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simple-seranade · 2 years

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so i wrote more of that shapeshifter!jimmy concept- team rancher fans (/p or /r) come get y’all’s content

(part one here! shoutout to @pixiemage for the inspo to add some team rancher, apologies for the tag if it is unwanted-)

TW: body horror, panic attack, lots of anxiety

Tango is a being of emotion.

Whether the fires of passion and rage that consumed him in the Life games, to the ice cold loneliness he felt after the fact when he realized his soulmate was gone, the man has had plenty of practice in letting his feelings flow through him, empower him, become the fuel that kept him going.

So when he receives Jimmy’s message in the world chat, every single alarm bell in his head sounding that something was wrong, Jimmy is in trouble, go help him, go find your rancher…

Well, Tango felt his feet hit the sand before he even had the conscious thought of going to find the sheriff.

He can’t help the feeling of worry that pools in his gut as he nears the town, ignoring the gritting sensation of the wind-tossed sand flying in his face, his clothes, his hair. His mind is frantic and flickering as the possibilities flare to life, all the groundless worst case scenarios painting a baseless picture of ash and ruin.

The smell of singed sand rises in the air, causing Tango to pause, looking back at the course he was taking. A series of smoking footprints trail behind him, some flames still burning in his wake despite the fact the only fuel was the sand and the hot desert sun. He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he attempts to steady his breathing.

He has no reason to be getting this upset, no valid explanation for the uncanny fear that’s taken residence in his chest. He shouldn’t even be worried, for void’s sake. After all, Jimmy was talking after a few days of radio silence, and nothing he had said was wrong, or bad, or even troublesome, but for some reason the ice blue flames on Tango’s head were roaring like a bonfire three times their size.

Maybe if he just… reads the message again, he’ll calm down. He can rationalize, go check in Jimmy without the threat of accidentally burning the town to the ground, and just catch up with the sheriff. It had been a while since they’ve gotten the chance to chat, Tango getting caught up in helping FWhip with his Empire and Jimmy’s never-ending feud with Joel.

Tango hums absentmindedly as he walks, pulling up the world chat on his communicator.

Jimmy: Renovations in Tumble Town. For safety purposes, visitors are banned until further notice.

See? Nothing to worry about. He was fine, there was nothing wrong with Jimmy. Tumble Town was just changing, so he was probably busy. Everything was fine.

Someone should notify Tango’s emotions of that message, because the pit of worry in his gut only grows. Whoever said anxiety was a rainy emotion must not have known what they were talking about, because the smoke pillaring into the sky from the icy blue flames in his hair seemed to perfectly match the hot sparks of panic in Tango’s chest.

He really needs to find Jimmy before he sets the entire desert ablaze over paranoia.

Because that’s all it could be. Paranoia. He was getting worried over nothing. He can’t feel Jimmy’s pain anymore, he has no reason, no way of knowing the sheriff is hurting or in any kind of danger. Then again, it also meant he isn’t sure Jimmy isn’t, either.

He had never missed the soulbond more.

The wave of relief that crashes over him when the familiar walls of Tumble Town rise in the distance is hardly enough to quell the burning emotion inside of him, but it does dim the glow to a more reasonable proportion. Nothing is on fire- well, aside from Tango himself- and no screams are to be heard. In fact, it's a typical quiet desert day.

Nothing like Tango would expect from a place undergoing heavy renovations.

He tries to keep himself in check as he nears Tumble Town, doing his level best to not let his growing unease affect him. Everything is normal, any traces of the claimed construction nowhere to be seen. The only out of the ordinary occurrence is the fact that, despite the sun barely even beginning to dip past its midday point in the sky, the lights in the sheriff office are completely off. Jimmy usually keeps the lights on to let people know they could come in and receive help from the sheriff if they needed it.

Tango’s traitorous brain considers truly for the first time that something is actually wrong. That he isn’t imagining things. That Jimmy…

He needs to find his rancher.

The blaze hybrid takes a deep breath, steadying his nerves. “Jimmy? Where are you?”

Silence.

A fiery man’s sinking heart.

Then, so soft it was nearly imperceptible, a sniffle.

Tango swings his head around, attempting to pinpoint the origin of the sound. His blue eyes land on the dark sheriff’s office, and his heart sinks as a small, pitiful whine comes from inside. He isn't sure he’s ever moved faster than he does in that moment, the door opened and shut before he even processed the fact that his feet were moving, creaking against the wooden planks. “Jimmy? Jimmy, are you ok? What’s-“

“Tango, you shouldn’t be here. It’s not safe.” A hoarse whisper sounds from the back corner of the room, shrouded in shadows from the lack of lights. Tango fights back a cringe at the sound of the voice he knew so well, which was oddly lifeless and wooden.

