i got a very small boost of inspiration and motivation, so i finished something thats been long overdue (unfortunately not the thing youre probably thinking of :( unfotunately my long running fic for ttau continues to be neglected) but i hope it can be enjoyed regardless :)
ps- the last edit of this prior to tonight was MARCH 22ND 2022 its been well over a year :')
but without further ado, i present a pretty adequate one shot that i just finished ten minutes ago
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Punz was 7 when the family next door moved in, bringing a young, white-haired boy with them. Punz would see the boy every day, heading to and from school, wearing a frog-themed bucket hat that complemented his pale skin and hair very well. Secretly, Punz thought the boy was very nice looking, but he had yet to speak to him, even though he only lived one house down. He was too shy to initiate conversation, so he stuck to playing endless video games every day after school, alone.
On the first day of second grade, as Punz walked into his new classroom for the year, he was excited to see the white-haired boy at the back of the classroom, sitting next to an empty seat. As Punz started to make his way towards the empty seat, the boy looked up and waved at him, smiling brightly. And to Punz’s eternal shame, he immediately tripped and felt his face go bright red with embarrassment. What a way to impress. Nonetheless, he continued to the back of the classroom, keeping his head down to hide the apparent blush on his face. He resigned himself to the fact that he had most likely ruined his chances of becoming friends with the boy, until he felt a very light tap on his shoulder. He turned, expecting a jibe, but was instead presented with a smile, and the offer of a handshake.
“Hi! My name’s Boomer! What’s yours?”
Punz smiled, and that was the beginning of a special friendship that neither ever wanted to let go of.
The two were automatically inseparable, and always getting into trouble, whether it be in school or at home. One was seldom seen without the other. Punz was there for Boomer’s very first swim meet, ready to congratulate him and hug him, and Boomer was there when Punz’s baby brother, Purpled, was rushed to the hospital after accidentally swallowing one of Punz’s legos, and Punz broke down, crying, thinking he had killed his baby brother. Boomer had stayed with him the whole time. His moms’ had been pissed after that one, rightfully. The two were together when Boomer came out to their family as using they/he pronouns. The two were together when Punz found out about his moms’ jobs, and how dangerous they truly were. Their time together had been the best years of either of their lives, and Punz was finally ready. He had had a crush on his best friend for years, dare he say since the very first time he had even caught a glimpse, and it was all about to come to an end, for better or for worse. He had finally worked up the courage to confess.
One summer’s night, eleven years old, Punz had asked Boomer over while his moms were out on a job, the two climbing onto the roof with tons of snacks and treats for them to share over stories and jokes. The two laid on their backs, staring up at the stars, when Punz rolled to his side and cleared his throat. Boomer looked at him and smiled, and Punz felt his skin warm slightly, combatted only by the cool night air.
“Hey, Boomer… can I tell you something?” Punz asked, sitting up abruptly. Boomer smiled at him warmly.
“Of course man.” They nodded. Punz swallowed nervously, and looked away, taking a deep breath before turning back to his best friend and opening his mouth to confess-
-and was cut short by Boomer pressing a kiss to his mouth. He closed his eyes and let his hand fall to his friend's shoulder, before Boomer quickly leaned back, looking worried and nervous.
“Punz, I am so sorry. I- I shouldn’t have done that. I’ll… I’ll go. I’m so sorry.” He breathed, standing up with tears in his eyes. Punz was about to stop them when they were interrupted by two police cruisers pulling into the driveway, lights flashing and sirens blaring.
Everything after that was a blur. Finding out that both of his moms were dead, both found with multiple gunshot wounds to the stomach. A slow and painful death. And even then, it wasn’t until Punz was an adult that he saw the case files, showing pictures of his moms’ wrists tied together behind their backs, skin bloody and raw. A sure sign of struggle.
But that was years in the future. Right now, Punz was experiencing the worst shock of his life. Right now, Punz was sitting on the couch, his moms’ couch, in his moms’ house, numb. Right now, Punz’s little brother was in the next room with one of the police officers, cleaning up his toys. Right now, Boomer was there with him, holding him and trying their best to get him to ‘please, please, say something. Anything.’, while Boomer himself tried not to cry at the look of absolute blankness on his best friend’s face. But eventually, they had to let Punz go. The two young, and now motherless boys had to go into foster care. In the city, miles upon miles away with no hope for a kid like Boomer to visit.
And Boomer had to go home.
And tell them what had happened.
And cry themself to sleep that night.
And the night after that.
On the third night, Boomer went back to the house next door, and used the hidden key in the flower pot to go inside.
All they wanted was some of Punz’s clothes, the stuff he had been forced to leave behind.
