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The high and adrenaline from the tournament has simmered down to a minimum. At some point, Phil and Wilbur had to leave much earlier and go on with their lives, but not Tommy and Ranboo. The pair kept the conversation going, only needing to move to Facetime after Ranboo changed out of his red suit.
“That was a really fun MCC.” Tommy remarked. The smile on his face hadn’t left, his cheeks actually hurt.
“It really was. It really was.” Ranboo agreed, nodding his head animatedly.
“Well, I know who I’m putting on the sign-up sheet next time.” He teases. He’d want to do this over and over and again and again. From now on, he’s putting a new name on the sheet.
“Yeah? Who?” The knowing and hopeful look on Ranboo’s face made the haughty smirk on his face that much sweeter as he rolled his eyes.
“Toby. Obviously.”
He watched as Ranboo’s firm posture turned slack, the light draining from his eyes as the American frowned at him. His reactionary faces are just so good, the vtuber model can’t even compare to the real thing. Tommy keeps that detail to himself as he smiles at Ranboo, leaning against his chair.
“You suck.” Ranboo groaned out. “You suck and I hate you.”
Tommy cackles in response. “I’m kidding. I’m kidding, you twat. I want you. Obviously.” His mind reels in alarm for yet another slip up, but this time Ranboo could see his face and he could see his. He wasn’t about to wince in command at his own brain rotten stupidity.
“Oh my god. What is up with you today?” At the very least, Ranboo’s tone remains playful with just the slightest bit of suspicion that could easily be corrected by denial.
Tommy clears his throat, trying to remain passive. Coming off as defensive would just raise more suspicion on himself. He shrugged his shoulders, feigning indifference. He’s calm and cool and collected… “I warned you what caffeine does to me. Blame it on the coffee.”
“That’s true.” Ranboo hums in acceptance. That’s good, that’s good. “But you don’t make it a habit to call your teammates hot every MCC.”
Tommy inwardly winces, he hopes to god it doesn’t register on the screen. Because his heart rate rose to a few decibels just by how Ranboo knows more than he lets on. Fuck, did he ever mention how he drinks coffee every MCC?! Fuck, fuck. He did, didn’t he? If anything, he sabotaged himself on this.
But he can’t let it show. He can call Will and rant to him about this later on. For now, he needs to quickly lie through his teeth.
“Don’t think you’re special. It was a weird slip up. I meant to say red, I meant red.”
Ranboo is still groaning, however. “Looking forward to the fanart this week…” He says tiredly.
It shouldn’t upset him, the tone in Ranboo’s voice. Being shipped with a friend is probably weird to him. After all, he’s no Tubbo. They have a different dynamic; Ranboo doesn’t reciprocate to his advances and he has to pull back and call him names, call him a pussy and insult him. And lately, he’s doing a shit job at hiding it—his feelings and fondness for the American. He enjoys suggesting that Ranboo gets a British citizenship much better, likes calling him an honorary brit, likes that they’re getting closer… Would it be so bad to want that one better?
“Tommy?”
“Oh, yeah?”
“You spaced out.” Ranboo narrowed his eyes at him, trying to read what he was probably thinking.
How does he say that he’s attracted to him without making it awkward?
“Oh, sorry. Just a lot of things in my mind…”
“Vlogs?”
“You know it,” He pretends to click something on his computer for the sake of acting normal. He can’t just idly stare at Ranboo’s pretty face all day. “But in all seriousness, I had a really fun time today… It’s the most fun I've had in the longest time at MCC.”
“I’m glad to hear that. It’s really nice to work together with people you like. Good team building exercise or something.” Ranboo added meaningfully.
He hopes that it means what he thinks it means. Tommy hopes they’d get teamed together for the future MCC’s until they win a coin.
A ping on discord strikes at his nerves as he sees the notification coming from Wilbur. It’s the morbid sense of deprecation that will follow him right after. He just knows it has everything to do with his behavior today as he cautiously opens the message.
When I advised u to drop hints, I didn’t mean this. U weren’t being subtle at all, Tom…
Fuck this guy. It’s stupid. He knew he was being silly and stupid already, but coming from Wilbur makes him want to grind his teeth together. Because he’s right! He wasn’t being subtle at all. He flat out called Ranboo hot, told Scott not to put him in the dating chamber with him and inwardly cheered that the admin did anyway. He’s been too upfront, too quick to blurt it out in the open. Fuck’s sake! He’s not gonna give Will the satisfaction of being correct.
Try drinking coffee and get teamed with Gogy next MCC. Then we’ll talk asshole!
That already happened but touche.
“Tommy, are you sure you’re good? You’re being really weird today.”
Okay. This is bad. He needs to recollect his thoughts and start from scratch. Ranboo would understand his mood swings, right? The American has described him as moody before when he defensively denies it. But right now, that’s what he is.
“Don’t call a man weird for having a lot of things in his mind.” Tommy chided lightly.
“Like what? It must be important, huh?” Ranboo taunted, thinking that would get him to say what it is.
