Chapter Text
Fundy leaned against the counter and watched with a smile as Ranboo struggled to set up a sign in front of their shop. After a lot of work and effort, they were finally ready to start serving customers and selling ice cream, but they needed to let everyone else know that! That’s why the sign was so essential to their business, and that’s probably why Ranboo was growing more frustrated each time it fell over. But as someone who got to just watch, Fundy found it more amusing than upsetting, and he could barely hold in a laugh each time the wooden pole tumbled to the ground. It was no big surprise that after it happened for the 10th time, he couldn’t muffle the sound anymore.
“Oh, come on!” Ranboo groaned as he looked back into the shop. “Set it up yourself if you’re so smart.”
“Fine, fine, let a professional do it,” Fundy sighed, walking around the counter and joining his business partner outside. The half-enderman handed him the sign.
“A professional… in putting up signs?” he questioned as he watched Fundy examine the ground.
“Yeah! Exactly! Now move over and see how it’s done,” he confirmed with a hum. “Look, the most important thing about setting up a sign is actually putting the pole in the ground. Like this!” he explained before pushing the sign down with as much force as he could.
“Whoa, that’s very impressive,” Ranboo rolled his eyes while Fundy stepped back. To his credit, the sign didn’t fall over.
“Thank you, thank you. I don’t blame you for not knowing, it’s a very advanced technique, after all! Only a handful of people ever get to learn it!” the fox hybrid exclaimed, admiring the sign. “Hmm…. Do you have some dye? Maybe red? We should make it more visible.”
“Oh, yeah! I was going to paint it light blue since the sign is so dark! Here you go,” Ranboo nodded, handing him some dye he had prepared.
“Great, this will do! So now I need to just…” Fundy hummed, carefully trying to paint the sign. As soon as he touched it, it fell back. He tried to catch it, but all it earned him was blue dye all over his hands. Before he could properly react, Ranboo was already laughing.
“A true professional,” he managed to say through his laughter. Fundy sighed and picked the sign back up, resting it against the wall.
“Here! This looks fine! We don’t speak about what just happened!” he decided, making sure it was steady this time.
“Yeah, yeah, sure…” Ranboo nodded, still giggling to himself.
“Oh, come on! Look, there’s something wrong with the ground, that must be it!” Fundy concluded before turning his attention to his arms and trying to get the dye off of them.
“Of course, nothing else would explain that,” Ranboo nodded before walking inside the shop. “You should wash your hands now. There are some towels upstairs I think?”
“Yeah. Thanks,” Fundy sighed, walking after him before parting ways to head up the stairs. “Watch the shop while I do that.”
“Sure,” Ranboo agreed, taking Fundy’s spot behind the counter.
Just as the half-enderman promised, there were a bunch of towels in one of the chests, and Fundy had his own water, so getting the dye off of his hands wasn’t as annoying as it could’ve been. Sure, it took him a while, but eventually, it looked as if nothing happened. Well, one of the towels was far bluer now, but that wasn’t a big deal, there were still many clean ones in case they’d ever need those. A big deal, however, was the sound of a bell ringing downstairs, signifying that someone just walked inside.
“Oh, hello there!” Ranboo greeted their first customer.
“Hi, I saw you finally opened the shop!” Niki answered him with a smile, walking further inside. “I figured me and Puffy could get some ice cream while we’re taking a small break. How much for 2 cones?” she asked as she finally made her way over to the counter.
“Uh… For 2 cones… That’s…..” Ranboo muttered in thought. They did not settle on any prices yet, had they?
“For two cones!” Fundy repeated as he rushed down the stairs. His friend seemed very relieved to see him. “For two cones, well… usually, that’d be like… 2 iron ingots? But you know what, Niki? You’re getting a neighbor-business discount!” he announced proudly as he joined Ranboo’s side.
“Oh? How much is it, then?” she asked curiously. She didn’t seem to believe that she’d save any money through that offer.
