#writember2021

Day 028: Terminal.

Featuring Will Byers, El Hopper and Dustin Henderson. Vecna is here too, I guess.

Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair and Max Mayfield mentioned.

1,341 words. Disclaimer; this is just a theory that I doubt will be canon but I very much enjoy. Also, almost posted this on the wrong account again. (Someone help me).

Will grabs his neck, as a shiver runs up his spine. He's active again. He realizes with an unavoidable dread. He looks around the room. He and the party had decided to have a sleepover, because it's been ages since they have all been in the same place. Well, expect Max. When he learned about her coma, he was distraught. While he and Max weren't particularly close, seeing the toll it took on El and Lucas made him want to break down. He never wanted to see their faces that broke up ever again. It made him want to erase that monster from existence himself. And he would try his hardest. But how can I do anything? All I have done up to this point is be stuck in the toxic environment that is the Upside Down for a week, then have a shadow demon play spy in the back of my skull. I'm not cut out for this sort of thing myself. 

He looks around the room. Mike is sleeping on the couch, with Lucas half under the small coffee table in front of the couch. He can hear Dustin snoring from somewhere in the room, and he doesn't see El, but knows she must be here somewhere. Will  shrugs, and stands up, only to hear footsteps behind him. “Will.” El whispers. That would explain why I couldn't find her. She was right here that whole time. They share a look that can only be described as  sibling understanding. They both nod, as they creep out of the room, on their tiptoes, in the vain attempt to not wake the others.

 “What are you guys doing?” Dustin asks, standing in the doorway as if he hadn't been laying down and snoring not three seconds prior. Maybe he was faking it? Or has he really become that light of a sleeper since we last hung out? Will supposes that with all the Upside Down nonsense one would have no choice but to sleep with one eye open constantly. El frowns, looking at Will for support. Oh, right. Should probably explain why I'm up and leaving the room at this hour.  Will clears his throat, and lifts a finger to his mouth to shush Dustin, who must've never been taught what an inside voice is. “My neck is doing the thing...” Will says, and Dustin tilts his head with a frown. “Vecna is active again.” Will adds for more context, and Dustin gasps.

“And you two were just gonna go off on your own without telling us?!” He whisper-yells, making Will duck his head in shame. Truth be told, his plan didn't even include El, but she was here, and she wasn't gonna be told off no matter how hard Will might try. “He hurt Max. Need to stop him.” She says, and Will sighs. El always says things so plainly, and simply, it's a skill that makes me jealous. A guy like me can barely clear things up for myself, let alone come up with a simple explanation or thought process. Dustin folds his arms. “Look, I get that, but we work best as a team, so let's wake the others, and beat this son of a b!tch.” Will nods, knowing he was outnumbered. He follows El and Dustin back into the room, and he feels something warm run down his nose.

He frowns, lifting his hand to his nose. He glances at his finger to find blood on it. “Will?” El asks, before a gust of wind blows through the house, and he hears a chime. He whirls around, the house seeming to spiral and spin with him, until he locks eyes with an old grandfather clock. It has a slow, swinging pendulum and he feels the chill go up his neck again. Wait a minute, isn't this what Max said happened to her? But why not? He got enough victims to do what he wanted right? “Will Byers.” A bone chilling voice hisses from everywhere and nowhere. None of his friends are there, all the furniture is dusty, as if it hadn't been touched in years. “H-Hello?” Will says, scanning the room for the origin of the voice. This can't be happening... Not now! “You need not fear me, Will.” The voice says. “After all, you are like me.” A tall man with blond hair and pale skin looks down at him. Vecna.

