*silently gives lore and runs*

*

It's a lovely evening. The sun is setting, few birds are chirping, a couple of gulls soar over the water in search of a bonus meal, the waves of the sea splash and echo in the open area, sea salt scatters in the wind. It's the perfect background music to fall asleep to. The tide has yet to engulf the steps of the beach house, only licking at the support beams and the rocks beneath the building, some fish dare to swim towards the shallows, oblivious to the dangers such a quest beholds.

It's quiet, and it's peaceful; it's safe -a place where he can run to time and time again and hear Tommy's playful remarks and Phil's crappy, old dad jokes over the weekends, from sunrise to sunset; from the moment the sun is up high to the time of a dark canvas filling with a galaxy of stars. It's one of the many reasons Tubbo likes to stay over at Tommy's.

The serenity the sea brings is something he longs for everyday but can never have enough of. It's a nostalgic kind of feeling that overtakes him each time he gazes into the endless void of the horizon, the invisible line that connects Earth to space. He can never decide whether he hates or loves the neverending blue and turquoise; it is a constant reminder of what he had had and what he had lost five years ago; it is the holder of so many beautiful memories of sitting on a patio by the sea, talking to his merman and that one nightmarish goodbye they had shared when Tubbo had to leave. Or, well, the goodbye Tubbo had thrown over his shoulder before running away like a coward.

He will never forget the look of absolute horror on the prince's face when he had broken the news of his family's departure to him; nor will he ever forget the desperate shouts- the pained pleas of please, don't go; the way the water had splashed as the merman had tried to follow him on shore.

Nightmares haunt him every full moon, for there had been a full moon on the day of the cruise. In each one, he will be playing a quiet tune on the keyboard, on the same patio overlooking the sea, sitting just an inch away from the short protective railing. Each time, it's the same tune, that of the lullaby Ranboo had sang to him once and Tubbo had decided to make a piece to accompany his soothing voice. In the water would be a figure of pure white, an individual as angelic as the heavens above, either sitting on a protruding rock or floating idly on the surface; it would be Ranboo. The merman will have his attention on him -always on him no matter what- and as soon as Tubbo would as much as look at him, at the mere notice of his presence, the kindness and innocence those red eyes he had loved so much would be exchanged for the shine of hatred and anger. And then a malevolent force of pure nothingness would knock the boy off his stool and wreak havoc on the poor keys to produce a song so horrific, so pained and emotional, that sometimes- Sometimes, Tubbo wonders if that is the reality of things.

He often wonders if Ranboo ever understood why he and Dream had to leave. Had to flee. It's not everyday that you see your parents dying in the hands of what Tubbo could only describe as a beast; a demon. A thing of the void, with horns and claws and sharp teeth- and he had trusted Ranboo with as much detail as he could muster over tears before that darn goodbye.

Tubbo hopes that the prince understood.

Every time he is near the sea, he hopes for a chance to see Ranboo again, for a few minutes to catch up; a few minutes that he would undoubtedly wish to become hours, days, months and years. He wants a chance to explain why he had left; why he had turned his back immediately when the other was drowning in water that was supposed to be air, chocking on oxygen meant for his lungs, gasping out panicked gibberish as he attempted to grasp Tubbo's hand for one final time.

He needs to see his friend, needs to apologize; kneel before him and beg for his forgiveness, even if he had to kneel in waist-high water and be battered by cold wind and cruel, high waves to earn it.

They had left so fucking quickly.

Tubbo sometimes wonders if Ranboo had caused that tempest that night when he had almost lost his brother to the wild sea. Tubbo remembers looking over the dock and into the water when the sky had turned unbelievably dark. The upturn of the ship is a blurred image of panic, screaming, people running around like headless chickens, the fear of death and the whispers of his desparation to survive. He can't recall how he had managed to get to the lifeboat in time for it to be detached and thrown into the wild waves, nor when (or how) he had pulled on a life jacket, which miraculously saved him from the ultimate upturn of the lifeboat. And when he had finally found his brother with a good amount of lifeguards at his side, after he had fallen into his embrace and cried as they were being wrapped in warm blankets; after the guards had asked their questions, Dream told him that a merman had saved him. For a moment then, Tubbo had hoped that the merman had been Ranboo, as selfish as it sounds, that the prince had abandoned his kingdom to come to their aid.

It really was selfish; to expect from Ranboo to help them when he had hurt him worse than any tridents and swords and wars ever could.

When he had met Tommy at the start of his first year of middle school, he had not known that the blond was a merfolk. They had just been attracted to each other, somehow; thanks to fate, Tubbo believes; thanks to some god he doesn't believe in. He learnt of his friend's origin about three years later, when Tubbo had been let in Tommy and Phil's house. Tubbo was weirded out by the way the two lived in the middle ages with lanterns for light rather than electricity (he was very understanding when Phil told him of their financial situation later on -Tubbo and Dream were struggling to afford basic necessities themselves.) The two teens had been playing in the sand on a day when Dream had work in the afternoon. Phil had laid out a towel and was sat reading a book as they threw sand at one another and destroyed each other's sand castles. Then the tide had risen without any of them realizing, and boom, Tommy got hit by a wave and the next thing Tubbo knew, Tommy was half a fish.

