#dolesmp

[prismartist]

this is just the Vibes i got.

ID in alt!

[arsonicdister]

something something pearl was destined to win

she basically started out alone, with scott cleo and martyn all leaving her.

and while Martyn was trying to get cleo back, pearl chose tilly. she chose herself.

and with renB dying by pearl on accident, pearl being somewhat responsible for smalletho dying to the rods, her saying smallethos names and them dying and killing the homewreckers.

she, by coincidence or not, lead to each of their deaths.

and with martyn and cleo being back together, of course she had to severe them as well.

even if she denied the "demon" rumors then, it became true after all.

the severed severs, or something like that.

[quaranmine]

45?

If you ever want to see my face again I want to know If you ever get lonely please let me know If you never want to see my face again I'll understand If forever gets lonely take my hand

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

Death feels a lot like being snatched from the middle of a crowded room and dropped into the middle of the void. You don't realize how much noise there is to life until it's ripped away. You don't realize how familiar the beat of your racing heart is until it's still.

Jimmy wakes up, as he always does, in an expanse of blackness stretching out in every direction. It's silent, like it always is. Jimmy doesn't like the silence. It unnerves him.

He's not sure if he's the only one who experiences this or not. He's always first to die. He doesn't know why he doesn't just respawn on his home server. Or why he respawns at all, after this.

And this time it wasn't enough for him to just die, because of course he had to kill Tango along with him.

It's like he's a drowning man, fated to die, and all he's done is dragged Tango down in the depths to both of their demises. Tango tried hard, but Jimmy is unsaveable.

The full force of what he's done suddenly hits Jimmy like a freight train, and he doubles over, face in his hands, and sobs. There's no tears, just like there's no heartbeat in his chest. He died to an enderman. An enderman. He's always known he was the worst person to have a soulmate--how many people reacted in horror at the thought of him perhaps being tied to them?--but this just confirms it.

He finishes crying after he's exhausted himself. There's no life left in him anymore.

He uncurls from himself. He's not really standing on anything, just floating. He should look for Tango, just to make sure he's alright. They died at the same time, so maybe he's around here somewhere too.

He might never want to see Jimmy again after this, but the least he can do is look around. Because even after killing his own soulmate, Jimmy just can't imagine staying away. It'd be for his own good if he did. But Jimmy is selfish, and he can't say that it'd be for his own good if he stayed away.

So he looks for Tango. There's nothing to see in this endless void, so he listens. Listens until he hears a disappointed mutter in the distance. He grabs hold of it like a lifeline, and reels himself in.

Tango, it seems, isn't in the midst of an endless black void. Maybe that's just Jimmy's personal limbo.

Tango is back at the ranch. He keeps watch over it still.

Jimmy settles his precense in next to him. They're both there in a not-so-there sort of way. Jimmy won't be able to reach out and touch him. He doesn't even really see him, but he can hear him, feel his presence.

"I'm sorry," he whispers.

Jimmy feels that Tango is startled. "You're still here?" he asks. "It's over. Go home. Go."

"Not without you," Jimmy says. "But...only if you'll have me. I messed up. I made a mistake. I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"It's not."

"Being dead sucks."

"It does," Jimmy agrees. "Been dead a few times myself, you know." And he knows it's too soon to ask, but his heart is clenching and needs to know, so he does anyway: "Would you forgive me?"

"Sit here for a while," Tango says, instead of answering. "Sit here with me. We don't have to go anywhere yet."

Jimmy supposes that's good enough for him.

[masterofmoss]

Love how dlsmp keeps autocorrecting to dolesmp so there’s just a whole new tag with stuff about double life smp.

[prismartist]

this is their dynamic and i'm not taking criticism. they're besties

(id in alt)

[prismartist]

FH in different series because i love the progression of their relationship.