“10 diamonds,” he grinned, and she chuckled but didn’t doubt that he was serious
“I see,” she nodded. “How about, instead of that, I give you two a flower each? We’re still working on the garden, so we’re low on stock… but I think we can afford that.”
“Hmm… That sounds like a terrible deal,” Fundy pointed out before allowing himself to wonder about it for a bit. “What do you think, Ranboo?”
“Uh- Well,” the half-enderman started, significantly lowering his voice until it was barely a whisper. “If they’re low on stock and they’re giving it away, they won’t have anything else to sell?” he suggested. He sounded uncertain, but Fundy seemed to like the idea.
“You know what? Deal, give us the flowers,” he decided. Ranboo went to grab the ice cream as Niki placed one Cornflower and one Daisy on the counter.
“I’m glad we reached an agreement,” she hummed while waiting for her ice cream. In just a moment, Ranboo handed her the two cones and looked down at the flowers.
“They look nice,” he complimented, and the woman smiled at that.
“Thank you! If you want more, we still have a little short of a stack in our shop,” she informed on her way out. Fundy immediately fell silent.
“Uh… that’s… Sorry?” Ranboo muttered as she turned to leave.
“Joke’s on you, we can sell them as the first flowers from your shop ever acquired!” Fundy called after her, making her chuckle on her way out.
“Of course. Good luck with your business,” she wished as she left the building.
“...This was still a good deal, right?” Fundy asked hesitantly, turning to look at Ranboo. His friend shrugged.
“I mean… I guess? Maybe? At least a bit fair?” he tried to cheer him up, but they both knew it went terribly wrong.
“...This business will fall,” Fundy groaned dramatically, resting his face on the counter. Ranboo awkwardly patted his back.
“Hmm… Do you want some ice cream to cheer you up?” he suggested. After a moment of thinking about it, Fundy lifted himself off the counter.
“Yeah, actually. That sounds nice,” he agreed. “We need to set up some actual prices, huh?”
“That would be useful,” Ranboo nodded as he went to grab two more cones. “Let’s see how well they taste before we pick something.”
“Yeah!” Fundy agreed, joining him and helping to prepare the ice cream. It wasn’t too hard to do that, and soon enough, they both were trying out their own product for the first time… since opening, at least.
“This is so good!” Ranboo smiled with delight. “I think the 2 iron ingots are too little, actually!”
“Right! But how about this, 2 iron for trying them for the first time, 6 iron after that. Or 4 gold. Or 2 diamonds. Whatever they want to pay with,” he suggested. Ranboo nodded.
“Sounds good! We’ll just need it on a sign, but I bet a professional like you can handle that? And what do we do with the flowers?” he asked, looking down at the counter.
“Of course I can handle that! And flowers… Put them away and sell them once they’re worth more?” Fundy suggested jokingly.
“I mean, there’s not much more we can do with them,” Ranboo shrugged, picking them up. “The chest over there should be fine, right?”
Fundy sat at the counter, turning a cornflower between his fingers, and thinking about the time he got it, accompanied by nothing but the sound of rain outside. The day he and Ranboo finally opened the shop, they had so many hopes for it… but it’s been closed for ages now. He wished they could reopen, that would surely be a great way to spend his time. He missed working there, missed getting to see Ranboo every day and joining forces with him, missed having the little rivalry with Puffy and Niki’s flower shop… missed the simpler times, when things weren’t nearly as bad.
“Man… I wonder if anyone would even consider buying this,” he muttered to himself, a bitter smile on his face as he turned the flower again. Even if someone wanted to get it, he probably wouldn’t sell it anyway, it served him as a reminder of the better days now.
Sudden footsteps outside snapped him out of his thoughts, someone was running down the path. Fundy tensed up once he heard them, who could it possibly be? Who would want to go on a run while it was raining? But it shouldn’t matter, should it? He was safe inside, no one would bother him there, and they would pass soon- The footsteps stopped, and someone started to struggle against the door. Immediately, Fundy dropped everything and ran towards the stairs, barely making it halfway up when he heard the stranger enter. He stopped in his tracks and turned to watch them, maybe they wouldn’t notice him? They closed the door and stumbled into the building until they reached the counter. Only then he could see them.