That night had ended in Phil and Tommy locking Tubbo in the beach house, being held there against his will until he swore to the gods and goddesses of the sea that he would not tattle to anyone; not even to his own brother. It had been sheer luck that he'd managed to return home a minute before Dream.

Speaking of Dream, he wouldn't shut up about the merman who had saved him from drowning not once but twice. It's a surprise that he still hasn't figured out that his merman literally talks to him during class, fencing practice and school breaks. It is so damn obvious that Techno is that merman yet his brother is as dense and oblivious as a toddler who thinks that Santa exists even after they catch their parents eating the milk and cookies.

If Tommy did not exist, Tubbo would've been jealous of the two. It is hard and sad to admit it -his throat closes up whenever he even thinks of it- but the blond boy had replaced Ranboo. There's no hope of them reconnecting, Tubbo had given up in the same year he left him behind, and if they do manage to reconnect somehow in the future, then he can introduce the two of them.

Maybe, he could introduce Ranboo to Dream as well.

The scent of fish suddenly hits his nose, and he is brought back to the present. Waves shatter against rocks and wooden beams, his legs are kicking off the raised patio where he and Tommy sit, the blond looking so at peace as the setting sun gives him a radiant, orange glow as he lightly snores on the human's shoulder. He smells Phil's cooking, which he both loves and hates. Tubbo is one of those weird kids that would eat broccoli without the promise of chocolate -actually, he might even dip it in chocolate and then eat it. Y'know. Just for the fun of it (he had done it once before, and Tommy almost fainted from disgust whilst Phil was looking vaguely disturbed -he regretted it later when he got an upset stomach and one-too-many trips in the bathroom).

Phil is an amazing cook, don't get him wrong, but Tubbo really dislikes the smell of fish -which, by the way, is what the beach house smells like twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The horrid odor has probably stained the very soul of the house; it'll never leave. He only makes exceptions for his merfolk friend and Phil, because the two are lovely and happy faces, so close to him that he wouldn't mind the fish smell on his clothes after a bear hug. Honestly, the two don't smell that bad, and half the time Phil is spraying perfume around the living room or opening up windows to get a semblance of fresh, salt-ridden air in the house.

With that being said, Tubbo really prefers staying outdoors when he is visiting.

Tommy shifts against him, suddenly, and Tubbo is brought out of his thoughts yet again. The tide has swallowed the first few beams of the beach house -the ones closest to shore- and the wind has that weirdly satisfying, calming chill to it; the one that's cold yet warm and comforting. He can feel some tufts of his hair have gotten crispy like crisps with sea salt and when he runs a finger through, it tangles in a strand and hairs glue themselves onto his skin.

He understands why the two blond mermen's hair is always a mess now. Living by the sea is both a blessing and a curse.

There is a nostalgic undertone as the waves melt into sea foam, and Tubbo can't tell how that can be. Maybe it's the creeping cold, or maybe it's the memories that had resurfaced and made his vision blurry for a few. Maybe it's just the orange hues of the sky that slowly turn dark and blue, with the moon rising higher and higher and pulling the tide up like a blanket.

He can hear Phil humming a small tune from inside the house as the man works on a wooden miniature of jumping dolphins. Tubbo feels safe like this; he feels like he can take on the world when Phil is humming soft melodies and when Tommy is by his side; no matter if the merboy is sleeping like a rock, sitting idly, or helping blow shit up downtown.

Like that one time when Phil had to bail them out of prison. That had been a fun experience.

Though the cold is getting too much. The sun has disappeared along with its blazing reds, oranges and soothing yellows; fallen over the horizon like a marble pushed off the table.

And something feels... awfully wrong.

His gut twists in anxiousness, and his stomach flips over for the same reason. His hand twitches once and twice, the other coming up in an attempt to shake Tommy awake, his eyes flicking from the sea towards the lit up road behind the house. There is nothing that has a reason to cause such a sudden flare up to his anxiety, and if Tubbo didn't know any better, he would say that his survival instincts were broken.

They aren't.

The eerie feeling is coming from the sea. The boy can almost feel a dark aura swirling beneath. Tommy yawns tiredly from beside him. His rapid shaking must've worked.

"What do you want Tubzo?", Tommy grumbles, and if the blond buried his face in the crook of Tubbo's neck, that is for the two of them to know.

"Something's in the water", Tubbo says, promptly pushing the other off in favor of situating himself on his knees to peer over the edge without the danger of falling over. Tommy is by him in seconds, eyes full of wonderment and excitement over whatever Tubbo has seen in the dark blue.

There is barely any light, and the little orange light they have is from the beach house and from the stray strings of moonlight that ripple the surface of the sea. It's difficult to see; even for Tommy! And the teen has spent a good one and a half decades living in the depths of the sea!

