Chapter Text
Boomie was chilling at Safety town, the sun beating down on him and the other members there at the time. That being OKSalem, ItsN00B, Blueleaf, Falconu, Nufuli, and Arcn. Boomie wasn't worried, it wasn't like he was going to get jumped. He was a Pacifist that sold items to people at his shop, there was no reason for people to kill him, it wasn't worth it to kill him. He remained where he was, sitting on top of some furnaces Safety Town had set up to help get the materials for buildings or something like that a while back - He didn't really know, nor did he care - as the others discussed random topics with each other, messing around and having fun. Boomie was mostly just there for the sakes of it, he had nothing better to do at the moment and he was having fun.
ItsN00B was just talking with the others about who was better at PvP, in a joking manner of course. Ridiculous things like “I bet OKSalem could beat Mugm in a fight.” He definitely could not. Eventually though, ItsN00B noticed Boomie sitting atop the furnaces, not really participating in the discussion. He quickly left the main group with a “Be right back” before approaching Boomie, curious but also relaxed. “Yo, Pink Devil, Mind if I join you?”
Boomie glanced at ItsN00B when he approached, it wasn't entirely unsurprising since they had talked from time to time in the past, so he didn't mind too much. He would still prefer to just observe, but ItsN00B could be stubborn when he wanted to be, so Boomie would suck it up for the time being. Safety Town didn't really permit violence anyways, so he wasn't concerned about a fight. He spared a quick look at the main group, debating about PvP still, this time a little more seriously than just “Can you beat FlameFrags?”, taking note of the slightly humid and fresh smell of grass. It was nice, a telltale sign of the fact it was currently summer. “... Sure, go ahead.”
A smile tugged at the corner of ItsN00B's lips at Boomie's resigned agreement, hopping up on one of the furnaces next to him. ItsN00B thought it was a little odd, having a more or less civil conversation with someone he once Brawled with, but he ignored that. “Aight, bet. The others were getting a bit too chaotic for me anyways.”
Not that ItsN00B didn't enjoy some mischief from time to time, but he just wasn't really in the mood at the moment.
“Tell me about it, place down an Echest for 5 seconds and next thing I know Salem's on my back eyeing me up.”
Boomie's tone was light and somewhat joking as he spoke, Salem had been doing this bit for quite a while now, stealing other people's Echests for fun and only sometimes giving them back. Not that anyone really cared, it was just a little joke and didn't harm anyone in the long run. He found it annoying sometimes, but he didn't hate Salem or anything, if anything he'd sometimes point out when others were about to place down their own Echests for him, just to annoy people.
The dull pain in his chest started up again just thinking about it. See, he knew what was happening, Boomie had Hanahaki disease, the mythical Japanese one where flowers bloomed in your lungs and you coughed up blood. Eventually Boomie wouldn't be able to breathe. He first discovered it maybe a couple weeks or so ago, after he was just hanging out with Safety Town with a few of their members. He was thankfully in his shop when it happened, it started as just a small pain, but later turned into a cough, then a small, white flower petal with pink tips landed in his palm. He didn't know it immediately, but after some research he soon discovered it was Hanahaki. He thought it was platonic, but after he started coughing up petals, he quickly realised it was romantic, too. Still, he wouldn't acknowledge the pain in his chest. Not here.
Boomie was broken out of his chain of thought when ItsN00B let out a huff of amusement and his previous comment about Salem. “Bro, he's had this bit going for genuine months, I swear.”
ItsN00B leaned back, getting more comfortable on the furnace, he noticed something off about Boomie when doing so. He couldn't tell what exactly, maybe tension? He decided not to bring it up, he didn't want to make things awkward.
“True, but it makes for good entertainment, no?”
Salem was often like that anyways,
causing mischief without any malevolent intent and generally teasing or messing around with other players. Not that it bothered Boomie much, it helped liven the atmosphere in safety town a bit, especially if Nufuli also decided to join in, since he too was kinda mischievous at times. It was honestly a nice atmosphere too, the warm summer air, everyone just messing around and having fun, sometimes deep conversations about life. Boomie loved summer just for that reason. He pretended he didn't care about the fact he could feel the pain creeping up his throat. He didn't want anyone else to notice or point it out.
ItsN00B nods in agreement, he couldn't deny that whilst it was getting a little repetitive, it was still funny. Especially if he did it to Tai and he started to crashout.
“Fair, fair.”
He could feel warmth beating down on him from the sun, the atmosphere around ItsN00B and the devil next to him was peaceful and light, especially with the background noise of the other Safety Town members speaking with each other. Still, he couldn't help but notice something was off with Boomie's expression. He seemed…Tense. Distracted.
ItsN00B continued observing Boomie's face for a few moments, eventually speaking again in a slightly quieter voice. He didn't want to alert anyone else that something might be wrong if Boomie didn't want anyone to know about it.
“Hey, uh, Boomie?”
Boomie turned to face him.
“Not to pry or anything, but are you alright? You look off.. Like, distracted or something.”
ItsN00B may have had his differences with Boomie in the past, but at the end of the day they were both on the same server, and they didn't really have any reasons to fight at the moment. ItsN00B was allowed to be concerned for Boomie.
"Uh, yeah, yeah, everything's fine.. Just... Thinking, I guess."
