#tiny!ranboo

The Naga let out a frustrated growl and Ranboo and Tubbo let out loud shrieks of amusement as a clawed hand swiped in between them in the air.

Tubbo zipped away, leaving Ranboo scrambling away from the claws that we’re closing in without a leader to follow. “Tubbo! You can’t just leave me!” Ranboo growled out angrily. The bee snickered and gave a wave of his hand. “Too slow Boo! This is about survival!” The worker bee then shot away. Ranboo huffed angrily, to distracted by the traitorous bee to notice the two clawed hands coming to cup him from behind.

His world was surrounded by darkness as warm flesh was pressed firmly around him. The bat couldn’t help but squirm around under the pressure. They let out an angry groan and the hands loosened around him. He winced as the bright sunlight entered his vision suddenly.

“Aww Ranboo, thought you could get away?” Tommy’s grin was sharp but his eyes softened as he saw Ranboo’s irritated expression.

The bat huffed and crossed their arms. Refusing to meet Tommy’s gaze. “I was so close this time! If only Tubbo wasn’t so selfish! But no he just has to keep his perfect record!”

“Here,” Tommy raised his hand away from himself. “Do you wanna try again?” Ranboo sighed and shook his head. “Nah, that be like cheating… but make sure you make Tubbo pay for it, okay? Even if you don’t catch him.” The bat smiled and stood up from his sitting position. “Besides I think this is the farthest I’ve gotten so far.”

“If you say so.” Tommy picked up Ranboo by the scruff and dangled him over is open maw. “And don’t worry, Tubbo’s gonna get what’s coming to him.” Tommy’s face formed a mischievous expression and Ranboo gave a nervous laugh. “Nothing too bad right?” The snake only gave a cheeky smile before plopping Ranboo down in the warm cavern that was him mouth, mindful of avoiding his fangs.

In just one gulp he sent his friend down to his storage. He purred happily at the feeling of the small weight in his gut.

“Don’t worry Ranboo, today’s the day I’ll finally catch him. I can feel it.”

Now time for some good old fashion revenge. Tubbo had gotten away one to many times, and Tommy had the perfect plan to bring his rain of tyranny to an end.

———————————————————————————

Tubbo had landed on a branch to rest, breathing deep and heavy as he caught his breath. Ranboo’s Sacrifice always gave him a little chance to rest, felt a little bit go guilt for leaving his friend. He just had to make it back to the village and he was home free.

He had yet to lose a single match. Always flying away the last second. It was invigorating, it was daring, and it was honestly a little terrifying.

Sure Tubbo had been stored before, and heck! He had even willing crawled into Tommy’s mouth the first time they met.

But this was….

The chase made it like is was serious. Tubbo’s instincts wouldn’t comprehend that they were playing. His tiny bee body was screaming life or death. He had even accidentally stung Tommy one of the other times they had grabbed him out of the air.

He had gotten away, but with the price of Tommy being upset at him for a week. He had tried to down play it, but guilt ate away at his heart.

Besides, how was he supposed to tell one of his best friends that he was scared of him. Well he wasn’t really scared of him.

His instincts were.

When the 8ft behemoth would come charging out of the trees, his claws sharp, and teeth bared. It would sometimes shake Tubbo to his core, but it was also one of the most exciting sights that Tubbo could experience.

The thrill of the chase was almost addicting. The adrenaline rush made Tubbo feel on top of the world, but then he would forget that it was just a game.

Then it was about survival.

But he could never tell Tommy about this. He couldn’t. The bee remembered every hurt look when the other villagers would whisper and give nervous glances. He remembered the tears that trailed down after the Naga had confided in Tubbo of some of the remarks that were being said about him.

He couldn’t do that to Tommy.

So here he was, sprinting as fast as he could towards the village. As long as Tommy didn’t catch him, he could avoid his problems. For now he could enjoy the chase.

A sharp cry suddenly called out from the forest, freezing Tubbo in his tracks. That was Tommy…

It sounded like he was hurt.

The bee burst into action, going to the aid of his friend. What if he was in trouble? Was Ranboo alright? Were there hunters?

Another cry of pain and Tommy calling out Tubbo’s name. He had to be hurt.

“Tommy where are you?!” He flung leaves out of his path as he flew frantically through the trees, desperately searching for a sign of either of his friends.

“Tubbo, I’m here!”

There. He had pinpointed the sound.

