Tubbo pushed around the food on his tray, pursing his lips together tightly as he glanced across the way at his friends, who were all laughing amongst themselves as they looked down at Tommy's phone. the brunette thought nothing of it, however, simply looking down at his tray once more. Occasionally, he found himself glancing up to the back left corner of the cafeteria, expecting to see Ranboo sitting there. Expecting to see him pinching his mask carefully, pulling it only slightly away from his face so he could eat his food without everyone seeing him. He expected to see the blonde shyly waving at him...the brunette only imagining the way that the other was smiling underneath his mask. Allowing himself to think lightly of whether or not Ranboo was blushing...whether or not he was flustered just by looking at him. Tubbo could only simile at the thought.
When he looked up each time, however, Ranboo wasn't there. He wasn't sitting in his usual spot, and he wasn't hiding his face, and he wasn't waving at him. He simply wasn't there. Tubbo had already glanced around the lunchroom subtly, trying not to draw too much attention to himself, trying to search for the particular fluffy-haired boy...he was taller than everyone else, surely it wouldn't be that hard. But it was. It was complicated. Tubbo had leaned around in his seat, looking through the rows of tables at all angles, looking at every group and wondering if Ranboo was among them. But...he wasn't. It was enough to make the brunette worry, of course. He had seen the boy earlier, surrounded by a group of boys, and he hadn't thought much of it. Sure, Tubbo had wanted to help him...but it would have just further complicated things. Besides, they had probably just hurled the same insults at him as they already did. The brunette wouldn't have been able to stop him either way.
And Tommy would have only questioned why he was wanting to help him...why he had stopped walking and pulled away to the side of the hallway to help the boy who everyone seemed to hate anyway. The last thing he wanted was for his friend to...stop being friends with him because of something so petty. Ranboo seemed to deal with the jeers maturely, he didn't need Tubbo's help anyway, surely. The brunette had made sure to smile at him in the hallway, just enough to get him through to the end of the day. Until they would be able to sit alone in the library, and Ranboo would be able to hold him and read to him...it was enough to put butterflies in Tubbo's stomach, the very thought. His heart fluttered when he thought about the other boy. Thought about the way that the other held him close...the way he allowed him to rest his head in his lap, to read to him, to be comfortable around him...to speak to him. Tubbo could only smile knowing that the blonde was comfortable enough to have conversations with him.
Tubbo couldn't wait to continue reading The Catcher in the Rye with the taller. To comfortably rest his temple against the other's shoulder...noticing the way Ranboo's hands trembled when he reached over to carefully turn the page. The way his breath quivered anytime the brunette shifted closer to him...with every slight movement came a hard swallow in his throat. Tubbo enjoyed it, knowing how flustered he made the other boy. In all fairness, of course...the blonde made him feel the same way. Made him feel like he was walking on clouds, if he had to be honest. Like he weighed nothing and was simply drifting through empty space.
Needless to say, though...it was odd that Ranboo wasn't sitting in the cafeteria. Surely those boys couldn't have said something so awful that he didn't even wanted to show his presence in the lunchroom. Tubbo hoped he would at least show up for the few ending minutes...simply so he would be able to wave at him. To be able to smile at him subtly. Tubbo would never admit it to anyone but the blonde, but...he liked Ranboo very much. More than he had ever liked any girl he had ever dated, at least. Were Ranboo and him dating? It was something that the brunette had asked himself a few times, and he never knew how to answer it. They had been talking for the past three weeks...laughing and smiling and giggling and fawning each other without having to say a word. They were more than just friends, obviously. But...Tubbo didn't know if he could refer to Ranboo as his boyfriend. He...he wanted to, he had to admit. The brunette could only hope that the blonde knew how much he appreciated him...how much he liked him.
