Chapter Text
Ranboo sat in his father’s car, quiet as a mouse, staring out the window. They were driving up the freeway, headed for the airport. Six months ago Ranboo was doing this, nervous for his visit to the UK. He was going to see his best friend, Tubbo. The boy he fell head over heels for.
He was in a bad place at the time, constantly berating himself and invalidating his feelings. Little did he know that trip would force him to confront his feelings and “the little voice” that lived inside him. Little did he know that he would express his struggle to the boy he loved most. Little did he know, that he would leave the UK with a boyfriend and an ache in his heart.
Ranboo could see the airport in the distance, it’s tower piercing the sky above. The pulled into the parking lot and Ranboo caught the bus. It seemed like the mental box was moving sinfully slow, trying to delay him his comfort and joy. He wonders if this is what Tubbo felt when he was coming to the UK. The bus pulled up to the terminal just as he got a text from Tubbo, telling him to meet at baggage claim four.
Ranboo fought his entire being to not bolt to the baggage claim, though he couldn’t fight speed walking. He looked around for Tubbo desperately, wishing deeply to spot his mop of chocolate hair atop his low head. The thought of Tubbo dwelled on Ranboo’s mind.
The thought of Tubbo’s small frame embraced by his own. The thought of his warmth, such a comforting warmth. He could practically see Tubbo’s freckles, planning to kiss every one. He wonders if Tubbo gained any more over the few months. Ranboo was so lost in though he almost didn’t notice the waving figure in his peripheral.
Tubbo stood, waving to get Ranboo’s attention. It worked of course. Ranboo bolted to the boy like an excited puppy.
“Tubbo!”, He called as he approached the boy. He embraced the boy tightly, though it seemed like he didn’t mind.
“Hey Boss Man.”, Tubbo breathed into his shoulder. Ranboo was trying his hardest to fight off tears, so happy to have his boyfriend back.
Its not even that they couldn’t contact each-other. It’s in fact the opposite, you couldn’t drag the two of them away from their computers. They would stay up late into the night or early into the morning, just so they could wish the other a good day.
The boys parted and gathered Tubbo’s luggage before catching the bus. It was on the calm bus that Ranboo’s got a good look at the smaller’s outfit. He wore the same pair of overalls that he wore on Ranboo’s second day in the UK. They seemed to be updated, however, with a few Alliums added amongst the bees and daisies. Tubbo wore his Corpse hoodie underneath, had knee high socks, and pastel yellow high tops. He was so handsome, Ranboo couldn’t help but stare.
Tubbo looked up at him and longingly smiled. Ranboo smiled back as if to say, “not now, later.”, to which the boy only sighed in response, leaning against the hooded boy beside him.
Ranboo wasn’t as dressed up as his boyfriend. He elected to be comfy and wear his two tone hoodie and a par of jeans, though his high tops were the custom painted ones from Teagan that he loved greatly. The high tops were black, but had endermen painted on the inside, holding out a flower to a bee. The rest of the shoes were decorated with various flowers from his clearing.
The clearing! Ranboo remembered his place. The place that gave him the most comfort, aside from his computer with Tubbo. He made up his mind then and there to take the boy to his clearing. Plans started forming in his head when he heard the robotic voice call out their stop. Ranboo pulled the cord beside his head and nudged Tubbo.
The two exiting the bus, as Tubbo whispers a thank you, are jarred by how cold and dark it is. Sure when Ranboo had arrived the sun had been setting, but now the sky was an ebony black cloaked in clouds. He could see Tubbo shiver slightly at the difference in temperature mixed with the light rain.
“We should probably find the car quickly. I don’t wasn’t your first week here to be spent in bed.” Tubbo gave a shaky nod and Ranboo scanned the lot for his car.
He saw the taillights of the bright red Rav 4 illuminated in the dim parking lot. He ushered the cold boy towards the car and took his bags.
“You get in, I’ll take care of the luggage.” Within a second Tubbo bolted to the door and sat down in the back seat behind the driver, Ranboo’s dad. Ranboo loaded the four bags, one considerably lighter than the others. He went around to the passenger side and sat beside his boyfriend. The boys smiled at each other as Ranboo’s dad introduced himself.