Tubbo barreled out of the tree line and into a dark cramped clearing. The forest was so dense that no sunlight dared to enter this part of the wood. He hovered in center, confused by the sudden lack of calls for help. Now that he had time to process their was a lack of any sound at all.

A deep routed fear, something primal, buzzed around in his gut. Something was off.

“Tommy?” Tubbo barely managed to peep out. Like the darkness that choked out the light, he found his own voice was consumed by the fear of the dark and all that lurked within it.

Nothing replied.

Tubbo took a shaky breath. He closed his eyes tightly, wishing all of this to be some kind of messed up dream. Maybe he flew smack into a branch while running from Tommy, and he was actually currently passed out in the medical clinic.

He peaked through the slits of his eyes. A red glow illuminated the outside of his small quivering form in the darkness, like a sick twisted version of a silver lining.

Even more confusion filled Tubbo’s mind before a low and sinister hiss shook him to his very core. His stomach dropped all the way down to the forest floor below.

He turned his body as fast as he dared. Every second felt like hours as he finally spun around to reveal the horror that lurked in the dark.

White fangs glinted red as the eerie glow from slit eyes reflected off of the wet surface. The eyes were squinted in delight, like they found a dark satisfaction in seeing their prey cornered.

“Found you.”

Tubbo couldn’t even scream.

The white jaws parted in less than a second, far wider than they needed to. The beast lunged forwards and all the bee could do was stare helplessly at his fate.

Tubbo shrieked as warm wet walls pressed down on him on every side. The pressure increased slightly before it released its hold.

He laid disoriented in a jumbled mess. His wings laid heavy with saliva. There was no chance to fly.

His breathing increased to panicky little breaths, he struggled to stand, then instead tried to crawl to the open of where he entered.

The floor underneath him lifted once more, but instead of being pushed to the roof of the mouth, Tubbo found himself laid upon a hard pointed surface.

Tubbo gasped as he realized he was laid between the beasts sharp teeth. He desperately tried to move out of the way, but the snakes forked tongue kept him in place.

A yelp of terror left his mouth as the jaw beneath him raised to meet the teeth above.

Instead of being crushed or pierced by the sharp bones, he was simply squeezed between them, roughly, but not enough to do any real damage.

A warning then, to show what this monster was truly capable of.

Tubbo struggle to get out of the beast unclenching hold, even trying to sting, but missing anything he could actually pierce.

Exhausted from his struggling he laid limp between the beds of teeth. A amused chuckle bellowed form the depths of the beast.

It was laughing at his misery…

That would usually make Tubbo angry. He couldn’t take anyone mocking him or his work, one wrong word and he would let his anger consume him.

Now he felt hollow despair, trapped and unable to fight.

He didn’t even realize that tears were pouring down his face until a harsh broken sob left his mouth.

The world went still and another sob made itself known.

The pressure around him released immediately.

The bee was met in the outside world once more. This time in a much more well lit area. The cool breeze made his wings shiver subconsciously, his small frame layered in spit.

Sobs now poured out of his mouth, he didn’t register the naga worriedly asking if he was alright or if he was hurt. His also didn’t notice the seemingly one sided conversation that the snake was having with himself.

The bee just curled up into a ball and let the tears roll down his face.

———————————————————————————

Tommy didn’t know what was wrong. At first he thought Tubbo was playing a trick, a flip on what he did to get the bee to be lured back to him.

But as Tubbo just lay there, eyes squeezed shut and no response except for the occasion choked sob, he realized that this definitely wasn’t an act.

He immediately asked for Ranboo’s aid, the small bat had been sitting concerned in the Naga’s stomach as he heard Tommy trying his best to comfort the bee.

Ranboo soon found himself traveling upwards and suddenly outside on Tommy’s other palm. He was immediately brought to a crumpled up Tubbo.

The bee shrunk into himself as Ranboo approached. The bat put a hand on his shoulder and Tubbo whimpered. Tommy let out a nervous hiss and lowered the pair to the ground.

Ranboo pulled the bee into a one way hug as the insect laid limp in his hold.

Tommy seemed to shrink back as well, trying his best to blend into the forest around him as guilt and confusion filled his mind.

He had stored Tubbo countless times before and the bee always seemed thrilled about the notion, but now Tommy was unsure.

Was Tubbo actually always afraid of him?

