front of him, creating a see-through wall. A younger woman, looking much more put together than ‘Auntie’, stepped forward threateningly. “Stay put, bloodsucker. This doesn’t concern you.”

“Like hell it doesn’t. That’s my childe you’ve stolen.”

The woman laughed, “ Him ? You must be really desperate for a clan then. This boy is useless— should have done the smart thing and just drowned him at birth like my mother did to her son. Regardless, he is my offspring.” She grinned maliciously. “And I am going to take back what is mine. If he really means that much to you, I’ll give you the carcass when I’m done with him.” She sneered before turning back to Tubbo, having full faith her magic would hold against a mediocre vampire.

Phil scoffed, slashing his hand through the air, shattering the wall like glass, before flashing forward to pick the woman up off the ground by her hair. “That is my childe. And you will not harm another hair on his head.” Purpled and Techno quickly subdued the other two witches as Jack fell to his knees in front of Tubbo whose whimpers had quieted significantly once his ex-coven had stopped trying to drain him of his magic.

“Jack,” he sobbed, reaching a shaky hand up for Jack’s who quickly clasped their fingers together.

“I’m right here. I’m here.” He pressed a trembling kiss to Tubbo’s cheek before picking up the shaking body to cradle him in his arms. The witch clung to him, burying his face in the elder’s neck as he allowed himself to fully break down in the safety of his arms.

He heard a guttural scream, turning his head just in time to watch Techno tear his teeth through his aunt’s jugular. Her blood arched impressively as the vampire let her body drop the second she was dead. He gagged, spitting out her blood onto the concrete floor. “Fucking disgusting,” he grumbled, stepping over her dead body as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. The vampire made his way over to Tubbo, cupping the boy’s face in his large hands. “Baby,” he whispered.

The younger reached out a shaky hand to touch Techno’s cheek, futilely trying to wipe off his aunt’s blood from his beautiful skin.

There was a jarring set of twin screams as Phil and Purpled both bodily ripped the other two witches in half. Phil took a moment to scan the building, eyes glowing yellow as he turned in a slow circle. After a complete 360, he turned his head toward the door, “It’s clear. You can come in, babies.”

Karl and Niki raced in, not even pausing to take in the carnage their mates had created before enveloping Tuboo between them.

“God,” Niki tutted, letting the tips of her fingers glow a soft blue as she rubbed Tubbo’s temples. “Your magic, baby.” The other witch hummed in disapproval as he added his hands to help aid their baby. “Just go to sleep, sweetheart,” Karl murmured. “We will take care of you.”

Tubbo whimpered once more before closing his eyes as he melted into the elders’ hold, trusting that his mates would take care of him.

Tubbo woke up slowly. He groaned, rolling into the chest he was lying against as wakefulness prodded his conscious. Fingers carded through his hair as he heard George hum soothingly.

“You back with us, little one?” George asked, pressing a soft kiss to the top of Tubbo’s head.

“No,” he grumbled, pressing his face against the elder witch’s chest, scrunching his face as George’s chest shook with his laughter. “Lemme sleep, Gog.”

George chuckled, patting the younger’s head before wrapping his arms around the boy to secure him to his chest, “Whatever you need, angel. You can go back to sleep. I will be right here.”

Tubbo hummed approvingly, nuzzling his face further into the head witch’s chest as he tried to drop back off. He could hear the clan moving quietly through the house; soft clinking of plates in the kitchen, the stairs creaking quietly as someone padded down to the main level, hushed laughter echoing around the den. After a few minutes he sighed, pushing up off George’s chest shakily to look the elder in the eyes.

George smiled softly, helping the younger into a sitting position on his lap as he looked around the den. The majority of the clan were sprinkled around the room. He spotted Dream and Sapnap sandwiching Tommy on one of the loveseats. On the other side of the room. Quackity had Purpled cradled in his lap, the younger wolf sniffling as he was pressed in on all sides by Wilbur, and Jack. On the floor in the center of the den was Ranboo, snuggled into Techno’s chest as the elder wiped at the boy’s puffy, teary face as he slept. He noticed a distinct lack of Phil, Sam, and Punz, making him sit up slightly as he looked around for them, filled with the inescapable need to know exactly where everyone in the clan was at that moment.

“Where—”

George hushed him gently, tucking the younger’s head back into his chest as Karl reached over to rub at his back. “They’re just in the kitchen, treasure. They volunteered to help with lunch.”

Tubbo nodded his head tiredly, looking over to Tommy’s teary face. “ ‘m okay, Toms,” he mumbled.

The young wolf nodded his head, smiling through his tears as Dream cooed. “Glad, Tubs,” he mumbled, letting his head fall against Sapnap’s shoulder. “They took care of us.”

The witch smiled, nodding his head tiredly. “Yeah— I think we just might keep ‘em.”

The two burst into tired little giggles as the rest of the clan watched on fondly. Yeah.

They just might.

Chapter Text

Tubbo had gotten used to his mate’s overbearing coddling surprisingly quickly. He woke up the morning after the incident surrounded by Quackity and Techno. They had wrapped their arms around him on either side, completely enfolding him between them. Quackity was pressed to his front, tiny little puffs hitting his chest as the elder omega slept soundly against his chest. Techno was wrapped around his back, nuzzling the side of his neck as he watched his sleeping nestmates.

“Good morning, precious,” he murmured, running his nose along the younger’s skin. “Did you sleep well?”

The younger nodded, cocking his head to the side to give the vampire more room to scent. “What time is it?”

“Nearly ten,” Techno replied, rubbing little circles into his hips. “How are you feeling.”

Tubbo moaned. “Like I was run over by a truck. I hate Auntie’s magic so much.”

Techno hummed, pressing a little kiss to the younger’s neck. “You’ll never have to feel it again, treasure. I took care of her.”

“Is she in pieces?”

The elder nodded, “And we burned the bodies. They will never be able to hurt you again.” He sighed, giving Tubbo a moment to let that knowledge sink in before continuing. “We need to know though, angel— who else from your coven is there?”

Tubbo shook his head. “No one. I— I saw mom’s necklace— she removed dad and uncle from it. So it was just her and my aunties left.”

“Good,” Techno replied. “Then there’s no one left from that coven that could hurt you.”

The younger sighed shakily, burying his face in Quackity’s hair. “Fuck. I— I don’t even know how to feel.”

The vampire pressed a soft kiss to the shell of his ear. “That’s okay, baby. I don’t expect you to have it all figured out. We will be here to help you though. You aren’t alone.”

Tubbo sniffled, turning to wrap his arms around Techno’s waist. Quackity huffed at the disturbance, opening his eyes slowly as he sleepily took in his surroundings.
“Baby?” He asked, propping himself up to get a better look at the youngest. “It’s alright, angel,” he cooed, reaching forward to rub at his back softly. “ We are here.”
The boy nodded into Techno’s chest. “I know. I’m just— I think I’m just happy.”

Tubbo was enjoying being the gooey center of a Ranboo/Tommy sandwich when George came into the den hesitantly. “Hello, babies,” he greeted, bending down to press a soft kiss to each of their temples.

The wolf glanced up at George from his very coveted place against Tubbo’s neck, “Hello, George,” he replied before turning back to Tubbo’s scent gland.

Ranboo mumbled an incoherent greeting from his spot smooshed against Tubbo’s other side, his face firmly pressed to the meat of the elder’s bicep making the others giggle.

“I came to fetch my pretty angels for dinner,” George sang, smiling at the three of them as he offered a hand to pull them up.

Tubbo sighed, reaching out to take the proffered hand and standing up. He ignored Ranboo’s little whine as he wrapped his arm around George’s waist. He heard Tommy get up slowly before pulling Ranboo along with him as the four of them made their way to the dining room. Tommy deposited a sleepy Ranboo into Techno’s arms, who happily tucked the younger against his chest, as he made his way to an open seat between Wilbur and Sam. The wolves smiled at the younger happily, Wilbur leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek before filling his plate with lots of meats. George led Tubbo over to an open area where the rest of the witches were tucked into one corner of the dining table. The youngest witch was eased between Karl and the coven head, the younger of the two quickly threading his fingers through Tubbo’s once he was seated.

He quickly began to eat as Karl began to chatter between bites excitedly. Apparently the witch had just perfected a spell that could change hair color at random and he wanted to enlist Tubbo to help him practice it. He readily agreed, giggling as his mates shot him a wide smile in return.

Techno sighed from across the table, brushing back Ranboo’s hair as he stared at the younger’s glassy eyes. “Baby, you need to eat. You promised, remember? No more skipping meals. And besides, both of your babies are right over there— safe and sound.” He pressed a kiss to the younger’s temple, “So please eat.”

The younger sighed tiredly, dropping his head onto Techno’s shoulder. “I’m not thirsty. Honest. I’m just— really tired. I didn’t sleep well today.”

Phil frowned from his seat next to them, reaching over to cup the nape of the baby’s neck. “You haven’t been sleeping well for a few weeks now, treasure. Talk to me— tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”

Ranboo shrugged, leaning into the touch. “I don’t know,” he mumbled against the vampire’s sweater. “Every time I try to sleep I get like— really anxious? Like— like someone is watching me almost. I don’t know— I— I know it sounds stupid and, like, I know I’m safe, but it’s like— I don’t know.” He shrugged halfheartedly, trying to melt into Techno’s chest.

The elder rubbed his back, frown etching across his face as he made silent conversation with his clanhead above the younger’s head. “It’s okay, little one. How about I lay down with you after dinner, yeah? I’ll keep all of the monsters away from my beloved.”

