Work Text:
It was a rainy day, and everyone was settled in the Pub.
Of course they were. What else were they going to do? For starters, Wilbur and Niki were finally allowed to go out into the world because they were chilling with one another. Of course, that also meant they needed someone nearby in case the rain suddenly stopped to let Niki breathe and Wilbur not burn alive. Phil was settled on one of the couches, playing chess with Schlatt and very much cheating as well. Except Schlatt wouldn’t know that. Because he didn’t play chess, ever, except on rainy days with Phil the cheater. As for Jack, well, he scowled at Wilbur and Niki jealously. He had been working on something outside. Couldn’t exactly do that now. Scott was texting someone curled on the other couch, smiling to himself with his cheeks flushed a deep, star-speckled purple. Jack turned and went up the stairs, sulking, and Tommy glanced after him.
Sighing, Tommy looked back to Tubbo and Ranboo just in time to see Ranboo pulling Tubbo off of the floor. The Enderman gently tugged his queerplatonic partner over to the covered patio section of the Pub. “Come on, you really don’t know how to dance? I would think you’d know.” Ranboo teased, smiling and flashing white teeth down at Tubbo. Scoffing, Tubbo fluttered his wings. He moved like he was going to cross his arms, but Ranboo had a grip on both of his hands and it didn’t seem like Tubbo wanted to pull away from him. So he just ended up sort of shrugging.
Snickering softly, Tommy rested his chin on his arms and watched. He was fine with this. If his friends were having fun, then he was having fun. And also, his back was hurting him to high heaven and he didn’t exactly feel like moving at the moment. So, instead, he was going to lie where he was and not do anything. Except watch his friends. Because if Ranboo got too close to the edge of the covered patio, he would get hurt by the rain, and as much as Tommy would loathe to admit it he still cared about the boob boy.
“Well, it wasn’t like I had time to learn how to dance. We were kind of on the run.” Pulling one hand away, Tubbo gently knocked his knuckles against Ranboo’s arm in a half punch, “Not all of us were raised in castles on silver spoons.”
“Hey! They weren’t silver.” Rolling his eyes good-naturedly, Ranboo commented, “They were diamond.”
“That doesn’t make it better.”
“It doesn’t matter. Come on, Tubbee. You want me to teach you to dance or not?” Ranboo held out his hands. Standing back, arms crossed and eyes narrowed, Tubbo sighed. Settled both his hands into Ranboo’s. “Alright, so, uh…” Ranboo looked to the side. “I forgot we have a bit of a height difference.” Shaking his head, Tubbo smiled and fluttered his wings, then flew up so that he was hovering. Ranboo didn’t have to crane his neck to look down at him, but they weren’t exactly eye to eye. Yet. “Oh, right. Thank you.”
“Mhmm. Now, come on, princey. You were going to teach me, so teach me.” Tubbo pointed out, making a face. Laughing, Ranboo showed him where to put his hands.
“They’re waltzing.” Phil explained, leaning over to Tommy as he watched the pair move through the steps. Glancing over, Tommy noticed there was a particular look on Phil’s face. Like he was thinking of someone else. “And trying to mimic Wilbur and Niki over there, although Wilbur’s mixing in twirls for some reason.” He was, spinning Niki gently and laughing the whole time. She was laughing, too, rain wetting their hair and plastering it to their shoulders and foreheads, but there was a sparkle to their eyes and a lightness to their movements that meant they didn’t really seem to mind. Ranboo’s tail flicked, he and Tubbo were speaking quietly.
The wistfulness still stayed in Phil’s eyes. Looking back to the others, Tommy inhaled slowly. Let out another sigh. He heard Phil do the same, and Schlatt cursed under his breath. “How did you manage to do this, Watson-Rosales-Minecraft-whatever your name is?” He prompted. Looking over, Phil huffed.
“My pawns found Jesus and now they’re all paladins of the Celestial Order.” He replied. “And shortly before we started playing, my pawns and knights decided to revolt. Have fun killing the puppet king, it does nothing.” Schlatt looked at him.
“You’re cheating.” Leaning over, Phil quickly moved his queen into position.
“No, I’m winning.” Nodding at Schlatt’s pocket, Phil added, “And you’re the one who keeps slipping extra pawns onto the board. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?” Schlatt’s tanned face flushed. “Yeah, you’re not subtle.”
“How did you know?”
“Because I have the eyesight of a bird. Just because I can’t see glass doesn’t mean I can’t tell two different kinds of wood apart. This is ebony, and this is stained mahogany. That one is stained oak.”
“They’re all brown.”
“Yeah, they’re all three different shades of brown, too, you dichromatic-sighted menace.”
“I can see more than two colors!”
“Mhmm, sure, but you can’t tell two wood types apart? Didn’t you use to be a carpenter?”
“I was! You weren’t! You were a librarian, weren’t you?”
“No, I’m the exiled king of a nation that no longer exists and I’ve been alive for longer than your first name has been a name, Jebediah.”
“That’s not my first name, and you’re lying anyways.”
“Prove it.”
Turning away from the bickering old men, Tommy laughed and shook his head, then turned to look at Tubbo and Ranboo. His two best friends were having the time of their lives from the look of it, although he knew for a fact that Ranboo was making jokes in the End language and Tubbo was firing back by making himself taller and taller. Ranboo was leading the waltz, or trying to, because Tubbo kept on throwing in other moves.
Snorting, Schlatt stood up and slid a music disc into their jukebox. Then, he said something about going off to disprove Phil’s statement, and he wandered off into the corridors. Turning, Tommy looked to Phil. “What did you do to him?”
Holding up his hands, Phil replied, “I didn’t do anything!” His eyes went back to the two dancing pairs by the edge of the Pub. “How’s your back feeling?”
“Fine. Do you know where Beautie is?” His eyes went to the couch. Shaking his head, Tommy straightened up and looked around. “Or Scott? Where did he go?”
“Had a call. As for Beautie, she’s mining with Sneeg and Fundy. They’re trying to make somewhere for Fundy that’s nice and safe. Techno is…probably in his den. Or hunting for more carrots. Or farming. You know how he is when it rains, doesn’t like getting his fur wet.”
“He could have joined us.” Looking over, Tommy asked, “We’re family, right?” The song started to come to an end. Looking over, Phil smiled at him.
“He’ll come around, Tommy. Don’t worry about it. In time, you can wrestle with him all you want.” Nudging Tommy’s shoulder, he added, “Once you get your wings, that is.” The song drew out to an end, and Tommy and Phil both looked over. Tubbo landed delicately on the patio floor, boots sinking into the grass. Bending down, holding onto Tubbo’s hand, Ranboo kissed the back of his knuckles.
Snorting, Tubbo fired off, “You’re so fancy, Ranboo.” Looking up at him, Ranboo grinned. His canines flashed in the light wolfishly.
“Still strong enough to throw you out into the rain if I wanted.” He moved to pick Tubbo up. Shrieking, Tubbo flailed around and clawed his way into clinging to Ranboo’s back, wings spread out all the way. This caught Niki and Wilbur’s attention.
On the couch, Tommy burst out laughing so hard he was pretty sure he punctured a lung.