Or did he actually hurt the bee and didn’t realize it?

He though he was being gentle, he had only put him between his teeth to tease, and they had roughhoused like that before…

But what if he was actually to ruff this time?

Would Tubbo hate him for it?

Tommy’s panicked thinking was interrupted by a quiet “oh gods…” and two small coughs that followed.

His eyes focused back on the pair on the ground. Ranboo rubbing small circles on Tubbo’s back as the bee seemed to find himself again.

Then Tommy’s hurt eyes met Tubbo’s own.

Tommy went to speak, but before he could the bee beat him to it.

———————————————————————————

Tubbo finally came back to himself with the rhythmic circling on his back and the soft whispered words in his ears.

That was Ranboo… they were alright, and so was he?

Confusion clouded his mind, the last thing he remembered was looking for Tommy and then he was ambushed by…..

He was ambushed by….

“Oh gods….” He choked on this own words, his voice sore from crying.

This is exactly why he would never let Tommy catch him.

His instincts took over and he lost it…

And now Tommy knew that a part of Tubbo was still scared of him.

He could already see the hurt on the Naga’s face, and it made Tubbo’s throat burn with sorrow.

The naga opened his mouth, but Tubbo quickly cut his off.

“I’m sorry!” That seemed to Surprise the snake as well at the Bat next to him.

“Are you injured?” Ranboo ignored the outbursted apology, and looked on in bewilderment and concern.

Tubbo shook his head, “I’m fine.” He said with a sigh.

He turned back to Tommy and stood to his feet.

The snake finally found his words.

“No, I’m sorry! I took it way too far.. I should’nt have tricked you like that. I’m sorry I scared you” Tommy adverted his game from Tubbo’s hold.

“I’m not scared of you Tommy!” Tubbo groaned. “We’ll maybe a little sometimes, but only subconsciously!” That didn’t seem to help much. Tubbo huffed.

“I didn’t want you to find out like this… I wanted to tell you but I couldn’t build up the courage. Or it was my pride that was in the way.”

“Tubbo if your uncomfortable being around me, I get it. I mean I know how some of the other villagers-”

“ACK!” The bee cut him off. “Tommy I’m not uncomfortable and I’m definitely not like those other jerks at the village. I just-”

Tommy looked at Tubbo with uncertainty, it made the Bee ache.

“I just get to caught up in the chase… my instincts take over and I forget that well… that it’s you that’s chasing me…”

“Oh…” Tommy muttered out. Ranboo stood up from Tubbo’s side and dusted off his knees.

“We’ll the good thing is that we know now.” Ranboo stated. “We just need to learn to talk things out.”

The snake and the bee nodded. “Everyone struggles with instincts every now and again. But we can help make the struggle better by accommodating to them and avoiding certain triggers.” The bat continued.

“So now we know to talk about what we’re struggling with to the whole group, before it gets to us.” Tubbo looked embarrassed and Tommy awkward. Ranboo let out an amused laugh.

Tommy finally slithered his way back to the group and lowered his plan back to the ground. Tubbo crawled on without hesitation. “Tubbo, I just want you to know that if you need to tell me something, even if it might hurt my feelings, tell me.” Tommy deadpanned and the bee gave a nervous laugh.

“Sorry Toms…” Tubbo buzzed an apology. He shook off his wings and buzzed to Tommy’s head, bumping his own to Tommy’s.

“Y’know Wilbur was scared around me too at first.” Tommy leaned a little more against the small bee, like a cat seeking affection.

“Really?!” Tubbo exclaimed. “Did you make him cry?” The Bee smirked.

“What do you think?” Tommy grinned and Tubbo let out a mischievous laugh. “Oh, I’m never gonna let him live this down!” He Cackled.

“Oh yeah? What about you then Bee Boy?” Tommy questioned . “I’m sure Techno and Wilbur would love to hear about how you being to competitive led to your own downfall.” The Naga teased.

“You wouldn’t!” Tubbo exclaimed face growing red.

Tommy gave a sly smile. “Maybe I would.”

Ranboo let out a disappointed sigh as the pair began to bicker and race back to the village, all that had happened already pushed behind them.

Ranboo grabbed hold of Tommy’s golden locks and enjoyed the ride as Tubbo chased behind them.

They’d be having a serious talk about this later, and unlike Tommy, Ranboo most definitely would be telling the Naga’s older brothers what had occurred.