“Hi. I’m James, Mark’s dad. Er… Ranboo’s.”, He corrected himself.
“Nice to meet you!”, Tubbo replied sincerely, but tiredly. It was obvious that the smaller was trying his hardest to not fall asleep. Ranboo pulled out the blanket from under his seat and draped it over the two of them. Tubbo smiled as he leaned into his boyfriend. Ranboo felt like he was sitting in cotton candy. He felt soft and content. He leaned against the boy as well and let himself be whisked away by the comfort of sleep.
Ranboo felt the car pull into his overly long driveway. He stirred slightly, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. He looked out the window and saw his house. It looked like it was two stories with the dormers on the front and back, but Ranboo knew better. In reality, it was only one story with an attic and basement. The house was a faded pale pink that looked yellow in certain lights.
The car pulled to a halt and James turned it off. Ranboo nudged Tubbo, trying to wake him up. The smaller stirred but refused to open his eyes. Ranboo rolled his and leaned down to the boy’s ear.
“If you don’t wake up, I wont give you goodnight kisses.”
That caught Tubbo’s attention.
Tubbo sat up quickly, making Ranboo laugh slightly. He smiled at the taller boy and exited the car promptly. Ranboo followed in suit and opened the trunk for Tubbo to grab his luggage. James was already inside at this time, presumably talking to Ranboo’s mom and giving Emilia hugs and kisses.
Ranboo lead his boyfriend inside and Tubbo began to smile widely. The house. Smelled of sugar cookies, and Ranboo could see the proof of that on the kitchen counter. The entry way was open and showed the living room and half of the kitchen. To his left was the school room. Back when he was in school Ranboo would sit at the desk and listen to Zoom lectures. Ranboo lead Tubbo through the arch to the left off the kitchen. This lead to the family room, which lead to a hallway. The second door on the right belonged to Ranboo.
The room was a plain gray but the walls were decorated in a vast amount of curios. A on the wall opposite to the door was a window crowned with white molding and a painting, or possibly a print, of a girl in a blue dress wandering through a garden. There were a few Minecraft posters along the wall too. But strangely, they were fanart of the Dream SMP. There was a red piece of cloth, decorated with many beads and sequence, that held pictures of Ranboo and his family, and one of Ranboo an Tubbo from the UK trip. The wall against the hall was where he had his computer set up. It was a simple desk with a very recognizable chair. His bed was in the corner of his room, up against the wall with the window. It had a large amount of stuffed animals on it, including a teddy bear the size of Tubbo.
“Sorry that there’s not another bed, but I doubt you’ll mind.” Ranboo placed Tubbo’s bags at the edge of the bed and began to remove the multitude of stuftys. Once the bed was clear Tubbo fell into it, forcing Ranboo to stifle a laugh in fear of waking his sister. Smiled down at the boy as he pulled the covers up.
They had both removed their shoes at the door, so they needn’t worry about being uncomfortable. Tubbo pulled Ranboo in close and the boy lifted up Tubbo’s chin. He placed a soft kiss on the boy’s lips before releasing his head and allowing him to sleep.
In the morning the two boys were woken up to a small child jumping on the foot of their bed.
“Wake up!”, Emilia shouted, “We’re going to Denny’s!” Ranboo looked at the girl groggily before looking back at Tubbo. The boy seemed to be trying his best to sleep through the chaotic child’s actions. Emilia looked curiously at her brother, only to smile and run off.
“We’re leaving at nine!”, she shouted as she ran off.
Ranboo sighed and shook Tubbo awake. Tubbo only groaned and rolled over, trying his best to sleep for once. Ranboo sighed and decidedly took extreme measures. He pulled himself out of bed and stretched, that alone made Tubbo whine. Ranboo walked to the base of the bed and grasped the comforter firmly. With a swift tug he removed it from the smaller, making him jolt up from the cold.
“Oi!” Ranboo laughed at the pitiful scowl the small boy gave.
