Ranboo ran through the streets of his home, his 'friends' running behind him screaming bloody murder. Every shout that resonated from the small group of people behind the tall boy only fueled his need to get the heck out of there.

The groans of zombies and the rattle of skeleton bones rang through the air, heavy footsteps against wood being the one of the only noises Ranboo could hear. His quick heart beat ringing in his ears and the adrenaline ran through his veins making the tall teen run faster, his tail flicking behind him in fear and alarm.

He ran until he couldn't hear screaming or groaning but the rumble of thunder made the boy dread what was coming next. He headed towards the nearby forest in hopes of shelter from the storm and hopefully to get some rest but there was no guarantee that his wishes would be answered.

The sound of rustling leaves and the wind whipping past the boy scared the poor teen witless. He ventured further into the forest, hoping to find a place of refuge for the storm and 'friends.'

He quickly came across a cave. The boy looked behind him before rushing inside as the weather had started to pick up quite a bit.

He looked around the small cave, his eyes retaining a soft glow, making it easier to see in the dark. The teen trundled to the back of the cave, far away from any of the water which had started to spit from the thundering sky, small drips of water leaking into the cracks of the cave.

He sat down silently in the corner of said cave, his tail curling around his tall figure, to try and stay away from the loud noises, rain and to try and stay out of sight from his 'friends.' The thought of them sent shivers down his spine. They were being kind and friendly one moment then hunting him down the next, it was like a game of cat and mouse but there were like 20 cats, each of them knowing every nook and cranny of the server.

Ranboo knew he wasn't safe but he couldn't stay out in the storm else he could get seriously injured because he didn't have of his armor on him, making it easier for his 'friends' to find and catch him. He didn't want to risk it, who knows what they would do to him if they caught him. He wasn't planning on finding out any time soon, hopefully anyway.

The teen stayed in the small cave for a while, his multicolored eyes glowing softly in the dim light. He wished everything could go back to the way it was, this wasn't how he wanted everything to go. He thought he did everything right for once, but he just had to go and screw it up.

"I see you~" the boys heart dropped. He shakily looked up towards the entrance. There stood none other than the green teletubbie himself, a lightning strike landing directly behind the green hooded man causing the figure to cast a looming shadow across the inside of the cave for a split second. The shadow engulfing the shuddering hybrid.

"D-don't come any closer" Ranboo stuttered out, pushing himself further into the cave wall, desperately trying to get away from the powerful man.

The man lifted his mask slightly, showing the lips of the twisted male curled into a sadistic smile, frightening the tall boy even more. Dream didn't bother listen to the hybrids commands and slowly stepped forward, each footstep echoing off the walls of the cave. An eerie atmosphere hanging over the two individuals.

Ranboo stared frightfully at the tall man as he crept closer, with each step causing the boy to flinch and try and push himself further into the wall only to stay exactly where he was.

Dream was now standing infront of the hybrid, his figure towering over the scared boy, said boy curled further into himself at the intimidating aura surrounding the mans being. The enderman hybrid shivered under the intense gaze of the powerful man, he had always tried not to anger Dream because he never wanted to end up on the side of a sword with the blade pointed at his neck, yet, here he is, the very person he never wanted to get on the bad side of was glaring daggers at him like he committed mass arson on his friends.

The man put his hand on the handle of his netherite sword, his hand gripping the sword handle, ready to plunge it into the chest of the boy who sat before him. All Ranboo could do was watch in horror and pray that Dream wasn't going to do anything to him.

The masked man slowly drew his sword, dragging the tip of his weapon around and along the floor and walls of the cave, creating these ear-piercing scratching noises like when you drag your nails along the surface of a chalk board. The hooded figure dragged the blade along the skin of the cowering boys cheek and chin, drawing small amounts of his blood to slowly drop down the boys neck, staining the red and white of his tie and white under shirt, causing the mans smirk to grow bigger and more demonic. The man was taking his sweet time.

Dream slowly pulled the sharp blade away from the face of the fearful hybrid who continued to stare on in horror at the sadistic mans actions. He pulled the glowing sword above his head, his other hand coming to rest comfortably on the handle of the blade to put as much force into what he was about to do.

"Say goodbye Ranboo~" the hooded figure chuckled, his words rolling off his snake like tongue as if practiced thousands of times, the boy found it sickening. Ranboo closed his eyes, not wanting to see the smile on the mans lips and mask.

Dream jabbed his sword at the hybrid, the boy felt the pain for a split second before everything went dark.....

....and he woke up at Technos house.

The boy jolted up with a shriek, a hand clutching the spot that Dream had 'stabbed' him.

