Pain is of the essence

Savory bitterness

3rd POV

Three teens entered a school, wait, that sounds like a horrible pun. Let's rewind. 

Ranboo had arrived onto the bus, getting stared at, but only worrying about his two close friends. "Hey guys." The taller said lightly, sitting in his seat across from them. There was already a kid in the seat next to him, it was assigned, so Ranboo wasn't allowed to move. The other didn't look up though.

Half the time he never came to school, or at least not on the bus. He had slightly grey-blond hair with purple dyed streaks. He had an old and stained purple sweater Ranboo always saw him in. He had his backpack in his lap and had headphones, scrolling through spotify. Ranboo only took a glance at the kid, before sliding as close to the isle as possible.

Tubbo and Tommy immediately started chatting him up, trying to get as much out as they could in the bus ride. Ranboo mostly listened, he didn't like speaking in public much. But when you got him alone and he was warmed up to you, he could be just as talkative as the other two boys. Tommy let out a loud yell about something, Ranboo was only really paying attention to what Tubbo was trying to say.

"Will you shut up?" the kid besides Ranboo spoke. He sounded rather annoyed and looked the part to. When Ranboo turned to look at him, he received a glare, straight into the eyes. As a split reaction, Ranboo covered his eyes. Never look them in the eyes. He repeated this phrase he learned at a foster family he was once at. He blocked out the noises of Tommy yelling, Tubbo trying to calm the blond down, and the other blond yelling back. 

Ranboo was silently counting to a hundred, he could feel the stares. The yelling got louder and louder, filling his ears, and a dream from a while ago came back. People, people everywhere. They had no features, just silhouettes you'd see in a drawing, flat and curved, completely black. Slightly yellowed eyes covered their faces, small pupils staring into his soul. They were surrounding him, screaming at him, words he couldn't understand but still stabbed his heart.

"stop" he said, so quietly it could have been heard as just a breath, if it was heard at all. The bus stopped and they were at school. The brunette didn't remove his hands or stop counting. He could hear the heavy steps of a man on metal, the bus driver most certainly coming to break up the fight. Tubbo was still trying and failing, the blonds were still fighting, and Ranboo was still counting.

The bus driver's distant voice came into his ears. The sound of cotton, he hated that. Tommy yelled at the bus driver before returning to the fight with... Purpled? That's what the bus driver was calling him. Many kids were yelling to stop, some in fear, others in annoyance, some were chanting the word 'fight', others had just straight up left the bus. Ranboo didn't have that luxury, being stuck in the middle of the battle of curses and insults.

After what felt like ages, he got to one hundred, and the anger started. Finally bringing his hands from Infront of his sunglasses, he grabbed the back of both blondes shirts, raising them with him as he stood. Both shut their mouths in shock, Ranboo, who usually slouched, stood tall with his full 6 feet and almost 7 inches. Even the bus driver and everyone else shut up, seeing the reserved boy suddenly do something so brave.

He said not a word, but glared at the two boys. Tommy had been through this, there was a certain time limit before Ranboo got angry, and damn did he get ANGRY. Purpled had never been with the taller other than on the bus, and he was scared shitless. Tubbo was scared, not really for Tommy, Tubbo knew Ranboo wouldn't hurt the other, but Purpled was another story. Everyone was staring, but Ranboo wasn't concerned about that right now, when he was angry was the only time his anxiety was ever smothered.

Tommy had told Tubbo briefly of the time Ranboo first got angry in front of him. The taller almost went to court or something. They were walking when they saw someone kick a stray dog, already half dead and dirty. Tommy had immediately started yelling at the man, and the man didn't back down. He yelled back and started yelling at Ranboo for no reason as well. Ranboo made it one hundred and promptly punched the man square in his face, breaking his nose. Now that dog was Techno's and named Floof.