“What's going on? Why am I here? Didn't you get what you wanted?” Will asks, making the man chuckle. “Mostly, yes. But unfortunately, Max Mayfield is somehow alive despite my efforts.” Will smirks. “Yeah, and she'll remain alive, as long as I draw breath!” He snaps, confidence coming from somewhere within him. Vecna sighs. “See, that's not entirely true. As long as the powers of the ‘sensitive’ kids exist, she can survive. And if you kill me, she dies, as the Upside Down and I are connected.” Will chuckles. “So what I'm hearing is El can bring her back?” He asks, and Vecna scoffs. “Not quite, as long as she is in this fugue state, she can exist, but Eleven does not possess the power to wake her up. She isn't strong enough for that. Only someone of my strength could do that. Only one who has truly touched the Upside Down; tapped into it, if you will, can free her.”

Will chews the inside of his lip. Wait, I've done that, with the whole ‘Mind Flayer in my head’ thing. And he said I was like him, right? Will stares at Vecna, his eyes steely. “So, let me see if I'm following this correctly,” he says, walking back and forth to think. Vecna gestures for him to continue. “You said that she can be awakened, by someone with the same power level as you, right?” Vecna nods, with a furrowed brow as if he hasn't picked up on Will's thought process yet. “And that they would have to have a connection to the Upside Down, yeah?” Any color left in Vecna's face dissipates as he catches on to what Will was implying. Will lifts his hand, trying to channel what he's seen El do countless times. Please work. He begs the universe, and Vecna slams into the far wall, causing a loud crash.

“You won't have enough time to get to my physical body! Your friend will die before you get to kill me!” He cries out, and Will grits his teeth. He could be bluffing, but can I really risk it? He closes his eyes, and he feels his neck tingle again. What if I use the inner knowledge I have to find his real body, and destroy them both? He grunts, extending his other arm out towards the door, imagining him dragging the body of Vecna to him. He's not going to win. He's not going to win. Will lets out a yell, and the light fixtures around him blow out, causing sparks to fly and Vecna gasps for breath. “What— what are you doing?” He wheezes out, and Will grins. “Killing two birds with one stone.” Vecna lets out one final gasp, before deteriorating  into dust. Will groans, collapsing to his knees. El and Dustin kneel down next to him.

Day 019: Confined.

Featuring Eddie Munson and Dustin Henderson.

Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley and Nancy Wheeler.

1,227 words. The most I've written for one prompt so far, I believe. And technically I only refer to Robin and Nancy as "the girls" but that counts so...

Eddie shoves Dustin inside the inverted and twisted version of his trailer, slamming its front door shut behind him. He sighs, and looks at Dustin who is panting. “Dude.” Dustin mumbles, managing to catch his breath. Eddie walks up to him, and grabs his arms to steady himself. “Most metal EVER!” Dustin announces, as they both bounce with an energy so nervous it was like lightning shooting through the small hallway. The banging on the wire fences that surround the house makes a rattling that sends a shiver down Eddie’s spine. Just gotta keep ‘em distracted long enough to let Harrington and the girls to flambé that motherfu¢ker. Then I can get Henderson out and be done with this place. There is a squeal, and Eddie hears the banging pause, before the bats start to hit the roof with wet thuds. Are they dive bombing? He wonders, as Dustin lifts his makeshift spear.

Eddie bites his lip. If the kid doesn't make it out of this, I don't know what I'll do with myself. Or be able to look Steve Harrington in the eye again. He scoffs to himself, as he pulls Dustin closer to him. That's a new development. Being worried what Steve fu¢king Harrington thinks about him. If you had told him a couple of years back that there would be a time when he would care about Steve's opinion of him, he’d probably laugh in your face. Yet here I am, wanting to make a good impression on him. He hears more rattling and screeching, and it feels as if the whole of this tiny trailer was being squished like a trash compactor. Dustin is trembling, eyeing a vent above the front door, and Eddie grits his teeth. There wasn’t really a way to guard against a bat getting in through the vents, as nothing reached high enough to cover and/or block up them all.

