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Ranboo had no idea what he was doing at a house party the night before finals week, he truly did not. He should've been home, reviewing, studying, another word for making sure you dont fail a class, but instead he was here, a red cup of something awful tasting in his hand, alone.
Well, technically not alone, it had been Niki that dragged him here, having pulled up in front of his house and pressing down her car horn until he opened his window to yell down “Niki I swear to heck.”
“Come with me to a party,” she yelled up. “It’ll be fun, promise!”
After a lot of internal back and forth Ranboo had agreed. Getting dressed hurriedly and texting his housemate that wasn't home to let them know he'd be out.
When they first got to the party, Niki hwd introduced him to her girlfriend, Puffy, and he’d hung oht with them for a while until Niki had been pulled away by someone else, her girlfriend right behind her.
Now, he sat awkwardly on the lumpy couch of this frat house, completely surrounded by people he didn’t know.
With a sigh he pulled his phone out, only now seeing a text from Niki that’d been sent ten minutes ago.
Niki: going to store with puffy!! we are getting snacks text me if you need something <3
Ranboo: :D
He opened twitter, scrolling though his timeline before shutting his phone off in annoyance. Who knew a house party would be this boring. Looking around, he took a sip of the concoction in his cup, grimacing through the taste. Maybe he should try to mingle. Yea. That seemed like a good idea.
Determinedly, Ranboo got up from the couch, stumbling slightly. Apparently the alcohol from earlier in the evening was getting to him. He took small steps, trying not to look stupid as the dim light swayed around him. He steadily made progress towards the sliding glass doors that led to the porch, where a small group of people had congregated.
The fresh air felt nice on his skin, and only now did he realize how warm it had been inside. The noise out here was greatly reduced, a chill song playing from a small speaker and the sound of evening setting a peaceful mood.
“Hey big guy, you doing alright?”
Ranboo startled at the question. Finding a short, brunette, (and rather cute, if he was being honest,) boy to the left of him.
“Uh..yea! Perfect.”
The brunette smiled, an intrigued look in his eyes.
“You’re really fucking tall, big man.”
“Thanks?” Ranboo repiled, quizzically.
“You’re welcome. Wanna come sit with me? We’re playing Uno.”
“Mhm mhm. Sounds fun.”
The other boy beamed. He took Ranboo’s hand excitedly, making the taller of the two stumble clumsily after him until they’d made it upon a small circle of people playing an aforementioned game of Uno.
“I’m back!” the shorter boy announced. “This is uh...what’s your name?”
Ranboo blanched, nervously glancing at the faces peering up at him. “Ranboo.”
“This is Ranboo!”
A chorus of greetings followed soon after, and Ranboo relaxed enough to look around the circle and smile nervously. “Uh, hi.”
Ranboo followed the other boy to a space that had been cleared in the circle, slotting in between a rather tall and angry looking blonde boy and a dogpile of three that no one seemed all too surprised by.
“So what’d Tubbo promise you?” the blonde asked as soon as Ranboo had sat down and his cards had been dealt.
“Pardon?”
The blonde boy snickered as he surveyed Ranboo. It was rather unnerving, if he was being honest.
“C’mon mate, you’re exactly his type.”
Ranboo felt his face turn red, and he stuttered out another “Pardon?”
“Hey! Leave him be, Tommy,” The brunette the other side of him said.
“Was just asking him a question, Tubs.”
“You’re intimidating him on purpose.”
“You have no proof of that.”
“I’ll skin you.”
“Fine, fine. Geez.”
The blonde, Tommy, gave Ranboo a wide, mocking grin, before miming a cutting motion over his neck. What the hell.
“Ignore him. He’s just pissed the girl he was talking to left already.”
Ranboo laughed nervously, taking a far too big swig from the cup he’d brought out with him. The taste wasn’t as awful this time around.
“So..your name is..Tubbo?” Ranboo asked.
“Oh shoot. Yea, yea, that’s me,” Tubbo stuck his hand out expectantly, and Ranboo shook it in mock reverie.
“Nice to meet you Tubbo.”
“The pleasure’s all mine, big man.”
A mock retching sound came from behind Ranboo, and Tubbo shot the offender a scary glare.
“Tubbo, it's your turn,” Someone from the other side of the circle called.
“Ah fuck, uh. Pass.”
“Ok...Ranboo then.”
Ranboo looked at his cards and then at the pile in the middle of the circle. He played a red skip.
“Oh fuck you!” Tommy groaned. Ranboo only gave him a shit eating grin.