3rd life: married, very much bonded together, defended each other, affectionate teasing, when jimmy died scott's grief was so strong that glowing crystals formed around him and he vowed to avenge him. the afterlife was their home.

last life: not together, but they reminisced on their past life. scott never hurt jimmy even when he had several opportunities as boogey.

empires: had a cutesy date, scott had such a hardcore crush on jimmy, was teased about it by his brother (how embarassing), in scott's perfect afterlife they're together.

double life: they FUCKING hate each other. murder threats all the time. they have rivaling ranches. jimmy put an L over scott's ranch. scott lit him on fire then threatened to burn his ranch. jimmy insulted scott and cleo's partnership. scott paid hitmen to kill him. bitter-ass exes.

[prismartist]

hear me out

ID: a drawing of grian, scar, and bigB under a screenshot of a tumblr post by elicash. the post reads: "what if there was a repressed blond man in love with a dark-haired maniac." grian is on the left side of the canvas, looking down with a distressed expression. an arrow labels him "repressed blonde man". scar and bigB are on the other side, both their eyes closed and smiling brightly, sparkles and flowers surrounding them. they're labelled, "dark-haired maniacs." End ID.

[prismartist]

i just realized. while most of the soulmates did love and care for each other, sure, they were still sort of forced to. they're soulbound, they have to care. but with scott and pearl, scott's sacrifice just hits harder. because he didn't have to do that. for most of the series he and pearl barely gave a damn about each other. even at the end, their allyship was more so borne out of necessity rather than love. so when scott chooses to kill himself, to make pearl the winner... it wasn't forced. it wasn't a decision made for him like the soulbounds. he chose to show pearl mercy. he chose to let her win. he chose to save her. and the fact that it killed him amplifies that. it's wasn't survivalist like how the world demanded. just the opposite. just the kindest.

[prismartist]

"BigB?"

"Yeah Ren?"

"I want to eat grass."

BigB looked over at Ren quizzically. As expected––which is to say, very unexpected––Ren was crouched, staring intensely at the ground.

"Uh huh?"

"This world is already freaking with my head, dude, I swear. Spending time with all the goats is making me into one of them."

"Well..." BigB walked over and crouched next to Ren, whose gaze hadn't broken from the ground. "We've experienced changes like this before though. Like at the Fairy Fort."

"Sure, but that turned us into fairies, not grass-eating maniacs!" Ren sighed. "The ears and the horns are cool, but this is going too far, BigB. Too far."

BigB paused, unsure of what to say. It's not every day that your friend has an existential crisis over eating grass. Does one tell them to fight the urge? To give in? To admit that one has also maybe perhaps thought of eating the grass as well?

After a bit of contemplative silence, Ren said, "I'm going to eat the grass, BigB."

BigB pursed his lips. "Are you sure dude?"

Ren's voice lowered considerably, and BigB heard a familiar pseudo-Scottish lint in it. "If it may quench my curiosity, I have no reason not to pursue it."

"Okay, Ren. I support you no matter what."

"Thank you BigB. Your loyalty means a lot."

Carefully, Ren plucked a grass blade, and after taking a deep breath, put it in his mouth.

There was a pregnant pause as Ren chewed, his eyes squinting as he took in the flavor. Then, he swallowed, and BigB let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Was it good?" BigB asked.

Ren tilted his head up slightly, and BigB felt the urge to hold his breath again.

"It was pretty good actually, I liked it," Ren said casually.

"Oh. Okay, cool!"

"Yeah, I don't know why I was getting worked up over it honestly. I mean I've seen Doc do it all the time and I can see why he likes it."

"Can I have some?"

"Oh sure dude, help yourself! We have aplenty to share."

[prismartist]

familiar things, old and new

[written just after ranchers' death in session 5, figured i might as well post it now lmao]

Ao3

–––

Jimmy finds Tango at the Ranch. 

Of course he does.

He finds Tango sat just in the middle, a burnt stables behind him and a burnt home in front.

“Hey,” Jimmy calls out as he glides towards his soulmate.