The fledgling hummed, rubbing his nose along the skin of the elder’s neck. “Okay.”

Techno reached up, slicing a small section of his neck with his fingernail. “You need to eat though, precious. Please? For me?” At the younger’s unhappy face he sighed, petting Ranboo’s hair. “Just a bite?”

The younger seemed to think about it for a moment before slowly nodding his head, tucking his face into the elder’s neck and beginning to drink.

“Is Ran okay?” Tommy asked, peering around Sam to get a closer look at Ranboo.

Phil worried his lower lip, carefully pushing back the baby’s hair to watch him drink. “I’m sure he’s fine, treasure. It’s been a stressful week.”

Tommy nodded, slowly relaxing back in his seat to continue eating. Wilbur took that as his cue to wrap his arm around the younger’s shoulders, tucking him into his side as he refilled his plate.

After everyone was finished eating, Phil and Techno took a dazed Ranboo upstairs, waving to the rest of the clan as they went. The rest of them dispersed in small groups; Dream dragged Sapnap to the game room, the wolves all went out to the backyard to release some pent up energy in the last dredges of the setting sun. This left the small gaggle of witches still sitting at their corner of the dining table.

George brought his hand out, placing it gently on the table in front of Tubbo, palm up. The youngest frowned at the proffered hand for a moment before clasping it with his own. The head witch smiled, slowly tipping his hand over so that the inside of Tubbo’s wrist was facing upwards. He brought his free hand up to stroke a finger across the scarred wrist, tracing the leftover bits of Tubbo’s old coven mark.

The younger couldn’t help the flinch that coursed through his body at the touch, forcing himself not to jerk away completely from the coven head. “S— sorry,” he whispered, focused on where George was still determinedly touching his scarred wrist despite the illicitness of the action. A coven mark was a very personal, intimate thing. Touching a mark outside of your own coven’s was seen as taboo and a mark that had been burned over was seen as shameful to touch. It was believed that touching the mark of someone who had been cast out doomed the other person to the same fate. The burn scar was also incredibly sensitive. Any touch to it felt like ten thousand needles across his skin.

The head witch frowned, carefully lifting his fingers off of the mark and letting them hover over the top of it. “Tubbo,” he started, keeping his voice low as he finally looked up to make eye contact with the younger. “We— we love you so much. The second I met you I knew I wanted to keep you close for the rest of eternity. You’re such a sweet, intelligent, and talented young witch and— I can’t imagine completing our circle with anyone else.”

Tubbo’s eyes widened, staring at George in disbelief. “You— what ?”

Karl huffed, moving to sit cross legged on the table so that he was directly in front of the youngest witch. “We want you. In our circle, in our coven, in our lives. We want to claim you as ours so that no other coven could even dream of touching you like that again.” He leaned forward to cup the younger’s cheeks. “We want to share our magic with you. And expand your abilities with our own. We want anything and everything you’re willing to give us and we want to give you the same in return.”

The younger stared at Karl in shock, slowly turning to find similarly hopeful expressions on the rest. “Isn’t— Isn’t Phil your fourth?”

George smiled, rubbing the boy’s forearm soothingly. “He’s a vampire, angel. He may have started out as a witch and he may have some latent ancient magic but he’s a vampire first and foremost.”

“Also,” He added, “Phil is so old that he wouldn’t need a coven even if he was still a witch.”

That dragged some snorts out of the younger boy as they relaxed a bit from their tense positions.

“I— If you’re serious. I would— I mean— I have to talk with Tommy and Ranboo first but— yes ,” he replied, trying to ignore the misty quality his eyes had taken on. They cheered around him, surrounding him from all angles with their hugs.

George pulled the younger into his chest, giggling madly as he pressed kisses into his hair. “Thank you, baby. Thank you. Oh— we’ll take such good care of you.”

Tubbo smiled widely, loving the feeling of being surrounded by them before he frowned. “I need to make sure the other two are okay with it first though. I can’t— I can’t do it without their okay— no matter how much I want it.”

George smiled serenely, pinching his cheeks. “We know, sweetheart. We were expecting that to be the case. We’d never want to do anything that hurt any one of you.”
The younger smiled, leaning over to press a kiss to George’s cheek softly. “Thank you.”

Tubbo dragged a sleepy Ranboo into Tommy’s room the following morning. The vampire was still rubbing at his eyes tiredly as the elder pushed him onto the bed. Tommy grunted, slowly sitting up as the younger fell on top of him. Ranboo moaned, turning to bury his face into the wolf’s chest.

The witch groaned, flopping down on the bed dramatically as he rolled his head to glare at his packmate. “Come on. Wake up . I have exciting news!” He bounced next to the other two, grinning widely as he watched the other two slowly shift into sitting positions.

“Okay, Tubbo,” Tommy stated a few minutes later once the two were significantly less sleepy. “What's up?”

He bit his lip, suddenly nervous to tell his packmates. “I— George invited me to join their coven.”

Tommy’s eyes widened, beaming at his friend. “That’s amazing, Tubbo! I’m so happy for you!”

Tubbo smiled, suddenly shy as he stared at the other two. “Thanks, Toms, but— I wanted to make sure it was okay with both of you before I took their mark. I won’t— I won’t do it if either of you are against it.” He pointedly looked at Ranboo who was staring down at the bed sheets deep in thought.

The youngest looked up, feeling his gaze. “I’m happy for you, Tubbo— really. If this is what you want then I support you.” He shot the elder a wobbly smile. “I just want you to be happy.”

“I’ll only be happy if you’re happy.”

Ranboo’s eyes went soft, leaning forward to cup the elder’s cheeks. “I love you, Tubbo. You’re mine . And you’ll still be mine even if you join the coven.” He rubbed the pad of his thumbs against the other’s skin lovingly. “I think the coven would be good for you, baby.” The witch burst into tears, sobs tearing through his chest as he threw himself onto his mates in a tight hug. Ranboo cooed, wrapping his small arms around his friend tightly. “You deserve the best, my love.”

“You’d— you’d really be okay with me joining the coven?” He asked, tucking his head down into Ranboo’s chest.

“If it makes you happy— and I’m positive it would— then yes,” he assured, using his fingers to brush back the elder’s hair.

Tommy scooted over, wrapping his arms around the both of them. He carefully pulled Tubbo’s wrist from where it was tucked around Ranboo to hold it gently between them all. “You’d look pretty— with their coven mark,” he murmured, tracing the scar with his eyes. It was silent for a few minutes before Tommy took a deep breath, gearing himself up. “Sam asked me to join the pack,” he whispered as he held his body taut. “Back at the full moon.”

The two boys froze, slowly turning to face the wolf. “And— you didn’t say anything?” Tubbo asked.

The boy shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. “It wasn’t a good time. I told him I wasn’t ready. I wanted to be sure that you both were okay with me joining them before I even considered it.”

“That was my fault,” Ranboo whispered. “Because I freaked out. You— you turned them down because of me.”

Tommy pulled the younger closer to his chest, rocking him slightly as he exclaimed, “ No , Ran. I turned alpha down because it wasn’t a good time for any of us.”

“Are you going to accept the bite, now?” Tubbo asked, pressing himself against Ranboo’s back.

He reached up, rubbing at his shoulder where his old scarred-over pack mark rested. “Only if you’re both completely okay with it.”

Tubbo sighed, reaching over to brush his fingers along Tommys cheek. “Are you okay with it?”

Tommy nodded shakily. “I— I really am. I want this. I want to be a part of the pack and I want you to be a part of the coven. And— and I just— I want for us all to be a part of the clan already.” He took a deep, shuddery breath. “I can’t believe we— they’re—”

“That we lucked out? Finding the best mates on the planet to call ours?” Tubbo cooed, rubbing his nose along Ranboo’s neck. “First we find Boo and then he brings home even more kind friends who take us home.” He giggled, nipping gently at the younger’s skin to make him laugh. “The fact that this could be our forever? Kind of blows my mind.”

“I want you guys to be happy,” Ranboo murmured, nuzzling close to Tommy. “If this is what you want, then I want it for you too.”

Tommy smiled, nipping at the younger fondly. “When Phil finally offers to sire you, will you accept it?”

“What?” Ranboo sputtered.

“You really think he doesn’t have some, like, extravagant, over-the-top plan to ask you?” The wolf teased.

Tubbo giggled, “Yeah, Boo. You know Phil absolutely adores you. I’m surprised he didn’t try to claim you the first time he came to the church.”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “He did try to bring us home with us that first day though.”

“That’s because you two are too cute to pass up,” Ranboo mumbled, smiling into the elder’s chest.

The three fell into giggles, laying back down on the bed in a tangle of limbs. They laid there for close to an hour before Ranboo began rubbing his teeth along Tommy’s neck. Tommy cooed, fluffing the younger’s hair. “Is Ran hungry?” He asked, reaching up to open his neck for him.

Ranboo shook his head, tilting his head to pout at the elder petulantly. “I want cookies.”

Tommy snorted, sitting up with the younger firmly in his lap. He took Tubbo’s proffered hand as he got out of the bed, tucking his hands underneath Ranboo’s butt to keep him secure as they made their way downstairs. “Chocolate chip or molasses?”

“Chocolate chip,” he mumbled, burying his face in Tommy’s neck as the wolf entered the den.

