Chapter Text
It's midnight.
The lights are out. Two monitors illuminate a room, both stuck on the game over scene of a co-op game. On the bed in the middle of the room, two boys sit across each other, snacks laid out in between them.
"Tommy, I have to ask," Ranboo starts. "What does today mean for us?"
The boy looks up from his food and hums thoughtfully.
"You're getting crumbs on my bed stop that- "
"- 'm not! "
" You are! This is going to be a serious dealbreaker, Tommy," Ranboo threatens jokingly. "Off!"
"Argh! I'm not a fucking dog. Seriously—" The boy hops off the bed grumbling and kneels on his mattress on the floor, leaning up against the side of the bed. "Will you be..." The blond hesitates, avoiding eye contact. "Will you be my boyfriend, then?"
"Just like that?"
"Sure. Or would you like to go on a date, first? I've never been on a date before, if you'd believe it."
"That's believable. Neither have I."
An affronted gasp. "See if I take you on a date at all! Fuck you."
"I mean-"
"No, no, no. Fuck you, man. Take it back!"
"I'm just saying—"
They end up wrestling on the floor, throwing (weak) punches trying to hold the other down. Soon the purpose of the argument is lost and they're just wrestling and tickling and laughing on the spare mattress on the floor. The taller boy reigns victorious, pinning the blond who was now laying sideways, under his forearm and his entire upper body weight. The blond tries to move the arm tucked under him to try and turn the situation around when Ranboo dips his head right in front of Tommy's. "Got you." The stormy gaze keeps the blond pinned down, finding it more worthwhile trying to see those lovely eyes through the darkness rather than struggling.
"I- I like strength in a man," Tommy quips with a strained voice and a wavy smile, followed by an excessively nervous gulp. The weight pressing on him shifts as Ranboo's chest shakes with laughter, which makes him drop his entire body weight on the blond, who laughs right with him.
"Wh- why would you say that?" Ranboo manages through wheezes.
"That sounded funnier in my head."
The taller one slides off Tommy so that they're facing each other, both laying on their sides and seeing eye to eye. One of his legs is still on top of Tommy's. Their laughter peters off into the sound of their breathing and idle video game music. Their eyes met in the dark. Tommy's hand rests on Ranboo's face, poking his cheek and brushing fingers over closed eyelids. Awed, he stupidly says, "I like your face."
Ranboo does a breathy giggle, and Tommy's thumb traces the upturned corner of his mouth. The sandy-haired boy's eyes flutter open at the touch.
"Hey," says Tommy.
Ranboo's stormbluegrey eyes flicker down to the blond's lips before meeting summeroceanblue. His mouth feels dry. "Hi."
Tommy's voice goes quiet. "Ranboo, what's happening?"
"I don't know, Tom. You tell me."
Tommy mumbles something incoherent.
"Hmm?"
Under Tommy's clammy fingertips, Ranboo's cheeks grow warm. The blond holds his face securely between both faintly food-greasy palms, and Ranboo doesn't even want to complain. Blue eyes look at him, searching.
"Go on," Ranboo whispers, sounding far braver than he felt.
Tommy pushes himself up on his elbow, leaning over him. Ranboo's eyes close when their foreheads touch. He tilts his head up slightly when their noses bump. Then, a soft press of lips. The sandy-haired boy gasps softly when the blond pulls away. They're quiet again. Ranboo lays still under Tommy who's now half-leaning on his chest, eyes closed and reveling in the feeling of giddy warmth.
"Oh my god, does this mean I'm gay?"
Ranboo is shocked into laughter by the lapse in silence. Just knowing how the other cannot stand the quiet, and choosing to break it with that , of all things. When he regains some composure, he replies drily. "No, Tommy, we're just dudes being bros. Bros being dudes. Nothing gay about being boyfriends, surely."
"What the hell, I am . The lie detector was right! Fuck!"
"You'll figure it out. Come here."