He silently watched as Ranboo leaned against the counter and tried to catch his breath. He was wearing his armour, which probably shielded him from the rain, but he still seemed exhausted. The fox hybrid stayed still as his old friend finally calmed down and looked up only to see the Cornflower lying in front of him. Oh no. He slowly reached towards it before looking at the chest it was supposed to be stored in.
“What…?” he muttered quietly. Fundy could already tell that he wouldn’t stay unnoticed for much longer, and the best he can do is make his presence known.
“Hey,” he greeted the half-enderman. Immediately, Ranboo jumped in surprise and took a step back before finally noticing him.
“Holy- Don’t scare me like that!” he gasped, before letting out a deep breath. If that happened back when the shop was still open, they’d both start joking about it and no one would be upset, but they weren’t as close anymore. And Fundy didn’t want to risk anything.
“Sorry,” he apologized quickly, looking down.
“It’s fine… And I was wondering why the door was locked,” Ranboo muttered, looking back at the entrance. That got the fox hybrid’s attention.
“I was wondering why it was open,” he admitted. “...Do you come here a lot?”
“I mean… Yeah?” Ranboo admitted, reaching back to rub his neck only to flinch and quickly put his hand back down. Of course, his armour was still covered in the rainwater.
“Oh sh- Are you okay?” Fundy asked, concern overshadowing his anxiety caused by meeting Ranboo again.
“Yeah. Yeah. I’m okay,” the half-enderman confirmed slowly. He did his best to stop moving when he realized how easily the water from the armour could touch his skin.
“What were you even doing outside in the rain?!” Fundy asked, a confused frown appearing on his face.
“...Looking for a shelter?” Ranboo answered hesitantly. The fox hybrid sighed.
“Of course. Hold on, I’ll grab you a towel. There should still be some up there,” he remembered, turning to go up the stairs.
“Yeah, okay. Thanks,” Ranboo called after him.
The upstairs didn’t change much, and Fundy had no trouble navigating it. He knew which chest to open and within seconds, he was staring at a small pile of towels. They kept them around while building the shop just in case it would rain, and apparently, that was still something they could help with. Careful to leave the one still stained with blue dye behind, he grabbed a few and rushed back downstairs.
“Here, this should be enough,” he announced as he got over to Ranboo and handed him a few.
“More than enough,” the half-enderman confirmed as he started to dry his armour. “How long were they up there for?” he wondered out loud.
“Ages,” Fundy sighed. “You should probably get that off of yourself,” he pointed out, setting the extra few towels aside and putting one of them over the helmet, too.
“I know, I know, I’m trying,” Ranboo nodded, removing the now-drier helmet off his head and setting it down on one of the nearby tables.
“Alright. Do you need more towels?” the fox hybrid offered, unsure what else he could do to help. The half-enderman shook his head.
“It’s alright. It’s enough,” he assured, stopping for a moment to stare outside. The rain seemed even heavier than moments ago. “Looks like I’m not going anywhere, huh?”
“Yeah… The weather’s really bad today,” Fundy nodded in agreement. He slowly looked around the room only to spot something behind the counter. A freezer he once built himself. “Hey, do you think that thing still works?”
“Hm? I mean, maybe? I actually don't think I ever checked that,” Ranboo admitted before turning his attention back to getting out of his armour.
“Well, would you look at that! I think it's still running!” Fundy marveled as he made his way over to the machine, carefully opening the freezer and looking into it before chuckling quietly. “Hey Ranboo, do you want some ice cream?”
“...What?” Ranboo asked slowly as he placed his chest plate next to his helmet.
“There's still ice cream here! And as the guy who built this freezer, I trust it and I WILL try it,” Fundy declared, looking around for some cones. Ranboo hesitated for a bit before sighing.