He walked over to where Phil was curled up underneath Sam’s arm. The clanhead smiled fondly, reaching up to place a gentle hand on Ranboo’s back. “Hello, babies,” he murmured, sitting up slightly. “To what do we owe this pleasure? I thought the three of you would be sequestered in your room for the day.”

“Ran is hungry,” Tommy explained, smirking as he felt Ranboo try to hide himself further into the young wolf. “Said he wanted chocolate chip cookies.”

A wide smile spread across Phil’s face as he opened his arms, sitting up slightly to accept Ranboo into his lap. He cooed softly when the younger vampire immediately latched onto his neck, biting down softly. “Such a sweet boy,” he murmured, petting the younger’s hair as he drank from him.

Sam opened his arms for Tommy who immediately took the invitation and plopped himself onto the elder’s lap, cuddling in close as he was enveloped by Sam’s peppermint scent. “Hi, baby,” he whispered against the younger’s hair.

“Hi, alpha,” the younger replied, rubbing his cheek against Sam’s neck to press some of his vanilla into the elder’s skin.

“How was your morning? I heard Tubbo wake you two up pretty early.”

Tommy nodded, smiling over to the young witch who had made himself comfortable in Karl’s lap on the other couch. “Yeah, Tubbo had some good news.”

Sam smiled knowingly. “Oh yeah?”

The younger hummed, smiling against the alpha’s skin. “Yeah— Sam?”

“What is it Tommy?” Sam asked, squeezing the beta’s hips fondly. “You can ask me anything.”

“Is—” Tommy took a deep breath, sitting up so that he could look the elder in the eyes. “Is your offer still— still open? To, uh— join the pack?”

Sam’s eyes widened before his face was split in half with the force of his smile. He pulled Tommy into his chest, tucking the younger’s head under his own as he rocked him gently. “Of course it is, pup. Are— are you ready?”

Tommy nodded his head, looking first to where Tubbo was shooting him a thumbs up and then to Ranboo who pulled away from Phil just long enough to nod his head fondly before ducking back down into the elder’s neck. “I— I would love to join your pack, alpha.”

A series of excited squeals sounded from around the den as Wilbur, Jack, and Purpled all ran over to the other two to smother the younger in excited kisses. Tommy giggled as he was pulled out of Sam’s lap, landing in a heap on the floor with the other wolves. Wilbur had his arms wrapped around him as he held the younger on top of his chest, smacking wet kisses on any area of the boy’s face he could reach. It didn’t take long for the rest of the wolves in the clan to join them on the floor, making a ruckus as they all tried to get a piece of the youngest.

Tommy was giggling like mad, half-heartedly trying to escape the alpha’s grip as he was covered in kisses by the two omegas. He caught sight of Punz, sitting near the edge of the pile, smiling widely at the younger. “Punz,” he cried, “Save me.” He reached out a hand for the elder who pretended to deliberate for a moment before standing up and pulling him from the pile despite the other wolves’ protests. He squealed as he was pulled away, latching onto the other beta who quickly sat back down with Tommy securely in his lap. “Thank you,” he whispered breathlessly. Tommy wrapped his arms around Punz’s neck, humming as the elder scented him.
“Can we do it now?” Jack asked, bouncing excitedly on Wilbur’s chest. The alpha grunted, reaching up to grip the younger tightly as he sat up, quickly being surrounded by the omegas as they looked over to Sam hopefully.

“If Tommy is ready,” Sam replied, moving to sit on the floor in front of Tommy and Punz. He reached up, gently brushing the boy’s hair back.

The younger bit his lip, looking over to Tubbo and Ranboo who both gave him a positive nod. “Yeah— I’d like that a lot, alpha,” he whispered.

Sam beamed, pulling Tommy back into his arms. “Okay, pup.” He pressed a kiss to Tommy’s shoulder where his old pack scar was. “Do you know how a pack claim is done?”

He shook his head, “No. My first pack never took in any new wolves when I was growing up.”

“It’s quite simple,” he explained, pressing a soft kiss to the scar. “As the head alpha, I bite you here. This opens the invitation. Then each member of the pack will bite you on top of mine to accept you. Once everyone has accepted you into the pack, you’ll bite me here,” he pulled down his shirt to show a series of overlapping bite marks over his heart. “To accept us in return. Finally, I seal the bond with another bite.” He dragged his teeth along Tommy’s skin gently. “Then you’ll be ours. How does that sound?”

Tommy nodded his head, grinning excitedly, “That sounds perfect.”

“Alright,” Sam rumbled, smiling into the younger’s skin. “I’m going to start. It’s going to be intense but we’ll all be right here with you.” The elder took a deep steadying breath before dropping his fangs and biting into the meat of tommy’s shoulder. The boy gasped, hands automatically dropping down to clutch tightly to Sam’s knees on either side of him as he was filled with emotions that weren’t entirely his own. He felt nervousness, and anticipation, and so, so much affection he thought he was going to drown in it. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls, Sam’s low voice in his ear a million miles away. “Youngest omega first— Purpled.”

Tommy’s senses were filled with hot chocolate as the youngest omega knelt down in front of him. He could just barely make out the boy’s wide excited smile before he leaned forward to bite down on top of Sam’s. He gasped again, unintentionally closing his eyes as he felt excitement thread through his veins. Purpled pulled back, cheekily pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose before pulling back.

Quackity crowded in close, booping Tommy’s nose once to get him to open his eyes before bending down to sink his teeth into the younger. Tommy’s breathing was coming in ragged breaths by the time they got through to Wilbur. The elder smiled softly, taking a moment to brush back the baby’s sweaty hair.

“You’re doing so well for us, treasure,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to Tommy’s cheek. “Just a bit longer. You’re so good, baby.” He bent down, pressing his teeth firmly into the swollen skin.

Tommy moaned, vision flickering as he was encompassed with another set of emotions. Wilbur pulled back, smiling at the younger’s blissed out face as he sat back against Purpled’s chest.

“Your turn pup,” Sam whispered, helping Tommy shift in his lap so that he could reach the alpha’s chest. The elder pulled down his shirt as he cupped the back of Tommy’s neck to help guide him. The wolves sucked in a breath simultaneously as Tommy bit down, opening his side of the connection to the rest of the pack. “Such a sweet boy, Tommy,” Sam praised as he was filled with the younger’s emotions. “So happy to finally call you mine.” He tucked Tommy into his chest, biting down once more on top of the rest of the pack’s bites to seal the connection.

Slowly the emotions began to muffle into background noise. Tommy moaned, pressing close to his alpha as the cotton effect finally faded, replacing itself with a sharp stinging headache. “Alpha,” he whimpered, dragging his nose along Sam’s neck.

“I know, baby,” he murmured, rubbing the younger’s back. “You did so well for alpha. Why don’t we all go lay down, huh? A little rest and you’ll feel better.”

Tommy nodded, wrapping his arms around the elder’s neck as he picked him up. “Thank you, alpha,” he whispered, letting himself drop off to sleep, knowing he was safe in Sam’s arms.

“Wow,” Tubbo mumbled after the wolves had all left the den. “Joining the coven won’t be that intense, right?”

George whipped his head around to stare wide-eyed at the baby. “Are— are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

Tubbo nodded slowly, looking down at his hands bashfully. “Yeah— we all talked and— I’d really like to join your coven.”

Karl squealed, leaning over Niki to wrap his arms around the youngest. “Oh! Can we do it now? Please? I want Tubbo so badly.”

“If Tubbo is ready,” George placated, smiling softly.

“Please,” the youngest replied, making eye contact with the head witch imploringly.

George nodded, smiling widely. “Okay, baby. Let’s go to the altar room. We have everything set up in there.”

Tubbo cocked his head in confusion. “How did you know I’d accept so quickly?”

Niki laughed, leaning back against the couch, “He didn’t. This lovesick fool has had the preparations for this since he met you.”

“Really?” He asked, astonished.

“I couldn’t help it, Tubbo,” George replied, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he stood up. “You’re perfect for us.”

The rest of the witches nodded their heads in agreement as they all stood up. Karl kept his arms around Tubbo, making the younger yelp as his feet left the ground when the elder stood up. He happily began frog-marching Tubbo into the altar room, making the youngest giggle.

“Wait,” he called, wiggling out of Karl’s hold to skitter over to Ranboo. “Boo?” He asked. Phil smiled up at him, pushing the younger’s hair back so that he could see that Ranboo was sound asleep. “Ah, thanks.” He leaned down, pressing a kiss to the youngest vampire’s cheek, making him scrunch his nose cutely. “Have a good nap, Boo.”

He skipped back over to Karl, lacing his fingers with the other’s as they made their way to the altar room. Tubbo had been in the room a few times before since moving in with the clan and he still could not get over how different it was in comparison to the altar room his coven had growing up. The room was painted a muted gray and was filled to the brim with soft, colorful blankets and pillows scattered across the floor in a loose circle surrounding a low seafoam green table engraved with wards, protections, and healing enchants. He squatted down to trace his fingers across a small etching protection symbol he had made on the table top. Tubbo liked seeing bits of himself in their altar room and he couldn’t wait to place more of them.

George hummed as he pulled out a small box from the cherry armoire on the far wall. He walked it over to the table, sitting down on one side of it and gesturing to the space on the opposite side to him. Karl took his place beside George while Niki sat between Karl and Tubbo. The head witch smiled fondly pulling out a candle stick that was nearly completely used up and a stick of charcoal.

