itch (DreamSMP)

chapter 10

"Yer a good man, Ranboo. Usually. This, this is not good." Tommy grumps, arms crossed as he weaves through the hanging branches waving in his face.

Ranboo giggles, lifting a packed section of dark oak branches to help Tubbo and Michael duck under them. "Oh, come on. I know you've been bored at snowchester."

"Doesn't mean I wanna go on a fuckin' hike!" Tommy complains.

It's a bright day today, the sun sits high in the sky and birds flutter and twitter as they fly by. Tommy had been very rudely woken up this morning by being shoved to the floor, (after refusing to get up for several minutes, but we don't talk about that) and promptly tackled by a certain toddler in a hyper manner.

Apparently, Michael was excited because they got to all go to a 'special safe place' that only he knew. At first, Tommy was incredibly concerned by this information until being informed it was a valley the family goes to for fun excursions. Well, the only place the parents deemed safe enough for taking Michael to.

Tommy had only agreed to come because they had invited, and because he couldn't bear to say no to Michael's thrilled look at the mention of Tommy tagging along. (It was NOT because he was afraid of leaving the knowing comfort of their home, and the possibility of never coming back. He was not afraid things would go back to the way they were, and he would remain back at square one. Of course not.)

They surely haven't been traveling for long, but it was long enough for Tommy to be impatient, purely because Ranboo's cryptic looks he kept sending his way creeped him the fuck out.

"Hey, we're here!" Tubbo called out from the front, hiking Michael up on his shoulders, where the child clung to his horns. From where Tommy could see, was just a blinding light of the blue sky above the frame of branches, and he squinted as he brought a hand to shadow his face.

The horizon was accompanied by low hills and far away mountains, and below it was a wide valley. Green grass and clovers stretch across the land, a dreamland of red and pink tulips, scoured with alliums and dandelions that Michael jumps into as he is let down. Tommy feels breathless by its beauty, a human sense of appreciation flooding in.

Blue skies are far beyond, white fluffy clouds roll over its expanse. The sun shines through them, and Ranboo picks up Michael to swing him around in the beams. Tommy stands, half under the shade of dark oak trees and half beneath the brightness of the sun.

Tubbo turns to grin at him, "Fucking brilliant isn't it?"

Tommy nods curtly, and slides down a slope of dirt to meet Tubbo's side. Michael is running from Ranboo, giggling while he crawls through long patches of grass. Ranboo could easily catch him, but slows and steps only close enough to call out oblivious wonderings of where his son had gone.

Tubbo hangs back with Tommy, choosing instead to sit in a small patch of grass that shorts just by their ankles, instead of by their knees. Tommy wobbly plops down next to him, fingers curling into the thick layer of clovers over the shadowed green grass.

Michael jumps onto Ranboos back, little fists clinging into the fabric of his shirt as he dangles. The baby zombie piglin scrambles, digging his hooves in Ranboo's back to swing his legs over his shoulders. Ranboo yelps, teetering awkwardly to help keep the child upright on top of him, but laughing somewhat airily at the kid's actions.