If anything it would help the group to come up with healthy solutions to their problems with instincts, especially with some older experienced adults.

It also wouldn’t hurt to let them know about how to help their little brother and friends.

Ranboo drew in a hissing breath between his teeth.

"Would you please sit still? I'm not used to doing stitches on people this small."

That was one of the first things Ranboo learned about Wilbur. He never held anything back. Frankly, it was becoming a challenge for Ranboo to hold back everything he wanted to say in retaliation. He'd been laying there getting stabbed by a needle nearly as tall as him for at least half an hour. Even with the attempt at numbing the area, it felt like an eternity.

"You did stitches on a cat once," the Blood God pointed out. He'd been idly clicking through something on the laptop sitting on the kitchen counter. Ranboo was surprised he'd been paying attention at all given how engrossed he'd seemed it whatever he was reading on that screen.

"You are aware that cats are larger than six inches tall, right?" Wilbur snapped.

"Small is small."

The brunette let out a frustrated huff.

"Phil told you not to bother me."

"He did but he was givin' me those 'don't let Wilbur out of your sight' eyes."

"He was not."

"You just don't notice because he's always got that look."

"Done!" Wilbur announced with a final snip. Ranboo could only assume that meant that was the last bit of thread being cut. Should he be thanking this guy for what he'd done? Sure, he'd tended to his injuries but he was still a villain. Thanking a villain was probably listed on the unspoken rules of being a hero right between being kidnapped by a villain and showing your face to a villain.

He slowly pushed himself to sit upright. His bruises still stung like crazy but at least the majority of his fractures had been dealt with and cuts bandaged. Wilbur never really shared his assessment of Ranboo's injuries but from the repetitive "Yeesh" 's from the villain, he could only imagine there was a lot of work to be done.

Wilbur scooped his jacket up off the back of the couch.

"Where are you going?" the Blood God demanded.

The brunette threw a guitar case over his shoulder.

"Out," he announced vaguely.

"Aren't you supposed to be looking after the kid?"

Wilbur rummaged through the cubbies next to the door until he uncovered a pair of keys from the clutter.

"Phil told me to clean him up. He's about as good as he's going to get so I'm out of here." Wilbur paused on the way out to shoot the Blood God a look over his shoulder. A coy smile tugged on his lips. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine until Phil comes back. You're great with kids."

Wilbur managed to yank the door shut behind him just as a dagger lodged itself in the wood where his head was only seconds ago. The brunette's laughter retreated into the night, making way for a tense silence to fall over the house. Ranboo's teeth ground together.

He dared to sneak a peek at the villain sitting only a single room over. It was odd. Ranboo knew that Corvus was a supervillain but he walked around out of costume in his own house. That made sense. Wilbur was a villain by association at the very least but if he worked in the field, he probably had a costume too. Not once had he donned in it while Ranboo was there.

The Blood God, on the other hand, had yet to change out of that signature uniform of his. The cape, the skull, the gaudy boots. The whole package was admittedly a bit too extra to be typical loungewear. If it was all for the sake of ensuring Ranboo was kept on edge then, damn, it was working.

The boar's skull snapped in Ranboo's direction. The abrupt motion caused an instinctual reaction in the sidekick, sending him scrambling to focus on literally anything else in the room. The villain sighed.

"So why's Hero Corps exploiting child labor? Indoctrinating adults into their little cape cult get too pricey?" he asked.

Nothing about that question was accurate but it wasn't like Ranboo was in any position to correct him. He wasn't sure he was in a position to say anything, honestly. So he didn't.

"What, did that one hypno-hero hit you with a tongue tying spell or somethin'? What's he like? Fun at parties?"

The beats of silence passed at an agonizingly slow pace for both parties trapped within the tense atmosphere. The Blood God groaned.

"Come on, kid, give me somethin' here," he practically begged.

Ranboo shifted uncomfortably. There was nothing he could say that he wouldn't be reprimanded for when he got back to HQ. If he got back to HQ. As scary a prospect as that was, the fact that he was more likely to never get home was even scarier.

"W-why the skull mask?" Ranboo tried. Maybe if he couldn't answer questions, asking them would help pass the time a bit quicker for the both of them.

"What, this?" The Blood God asked, drumming his fingernails against hollow bone. Ranboo nodded meekly. The villain's insouciant demeanor went dismal all at once. "It's not a mask. It's just my face."

