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Someone is stalking Scar, Bdubs is absolutely certain of it. He doesn’t know who it is, or why they’re stalking him, but he just knows. How? Well it’s quite simple!
Every day at twelve o’clock on the dot, Bdubs takes his lunch. He uses the hour Scar gives him to meet with Impulse and Etho, as it’s important to spend quality time with his boyfriends. Every good partner knows this! So he takes his hour break very seriously, and he always leaves at twelve. Exactly at twelve.
And it’s at twelve that Bdubs notices a certain… individual. There’s always someone sitting out on a bench by the front entrance to town hall. Each time Bdubs sees them, they’re dressed the same. A green beanie, a black short sleeved button up and brown pants. He always finds it weird they dress the same way.
What he finds even weirder is that he sees them every day. Always in the same spot at the bench, the same time every day. Each time Bdubs leaves he turns to look and sure enough! They’re sitting on that bench. Nothing in hand; no book, no phone. Just themself.
It’s been happening for a little over two weeks now. Every day without fail. The stranger is there. The weird (and probably unnerving part) is that the stranger is always gone when Bdubs comes back from lunch.
Now, Bdubs told Impulse and Etho about this, if only to get their thoughts on the matter. Impulse had gently told him that while his concerns were valid considering everything going on, there was a chance that he was blowing things out of proportion (“Bdubs has a habit of doing that!” Etho had called from the kitchen, making Bdubs yell for him to shut up). He tried to reason that maybe this person was just taking the time to enjoy the scenery and stop at town hall for a break. After all, plenty of people did that. It isn’t that foreign of a concept.
Etho had also pointed out that Grian would’ve known immediately if someone was stalking Scar. It helped put some of Bdubs’ worries to rest, but there was still this nagging feeling.
(Etho later looked into it for him, he and Impulse had set up a little stake out nearby town hall, and they waited that whole hour. The stranger sat down, fed some birds, and then left. Bdubs kissed them both senseless when they returned, grateful to both of them.)
But it still doesn’t explain why.
He thinks that maybe his partners are right, and he really is just making a bigger fuss out of this than necessary. But then one day he catches the stranger on the phone, and their eyes are on town hall. That little nagging feeling flares up all over again.
So he sets up a plan to catch this crook red handed.
He takes his lunch break as normal, determined not to act out of the ordinary. He walks out of town hall, loudly proclaiming, “Gosh! Don’t I just loooove going out to lunch! Why, I love taking lunch so much that I might just take another thirty minutes!” From the corner of his eye, he spots the stranger already seated on the bench.
Bdubs chuckles to himself, ‘They’ll fall for my perfect acting and drop their guard!’ He whistles to himself as he walks on the route he usually takes to meet up with Etho and Impulse. There’s someone watching him, he notes, as he leaves. And as soon as the stranger can’t see his face, he’s grinning with triumph. They don’t suspect a thing!
He continues to act normal, fighting the urge to turn around and apprehend the stranger right then and there. He reminds himself that this is for the sake of the mayor!
Sticking to his plan, Bdubs walks down the block until he’s out of sight. When he’s free from the gaze of the stranger, he pulls his phone from his pocket and sends a text to both Impulse and Etho, letting them know he’s busy with work today.
Unfortunately, I will not be gracing either of you with my presence today at lunch! I have work to do </3
Impulse is the first to respond.
Aw D: I’ll miss seeing your gorgious face!
I’ll bring some food for you :p
I’ll miss your gorgeous face!
Etho jumps into the conversation a moment later.
An afternoon without Bdubs? Who do I thank?
Bdubs rolls his eyes, quickly typing a response.
HEY! You’re gonna miss me and you know it!
I dunno Bdubs, will I?
You will!!!!!!
I bet I will
Huffing, Bdubs pockets his phone before he can fall for any more of Etho’s teasing. He then takes a look around the area, watching a few people walk around on the street. It isn’t too crowded, considering it’s the middle of a work day, but there’s enough chatter to create a nice sort of background noise. He drops his gaze down to his wrist where his watch rests and he checks the time
He’ll give it another fifteen minutes, just to make this stalker really let down their guard.
