Chapter Text
Nothing is really the same as it once was, but Tommy doesn’t really mind.
Everything is new, different, but in a good way. The forest slowly, but surely, has become his home.
He isn’t sure how much time has passed since he woke up in the cabin. Nobody really keeps track. They don’t have any reason to. Time passes whenever they want it to.
Life is peaceful. It’s simple and easy, but in a good way.
Tommy never has to worry about anything anymore. He doesn’t have to wonder where his next meal will come from. He doesn’t have to worry about finding shelter during a storm. He has everything he could ever want now.
———
The sun shined through the trees, shadows of leaves dancing on the forest floor. Birds sing and frogs croak, the noises echoing through the pathways that Tommy has become familiar with now.
“Are we there yet?” Tommy pouted, crossing his arms as he walked along the path.
Techno sighed. “We’ll get there eventually. You’ve gotta learn to be patient.” He replied.
Tommy had, admittedly, been scared when he met Techno for the first time.
You couldn’t really blame him when the only thing he’d known about Techno was that he was a boar monster that had apparently decapitated multiple people before.
Although, it turned out killing all those people had actually been somewhat justified, considering that those people had been trying to burn the forest down, which would’ve led to the death of Techno’s entire family, and all of his friends.
“Patience is for pussies.” Tommy stated, his wings slightly flaring out behind him.
Techno gave Tommy an exasperated look. “I don’t know why Phil decided that I should be the one to lead you here.”
Tommy shrugged. “Maybe he just wanted you to finally be able to enjoy my presence.”
“Or maybe he wanted a break from babysitting duty.” Techno huffed, beginning to walk faster, his hooves clinking against the stones dotting the trail.
“Hey!” Tommy exclaimed, half-running in an effort to keep up with the other. “Nobody needs to babysit me! I can fuckin’ take care of myself, bitch!”
“Sure.” Techno replied, the slightest amount of sarcasm leaking into his voice.
Their conversation was promptly cut-off by the trees thinning out and revealing a decent sized, grassy clearing. It ended abruptly on one side, turning into a cascading cliff-side.
Phil stood by the edge, the feathers on his glossy black wings ruffling in the breeze. More black feathers spouted from behind his ears and small patches of them were dotted in his pale blonde hair. His ice blue eyes immediately landed on Tommy and Techno as they entered the clearing.
“Hello!” Phil greeted, a smile spreading across his face as he walked towards the center of the clearing.
Tommy waved in response. He was more focused on the uneasy feeling he got as soon as he left the shelter of the trees.
Wilbur had told him how dangerous it was to leave the forest and how the magic was weaker in clearings like this one. But Tommy knew that it would be worth it to leave the trees for a little bit. All so he could finally learn to fly.
After the initial freakout stage was over, the first thing Tommy had wanted to do with his new wings was fly. The entire family had told him that he couldn’t until he got more used to controlling the two unfamiliar limbs.
And now, he was finally ready.
———
After some instruction and a lot of complaining, Phil deemed Tommy prepared to enter the air.
Tommy shuffled over to the edge of the cliff. The breeze was much stronger here and one look at the drop below made him feel like he was going to throw up, despite Tommy not even being that scared of heights.
He took a deep breath, and jumped.
For a few moments, he felt himself begin to fall, the world becoming a mess of blurring colors all around him. Then, just as Tommy began to think Phil was going to have to save him, it stopped.
The world settled around him. The feeling of falling quickly vanished and his wings spread out into the bright blue sky, flapping steadily to keep Tommy from crashing to the ground below.
“Nice job!” Phil called out, joining Tommy in the air.
Tommy didn’t respond, too preoccupied with the overwhelming joy flooding through him.
Not long ago, this would’ve been impossible. Happiness like this would’ve been a foolish dream, a hopeless want.
The streets didn’t give Tommy much joy, unless you counted the flashes of excitement whenever he could score an easy meal. Or the flickers of pride when he survived a particularly terrible fight.
He didn’t really need worry about any of those things anymore. Hunger wasn’t a problem when Phil and Techno had their seemingly endless supply of food from the forest and garden. There weren’t any fights, unless he could count the joking insults he and Wilbur would send back and forth from time to time.
Life was good, and for the first time he could remember, Tommy was both content and happy.
———
Tommy stared at his reflection in the mirror.
He looked almost entirely unrecognizable now, the traces of his old self having almost completely disappeared.
A few months ago, he would’ve seen a dirty, bruised, and worn-out teen looking back at him. With greyed-out blue eyes, faded blonde hair, and hollowed out cheeks.
Now, he saw someone completely different, even if it was still himself.
His hair was bright gold, looking so shiny that it could’ve easily been mistaken for real gold. His eyes had regained their original blue color, matching the shade of the summer sky. The signs of starvation were completely gone and all his bruises had faded.
Gold, white, and red feathers poked out from behind Tommy’s ears and some peaked out from his hair. His wings rested behind him, looking pristine and well-cared for. His clothes weren’t ripped, or stained, or bloodied.
Tommy just looked happier, which reflected exactly how he felt now.
He had everything he had ever wanted and more. He had a family.
The people in the village had been right when they said he didn’t belong there. Tommy belonged here. In the forest. He knew that now.
This was home.