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"Tommy!" He slams the door behind him- cutting off whatever his brother was yelling at him. Taking off down the rocky driveway of his home and further into town.
He gets a ways away before he allows himself to slow down- he doesn't stop though. He continues down the path, kicking up rocks on the way. "You can't do this- What a bitch you are." He mutters under his breath. "You are being stubborn- you are the stubborn one. Ever thought of that?" He picks up a rock and chucks it into the woods. "Who the hell does Wilbur think he is? A right pric-" a noise from the forest on his left cuts him out of his angered rambling.
Despite his better judgment- he moves towards the one clear pathway into the forest, following the marked-out guides on the floor. The further he gets into the woods the more the whole thing seems like a bad idea- but he's had lots of them before so what's the harm in one more?
A headache apparently because he ends up walking right into a tree.
After a few more turns and almost running into another tree, he comes up upon a clearing. Quite frankly a beautiful area, lively with a pond in the middle. The only problem is that someone is there- Ranboo is there.
"Hey! What the fuck are you doing?" Ranboo, who was leaning semi-over the pond, proceeds to scream and then fall in.
Now- If Tommy let out a few chuckles- or hysterical laughing- before moving over to see if Ranboo was okay, that's between him and the higher nature over their world.
“Are you alright?” He says once Ranboo resurfaces. Crouching down in the same spot Ranboo was prior to falling in.
Yeah- I'm fine.” Ranboo grunts, pulling themselves out of the pond. Collapsing on the green grass next to him.
“What were you even doing?” He asks, leaning back off on his heels to sit criss-cross on the ground. Ranboo’s turns his head to face him, features casting a look he can’t seem to decipher. It's gone a second later as Ranboo sighs- quite dramatically at that- and moves again to lie on his back.
“I was trying to use my magic.” Ranboo admits. They say it so softly that Tommy almost misses it, yet he doesn’t.
“You are shit at magic?” Maybe he shouldn’t be laughing, but he can’t help the giggles that come up his throat. That amusement stops abruptly as he sees the look on Ranboo’s face. A look he’s seen on his own many times in the mirror. One that he hates.
He huffs and leans back on the grass matching Ranboo. “I'm also shit at magic. Did you know that?” He tilts his head and catches Ranboo looking at him with a shocked expression. “Yep. Big man Tommyinnit can’t do shit.”
“But your-” Ranboo trips over his words, “Your family are like-”
“Extremely powerful magic people? Yeah, I know.” He laughs a bit- not the pure amusement from earlier- no this is pure disgust for all he should've been and yet can never be. “Ironic, isn’t it? Had a fight with my brother about it earlier.”
“My parents talk about it all the time.” He watches as Ranboo brings their hands up and makes little puppet figures with them. “Oh! You need to get that magic or who knows what the other will think!” Ranboo says, raising his voice several pitches. Whatever he was feeling earlier is gone- replaced by a kind of enjoyment he hasn’t felt in ages. It only grows as Ranboo drops his voice to mimic his father.
Tommy laughs- not a snide chuckle- or a laugh to be polite- but a full laugh. One that leaves his stomach aching and his breath gone. A true laugh, his true laugh. One that he always hated. But as he listens through the air and his voice he hears Ranboo.
He hears Ranboo and the laugh that matches his.
///
As he is walking to his next class Ranboo pops up from behind him- nearly giving him a heart attack and putting him in an early grave.
He’s been sitting bent at the knees with Ranboo crouched down next to him worryingly for what feels like hours. In reality, he’s probably spent only five minutes on the ground trying to catch his breath.
“Are you alright?” They say, reaching a hand over the run their fingers through his hair. He chooses to ignore how he doesn’t back away from the touch.
“Yeah. What do you want?” He pushes himself up, swinging his bookbag back over his shoulder. He watches Ranboo’s face light up and a smile stretch across their face.
“The forest- can we meet back at the forest?” They say- stumbling over their words like the excitement was too much to keep to himself.
“Sure-” He can’t stop the agreement from tumbling out of his mouth. He can’t even backtrack on his words before Ranboo is running off. Leaving Tommy standing in the middle of the courtyard unsure of why he even had half the mind to say yes.
-
After a quick run home, he's on a familiar path to the forest. Walking along the barren road. This time without the steady strum of anger under his skin. It's been replaced by something else- something better than fury. Maybe the calm he never gets to feel.
A short ways ahead he sees Ranboo shifting from foot to foot at the pathway entrance. He almost feels like a little kid as he runs to get to him quicker. Like a child who can’t wait to see their friend the next day.
Ranboo doesn’t say anything when he gets up to him, all he does is turn to the entrance of the woods and starts walking down the path. Not worried at the fact that he may not be following- choosing to just trust. He doesn’t want to fracture that trust- so he follows. A part of him knows that no matter what, if Ranboo never asked to hang out, they would have ended up back here anyways.
The clearing comes up soon enough and then it truly hits Tommy as to why Ranboo loves the place so much. He doesn’t know he didn’t notice before, maybe he was distracted by the unexpected presence. But now that he sees the forest- really sees the forest- he knows. Knows why it's so special. It's special because it itself is magic. It has to be- for the grass to be this bright- for the water to look that blue- it has to be more than average nature. It has to be more life than actual life. It has to be, he won’t accept anything else.
When he tunes back into reality he watches Ranboo place down a quilt and bring out a basket. Where he got those he has no idea. “Are we having a picnic?”
Ranboo looks up from where he was sitting on the quilt- giving a little nod and clearing his voice. “Uh- yeah- I was-” Ranboo starts- he doesn’t finish his sentence.