This is it. He thinks, pushing Dustin behind him. The final hurrah of Eddie “The Freak” Munson. Doomed to die with a fourteen year old in a fu¢king twisted version of the middle of nowhere; Hawkins, Indiana. He shifts his spear to a javelin position, aiming up at the vent. If this is my end, I should at the very least make it an end worth remembering. He hears a clunk come from the vent, and he inches forward, Dustin starts to follow, but Eddie waves for him to go back. Not letting you die for my stupidity. Dustin stops, but stands where he was, making no effort to back up. Stubborn brat. He thinks, before looking up at the vent with his spear raised. He hears another clatter from his room, and a chill runs down his spine. Fu¢k! I forgot about that one! He curses to himself, making Dustin frown. “Eddie? What's wrong?!” Dustin asks, his voice trembling almost as much as his body.

I got to get them away from him. But without him knowing that I am doing something stupid. “Just head towards the portal, I'll be there in a second, okay?” Eddie says, keeping his voice even much to his own surprise. Dustin looks at the portal, then to the vent, with a furrowed brow and pursed lips. D@mn you and your skepticism, Dustin! He thinks, before nodding towards the portal again. “Go!” He urges again, and Dustin listens this time. But right as he breaks into a run, the vent pops open, and four bats fly out of it. Eddie stabs a few, as they make loud squelching noises and scream an ear piercing screech that makes the two boys cry out in pain. More fly in, and Eddie flings some against the walls, and stabs others. We're stuck to this tiny area, we can't guarantee that we'll both make it into the portal before the bats do. But maybe one of us can. “Dustin! I have an idea! But you gotta trust me!” It's not a great plan, but it's the only one I got. He thinks, and Dustin sighs.

“Well? Spit it out, man!” Dustin yells, and Eddie swallows. “Go through the portal, I'll follow, and maybe they'll try to get through on that side, thus distracting them from the others!” That wasn't really Eddie's plan, but it has to sound like a well formed plan for Dustin to believe him. And as much as he hated lying to the kid, he needed him safe. Harrington needed him safe, and Eddie decided he was the man that would die to make sure of it. Dustin gives him a nod, before starting the climb up the clothing rope. Eddie clears his throat, staring down the beasts in front of him like he was humanity's only hope. In a way, Eddie supposes, he was, since this plan would help save Hawkins, and by extension the whole world. He glances up to see Dustin land on the mattress above. Below? This is too confusing. He grabs the rope, taking a second to think if this idea was really worth it. He looks up at Dustin, who frowns. 

“Eddie! Come on! Get out of there!” Dustin screams through the portal, and Eddie lets go of the rope. I need to buy more time. They probably haven't made it to the house yet. “Eddie?!” Dustin cries, sounding almost to tears. He grits his teeth, his resolve set. If I'm dying, I'm sure as hell not dying in this trailer. He swings the spear, cutting clean through the fabric and dropping the rope at his feet. “Eddie, what are you doing?!” He cries, tears glistening off his cheeks in the yellow glow of his trailer's incandescent light bulbs. He looks up at him with a sigh. “I’m buying them more time.” He says, simply, before running towards the door, where the bats swarm him, he hears Dustin scream his name, but he doesn't look back. He throws open the door while bats scratch and bite at him and he runs over to the bike by his steps, and swallows. 

Final Day, Prompts 30/31: Angel+Ghost.

Ft. c!Philza, c!Ghostbur, c!Mumza, c!Wilbur mentioned.

Philza sweeps off the snow on his porch, which had blown in from last night's storm, and he sighs. Once again, Wilbur had gone off to do things on his own, leaving him here waiting to see him again.

He bites his lip. Hopefully things go better than the last time he left. Philza thinks, remembering learning about what happen to Wilbur and his L'Manberg after the letters stopped coming.

He shudders. The weight of being why his son died still hung heavy on Philza's shoulders. He'd always wanted nothing but the best for his son, but now that he's back, all Philza does is treat him like a kid again.

"I need to protect Will better this time." He says, looking at the overcast sky above. "My enemies called me the Angel of Death, but for Will's sake, I need to become an angel of life." He grips his broom tighter.

"No government or entity similar will drive him to madness again. I will keep him safe this time." He tells himself, with a nod. "This time will be different."

