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When Tubbo joined the vc, Ranboo wasn’t expecting the heart rate monitor to be a point of their mining stream.
The mining stream. With Tubbo.
Ranboo was glad he didn’t have one on now because his heart rate was sure to be 180 right now. These streams always replay in Ranboo’s mind- or on his monitor when he is missing a certain brunette.
But right now he’s mining after a bit of lore while being in California as Tubbo is in Bognor. It’s now 11pm for Tubbo and Ranboo knew they would be up all night. Tubbo would be awake till well into the night and Ranboo could only think about how precious Tubbo was to him. But Ranboo had to keep the stream going, he had to keep himself calm so everything else can be fine.
Ranboo was fine and totally not nostalgic and feeling his heart threading to spill out of his chest.
The stream would be fun for Ranboo and it would be perfectly fine.
Ranboo was even testing things like making Tubbo think about stressful things and calmful things. Like Tubnet was a stressor. He got to 129 with that one. But the dm Ranboo got right after surely peaked his heat rate.
Tubbo_ > at first I was thinking of Tubnet but after that to get to 129 I was thinking about you
Now, how was Ranboo meant to be calm after that. He had to. He had to pretend his own heart didn’t flutter because the nostalgia and Tubbo’s words were overwhelming him as he had to pretend he wasn’t.
Tubbo knew what he was doing. He knew the effect he had on Ranboo, they were playing the same games they played before only times were different and they had met up now. They had the chance to touch and be together.
“Do you wanna know something strange?” Tubbo asked.
“Sure.”
Tubbo_ > I think your outfit today was nice
“Never mind.” Tubbo said and Ranboo groaned.
“Man, you got my heart rate going with that one.” Ranboo joked. Sorta. Chat wouldn’t know much.
Ranboo had explained to Tubbo that the mining stream was to give the chat something familiar but being home and having Tubbo in his headphones was making him feel familiar.
He was just aching for something he knew would be okay when being away from Tubbo was not okay. Ranboo didn’t really want to stop mining but he figured he could place sand to be helpful at the guardian farm. Anything to keep himself calm.
He didn’t feel okay with losing the comfort or warmth of this situation but what choice did he have? It was healthier to be away from it. It was healthy for his heart to lose the pining as he gained memories of the past in real time not just through his screen in past vods.
Tubbo’s heart rate was now going up and down and Ranboo was confused.
Tubbo_ > whoops, I was thinking about you
“It just looks like I’m stressed when I’m really not and it going up is stressing me out more.” Tubbo said and they got talking about loops of heart rates.
Ranboo made his way towards where he needed to go in game and thought back. Tubbo’s voice had gotten lower from back then, their jokes got worse and they were more tense. They had experiences now with and without each other that they never had before.
Ranboo knew they were fine, it’s not like anything was wrong but maybe they had feelings that were resurfacing that were meant to say tucked away. They were meant to be friends (who held hands, cuddled and even kissed those few times after drinking)
Things were different but they were so much the same and now Ranboo didn’t know how to feel. They were fine and they were normal.
This was no longer a mining stream where Tubbo was talking to him at a late time and Ranboo was enjoying his time with the person he totally didn’t have feelings for.
This was a stream where they were talking and it wasn’t that late for Tubbo. Ranboo didn’t have to worry about him falling asleep while they were talking or about Tubbo staying up too late to juice out any second of talking time they could because they never felt like they talked enough.
Ranboo would be in the US for a few more weeks and that was fine too. Everything was fine because it had to be and it couldn’t be anything but fine because that would be unreasonable and overreacting.
But now Ranboo ended up back in a cave mining because he couldn’t stray from that, he couldn’t bring himself to.
And if his laugh was a little too fond when Tubbo explained his excitement for things, they both ignored it. And so did chat. Chat knows by now how fond they get in times like this and if anyone is new they are going to find out now.
He was sure a lot of people were new, he had gained a lot of new followers since June and now it was getting time to end. Tubbo wanted to talk alone and Ranboo wouldn’t deny him that. They would spend way too long on call now and just enjoy each other’s company.
Ranboo ended the stream and he let out a sigh, switching the call over to his phone so he could make his way to his kitchen, “Toby I’ve ended.”
“I know, idiot, I heard your clap.” Tubbo said, making his way closer to his mic because for some reason he had been on the other end of his room.
“Wow, just be rude to me after my amazing lore.” Ranboo scoffed and entered his kitchen.
“Your lore made me sad, so I’m upset.”
“It made everyone sad, it’s what I do.” Ranboo explained and grabbed a box of Mac and cheese and out water on the stove to boil.
“Yeah but our characters are now angsty, Boo.”
“It was like one reference to it being an angsty relationship.”
“Boo, your character didn’t tell Aimsey’s about us for starters and also, the book at the end. With c!Ranboo being like ‘is he trying?’ And c!Ghostboo was practically like ‘haha no’ like that shit hurt. And I don’t care about lore half the time.”
“Well, it happens. Maybe c!Tubbo should have been a better husband.”
“Are you saying I’m a shit husband?”
“No, I think you’d be a great husband. Your character on the other hand.” Ranboo opened his phone and watched as Tubbo’s heart rate was spiking. He could see it in their dms. Tubbo was almost up to 130. “Hey are you alright? Your heart rate is like really high.”
“Yeah yeah, just thinking about Tubnet again.” Tubbo awkwardly laughed. “‘S all. Nothin’ to worry about bossman.”
Ranboo chuckled, “sure, Toby. Whatever you say.” Ranboo hummed and watched it go back down to 86, “or maybe, you liked the idea of me referring to you as husband material.” Tubbo’s heart rate picked back up and Ranboo smirked a bit as Tubbo grew panicked.
“This wasn’t meant for you to do this shit, Ranboo. Because you know it’s true.” Tubbo groaned.
“Well we’d have to date before we can get married but I’m sure after a while of dating I would propose.”
“You better not be joking around.”
Ranboo grew serious as he mixed his pasta, “I’m serious.”
“Then I say we should date.”
“And I say that’s a great idea.” Ranboo said. “ Honey.”
Tubbo’s heart rate spiked again and Ranboo laughed, finishing his Mac and cheese process before going back to his room.
“Right well after my stream we’re going to talk all night and flirt. Like all couples do.” Tubbo said and Ranboo laughed.
“I’m perfectly fine with that.” Ranboo had a smile on his face, “I wouldn’t want anything else.”
And with that, they started the next stream.