The blaze hybrid takes a step towards where the sheriff is, brightening the room slightly as the icy blue fire that partially made him fought back the dark.The figure of his past soulmate is huddled against the wall, features still too dim to make out. He is also, worryingly, very, very small, the size of a stuffed animal instead of a man. He takes another step. “I was worried. It’s been a while since we’ve talked, and I just wanted to see-“

“STOP!” The pure fear in the sheriff’s voice causes Tango to freeze. “Don’t come any closer, leave, you need to leave-“ Jimmy’s voice hitches, his breath becoming more shallow and frantic.

Ice cold panic shoots through Tango’s veins. Jimmy- Jimmy is scared. His rancher is terrified, on the verge of a panic attack, he has to help. He takes a shuddering breath, steadying himself and doing his best to keep his flames under control as he sits in front of the sheriff.

“Jimmy, I need you to breathe with me, ok? Just listen to my breathing, do your best to copy it.” He inhales loudly, counting to four in his head before holding it. Then, slowly, he exhales, fighting to keep it at a reasonable pace when he was panicking as well.

Jimmy sucks in a breath, but it catches in his throat as he chokes back a sob. Tango ignores the pang in his heart at the sound, continuing the breathing pattern.

It takes an agonizing fifteen minutes for the sheriff to be able to breath, and another five before either of the men are able to break the silence.

“Jimmy…”

“I’m fine.” The sheriff interrupts. Tango can see the small lawmaker rub furiously at his eyes with the heels of his hands before freezing, lowering them again. “You can go now.”

“You were just having a panic attack, Jimmy. I’ll give you some space if you want me to, but… I just want to know you’re ok. Just-“ He sighs, wringing his hands nervously. “You’re my rancher, and I know I haven’t been around much, but I still care.”

He keeps his gaze on his hands, fully expecting Jimmy to implore him to leave. What right did he have to still be here? Yeah, he and Jimmy were close, but Jimmy was clearly trying to be alone, to distance himself from him and the others on the server.

He ignores how that thought makes him even less inclined to leave the sheriff alone.

Just as he’s about to stand up, apologize, leave, do something, he feels a small tug on his cloak. He looks down, and right there is Jimmy.

It has to be Jimmy, and that’s what makes Tango’s heart break.

It breaks because instead of just a small version of the man he’s fought by, lived by, died by, he was… wrong.

That was the only way Tango can describe it. The only way he can possibly put into words the way his stomach twists as he takes in the sight of glassy lifeless eyes, of stitches pulled tightly into plush skin, of the long ring-tipped string sprouting from a back where there had once been beautiful golden wings before those had disappeared. The soft golden hair had given way to obnoxiously yellow string, just barely escaping from under the sheriff hat atop his head.

Dazed, the blaze hybrid reaches out, gently cradling the man’s the toy’s Jimmy’s face with his fingers. Instead of slightly stubbled skin, his fingers are met with the sensation of fabric. He can feel the stuffing underneath, even though he’s barely applying any pressure.

“Tango-“

“Who did this to you?” Tango growls, unable to stop his fire from brightening and raging, so much so he had to lean forward to make sure he didn’t set the wall ablaze. His vision is tinged with a vibrant sky blue, his thoughts racing as furyprotectivenessragecare surges through him, because someone’s turned Jimmy into the very thing he had been protesting this entire time, and when he finds them Tango is going to make sure they feel the burning of a thousand suns-

“Tango, calm!”

The familiar voice snaps reality back into place with the faint memory of sunny farms and peaceful farm animals. The blaze hybrid blinks away the remnants of blue clouding his vision, gaze settling on the small sheriff in front of him. Small plush hands were on his shoulders, and those glassy eyes stared up at Tango with a slightly pained look that was no doubt only a small part of what he was really feeling.

“Tango, I know this is upsetting, but there’s no use in raging. It won’t change anything.” The pure resignation in Jimmy’s voice nearly breaks Tango’s heart all over again

The blaze hybrid shudders, trying to rein in his emotions. “Sorry. I- I just- how did this happen?”

Jimmy laughs, a hollow and humorless sound. “No idea. I changed a few days ago, finally regained enough control over my limbs to message the world chat today. Turns out typing and using a communicator without bones is hard. Who knew?”

Tango’s eyes only widen in horror as the sheriff talks. “Oh, Jimmy…”

“And I probably should have seen this coming, if the Life games were anything to go by, I apparently don’t get to control these things because the universe hates me, but- but it hurt, it hurt so bad-“ He blinks furiously, eyes dry. “And I can’t even- I can’t even cry, Tango, and you know more than anyone how much of that I did the first time.”