—————————————

Meanwhile, in a cold train station, sits Ghostbur, staring at the long since decommissioned train in front of him. It had been years since he'd heard from anyone. He reaches into his pocket, but he only has a small clump of blue left.

He shivers, a sharp wind blowing through the station. Echoes bounce of the walls, making him looks around. "Who, who's there?" He asks, his voice hoarse from both crying and not speaking for a long time. "Is something playing a practical joke on me?"

A gentle laugh comes from behind him, making him turn around. A woman in an all black dress, with a black veil and a very big black hat smiles at him.

"No pranks here, Ghost Wilbur." She says, extending her hand. "We've merely been making preparations for you in the afterlife." He frowns, looking back at the train.

"This is my afterlife." He breaks off a piece of blue, with a quizzical look on his face. She shakes her head. "No dear, this place is not yours. It was never meant to be yours. Come with me, come see the stars above."

Ghostbur shrugs. Anything beat this. He reaches his hand out, and she guides him out a door that definitely wasn't there before. Ghostbur's shivering was gone, as was his blue.

He gasps. "My blue!" She chuckles. "My child, there will no need to keep sadness at bay, for you are going to a better place."

In the distance he sees a bright sky, with a glowing sun, and fields of blue cornflowers as far as the eye could see. Birds are singing, bees buzz from flower to flower, and a moth lands on Ghostbur's shoulder.

A smile grows on the ghost's pale, translucent face. "Welcome to paradise, Ghost Wilbur." The woman says. "Welcome home, son."

Author Note: these are two prompts combined into one because I had 31 like a dummy. I find it amusing that Ghostbur is considered to be a different entity to c!Wilbur. It's great.

Also, I'm not sure Kristin's feelings on being in fics, so I made it vague.

But it's the last day. I don't need to write until November now. :)

Day 29: Tired.

Ft. c!Tommy and Shroud the Spider.

TW: spider.

Tommy yawns. It was very late, but he couldn't bring himself to fall asleep. Unfortunately, a bad habit he'd picked up was just not sleeping at all. He'd lay, eyes bloodshot for hours, or alternatively, have night terrors.

He hears scuttling noises, and sees Shroud climb onto his hand, with a soft hiss. "Oh hello!" Tommy says, rubbing the small spider's back. Shroud hisses back, tapping one of his feet on Tommmy's hand.

He sighs, looking at his unkempt bed. He didn't want to spend the night tossing and turning, but it beat forcing himself to stay awake. He cradles Shroud in his hands, and walks over to the bed.

He sets Shroud down on his pillow, and curls up under the covers. Shroud seems to pat Tommy's head, and snuggle up against his cheek.

Tommy smiles. If nothing else comes from trying to fall asleep tonight, at least Shroud can get some sleep snuggled up against him.

He feels his eyes growing heavy, and for once, he let them close. He falls asleep, with the sounds of Shroud hissing as he slept flooding his ear.

Author Note: I should address the elephant in the room; since this was originally for October (I changed my mind lol), there is one too many prompts for the days in September.

So... I'm doing two tomorrow. Then I'm done, lol. No more writing until November. :)

Day 28: Wound.

Ft. Avian!Tommy and Elytrian!Philza.

TW: slight blood and gore.

Philza flies into his little nook in the snow capped mountain, to hear a wince to his left. He glances in that direction, to see Tommy holding his side.

Philza drops the items he was holding, and walks up to Tommy. "What's wrong, mate?" He asks, and Tommy lets out a whimper.

"I got mobbed in one of those big caves, Phil." He gestures with his free hand towards that large cavern with the mineshaft. "I barely got out of there. I need healing.."

Phil helps Tommy to sit down, with a smile. "Don't worry, mate. I'll have you fixed up in no time." He reaches into one of his chests, and pulls out a roll of bandages and other various first aid things.

He sets them beside Tommy, as he inspects Tommy's side. A large gash running down his side. Phil winces at it, and curses under his breath. "You need to be more careful, Tommy."