“This is our coven’s flame, Tubbo,” He explained, lighting the candle with his magic and carefully placing it on the right hand side of the table. “It is the source that binds our magics together as one as it will bind us to you as well.” He brought the inside of his wrist to rest overtop the candle, letting the flame gently lick at his mark. The black of the mark glowed white as he took it off the heat. Each of the other witches took their turn to light their marks on fire as well. George smiled, holding out his hand for Tubbo’s wrist who willingly rested it in his palm. “Our flame will cleanse your body of your old coven mark in preparation for ours.” He led Tubbo’s wrist to rest over the flame, the heat a warm caress against his skin as the fire melted the scar until it faded into smooth skin.

Tubbo couldn’t help the tiny, “ Wow ,” he let slip past his lips as he watched his skin smooth out.

George smiled fondly, pulling the younger’s wrist off of the flame and gently placing it palm up on the table next to the candle. Karl picked up the charcoal stick, leaning forward to reach the younger’s skin. He drew a perfect Swirl on the flat of his wrist before handing it to Niki who made an intricate ‘O’ inside of the shape. The head witch pulled back smiling at the coven’s handiwork; they had replicated their coven symbol perfectly on the youngest witch’s wrist.

He took Tubbo’s wrist again, bringing it back over the flame. “With this, we seal our fate,” George intoned, smiling at Tubbo as his eyes glowed a soft yellow. The other two brought their glowing wrists to stack on top of Tubbo’s as the fire sealed the symbol into his skin.

The youngest gasped as the rest of the coven’s magic flowed through his body. “ Oh ,” he murmured, closing his eyes. “It’s so warm .”

Niki snorted, “Well, what did you expect? All light magic is warm.”

“I’ve never felt another person’s light magic before. Black magic is so cold in comparison.”

Karl smiled, leaning over to press a kiss to the younger’s cheek as they all pulled their hands back from the stack. “Good thing you’ll never have to feel that again.”

Tubbo smiled, looking down at his new coven mark. From the corner of his peripherals, he caught sight of the puddle of wax on the table that had just held the coven flame. “Guys,” he gasped, “The candle.”

“It’s okay, Tubbo,” George reassured. “The candle did what it was supposed to. It was created so that we could form our circle. You’re our last piece and now our circle is complete. The coven’s flame rests in each of us now.”

“Oh,” he breathed, closing his eyes as each of the witch’s magics brushed over him in soft caresses. “That’s good then.”

“It’s the best,” Karl confirmed, shooting the youngest a blinding smile.

George stood up, using his magic to levitate the altar table to the side of the room as Niki rearranged the pillows to cover the empty space it had made. The witch giggled as he collapsed back on the cushions, dragging Tubbo with him.

“What happens now?” The baby asked, tucking his head onto Karl’s chest who immediately began petting his hair.

“Now,” George began, running his fingers along their newest covenmate’s back. “We sleep. Our magic needs time to intertwine.” He laid down next to the youngest, opening his arms for Niki to press in close. “Our magic is going to knock us out in a few minutes. Sweet dreams, my babies.”

Tubbo smiled, closing his eyes against Karl’s chest as he let sleep take him.

In the den, Phil hummed worriedly as he stared down at the baby still sleeping in his arms.

“Boo’s been sleeping a lot lately,” Techno whispered, chewing on his lip as he eyed the younger vampire. “Do you think he’s alright?”

Phil sighed, brushing back Ranboo’s hair. “I’m not sure. I thought— maybe it was stress, at first, but he’s just gotten worse.” He pressed a kiss to the younger’s forehead. “At least he ate willingly today.”

Techno frowned, moving to kneel in front of the clanhead so that he could examine the younger more closely. “Yeah but he should be starving at this point,” he pointed out. “Ranboo has been eating, at max, two times a day and never enough. Aren’t you afraid he's going to go into bloodlust?”

“Yes but— I don’t know what to do,” Phil admitted, closing his eyes so he wouldn’t have to face his clan’s bewildered expressions. “I— I don’t know how to help him.” He sniffled, pressing his face into Ranboo’s hair to hide his tears.

“If—” Sapnap stuttered, looking very uncomfortable. “I— I don’t want to say this, but— what if we thralled him?” He closed his eyes at the gasps around him. “I don’t want to but— but he’s not eating . And— if we thrall him, we could get him to eat.”

Phil growled, tucking Ranboo closer to his chest. “We are not thralling him without his consent— or— or at least Tommy and Tubbo have to agree to it first— I can’t— We can’t break the trust we’ve built with them.”

Sapnap raised his hands up defensively. “It was just an idea. I never said I wanted to do it either.”

The elder released a shuddering breath, nodding his head. “I know you meant well, Sapnap. I just— I don’t want to force him to do something if I don’t have to. The poor kid has had enough of his life taken from his control.”

“I understand that,” Dream replied, frowning at the elder. “But Sapnap has a point. I think it might be a good idea. He’s probably been sleeping more because he has no energy because he’s not eating. Just— maybe just a few meals? Just enough to get him back to good health?”

Phil sighed, looking up at the rest of the vampires. “What do you think? Techno?”

Techno frowned, looking down at his hands for being called out. “I know— if I had been sick like this— I would have wanted you to thrall me to eat if I couldn’t do it myself.”

“You all think the same?” Phil asked, looking each vampire in the eyes. “What about Tommy and Tubbo?”

“If we wait for them to wake up to get their permission, it might be too late,” Dream argued. “He’s got to be getting close to bloodlust, Phil. I think they’d both forgive you for saving their beloved.”

“Just enough to get him to eat,” Sapnap reassured. “That’s all— you’re just helping him eat.”

Phil nodded reluctantly, looking down at the sleeping vampire as he swallowed thickly. “Ranboo,” he cooed, letting his thrall slip into his voice. “ It’s time to eat, little one .”

Ranboo continued sleeping, completely unaffected by the clanhead’s thrall.

Chapter Text

Phil’s eyes widened, staring down at the baby in shock. “What?”

“Phil?” Dream asked, cocking his head in confusion. “What just happened?”

“Nothing,” the clanhead answered, completely baffled. “I— that should have thralled him. But—”

Techno sucked in a breath, “He’s already thralled.”

“By who ?” Sapnap exclaimed, standing up as he began pacing, hands pulling at this hair in distress. “He hasn’t left our territory in weeks. How could someone have possibly thralled him?”

The clan was silent as they tried to figure out how their baby got thralled under their watch. Techno stood up, rubbing at his mating mark as he tried to piece it together. “His sire— his sire would have the ability to thrall him without his voice. Do you remember? You called me back to you when I tried to sneak away when I was a fledgling.”

Phil swore, eyes widening as he stared down at his baby. “I’ll kill him,” he growled. "Why now? Why leave him for the sun only to—” He brushed trembling fingers through the boy’s hair. "Who does he think he is?"

"His sire, Phil," Techno whispered. "He— Boo is his by blood rite."

"Like hell that psycho is taking my baby from me," Phil growled. 

"How long do you think he's been under thrall?" Dream asked tentatively.

Techno sat back down, shaking his head as he pulled the younger into his lap. "We should wake him up."

Phil shook his head. "Let's let him sleep. As long as he’s under thrall, he won’t fall into bloodlust. We need Karl to look through his mind anyway and they're still in the altar room. Waking him up would just let his sire know that we know." 

The den was filled with tense silence as they sat in worry. The soft moonlight trickled in through the open windows, cool night air brushing their skin as it breezed in deceivingly calm for the tense atmosphere. 

“Phil,” Sapnap whispered, pressing his mouth into Dream’s neck as he spoke. “What are we going to do if his sire comes to collect?”

The clanhead growled, tangling his fingers in the baby’s hair possessively. “That monster can go to hell. He’s not touching my baby.”

Dream nodded fiercely, “How are we going to stop them?”

“We need to draw him out,” Techno interjected. “Get him to slip up— come to us.”

Phil hummed, taking a deep breath as he added, “We’ll have to be careful with what we say when Boo is awake— a sire can backseat their fledging’s senses when they have them in thrall. It’s meant to help the sire keep their charge safe. ”

The vampires around him nodded seriously, all eyes on their baby fledgling as he continued to sleep soundly against their clanhead. With no way of feeding their very hungry baby, the men settled in to wait in tense silence for the rest of the clan to wake.

It was nearing four in the morning when Ranboo finally began to stir. He mouthed sleepily at Phil’s neck for a few minutes before pulling back, looking up at him in confusion. “Phil?” He asked, shifting to put his head back down on the elder’s shoulder. “Why are we still in the den? You usually move us to one of the bedrooms when I fall asleep on you.”

Phil cooed, pressing a kiss into the younger’s hair as he schooled his expression into one of adoration. “Sorry, angel. Are you uncomfortable? We got distracted talking.”

Ranboo shook his head, “You’re comfy. ‘M just cold.”

The elder’s bit their lips from voicing their worries; a cold vampire was never a good sign. It was usually a sign of bloodlust setting in. 

“Why don’t you come have some coffee to warm you up then, little one,” Dream suggested, sitting up slightly in the elder’s arms so that he could open himself for the baby. 

Ranboo giggled, smiling as he stood up. He didn’t make it two steps before his knees gave out and he collapsed to the soft rug below. “Treasure?” Phil fretted, dropping down next to the younger. “Baby, what happened?”

“I don’t— I’m fine, Phil. Just— just lost my balance.” Ranboo stood carefully, shaking his head. 

The elder wrapped his arm around the fledgling, leading him over to the love seat where he deposited him into Dream’s lap. He crouched down in front of Ranboo, examining his baby closely. “Are you thirsty, my love?”

