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Running away certainly wasn’t the most viable option.
Both Tommy and Ranboo knew that.
Yet, there was nothing left for them in Essempii, it was infamous for its high crime rate, and severely understaffed police. For a city fueled on its heavily polluted air and horrible people, there really was no good reason for anyone to aspire to be in this hellhole.
What more did they have to lose here?
Their family? Last Ranboo checked – god knows how long ago – their parents were not on good terms with each other. They never were, but they had to put up with the other for the sake of their children.
Their friends? Gone. Most couldn’t stand the horrible environment they were restrained to, and hence migrated. The latter were broken off with, thankfully.
That small cafe three blocks down, where Tommy used to work at, with a really nice boss and a cosy interior? He would miss it, certainly, but you could get a job anywhere.
Maybe they could just leave temporarily, until they found a good reason to return to Essempii.
That was only a possibility.
—
“Ranboo? Where are we going?” Tommy asked, pulling out his clothes from the closet and stuffing them into his bag untidily, glancing at the older.
He had just turned eighteen two days ago. Never would Tommy have expected that Ranboo’s birthday gift for him to be – technically – a one-way ticket out of Essempii. But here he was now, two days after his birthday, on the path to being brought far away from their hometown by his very own older brother.
“I don’t know, we’ll figure it out later.” Ranboo responded, reaching for his wallet on the bedside table and placing it in his bag. There wasn’t too much money inside, excluding the amount he prepared for renting an apartment, it should have had just enough to sustain them for two months, or hopefully three. That should be enough until he finds a new, perhaps temporary, job.
Their parents were out for work on that day, like every other day – not like they were ever home anyways, granting Tommy and Ranboo a perfect opportunity to leave. All they had to do was to walk out that glorious front door and never return.
That was exactly what they did. The brothers then walked to the ever-so-familiar train station. It used to be their favourite mode of transport for holidays, back when their family was still together and loving. The good-old days. Now, it was just the two of them.
It was quite a distance, and they definitely could have taken a bus there, but Ranboo was insistent on going by foot, so Tommy had no choice but to oblige.
Here they were, one step away from their new destination. They inspected the map carefully, seeing as to where they would have found appealing. One very specific place caught Tommy’s attention. He tugged at Ranboo’s sleeve to divert their attention, eagerly pointing at Snowfall.
“Snowfall?” Ranboo questioned. Snowfall, as its name suggests, was popular for its all-year winter-like temperature and inconsistent snowfall. “Tommy, I don’t think we have the adequate clothing for that.”
“Well, we could just buy some, can’t we?”
“Expensive.”
“I’ll pay for the clothes, you pay for the tickets.”
Ranboo paused, hesitating.
“Deal.”
—
Snowfall greeted the duo with a cool, gentle breeze upon stepping out of the train. It wasn’t excessively cold unlike the normal days, just one of those that felt soothing – homely, perhaps.
“Jesus, man, how are you not cold?” Tommy grumbled, pulling his jacket sleeve up his arm as they exited the station, struggling not to tangle his bag with the sky blue jacket.
“It’s not that bad,” Ranboo shrugged nonchalantly, eyes focussed on his GPS, “I reckon I could survive in this temperature.”
“I knew it, you are cold-blooded!”
—
Eventually, they made it to the clothing store through a series of long bickering – a supposingly five minute walk from the station turned into ten, with the duo taking four wrong turns, and one Tommy almost spitefully getting himself lost.
The shop bells lightly chimed as Ranboo pushed the door open, its warmth was welcoming and embraced Tommy as he dashed in, almost tripping over his own shoes.
The racks were neatly arranged with winter coats ranging across many colours, hues that accommodates to just about everyone’s liking, beyond that were several jacket shelves, but that was out of the picture for now,
The duo wandered around the shop for a while, searching for the coats they needed for the next few months.
“Hey, need any help there?” A voice emerged from the back. It came from a shop assistant dressed in rose pink, with a name tag displayed on the upper right of her shirt.
“Yeah, uhm, do you have any larger sizes than this one?” Ranboo held up a black coat, “I might be a bit too tall for it.”
“I could check,” Ranboo passed the coat over to her, “I’m pretty sure we have some, not too sure if they’re still in stock though.”