The sidekick's blood ran ice cold. He couldn't even hide his mortified expression when he turned back to the man in the kitchen. What? How was that even possible? Sure, people got bizarre mutations when super powers started popping up but this had to be one of the strangest ones that Ranboo had ever seen. Not even the attributes of a bore, just its skull where your head should have been? It made his stomach churn thinking about how that worked.

The Blood God snorted.

"I'm messing with you," he chuckled.

He was...oh. The sidekick's shoulders sagged. As indignant as Ranboo was to be toyed with, he had to admit that it was a relief knowing it was all a farce. He hadn't even realized his jaw had dropped open until he shut it with a click. He couldn't help but laugh, though his was more incredulous than a product of the Blood God's sense of humor-if you could even call it that.

"Just thought it was a cool gimmick, I guess. Didn't wanna look like every other loser in a mask and a cape. What about you? They force you to wear that fashion faux-pax of a suit or are you just really into gray?"

"It's a uniform," Ranboo said. He couldn't think of a single sinister thing that the guy could do with that sort of information beyond mocking him a little further.

"Of course it is. Is that where you get your shrinking power from, too?"

Ranboo stiffened. Momentary distraction over. The villain really was just trying to pry info out of him. Of course he was. That was literally his job. He wasn't really as mad at the guy for nearly getting him to give up some top secret Hero Corps info as much as he was at himself for almost doing it.

The way the color drained from Ranboo's face must have given away the answer to that intrusive question all the same.

"Don't mean to sound like a jackass but you don't really handle yourself like a hero who's used to being small. I mean, I did see you get punted across an alleyway so..."

Ranboo fought to keep his expression flat. Maybe that was the reason all those heroes wore masks; to hide just how scared the poor bastards behind them were. Ranboo wished more than anything that his helmet wasn't cracked to pieces so he could shove it back on and leave it there.

"If it's broken, we can try to fix it," the Blood God pointed out.

"No! You can't touch it!" Ranboo blurted, grabbing the suit from beside him and holding it in a white-knuckled grip. The last thing he needed was to hand over some of Hero Corps' most advanced tech to their most dangerous competition.

It took far too long for Ranboo to actually realize what he'd done. When it dawned on him, it hit him like a brick to the teeth. His heart stuttered in his chest. Maybe yelling at his villainous captor wasn't really the smartest idea. He knew what happened when he raised his voice. One of the first lessons he'd learned under Dream's guidance. And that was when he was a fairly normal height.

Standing only a few inches tall in front of someone with far worse intentions than his mentor's, he didn't stand a chance of making it out alive.

"Geez, alright. I was just offerin'," the villain muttered. "Figured this whole thing might be a little easier if you weren't six inches tall."

Sure, like Ranboo was going to believe that this guy had nothing but good intentions towards the hero's sidekick he had in his possession. Then again, he wasn't wrong about his height putting him at a stark disadvantage. At six inches tall, the Blood God could probably just pry the suit out of his hands. As a matter of fact, Ranboo couldn't wrap his head around why he had yet to try.

"Hey, are you-"

Vvv Vvv

Saved by the buzz. Whatever question the Blood God was about to ask was swiftly interrupted by the vibration against the counter. He grabbed his phone. He went tense when he saw the screen. Without a word, he rose to his feet and slid the window behind him open.

He double checked the laces on his boots and the sword sheathed on his hip. Ranboo flinched at the squawk from just beyond the house. Wings beat at the air, a crow dipping in straight through the open window to land on the counter.

"Lead the way," the Blood God instructed.

The black bird tilted its head, turning over its shoulder to stare straight at Ranboo. A chill crawled up his spine at the extra attention.

"Oh, right. You-uh-you stay here," the villain commanded with all the conviction of a man who'd never held a leadership position. "I gotta go help Phil but I'll be back real soon."

Ranboo could only nod in reply. The villain dawdled. He stared at Ranboo a while longer, the sidekick doing his best not to meet the supervillain's sweeping gaze.

"'kay. Let's go," he tried again. The bird let out an ear-shattering squawk before claiming its perch atop the Blood God's shoulder. He slid out the door, ensuring that he clicked the lock into place on his way out.

The hero-in-training swallowed thickly. The silence was even more deafening than before. This certainly wasn't on his bucket list. He was all alone in a supervillain's hideout.

