Chapter Text
The making of an income is a tricky thing.
Everyone wants a dream job, something that makes them happy. Perhaps they want something where they can do what they want, take a lot of time off, and play with their wages till it fits their standards. Unfortunately, the world simply isn’t a place of real entertaining jobs that pay.
You know it’s bad when the most interesting job out of your friend group is the one working retail. The only excitement Tubbo sees in his job is the occasional crazies that insist they knew everything about everything. Though Tubbo would see it as a blessing whenever they’d ask for his manager, it meant he could step aside and play on his phone for a few minutes.
Tommy wished he could say he had excitement in his day. Working as a bellboy meant the daily breaking of his back and haughty looks of people he slaved for. The most heart-racing thing that ever occurred was when he dropped a woman’s luggage, and spent the next twenty minutes picking up the spilled contents in shame.
Ranboo could hardly remember each work day as it passed. Well, more so work nights . The graveyard shift at his local gas station wasn’t the most attractive image, and so utterly mind numbing that he found himself spaced out most of the time. When it came time for Ranboo to get to work, he thought he might as well appease his horrid, nocturnal sleep schedule, and it was easy enough.
The most the trio had to talk about was school, scraping the bottom of the barrel for even the slightest bit of gossip.
However, it wasn’t like they weren’t the most average scoring students in the entire school, and it wasn’t like the only social life they had wasn't with each other.
Their days ticked by one after another.
Home was boring.
School was boring.
Work was boring.
Everything was just… Boring. Dull and monotonous. They never woke up excited for anything, as there was never anything to be excited for.
Each day they’d drag themselves out of bed for another day of absolute nothing.
From: Tommy [2:45 a.m]
Damn, did you fall asleep?
From: Ranboo [2:46 a.m]
Oh, sorry. Zoned out I guess… Nothing’s happening.
From: Tommy [2:46]
God damnit.
Ranboo guzzled down a five hour energy, regretting his attempts to turn his sleep cycle around that morning. His usual two p.m wake up had occurred just a little past ten, leaving him drained before his hours even started.
He let out a sigh, leaning against the glass case on the counter that held things like cigarettes and lottery tickets. Interrupting his moment of fond relaxation, the door jingled opened.
“Oh- Hello.” he smiled as much as he could, parting his hair as it had fallen over his eyes. A tallish man walked in, his clothes different shades of greens and blacks. The bottom hems of his deep emerald jacket were oddly tied around his chest, hood up and sleeves rolled just above his elbows.
The man’s whole look seemed a bit different, but Ranboo could ignore that if it weren’t for the smiley-faced mask shielding his whole face.
“Hmm… Oh! Hello!” as if just noticing the clerk’s existence, the man turned his head up and gave a friendly wave. His voice seemed normal enough, nothing really screamed “menacing” about the man. Still… The aura he gave off was…
Interesting .
“How can I help you?” Ranboo asked, as the man came up to the counter immediately, not looking around first or anything. He noticed the notable click of man’s heels, the sound indicating they had some length to them.
“I’m not sure… Was out for a drive, figured I’d stop for gas. Decided to come in, have a look around.” his speech was very clear, but not being able to see his expression was a little disconcerting.
“Well let me know if you need anything.” the store was empty besides the two, so who could blame Ranboo for eyeing the stranger as he poke around the small aisles? He looked guiltless enough, dressed oddly, but didn’t look like he had ill intent.
So Ranboo couldn’t explain the sting his gut whenever the eye of that mask turned his way.
“Different, I suppose…”
It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes till he came back to the counter, holding some beef jerky and two Snickers bars.
“That’s all, I think.”
“Alright, I’ll ring those up.” Ranboo taped some numbers on the screen, trying to not make it obvious he kept the green man in his peripheral vision.
“Hmm… How are you doing, kid?” he spoke so suddenly, Ranboo jumping a little in response.
“I-I’m fine? What about you?”
“Oh, I’m good, I’m good.”
“Good…” it’s not that the man scared him, it was just that having a conversation with a stranger at three a.m on a Sunday wasn’t the most expected thing.
“You seem kind of bored. Tired?”
“Uh, yeah… I woke up too early. I work till five, and not much happens. Funny enough, I get paid for doing practically nothing.” Ranboo cracked a smile when the man laughed at his half-joke.
“Till five, huh? What about your friends?”
“My friends..?” Tubbo eyed the man from behind the computer screen, who’s hair was jet black and dangled in his face, hardly held back by the odd headband.
“Sorry, uh… the people you hang out with.”
“No I- um. They’re… Fine? Why do you ask?” perhaps Tubbo’s voice wavered a bit too much, as the man seemed to have noticed his disturbing questioning.
“Sorry if it sounds like I’m stalking you! I guess we happen to live in the same neighborhood. I see you walking with your friends all the time.” there was a laugh in his tone, and Tubbo tried to convince himself that it was a perfectly valid reason to ask something of that nature.
“I guess I just wanted to ask how often you kids hang out.”
“Every day? Uh… one of us works night shifts on weekends. Me and Tommy and-“ he stopped himself, not knowing if it was a good idea to tell this odd man their names.
“Tommy?”
“Yeah, that’s the name…”
“I see… Sorry, I felt rude for not asking.”
“Nobody does…” Tommy was obviously confused when this random man in blue wanted to strike up a conversation. Normally it was all “carry my bags, servant” and that was it.
“Well you seem like a nice boy.”
“Thank you?” he set the man’s bags on his bed, ready to head off and continue his work.
“Your friends seem good too.”
“Good?” he thought of how the man could’ve used a word like, nice, or even caring, to describe Tommy’s friends based on the information he foolishly gave. Good just seemed like an iffy description.
“Though I must say, Tommy…”
“You seem so bored here.” the eyes of his mask seem to be burning holes in his head, and Ranboo was ready to be done with this conversation.
“I’m sorry, who the hell are you..?”
“Me? Oh. You can call me Dream.”
“George, huh?
“Sap…Nap?”
“Yep! Oh, and uh. Take this, kid.” he slid a piece of paper to Tubbo, who now felt deeply disturbed and just wanted to go home.
“This your number or something?” Tommy looked it over, almost instantly proving himself right. A simple collection of numbers, with little drawings in three of the four corners. In the top left, a blue heart, in the top right, seemingly a small flame, and in the bottom right, a green smiley face.
“Uh…”
“Welp. See you around, Ranboo!” with that, the disturbing stranger left, and Ranboo was left in silence again.