Something different today! Aka I needed an excuse to write a colorcrew cuddle pile.
I have not watched the MCCR vod. Shame on me. I didn't watch them live so I knew how it ended and I can't make it more than halfway through the vod. They are so happy and so confident but I know how it's gonna end :( So I don't actually know how they reacted, but let me have this I just wanted to write fluff.
Also I have very little idea about the layout of the Color SMP. I do know that Boosfer's cave house is tiny, but elected to ignore that. Instead I made it an actual house. With rooms.
Title from Yorktown from Hamilton. I wanted to title this after a line from It's Alright by Mother Mother but the title of this fic has been decided for longer than most of the others have even existed. So I didn't, but give it a listen anyway it's a good song. :)
Characters: Boosfer, Dev, Kier, Yello
Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Sharing a Bed, Fluff, Cuddling, Crying
Words: 1403
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They leave the bright colors, flashing lights and happy cheers of MCC Rising behind in the indigo swirls of the server portal. In sharp contrast, the spawnpoint of their homeworld is quiet and dark, save for the wind rustling the leaves and the lanterns dimly lighting up the paths leading away.
Dev clenches his fists. The silence is uncomfortable, it sticks to his skin like honey.
Something touches his hand, but he is too exhausted to even flinch.
"Come on," Kier mumbles, voice rough around the edges. Dev isn't sure if it's from shouting all tournament or from disappointment choking him up.
He doesn't answer, but he allows Kier to unfurl one of his fists and link their hands and lead him down a path in Boosfer's footsteps. Yello follows behind them. He has not said a word in... in...
Dev turns to check on him. Yello is staring at the ground as he walks, shoulders slumped, face shadowed by his drawn up hood. They pass a lantern, and Dev thinks his eyes are watering.
He tugs on Kier's hand to slow him down and reaches for Yello's with his free hand. Yello doesn't look up, but he clings to Dev like a lifeline.
Boosfer has waited for them. He's smiling, just barely, as he watches them.
"You guys wanna crash at my place tonight?"
Nobody points out that they are all following the same path, the path that only leads to Boosfer's base. Kier just nods, squeezes Dev's hand.
By the time they reach the cave entrance, Dev feels cold. Maybe it's the chill of the night, maybe it's tiredness and frustration freezing his blood. Whatever it is, Kier's and Yello's hands are warm, and so is Boosfer's smile as he lets them in.
They don't have anything on them, no armor or weapons, but they leave their shoes and Yello his jacket and follow Boosfer again. They all know their way around this base, but Dev doesn't feel like taking the lead. Or making decisions. Or anything, really. He just feels... tired.
Boosfer's hesitates by one of the doors in the hallway. "Are you hungry?"
Kier grimaces, Dev mutely shakes his head. The thought of food alone makes his stomach turn and brings a vile taste to his mouth.
Yello says nothing. Boosfer casts a worried glance in his direction and catches Dev's eye after. Dev takes Yello's hand again and holds his ground when Yello leans against him.
"Let's go to bed," he says. His voice wavers, goes high and thin in the end. No-one comments on it.
Boosfer pushes open the bedroom door. He doesn't bother to turn on the light. There's a dim shine falling through the windows from the torches lighting up the cave around the house, enough to make out the room in shades of gray. Boosfer is pulling pillows and extra blankets from a chest nearby, piling them high in Kier's arms.
Dev hesitates by the door, Yello pulls him along. This isn't the first time they have found themselves spending the night in the same base, and not the first time they have piled into the same bed. It's easy by now to get over that initial apprehension, Yello's hand steady in his, a step forward, and he's following Yello to bed.
Dev sits down heavily. He feels like he weighs a ton, with bones of lead and blood of quicksilver. Yello has turned his face away but he hasn't let go of Dev's hand. Dev nudges him.
"Are you gonna be okay?"
Realistically, they are all going to be okay, no matter how shitty they feel at the moment. But also, Yello hasn't said a word since they left the MCC server and even before he had been quiet, subdued - understandable, but Dev worries, and he knows he isn't the only one.