“That sounds cool, thanks.”
The girl returned about five minutes later, proudly exhibiting her finding, which draped over her arm, brushing against the checkered floors.
“There you go, let me know if you need anything else.” She beamed, delicately picking the coat off her arm and handing it to the taller, “Otherwise, have a nice day!”
That was, strangely, nice. Back in Essempii, the workers – regardless of career – were mostly grumpy and ignorant of their customers’ needs. To find someone that catered to their customers’ needs was like gold-hunting, yet it seemed so easy to find one here in Snowfall.
Maybe that’s the change they needed – simple, nicer, people. Just that.
—
After paying for the coats and exiting the shop, Ranboo pulled down his mask and lightly inhaled the surrounding air. There wasn’t an actual reason why he wore it, nor did they notice their subconscious action, but it served as a comfortable form of anonymity in this new environment.
The air felt clean and fresh, newfound oxygen gushing into, and fueling his lungs, in contrast to the heavily polluted air in Essempii. It felt like being released from a suffocating cage, being freed to the light, airy world outside.
The difference was absolutely breathtaking.
Tommy seemed to have noticed too, replicating his brother’s actions closely. His face lit up, brighter than it ever was. “Holy shit,” he muttered.
“Yeah, holy shit.” Ranboo parrotted in agreement.
Snowfall was so much more full of life, practically capable of resurrecting lost souls, and that might be what they needed.
—
After a week or two of living in a hotel, Ranboo and Tommy had finally found a proper place to live in. It was a small and slightly old furnished apartment, but all the facilities needed were intact, and they knew they could, most probably, keep it tidy enough for living.
Additionally, they had a pretty nice landlord, who helped to get a better heater for them in view of the decreasing temperature.
They moved in at the break of dawn, stunned, while carrying their heavy bags into their new apartment.
Ranboo was then tasked to do most of the organising and cleaning – although unwilling, while the younger threw everything he could find in their bags at the older. Maybe Tommy had too good of an aim, hence hitting his sibling in the head several times.
By sunset, they successfully completed the task at hand – despite the several rearrangements of items due to Tommy’s “I won’t be able to find this and that” complaints – and the apartment instantly looked more familiar, and homely.
Tommy placed two cups of instant-mix hot chocolate down on the table and plopped himself on the couch beside Ranboo, snuggling closer to his brother for warmth.
And for the first time, ever since reaching Snowfall, they had a place to properly call home.
That sounded nice.
—
The temperature briskly decreased in the following month, despite the supposedly approaching summer. Snowfall was one contradictory place when it came to weather, perhaps it was just the opposite of normal seasons. Not like it mattered here, it was an all-year-round winter.
Tommy grasped onto the taller’s hand, gaining heat from them, as snowflakes landed gracefully on their hair, the white contrasting with blond, serving as conspicuous decorations.
They were heading towards a cafe, as the younger insisted they visited it for the drinks.
Surprisingly, being unemployed but only buying minimal groceries left them with ample money for leisure activities. Good enough.
The exterior seats were all covered in a thin layer of snow, leaving a trace of emptiness behind – not like anyone would have willingly sat outside in this cold weather, anyways. Upon entering, Tommy glanced around, then dragged Ranboo to a cornered window seat right under a heater. Evidently, there weren't many people inside either, just them and a few other occupied tables.
“Fuck, man, it was freezing cold outside,” He grumbled, pulling his gloves off and throwing it onto the empty chair between them.
“Yeah, I can tell by the way you clung onto me like your life depended on it,” The older chuckled, sarcasm lacing his voice.
Before the two had the chance to start squabbling, a barista approached them with two menus, placing them on the table. “Take a look through the menu, and feel free to call me back over when you’re ready to order, thank you!”
They eventually decided on what to get through several enticing options, with the barista gleefully taking their orders and returning with said drinks and pastries.
While biting off and savouring the frosting on their cupcake, Ranboo gazed around the cafe, admiring the fairy lights and its several cork boards filled with posters, then peering specifically at the vibrant posters on the wall behind Tommy.
Hiring poster, huh?
“Tommy, what do you think about a job here?”
