Chapter Text
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“Ranboo, you good?”
Ranboo turned his head to face the person in the driver's seat, overgrown-dyed hair slightly obstructing his view but he nodded the same lazy response he had been doing for the past 3 hours.
“Are you sure, you seem pretty out of it?”
Ranboo hummed, paused, sat up in his seat, stroked his dishevelled hair out of his eyes and properly faced the other.
“Don't worry, I'm fine. Just a little fatigued from the school year, that's all.”
Ranboo knew he was lying, not only to his cousin but mostly, himself. He was more than fatigued, he was fucking exhausted. School had somehow managed to be even more monotonous this year, who knew seeing the same faces and repeating the same 2 weeks consistently would be so mentally-taxing.
And when he received the news of him not spending his summer in the Maldives, but instead in some no-name beach town, he was less than enthusiastic to go. Even his parents' bribes of “experiencing a new environment” or “getting cool photos of the sunset” couldn’t convince him. The sunset could go fuck itself for all he cared, it's not as if he couldn't see the sunset from his room. What would make it so different anyway?
Dream - his cousin, who had somehow gotten stuck with the job of babysitting a 17-year-old - raised an eyebrow.
“You don't seem ok.” Fuck.
“Well of course I am. Just a bundle of sunshine.” His words were drenched in sarcasm.
Dream let out an amused chuckle in response.
“Yeah but you seem particularly emo and brooding today.”
“I'm not emo, it's just an aesthetic choice.”
“Sure. and my eyes are brown.”
Ranboo rolled his eyes and slumped back into his seat, he turned to face outside of the window. It looked barely midday, the sun beaming onto the grass fields that surrounded the road. The clouds were few-and-far-between, and there was a cluster of sheep trotting along in the distance, everything seemed so tranquil outside of this damned car.
He let out a long, exaggerated sigh.
“How much longer will we take?”
“You asked me that an hour ago.” Dream’s answer was carefree, a stark contrast to Ranboo's mood. “So about 4 hours.”
Dream’s enthusiasm was so intoxicatingly happy that Ranboo's hand twitched to open the window for some fresh air, or maybe jump out of the moving vehicle and let his body go limp on the ground whilst the sheep ate his corpse. Yet outside also seemed just as childishly happy, so he decided against it.
Instead, Ranboo groaned, head in his hand. Maybe it was frustration, maybe it was boredom, maybe he was more tired than he’d initially anticipated. Either way, it prompted Dream to place a hand on Ranboo’s shoulder in a comforting manner.
Dream spoke softly, “Don't worry, once we get to the house, you can go straight to sleep. Or you could sleep now, I won't truly mind the loss of company”
Ranboo retracted his hand from his face, albeit slowly, and saw the small smile on Dream’s face, he couldn't help but return one back.
“Nah, I'm fine, really.” Ranboo sat back up in his seat, running a calloused hand through his hair before staring out of the window again. Dream’s eyes were back focused on the road, knuckles going white from how hard he was holding onto the wheel.
A few moments passed before Dream spoke up again.
“Look,” Ranboo turned his head to face Dream “I know you aren't exactly excited to go to grandma’s-”
Ranboo let out an annoyed noise.
“Then why are you forcing me to go?”
“Because she misses you, and you haven't seen her since-”
Dream abruptly cut himself off. The most Ranboo could muster was a deathly glare towards Dream. He didn't want to remember it. Not now anyway.
He faced away from the other, suddenly very interested in the trees outside.
“I'm sorry- I didn't mean to-”
Ranboo cut him off sharply. “It’s fine. I'm fine.”
The mood in the car had soured. Ranboo, oddly, preferred it like this. He did like the company of the other, but not when they're going there. There is where everything bad happens; there is where good memories withered into foul recollections of the past; he shouldn’t ever be forced to go there again . Maybe he should've fought harder to stay home this summer.
Then, he hears the muted noises of Dream shuffling with the dashboard of the car and catches the soft beginning of a song playing from the speakers.
Unknowingly, he starts to hum along. He may have heard the song once or twice, but he almost remembers it, like muscle memory but for songs. It's one of those indie bands that he doesn't recognise, yet Dream swears it's amazing. He doesn't see the appeal of music in general, Ranboo being more than sure he heard the news more often than the radio, but the delicate strums of the guitar paired with the calm melodic voice sounds nice.
He doesn't even have to look to know the shit-eating grin that must be plastered on Dreams face.
“Oh shut up.”