(Gliding had been unnerving before, back in the first world, but now it’s become sort of a second walk to Jimmy, if that’s a thing.)

Jimmy sits himself down next to Tango and lays a hand on his shoulder. Tango doesn’t turn to look. “Hey,” he simply responds, cold and hard, and Jimmy flinches as he registers something in Tango’s tone that he’s never heard before.

One that he’s never heard directed at himself, anyway. 

Tango’s angry. At Jimmy. 

He studies Tango’s face. Tango simply stares blankly, lips pursed in a thin line. Jimmy suddenly realizes Tango’s hair is aflame, sputtering and sizzling sparks and embers. It’s a little unnerving; it only ever does that when Tango’s absolutely infuriated. But here he is, stoic as stone, not even a frown teasing his lips. 

Even though everything’s burnt down, the ruins still seem to loom far above. 

“I’m sorry.” The apology slips out easily; if gliding is a second walk, saying sorry is a second type of breathing. “I didn’t mean to.”

Tango doesn’t respond, and that scares Jimmy more. Tango, usually bubbly and reassuring and comforting, now only has eyes for the rotted fruit of their labors. 

“Are you mad at me?” Jimmy asks. 

There’s a beat before Tango forces out, “Ngh… no,” in a strained tone, and Jimmy doesn’t believe him.

“You can shout at me, if you want.”

That seems to bring Tango back. He blinks, eyebrows raising in surprise, and he whips his head round to look at Jimmy, sputtering, “W- what? No, I just said I’m not mad, I just- ngah.”

Tango buries his face in his hands, and Jimmy instinctively lays a hand on his back, rubbing it. He feels Tango soften, infinitesimally, under his touch, and that alone gives some relief.

Tango mumbles something, unintelligible behind his hands. Jimmy tilts his head. “Huh? Sorry, I can’t…”

Tango removes his hands from his face, moving them in a prayer position just in front of his chin. His eyes are shut. “Do you remember,” he starts, “when you told me that you were… familiar, with everything? How you were used to the arson, and the basing, and the… you know.”

“I do.”

Tango nods, and his eyes flutter open. “This is my familiar,” he says, embers flying from his mouth. “Dying a meaningless death.”

The venom in his voice makes Jimmy flinch, and he deflates, removing his hand from Tango’s back.

“Every single time,” Tango continues, his voice growing sharper, “every single time- it’s gets stupider, how it happens. Running from battle, dead. My own trap, dead. A fucking enderman-” He sucks in a breath, and Jimmy feels his heart filling with guilt.

“I’m sorry,” he says again. “I’m sorry you were paired with me.”

There’s a sputtered sigh from Tango, who shakes his head. “No, Jimmy, I- I’m not mad. Not at you, anyway.”

Jimmy’s eyes widen. “Really? But I-”

“It’s happened before. Like you, I’m used to it.” 

Jimmy purses his lips. “You don’t deserve that.”

“Neither do you.”

Jimmy looks down, shuttering. 

“It’s like this world is out to get me.”

“You and me both, bud.” Jimmy sighs silently. “I’m really-”

“Jimmy, I swear to god, don’t apologize again.” 

Jimmy promptly snaps his mouth shut. 

“It’s just bad luck.” Tango’s tone is firm, but not cold. He tilts his head up, moving his gaze just above the ruins and towards the hill. “If there’s anything I should be mad at—and you should be mad at too—it’s not us. It’s fate.”

“Seems a little counter-productive,” Jimmy mutters.

Tango, to Jimmy’s surprise, suddenly lets out a little bark of a laughter, warm and bubbly, and most remaining tension in Jimmy seems to magically melt away. The flames in Tango’s hair gradually simmers as he chuckles, fading and sizzling into tiny tongues.

“It is,” Tango agrees with a small, sad smile, “but hey, what else can we do?”

“True, true. But I mean, there’s always next time, isn’t there?” 