Tommy looks at the floor, while Philza threads a needle to give him stitches. "I needed iron, Phil." Phil sighs, as he lifts Tommy's shirt to start sewing the gash up. "This won't be pleasant." He warns, and Tommy clenches his teeth, grabbing Philza's cloak.

He lets out a tiny whine, as the needle weaves through his side. Philza looks him in the eye. "I'm sorry, I know this hurts but I have to close up your wound or you'll die." Tommy nods, his face pale.

Philza smiles, with a sigh. "You got this, mate." He says, as he continues to stitch the young avian up. "Did you at least get the iron you needed?" Tommy bites his lip, his hands white in his grip on Philza.

"I got a couple? Not quite enough though." Philza sighs. "You can have some of mine after I'm done." Tommy nods, sweat beading down his face. "I'm almost done, you're doing great." Philza adds, as he shifts to get a slightly better angle.

He holds the needle out, having finished the last bit, and groans. "Tommy, pass me those scissors. I need to cut off the excess thread." Tommy reaches down, and passes Philza a small pair of metal scissors.

He cuts the thread off, and smiles at Tommy. "You okay, mate? Does anywhere else hurt?" Tommy groans. "Everywhere aches... But that was the worst of it." Philza sighs.

"Let me grab you some pain killers." He stands up, his wings pulling in themselves so thet don't smack Tommy in the face. He reaches into another chest, and pulls out a bottle of medicine.

He sprinkles it onto Tommy, the young boy's jaw loosens. Whatever was causing him mass amounts of pain seemed to be slowly relieving itself. "Thanks, Phil."

Philza smiles. "Of course, mate. Stay as long as you need to recover." Tommy shifts, and nods. "Can I have some of that iron now? I was going to make a iron chestplate and a shield, but I only have three pieces of iron."

Philza nods, handing him the materials he'd need to make them, and sets a crafting table beside him so there'd be no risk of the stitches popping as he moves. Tommy crafts the shield and chestplate, and sighs.

"Phil, thanks again. I was very low on health there." Philza passes Tommy some bread, and smiles. "Happy to help." Philza ruffles Tommy's hair, making him roll his eyes at him.

"Alright, stay here and rest up before you can go back to being just above average." Tommy grins, and closes his eyes.

Author Note: like I said, I'm making my own c!Dadza content. Although, I thought it'd be interesting to make it about the Origins SMP instead.

(Mostly because I'm happy it's back and I wanted to express that more throughly).

Day 27: Cursed.

Ft. ew!Ranboo.

c!Dream,

c!Awesamdude,

c!Tubbo,

c!Phil,

c!Technoblade,

c!Tommy,

The Council,

And Michael are mentioned.

"Hey." The voice says, making Ranboo jump. "What are you doing here? You stopped, you—you're locked up!" He says, his voice shaking. "I'm a voice inside your head. How can I be locked up?" Ranboo grits his teeth, his heart pounding like a drum I his chest.

He clutches his chest, panting. The world starts to spin, and he grabs his head, trying to stop the dizzyness invading his mind. Not now! I was getting better!!! Ranboo thinks, with a sniff. He sees blackness, and passes out.

He stands up, about two whole feet taller. He slouches forward, his arms wrapped around himself, they appear to be longer as well. He stumbles forward, with a groan. His eyes shine a luminescent purple, and his jaw hangs open.

He turns his gaze to the prison. With a few missteps, he wanders down to the prison. He hears an alarm going off, loud enough that he covers his ears. His ears ring as he reaches for the "Axe of The End."

He drags his foot, and props the axe onto his shoulder, marching up to the prison gate. Protect... must stop... Him. He thinks, his thoughts muddled with darkness and mist.

He yawns, and steps into the portal to the prison. He appears in the Nether, and blinks. "Oh, crap." He says, looking around. "What am I doing here?!? Of all places to go to, why here?!" He frowns, looking at the axe in his hand.

