Chapter Text
"Hey."
Tommy startles, looks up. He had been building a tower, trying to go back to normal, despite everything. (What even was normal at this point? They surely couldn't go back to the way things were before, after everything. Even so, building towers helped him process, in a way.)
Huh , he thought as he found the source of the voice. It was Ranboo. What was he doing here? And how did he even get up here? The dizzying drop beneath them would surely be too high to climb, and he hadn't seen a second tower or heard a trident, so- oh. Right. Ender powers. Teleportation. Stupid Ranboo and his stupid powers.
"Can I, uh." Ranboo gestures to the spot next to Tommy. "Can I sit?"
Tommy glances at him, confused. "Well... alright." He grumbles, moving over.
Ranboo lets out a relieved breath, like he hadn't expected Tommy to say yes. He nervously lowers himself down onto the edge, his tail instinctively wrapping around the nearest object- which happened to be Tommy.
"Sod off!" He growls, nearly shoving Ranboo off the edge with the force he used to get the tail away from him. It looked too dangerous. He was afraid it could cut him, strangle him, afraid it would-
He shivers, wrapping his arms around himself as Ranboo jumps back. "Sorry, sorry, er-" Ranboo twisted his tail around himself instead, wringing his hands. "Sorry."
Despite himself, Tommy softens. "It's... It's alright, just- don't do it again?"
"Okay. Okay, uh, yeah." Ranboo nods. "Okay."
Tommy just tries to breathe for a bit, still shaky. He tilts his head back, looking at the stars. For a bit, he considers whether or not he should ask Ranboo why he was here, but decides against it. He’ll have to explain eventually , Tommy rationalizes.
They both sit in silence for a while. As much as Tommy despises Ranboo it's... it's nice.
And then Tommy makes the mistake of looking at Ranboo.
Green and red eyes nervously meet blue, then furrow in concern.
"Hey," Ranboo asks gently, tilting his head. "Your eyes are red. Were you- oh. Were you crying?"
Tommy looks away, embarrassed, but doesn't have it in him to lie. "Yeah." He admits, swinging his feet.
The water far below him churns, dark and waiting. The prison in front of him spreads out like something from a painting. The moon shines bright overhead, and everything seems to hold its breath.
Ranboo is the first one to break the silence again. "Tommy?"
Tommy looks at him for the second time that night, bloodshot eyes and all. "Yeah?"
Ranboo hesitates. "Are you- are you okay?"
Tommy looks at the prison, and lets out a bitter laugh. "No." He admits. "No, I don't think I am."