Tango nods and sighs, leaning against Jimmy, another familiar gesture. Jimmy leans back, pressing into his side. Tango’s flaming hair doesn’t burn him. “There is, there is,” Tango says. “And we’ll show everyone a piece of our mind.”

“Yeah. Yeah, we will!” Jimmy looks up at the taunting blue sky, a jolt of confidence rushing out of nowhere. He musters all his breath, and yells, “Screw you, world!”

He breaks out into giggles at the rush, and after barely a beat Tango follows, hollering, “Yeah, screw you! We’re not falling for your tricks next time!”

“Yeah, next time we’re kicking your butt!”

They laugh loudly at the sky, tipping over in their glee, giggling at their predicament, at the world’s seeming hatred of them. Nobody may hear them, but Jimmy doesn’t care. Tango leans into Jimmy, and he marvels at how real Tango still feels, how warm and solid his translucent body is against him. He wraps an arm around him, keeping him close, keeping them together as they giggle.

The world may be out to get them, but as they’re tangled in an embrace together, even in death, Jimmy thinks it doesn’t matter all that much. 

[prismartist]

Curse double life thought

What if the etho face on joel shirt mimics the real ethos expression in real time

omg actually? i would adore that artists make this happen

joel wouldn't notice at all and when other people try to point it out he just thinks they're insulting etho like so:

others: uhm.... your etho shirt.....

joel: yea?

others: why is it... doing that......

joel: doing what

others: like did it always look like that?

joel: wHAT?? ARE YOU SAYING MY ETHO SHIRT IS UGLY??? ARE YOU SAYING ETHO IS UGLY??????? HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT MY WONDERFUL BEAUTIFUL SOULMATE IN THAT WAY

[prismartist]

for some reason i've decided to take double life soulbound duos and assign them to either lizzie or joel's role in "reel love" from empires the musical, if they were to act out a similar scenario. for funsies.

ranchers:

this one's kinda obvious, tango as joel and jimmy as lizzie, ("in japan they call it koi" "wait, isn't- isn't that a fish??") though i can be swayed in the other direction since i think ?? jimmy does have more relationship experience.

homewreckers:

impulse as joel and bdubs as lizzie mostly because bewildered bdubs is always funny. and it just fits to me.

boat boys:

...okay so. yes joel as joel would make the most sense and i can see etho acting oblivious to toy with him. however. joel being obliviously perplexed is also a hilarious image so again i can see this going both ways.

box boys:

i know ren's the more dramatic one but i can't really see bigb being super oblivious? he's more clumsy than anything. however ren is a dog and i can see all the hints flying over his head lmao ("'stolen your heart'?! bigb, dude, are you okay?? did the witch do this to you???" "ren no please it's- it's a metaphor")

desert duo:

again, both ways work, but i tend to sway towards scar being joel, because out of the two of them i think he's the one more in touch with emotions. in general. besides, he's more theatrical, and grian would just be confused and suspect nothing ("scar why are you singing again, if you're doing arson i want no part in it" "relax, g, it's all part of the show!" "you're definitely burning something down")

divorcees 1:

martyn is definitely doing the seducing here, and so cleo is definitely lizzie, except she's less oblivious and more intentionally playing dumb to get under martyn's skin ("you could say it's a date" "*sarcasm 100* that's a boat." "...i hate you")

divorcees 2:

the closest thing scott and pearl are getting to a reel love moment is drowning each other in the ravine

[prismartist]

no bc i am. thinking about. self-preservation in double life. about destruction of yourself through the other. about preservation of yourself through the other. how it's so emphasized in scott's soulmate test that you have to protect yourself to protect your soulbound. how scott and pearl have cast any preservation right to the side. how martyn and cleo try but are too petty to avoid hurt. how people like grian and scar ren and bigb and joel and etho tease their other half with bruises and sprains, but never go too far. how bdubs and impulse and tango and jimmy never punish each other. the whole spectrum... it can tell quite a bit about these guys huh. about loving yourself through the other.