His eyes darted about the vacant space, snagging on the window over the sink. Wait. He was all alone in a supervillain's hideout. The curtains waved in the breeze, beckoning him forward. He'd be a fool not to answer that call.

~

Ranboo took in one deep breath of air and stepped in once more, trying to ignore the strong urge to run away and return home. Even with their excellent night vision, the cave still looked dark. They could barely make out the claw marks scratched on the walls. It felt like something out of a horror book.

He knew he was nearing more into the dragon's den when he noticed thin stripes of light being hidden behind a thick layer of leaves. Ranboo felt like their heart was going to break out of their chest with how intense it’s been beating. As quietly as possible, they pushed through the foliage and held their breath.

Redstone ores were scattered around the den. Ranboo remembers they shine much brighter than other ores he’s mined, he’s not a rock expert but he assumes the reason why they shine so much is their energy source. It’s one of the main ores being used in many advanced communities, perhaps the shine is an indicator of how much energy just one ore has.

Redstone wasn’t the only thing sparkling in the dark cave, because right in the middle was a large pile of gems that could make a King seem poor in comparison. Ranboo swears they can see crystals they didn’t even know exist, and they mine as a hobby! They feel entitled to at least know a decent amount more than basic knowledge when it comes to ores.

Ranboo froze when he saw whose head lay on top of the gold pile. The Blood Dragon.

Staring right at him.

"It— it's not—" They stuttered, "It really isn't what it looks like." Ranboo fully emerged from the curtain of leaves, holding their hands up to emphasize their intentions.

The dragon growls, a rumble so loud that the Redstone's lights flicker with fear. Its large tail wraps around the mound of riches, assuming that the enderman was here to steal their possessions. Ranboo couldn't blame them, he was holding a suspiciously big brown sack that reminded him slightly of the material thieves used.

"I'm here to give you offerings—! Actually!" He quickly added, throwing the sack in between the both of them and gold spilled through its opening. The rumbling stopped and Ranboo released a breath of relief.

The Blood Dragon looked interested in his gold, to say the least, and Ranboo wasn't even sure if they could understand his words. There have been cases that stated most dragons have a consciousness and can understand simple phrases, and Ranboo was desperate for any sort of protection— so he'll keep trying until he was sure they could understand him.

Slowly, they picked up the sack of gold again and approached the dragon. The dragon's eyes squinted, skeptical of the enderman.

"I'm… I'm being hunted by monster hunters and I need your protection. Not forever! Just, just enough to… I don't know, scare them off to make them leave me alone?" Ranboo stopped right in front of the pile.

A gust of warm air washed over him, the dragon just huffed out a puff of smoke— almost looking tired and annoyed. It seemed less angry than it was when he first entered, so he'll take it as a good sign.

"… Okay. I'll take that as an… unsure response." Ranboo slowly placed his brown bag right next to the bundle of gems.

The dragon stared at him, then carefully inspected the bag with its snout. Seeing a dragon— not just a dragon, the BLOOD Dragon, up close is a surreal experience Ranboo did not know they would ever have. The tales spread across the SMP mentioned how the Blood Dragon would slaughter anything and anyone in its path, yet here it was now, pouring the bag's contents onto his pile, seemingly accepting the offer, but still wary of the enderman.

"It's not a lot of gold, I know— Compared to your treasures." Ranboo spoke, "But, I promise, I'll keep paying you until you accept to protect me from the hunters… Is- Do we have a deal?"

The dragon stared at him for a long period, and Ranboo starts to think he was insane for even trying to make a conversation with them. Then, the Blood Dragon slightly bows its head and closes its eyes, accepting the enderman's offer.

Ranboo lets out a sigh of relief.

──────⊹⊱✫⊰⊹──────

Ranboo arrives the next day with another big brown bag of gold, mixed with bits of diamonds and iron. While there was still a bit of anxiety when he entered the mouth of the cave again, it didn't take him nearly two hours to even consider going inside, which isn't a big victory, but a victory nonetheless.

The dragon was there when he set foot in the den. He huffed out another puff of smoke through his nostrils but remained lying down next to his riches. He didn't seem aggressive today, though still looked wary of his presence— Ranboo regarded that as another small victory. "Hello, um, dragon."

The Blood Dragon softly grumbled in response. He decided to think of that as the dragon greeting him back. “Maybe you won’t like being called just dragon. Do you have a name? You probably do but you can’t tell me. Should I call you something else?” He rambled, “Should I just call you Blood, Gold, or I don’t know, Michael?”

