#ramfam

A good one. One that won't leave his son in a cardboard box on the side of the road. One that won't take over the nation he gave his life for and then execute him. One that won't kill the man he gave his life for and then blow up that nation.

He's standing in the pouring rain, in front of a home, housing a dad who's done none of that.

Tubbo is standing, shivering, in front of Puffy's door.

A knock.

A light.

A bang, and a curse.

A sound of locks moving.

A door opening.

Puffy appears, hair in complete disarray, and a worried look on her face- that softens when she sees Tubbo.

"Tubbo-"

"I'm cold." Tubbo says, not meeting her gaze.

"That's what I was gonna say, come in, come in" Puffy pulls Tubbo into a half hug, a hand lightly squeezing his shoulder.

Puffy pulls him away from the pouring rain.

"How long have you been out there, kiddo?" Puffy says, grabbing her coat off the hanger and wrapping it around his shoulders.

"How do you be a dad? A good one?" Tubbo asks, reaching out and catching Puffy's hand.

Puffy doesn't answer right away. Instead she navigates them to a couch, and sits them down, bringing Tubbo into a better hug, rubbing his back.

"I- I honestly couldn't tell you. You definitely shouldn't take after me- I'm mean Foolish-" Puffy begins.

"Those were things you couldn't control, but he forgave you and he still sees you as a parent- how do I do that? How do I not fuck it up? How do I be there for him no matter what? How do I protect him from things that can't be killed? How do I not be like them? Puffy, how? All I've known were… my birth parents left me, Puffy. They abandoned me. I got picked up by Phil, you saw how that turned out- I'm trying- I want to be a better father than them. I'm trying to be a better son- I'm giving Phil a second chance and I want to give-" Tubbo stops himself. His eyes sting, he tastes salt. "I want to give Schlatt a second chance. If somehow, he ever comes back, I want to give him a second chance. But that doesn't change the fact that-"

"He's not the best example-"

"You are. I want to be what they weren't. I want to be what you are. What you are to Foolish, what you are to Tommy, what you are to me? I want to give my son golden apples when he fights God, yknow?" Tubbo laughs a little, so does Puffy.

"Yeah, those didn't really help in hindsight-" Puffy says.

"But they did. Puffy, they might not have helped in the physical sense, but when you went out of your way to get us those- that showed me that people still cared. Despite everything, they still cared. If I didn’t make it back, you’d mourn me. You, out of almost everyone else on the server, were one of the only people to mourn Tommy. You took the time to gather his favorite block- you took the time to know what his favorite block even was! You took the time to get to know Tommy, to know what his favorite block was- you saw more in him than what everyone else painted him up to be! You did what hardly anyone else did. You cared about him, you showed everyone that you cared. Puffy, how do i fucking do that? How do I be like you, and care enough about my son that i don’t fucking throw him out like he’s nothing. Like he’s useless, worthless, unwanted- Puffy, how do I make him feel wanted? How do I.. not be like that?"

“You don’t give up. Tubbo, something that I’ve noticed about you- you’re special. You’ve got that… that thing. That spark. That light- you don’t give up. On people, on projects- on anything. You don’t give up on the things you create. Snowchester. You never gave up on it. You wanted to build a safe haven and that’s exactly what it is. You didn’t give up on it and look at it- it’s thriving, it’s thriving because you never gave up on it. L’manburg. Even though it took two of your lives you never gave it up-”

“But-”

“I know, ‘But, Puffy, it’s a crater’ it was never a place. Tubbo, L’manburg was never just a plot of land, a few buildings and a set of rules, Tubbo, L’manburg was never a place. It was a bond. You’ve never given up on L’manburg. You’ve never given up on that bond between you and Tommy- hell, Eret, Niki, Jack, Fundy- even Wilbur- you’ve never given up on that bond. You knew- you were smart enough to know that if you built L’manburg back up again it would just get torn right back down- you knew what was best for it. But you never gave up on the true L’manburg. You never gave up on the bonds you created. Bonds- you just said that you’re giving Phil a second chance- you’re willing to give Schlatt a second chance- you haven’t given up on them. That’s what makes you different from them. You don’t give up. You never will. That’s how to be a good dad. You don’t give up on your kid. Even if they get rowdy and rambunctious- even if they do something bad- don’t- don’t give up on them. There are exceptions, but for the most part. Don’t give up on them. That’s rule one. Don’t give up. Rule two… Use your experience to help prepare him. You, and Ranboo, have both been through a lot. Make sure you give as much advice to Michael as you can. Even if you're just learning it, make sure he’s prepared. Rule three, support him through anything. Even if it isn’t the best idea, sometimes letting him have that experience is the best. You don’t get calloused hands if you have never been in a sword fight. But make sure you’re on the sidelines cheering him on- and always have a regen pot just in case. Rule four, don’t be afraid of change. I know, letting him kill his first zombie will be absolutely terrifying, but he’s a growing… boy? Zombie-pigman boy. He’s a growing Zombie-pigman boy. He’s going to change. You can always change with him. And rule five, don’t kill him or blow up his nation- no, I’m just kidding- I’m kidding- rule five. Know when you need help and don’t be afraid to ask for it. You’ve already got this rule down easy, but it’s a good thing to remember. Another good thing to remember- I will always be here for you. Me, Eret, Foolish- we’re gonna be here for you. Til the fucking end we’re gonna be here for you. I am so fucking proud of how far you’ve come. I’m so grateful that you see me as- that you see me the way you do. I’m so unbelievably grateful that you see me the way you do. I care about you so much, and I want you to know how proud and how grateful I am that you’ve come to me. I swear to fucking Church Prime if I ever see your birth parents I will kill them-” Puffy laughs.

“Promise?” Tubbo mumbles, having pushed his forehead into Puffy’s shoulder.

“Well, maybe not kill them- bitch slap, yes, but killing them might be a little too far.” Puffy squeezes Tubbo’s hand. “Do you want me to walk you home- it’s still dark out.”

“Yeah, I’m really tired, too, I would probably take a wrong turn somewhere.” Tubbo yawns, shifting deeper into Puffy’s coat. Puffy, in turn, fixes the coat so it sits comfortably around Tubbo’s face.

Tubbo rubs his eyes with the back of his hand, finally tired after a week of sleepless nights, and follows Puffy out the door.

He remembers Puffy helping him up the ladder.

He remembers her singing a lullaby.

He remembers what he noticed as they walked out the door.