[prismartist]

an animatic dedicated to the favorite married couples <3

[prismartist]

life's no picnic ('til you make it one)

part 5.2 of to break bread, the series about soulbounds and food

Ao3

–––

The first thing Grian and Scar hear when they reach Box is wailing.

It's despairing and very loud, and Scar gives Grian a terrified look.

"On second thought, G, I don't think I want to meet them."

"We're here now Scar, we can't turn back."

Scar sighs. "You're right, you're right." He squares his shoulders and puffs out his chest, as if going into battle. He raises one of his crutches, furthering that image. "Onwards we go then! Let us save our friends from whatever is ailing them."

Grian rolls his eyes fondly, then refocuses on the door, pursing his lips. With a deep breath, he opens the door. 

BigB and Ren are sitting on the floor, openly sobbing. It’s a horrific crime scene, as surrounding them are the mangled corpses of pumpkins, bits and pieces of their flesh scattered around. The two dig spoons into their pumpkins with immense effort, grunting like cavemen. They look up as Grian and Scar enter, and gasp with relief as if they’d just seen angels descend.

"Grian!"

"Grian, Scar baby!" Ren stands up, effectively discarding his pumpkin, and outstretches his arms in a welcome gesture. "Welcome to our humble abode, dudes!"

"Please help us," BigB supplies weakly.

"Oh my gosh." Grian laughs nervously. "What happened?"

“Well—” Ren futilely kicks aside some of the pumpkin gore, which only succeeds in smearing their sinews across the stone, “—we were preparing our very yummy surprise meal for the picnic, but uhm-”

“Shucking pumpkins is harder than we thought,” BigB says, still trying to scoop out his pumpkin’s meat.

“Yeah, exactly.”

Grian doesn’t say anything for a bit, even as Scar turns to him and suggests cheerily, “Shall we leave them to it?”

“Wh…” Grian finally forces out in a strangled voice, “Why don’t you just boil it?”

A beat.

“...oh,” says Ren. “Yeah that would’ve been considerably easier.”

“Why didn’t we think of that, Ren?” BigB asks mournfully, bowing his head into his hollowed pumpkin as if to hide. Grian giggles at the sight.

“Grian, I’m beginning to judge your choice in soulmates.”

“What does that make you, then?” Grian snipes back at Scar.

“You didn’t even choose me, may I remind you.”

Grian drags a hand over his face. “Point taken.”

–––

With some help from Grian and Scar, graceful allies as they totally are, they chop up the remaining pumpkin and place them in a pot of water to boil. Scar takes extra measures in breaking Ren’s pumpkin clean in half with his bare hands. It’s clear he’s trying to show off, but admittedly, judging by how everyone gawks, it works. 

With the two new companions the process luckily passes by quickly. Ren laments his failed attempt at butter for the bechamel sauce, so Grian sympathetically offers his own, making Scar lament that they won’t have anything to slather on the bread. The pumpkins are skinned and mashed, cooked, and mixed with the sauce as the herring is prepared. All is mixed into the casserole dish (“How did you make such a nice platter?” exclaims Grian in disbelief, studying it closely as BigB smiles bashfully), covered with cheese and the puff pastry. Ren attempts to model bits of the pastry into the shape of a fish, which everyone admits looks pretty decent. They stick it into the oven, and wait.

“Sorry for the hassle,” BigB says to Grian as they plop down on the floor, rubbing the back of his neck. “If we hadn’t messed up we would be eating by now.”

“Yeah dudes, you didn’t have to help us. This is our half of the potluck!” Ren adds. 

“Nah, it’s really no problem.” Grian smiles and bumps his shoulder against BigB’s. “What are soulmates for?”

Scar narrows his eyes and pouts. “You stole that from me.”

“So what if I did?” Grian wraps an arm around BigB, who laughs, and sticks out his tongue at Scar. Addressing BigB once again, “Besides, I was impressed by the amount of pumpkin you did manage to scoop out.”

