Surprises
Notes: WellsBlazes (WB) is Bdubs’s Cam; ImpulseCam (Imp) is Impulse’s Cam, and TangoCam (Tangy) is Tango’s Cam) Also, I was listening to @thatreallyminecraftsmygender‘s song “Boom” while writing! It’s really good, go listen to it on Soundcloud!
“Welp, this is it!” Tango announced cheerfully as he stood up, wiping his brow on the back of his arm. Impulse sighed with relief, leaning on the wall and fanning himself with his hands. Bdubs gave a similar exhalation, but he was able to stay upright. “D’ya think they’ll like it?”
“They better!” Bdubs cried out, and the three men laughed. Impulse was the first to crawl out the makeshift entrance, careful to not hit anything with his feet, and the other Boomers followed. Tango blocked off the entrance with a trapdoor, hoping it would blend into the wall well enough. Bdubs turned to Impulse, who was rifling through the barrel full of orders from various Hermits.
“What’s up next?” Bdubs asked, looking over the other’s shoulder. Impulse deftly handed him a paper before standing. The Boomer read the paper and his face scrunched up. “Ah geez, that’ll be a toughie. Who even needs that many trees blown up?”
“X, apparently. Says he wants to see if it’s faster than chopping them down, and we’re the experts.” Impulse pulled a cloth out of his pocket and began to wipe down the front desk.
“Hell yeah, we are!” Tango cheered from behind the desk, where he was reviewing a map of Xisuma’s jungle area. “C’mon Cam, let’s-” He suddenly looked up, then facepalmed. “Right, we told them to stay home today.” Bdubs chuckled as he sidled up to Tango, resting a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s fine, I forget all the time too! WB got kinda grumpy when I told him to stay at my place, wouldn’t stop pouting about it.” Slowly, his expression twisted. “Kinda bothering me though, right? Or am I alone in this?”
“No, I feel the same.” Impulse agreed as he put away his cleaning rag. “When I asked Imp to remain at the base, he got this… look on his face, really gloomy.” He gazed up at his friends. “Was that the right move?”
“Well, we didn’t want them seeing the project! That would’ve spoiled the surprise!” Tango disputed, rolling up the map and hitting it on his open palm. His gaze softened when he saw the look on Impulse and Bdubs faces, however. “Maybe we coulda said it better though. I got into a bit of a fight with Tangy, he’s always been feisty.” He chuckled lowly.
“Oh, idea!” Impulse perked up, and the others tilted their heads at him. The redstoner pulled his communicator out of his pocket and began to read aloud his typing. “‘Meet us on top of Zedaph’s mountain in 10 minutes!’” He sent out the message to Tango, Bdubs, and all their Cams. Impulse smiled at his friends. “C’mon; let’s go hang out with the Cams.” Joe Hills Time Skip! Imp stared over the horizon, keeping an eye out for their Hermits, as Tangy and WB played ‘stone/paper/sword’. “They should’ve been here 3 minutes ago!” He muttered, trying not to complain but certainly not happy. The other Cams looked up from their game and nodded. Tangy floated up to Imp and rested his hands on his hips.
“Those jerks! They leave us at home all day, they want to act all buddy-buddy? No way! I’m not gonna- THEY’RE HERE!” The Cam’s mood did a 180-degree turn when he spotted his Hermit appear on the horizon. Imp and WB also cheered up, and all three took off instantly.
“HEYO!” Tango called out at the tiny figured zooming towards them. He just barely slowed down before Tangy slammed face-first into his chest. The Hermit laughed as he continued to fly towards the mountain with his cam snuggled into his arm, the others doing the same. Once all of them had landed, the Cam started yelling in high-pitched voices, demanding answers as to why they were left at home.
“What were you doing without us?” WB indignantly implored, crossing his arms and floating in front of Bdubs’s face. Bdubs tried to explain, but he couldn’t come up with an excuse.
“We’re supposed to help you, why won’t you let us?” Imp had tears in his eyes, dejection clear on his face. Impulse held his Cam closer, wiping his eyes with a tissue from his pocket and murmuring.
Tango allowed Tangy to continue ranting, wanting to hear every argument and claim against him. Finally, once the Cam had finished, the peak of the mountain was eerily silent before Tango began to speak with tears beginning to form in the corners of his ruby-red eyes.
“Guys, we’re so sorry. We didn’t mean to hurt your feelings by leaving you at home; we were trying to set up a surprise for you, and having you help us would’ve ruined it. But I see now how… how insulting you would find that. You were designed to help us, so telling you not to- it just goes against your nature. We’re sorry. I’m sorry.” Everyone stared at Tango, surprised at how maturely he was apologizing. Tangy closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and threw himself into Tango’s chest.
“No, no, no! You can’t cry, don’t cry!” The Cam babbled. “No- wait, why am I crying! Dammit!” Tango laughed softly, wrapping his arms gently around him. Bdubs also allowed WB to curl up his chest, Impulse already holding Imp. For a few minutes, the Hermits sat on the mountain, whispering assurances to their Cams as if they were children. Once the Cams had fully calmed down, Impulse spoke up.
“Well, you heard Tango earlier; we have a surprise for you! So let’s head back to the Boomers shop to show you, ‘kay?” Everyone nodded, and the three Cams all crawled out of the Hermit’s arms. Flying back, the mood lightened considerably as they began to crack jokes and talk about their days. Finally, the group had reached the shop, and the Cams excitedly zipped inside, looking for whatever surprise was in store for them.
“Guy, over here!” WB pulled open the new trapdoor, and Tangy and Imp hurried inside. Tango, Impulse, and Bdubs allowed the Cams to enter before they crawled after them. Once inside, the Cams all gasped in awe.
The room was only two blocks high but to them it was massive. In the center, a half-slab table sat with three buttons that could be used as seats nearby, and bookshelves full of trinkets and tools surrounded it. The walls were covered in maps that were red with blue stripes, courtesy of VintageBeef, and glowstone lit the room. And lastly, hanging over the entrance was a version of the Boomer’s logo, with the caption “Zoomers” at the bottom. Everyone knew that the Boomer’s Cams were the fastest fliers in the server, which earned them their nickname.
“It’s GORGEOUS!” Bdubs raced around the room, admiring the simple room design with intricate details. Tangy and Imp also looked around, pulling items off shelves and admiring the lights. The Cams turned to their Hermits, who watched them happily.
“THANK YOU!” The Cams cheered, smiles wide on their faces. It was a perfect surprise, and though they still despised being left at home, the wait was worth it.