Dream sniggers. “Admit it,” Ranboo was right, his grin was out and proud, “you like the song.”
Ranboo smirks, “Well, I'll admit it’s not absolutely awful.” Dream lightly punches Ranboo’s shoulder “Okokok- it’s ok at best.”
“HA-”
“Don’t push it.”
They both fall into a lapse of laughter.
Maybe going wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
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Welcome to Claldcote
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As they drove into the town he noticed just how different it was. A wave of unfamiliar-familiarity all at once. This is also when he realised just how small it was, with everyone just looking so- friendly . Even a few gave them welcoming smiles as they drove past.
Ranboo could easily recall places as foggy feelings, feelings that he could only describe as clouded, naively-saccharine and sharp yet syrupy and opaque. The phrase ‘memory lane’ is more literal than he’d like to admit.
As the fated storefront came into view, Ranboo inhaled sharply, if felt like he'd been there yesterday, but in reality, he hadn't been here in what could only be recounted as aeons.
Stop being overdramatic. It’ll be fine.
The outside looked quaint enough; a small house-shop with pots of flowers dotted outside with a sign with Beloved Antiques written in cursive. Not Ranboo’s first choice of somewhere to stay but not as putrid as he anticipated.
He stared at the shop, hearing the thump of the boot closing, the click of the car locking and Dream walking up behind him.
“Well, we’re here. No turning back now.”
Ranboo rolled his eyes “You act like we’re going to die or something”
Dream laughed, “We might as well be,” he set his hand on Ranboo’s shoulder. Ranboo met his gaze. “Grandma still gives deathly hugs.” Ranboo felt Dream gently hooked his arm around the back of Ranboo’s neck and led him to the doorstep.
They entered the store, a small jingle notifying their presence. Ranboo’s footsteps landed heavily as he stepped inside. His eyes wandered around the store.
From top-to-bottom, the walls were covered in little trinkets, paintings and other odd bits-and-bobs that Ranboo couldn't even identify all in a random assortment of shapes and colours. In the centre sat a relatively large table filled with vases and jars full of fake flowers, small seashells and dried petals. Ranboo knew that some of it must've been plain junk, but there was this appealing nature to it all.
“Ah, you’re both here!”
An aged voice hollered from the doorway. She was dressed like every other textbook grandma, the only thing setting her apart was an oversized-knit grey cardigan, her whispery white hair swaying slightly from the still-open door.
She stumbled towards the two, encasing them both in a fragile hug.
She pulls away to meet their eyes, hers being a gentle shade of green. “I've missed you both so much,” her eyes look lovingly at the pair “I ought to assume you were getting too busy for little old me.”
Dream politely replied, “We’d never forget you, right Ranboo?”
“Right.” Ranboo’s response on the other hand was terse. He honestly wanted to unpack and sleep. Not be smothered by some old crone he hadn't seen in over 5 years.
“Oh, Ranboo! I haven't seen you in so long,” she reached up to pinch Ranboo’s cheeks “you've grown so tall! What have they been feeding you back in the city?”
Ranboo smiled wryly. “Nothing unusual I'm assuming.” Ranboo quickly glanced at Dream indicating he wanted to escape this conversation.
“Ah, I'm glad you're eating well.” her feeble hands clapped together before asking “would you like something to drink? Tea? coffee? Juice- I have orange, apple- ah there might still be some pineapple if I check in the pantry-”
“I think-” Dream cuts her off “it’ll be best if we unpack first, and catch up later?”
“Ah yes! The drive must’ve been long-”
“YES-” Ranboo coughs and corrects himself, “yes, it was. I'd love to catch up later though. It's truly been ages” and he wishes it could have been longer.
“Ah yes- Dream, show Ranboo where you two will be staying”
“Will do!”
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“You know, nothing has changed since the last time I was here”
“You think so?”
A ghost of a smile dances on Ranboo’s face as he places the last of his shirts into their shared dresser. “Yeah, it’s almost like- this place has been frozen in time.”
The other chuckles “you can expect a lot to change in a small place like this.”
Ranboo only manages to hum in response, before a sound of a knock fills the room.
“I'm going out for a bit to run some errands,” the sound of grandma’s voice becomes a bit clearer as she sticks her head through the door. “Could one of you be so kind as to just watch the counter for a bit?”
“We’ll be sure too!” Dream smiles and gestures for their grandma to leave. “Now go have some fun, you’d never leave if you had a choice”
She lets out a small laugh, “Oh then i'd best be off then, have fun boys!”
Ranboo returns a small wave and reaches for his phone.