“I mean, yeah, sure. I’d be down, it’s not too bad of a place here.” He definitely would like it.
—
After their quick refreshment break, Ranboo, alongside Tommy, approached the same barista, who was cleaning the counters. She noticed the duo swiftly and immediately smiled softly, questioning, “May I help you?”
“Yeah, um, I heard you were hiring?”
“Oh, yeah, of course! We’ll just get you through a quick interview, and trial run, and you’d be all set!”
Needless to say, that was a breeze for both Tommy and Ranboo, the former with long term experience working at a cafe, and the latter – once the cashier of several retail stores. Unironically, one got the job as a barista and the other, a cashier.
So, they’ve got jobs now! That solves the financial problem.
That sounded pretty nice.
—
A few months has passed since Tommy and Ranboo ran away to Snowfall, and that was the best few months they had. They’ve got a new job, new environment, and new friends – mostly from work – to accompany them occasionally. Despite that, the two didn’t really need anyone besides the other, they were content with each other’s presence.
It was now mid-July, and the snowfall was the heaviest Tommy’s seen since his arrival. It was hardly nine in the morning, and his sibling was passed out on his bed from the long day at work yesterday. Thankfully, it was their off-day today, which meant that Tommy could do anything he wanted!
He leaned towards the window and reached out, letting the snowflakes fall and sit on his hand before melting into a small droplet of water right after. Observing as to how the snowfall seems to be progressively growing, Tommy knew exactly what he wanted today.
No, he wouldn’t want to lay at home, warm and cuddled up in thick blankets while sipping on hot chocolate. That would be boring and a waste of such a good opportunity, and he could do that any day. Instead, he’d forcefully bring Ranboo out to have a snowball fight.
Despite being physically eighteen, Tommy was still a child at heart, and he knew his brother wouldn’t have the heart to refuse.
That was exactly what the younger did.
Ten in the morning, Tommy was in a field layered with thick snow, pulling a dazed Ranboo along. There were a few other families building snowmen in the distance, but Tommy deemed himself “too mature” for that.
[Tommy definitely would build a snowman afterwards.]
He bent down and grabbed a fistful of snow, ensuring as much could be compacted into a ball before throwing it straight into the older’s face, yelling, “Wake up, bitch!”
That absolutely woke Ranboo up, and, oh no, that was not a good implication.
“Oh, you’re so on.”
Before Tommy could react, he felt something drop on his head, before feeling the icy-coldness seep into his hair, lightly soaking it, while tiny chunks of white slid off.
The next few hours passed by in a flash, with Tommy and Ranboo constantly setting the other up for a snowy trap, throwing snowballs at the other and pouring snow into the other’s coat – typical of Tommy.
Ranboo yelped, before grumbling, “What the hell man, where did you get that bucket from?”
Tommy grinned, sprinting as he placed it down beside several five-year-olds.
The older let out an audible gasp, “How could you steal from children?!”
—
After being completely soaked in snow, and building a snowman with random twigs found on the snow, the two decided to call it a day, through Ranboo surrendering to their egotistical brother – mainly in concern that he’d get sick.
As they left, the snowman stared at them blankly, yet its stick-arms were shaking, seemingly waving the two off.
On the way back, both of them were shaking snow out of their dripping coats, the taller complaining about how long it would take to clean and dry them. Truthfully, the coats weren’t hard nor inconvenient to wash at all, but the siblings are heavy procrastinators when it came to laundry, hence the several work day delay.
Whatever, Ranboo would handle it later.
—
Tommy completely lied about the part where he didn’t want to stay at home, currently occupying half of the couch and picking out a movie while his sibling microwaved popcorn.
“Hot chocolate, and popcorn.” They announced, entering the living room, before settling the snacks on the same old table.
The younger reached for the large blanket discarded at the side of the couch and pulled it over, draping it on both of them. Ranboo tugged at it, indicating he wanted more of the blanket as Tommy shoved it over.
The movie started playing as they fought over who got to hold the popcorn bowl. One would give in soon – usually Ranboo – but he would never let the younger know. The small fights were what made them siblings.
That sounded nice, and it was.
They now had a home to call their own.
And they had each other, just Ranboo and Tommy, the whole way through.
They were family, and would always be.