(Discontinued for Now.) Crumbling Paradise. // Ranboo.

Four. ("I forgot I didnt tell Sneeg...").

Ranboo awoke from his not-so-comfortable slumber with a yawn as he rubbed his eyes with his knuckles. He wasnt able to sleep, since the completely new surroundings threw him off and made for an extreme discomfort. He only hoped that when Sneeg arrived today, he'd understand why Ranboo was drowsy.

Ranboo had spent nearly the entirety of the night tossing and turning on the soft bed, eventually moving down to the floor; then to the bed again. He just couldn't make himself comfortable in the foreign environment.

Kristen knocked on his door a little and told him breakfast was ready, so he made his was downstairs in his pajamas lazily.

"Morning, Rainbow!" Crumb immediately exclaimed as she cut up a peice of french toast.

Ranboo stimmed happily with a wide grin at the sight of the French toast-- his comfort food-- covering a plate by the stove. He greedily snatched up two peices and covered them in thick syrup before sitting down in his spot at the table.

"Morning." He mumbled back with a lady smile.

"Mhm! Sneeg gets here today! I'm assuming you'll want to go with us to pick him up? Aimsey, Phil, Techno, and I think that's it, are going. They leave around ten, so that's thirty minutes to get ready."

"Okay! I'll finish my food and go get dressed."

☆

Less than an hour later, Ranboo found himself sitting comfortably in Phil's minivan that he had never expected him to have. When asked about it, Phil explained how Kristen used to babysit and she needed the extra car space for going places. The explanation was fair, so Ranboo left it alone and was happy with the information.

Aimsey sat beside Ranboo and occasionally showed him memes on her phone or a cool fanart of someone in their friend group. Ranboo would always smile and nod, validating her excitement and sharing it deeply.

By the time they arrived at the airport, Ranboo was beyond excited and nervous to meet Sneeg in person for the first time. Yes, they were very good friends online and off-stream, but in person was a whole different story to him. You cant turn down someone's volume in real life, nor can you shoot then a quick DM asking if you can leave because you're overwhelmed. You cant really escape stuff like that when you're in the real world and they're right next to you.

"Dont be scared, Bossman. If you need something from him, I'm sure he'll understand and there's no need to worry about it." Aimsey whispered as she placed a hand on Ranboo's and pressed down.

Ranboo smiled and slipped on his mask generously. Aimsey had managed to cease a little big of the anxiety, but it continued to loom over him with a sullen energy and taunt him. He watched intently as a familiar face speed walked his way toward the car and made a funny face at him, completely frozen with fear.

"Ranboo? Hello?" Aimsey chuckled. "You're okay, dude. I'm right here. You want pressure?"

Ranboo nodded mindlessly and calmed down a bit as Aimsey leaned against him. He did a breathing exercise his therapist taught him as he turned his head to watch Sneeg pull open the door.

"Wahts up, losers!? Ho-" Sneeg stopped short at the sigh of Ranboo's labored breathing.

"My bad, man. You take your time and just let me know when it's good to talk to you. I hate anxiety!" Sneeg smiled at Ranboo and waited for his nod.

Ranboo was overcome with guilt for the situation, but there was no way he could hold out any conversation like this so he just took the opportunity at hand.

Sometimes Ranboo wished he was normal. He wished he could go swimming with his friends or watch fireworks without headphones on, or even simply go to a grocery store without having a danm meltdown. He wished he could scream at the top of his lungs and get all his frustration out without feeling like his head was exploding. He wished he didnt make all those weird noises and he didnt have to do any of it without extreme discomfort. He wanted his friends to not have to care for him and stop their entire lives for him. He wanted to be normal. He wanted to be like everyone else.