Chapter Text
They woke up, sun shining in from the window. It took them a few moments to adjust to the environment. Realizing they're not in their own room, they smiled.
“I'm really here, it wasn't all a dream.” They said aloud. Getting up out of bed, they didn’t hear any noise.
The kid slowly walked out of their room, getting more giddy when they realized they could roam and look around as much as they wanted, with Ranboo still sleeping.
The house only felt right, covered in Ranboos interests, and full of expensive things bought with streaming money. It didn’t feel intimidating, just the right amount of lived in.
There were consoles in the living room, cabinets full of snacks in the kitchen, and the bathroom even had a silly shower curtain. There were posters, and trinkets, and they took their time looking around before heading to the kitchen.
With unlimited access, at least until Ranboo woke up, they didn’t hesitate to look through and open every cupboard and cabinet they could before finally finding where Ranboo kept her food. There was plenty of it, and their head reeled at seeing so much food, a sight they weren’t very familiar with. They got out some ingredients.
Before long, they had made some eggs and pancakes. It wasn't much food, and it probably wasn’t as fancy as Ranboo was used to, but they thought it was a nice gesture. Couples cooked for each other all the time, it was only right! They were in the middle of flipping a pancake when Ranboo softly stumbled from her room.
They turned around to look at her, and she was rubbing her eyes. She didn't look like she slept very well. “Morning!” They greeted her cheerily.
Ranboo tensed up, rushing over to look at what they were doing. She let out a sigh of relief and let her shoulders lower when she saw the well made food. With a defeated look, she sat down at the table, leaning over the table to keep an eye on them.
The teen finished up the food, and made Ranboo a plate. She looked at it, as if analyzing the food sitting in her plate, but she finally accepted it when they sat down with a plate of their own.
They both sat in silence for a few minutes. Then, Ranboo spoke up. “So, how exactly did you expect this to go?” She poked at her food with her fork, looking down at the kid.
They looked up at her, replying enthusiastically. “Oh, well it's been following the idea I've had in my head for the most part!” She gave them a curious look, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, you're letting me stay here and you're willing to be my girlfriend, so I'd say it meets my expectations.” They say around a mouthful of food.
Ranboo gives them a look, speaking hesitantly. “..Right, your girlfriend. And you are staying here for now. Are you uh, happy it's going the way you wanted?”
Their smile was practically huge by now, it was almost manic. “I am! You have no idea how long I waited to actually meet you.” They told her, then the kid's smile faltered. “My uh, parents, they didn't make enough money for me to see you at any cons. They wouldn't have let me anyway but..”
They stopped, unaware they had. Taking a bite of food, they snapped back into their cheerfulness. “But, it doesn't matter now, I won't see them again, and I'll see you every day for the rest of my life!”
Not letting her respond, they take both mostly empty plates and get up. There's a tense silence as the kid washes the plates, being a respectful partner.
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“Listen, I'm here if-” His sentence gets cut off by a loud ringing coming from his pocket. He hurries to take his phone out, and doesn't bother reading the caller ID before answering and rushing out of the kitchen.
Tommy's voice reaches his ears and he calms down a bit.
“Hey king! I'm hanging out with Bill right now, say hi Bill!” Ranboo hears a muffled yell from who he assumes is Bill before Tommy continues with what he was saying. “We were wondering if we could come over tomorrow? You've been all cooped up recently, haven't heard from you in a while!”
Ranboo almost says yes automatically before he remembers his… situation. He glances behind him to where the kid was sitting when he left and finally decides to respond.
“Uh, I'm not sure, I'm kind of uhh… babysitting my uh, si- cousin, right now. So I'm not sure if I can have anyone over.” He hopes he isn't being suspicious, with all his hesitation, but he assumes Tommy won't notice, seemingly too caught up on planning this meet up.
“Well when do they leave? We can come over after!” Ranboo hesitates again, because he does want to see them, and he loves spending time with his friends, but this entire situation is less than ideal, at best.
“I'm not sure?-” This is a bit sad, he'll admit. He just wants to see his friends, honestly. Normally he would've accepted in a heartbeat. Sure, he didn't plan hangouts much, but he usually participated in them.
“Well how bad can it be?? We'll just come over, warn the kid and it'll be fine!” Ranboo is about to protest but his arguments fall to deaf ears as he hears the distinct sound of a call ending. He looks down at his phone with a look of panic on his face, when he realizes Tommy will not take no for an answer.