He shook his head, frowning slightly. “No. ‘M just— just cold. And— my head’s a little fuzzy. Like when I was human and I had to go a few days between sleeping.” Ranboo heard everyone around him all suck in a surprised breath nearly in unison at the younger’s confession. “It wasn’t as bad as you think,” he tried to reassure. 

“Oh, I’m sure it was,” Techno muttered, “but that’s a discussion for another day— when you’re feeling better.”

“Do— do you know what’s wrong with me?” He asked, furrowing his brows as he fidgeted nervously. 

Phil smiled reassuringly, cupping the baby’s cheeks in the palms of his hands as he looked into the younger’s eyes. “I do baby, and what I’m going to say next isn’t for you, okay? I love you very much.” At Ranboo’s confused nod, his smile melted off his face as he allowed his ancient vampire persona to mold his features into something not many would be foolish enough to trifle with. “This fledgling is mine. Drop your thrall on him and leave or come meet your demise at my very willing hand but stop hurting my childe for your amusement or I will grant you a fate worse than death.”

Ranboo’s eyes widened in terror, confusion evident, before his expression suddenly turned stoic. “I turned him,” he intoned emotionlessly, looking blankly just over Phil’s left shoulder. “By right, he is my childe— not yours. And I am coming to collect.”

“You lost all right to him when you left him for the sun,” the clanhead growled, clenching his fists tightly in his lap. 

“The fledgling is more resourceful than I had anticipated,” Ranboo’s sire replied through him. “He will be useful.”

Techno hissed, leaning forward to glare harshly at his baby. “Like hell he’s going with you. Just try it, you sick fuck.”

Ranboo let out a dark, emotionless chuckle. “I’m already here.” The boy stood up, taking slow measured steps towards the door to the den.

“Oh no you don’t,” Phil growled, running over to pick the thralled boy up by his waist, taking his feet off of the floor completely. “You’re not taking him.” The doorbell rang, echoing through the otherwise silent house. Phil cursed, struggling to keep a tight hold on the wiggling fledgling in his grip. “Dream, go get the wolves. Sapnap, see if you can raise the coven.” The two boys ran to do as they were told. “ Fuck. That bastard waited until two thirds of our clan was out for the count. Fucking coward. ”

The doorbell rang again just as Sam came charging down the stairs in just a pair of joggers, Wilbur and Quackity close behind him equally as rumpled but fully on alert. The alpha’s eyes were wide in terror as they took in the scene in front of them. “What’s going on, Phil?” the pack alpha asked, coming over to cup Ranboo’s cheeks who was now growling like a rabid dog. “What’s wrong with the baby?”

“His sire’s thralled him— and he’s come to collect,” the clanhead explained, releasing a string of curses as Ranboo dug his fangs into the elder’s forearm and pulled. 

Sam released an animalistic growl, stalking towards the door only to throw it open and yank the vampire through their home’s threshold. “Release him,” he snarled, shaking the vampire’s front. 

The stranger smirked, his small, lithe stature much too calm in the face of a giant, raging alpha wolf. “I don’t think you want me to do that,” he sang, looking over to where Ranboo had stopped thrashing and was just lying limp in Phil’s and Techno’s hold completely silent. 

The clanhead passed the still boy over fully to the other vampire, Wilbur quickly taking up the fledgling’s other side in case he began to struggle again. “What the fuck do you mean by that?”

Ranboo’s sire laughed, “I’ve had my childe under my thrall for weeks— working him into a bloodlust. The only thing keeping him from turning feral is my hold on him. So I can release my hold, but then your newest little toy will succumb to the thirst. Would you like me to release him?”

Phil growled, jumping towards the sire instinctively before halting and taking a step back. He couldn’t kill him yet, not while his baby was still on the precipice of bloodlust. The clanhead knew he had to act quickly; the sire could pull out of Ranboo at any moment and send the little one into an irreversible bloodrage and he was not losing his baby. He closed his eyes, feigning defeat as he plotted, “What do you want?”

“What do you think I want?” The sire chuckled humorlessly. “I want what is mine.”

The eldest pretended to think before he nodded his head reluctantly, making sure he was standing in Ranboo’s path to the sire. “Promise me you won’t hurt him.” He heard the outraged shouts from the clan around him, knowing their hearts were breaking along with his. He’d have a lot to make up for in the coming months. 

The stranger smirked. “I give you my word.”

He took a deep, shaky breath, opening his eyes to look at Techno and Wilbur’s terrified faces. “Let him go,” he whispered.

“What? No!” Wilbur shouted, tears streaming down his face as he stared at Phil in abject horror.

“There’s nothing we can do, Will,” he replied emotionlessly. “I kill his sire, and Ranboo falls into bloodlust. I refuse to give him over, and he releases his thrall and Ranboo falls into bloodlust. There’s no option where we keep Boo and not kill him in the process. This— this is our only option.” He turned away, not wanting to see the other’s looks of betrayal. “Please— don’t make this more difficult for me, angels. Let our baby go.”

The sire’s smirk widened, puffing up his chest in Sam’s hold. Phil heard the boys moving away from Ranboo and then the younger’s zombified, clunky footsteps as he made his way across the floor of the den towards his sire. Right past Phil.

He reached out, snatching the fledgling before anyone could react and sinking his teeth into the nape of the younger’s neck. There were gasps around the room, frantic shuffling as his coven realized what he had done and moved to secure the sire despite his enraged protests. Phil’s senses were immediately flooded with Ranboo and he closed his eyes at the boy’s frantic thoughts as they charged through his head like a steam roller. The most prominent of which was I’m so thirsty. Everything hurts. Oh my god, I’m going to die . 

You’re safe, my love. He cooed through their bond. I’ve got you now. Go to sleep .

Ranboo tipped forward in his hold, only being held up the elder’s arms and teeth. Phil released his neck, picking up his childe to deposit him in Sapnap’s arms who had been standing worriedly in the back of the den. “Hold him for me, little one,” he murmured, petting back the slightly older fledgling’s hair before stalking over to a much more frantic ex-sire. “You didn’t really think I would hand over one of my own, did you? Do you know who I am? How stupid you must be to think you can mess with my clan. I am going to tear you limb from limb for trying to hurt one of mine.” He looked over to Sam his face softening. “Let’s move this to the backyard, love. I don’t want the mess inside.” 

The alpha nodded solemnly, dragging the now-violently thrashing vampire towards the backdoor. Dream, Techno, and Quackity stalked behind, each visibly shaking in anger. 

“Are the rest of the pups staying upstairs?” Phil asked conversationally as he opened the door and led the procession to the backyard.

Quackity nodded his head, “Yes. Punz and Jack are holding them down. Tommy is being the most difficult about that decision.”

“That’s hardly surprising,” he joked lightly, smiling softly as he casually rolled up his sleeves. “You can let them come down to the den— they can watch from the window if they’d like. However, the first pup that steps outside before I’m finished with this motherfucker will go over my knee.” The wolf nodded again, staring off blankly for a moment before blinking back.

There was a scrambling clatter as the backdoor opened and shut, George tripping over himself as he made his way over to the group. 

“George,” Phil called, careful of the hazy fog covering the younger’s eyes. “Go back to your coven, angel. I’m sorry for waking you. We’ve got this covered now.” George looked around blearily, foggy eyes scanning for danger, before nodding slowly, still incredibly out of it as he clambered back up the rear steps and into the house. Phil turned back to the struggling vampire, reaching out and snatching his arm in an inescapable grip. “Step back, angels,” he called, irises bleeding red with his magic. The rest of the clan obeyed immediately, making hasty space between themselves and their clanhead. Phil raised his hand that was not holding the struggling monster to create a protective globe around the two to separate them from the rest of the men in the backyard. The clanhead released the intruder once the shield was up, allowing the other to retreat to the far wall. “I would ask your name,” Phil stated, picking at his cuticles as he stared down the younger vampire in disdain. “But after today, it won’t matter. You chose the wrong clan to fuck with. I am The Angel of Death, the first ancient vampire to walk this earth. I am the reason for your miserable existence. Ranboo is mine . And you will die for trying to take him from me.”

The vampire hissed, crouching on the ground as he covered his head with his hands feebly. “I— I just wanted what was mine. You may be the reason for my existence but I am the reason that fledgling is even alive .” The man slowly regained confidence the more he spoke, standing to face the clanhead. His petrified expression molded into one of smug determination. “Your precious ‘baby’ would have died without me. I had been hunting him for weeks. At the rate he was going he wouldn’t have survived to see his twenty-fifth. The kid was dying anyways.”

“ You left him to die,” Sam growled from outside of the globe. 

The man barked out a vicious laugh. “I would have called for him before the sun rose— probably. Not that it matters anymore, you son-of-a-bitc—” He was cut off, his face snapping to the side with the force of Phil’s punch. 

He didn’t give the vampire a moment’s reprieve before tackling him to the ground, viciously laying heavy punches to the other’s face. Phil growled, sounding more animal than human as his claws extended, tearing through the vampire’s flesh like butter. The vampire screamed, thrashing uselessly below Phil as he offered no reprieve. He kept his promise, after he got out his anger, he meticulously detached each of the ex-sire’s limbs from his body. A darker, older part of him, something he had thought he had long since buried, bubbled to the surface, enjoyed the screams of the man under him. At long last, when the sun had reached high above the sky and Dream had retreated indoors, he reached down and quickly removed the vampire’s head from his body. He dropped the dead weight onto the ground, the sire’s head rolling off his torso onto the grass below as he stepped back. Fire licked at his palm as he flicked the flame towards the disassembled body. The vampire burst into flames, turning to ash in less than a minute.