For a heartbeat, Yello doesn't react at all. Then he takes a big breath that turns into a sob halfway.
"I'm-"
Another sob, and Dev feels Yello shake next to him. Shit.
He frees his hand from Yello's desperate grip to pull him into his arms. Yello falls against him like the last bit of strength has left him, so Dev catches him.
"Oh, Yello," Dev murmurs and holds him closer. Yello's grip around his chest almost hurts. "Come here," Dev says, nonsensical because Yello is already right here but he tries for a comforting, soothing tone. His voice breaks again but that doesn't matter. He presses his eyes closed against the tears in them.
The mattress shifts, and a second pair of arms circles around Yello. Dev squints through the darkness and the blur of tears. Boosfer, with his head pressed to Yello's back.
"It's gonna be okay," Boosfer says, and then again, and again until Dev isn't sure anymore who he's trying to convince.
Kier appears from the far side of the bed and leans into his side. Dev switches one of his arms from Yello to Kier and pulls him into their mess of a group hug. He rests his head on Kier's shoulder and Kier strokes his hair, once, twice, a repetitive, soothing motion and fuck, now he's actually crying. Boosfer's voice has broken off at some point and Dev can hear him sniff. Maybe they're all crying.
"Man," Kier says by his ear. He sounds comparatively steady. "We're a bunch of losers, aren't we?"
It startles a laugh out of Yello that sounds absolutely horrible and is the funniest thing Dev has heard all day. He grins, and then he laughs because why the fuck not, and Boosfer dissolves into hysteric giggles.
Yello sobs again and hiccups and it sends them all into another round of terrible, horrible, croaking laughter and somehow Dev feels lighter.
They're all crying or laughing or both, in fits and starts and with no control, but he feels like something has given in, like the tension in a line of string has finally snapped, like a thunderstorm after a hot summer day.
Yello is the first to get his breathing under control. He looks up at Dev, leaving a wet patch on his shirt he couldn't care less about. His eyes are still glassy in the twilight but he looks a lot brighter. He takes a deep breath, and though it trembles, he doesn't choke on it.
"Whatever," he says, voice raw. "We are, but whatever."
"We killed it." Boosfer still hasn't moved but he seems... okay. Dev thinks they will be okay. He smiles, and Boosfer grins back when he looks up. "It sucked."
Kier chuckles. "It was amazing."
Boosfer grins wider. "It was."
"Yeah," Dev agrees. He still feels a bit unbalanced but that's okay. He still has an arm around Yello, he's still leaning on Kier, he's still smiling at Boosfer.
" 'M tired," Yello says, "Let's sleep. World's gonna be better tomorrow."
"I'm pretty sure it already is tomorrow," Boosfer mumbles.
"Shut up," Yello tells him but he's smiling and doesn't look very upset.
"Fine." Boosfer untangles himself and crawls over to flop down in the middle of the mattress, where he is as in the way as possible. "Come cuddle."
Yello leaves Dev for Boosfer immediately. He'd crack a joke about it but he can't find the energy. Their collective breakdown has left him completely spent. He's exhausted.
Kier pats his head. "Come on."
It's a lot of effort but Dev lifts his head and moves. Not far - he basically just falls over.
Boosfer and Yello are clinging to each other like they're afraid they'll float away. Dev wouldn't be surprised if they had already fallen asleep, but when he turns to his side and sneaks an arm around Yello's waist, Yello makes a sound barely recognizable as "Hi".
Kier doesn't follow him - when he looks, he finds him on the other side of the bed halfway hidden behind Boosfer - but that's okay. He pulls the covers up from the foot of the bed, up and around all of them as well as he can. Kier helps him out, until they're all warm and cozy.
Boosfer wriggles a bit deeper under the blankets. "Love you," he mumbles, barely audible and on the brink of sleep.
Dev smiles and closes his eyes, sleep already tugging on him. He pulls Yello a bit closer to him, hears Kier settle down with a sigh. This is okay. They'll be okay.