He turns back towards the kitchen, phone gripped in his hand, trying to come up with some sort of plan.
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The kid tried to run back to the kitchen before Ranboo left the room they were in, but she bumped right into them. “Uhhh-” The kid started, trying to think of a way to justify what they knew looked suspicious. Ranboo gave them a look.
“I was trying to figure out what room you were in, the one with voices coming from it made the most sense.” They said finally.
She continued to look at them strangely, but went along with what they said. “Why did you need to know what room I'm in? Do you need something?”
The kid looked at Ranboo nervously. “I don't… know where the bathroom is? And it's easier to ask you than find something I shouldn't.”
Ranboo stayed silent and gave a small sigh, something she seemed to do a lot, before giving a small nod and turning towards a hallway. They followed her as she led them to the bathroom that they’d already visited plenty this morning when she was asleep. They gave an awkward nod and walked in, closing the door behind themself.
They checked their phone and pretended to use the bathroom until she left. After a few moments, footsteps quietly made their way to another room.
They flushed the toilet and washed their hands, despite not having gone at all.
Walking back out to the living room, Ranboo is nowhere to be found. Subconsciously, the teen panics a little, and looks for their partner. It isn't long before they find her back in her room. She doesn't seem to notice them, busy on her computer.
They sit down quietly on her bed behind her and watch. Ranboo is messaging some people on Discord, a few being recognizably other streamers and youtubers. Distantly they realize she's been busy with them, and hasn't been able to talk to other people much.
The thought is pushed away as Ranboo finishes. She closes her computer and spins the chair around. Ranboo jumps a little when she realizes they're sitting there. She visibly calms, but still looks anxious. She never did look this anxious on streams with facecams, only since the kid confronted her.
They wonder if it's because of a persona or because of the stresses of a new relationship. Ranboo finally speaks up. “Oh, hi. Didn't uh, realize you were there.”
The teen smiles back at her. “Sorry, I didn't want to bother you while you were busy. I just wanted to ask if we could do something together.” Their hands find each other anxiously, as they watch her think it over. When she's considering something, it almost looks like a computer freezing, trying to process an answer. Almost as if time stopped, but only for her.
After a minute, she suggests “Well, we could play Mario Kart if you want? I'm not the best at it, but you probably like games, right?” They didn't think it was possible, but they smiled even more and nodded. Ranboo got up first, and headed for the living room, and the kid trailed behind her.
They sat on the couch as she set it up, trying to figure out how to connect both controllers. After some difficulty, she figures it out. They select their characters together, Ranboo subconsciously picking Rosalina. This makes the other smile. She ends up being right, as neither win, but the teen gets a much higher placing. They play together for a while, the sun noticeably setting in the windows. Neither acknowledges it, as they're having fun and bantering.
Once they tire themselves out, and realize it's later than it was before, Ranboo stands up from the couch. She stretches, and they stare. Ranboo looks over and they both blush a little. She clears her throat, talking to distract them both from the little moment. “I don't really like to cook too much, so I can just get some takeout. Do you uh, want anything specific or do you just want what I'm getting?” She's shifting her weight on her legs a little, not meeting their gaze again.
The teen thinks about it, and tells her what they like, trying not to ask for so much. After all, she didn't have to offer them something usually reserved for special occasions.
When it's delivered, they don't talk much. They just eat, and Ranboo turns on some show that they showed interest in. Before long, the food is gone, and Ranboo gets up again. She says she's getting ready for bed. The teen has half a mind to rehash the discussion of sleeping arrangements. They stop themselves as Ranboo goes to the bathroom to brush her teeth.
Getting up from the couch silently, they go to her room. They're sure she won't take long in the bathroom, but they take something, the details blurry as it's quick, and dart to their own guest room. As the door shuts behind the kid, they hear her footsteps creaking on the floor to her room. The door shuts, and they take a breath.
Finally realizing what they did, they're confused. If she was their girlfriend, why did they feel the need to steal something? They could've asked. Maybe it was out of fear she'd judge them for finding smells comforting. She wouldn't, but they justify it anyway.
They look down to see it was a shirt, that had been discarded on her floor. Holding it to their face, they sigh, and then move to lay on their bed. The teen gets comfortable with all of their things, and hold the shirt close as they go to sleep.