And when those fifteen minutes are up, he spins on his heel and heads right back to town hall. He makes sure to take a different path so the stranger doesn’t see him coming. He sneaks along, ignoring the weird looks that it earns him from other people.
He gets back in the area at least (it doesn’t take him very long) and to his relief, the stranger is still there. Deciding not to spare a single more second, he exclaims, “AHA!” and marches right up to the stranger.
The poor guy jumps in surprise, and Bdubs imagines him dropping a coffee cup if he had one. He mentally pats himself on the back for being so intimidating.
He juts an accusatory finger out at the stranger, “You’re the one who’s been stalking the mayor! And don’t you lie to me mister, I’ve seen you!”
The stranger looks up at him with wide green eyes, bits of his fluffy brown hair peeking out from under his beanie. He stares at Bdubs for a moment, brows pinching in a way that gives away his confusion. “Uhhhhh,” The stranger mumbles, looking absolutely dumbfounded. “Who even are you?”
“WHAT?!” Bdubs yells incredulously, staring at the stranger (boy? He looks surprisingly young for a stalker) in pure disbelief. “You mean to tell me that you’ve been stalking the mayor and you have no idea who I am?!”
“Should I?” Is the response he gets, and Bdubs groans. “What are you talking about though? I’m not stalking the mayor.”
“Likely story! For the past two weeks I’ve caught you sitting right at this very bench! And just the other day you were staring at the building!” He exclaims in return, still pointing at this guy.
Bdubs takes a moment to look around, seeing the bit of crowd they’ve gathered. He pauses, frowning in contemplation. The stranger continues to stare up at him, and Bdubs has a choice to make. He could either continue at this stalker in public and garner more attention or he could bring this guy to Scar.
The stranger looks like he’s about to bolt, with the way his eyes are darting around the area. He’s tense in his seat at the bench, knuckles clenched. Bdubs needs to act fast if he wants to catch this stalker.
So he makes a hasty choice.
He looks at the stranger and grabs his collar, hoisting him out of the seat. “Hey!” The guy cries, immediately reaching to tug at Bdubs’ hand. It’s… surprisingly easy to lift this guy up, and if he wasn’t concerned about a stalker, he’d probably be concerned.
He promptly ignores the crowd as he all but drags the guy into town hall, Scar’s office in mind.
Scar is happily working away at his desk when his door slams open. It had been somewhat of a quiet day, all things considered. Mumbo was out running a few errands that Scar had sent him out on (he’s got Mumbo on the lookout for any moves from Cub. Things have been… quiet), and he had Grian in the library, doing some research for him.
As for himself, he’s looking into the files that Mumbo had oh so helpfully supplied him with from his latest target. He wants to see what information he can find on the Watchers before his next meeting with Ren. Despite their temporary alliance he doesn’t want to entirely rely on the guy for information.
It’d be bad if he owed him anything after all this is said and done. He’d like to not go into the grave regretting anything, thank you very much.
That being said, Scar is shifting through the files stored on this thumb drive given to him. He’s checked a few different things, data sheets, excel documents, emails. But Mumbo had mentioned a particular folder titled “GB” that had immediately caught his interest as soon as he heard it. So he’s searching for it.
It’s when he finds that very folder that the door to his office slams open. Scar is quick to close out of the files, subtly pulling the thumb drive out of his laptop. His eyes flick over his screen, staring right at the eyes of Bdubs. He blinks, “Bdubs? Aren’t you on lunch right now?” He questions, and it’s only then that he notices the body next to the other man. “And who’s this?”
Bdubs is gripping the collar of what appears to be a young boy. A forest green beanie covers his brown hair, though a few bits of it peeking out from underneath. He’s dressed in a black button up, one that seems to hang a bit too loosely off his frame. Scar looks at the green pants tucked into brown combat boots that are haphazardly tied. His eyes dart back up to look at the boy’s face, finding blue eyes meeting his own.
“This here is a stalker! A criminal!” Bdubs cries, and Scar tries very hard not to laugh. He knows better than to assume that those who look harmless actually aren’t, considering he uses that same tactic himself. But a boy? He doesn’t look a day older than sixteen.