“You’re finally up! We’re going to Denny’s so you better get ready.” The boy yawned stretching.
“What’s Denny’s anyways?”
“It’s a restaurant. It mainly sells breakfast foods like pancakes and waffles.”
“Oh! Like Greggs? “
“Uhhhh… Sure! Now hurry up.
The brunette nodded and riffled through his suitcase. Ranboo looked through his closet and gathered his clothes before walking off to the bathroom which was the second to last door in the hallway. He took a quick shower and began to mess with his appearance. He had chosen to look somewhat nice, not like he doesn’t already. He had chosen a simple black top that had ended particles embroidered on it, curtesy of his mother. A pair of ripped dark wash skinny jeans, a gray flannel, and his high tops. He looked in the mirror and frowned at his hair. He contemplated asking his mom if he could use her heat brush. But ultimately decided to just air-fry his hair with his hairdryer.
Once he was all ready he knocked on the door to his room.
“Hey… bathroom’s open if you want it.”
“You can come in.” Ranboo does as he’s told and opens the door. Inside Tubbo is fully dressed and Ranboo can’t look away.
He wears a pair of light wash jeans which are painted with flowers and bees, assumably done by Teagan. He wears a hoodie from Ranboo’s merch launch and a pair of yellow hightops. It’s a very comfy outfit and, hopefully, will be very warm. Though it was early December there wasn’t any snow below the mountains. That was common though. The snow normally stayed away till February, which is when it came down in feet. Ranboo was excited to bring Tubbo up to the mountains for a vlog.
“I’m sorry you didn’t get to take a shower. I should have asked first.”
“Nah, it’s fine boss man. I take showers in the evening anyways.” Ranboo nods and shuffles his feet. “Oh! Ive been meaning to ask.”, Tubbo perks up. “What’s with the painting? Did you make it?” He points to the print on the wall beside the bed. Ranboo hums.
“I got that at Disney when I was thirteen. I had saved for a year just so I could go to the Disney gallery and buy a print. It’s some concept art for the garden in “Alice in Wonderland”. It was don by Mary Blair, a concept artist for the It’s a Small World ride in Disney.”
It took everything in his power to not start info dumping. He could ramble on for hours about Disney facts, and he has. But they had a place to be, so he stopped himself from delaying the trip.
“That’s really cool boss man! I can’t wait to go!”
That’s right. They were gonna go on a highway 101 road trip next week. They planned to drive down the coast and stay at Disney. The trip would take about a week and a half in total. Thankfully they were renting a car so they could fly back. The thought of spending an entire week with Tubbo alone made Ranboo’s heart do flips.
The boys left the house, hand in hand, and started for the car. It was just barely big enough to hold the five of them, though Ranboo’s legs had to be squished behind the passenger seat. Emilia was out of her Cinderella PJs and now in a frilly rainbow skirt and a pink T-shirt. James drove away as Ranboo’s mom tried to start conversation.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Uh… y-yeah.”, Tubbo replied, still a bit nervous around Ranboo’s parents.
“Oh good. I was worried the house would be too cold. It may be early December, but I wanted to make sure the house was nice and warm.”
“Oh, don’t worry Mrs…”, Tubbo’s mind drew a blank, not knowing the woman’s first or even last name.
“You can just call me Sean.”
“Okay! But, uh, yeah! The house was warm enough. But… what do you mean ‘it may be early December’?”
Everyone in the car gave a slight chuckle at the question. Tubbo began to blush, believing the question was stupid and common knowledge.
“It’s cause we don’t get snow till February!”, Emilia pipped up.
“Seriously?!”, Tubbo shouted in confusion.
“Yeah.”, Ranboo explained, “The snow doesn’t stick at least until February. But it still can get cold.”
“But I thought we were planning on doing a snow vlog while I was here?”
“Well there’s snow up in the mountains, that’s where we’ll be going.”
Tubbo nodded, seeming to understand. Ranboo wrapped his arm around the smaller boy, cuddling him softly. Tubbo leaned into the touch like a magnet, straining to be as close as possible. Ranboo smiled and the car went almost silent, aside from Emilia singing along to the radio. But Ranboo paid it no mind.