The dragon stared at him silently, and Ranboo felt like he was being judged for his name choices. “What? I think Michael is a good name!” He defended, “Though, I guess it doesn’t suit you…” The suggestions may suck, but in his defense, he’s never been good with names. As he offered another addition of gems to the dragon, he took that time to examine the treasures he has from afar. Ranboo noticed a sharp sword encrusted with the shiniest diamonds and even bits of Netherite. “Oh! What about Dagger, or Blade?”

They laughed at themselves, Prime, what were they doing? They were trying to make conversation with a dragon and trying to give him a name. He felt stupid and pathetic. “What am I even doing?” They silently asked.

The dragon moved to examine Ranboo’s offering, and the enderman plopped himself on the ground. “I’m talking to a dragon.” This was unbelievable, “I can’t find anyone willing to protect me, so- so I have to turn to a dangerous dragon because, because what? The hunters find me dangerous since I’m half enderman, half—” Ranboo cut themselves off, opting to sigh instead.

He can’t ramble on about something the dragon wouldn’t care about. Mob hybrids aren’t usually treated with the greatest respect. He’s met Charlie, a slime hybrid, they acted with childish wonder yet had random times where they showed an infinite amount of wisdom. They’ve been on trips together and he’s seen how many villagers disregarded his existence. It felt unfair, Charlie has been nothing but kind yet still treated like an unredeemable criminal.

Fortunately, Charlie found a safe place for shelter from the hunters. They were taken in by one of the richest people on the SMP, a gambler who owns multiple casinos and owns a big portion of land dedicated to stealing money from the unsuspecting in a ‘legal’ way, Quackity from Las Nevadas. Ranboo did have his doubts meeting him, but he noticed the strong bond between him and the slime hybrid, and who was he to interfere with that?

Ranboo thought he could find safety in a person just like Charlie had with Quackity. It doesn’t even need to have a strong bond, just someone to shield him from harm. He attempted to pay experienced fighters for that reason, but he’s been accused of stealing something that was rightfully earned by hours and hours of mining.

“Do you accept my offer, Blood Dragon?” The dragon made a low growling sound, not as scary and hostile as before but it did make Ranboo tense up. It reminded him of exactly what he was dealing with, he shouldn’t let his guard down no matter what whenever he gets near this giant dragon. The dragon letting him enter and giving him mercy by not outright killing him shouldn’t be a reason for him to relax.

Ranboo scrambled to his feet and patted off the dust on his pants,

“Okay… Next time then.”

──────⊹⊱✫⊰⊹──────

Ranboo didn’t visit the day after that, nor the following days after that either. They decided to spend their time mining in ravines and mineshafts. Who knew giving most of your gems to a dragon would almost empty your supply of ores? They didn’t mind it though, they loved spending their time mining around and always get satisfied with how many resources they got from hours and hours of emptying various caves.

It wasn’t all that dangerous either. Because he was half-enderman, Mobs recognized him as just another mob and left him alone, giving him a safe space. He was hidden away from the judgments of villagers, the spying eyes of hunters, and the awful stares of other beings. In here, Ranboo felt safe.

Safe, but isolated.

It’s what he wanted, but did the price of safety mean taking away his company? Any sort of interaction would be void if it meant living in the caves forever. Mobs aren’t very responsive to his attempts at socialization. It didn’t help that he was an enderman hybrid either, one of the mobs most known for not being able to handle interaction with species that aren’t other endermen and hate eye contact.

He wanted to visit the dragon today, but he hesitated on that decision. Hours of mining led to him upgrading his items at his base using those materials, which left him with nearly the same amount of materials he had before he started mining. Most of what he had was a bunch of emeralds he didn’t have much use for. Trading them with villagers was great, they’d trade some decent stuff but the quality slowly declined over the years. The last time he tried to trade, they tried offering ten pieces of paper for 8 emerald gems, which he didn’t need when he had an entire library of books and journals back at home. It meant most of the emeralds he has and the emeralds he’s mined collect dust in chests.

He debated if he should give emeralds to a dragon who clearly prefers gold, but wouldn’t it be better to have something other than nothing? Ranboo didn’t have the energy to keep mining either. Don’t get him wrong, he loves mining but he loves rest as well.