Scar shuts his laptop, dropping his elbows on his desk to lean forward. “Oh? Well then, I thank you for your valiant efforts at catching him, Bdubs.” He replies, offering a smile. Though he’s really just messing with the guy.
Bdubs seems to miss this (whether it’s intentional or not, Scar has no idea), chest puffing up with pride. “You’re very welcome! Some of us still need to be concerned about safety around here!” He scoffs, dropping his hand from the boy’s collar.
“Yes, of course.” Scar smiles before his gaze settles on the boy. “So, stalking the mayor, hm? Quite a lofty idea, if you ask me.” He states casually, though he highly doubts Bdubs’ story. He knows the man likes to exaggerate. Though he does appreciate his concern, all things considered.
The boy is quick to shake his head, “Honestly man, I have no idea what this guy is talking about!” He cries, shoulders hunching. “I just thought it was a nice spot for feeding birds!”
“Hah! Likely story!” Bdubs interjects, pointing a finger at him. “Don’t listen to this guy Scar, I’ve caught him sitting outside town hall every day at the same time for the past two weeks! He’s lying!”
“It’s true! I didn’t even know that this was the mayor’s building!” The boy exclaims, voice raising in pitched panic as he tries to explain himself. He looks back to Scar, almost for help, “Look, you’ve got to believe me! The only reason why I’ve been there every day is ‘cause I like taking walks around town! I-I can find someone back at the orphanage to collaborate – confirm – my story if you need me to!”
Scar blinks at that, staring at the boy in a bit of surprise. Bdubs opens his mouth to interrupt again, but Scar looks at him and shakes his head. Bdubs backs down, getting the message. He focuses his attention back on the boy, “Tell me, what did you say your name was?”
The boy stares at him, “I-I didn’t, but the name is Tubbo, sir.”
“How old are you?”
Tubbo’s eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. It’s obvious he hadn’t expected this line of questioning, “I’m seventeen.”
Scar hums, “And you live at the orphanage?”
Tubbo nods, “It was the streets before that.”
Something pangs in Scar’s chest. Understanding, familiarity, empathy. So he offers Tubbo a warm smile, “Well Tubbo, how about in exchange for sweeping all this under the rug, you take up a job here as my assistant?” He questions, and he’s got two pairs of comically large eyes staring at him.
“WHAT?!” Both Bdubs and Tubbo shout, though their reactions are different. Bdubs’ voice rings with disbelief, voice laced with obvious disagreement. Tubbo sounds more excited than anything.
“Seriously?!” Tubbo exclaims, and Scar nods with a smile.
“Why of course! I don’t just say things like this to say them.” Scar chuckles, “You’d be paid well of course. And you’d be expected here all day. With breaks of course.” He winks. “The position is all yours if you want it.”
Tubbo looks absolutely blown away by the offer, and Scar can understand. It isn’t every day your bird feeding lands you a job with the mayor of the town. “Absolutely! I’d be honored!”
Scar claps his hands, “ Amayzin’! You start tomorrow at nine.” He says, and Tubbo gives him a nod and mock salute before Scar dismisses him. It leaves just Scar and Bdubs in the office, and Bdubs drags a hand down his face.
“You,” He says, jabbing a finger in Scar’s direction, “Have a major problem with strays.” He grumbles.
Scar laughs, “I have absolutely no idea what you mean.”
Tubbo practically skips out of town hall. This is not at all how he expected today to go, but hey! He’s not complaining! He wasn’t expecting the mayor to be so… nice. He hasn’t met very many nice people before, and it’s almost relieving that Mr. Scar seems so kind. He didn’t even look upset that Tubbo’s been using his benches! Well, they are public property, so maybe it isn’t all that surprising.
Either way, today has turned out to be a very good day.
Just as he’s walking down the path back to the orphanage, his phone rings in his pocket. Blinking, Tubbo pulls it out, checking the caller ID. When he sees who it is, a large smile splits across his face. He eagerly answers, “Oh my god, you’re never going to believe what just happened!” He exclaims. “I just–” He’s cut off and his walking slows to a stop. “Oh, you want me to swing by? Sure thing, I’ll be there in a bit.”
The call ends soon after, and he drops his phone back into his pocket.
Today is just full of surprises then, huh!