The teen frantically looked around at his surroundings, quickly recognising the interior of a familiar piglin hybrids house. The hybrid let out a sigh of relief and ran a clawed hand through his black and white hair.

The boy dangled his legs over the side of whatever he had been sleeping on, presumably a couch and resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He rubbed his eyes, trying to recall the dream he just had, wanting to know why he was so panicked.

Tears ran down the boys face, causing steam to come from the boys skin, it hurt. (Ranboo confirmed crying hurts him) The tears ran down his face like how a water fall would roll of the side of a cliff, causing the boy more pain. He tried desperately to get rid of the tears, rubbing his eyes with his sleeves, but the tears just kept coming.

"RANBOO, I HEARD YOU SHRIEK, ARE YOU OK!?" Phil's voice rang through the air as the older man ran through the nearby door, a look of panic written on his face.

"I-I'm fine, j-just a nightmare" Ranboo hicuped, trying to hide his face from the winged man with his hands.

Phil looked at the distressed boy for a moment, checking him for any injuries just incase. He was relieved to find no injury on the boy.

The older man walked to the sniffling boy, sitting infront of him quietly. He carefully and tenderly took the enderman hybrids hands in his own, gently lowering the tall hybrids hands away from his face. Phil looked at the tall hybrids face, a calm and collected look on his face.

The raven hybrid put the teen hands in his lap and slowly lifted a hand to the boys cheek to wipe away a few tears and to make the boy look at him. The enderman hybrid looked at the man infront of him, the older man holding a soft smile on his face. Ranboo shakily lifted a hand to encase the winged mans hand on his cheek before gently leaning into his touch, smiling weakly at the small gesture of comfort.

By this time, Techno had walked in on the two silently, not wanting to ruin the moment. He wasn't the type of person to comfort people because one; he didn't have much of a clue on how to do it and two; he never said the right words, he only seemed to make things worse. The older man had spotted the pink haired man and gestured to him subtly to come over. Techno was hesitant at first but after a moment of contemplation, had slowly started to walk over to the duo, taking off his cape as he did so.

He slowly sat next to the sniffling hybrid to try and not frighten him with his presence. He gently draped his cape over the shoulders of the tall hybrid, making said hybrid look in the direction of Techno. The piglin hybrid held a soft smile on his features, his usual hard glare being a soft, half-lidded glance with a small smile of his lips, surprising the enderman hybrid greatly. Ranboo returned the smile, although not nearly as relaxed and chilled as Technos but it was still enough to please the pink haired man. Techno wanted to console the enderman hybrid and ask him what was wrong but he restrained himself from saying anything, knowing he'll mess up what he would be trying to say, so he resorted to sitting beside the hybrid quietly, a comfortable aura hanging over him and let Phil do the talking.

"Do you want to talk about the nightmare, Ranboo?" Phil asked softly,  his fatherly instincts now in full swing. The winged hybrid never liked seeing people cry, more less the people he cared about deeply or considered family and he would usually poke and prod at the person until they told him what was wrong so they could both come up with a solution together. But he knew now wasn't the time to pry for information as the boy before him was in a very fragile state, one wrong move and the flood gates will burst and the storm of emotions coming with it.

Ranboo shook his head lightly, tilting his head down just a fraction more at the thought of the nightmare he didn't even remember.

"Alright then.... you want a hug?" Phil asked delicately, spreading his arms and wings out welcomingly to the hybrid, the aura the older man was producing almost beckoning the taller hybrid over.

Ranboo nodded and slowly bent down to hug the winged hybrid, Phil wrapping his arms and wings around the taller hybrid in an attempt to fully hug the taller of the two

Ranboo felt safe in the older mans embrace, his feathers felt soft like a light, fluffy cloud, it felt as if nothing was hugging him it was so soft. The boy relaxed into the faint embrace of the older, finding comfort in the gentle hold of the father figure.

Techno sat next to the duo, a soft, genuine smile on his face. Phil glanced at the 'Blood God' before using his wing to pull the other into the hug, his dark grey wing covering the piglin hybrid. Techno was slightly startled at the raven hybrids actions but quickly regained his composure and hugged the enderman hybrid, albeit a bit awkward but it was still a hug nonetheless.

Ranboo melted into the embrace, his eyes closed and posture relaxed with his hold gentle around the older man. He felt safe in the arms of his friends. The tall hybrid knew this wasn't going to happen often so he did the only thing on his mind at that moment. He slept, using the atmosphere they had created to his advantage. He let the comfort of his friends and the calling of the dark abyss drag him into the darkness of sleep, a small smile on his lips as he slipped into the sweet embrace of a non-nightmare filled sleep with his friends hugging him gently.

He considered them family.

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2070 words