Benchtrio's Amazing Guide to City Living | Ft. The Hermits & SBI

In a window, I saw a shadow

Side note- Techno and Wilbur thought that 'our little street kids' in chapter 2 was a joke.

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The world around them is... dark. Nothing but a vast sea of black like the one you fall into when you go to sleep. But this lasts more than a few seconds; it almost seems to last an eternity. The void is silent and cold, something between lukewarm and freezing and uncomfortable. It's irritating, somewhat, but Ranboo had long grown used to the void of the End; the Plane of existence that allows him to teleport between places but he's never been here long enough to catch more than a mere glimpse. Normally, he comes and goes within the blink of an eye.

He briefly wonders if this is what Tommy and Tubbo see when he teleports them from place to place; if it feels like seconds lengthen to minutes.

But he's in the void for longer than he's used to. The chill is making his skin crawl and the hairs on his arms raise, his muscles tense. He feels drained, like he's run a marathon and so, so sleepy; he wants to sleep for a decade and then sleep through his alarm clock -they don't have one but after so many years, they might- and then press the snooze button like he's seen the kids on the TV do.

A hand is wrapped around his wrist -and his skin is fucking burning- and it's pulling him back, into a warmer body and he remembers; he becomes greatly aware of the fact that he could get lost in the End if he doesn't teleport away.

There was one such occurrence that he can only vaguely recall, back when he was younger with no one to direct him through the power of teleportation; he had to learn on his own. He had to learn how to harness the End's magic the difficult way and getting lost in the neverending void was within the dangers of undertaking such a task. He can still recall the feeling of freezing space and the way his hands had turned blue, when he'd almost frozen to death because there was no one to save him from his own nature.

The burning of his skin doesn't matter so much anymore as he tries desperately to cling to the anchor on his arm. He lets himself be pulled closer; closer to The Listener, and something else, more leathery to the touch, wraps around him. It's weirdly warm but anything is warmer than the atmosphere of the End.

There seems to be a light behind him but he feels sluggish, like he's walking in a dream. Even his grip feels like it's testing his limits, muscles straining with an uncomfortable warmth.

The light becomes brighter. The End fades away.

*

When they reappear in the real world, they're all gasping for air. Frantic eyes search their surroundings, minds blurry and pounding with thoughts and panic. None of them has registered what's happened yet, except maybe Ranboo who is more in tune with the End. They End up facing The Listener, who is also looking around, distraught and panicked, exhausted.

They are all exhausted, tired. When the sense of safety settles in; when they all see that they're in an alleyway with a powerful protector, Ranboo lets himself go limp in his friends' arms, closing his eyes to take a peaceful, well-deserved nap. Tubbo remembers the smoke that came from the villain's touch on his friend, almost like water evaporating, so he grabs the enderborn's wrist to inspect the damage.

"You hurt him", is the first thing he says; he growls when he sees angry blisters on black skin. Tommy looks at him with his eyebrows pushed together.

"What? Let me see!", he sounds disbelieving and Tubbo can't blame him because he is in a similar state himself. "What the..."

Up to this point, all the villains have done is protect them; at least, The Watcher and Pearlescent have. Neither of them know what to make of this... situation that has just occurred. The Listener hurt Ranboo but The Listener also helped them escape.