The car pulled up to the restaurant and Tubbo looked confusedly at it. It definitely wasn’t like Greggs.
The restaurant looked like something you would see in a 1970’s American sitcom. The retro sign, brick accents. Even as the family entered Tubbo was reminded how far away he was form home. The bar in the front and the open area to the left. It was all so foreign, though that’s pretty obvious.
The family was seated at a circular booth in the corner. Ranboo held the smaller boy’s hand under the table with a grin. The boy in question was seated beside Emilia, who was babbling on to him about her favorite story book. Tubbo somehow sat through her rambling and entertained her with questions. The sight of which felt so domestic to Ranboo, he loved it. He loved everything about his boyfriend.
The waitress came by and asked for the drinks, before coming back and getting their orders. Tubbo seemed lost in his menu, and as the waitress came closer to asking him his order, he looked more and more worried.
“The best thing to do is the Grand Slam.”, Ranboo whispered. Tubbo looked to him questioningly. “I normally just go for pancakes, eggs and sausage. But you can get bacon or toast if you want.” Tubbo nodded and with a gulp ordered his food. The waitress was exceedingly nice and offered help when he needed it.
The food was ordered and Ranboo rubbed the boys back to calm him. The touch made Tubbo melt a bit, smiling at the table. Neither of the two paid attention to the rest of the group.
The food was eaten and the family left the restaurant. Emilia seemed to have become best friends with Tubbo in the short time they had talked, and wouldn’t shut up. Tubbo was eating it up. The thought, once again, made Ranboo’s heart sing. He was overjoyed that Tubbo was getting along so well with his family, hopefully he could come out before Tubbo left, just as they did in Brighton.
“Are you two excited for your trip this Monday?”, Sean spoke up. She was rebranding the Highway 101 vlog that the two had planned.
“Yeah! I’m excited to see an actual beach! Not just a bunch of rocks.”
“You know there’s more to the trip, right?”, Ranboo said jokingly.
“Of course I do boss man. But I’m excited for a warm beach!”, Tubbo crowed. Ranboo only rolled his eyes and the car laughed slightly. It seemed like that was the tipping point and the conversation turned to a would-you-rather. Tubbo soon realized how it wasn’t just Ranboo who was obsessed with Disney, but his whole family. They discussed almost all aspects of both the park and the animation. It was fascinating to Tubbo.
Soon the family arrived back home and the conversation died down. They all unloaded and went off to do their own things.
“Do you wanna set up your equipment?”, Ranboo asks. They had been so tired last night they didn’t have time to set it up.
“Sure boss man! Where’s it gonna go?”
Ranboo grabbed the boy’s hand and dragged him to the school room. Inside was a simple Ikea desk and three boxes of equipment. The desk was already, painstakingly, set up by Ranboo. So the two only had to set up the computer, monitors, camera, mic, and mess with the settings.
They began to unbox all of Tubbo’s things and set them up. It didn’t take too long, but the two did occasionally get distracted by each other’s flirty comments or silly jokes. They smiled at each other once the work was done, standing side by side. Ranboo wrapped his arm around Tubbo’s waist and Tubbo pulled him down, pecking a kiss on Ranboo’s cheek.
They both heard an audible gasp and turned to the doors. There stood small Emilia staring wide eyed. Tubbo looked to Ranboo and then walked carefully to Emilia. Hopefully in a way that didn’t make her think she was in trouble. Tubbo knelt down and looked at the little girl.
“Do you mind… If I date your big brother that is?”
The girl stared at him for a moment.
“Do you promise to be nice?”
“Yes.”
“Do you promise to talk to me still?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you promise. To marry him?”
“That’s the dream.” Ranboo’s heart fluttered at the last answer.
Emilia stared once again, but it quickly gave way to a smile and an excited nod. Tubbo smiled back and the girl embraced him in a tight hug. Tubbo looked shocked for a moment but wrapped his arms around the girl as well, a bright smile on his face.