BigB grins. “I guess you like your soulmates strong, huh?”

Scar never passes up an opportunity to flex. “Clearly.”

“Okay, you don’t have to call me out,” Grian mutters, red blooming in his cheeks.

Once the pie is ready, Ren slips on two wool mittens and rubs his hands together eagerly, his tail wagging. He reaches into the oven, and brings out the dish with a flourish, showing it off to the others.

The fish decoration has… not survived, apparently. It’s seemed to have melted into a sad smooshed state, resembling more of a puddle than a fish. Ren makes an anguished sound as he clocks its unfortunate demise and BigB moves to comfort him. 

“Hey, at least it looks edible,” he says to Ren’s bowed head. He’s not wrong; the crust has turned a lovely golden brown and the savory scent doesn’t hint of any burning. 

“Yeah, that actually looks pretty good, Ren,” Grian says.

“I gotta say, there’s an awful lot of pastries in this picnic,” Scar pipes up. “We’re gonna be stuffed full of carbohydrates by the end of this.”

BigB smiles over at him. “I guess we should’ve coordinated a bit better then.”

“Hey, I wasn’t complaining! Besides, surprises are more fun anyway.”

“Can’t fault you for that.” 

BigB can’t help but notice the smile that spreads across Grian’s face.

–––

“Blue skiieeess~” sings Scar as they hike up the hill, “Blueee skiieesss, come ooouuuuut~”

“Singing isn’t going to change the weather, Scar.” Grian grunts. Overhead, the clouds blanket the sky in a murky gray.

“Well you never know.”

“I don’t mind it.”

“‘Course you don’t, B.”

“I mean, at least it isn’t sweltering.”

“And the song is rather catchy, if I may say so myself!” Ren says cheerfully. He then takes a deep breath. “Blue skies, come out,” he sings along.

“Good lord, there’s two now,” Grian mutters.

“Blue skiees~” 

“BigB, please, not you too.”

The singing continues even as they start to set up the picnic, Scar humming while he places down the blanket and Ren harmonizing (surprisingly well) as he sets down the leather bag containing the pie. BigB smooths out the blanket, juggling the plates and utensils he carries, and Grian follows, setting down the bag with the souffle, but not bringing it out. 

“No,” he says at the look on Scar’s face, “not until we’re done with the main course.”

“Well it looks like we don’t have much time to do that—” BigB gestures at the sky as he sets down the dishes, “—so we should hurry up and eat.”

Grian looks down at the dishes. “Did you guys really use the sugarcane to make paper plates?”

BigB flushes. “We thought it would be convenient,” he explains. “And we haven’t really tried making them before, so-”

“And we thought it would be appropriate, you know, for a picnic!” Ren says with a grin.

Grian sighs. “I guess, but please use something like wood next time and not the incredibly sparse resource.”

“Whatever you say, dude!”

Scar removes the cloth off the herring pie with a flourish, and everyone eagerly tucks in. Even with the clouds looming overhead and the occasional chilling sweep of the breeze, the atmosphere is peaceful as the group digs into the warmth of the meal. 

Perhaps a bit too soon the herring pie is reduced to crumbs and satisfaction sitting at the bottom of their stomachs, and Grian finally brings out the crude tin holding the souffle. Scar claps in excitement, and everyone leans forward eagerly as Grian moves to remove the cloth on top of it.

Drip.

Ren’s ears suddenly perk up. 

“Uhh, did you feel that?”

Scar blinks. “Feel what?”

Drip.

BigB’s eyes widen. “Oh no.”

Drip drip drip.

“Oh,” says Scar. “Uh oh.”

Drip drip drip drip drip-

“Pack up, we got to go!” Grian shoves the souffle back into the bag, and the rest spring into action, quickly picking up the supplies as the torrent of rain starts to pour down on the soulmates. 

"Where should we go? Box is too far away," BigB says.