The blond gives him a questioning, nearly incredulous look, to which Ranboo shrugs as he sits them both up, holding on to the other's shoulder. Tommy's hand finds his cheek once more. Ranboo rests his own hands atop it, and, without much thinking about it, chases the warm feeling again. Their lips lock in a short sweet embrace and pull away, softly gasping.
Tommy lets out an airy giggle, then makes a graceless remark about still being hungry and leaves Ranboo lying there, suddenly cold. The taller boy touches his lips, awestruck still. He closes his eyes and tries to calm his heart.
Tommy returns offering a nugget next to his mouth with a playful expression on his face. Ranboo quickly sits up, an ingrained reaction to whenever Tommy seems like he's up to bullshit again. "Oh god, no. Just give me it."
"Open your mouth, baby," Tommy taunts.
"No!"
"Say ahh—"
Ranboo sighs deeply, grudgingly beginning to accept his fate. "This wasn't what I signed up for."
"It's what you'll get bitch, now open up."
Begrudgingly, Ranboo accepts the chicken nugget, glaring at Tommy's pleased smirk. The hand feeding ends there, thankfully. Ranboo sits back on his bed, with Tommy sitting across from him. They proceed with the usual banter, as if they weren't just kissing not even five minutes ago. And it felt good, that sense of normalcy, like it's always been like this. Just, maybe with dates and kissing and flowers...
"Do you like flowers, Ranboo?"
"Who's asking?"
"Your boyfriend?"
Ranboo snorts affectionately. "If I say yes, should I expect flowers in the mail?"
"There's an idea."
"Then, yes, sometimes. Do you? Like flowers?"
"Sure. Why not? But you know what I like more than flowers, Ran? Twitch subs." Tommy glanced at Ranboo to see how he reacts, and is mildly horrified to find that he looks like he's properly considering it. "H-hey," he stumbles on his words between laughs, "I was- I was kidding!"
Tommy was more or less shrieking-laughing at this point, so Ranboo shushes him while making his kinda-annoyed-but-not-enough-to-worry-about face, looking as he listens for his parents waking up. Tommy kind of wants to kiss his dumb face, then remembers he can do that now, so he does. He leans forward with a bit too much force, not enough to be painful but enough to push the other back. The kiss did land, and the way Ranboo reacted was cute.
"I bet you're red right now."
"You are going to be insufferable," Ranboo sighs. "Hmm, who do we tell? Who knows?"
"My parents kind of know... So does Tubbo. Maybe Phil. And his wife. And Wilbur and Eryn and-"
"Is there anyone who doesn't know?"
"Chat."
"Of course not. They're too nosy and you know it."
"Is that a no to flirting?"
"You call that flirting?"
"Hardly. You're about to witness some real flirting, Ranboo. You will be swooning over my charms."
Ranboo tries to express 'I highly doubt that' through his eyebrows. It doesn't seem to work.
"Final chicken nugget?"
Ranboo plucks it from Tommy's grasp. "I have hands, thank you." He pops it into his mouth.
"May I hold your hands, oh beloved?"
" Don't call me your beloved, and get the crumbs out of my bed and I'll consider it."
"Alright."
The other cleans up quietly and Ranboo tries to keep his staring subtle so Tommy won’t snap at him out of self-consciousness. The new distance between them is suddenly an open wound. Tommy returns his gaze, and the intensity of it freezes Ranboo in place. He reaches out when he sees the helplessness there. Tommy steps into the space made for him, and falls easily into the hug.
"Ranboo?"
"I'm here, Tom."
"I think I went too fast on that one, big man. I really like you, I do. I think I'm scared."
Ranboo squeezes the shorter boy in his arms. "It's just me, Tom. It's just us. We’ll figure it out. We do what we want, that sound good?"
"God I love you," Tommy exhales, relieved for the time being.
Ranboo smiles against Tommy's temple.
"I-I mean—"
"Me too."