It wasn't a complete lie, Boomie had been thinking about things before ItsN00B had approached him whilst he watched the Safety town members mess about. To be fair.. It was a bit hard for him not to, He usually had these deep, occasionally dark, thoughts during summer, especially during moments like these. He wasn't entirely sure why. Still, he didn't bring up the feeling that he was about to gag and choke. He couldn't let anyone see him like that. He didn't need to be called pathetic or anything.
"... How long do you.. Do you think Safety Town will actually last? I mean... Don't get me wrong, it's pretty chill here, even if I'm not exactly a member, but most civilisations like this get destroyed quite quickly on SMPs.”
ItsN00B caught on to the slightly melancholy undertone of Boomie's voice. Still, he couldn't exactly deny that most civilisations on servers got destroyed sooner or later, sometimes within just a few weeks. “I guess..”
ItsN00B paused, glancing at the other Safety Town members momentarily. They were discussing some of their future plans on the server, builds they wanted to make, people they wanted to have a friendly duel with in the future, so on and so forth. They were having fun, it seemed.
“I just… I try not to think about it too much, you know? Focus on the present. If you focus too much on the future, or the negative aspects, how are you going to have fun on the server?”
Boomie nodded. He supposed it made sense, it was often how most players went into spirals or panic attacks, especially in more stressful times or on more serious servers. He swallows, trying to rid of the feeling that he was about to gag. Unfortunately, ItsN00B seems to notice.
“Boomie, bro, are you sure you're ok? I know we've like.. Had our differences and whatnot, but if you need to talk I'm here. I won't judge you for anything.”
His voice was gentle but firm, he didn't want to force Boomie to say anything if he didn't want to, but he was concerned for him.
"... I'm sure. I just.. Think a lot during the summer. I don't know why."
Boomie avoided disclosing too many details, like the nature of said thoughts almost always being melancholic, maybe solemn or nostalgic at times. Don’t get him wrong, it wasn't like he didn't enjoy or trust being around Safety Town members, it's more so that he didn't trust players outside of the civilisation not trying to destroy it. It was a valid concern too. Hopefully N00B wouldn't notice the way he held back a gag as he kept his eyes on the others having fun. It was easier to hide things when you weren't staring into each other's souls.
A small frown tugged on the corner of ItsN00B's lips, he could tell how hesitant Boomie was to say anything much, and whilst it upset him a little - especially since he could tell something was definitely wrong - he didn't push further, turning his attention back to the other's speaking with each other. If Boomie ever needed anything, he would be there for him.
The two remained in semi comfortable silence for a couple moments, watching the others converse with each other.
Boomie appreciated it, it gave him a few moments to breathe, to make sure he wouldn't accidentally cough on any petals or stems in his chest. It's not that he wanted to try to dismiss ItsN00B, despite their past, and the fact ItsN00B was a little annoying for him at times. He knew that at the end of the day, they didn't actually hate each other, it was more of a friendly rivalry or something. But Boomie just… Couldn't let anyone know about the disease.
Eventually though, ItsN00B breaks the silence again, he just couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong, no matter how much he wanted to leave Boomie alone. He spoke cautiously, not wanting to accidentally upset Boomie or make him uncomfortable.
“.. I’ve seen that look on your face before, you know? During summer, I mean.”
“... What look?”
ItsN00B turns to face Boomie again, his eyes locking on the others body posture and demeanour. He seemed a little stiff, for some reason. “The thing you brought up a few minutes ago, that look of melancholy… Maybe longing, too.. It's like there’s a weight on your shoulders.”
He wanted to try get Boomie to open up, even if just a little bit.
“Hm…”
Boomie hummed in acknowledgement at ItsN00Bs words, he wasn't wrong. He wasn't entirely sure when ItsN00B noticed his demeanour during moments like the ones ItsN00B mentioned, since Boomie usually hid it behind an air of indifference, but it was a little late now. He could feel the pain and choking feeling slowly creeping up his throat. He ignores it.
“I suppose.. It just happens every summer, the negative thoughts, you know? Anytime things are going too well like they are now, I can’t help but think that it's just… too good. I don't know if it's a disorder or something, or maybe just the environment we're in, but… You know.”
The environment in question being the violence that occurs on servers.
ItsN00B listened intently as Boomie spoke, he felt a little bad, to be completely honest. He didn't know exactly what Boomie felt, of course, but he was familiar with the feeling. Negative thoughts when everyone else seems to be having a good time. “No, I get you. It's like this nagging feeling that any second, something's going to go wrong. Someone will betray, someone's secretly a double agent with the enemy team, just… something.”
He pauses, thinking about his next words carefully.
“I usually try to forget about it, focus on the fun going on with everyone else, if you feel me. Enjoy the moment whilst I still can, even if it feels like everything is about to go wrong.”
Boomie nods. He was glad that ItsN00B didn't totally just… Dismiss his concerns, or try say something stupid about it like “Think positive thoughts.” Ok, yeah, maybe that was a little similar to what he actually said, but at the same time ItsN00B wasn't that stupid. Still.. It felt like he didn't understand, not fully.
ItsN00B reaches out, resting a hand on his shoulder, hoping to offer some comfort about whatever was bothering him.
“We got your back bro. Safety Town, I mean. If you need anything, we're here for you.”