“You know what? Get some for me too, I barely remember what it tastes like anymore,” he decided finally. Fundy nodded and went to grab two cones before returning to the freezer. This was… nice. Almost like how it used to be. Eating ice cream rather than worrying about things like rain.
“Alright! Just give me a second,” he hummed, preparing the ice cream before approaching Ranboo with it. By the time he did, all pieces of the half-enderman’s armour were already safely put away. “Here you go!”
“Thanks,” he smiled, carefully taking a cone and hesitating for a moment before trying it. Fundy didn’t take long to start eating as well.
“Mmm… As great as always,” he hummed with delight. He was very happy he spotted the freezer when he did. After just a moment, Ranboo was nodding in agreement.
“Incredible,” he chuckled quietly. “Man, how come we're not millionaires yet?”
“It's probably because we don't sell it anymore,” Fundy pointed out. It was sad, but he could worry about that once he was alone, not in his old friend’s presence.
“Yeah, that's probably it,” Ranboo nodded, going silent for a moment as he wondered about something. “We should start again,” he decided finally, and Fundy froze.
“W-wait, really?” he asked in disbelief. That sounded… too perfect, he must’ve misheard him, right?.
“I mean, if you want to?” Ranboo answered, a bit more nervous than before. As soon as Fundy acknowledged the answer, he couldn't stop a smile from appearing on his face.
“Of course I want to! I love this shop!” he agreed quickly, as if trying to do so before Ranboo would change his mind.
“Yeah! Let's become the best ice cream shop again!” he smiled brightly, and it didn’t seem like was going to decide against the idea anytime soon... Fundy could barely contain his excitement.
“This time we're keeping that title! We'll just need to come up with prices and get some more ice cream and we can officially reopen! Then we can try to expand, or get other kinds of foods, or start advertising, or-”
“How about we eat our ice cream before it melts? Then we can start planning,” Ranboo suggested with a chuckle. Fundy nodded, remembering the cone still in his hands.
“Yeah, yeah, you're right… Oh, this is going to be so amazing!!” he hummed as he went back to eating.
“Man, if I knew you'd react like this, I would've approached you ages ago,” Ranboo sighed quietly. Judging by how he tensed slightly just seconds later, it wasn’t something he wanted Fundy to hear.
“Why didn't you?” he asked. The half-enderman stayed frozen for a moment before shifting nervously.
“Oh, well… I figured you were still upset?” he answered hesitantly.
“Upset?” Fundy repeated after him, confusion painted on his face. Ranboo nodded to confirm.
“Yeah. Look, I don't remember what exactly happened, but I think we had an argument after… L'Manburg blew up? And I don't remember what I said, but I’m pretty sure that it hurt you, so… I wanted to give you space?” he explained nervously. Fundy stopped eating for a moment and just stared at his companion.
“Is that really… is that why you were avoiding me?” he asked slowly. Ranboo nodded again.
“Yeah… I guess it wasn’t the best idea I ever had. And actually, since we’re already talking about this… I’m sorry? I don’t know if that means anything anymore, but I am, ” he continued with even less confidence. Fundy’s original shock was slowly fading away as he listened to what seemed to be the most awkward apology he ever witnessed… an apology he never thought he’d hear.
“It's alright. I'm not upset anymore!” he assured, and found himself starting to smile again “So how about we move past that argument and focus on getting this place working again?” he suggested, holding out his hand. Ranboo smiled back at him, relief obvious in his expression.
“...Yeah. Let's do this,” he agreed, shaking the fox hybrid's hand.
It felt nice. Having a friend again. Fundy almost forgot how great that feeling was, but as they stopped shaking hands and went back to eating, he found himself more hopeful than ever. Just like that, after just a moment or two, things were okay again. He got to speak to Ranboo, and now they were already a team again, planning to reopen the ice cream shop. This felt like a dream, how could this rainy day become so perfect? Fundy didn’t care, all he cared about now was getting started on all the plans they had to make… oh, this was going to be fun.