-
The game continued around the circle, until a beanie clad member of the dogpile shouted “UNO!”
Everyone groaned, the game now devolving into trying every which way to get rid of cards.
Despite having his turn skipped twice, beanie boy still won.
“Damn it Quackity, this is the third game in a row.”
“Don’t hate the player, hate the game, Dream.”
“Boooo. Rematch.”
A smaller circle eventually formed with those still determined to play Uno. Ranboo decided he wanted no part in that. Plus, it was getting harder and harder to keep his eyes open.
He felt a soft punch on his arm, turning to see Tubbo smiling up at him.
“You look tired.”
“Mm, probably cause I am.”
Tubbo looked thoughtful for a second, before he stood up and held his hand out to help Ranboo do the same. Ranboo took his hand easily, easing himself up. His legs had fallen asleep, and he stumbled slightly as he stood upright.
“Let’s get you some place to rest, then.”
Ranboo didn't repy, only nodding his head in agreement.
Tubbo once again took the taller boy's hand, leading him into the house where the party was still going strong. The two made their way upstairs, until Ranboo found himself being led into a room with little more than a twin bed and a desk piled with books.
“Thank you.” Ranboo slurred out.
Tubbo smiled, steering Ranboo into bed.
-
Ranboo stirred awake, blearily opening his eyes only to find his face pressed into something warm. He let out a soft groan, moving away from whatever he was pressed up against to stretch.
It was dark in the room, and the sound of loud music leaked into the room, muffled enough to not be overwhelming. It seemed the party was still going strong. Ranboo pushed himself up into a kneeling position, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and readjusting his hoodie that had ridden up in his sleep.
Once he was slightly more lucid, he came to the realization that he'd been cuddled up against Tubbo, the smaller boy must've fallen asleep sometime after he had. He looked rather peaceful like this, curled up in a fetal position around where Ranboo had previously been. His chest rose and fell rhythmically, and his hand seemed to twitch as if he were looking for something.
Cute. Ranboo thought to himself.
He searched for his phone, finding it after some blind searching of the bed. Once turned on, he found that the time read 3:42 am...and that he had five missed calls from Niki
“Oh shit.” he said out loud, wincing at how unintentionally loud it came out. He unlocked his phone and realized Niki had texted him as well. Crap.
11:03 pm
Niki: ranbooooooooooo
Niki: puffy and i are back where are u :)
11:57 pm
Niki: wil said you were outside !!
Niki: have fun :) text me though pleaseee ok?
1:26 am
Niki: ranbnnnnnnnnnn
Niki: im staygn wifh puffy becauze she said j shlindt drivee
Niki: scott said he saw u with a boyyuyyyyyy
Niki: ooooooOOooooooo
Well, at least she knew he wasn’t dead. That was comfort enough for now. Ranboo shifted around some more in bed, sitting up against the wall a bit aways from Tubbo’s curled form.
The smaller boy’s rhythmic breathing brought a sense of serenity to Ranboo, just watching his chest rise and fall while he thought about what to do.
From Niki’s text, it was obvious she’d left the party already, probably assuming Ranboo would stay the night and...do whatever people who spent the night after a party with a pretty boy in their bed did. The thought of it made his face flush, only now realizing how their little departure up the stairs must’ve looked from his and Tubbo’s friends’ point of view.
-
The dryness in his mouth had finally driven Ranboo from the room, stumbling downstairs and back into the throng of people in the living room. He inched his way around the edges of the room, making it to the kitchen as quickly as he could in order to avoid getting roped into something. He’d hate to have Tubbo wake up to him gone, it would look really bad.
Fortunately, the kitchen was relatively empty, save for a girl pouring herself what looked to be a mixture of vodka, tequila, and sprite. He wasn’t gonna question it.
“Excuse me,” Ranboo muttered, the sentence coming out a lot raspier than expected. The girl jumped, swerving around to make eye contact.
“I uh, do you know where the non-alcoholic drinks are?”
The girl smiled and let out a little chuckle, pointing to a blue cooler pushed into a corner. “I think there’s only waters and like, juice boxes in there.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem, cutie.”
She was swaying where she stood, definitely drunk. Ranboo gave her a polite smile.
The cooler was basically full. Ice melting but entirely filled with...caprisuns? Huh. No water for him it seemed. Ranboo scooped up a couple of the juice pouches, shaking the water off and grimacing at the ice cold droplets that made their way down his wrist. It was not the most pleasant of sensations.