And Ranboo is, to be fair. He has become a staple in Tommy’s life, he has grown too attached and too fond of what they have too quickly and he couldn’t even deny himself from catching feelings. It’s unavoidable when Ranboo is soft and sweet and kind to him, that he’s had thoughts charting unfamiliar territories; wondering if the American is as sweet as he tastes on his lips, if he’s as kind when he’s angry and passionate, as soft to the touch. These thoughts festered in his head like an incurable disease. It’s hopeless to fight it.
“Yeah. I mean, you’re pretty important. I guess…” He joked, although he means every fucking word.
“Oh. Do I come up in your head a lot?” Ranboo asks, eyes bright. There’s a grin on his face that Tommy wasn’t expecting to be there, along with a blush on his cheeks.
“All the time.” The volume of his voice lowers with sincerity, with a seriousness too heavy to be a joke.
That grin on Ranboo’s face stretches even further showing his white teeth and dimples. “You really know how to make a guy feel special, huh?”
There’s something inviting about it that made Tommy’s entire world come to a halt. He’s not misreading this situation, right? It’s clear as daylight. Ranboo is flirting back. That’s—that’s what’s actually happening.
He has to test this one out, no matter how dry his mouth feels and his hands all clammy. He takes a generous gulp of water from his bottle before speaking, raising a brow at him.
“Wouldn’t you know? After all, you’ve been keeping tabs on my weirdness as you call it.” He retorted, emphasizing the word to what it’s supposed to mean.
Something softens in Ranboo’s eyes, and it’s either that or the following words that made Tommy’s stomach drop to his feet. “You’re right. I always feel special when I’m around you.”
“Glad to hear it, baby.” Tommy preens at the blush turning deeper on Ranboo’s cheeks. He did that.
“Oh god, that’s so cheesy, man.” Ranboo whined as if it ruins the slightly heated atmosphere and mood that they set themselves in.
Tommy simply rolled his shoulders in nonchalance. “What can I say? You bring out that side of me.”
It’s worthy of a laugh, and Tommy is rewarded for it as Ranboo bursts into loud cackling, taking him with him because his happiness is just outright contagious.
But after a while it dies down to a companionable silence. It’s the kind that puts a small smile on his face as he gazes out at the sea with Ranboo and Tubbo, sitting on the sand together.
“Tommy?”
However, his short reminiscing gets interrupted by a nervous sounding call to his name, which in turn only makes him equally just as nervous. “Yeah?”
He catches the way Ranboo’s throat bobbing up and down, swallowing around nothing before speaking up. His eyes were slightly wide. “Is this bit going to keep going? Because I can’t really tell which is which, if I’m gonna be honest.”
“Did it feel like I was doing a bit?” Tommy sighed as he looked away.
“Tommy—“
Okay, no. Fuck that. They’re already having this conversation, might as well go for it. “No. Answer me quickly. Do you want it to just be a bit?” He offers Ranboo the band aid, giving him the choice to rip it off or not.
“… What if I don’t?”
Fuck.
Tommy inaudibly gasps.
“That’s all up to you. I could—I could keep blaming it on coffee and we could laugh about my stupidity and move on,” He supplied.
“Or?”
Tommy meets Ranboo’s imploring gray eyes dead on. “I could continue flirting with you and completely mean everything.”
There it is. The blush spreads all the way down to the collar of Ranboo’s plain shirt as he covers his burning face with one hand, unable to meet his triumphant smile as his entire world changes.
“Why’d you have to do this over Facetime? I hate that I can’t really do anything. This sucks,” Ranboo complained, his frown returning for a different reason this time.
Tommy bites back a dopey look on his face. “Yeah?”
And Ranboo peers between the gaps of his own fingers. He sees where he’s staring and Tommy subconsciously licks his lips.
“I really want to kiss you right now.” Ranboo says, the need and promise burning through the tone of his voice.
There’s a couple of seconds left on his confidence as he replied. “Good thing I’m gonna be there next week to claim it.”
Ranboo hides his face in his hands again. It really is endearing. “You’re infuriating.” He weakly responded.
Tommy cackles out loud, throwing his head back as his entire chest bursts with a newfound warmth. It felt like he could fly.
“And to think I thought I didn’t stand a chance because you just brozoned me after all of that.” Ranboo reminded him of what he just said at the tournament not so long ago.
Fuck, it had been distasteful in his mouth, regarding him like an older or a younger brother. It felt terribly wrong. “Listen, we weren’t the only ones in vc and we literally had three hundred thousand concurrent viewers together. I can’t just say all my wildest dreams and fantasies involving you out loud.”
“Okay, okay. That’s enough. That’s enough.” He could tell that Ranboo couldn’t take it anymore.
For once, Tommy felt merciful. He keeps those thoughts locked up in his head. Instead, he marvels at the temporary blush on Ranboo’s cheeks.
“I’ve made you all flustered. Take the L.”
“You’re gonna pay for this next week.”
And honestly? Tommy is willing to give him everything to make amends.
“Can’t wait.”