“Ranboo-”
“No. “
“But i didnt even-”
“No. I refuse to go downstairs.”
Dream pinches his fingers on his nose bridge and sighs in exasperation, “Look. I understand you want to live in your ‘antisocial-teenage-angst arc’,” Dream creatively stresses this with the addition of air-quotes with his hands, “but I also have somewhere to be.”
Ranboo meets Dream’s gaze, “What?”
The other throws a coat over his shoulder and grabs his phone from the dresser. “I'll only be gone for 2 hours at most, you can man the shop front until then.”
Ranboo sits up and is about to protest, but Dream is already out of their shared room. The little jingle of the main-door opening and closing only aiding to the sinking feeling festering in his stomach.
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Sigh.
“Who knew this old place could be so boring?” Ranboo mumbled before letting his head hit the counter softly and splaying his arms out, letting his hands hang freely off the edge of the table.
He was completely and utterly bored.
The gentle murmur of people passing the storefront outside have long since dissipated into the occasional person walking past, and no one had even seemed slightly interested to spare a glance through the window.
Grandma’s “errands” somehow had taken longer than expected and Dream’s alleged “2 hour trip” had extended to 3 and Ranboo didn't care enough to call either of them.
Ranboo groaned and reached for his phone.
2%. Just perfect.
Just as he was about to stand up and put up the closed sign ( no one was coming in, he thought) a small ring of the bell caught his attention.
In the doorway stood a tall blond, blue eyes scanning the room before meeting Ranboo’s. He gave a small wave which Ranboo barely returned with a brief smile before grabbing a random book from underneath the desk and acting preoccupied.
Ranboo, carefully, peered over his book to see the other. Blond hair in soft curls with a pair of modest red earphones settled into his ears, bopping his head along to whatever he was listening to; blue eyes gazing at all the odd little trinkets placed on the display before settling on a dainty small notebook and turning back around to the cash register.
Ranboo quickly averted his gaze, mentally preparing himself to sell the image of a well-experienced employee.
The item was placed clumsily on the counter, with Ranboo looking at the book, then the blond boy - who'd taken out one of his earbuds - before articulating the price on the tag.
“That would be 3 pounds, anything else?”
“No, that's it, thank you.” His voice was laced with a loose, yet noticeable, British accent.
He handed Ranboo two 1 pound coins and two 50p coins before taking the book and clearing his voice to speak.
“I ‘avent seen you around here before, are you new?”
Ranboo was a bit stunned at the sudden question but answered anyway. “Yeah, I'm staying for the summer break with my cousin.” he tried to keep his response as closed-ended as possible, yet the other continued.
“So you're not from around here?”
“Nope, I'm only staying for about a month before going back anyways.” He hoped this would be enough information to satisfy the others curiosity so he could just leave and close the store.
Unlucky, the blond stood there for a moment, and extended his hand to Ranboo.
“I'm Tommy, Tommy Craft.”
Ranboo stared at the outstretched hand confused, the balls he must have to just randomly introduce himself to strangers made Ranboo pause for a second.
The pause must've taken a beat too long because the blond spoke up again, “you know that you're meant to shake others hands, right?”
Ranboo blinked and the other chuckled in amusement. Ranboo’s hand met the otters and shook it weakly.
He made eye contact with Tommy, “Ranboo. My name is Ranboo.'' Tommy smiled.
“Wellll,” Tommy made an effort to elongate the ‘L’ “since you're new here, and alone, would you like to come to the bonfire tomorrow?” he phrased less like an invitation and more like a demand, and Ranboo knew himself he’d probably not enjoy it- a group of teenagers sat around a fire talking and mingling- but for some reason,
He agreed.
Tommy had smiled at him again before scribbling down his number and the details on a loose piece of paper from his newly purchased notebook, ripping it, and passing it to him and waving Ranboo goodbye as he left the store.
He audibly sighed before walking up to the open sign and turning it closed, and walking back upstairs to his room with his barely alive phone, placing it on the charger and contemplating whether to actually attempt to text the blond.
What if he invited him as a joke? What if he'd given him a fake number to get a laugh out of it? But why would he do that- but he still could-
5 minutes later, he texted him.
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tommy??
hi? this is ranboo. > 18:13
<ELLO RANBIOO, I AM RUNINNG RIHGT NWO 18:14
o-O. ok then.> 18:14
<ILLL REMIDN YOU TOMORROW 18:16
<DONT FORGETTT >:[ 18:16
ok. goodnight.> 18:16
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