So Boomer took the hoodies that were left and the basketball shorts and the hats and the blanket off of his bed and went home.
And they cried themself to sleep once more.
But this time, they were surrounded by the familiarity of their best friend.
And that just made everything worse.
By the fourth night, Boomer decided he’d had enough. They pulled on Punz’s favourite hoodie, the white one with the black stripes. It was way too big for him, but they rolled up the sleeves and packed their bag, filling it with snacks and water and money. He grabbed his phone and climbed out the window.
It was chilly out, but it was a beautiful night. Boomer opened the maps app on his phone, and set the location to Essempei, before starting on their journey to the city. 7 hours. That's how long it would take to walk into the city from the suburban neighbourhood they lived in. 7 hours.
He didn’t make it very far.
3 hours into the walk, nearing one in the morning, a surveillance camera outside of an abandoned warehouse caught a glimpse of a young, white-haired boy, who stopped to grab a snack out of their bag on the side of the road, when a white van pulled up next to them.
The kid startled, attempting to grab their bag when three people, dressed in all black, jumped out and grabbed their arms, throwing them in the back of the van and speeding off without a trace.
The next morning, when Boomer’s parents found them missing from his bed, all of the local authorities were notified.
But nothing was ever found.
But even sixteen years later, they still look the same.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Boomer didn’t know, there was no way they could have known.
He doesn’t even know if he wanted to know.
Boomer had resigned themself to the knowledge that they would never see Punz again years ago. Boomer had known that Punz probably thought he was dead, if the man was even still alive himself. The chances were high. Punz had probably moved on, a long time ago. He probably heard about how Boomer had gone missing, and accepted it for what it was. The end.
Boomer had certainly thought it was the end.
But they suppose not, seeing as Punz was in front of him. Right in front of him. Albeit clearly drunk, but still. He was here. Here in this shitty bar, hidden away in an alley in the downtown area of Essempei.
Boomer would have been stuck in this neverending train of thought, standing in the doorway like a dumbass, if it wasn’t for Punz turning around, forcing them to make eye contact. The man did a double-take, almost spilling his drink as he stared in disbelief.
“Boomer?” He yelled over the music, wincing immediately from the volume, “Boomer?”. They nodded, and Punz smiled. It had been years, but his smile hadn’t changed one bit. He was still the same kid Boomer grew up with, still the same kid he fell in love with.
So drunk that when Punz stood up to walk over to Boomer, he swayed and almost fell. When the two hugged, Boomer could smell the strong, pungent scent of hard liquor.
And then Punz started crying.
“You bitch…” He sniffled, looking up at Boomer with wet eyes, “I thought you were dead. Why the fuck would you do that? Your parents were devastated, I saw them on the news the day you disappeared. Why?”
Boomer stayed quiet. What could he say? ‘I missed you. I wanted to see you again. I wanted to bring you home. I wanted to finally tell you how much you meant to me.’ They can’t tell Punz any of that, so they say, simply, “It’s what felt necessary.”
And then the man in his arms collapses.
Boomer worries for only a moment before the barkeep shouted at him from across the room, temporarily easing their concerns.
“Hey kid,” the barkeep shouts, waving a bit of paper, “don’t worry too much about it. I wish I could say that this didn’t happen a lot, but I’m no liar.” They set the piece of paper on the bartop, tapping it lightly. “I’d normally do it myself, but if you’re able, call this number for him. It’s his partner.” The barkeep smiled tightly at him, tapping the paper one more time before continuing to serve the patrons at the bar.
Boomer just nods, mind wandering as he drags Punz to a booth, snagging the paper off the bartop on the way there.
‘Of fucking course” They think to themself as they pull out their weathered cell phone. ‘Of fucking course he’s dating someone. You idiot, you expected this to happen, so why are you so fucking suprised?’ He groans, pulling on his hair just a bit, a nervous habit they had never managed to do away with, even after all these years. They take a couple deep breaths as the phone rings, waiting for the call to go through.
“Hello?” someone says on the other end of the call. Their voice is a bit deeper, so maybe- “Hello? Is someone there?” the person repeats. Boomer snaps out of their daze, clearing their throat for a moment.
“Uh, hi? This is an old friend of Punz’s. The barkeep gave me your number?”
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
anyway, hope you enjoyed, i thought about pasting this on ao3 with the other ttau stuff but i figured this could be left for people who follow this account to read
also for the record i actually do remember what the original ending of this was supposed to be (ik its suprising given how much important stuff i tend to forget) it was supposed to go on for a bit longer and end with boomer taking punz home and ending up meeting punz's partner (sam nook) but its a miracle i even finished this so there was no way i was writing all that
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