"Red Velvet Keep should be closer," replies Grian, drawing the string close. "Follow us."

They dash through the forest as quick as they can to the bright red walls of the Red Velvet Keep. Though the trees somewhat alleviate the downpour, the rain soaks through the clothes and pitter-patters on their skin. Despite this, if there were any passers-by present (which there was, in the form of a very befuddled Pearl), they would hear that the rain was unable to drown out the sound of laughing traveling through the woods.

–––

"Scar, it's a bit weird that you have towels made out of panda fur," BigB says, holding one of said products.

Grian spreads his arms in exasperation. "That's what I said!"

"Excuse you!" Scar gasps in offense. "I would like you to know that Jellie towels are 100% ethically sourced and very painstakingly made. They're great quality as well!"

"I dunno about you guys, but this is drying me out fantastically," Ren says, muffled by the towel over his face.

"Thank you, Ren! See, there's a man who knows his stuff."

"Why were they ever enemies again?" Grian murmurs to BigB, who chuckles and shrugs.

"Well, now that's out of the way…" Ren emerges from the towel, his hair cartoonishly poofing up. BigB and Grian snort at the sight. "Can we please resume with our picnic business, dudes?"

“Yeah!” Scar says, and BigB sees two pairs of puppy eyes targeted at Grian. “Since the main course is finished…”

Grian smirks, and loosens the string on the bag once again. “Well, as promised.”

He reveals the golden pastry to the exhausted group, who all immediately grab their piece and indulge. The dessert is a nice light dish compared to the pie, and predictably, the souffle is also gone within minutes. 

“You should make more next time we do one of these,” BigB says.

“Yeah, Scar also made that point.” Grian swallows the last of his piece. “It’s kind of a pity.”

BigB blinks. Grian seems deflated, an unusual mood on him. He glances around, noticing everyone else’s rapidly emptying plates. 

“Hey,” he says softly, bumping his shoulder against Grian’s, and Grian looks at him. “I’m really glad you did this for us. You and Scar.” Scar perks up at the mention of his name, and BigB smiles at them both. “It’s really nice considering the uh… the complications.”

“Yeah, it’s been the most terrific time.” Ren flops down and lays his head down into BigB’s lap, grinning. “Even if we got all wet and stuff, it was still super fun. And if we can’t do this again, I mean, it’s great that we got to do it in the first place, right?”

“And we’re not done yet. I mean…” BigB gestures outside, his smile growing wider. “It’s not like we can leave.”

Grian and Scar share a look and a wordless conversation, before all of a sudden Scar straightens up and declares, “That’s it, we’re taking you hostage!”

“Uh- what?”

“I think what Scar means is, we’re having a sleepover.” Grian looks back at BigB, and softens. “It’s like you said, you can’t leave, and judging by how heavy the rain is, you can’t for a while.”

“And you’ve been the sweetest picnic companions—I mean, I don’t know why I was against having you as a secret soulmate in the first place, B.”

“I mean, I’d say you had valid reasons,” Ren mutters, and BigB rolls his eyes. Ren then gets up, and meets Scar at his level. “Then it’s decided. Tonight shall be the night of all nights, the sleepover night to solidify our friendship!”

Grian rests his head on BigB’s shoulder. “I rather like the sound of that,” he says.

BigB leans his head against Grian’s, and looks out at the peaceful forest outside, the sunlight peeking through the clouds. He sighs serenely, just before realizing.

“...uh, guys?”

“Hm?”

“The rain’s clearing up.”

“Oh.”

A beat.

“...still sleepover night, though, right dudes?”

“Oh.” BigB wraps his arms around his soulmates, and draws them close. “Definitely.”

[prismartist]

i've seen people be like "why is grian cheating on scar :((" and i totally get it, i love desertduo as much as the next person, but consider: 1) it's funny, 2) grian has two hands, and 3) have you seen bigb. have you Seen him. he is the sweetest and everyone wants him