"She moved with shameless wonder."
In which Ranboo meets a girl named after the stars. A girl with a troubled past who's meant to find a community and instead they both find a best friend.
Her path of self-destruction and anger leads her to her cous...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Ash wake up," Ranboo says shaking the sleeping girl. "It's almost 11 and I'm lonely."
Ash hides her smile by rolling over. "Go away," her voice is muffled by the pillow. She notices him sit down next to her by the bed shifting under his weight.
"I guess I'll go get coffee by myself," he says in almost a singing voice. Ash grabs the pillow next to her and swings it at the boy. His arms wrap around it as it hits his chest making Ash struggle a bit to get it back. She rolls to face him and he lets go. "Come on get up," he says.
"Stop whining," she says sitting up and rubs the sleep out of her eyes. "Morning."
"Morning," Ranboo says. "Come on, go get ready I have something planned."
"Okay okay," Ash says. She gets up, picks out some clothes and then heads to the bathroom to change. When she comes out Ranboo is waiting for her.
"Let's go, if we get lost it isn't my fault." Ash laughs and takes his out stretched hand as they run down the stairs and onto the street. After walking for a bit they reach an building which Ranboo leads her into.
They're met with the bright lights, arcade games and the dull roar of conversations. "Where are we?" Ash asks looking around. Ranboo takes her hand and drags her over to a game and fishing some coins out of his pockets.
"An arcade," he says excitedly. "Pac-man," he says as he puts the quarters into the machine.
"You're a dork."
"You love it," Ranboo says and turns his attention to the game.
"True," Ash responds. Ranboo looks back briefly and smiles and Ash's cheeks flush red. She watches him play the game and when he loses she tries.
The days turns out to be more fun than Ash would have thought. Both Ash and Ranboo get overly competitive in every game they play. After several hours they settle down at a small diner next door, a shared basket of fries between them.
"You know when I first met you I honestly had no idea how important you would be to me."
Ranboo smiles, "I remember when you came into my stream." He laughs, "That feels like it was forever ago."
"Yeah," she says quietly, "lets go for a walk." They get up and together, hand in hand, they walk out. They end up just heading back to the apartment since it was getting late.
Once they get back they join Techno for a movie night. He makes the teenagers popcorn and the apartment smells like butter.
Once he heads to bed around 12 they stay up, neither particularly tired. Ash puts on another movie, Tangled, which has always been her favorite.
As they're watching Ash finds herself comfortably tucked into Ranboo's arms, her head resting gently on his chest. Somewhere she wouldn't mind being forever. A couple hours later, when the credits roll Ash gets up and takes his hands, pulling him up with her.
"What are we doing?" Ranboo asks quietly, letting out a breathless laugh. Ash turns on some slow music very quietly.
"Dancing," she smiles and wraps her arms around his waist. Ranboo smiles, his arms finding their place around her shoulders. The night we met plays in the background as they awkwardly sway to the music and then becoming more comfortable Ranboo takes her hands and she spins out and then comes back. They laugh, the sound filling the apartment.
It wakes Techno but he doesn't say anything. The laughter means Ash is happy which is all he wants. Ranboo makes her happy, he can see it just by the way she looks at him.
Back in the kitchen the pair have settled comfortably into their swaying again. When Ranboo looks down he meets Ash's eyes. He slowly moves his hand and places it against her cheek. Ash's smaller hand raises to rest against his, her head leaning into his touch.
"Ash," Ranboo whispers and then hesitates, the butterflies he always gets in his stomach when he touches her especially loud right now.
"Can I kiss you?"
"I thought you'd never ask." With a moment of hesitation the boy slowly leans down and connects their lips just for a moment. He pulls back quickly and Ash smiles, her hand moving to the back of a head and once again pulls him into a kiss.
Ash breathlessly smiles and meets Ranboo's eyes after they pull apart for the second time.
"I love you," Ranboo says. Ash's lips part slightly and her eyebrows raise.
"You do?" She whispers. Ranboo nods and carefully tucks her hair behind her ears. "I love you too." A small smile spreads on his face, growing wider as Ash yawns.
"Come on," he says taking her hand. "It's late." Together they head into Ash's room and they both return to their favorite spot, each other's arms. As they fall asleep Ranboo slowly runs his fingers through her hair.
It's then Ash realizes what love feels like. Real love not the fairytale bullshit. It feels like you're at home, like all you need is that person that's right in front of you and then, and only then you'll be perfectly safe.
Ranboo is right in front of her and she is completely and utterly in love.
~ Author Speaks ~ Word count: 896 Sorry this is short but holy shit we are at 3k reads?!?