"Why am I holding an axe? What was I doing in my Ender Walk? Was I trying to break him out?" Ranboo shakes his head. "No, it's fine! You can exit how you came in. Sam wouldn't open the portal, especially to me, seeing as how I'm banned from here! Yeah..."

He looks at the portal frame, and reaches his hand out to touch the obsidian border. "Why here though? Is it because I was worried about the voice? Did it trigger me to go check on him? Or..." He glances back at the axe.

"The Council gave me this. And it looked like it'd been used before.. was I trying to save him or break him out?" He walks into the frame, being engulfed by the purple void in the frame.

He appears outside the prison again. "BLLLUUUUUUURAAYAAAAAAAAAAA!" He cries out, covering his ears and dropping the axe. This sound...

Ranboo's heart skips a beat. He looks back at the portal. "Did I cause this? Did I try to break him out?" He covers his mouth. "If I failed, I'd be there too... Sam would have put me in there then. But I'm out here. Does that mean, he—"

Ranboo collapses to his knees. He picks up the axe, and bites his lip. "What if I was coming back? What if I have already visited? What if he's out?" He grits his teeth, and pushes himself to his feet.

"No." He says, marching to the door. "Free or not, Dream will not hurt my family. Not Tubbo, not Michael, not Phil, not Techno, heaven forbid he lay another finger on Tommy!" He looks down at the axe, and scoffs. "The only thing this axe will free is Dream from life."

He brandishes it, and marches out of the prison. "I may be cursed with this Ender Walk state, and my memory loss, and the burden of guilt, but I'm done letting that control me." He looks at himself in the reflection of the axe, he sees his brows furrow and his jaw tighten.

"My family needs me, and I can't let fear drive me anymore. It's about time I took a stand and grew a backbone. Who cares about my past? My future is in danger!" He nods, and jogs down to the edge of the Prime Path. "Guess we're going to Las Nevadas. And we're ending this curse."

Author Note: "ew!" means "enderwalk" btw. I WANT c!RANBOO LORE SO BAD. AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. PLEASE. He has my flaws and I want to see them resolved because I feel ashamed for having them. Please, Mr. Boo. Do lore again, make me and everyone else cry.

Day 26: Comfort.

Ft. c!Ranboo, c!Philza, and c!Tubbo, c!Quackity mentioned.

Ranboo puts away some of his tools, and sighs. "Why am I not enough to make Tubbo happy? What has Quackity done for him that I haven't?" He asks himself, as he hears his basement latter creak. He turns around, to see Philza climbing down.

"You alright, mate?" He asks, walking up to Ranboo. Part of Ranboo wanted to lie and say he's fine, but that wouldn't work on Philza. He bites his lip. "I don't think I'm enough for Tubbo. I thought I was making him happy, but between the apparent nightmares he's been having and the fact that he only now ‘found his purpose’ working for Quackity, I—"

Philza pats Ranboo's shoulder. "Aw, mate. Does he know how you feel?" Ranboo frowns. "What do you mean?" Philza looks up at Ranboo. "Have you told him that this upset you?"

Ranboo shakes his head. Philza scoffs. "Well then, of course he doesn't know that he's hurt your feelings!"

Philza smiles. "Relationships, platonic, romantic or other, all require communication. If you can't indicate your feelings to the other they won't know what you're feeling." Ranboo sighs. "But how can I tell him, he said we only got married for tax purposes... He doesn't care."

Philza looks at the young Enderman, and pinches the brim of his nose. "Mate, he wouldn't spend most of his time with you, raise a child with you, and defend you in any situation that you might need defending if he didn't care about you. He does love you."

Ranboo looks down at the stone brick floor. "He's had a lot of trauma regarding trusting other people, and it has been a while since he's had anything remotely stable." Ranboo runs a hand through his hair.