Ranboo held a large bag of emeralds, and he had that deja vu of wavering fear when he reached the dragon’s den again. What if he didn’t accept his offer? Everyone knows emeralds aren’t of much use other than trading, they can’t be used to make armor or tools. They’re pretty much useless!

Just like the times before, the dragon was there next to their heap of jewels. “Hello, Blade.” Ranboo greeted softly, and he knew he heard him when he did his signature puff of smoke as a hello. “D’you get lonely without me? I know, I’m pretty good company.” He joked and Blade thumped his tail on the ground.

Ranboo chuckled. “Ah- I think I should just be honest here. I don’t… have gold, I just have emeralds and I—”

The Blood Dragon then suddenly popped up from where they were laying and stared at Ranboo. In instinct, the enderman immediately looked away. Oh Prime, Oh Prime, Oh Prime. Coins and metal shuffled around, Blade was moving. Fear struck in Ranboo, especially since they have never seen the dragon stand up or move away from their treasure before.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

He was walking closer and they closed their eyes, trying to touch into their teleporting skill and get out of there. Ranboo could feel the particles surrounding him, and he attempted to imagine the forest outside to teleport to. They weren’t great with teleporting, in fact, it mostly only works when he’s scared and oh, he’s so scared. “Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!” They screeched out ender apologies, only coming off to the dragon as warbles of sounds.

Blade pressed their snout against Ranboo’s chest, effectively trapping them between him and the wall of the cave. “Oh my Pr- please, please, don’t kill me!” Panicked clawed hands made an effort to push the dragon’s face away, to no avail. This is it, the exact scenario he was worried about. He should’ve just waited for more time and come back with the items the dragon had wanted, or maybe he shouldn’t have even come here at all. This deal was nothing but just the dragon milking out Ranboo’s resources until he was bone dry. Tears welled up in his eyes and they burned his eyesight. Wow, thanks for giving him every enderman trait except for great teleportation skills. Thanks a lot, Universe.

Ranboo didn’t know what he should feel in his last moments. Whether it was anger or sadness, he just wanted the dragon to get it all over with as swiftly as he could. He knew he was taller than the average human but the Blood Dragon was huge, so he could make quick work with him.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Blade made a sound, a small roar that sounded a lot like curiosity.. Or was it happiness?

Ranboo opened their eyes and felt their heart thump louder than they had before. The dragon was mere inches away from himself, though their attention was focused on the brown bag on the floor, or maybe what was inside it. They never noticed the dark pink scales scattered across his body before, and the scars of what were presumably sword scars were displayed at his neck. Not just on his neck, but scars displayed on his wings, tail, and even on his chest.

Blade sniffed at the bag and made soft sounds, gently poking the bag with his snout. Ranboo, still in a state of shock, tried to speak. “Oh. Oh- so you were- you like emeralds?” He questioned, and noted that the continuous thumping was just Blade’s tail excitedly hitting the floor.

Slowly, he picked up the bag full of emeralds again and watched as how Blade’s thin irises expanded, reminding him of a cat focusing on a red dot from a laser pointer. “Jeez, you-” Ranboo breathed deeply, unable to find the right words for their feelings. They approached the heap of treasures again, and Blade followed right behind them. Their massive shadow covered the entirety of the enderman and they made a delighted trill sound as the emeralds were added. “There. Happy?” Ranboo squeaked an ender curse as Blade pressed his snout against his body again, and the sound of thunder outside just made his nerves rise again.

Wait… Thunder?

He could barely hear it in this huge cave, but there were sounds of raindrops and the occasional thunder outside. That was strange, he could’ve sworn there weren’t any clouds in the sky when he had first entered- but to be completely fair, he wasn’t paying attention to the sky when he was contemplating about entering the cave earlier. He’s stuck. “Crap…” He mumbled.

Blade turned their head to the ceiling of the cave, aware of the thunderstorm happening outside. Ranboo walked up to the curtain of leaves to see just how bad the storm was, maybe they could set off back to their home. Sure, it may hurt but— “Wait, wait, wait, what are you doing?!” Blade’s tail wrapped around his waist and lifted him just a few inches off the ground and brought him closer.

Blade laid down and gently placed Ranboo by his neck. Was he asking him to stay here? “Thanks, but I got to get home, Blade.” He said, patting the dragon's neck. The dragon replied with a pleading rumble, eyes closed and cuddling their neck closer to him.