“Well since I'm such an amazing person- ill give you pity and have this picnic with you.” The nervous look washes off Ranboo’s face as he sits down across from them. The blanket is soft against his palms and protects them from the ground below. A pretty pattern of light blues and soft whites.
Ranboo hands him a pretty red lunch box- inside, is the fanciest lunch he’s ever laid eyes on. He assumes his eyes go all wide from the small chuckles that come from in front of him.
“I hate rich people.” He mutters- biting off a piece of a baby carrot. He can say all the rude things he wants- it won’t be taken to heart. The smile that won’t seem to leave his face makes sure of this.
It only takes ten minutes before he gets fed up with the silence and reaches for his phone. Opening his music app and pressing play on one of his playlists- earning a confused noise from Ranboo.
The song shuffles around five times before a certain song comes on- one of his favorites and by the look on Ranboo’s face, it's one of theirs too. What he doesn’t expect is for Ranboo to get up and hold a hand out.
“You know how to dance, right?” They ask- hand still extended. He takes it and allows himself to be pulled up.
“Well yeah- what? You want to dance?” Ranboo’s face splits out in a grin- oh shit he does want to dance.
He scrunches his nose before sighing and taking Ranboo’s other hand. “Fine, fine. Ill indulge you- but you owe me. Maybe like a car- or a lifetime supply of chocolate.”
“A car and a lifetime supply of chocolate it is then.” Ranboo says, laughing as he takes a step back. A beginning to a simple waltz- one of the first things he learned. He can still recall the number of times he stepped on his brother's toes- mostly on accident. The nostalgia is overrun by a sinking feeling. Wilbur still hasn’t apologized- and he doesn’t think the man ever will.
He can’t dwell on it anymore because Ranboo suddenly spins him around- almost ending in him flat on his face if it wasn’t for Ranboo catching him.
“Oh, you bitch-” Ranboos laughter fills the air, infecting him and causing giggles to fall from his lips as well.
“Sorry- sorry- intrusive thoughts won.” Ranboo comments- running a hand through their own hair. Moving small strains from their face.
Tommy shoves their shoulder before grabbing their hands. “I bet they did you prick.”
This time when Ranboo spins him around, he stays steady. Matching the steps, the dips, the spins, all of it. Just like he was taught, perfect but in a way that doesn’t feel required. A way that makes him feel like he can mess up. Free- it feels freeing.
“Uh- Tommy?” Ranboo’s movements halt and their voice goes low. He’s not sure why until he actually looks around- looks at the plants- and how they grew. How its late in the day but the area lights up like the sun is shining on them directly. How the air is filled with small little specs of light- even when fireflies aren’t native to the area.
“Shit- I thought you said you couldn’t do magic big man-” He doesn’t let go of Ranboo’s hand- he doesn’t let go either.
“I can’t- is this not you?” Ranboo turns to look at him- only for a second. The light catches their eyes once again.
“No it's not- or maybe it is- its more than one form of it, I don’t-” Realization settles into his brain- he knows what’s happening. The teachings of magic and its forms are too drilled into his head for him not to know.
“It us- we did it.” Ranboo tilts their head, beckoning for him to continue. “Sometimes, magic needs a medium to travel through. Only then can you access it. Now tell me- when have you danced just for the hell of it- just for fun?”
“Oh.” He mouths. It's quiet again- even with the music playing it's quiet.
And slowly the magic around them fizzles out. The plants remain but the light dwindles. Tommy can feel it in himself- the magic that fades- is his own. A light that drags people's attention only for it to drain when he stops trying. It's too much like him and he can’t tell if it's a good thing.
He doesn’t think so. Because he tapped into the magic he's been working at for months and all he can feel is disgust.
///
Now- he wouldn’t say he’s avoiding Ranboo- but he’s definitely avoiding Ranboo.
It's not like there's something wrong with them, he just can’t face him. Not after he got a face full of Tommy’s power- his in your face- notice me- power. They parted ways that Friday without a word and he is not hearing what Ranboo has to say about it
Well. That was the plan- it was until he’s dragged into one of those supply closets at the end of the corridor.
"Shit- What the fuck Ranboo!" He whisper-yells, pushing Ranboo back when he sees his face.
At least they have half the mind to at least look apologetic. “Sorry! I just- wanted to talk to you.” He must have a look on his face because Ranboo quickly continues. “You have been avoiding me, I just want to know what I did wrong.”
Tommy looks at the ground, chewing on his bottom lip. He’s nervous- why is he so nervous? Maybe it's guilt or embarrassment that he got confronted- he doesn’t know. He doesn’t know a lot of things.
“Please, Tommy. Just tell me where I went wrong.” He takes a breath and then another. Grabbing hold of Ranboos hands and placing them in his own.
“You didn’t do anything wrong- It was me. All me.” He doesn’t look at Ranboo’s face, he’s afraid of something- afraid of a reaction. Whatever that reaction will be.
It's silent for a long time. He’s pretty sure the bell rang for their last class yet they both don’t move. It's silent for a long time- then it isn’t.
“It's your magic- isn’t it?” It feels as if ice floods his veins. Ranboo saw through him, he saw through him, unlike so many people. And that fact hurts.
There's a hand in his hair and a hand in his hand. Grounding him, keeping him afloat. “I think your magic is beautiful.”
He hugs Ranboo- he hugs him and doesn’t let go.
//
A song starts and a song ends. Then another one starts playing. A never-ending loop of their favorite songs. Some composed by them others from movies and shows that bring them joy. Happiness in its pure form. Two friends, two children, two humans, being human.
It's a simple song on the outside but with closer inspection, you realize how truly complex it is. Full of deep meaning and different themes depending on the lens you see it through. Truly a beautiful piece of art- a beautiful piece of magic- of being. Just existing to exist.