'i don't have anywhere else to go.' - a sleepy boys inc story

Tubbo had texted Ranboo at 1 in the morning, in the middle of his stream, asking to FaceTime. He'd immediately ended, concern filling him and anxiety starting to set in as he hurriedly bid farewell to his chat. His phone cold against his fingers, he had tapped the buttons to call his friend. The conversation that followed left the taste of bile in his mouth and his head reeling.

His friend's familiar voice floods through Ranboo's headphones in a torrent of emotion. "And- and then he told me that Tommy's been unsafe for so long. How did I not notice? He's supposed to be my best friend, and I'm supposed to be his. But I didn't even notice that he was being abused, by his parents, no less. And he told me I didn't do anything wrong, but I didn't notice. I didn't do anything, but I still fucked up. I fucked up bad."

He watches through the screen as Tubbo's face contorts in shame, tears falling freely. The camera tilts upwards to show his ceiling and Ranboo wracks his brain to think of something to say to comfort his friend.

An idea blossoms as they sit in silence. "Oh my god. Tubbo."

A sniffle, then a muffled, nasally, quiet voice. "What?"

He speaks slowly, working out his idea as he talks. "What if... what if I came to England? To see you and Tommy?"

The voice over the call loses its muted quality and Tubbo's face, red but smiling, comes back into view. "What? Ranboo, what? When?"

His endearing accent is laced with joy. Laughing, Ranboo replies, "I don't know, when do you want me to come? I mean- do you- do you want me to come?"

"Oh my god, yes. We've been talking about it for so long- um, when can you come see me? When's the soonest you can come?"

He hums. "When do you get back from your holiday? 'Cause I can probably come whenever. I'll just have to ask my parents, they'll probably say yes, though." Disbelief and excitement buzz through the call as they discuss the idea.

"I get back on the 30th, I think, so maybe come on, I dunno, um, the 3rd? 'Cause I wanna- I told Tommy I would go see him as soon as I could, but after I've spent some time with him, oh my god, we're gonna see each other!"

"We're going to see each other!"

"And you're not wasting money on a hotel, 'cause of course you'll stay with me and my family."

In all honesty, Ranboo had expected to get a hotel room. "Oh- oh, okay. Your parents will be cool with that?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. We have space, they won't mind."

"You're sure?" The screen shows Tubbo nodding. "And I can take a break from streaming, I know you already have."

"Yeah, okay."

"So, you said the 3rd? The 3rd is good?"

"Yep. I don't think we'll be going anywhere for a while after this. A month and a half around Europe is fine for ages."

"Mhm, mhm, okay, so... that's in... about a week. How long do you think I should stay?"

Tubbo waves a hand in dismissal. "Oh, I dunno. We'll burn that bridge when we get to it." Ranboo does a double-take. "I- I- I don't- Tubbo- I don't think that's the saying, isn't it- isn't we'll cross that bridge?"

Adam's apple bobbing, Tubbo laughs along with his friend. "We'll cross- we'll cross that bridge doesn't have the same ring to it as burn, does it?"

"Fair enough. Oh, uh, can I ask - has, um. Has Tommy said I'm allowed to know this? Has he told you that you can tell me about his parents? 'Cause I don't want to know something unless, y'know, I'm allowed to know."

"Oh. Yeah, of course. He's said it's fine. You're one of his best friends, you know."

"Yeah, I know. I was just- I wasn't sure."

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