"That's all well and good, but what do I do now?" Philza sighs. "You wanna go ask him yourself?" Ranboo looks at Philza, with his eyebrows furrowed and his lips pursed. "Huh?" Philza chuckles. "You said he's working with Quackity, right?" Ranboo nods. "Then let's say hi."

The two of them head down to Las Nevadas, which makes Philza whistle. "Big Q's got quite the establishment here." He remarks, and Ranboo swallows. "It's a place, alright."

Philza wraps his arm around Ranboo, with a smile. "Come on mate, it'll be okay. Show me where Tubbo works." Ranboo points to the Tubburger Joint, and they walk up to it.

"Haha! Tubburger." Philza says, with a grin. He turns to Ranboo, and ushers him inside. They find a booth, and set their accessories down. Then they head up to the front to look for the menu.

Tubbo walks out from the kitchen, looking down at the cash register. "Hello, welcome to Tubburger, may I take your order?" Philza clears his throat. "Can we get two Tubburgers, a medium soft drink, and a strawberry milkshake, please?"

Tubbo looks up, realizing who it was. "Oh, um, heh, Phil! Hi. Uh... Sure." He says, with a shaky breath. He looks over at Ranboo, and relaxes a tad. He punches the order into the machine, and clears his throat. "Ten diamonds please."

Philza reaches into his robes, but Ranboo was faster. "I have two blocks on me, so um, feel free to keep the change." Tubbo rolls his eyes. "We literally have the same bank account, but okay." Ranboo bites his lip. "Oh, right, sorry."

Tubbo gasps. "Oh, that came off a bit mean, didn't it? That was a joke, Boo. I'm not upset." Ranboo's shoulders lose their tension, and he sighs. "Honestly, it's quite a bold statement to think that I'd ever be truly mad at you." He adds, printing out the receipt, and passing it to Philza.

Ranboo sighs. "Go on, mate." Philza whispers. Ranboo avoids looking at the mess of hair where Tubbo's eyes would be if he could see them. "Tubbo, do I— am I not enough for you?" He blurts out, making Tubbo's jaw drop.

"Enough for what, bossman?" Ranboo takes a step closer to the counter. "Enough to make you happy." He says, and Tubbo frowns. "Why would you ever need to ask that? Of course you make me happy! The happiest I've been in ages! What brought this on?"

Ranboo looks back at Philza, who gives him a thumbs up. "You said that Quackity finally gave you purpose... But I thought me and Michael were your purpose."

Tubbo gasps and walks around the counter. He wraps his arms around Ranboo, and scoffs. "That's not what I meant. I'm so sorry it came off that way." He looks up at Ranboo. "I love you and Michael so much. I meant it to mean that I finally had something I could do that would be a constructive distraction."

He rubs his head. "You know, instead of the ‘fireworks’ I was building before." Ranboo nods, understanding that he meant nuclear warheads. "So you don't hate me." Tubbo scoffs. "Never. Not in a million years."

Tubbo hugs Ranboo again, and sighs. "Next time I say something that comes off the wrong way, let me know. I can't mind read... Yet." He says, with a grin. Ranboo swallows, but nods. "I'll try. Opening up isn't really my thing."

Tubbo nods. "I'm aware, bossman. Now, I should probably get back to my job, Quackity would kill me if he knew I was slacking off." He walks back behind the counter. "Especially if he knew I was chatting up one of the employees of his competing burger place."

Ranboo chuckles. "Mm, pretty sure Wilbur would feel the same way regarding you." Tubbo nods, as Philza walks back to their booth. "I'll bring out your food in a sec." Tubbo says, and Ranboo gives him a thumbs up.

He sits back down across from Philza, who smiles. "See? Just a misunderstanding. Told you it wasn't something you should've been worrying about." Ranboo sighs. "Thanks, Phil." Philza shrugs. "Anytime, mate."

Author Note: HAPPY 10TH NATIONAL RANBOO DAY, EVERYBODY! :D

Long boi today. I've had this planned out for ages now, so I got excited and wrote more than I anticipated. But I mean, it makes up for the short ones I've done this past month.