Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Boober was having problems. Well, he was always having some sort of problem or another, according to the self-composed Infirmity and Illnesses for the Mentally Aware. It had lists of maladies of the body and mind, all of his information coming from that of his family; his friends; his patients. Though treating the sick was stressful, it was something he needed, for life experience and for life itself.

It was especially useful when he was having a problem.

Despite his knowledge of his issues, he still refused to actively seek a cure for them on his own; his pride was one thing, and his safety was another. He knew of no other Fraggle that was as medically adept as he was, and feared the possibility of his problems getting worse. Boober seemed to have a penchant for fear.

He would’ve loved to let his anxiety take its course and slowly burn itself out, but, of course, dreamy miss Mokey with her limitless ambitions had to take the problem in her own hands and try to work something out. She wanted to solve her friends’ problems - she had done so before, successfully - but, again, Boober was too proud yet too afraid to let dear Mokey try to fix him. Even worse was her suggestion for a cure.

“You should go with Cantus! Oh, I’m sure a journey through the rock would be perfect for you...” She sighed, clasping her hands together and leaning her head on them. “All of the flowers, and the animals… Oh, what a wonderful time that would be…”

Boober had been so dumbfounded at this response that he barely knew what to say. He sat there for a while, opening his mouth and shutting it again as he thought. “M- Mokey… Listen. Iiii- I love you, but- I… I don’t think that’s- ...I don’t really-...” He had no idea what to say. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but at the same time… He played with his scarf, uncertain.

Mokey whisked herself up out of her seat, and gently put her hands on his shoulders. “Nooo, nooo, it’s fine! I’m sure he’d love to take you with him. If you want, I can help you pack!” Her voice was so calming, but at the same time, her impulsivity frightened him. She wanted to do everything she could, but couldn’t do much about it.

So, without any retaliation, Boober just stood there, babbling uselessly. Of all the times he couldn’t bring himself to speak it had to be now...

“Perfect. I’ll come get you when the time comes!” She giggled, and gently pecked the back of his head, before twirling herself out of the room, humming a tune.

Oh, Boober was done for.

Chapter Text

To Boober, the parade of Minstrels coming into the Rock was nothing but a funeral procession, yet the man in the casket was still alive. Despite the solemn and sober demeanor of Boober’s view, Cantus - the leader of the Minstrels and a primary voice in large musical events - still happily sang. Multiple other surrounding Fraggles joined him, catching the lyrics like a plague:

Come with me- my love will take you

To fly with me hand in hand

A world that knows summer and winter

Is waiting for us

to land...

Even as the singing continued, Boober did not sing. This was not exactly an act of protest; though Boober did not enjoy celebration, he didn't want to ruin everybody's fun. He was hiding, mainly, for his own survival.

As the song ended with a grand chorus, Cantus held up his left hand in greeting. "Hark Fraggles!" He called out to the crowd. The bald spot that showed the magical yellow mark on his hand was in full view; despite this, no one really questioned its presence. That was simply one of Cantus's little oddities.

"Hark Cantus!" Wembley returned his greeting, laughing and snorting as he did.

"Today is the day where we will celebrate the warming of the Rock we cherish so dearly. Our beautiful sun-" Cantus pointed upward, with his finger and his nose - "has reached its zenith, creating the longest Day of any Day Fraggles and flora alike have ever experienced."

"...What's a zenith?" Wembley whispered to Gobo.

"Highest peak," Gobo simply answered, focused deeply on Cantus's speech.

"Because of this," Cantus continued, "the light given by the wonderful fire in the sky will light the way to our reaching of celebration, and grace us with the strength to make it through the bone-chilling winter once more. Now, without further ado... Let the festivities begin!" He threw his hands in the air, and everyone cheered for him, the Midsummer Celebration starting without hesitation.

Boober, as usual, stayed out of it. Fraggles were out there playing with fire, dancing, playing games, eating and drinking things that definitely impacted the nervous system in some sort - and singing. Though he did not participate in much else, he enjoyed the music they played, whistling and singing the tunes to himself as he heard them, muffled through the walls of caves through which he prowled. Furtive action was his strong suit, and if he kept this up long enough into the night, maybe Mokey would just forget about her little plan to send him off with the Minstrels and let him stay in cozy Fraggle Rock. He didn't like it here, but he's had enough experiences going out without his friends to last him a lifetime; she should remember that. He shifted his hands in front of him, and continued to hum, tail swishing and tossing up dust as he listened to the festivities and rituals continue.

It would be a few hours. Maybe more.