Then again, he hasn't really been to the depths in five years, ever since Phil put some boundaries to how far Tommy could swim out.

"Should we call Phil?", the blond asks. Tubbo shrugs his shoulders.

"I don't know! It could be just my imagination, I didn't really see anything", he explains in a quiet tone as he studies the few waves he can see. If there really is something there, a little creature, he doesn't want to scare it.

"The sea has been feeling off lately", Tommy agrees, able to sense the dread coming from the sea as well. There is something dark and malevolent dancing in the air; a shadow foreshadowing bad omens and bad luck tickling the strings of a violin.

Like the murder of crows that had flown in the distance sometime during the afternoon, or the black cat that had stared Tubbo in the eye on his way to Tommy's.

Something sparkles in the sea. A thing of purple; something bright. Something that's a fluorescent lilac, green and teal, long and lean, scaley with translucent, glittery fins that breaches the surface harshly. The two boys gasp and hold their breath, subconsciously squeezing each other's hand as they watch. For Tommy, it clicks immediately that it's a merfolk in the water.

For Tubbo... he doesn't know what to think. He knows the scales belong to a merfolk's tail, he can literally see that, if only for a few seconds until the tail fin splashes against the surface and disappears into the rising waves.

He thinks that it's Ranboo for a solid second, but his merman was not purple or teal.

No, Ranboo was as pure as the seafoam, white like the frizzle of the waves when they spread across the beach. His whole demeanor was aloof yet curious, as much as his etiquette would allow him, kind and serene enough to calm a raging great white. He was solace against any storm and Tubbo would always run to him to avoid the rain and thunder.

This?

This in the air is strange and unfamiliar, dark and vengeful, and it makes his nerves spike and his skin to prickle. That shine of amethyst felt dangerous, though Tubbo isn't sure if Tommy felt the same spark of anxiety.

"Hello?", the blond yells at the water when the shine returns a second time, but for only a second. "Can we hel-", he tries to continue but Tubbo is quick to silence him with a hand over his mouth.

Tubbo quickly regrets his actions, as Tommy looks at him with the most offended look he has ever seen on his friend, and then there is something slimy dragging across his palm.

"Did you just lick me?!", he screeches, taking his hand back to look at the damage -completely forgetting about the merman in the water.

"Yes, I did, prick! Don't put your hand over my mouth or you'll get licked!"

"Aw, man, ewwww"

"Serves you right!"

"Boys, are you alright?"

They both jump at the intervention of Phil, who has poked his head out through the open window and is looking at them with that amused smile of his.

"Phil!", they yell in unison, before sighing sighs of relief. Tommy is about to say something, but as his eyes go wide and his attention is caught in the water again, he changes his mind.

"Phil, there's a merfolk in the water!", he exclaims, and Tubbo hopes that there weren't any passerby to hear him.

They'd call them all crazy.

Within a minute, Phil is outside barefoot, kneeling between the two of them in an attempt to see the merfolk. The shimmering of the purple and the teal are long gone now, though, leaving only the black and dark blue to light up by the moonlight. He stays with them for a few, all simply staring into the water as if it would bring the spoken of merfolk back to the surface. Even that weird, threatening aura is gone.

"Are you sure there was a merfolk down there?", Phil finally asks, a little doubtful twist to his eyebrow.

Tommy quickly nods, Tubbo follows suit even though he had barely caught a glimpse of them.

"Yeah! They were purple-y and that greenish color. I asked if they needed help but they left, didn't get a face or a name or anything, just the tail!", the blond quickly says, his description mostly accurate. But even so, it made Phil's expression change from doubtful to thoughtful and contemplative, even a little scared if Tubbo guessed correctly, in an instant. It's a weird expression on the elder's face, a foreign one that neither of them are used to seeing often. The only time they had seen it had been back when the man had bailed them out of juvie -or out of custody, same thing- when he was joking about leaving them there for Dream to find.

And he decides to ask.

"What's that face 'bout?"

Phil hums and raises from the ground, the air whistling by their ears as if it is listening as well. The two teens stand as well, albeit a bit slower than the adult.

"Just that... that merfolk you're describing, they are super far away from home", he says, worried blue eyes flicking between the two of them and the water.

"Oh, right! Aren't purple ones from the Antarctic?", Tubbo asks, though the question is more so to ensure himself that he remembers right.

A groan sounds from beneath their feet. It's an unusual sort of sound, but definitely distinct. It's not the sea, it's not the waves that splatter against the beams below. It's metal, and Phil's eyes widen once they all come to that realization. Before the teens can utter a word, he has them both in his arms, holding them tight and close, because he knows what is about to happen. He knows and he tells the two that they'll be safe, but Tubbo wonders if the man himself believes his own words.

And the beams break.

============
Haha, cliffhanger-

Anyway, chapters may be shorter than usual BUT quality over quantity, am I right?

More Ranboo lore soon! :D