BENCHTRIO ONESHOTS

1- By the Lake (-A)

TW: LANGUAGE

The leaves on the trees rustled and shook as Ranboo ducked and dodged underneath them. It was approaching twilight, and the sky was growing darker. Ranboo walked on, however, intent on reaching the small lake hidden within a small clearing in the forest.

What he didn't expect to see when he pushed away the overhanging branches of the trees, was Tommy. He was sitting at the edge of the water, swinging his legs in the water.

Ranboo froze where he was. Tommy had been recently exiled but he didn't expect to see him so close to the SMP.

"Tommy?" he asked.

The boy whirled around so fast he nearly fell into the water, but he visibly relaxed when he saw who it was. He turned back to the lake.

"What do you want shit face?" he muttered.

Taken aback, Ranboo creased his brow.

"I-I just didn't expect to see you here," he said, walking towards the lake and sitting down cross-legged beside him.

Tommy huffed and turned his head away from him.

Ranboo was stunned. He knew that Tommy had resented him ever since Tubbo had first introduced the two, but he didn't expect him to be so bitter towards him right now. He wasn't sure what to say to him.

"Why are you even here?" Tommy broke the silence that hung thick in the air.

"I always come here to think. I didn't know you would be here, too. Do you come here often?" Ranboo replied.

Tommy turned to face him. It was the first time Ranboo had looked him in the eye properly since he was exiled. He looked awful. His eyes were red and bloodshot, surrounded by dark circles. His face was considerably thinner and paler, too.

"No I don't. But since I can't go back to them I don't really know where else to go," his voice grew thick but he instantly cleared his throat to hide it.

There was no questioning who "they" were that Tommy couldn't go back to. His family. Wilbur, Techno, Phil. Ranboo felt a pang in his heart and wished he could bring him back.

"I'm sorry," he murmured into the lake.

"Don't be," Tommy said, before turning away and staring into the trees again, his face stoic.

He hated seeing Tommy like this. The usually boisterous, loud and funny boy who could light up any room he walked into, was now a sleep-deprived, bitter boy who sat hunched dangling his legs in a lake.

Ranboo sighed and shifted to face him.

"What's wrong, Tommy?" he asked.

Tommy turned and glared at him.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe the fact that I'm exiled?" he said sarcastically. "Look, if you're going to be a dick and try to get me to talk about my feelings you can fuck off back to Tubbo, alright?" And with that, he stood up and stormed away, before Ranboo could stop him.

He sat looking at his hands, wringing them as he let his mind wander. Eventually, he stood up too, vowing to return tomorrow, hoping that Tommy would return.

-

At the same time, the next day, Ranboo strode through the canopy of trees and foliage, heading right for the lake. He hoped that Tommy would be there.

Ranboo lifted his hand to move the branches away, revealing the clearing with the lake, when he stopped. He heard a soft, distant sound. Crying.

He froze in place, listening to the heart-wrenching sobs and sniffles coming from behind the tree.

It could only be Tommy.

Ranboo slowly pushed the leaves away, confirming his suspicion. The boy was hunched by the lake, shaking, with his back turned to Ranboo.

"...Tommy?" he murmured.

He expected Tommy to jump and turn around, much like he did the night before, but he didn't have much of a reaction, only a sad, small sniffle.

"Tommy what's wrong?" Ranboo edged forward, before sitting cross-legged next to him.

There came no reply for a while, instead a melncholy silence fell on the two boys by the lake. Eventually, Tommy spoke. His voice was small and shaky.

"I-I thought you weren't going to come.." he said.

Ranboo was confused.

"What do you mean? Come to the lake?"

Tommy turned to face him, his face red and his eyes puffy from crying.

"I...I know I'm a dick to you a lot of the time, Ranboo, and I thought that last night I was too harsh...b-because you were only trying to help and all.." Tommy wrung his hands as he spoke, sniffing occasionally. "And I...I wanted you to come to the lake but I didn't think you would because I pissed you off or something..."

Ranboo didn't know what to say. So he didn't speak. He leaned forward and wrapped his lanky arms around the smaller boy and hugged him. He felt Tommy tense up at his touch, only to relax and melt into the embrace. He wrapped his arms around Ranboo's neck and began to sob.

"I'm so sorry, Tommy..." Ranboo said, closing his eyes. "I'd never leave you. In fact, it's been lonely on the SMP without you."

Tommy pulled away and wiped his eyes on the sleeve of his shirt.

"You're too nice to me. You and Tubbo. I'm a dick and I'm too loud and obnoxious. I was a dick to you in the first place because I didn't want you to...take Tubbo away from me..." Tommy picked at the grass as he talked. "Which is stupid now because...why have one friend when you can have two?"

Tommy looked up at Ranboo with a small, sad smile.

"The whole reason I like you is because you're loud and obnoxious, kid. You're braver than me and Tubbo combined. I mean, who else would challenge Dream to a duel? Name one person in the SMP who would?" Ranboo laughed.

"Wilbur probably would. I guess I get it from him," Tommy agreed.

As the sky rapidly darkened and the stars began to shine above them, Ranboo and Tommy laughed and talked like old friends by the lake. Tommy had never looked happier.

Eventually, when they both stood up to leave, Ranboo asked Tommy,

"Where are you staying? We can come and visit you!"

Tommy only shook his head with a smile.

"You know where to find me. Right here by the lake."

Hello! Thanks for reading guys! Also on all of the chapter names I'm adding which duo/group the chapter is. So for example for Alliumduo I'll add "-A" at the end of the chapter name. For Benchtrio, it'll be "-BEN", for Clingyduo it will be "-C" and for Beeduo it'll be "-B" Just so it's easier for people to find the chapters with characters they want to see! :)

Thanks for reading and also leave requests in the comments!

1145 words (a long one)

-pik