The memories of tear soaked sheets mingling with the blood and feathers strewn about surface in Tango’s mind, along with the haunting sobs as the wings tore their way through Jimmy’s back.

Those were just wings. The entirety of Jimmy’s body had gone through that level of change. Alone.

Oh void.

“But yeah, that’s- that’s the story. The Toy Story, one could say. I’m sorry you had to see me like this, I-“

Jimmy is cut off as he’s pulled haphazardly into a hug, suddenly surrounded by warmth and comfort and Tango.

“I am so sorry.”

The sheriff grips tightly onto the arms around him with what little strength his plush arms and hands have to offer. “Why on earth are you apologizing? You’ve done nothing to apologize for.”

“I left you alone, Jimmy. I got so caught up in my work at FWhips and I haven’t gotten to talk to you and you went through so much hurt, my rancher, and I’m so sorry.”

How does someone respond to that? How does someone tell a person, a friend, a companion who was crying their eyes out, that their absence was understandable, even if their presence would have been the most beloved thing in the world? How does one break the news that the universe was trying to break him piece by piece, and it was no use shedding tears over his inevitable fall?

Jimmy doesn’t know how to do that, so instead he hugs the man tighter, trying to fit all the unspeakable words and pain and grief and resignation and acceptance into the grasp of his hands.

“I forgive you.” Jimmy murmurs, feeling Tango’s breath hitch against him.

“You will never have to go through that alone again. You wont have to do any of this alone.”

The sheriff’s breath stutters, and phantom tears he knows he can no longer shed gather in his eyes. “I- I- Tango, you can’t. You have more important things to do-“ more important people to spend time with “-and- and as much as I hate it, you… you have to head back to Hermitcraft eventually.” The thought that Scar would be leaving him, Tango would be leaving him, everyone he had on his side, it’s been enough to drive Jimmy mad. Still, he doesn’t have any plans yet to keep them there, any plans to convince them to stay, please, please don’t leave him all alone again, don’t make him fight the world alone, he can’t bear it.

“You’re hurting. I’ve seen how they’ve treated you with the whole toy thing, I’m not leaving you to face that alone. Besides, I don’t think I’ve gotten to officially stay in that house you’ve built me, which is a shame because it’s lovely.”

“But Hermitcraft! You have things there you can’t just abandon, Tango! You shouldn’t pick me over what you guys have been trying to get back to all this time.”

Tango slips his fingers under Jimmy’s chin, guiding his gaze up to him. “Jimmy. Do you want me to stay with you?”

More than anything. I would let you set the world ablaze if it meant I could have someone in my corner, someone who respects me, just please, don’t leave me.

“I couldn’t ask that of you.”

“But do you want to?”

Yes, almost more than I wish to be human again.

The sheriff looks down, filled with shame, because he can’t keep Tango here, he can’t, but he also can’t get his mouth to form the one word he needs it to to let Tango go on his way.

The silence is answer enough, and Jimmy can feel the arms around him tighten, and it should be uncomfortable by this point, but all he can think is warmcomfysafehere.

“Well then, I guess you can let the rest of the Empires know you have another deputy now.” The sheriff’s hat is lifted off his head, and a hand runs carefully through his knotted yarn hair.

“Tango-“

“Nope, no trying to convince me otherwise. The decision has been made.”

Tango expects more resistance, given his past soulmate’s infamous stubbornness, but instead he just hears a hushed, hopeful response.

“… You’ll really stay?”

“As long as you’ll have me.”

As Jimmy looks up, meeting the blaze hybrid’s eyes, he’s in shock of just how much genuine care is shining in them. He… he doesn’t understand. He doesn’t understand why Tango is treating him like this, when all he’s done is been horribly, horribly selfish, keeping him from all he cares about, wanting him to stay here with him because he’s horrible and a joke and no one respects him-

But- but Tango doesn’t… Tango doesn’t think he’s horrible, or laughable, or the antithesis to all things serious. Or, if he does… he’s still willing to stand by Jimmy, even as Jimmy becomes even more of a mockery of respect with every passing day.

Jimmy’s heart grew warm at the thought.

Maybe things would be ok after all. Together… together they can figure this out.

If Jimmy will have him.

“Always.”

———————

ok that was my first time writing tango so apologies if he was horrendously OOC-

but yeah i just love team rancher and this au and just. empires x hermitcraft brainrotting is STRONG

definitely gonna write more of this, so like. idk if y’all want a taglist but if you want to be added to one just lemme know, through an ask, reblog, comment, whatever floats your boat.

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