As soon as the shield dropped, Techno staggered towards the elder, cupping his cheeks cautiously as he pressed little kisses all over Phil’s face. “Fuck, Phil,” he murmured. “I haven’t seen this side of you in a long time.” He nuzzled their noses together, shooting him a small fond smile. “How are you feeling? What do you need?”

“My baby,” he bit out, falling forwards to rest his head on Techno’s shoulder. “ ‘m dirty though. Gotta clean up— can’t let my babies see me like this.”

“Of course,” the younger whispered, petting his matted hair fondly. “You did so well— protected your clan perfectly.” He wrapped his arms around his sire, gently guiding him towards the back door. Inside was eerily quiet, the den blessedly empty. He shot Sam and Dream a thankful nod for their forethought in letting the pack know to make the den scarce. Techno could hear their quiet shuffling, the wolves and vampires all in the giant pack bed while the witches were still recovering in their altar room unaware. He knew the witches were going to have a conniption when they woke up and found out what had happened while they were out of commission— Tubbo especially.

Quackity bent down, helping Phil out of his blood and dirt covered trainers before placing a guiding hand on both of their backs, leading them upstairs and into Phil’s ensuite bathroom. Slowly, Techno helped the elder vampire out of his bloody clothes, dropping them in the corner to be discarded later before removing his own clothes as well. While they were preoccupied with that, the omega turned on the shower, putting it on its hottest setting, and helped the two step over the lip of the bathtub. He left them to clean themselves, turning away to collect some towels and comfortable clothes for them to change into when they were done.

The shower helped Phil tune back into his surroundings. He shuddered against Techno’s shoulder as the younger dried him off, helping him into a pair of cotton sweats before setting the vampire on the foot of the bed so that he could do the same. As if on autopilot, the younger vampire plopped down on Phil’s lap, baring his neck for his sire who happily bit into him, taking a few shallow pulls.

The drinking was more for comfort than nourishment; at Phil’s age he rarely needed to drink any form of blood at all, usually only drinking from the pack alpha a few times a month— too afraid to tire out any of his babies unless it was absolutely necessary. 

Phil pulled away, licking the small wound closed before kissing the skin in thanks. 

“What are we going to do?” Techno asked, petting his sire’s hair as the elder returned his cheek to the other’s shoulder as he closed his eyes in exhaustion. 

“Fuck, Techno,” he whispered as he bit back tears. “I don’t know what to do. This is not how I wanted to sire Ranboo. But— we were so close to losing him. We are close to losing him. He’s— he’s a breath away from falling to bloodlust and the only reason he hasn’t is because he’s not consciously having to fight it off with my thrall at work.” He took a shaking, stuttering breath, “If— if I remove the thrall we’ll lose him. I can feel him, in my mind, my baby is so scared— he has been for weeks. I don’t know how to help him.”

Techno pressed a kiss to Phil’s wet cheek, “Do you remember when we found Dream— how close to bloodlust he was? And you pulled him under, made him drink from all of us until he was so saturated that he could barely move— brought him back from the edge. We’ll do the same thing for Ranboo. You’re not alone in this, Phil. You have a whole clan behind you.” He pulled back, shooting the elder a small smile. “Besides, it’s been too long since my baby has fed from me. I’m feeling neglected.”

Phil let out a fond laugh, nodding his head as he stood up with his first fledgling and made his way towards the pack bed. Sam was waiting outside of the door for them, eyes overflowing with affection as he drank them in. 

Sapnap was still holding Ranboo with Tommy wrapped around the youngest vampire’s free side. His head was resting in Dream’s lap, who petted his hair softly as he stared out the window despondently, most likely lost in old, unwanted memories. Jack and Punz each had one of the other omegas secured in their laps as they sat pseudo-calmly on the love seat on the wall nearest to the bed. 

The clanhead took a deep, unneeded breath before throwing himself into leader-mode, stepping up to the bed as everyone shifted to look up at him worriedly. “Ranboo’s old sire is gone. I had to let you all think I was going to let him take our baby from us because I needed to make sure that that fucker didn’t let Ranboo fall from thrall until I had him under mine but in order to do that I had to lie to all of you and let you think I was letting him go. I’m sorry— so incredibly sorry— for deceiving you.” He bowed lowly despite his clan's protests that he had done nothing wrong.

"Is he going to wake up now, Phil?" Tommy asked.

Phil shook his head staring at the pup sadly, "No, baby. We'll need to keep him under for a little while longer. If I release him from thrall he'll fall into bloodlust."

"What does that mean?" Tommy asked, scrunching his nose suspiciously. 

Dream sighed, brushing back the younger’s hair. “It means he’s feral and as soon as Phil releases him, he’ll lose all sense of humanity. The only thing stopping him is his connection to Phil. He’ll stop at nothing for blood and he’ll never be satiated. It’s a death sentence.”

Tommy sucked in a deep breath, sitting up fully to look down at his sleeping vampire as he felt himself on the verge of panic. “We’re— you can stop it— right?”

Phil bit his lip, stepping forward until he was kneeling on the bed at their feet. “Yes. I’ve done it before.” He looked up at Dream, silently asking for permission. When the younger nodded his head, he continued, “When I met Dream he was hours away from reaching bloodlust.”

“I was terrified of what I had become,” Dream chimed in, closing his eyes to the memories. “My first time feeding away from George and I killed the woman I was drinking from. I stopped drinking entirely after that. I was so terrified of killing someone else that I nearly killed myself.” 

“I nearly killed him when we met,” the clanhead continued, moving forward to gently take Ranboo into his arms. “He was on the brink of a rage— tried to take a piece out of Karl. I thought he was beyond saving but then he pulled back. Started crying and I realized that he wasn’t completely gone so I offered him my blood but the stubborn child refused; said he didn’t want to hurt anyone. At this point, George had found Dream and was begging for him to drink from someone— anyone. And then that little devil turned those beautiful eyes of his on me and pleaded with me to help save his soulmate.” He shrugged, aiming for nonchalant as he tucked Ranboo’s head against his chest, situating the younger’s legs across his lap so that he was fully cradling the younger in his arms. “So I thralled him. Told him to drink from me. When I needed a break, I had him drink from Techno and so on. It took a few days of constant feeding before the bloodlust faded enough that I could release him from my thrall.”

“It’s also how Phil claimed us,” Dream chriped, sounding much happier about sharing that particular detail. “A thrall can only be held for a few hours by someone who is not their sire. So when Phil found out that I was a baby without a sire, he asked George if he could sire me. George agreed— obviously— and the rest is history.”

Tommy crawled over to Phil’s side, wrapping his arms around the elder’s waist so that he could rest his cheek lightly on Ranboo’s head. “Now you’re Ranboo’s sire?” He asked, looking up at the clanhead. 

The elder nodded, giving the younger a shaky smile. “I am, Tommy. I’m sorry I had to take that choice away from him,” Phil stated, swallowing thickly as he looked down at the baby in his arms.

The wolf gently rubbed Phil’s hip. “I guarantee Ran already forgives you— I do. You’re saving him. And besides— you’re like the best clanhead ever. We’re all lucky to have you— that you chose us.”

Phil laughed wetly, pressing a kiss to Tommy’s forehead before reaching up and nicking his neck and pressing Ranboo’s mouth to him. Drink. He smiled in relief as he felt the baby begin to take deep, hearty swallows for the first time in what felt like forever, gently pressing his palm against the younger’s throat to feel the reassuring bobs of his adam’s apple. 

Ranboo’s warm thank you resonated through his mind as his thirst slowly abated. A few minutes later, Phil pulled the younger away, flinching when his baby whined lowly through his consciousness. 

“Shh, baby,” he cooed, petting back the fledgling’s bangs as he lifted him into Techno’s lap who quickly nicked his wrist and brought it to the baby’s lips. “ Drink, precious . That’s it— good boy.”

Tommy shifted, taking Phil’s free arms an invitation to curl up in the clanhead’s lap instead. “So— we have to constantly feed him?”

He nodded, pressing a kiss to Tommy’s temple. “Yes. The more we can feed him the faster his bloodlust will fade. There’s twice as many of us this time compared to when we had to saturate Dream’s bloodlust. More people to fill him up.” He tickled Tommy’s side, making the wolf giggle. “Ranboo will be back to his old self in no time, treasure.”

They kept a rotation of feeding Ranboo through the night, around two am the coven came stumbling into the bedroom, collapsing on the rest of the clan as they each eagerly took their turns to feed the baby. By the time the sun was peeking above the horizon, Ranboo had finally stopped feeding, tucked between Tubbo and Tommy as the rest of the clan bunched in around them. Phil felt out Ranboo’s consciousness, looking for any residual bloodlust before leaning forward, cupping the baby’s cheeks as he looked into his glassy eyes.

Wake up, my beloved. He pulled out of Ranboo’s mind, releasing him from his thrall. 

Ranboo slowly blinked as his eyes cleared, looking around for the first time with clarity in what felt like forever. He focused in on the clanhead’s worried face before promptly bursting into tears and falling into the elder’s chest. 

