Work Text:
Tommy wasn’t going to lie to himself when it came to how he felt about Elytra. The magical technology that had come from the End that the Hermits of the server used to go from place to place and work on their builds was absolutely extraordinary and unlike anything Tommy had ever experienced on Dream’s server--- it hadn’t helped that Dream had completely cut the server’s occupants off from the mysterious land that was the End and in turn had cut off the people of the server from being able to obtain the wondrous things that were Elytra. Grian, Mumbo, and Scar had readily described how Elytra worked normally, and Scar even went so far as to describe in great detail how Mumbo had used red stone work to make the Elytra more accessible for his disabled friend.
The amazing feat of red stone work that Scar had allowed Tommy to touch in wonder as Scar hovered lightly off the ground reasserted the fact that he wanted wings of his very own. He wanted--- so desperately now it seemed--- to fly with the Hermits that had helped him so much, and hopefully maybe he’d be able to repay them for their kindness with the help of Elytra of his very own.
Gently Tommy pressed his shaking fingers against the slowly flapping wings as Scar hovered lightly next to his young companion.
“I can’t quite feel them the same way that Grian or Mumbo, or heck, any of the other Hermits can for that matter, but they work just as well if not better than a regular set of Elytra!” Scar explained as he patiently allowed the new member to feel each quill of the fluttering feathers. “Mumbo is an absolute genius when it comes to red stone work, and I honestly couldn’t be flying like this if it weren’t for him!”
Mumbo blushed and continued to tinker with the unclaimed set of Elytra in his lap that he planned to give to Tommy when the boy was ready for them, and coughed lightly. “It’s really not that amazing, just simple red stone work. Anyone with the right tools and blue prints could do the same.”
Grian scoffed from where he sat on the grass, his wings spread out from either side of him as he glared at his mustached friend playfully. “You are horrible with compliments, Mumbo.” He teased, and threw a bit of grass at his companion as the man in question sputtered for a moment and threw it back at Grian who giggled as he broke apart the grass in between his fingers. “In all honesty, there are a few Hermits that are good with red stone, Tango being one of them, but a lot of us are just builders and Mumbo comes up with some insane ideas when it comes to red stone work.”
The red on Mumbo’s face had spread all the way to his ears as he mumbled to himself under his breath at the compliment, and continued to tinker away at Tommy’s future Elytra. Scar just grinned at the back and forth and gently lowered himself back to the ground as his Elytra morphed back into the wheelchair beneath his legs and lap so he could wheel over to Tommy and continue to give him a tour through Boatem as a helpful guide.
“Well, we have quite a few more places and people to meet if you’re up for it Tommy!” Scar started, gently taking the boy’s hand in his own and resting it on his shoulder as the blind boy stood slowly and began to walk with Scar as the man started to wheel himself away from Grian and Mumbo. “Will be seeing you two later!”
Both Mumbo and Grian said their farewells as the two began their journey into the heart of Boatem, which thankfully for Tommy was none too big and easy enough to navigate with Scar’s help.
“I think we should definitely begin helping you start up your own base soon.” Scar began, and patted Tommy’s hand as he guided his young companion to Impulse’s base. “But for now I think Impulse will probably have the most accessible base for you to take a load off before we begin on working up some blueprints tomorrow. I know everything has been a lot, but I really want you to feel welcome here, Tommy, and I guarantee you the other Hermits will feel the same way when you meet them.”
Tommy’s heart clenched painfully in his chest at those words and he smiled gratefully down at the hand that held his own as he walked with Scar. “I appreciate that, really. Thank you for everything.” His voice was thick with emotion as he finally spoke, and he pushed the tears from his eyes as he stared straight ahead, unseeing. “I’ll try to do my best to repay you somehow. I’m not very good at building, but I can grab resources for you if you need it. I’m good at that much.”
The young man chuckled wetly, and Scar looked up at Tommy with a sad smile as he grasped the other’s hand in a reassuring grip. “I want you to do whatever makes you happy Tommy.”
“What makes me happy?”
The thought was so foreign, like an old memory tucked away.
“What makes you happy.” Scar replied with a soft smile and a nod continuing to wheel to the brightly colored welcome mat of Impulse’s base.
Leaning forward slightly in his wheelchair, Scar rapped on the door twice to hear the sweet voice of the kind man who lived within the starter base.
“Coming!” The voice of Impulse echoed towards the door, and Scar patted Tommy’s hand once more as the boy fidgeted in place with his nose scrunched up slightly as if he had smelled something bad.
Thudding footsteps approached, and something crashed for a moment, but the door came open as a smiling Impulse came to pull open the door. “Scar! Hey man what’s--- oh! Who’s this?”
“Impulse, meet Tommy. He’s new on the server and I was hoping you could help me get him started on something fun.”