When Ranboo made it back out to the living room, he ran right smack into the blonde from earlier. Tommy, if he remembered correctly
“What the hell man, watch where you’re-RANBOOB.”
“Uh, hi.”
The blonde peered behind Ranboo, seemingly looking for someone. Before a look of confusion clouded his face.
“Where’s Tubbo?”
“He-uh. He’s asleep..? Upstairs…”
“Oh. OHHHHHH.” Tommy snickered, seemingly to himself, before reaching up to place a hand on Ranboo’s shoulder. “You seem like an honest man, Ranboob, but if you did anything to so much as annoy big T , you’ll be on my list.”
“Oh...kay…”
“Ey, good man.” Tommy patted Ranboo’s shoulder in what felt like a condescending matter, giving him another pointed look before leaving the taller of the two to stand motionless in the doorway. He didn’t really know what to make of that..conversation.
No matter, he made his way back upstairs.
-
Ranboo had done his best to quietly enter the room, but apparently he hadn’t been quiet enough, if Tubbo suddenly sitting up with a confused sound escaping him was anything to go by.
“Wha-”
“Hi Tubbo.”
Tubbo said something he couldn’t quite make out and stood from the bed. The two now standing parallel.
“I uh, they didn’t have any water bottles left.” He shoved a caprisun into Tubbo’s hand, dumping the rest onto the nightstand behind them.
Tubbo looked up at him, squinting in a way that was more questioning than suspicious.
“It’s a caprisun.” Ranboo replied.
“I know it’s a caprisun.”
“Oh.”
“Oh.”
Ranboo watched Tubbo messed with the pouch in his hands, turning it over and over before finally peeling the straw off the back and piercing it. Neither of them had moved. Tubbo took a sip.
“This ‘s grape.”
“Sorry.”
Why was this so painfully awkward now that he was sober?
Tubbo looked up again, making direct eye contact with Ranboo. He did his best not to flinch.
“Are you just gonna keep staring at me? Or are you thinking of something else big man.”
“I-uh, no…?”
“Shame. I was thinking of kissing you,” Tubbo said.
Ranboo’s face felt warm, like, really really warm. Too warm.
“Well...if you wanted to?”
“Do you want me to?”
Yes. “Yea..?” God why did that sound like a question what the FUCK. You’re in COLLEGE and you’re freaking out over being asked if you want to kiss what the fuck what the fuuu-
Tubbo laughed. Ranboo’s train of thought slowed. He blushed as Tubbo pressed more into his personal space, placing his hands nervously on the shorter boy’s shoulders. He still had the caprisun in his hand.
“You gotta lean down a bit, big man. Too fuckn tall for me.”
Ranboo blurted out apologies that made Tubbo laugh as he got up on his toes, balancing himself against Ranboo’s chest. The kiss was awkward, Ranboo didn’t really know how to move his mouth, and Tubbo seemed infinitely more experienced in this kind of thing. It wasn’t bad for a first kiss in a dark bedroom, secluded away from a party.
A thoughtful look overtook Tubbo’s face, and it made Ranboo extremely nervous. Tubbo seemed to have come to a realization.
“You’ve never kissed anyone, have you?”
Ranboo reddened instantly, stuttering his way through some convoluted sentence that all but confirmed Tubbo’s assumption. “Uh. I-uh-well…”
“Aww. I was your first kiss?”
“Yes…”
“Awwwwwwww”
“You’re. You’re mocking me.”
“It’s cute! You’re very cute. Didn’t expect a guy like you to be so...inexperienced.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know...tall ‘n’ shit. Super attractive too. People dig that kind of stuff.”
“I’ve never really-”
“Shhhhhh. I’m gonna kiss you again.” Tubbo declared. He leaned back up before Ranboo could say anything, not that he would have objected. He was just, more self conscious of what his mouth was doing now.
Tubbo was definitely being a lot more, Ranboo wasn’t sure if exploratory was the right word. It was more like taking the lead while ballroom dancing. Yea. That was a sensible analogy.
Tubbo hummed against Ranboo’s lips, the vibration causing him to part his lips just enough to give the shorter of the two the opportunity to bite Ranboo’s bottom lip. The yelp he let out made Tubbo giggle, but he didn’t stop kissing the taller boy until it was obvious Ranboo was not going to let him stick his tongue in his mouth.
“You’re no fun.” Tubbo pouted.
“I just. What.”
“Nothing, nothing, sleep with me, will ya? It’s late.”
“Okay.”