Chapter Text

Ranboo felt like he was going to be sick. The sudden clarity he experienced as Phil released his thrall was like being dunked in ice water while he was sleeping. He gasped, sputtering as he fell into his sire’s chest, sobbing at the relief of finally being able to breathe . “Phil,” he shuddered, numb fingers grasping frantically at the elder’s shirt. “Phil— I—” Ranboo broke down again, wrapping his legs around Phil’s waist so that he was straddling the other man, getting as close as physically possible as he sobbed. Phil cooed softly, petting his hair as he gently rocked the baby in his arms. “Was so scared, Phil”

“I know, little one,” the elder whispered, holding the fledgling’s head to his chest. “I’m so sorry.”

Tubbo crawled up behind the baby vampire, wrapping his long arms around his middle as he nuzzled into his neck. “Ranboooo,” he whined, pressing tiny, frantic kisses to Ranboo’s skin. “You’re okay now, Boo. You’re okay.”

The fledgling nodded against Phil’s neck, letting go of the elder’s shirt with one hand to reach back and thread his fingers through Tommy’s. Ranboo was silent with the exception of his soft sniffling as he relished in the clarity of the world around him once more. He could feel the line of heat from Tubbo’s body against his, Tommy’s even hotter fingers soothing his palm.

“How— How long?” Tommy asked, voice breaking as he bit back the sobs threatening to bubble up out of his throat. “How long were you— under thrall?”

The younger bit his lip, pulling back from Phil to look at the two elder boys behind him. “Since the full moon, I think. He— he didn’t always control me and— I didn't realize he was in my head at first. I thought— maybe I was just like— sick? — or something. Like— I didn’t want to eat but my worry for Tommy was real so I thought maybe it was related? And then— then I couldn’t eat and I— I was so hungry. But my brain wasn’t letting me— he wasn't letting me.” He took a deep shuddering breath, closing his eyes as he continued. “Every— every time I tried to tell any of you though it was like I couldn’t get the words past my mouth. It felt like I was choking on my own tongue.” He started shaking, pressing in close to Phil’s calming presence as he fought through the memories. “And then— he started to talk to me— through our bond. It— the things he had planned for me. I was so scared. Phil— I— thank you .” Ranboo sniffled, running his nose along the clanhead’s throat as he inhaled his warm chocolate chip cookie scent. “I’m sorry that you had to claim me but— thank you for not letting him take me.”

Phil sucked in a breath, pulling Ranboo’s face away from his neck to look him in the eyes. “ I’m sorry, Ranboo. I would have never claimed you without your permission if I had had the choice, angel. Please forgive me for betraying your trust like that and know that I will do everything in my power to make it up to you for the rest of our lives.”

The fledgling’s eyes were wide, staring at his sire in confusion. “You— what?”

“Phil had this huge proposal planned out for you, Ranboo,” Wilbur explained, smiling sadly from his place near the headboard. “With balloons and roses— the whole works. He’s been fretting over the details for weeks,” he teased, playfully avoiding the kick the elder threw his way.

“Proposal?” Ranboo asked. “You want me?”

“Of course I want you!” The clanhead exclaimed, staring at the baby in horror. “You— you thought I didn’t?”

The younger shrugged, trying to hide his face in Phil’s chest again. The elder didn’t let him, holding him away so that he could keep track of the younger’s expressions. “I mean— I knew you wanted Tommy and Tubbo but I figured you were just... keeping me around for their sakes? That you just didn’t know how to tell me— especially since Tommy claimed me and all.”

Enraged protests sprouted around the room as the rest of the clan stared at their baby in horror. Wilbur and Karl were in tears, the younger crawling over to nuzzle Ranboo’s back. “We love you, Ranboo,” he cried. “We love you so much.”

Phil carefully extracted Ranboo from the younger boys’ grips, pulling the overwhelmed boy into his arms as he scooted back to lean against the foot board to give the fledgling a bit of space to breathe without letting him out of his hold. “What made you think we didn’t want you, Boo?” he asked softly. 

The younger shrugged again, trying to play it off. “Just— made sense, I guess. No one ever really wants someone like me for long.”

“Someone like you? ” Tommy exclaimed, rocking forward to move towards the younger again before Purpled snagged him, pulling him into his lap to keep him from crowding the other baby. “Ran— how could someone not want you?”

“I— My parents didn’t,” he mumbled, finally getting his way as he shoved his face into Phil’s chest again. “Neither did my Grandma.”

“Tell me,” the clanhead requested quietly, petting the baby’s hair softly. “Hmm? Tell us everything, please. Help us understand where you’re coming from so we know what to do so that you never feel like we don’t want you again— because we do. We love you so much.”

Ranboo shifted uncomfortably, feeling everyone’s eyes on him. “Everyone just always leaves eventually, I guess. Grandma always said that I was cursed to drive people away. Used to beat me up for no reason. My parents decided I wasn’t worth the effort when I was eleven. One morning they said that dad got a new job in Hypixel and that I was going to live with my Grandma while they were gone.” He reached down, grabbing hold of Phil’s fingers to give him something to distract himself with while he spoke. “They called once in a while, less so the longer they were gone until they just stopped calling all together. I think Grandma resented me for that— she lost her son because of me. Neglected me because of that. When I was fifteen she kicked me out. Said I was too much trouble— that I brought bad luck into her home.” He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he felt Phil run his teeth along his neck soothingly. “I was alone for a bit after that. Lived on the streets, made some decisions I'm not proud of— that sort of thing. Then I ran into this kid, Fundy, quite literally. He was running from this group of thugs and I just defended him— without thinking about the consequences. How stupid of me. The thugs beat the crap out of me and left in retaliation. I sort of expected Fundy to leave me too but surprisingly he called Sneeg and they brought me back to their place. Patched me up and then introduced me to Scott." He bit his lip, embarrassed about admitting to his upstanding clan-mates that he had been a drug runner. "Ran with them for a while. They were like a family to me. we did everything together, I loved them but I guess I wasn't enough— one day I got back from doing a delivery and the base was empty. Everything was just gone,” He sniffled, scrunching his nose as he tried not to cry again. “They left me— without a word. I wasn’t worth taking with them. I stuck to myself after that, didn't want to get hurt again— until Tommy and Tubbo, that is.”

“They were wrong, Boo,” Tubbo declared, looking ready to kill on the younger’s behalf. “You’re worth everything.”

“There’s got to be something wrong with me, Tubbo,” he argued, avoiding looking at the elder as he spoke. “Everyone gets bored and leaves me at some point. They can’t all be wrong. It only makes sense that you will eventually get sick and leave me too.”

Dream scooted forward, cupping Ranboo’s cheeks in his hands as he glared fiercely at the younger. “Never. Every single one of them were in the wrong, Boo. You are such a wonderfully kind and caring boy even with everything you've been through. Only idiots would be foolish enough not to love you unconditionally. Every single person in this room loves you more than we could ever possibly express. We won’t get bored of you or think you’re not worth it. We will protect you and make sure nothing like that happens to you again. And we’ll show you how much you’re worth to us every day for the rest of our existence.” He leaned closer, dropping a soft kiss on the younger’s lips before pulling back.

There was a series of approving noises from the clan as they agreed with Dream, nodding their heads profusely. 

“I just— you really want me? Honestly? Even if I'm a little messed up?” Ranboo asked, looking around in baffled wonderment. “Because it’s okay if you don’t. I won’t— I won’t be upset.”

Phil took hold of Ranboo’s shoulders, spinning him around so that the younger was facing him. He carefully took Ranboo’s hands in his, staring the younger down as he smiled softly. “I’m sorry it took me so long to ask this but I wanted to do this right with you and make it special, Ranboo. But I suppose the sentiment is still the same even if it is out of order.” He reached into his pocket to pull out a small tag, holding it in his fingers for the younger to take. Ranboo hesitantly reached forward, accepting the clan marker gingerly, staring down at it in wonder. “I love you, Ranboo. I can’t imagine my life without you in it and I want the world to know you’re mine. I never want another to come along and think they can take you from me. Will you accept me as your sire and clanhead?”

Ranboo stared down at the clan marker in shock. He gently traced the ‘X’ with his thumb. Slowly, he nodded his head, glancing back up to see Phil’s face-splitting grin. 

The elder carefully took the pack marker back, reaching up to hook it into the ring on his fledgling’s collar. Warmth washed over Ranboo as the claim solidified with help from the elder's magic, making tears well up in his eyes as he finally felt wanted, wholly and unconditionally, for the first time in his life, Phil’s love for him resonating through the bond like a soft lullaby. He could sense the rest of the vampires as well, not as strongly as his sire’s, but strong enough to feel how excited they were, how much love they felt towards each other— towards him. Ranboo threw himself at Phil, wrapping his arms tightly around the clanhead’s neck as he sobbed openly and unafraid of judgement. 

Tommy jumped in alarm, trying to get to Ranboo before Purpled pulled him back again, petting his hair back soothingly. “They’re happy tears, Tommy,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the elder’s cheek. “I’m happy, baby. It’s okay.”

Phil returned the tight hold, pressing kisses to the top of his baby’s head. “I love you, treasure.” He held the younger close, smiling as the baby dropped off to sleep after a few minutes, exhausted in every sense of the word as the last few weeks finally caught up with him. Slowly, Phil motioned for Tubbo and Tommy to scoot closer, holding two more clan markers in his palm like a promise. “I love the two of you just as much,” he declared. “I would be honored if you accepted my claim as well.” 

The two boys nodded excitedly, grinning widely at their clanhead. 

He carefully dropped a pack marker in each of their hands before motioning for Sam to take the sleeping fledgling from his lap. The pack alpha happily obliged, tucking the younger into his own lap as he sat back to watch, nuzzling the younger’s hair as he inhaled his baby’s coffeehouse scent. 

Phil turned back to the two boys in front of him. He carefully cupped Tubbo’s cheeks, pressing a kiss to his forehead before taking the clan marker and hooking it into the younger’s collar. He then did the same for Tommy laughing wetly as he felt both boys settle into his peripheral consciousness next to Ranboo. The clanhead pulled both boys into his arms securely, squeezing them excitedly. 

“I guess the balloons can be for a party instead of a proposal, huh, Phil?” Jack teased, nudging the elder playfully. 

Phil smiled, “Yeah. I think we’re due for a celebration. Our babies are finally officially ours.” He turned to shoot George a knowing smirk. “And you thought I was going to scare them off.”

George laughed brightly, “I still stand by that.” He winked at the two babies still awake. “Too late to back out now, though. You’re stuck with thirteen incredibly overbearing mates. I hope you’re prepared to be coddled for the rest of your lives because we’re never letting you go.”

Tommy and Tubbo looked at each other mischievously before the later spoke, “I hope you’re ready to coddle us because we’re all overdue a lifetime of cuddles.”

The clan burst into happy giggles, Phil snatching Tommy around his waist as he dragged him back down into a lying position, tucking the younger’s head into his chest. The wolf pretended to struggle for a moment before giving in and wrapping his arms around the clanhead’s waist. Tubbo was similarly pulled in, gently curling against George’s shoulder as Karl threw a leg over him on his other side. 

Sapnap snorted, leaning against the others on the other end of the bed as he watched the babies get thoroughly cosseted by their mates. “You might regret your decision in fifty years,” he warned teasingly, a wide smile on his face. 

Tubbo giggled, trying to bend away from George’s kisses only to open himself for Karl's attack. “Never.”

Chapter Text

The moon was a sliver in the night sky as Phil stole away from his coven home, the rest of his family coven still sleeping soundly inside. He made his way through the thick trees lining their village towards his hidden laboratory. The man smiled as he pushed open his creaky wooden door, the sound a sweet welcoming reminder to this little island of freedom from his overbearing mother. Male witches, especially in black magic, were seen as weak, useless pack mules— only good to store stronger witches’ magics. Phil was determined to show them how strong he truly was— how useful he could be to the Goetics. He refused to end up like his brother and his father before him— his mother would see beyond his gender and accept him into the inner coven’s circle. All he needed to do was prove himself.

He clapped his hands, lighting the candles with his magic as he stared around his laboratory in satisfaction. Phil pulled out his current project, humming softly as he lit the fire under the cauldron and added his base potion. He ground some bat wings in his mortar before slowly dumping them into his now bubbling potion. The liquid sizzled, turning a near-black frothy nightmare potion. He grinned widely, leaning in to smell the putrid scent of death. This was an instant death potion, sure to kill anyone with a single drop on their skin. It was Phil’s specialty. Phil also knew that he could make the death... temporary— if he could find the right ingredient. He went over to his shelf, pulling down the mandrake roots and taking them over to the table chopping them into fine slivers. He added them to the instant death one at a time, watching the mandrake create small fissures of white in the potion. The potion swirled in lazy circles, every once in a while sending out bright sparks, fizzling out before they could touch anything in his lab. 

Phil leapt over to his notebook, writing down his observations optimistically as he gazed at his potion lovingly. This was sure to please mother. He just needed to test it first. As he made his way back over to the potion, his hand knocked against his wall of jars, sending many of his hard gathered ingredients onto the floor. He swore, bending down to scoop what he could into his palms and set them on the table. As he stood up, he noticed that the mandrake had turned a blood red as it swirled through the potion. Phil stared at it in shock, swallowing thickly as he stared at his ruined potion. 

Leeches. 

He growled, sending his arm across the table in anger as he pushed everything to the ground. He didn’t have time . The sun would be up in mere hours and if he didn’t have anything to show for himself— 

He took a deep shuddering breath, leaning his hands on either side of the cauldron as he glared at his ruined potion.

Phil was going to die. Just like his brother and father before him, with the coming sun, his mother would drain him of his magic and leave his husk to decay on the ground. He allowed a singular tear to escape the corner of his eyes before bringing his hand up to scrub at his face furiously. He didn’t have time . 

It didn’t matter. 

He grabbed his ladle, dipping it into the unknown potion determinedly. Whatever this potion did to him at this point, he didn’t care. He was dead either way. Phil brought the potion up to his lips, drinking it down before he could gag at the rancid taste of it. 

Phil dropped the ladle as fire immediately licked through his veins. The witch collapsed, accidentally tipping the cauldron on top of him on his way down as he gasped for air. 

He was dying.

His heart was raging in his ears, as the potion absorbed into his skin, making the fire rage even harder. He bit his lip to prevent himself from screaming out loud, his tooth piercing the soft skin as if it were a peach. So this is what death felt like. Phil cried, clawing at the dirt floor as the fire consumed him, blacking out his vision and sending him into darkness.

Phil was awakened by the harsh stinging hex courtesy of his mother. “What have you done ? You insolent child!” The woman’s voice was grating, more so than usual, as she pulled him upright by his hair. 

He groaned, fighting the hands off of him feebly as his mother dragged him out of his laboratory and into the morning sun. He hissed, fighting frantically, as the sun burned his skin worse than the potion had the night before. The witch ripped himself free, scrambling frantically back inside of the lab as he nursed his burned skin. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” his mother screeched, storming back inside. She froze as she caught sight of his burned skin. “What did you do , Phil! What is wrong with you?”

Phil shook his head. “I’m— I should be dead.”

“You are ,” she hissed, reaching forward to shake his head by the hair once more. “Your magic is gone . What did you do — trade it away? Waste it? That magic was mine , you ungrateful bastard!” She snatched his chin with her overgrown fingernails, cutting into his skin as he swallowed around the dry, burning sensation in his throat. He needed a drink. “You destroyed your body— my magic — what are you?”

She threw him to the ground, leaving him gasping for breath as she dug around this laboratory. Bottles were up turned as she searched, glass breaking around him as he feebly crawled towards a dark corner. 

“What’s taking so long, Auntie?” Phil’s cousin, whined stalking into the small building. The man swallowed, staring at his cousin in desire. She smelled— sweet— like chocolate and something warmer. He needed— he needed her. He felt possessed as he lunged towards her, dragging her to the ground as he pinned himself on top of her. She smelled even sweeter up close as he brought his mouth down on her neck in a trance. His teeth stretched, pulling away from his gums in sharp points as he punctured her jugular. His cousin’s warm blood flooded his mouth, spreading across his tongue like warm tree sap. Vaguely, he could hear his mother screaming in the background, muffled and distorted as if he were underwater; the only thing he was aware of was the warm, delicious blood he was pulling from his cousin’s body. There were hands on his shoulders, his hair, his waist, trying to pull him away from his cousin but he held firm, sucking and sucking until there was nothing left. Finally his thirst abated and he allowed himself to be pulled away. 

“What are you?” his mother whispered, staring at her son in horror. “What have you become ?” She used her magic to create tight bindings around Phil’s person, securing him to the support pillar in the center of his lab. His mother continued searching through his things, completely disregarding her now-dead niece at the entrance. Phil couldn’t tear his eyes from her though, focused in on her glassed over eyes, staring off at the far wall, cheeks still wet from her tears, neck ripped open, nearly completely devoid of blood. He did that— he killed his cousin— drank her blood. There was a moment of fierce satisfaction that burned through his veins at the knowledge that he got to her before she could get to him before his rationality kicked in and he had to swallow back his tears, knowing that they were useless in this situation. His mother came over to him, shaking his notebook angrily at him. “You were playing with things beyond your comprehension! There is no coming back from death, you idiot!”

Phil snorted, turning his cheek away from the furious Goetic in front of him. “Obviously there is, mother. Or I wouldn’t be here.”

His head snapped to the side at the force of his mother’s slap. He stretched his jaw as he rolled his neck to face his mother again. “You— I will kill you! Whatever you did took away my magic running through your veins. Even poor Puffy’s magic is gone! You disgusting leech! What did you do with it, huh? Where is my magic?”

Phil rolled his eyes, “Why don’t you ask your precious Puffy?” he spat out. The woman let out a feral screech, running at Phil. He reacted on instinct, breaking through his bindings as if they were made of water, rolling away from the angry Goetic. He swore under his breath, ducking away from his mother’s wildly swinging magic as she descended upon him again. 

“Get back here you—” Her magic whipped at him, black and stinging as it wrapped around his neck like a noose. He gasped, grappling at the magic desperately, his fingers falling through it like smoke. He couldn’t breathe; his mother was choking him and he couldn’t breathe . He panicked, Puffy’s blood rushing through his ears, as he grappled at his mother’s magic in futility. “You’ll pay for what you did,” she hissed, irises bleeding red as she dragged him across the floor by her magic. She pulled him out the door and into the sun, making him scream as his skin was scorched. She watched in morbid fascination as her son’s skin blackened against the sun’s rays before sending up a dark shadow to loom over them. She crouched down next to him, glaring intensely. “I am going to dissect you, child,” she growled. “I am going to learn everything about you— and then I’ll kill you.”

Chapter Text

Hello! It’s been a while, I’m sorry.

A lot has happened since I left,,, I’m no longer part of the mcyt community I still enjoy some content tho

I do not plan on keep updating this story unless you guys really want me to. With that said I do have this week free so this should be the best time to keep going if I get a good feedback!

Sorry and thanks for all the kudos!