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there were a lot of things that thomas missed.
he missed kamryn. her captivating personality is what drew him to her in the first place, always so warm and friendly. her golden hair always shone under the sun, giving her the guise of a shining angel that thomas thought made her more beautiful.
he missed her smile, her love.
arthur was his best friend during high school, an inseparable pair the teachers had often described them. they were mischiefs, pranking the faculty with the silliest of pranks. thomas could remember fondly how they sat in detention, never following rules and fooling around.
he missed his grins, their tight bond.
and his kids — his two beautiful kids. isabella and louis. his children were his everything the moment they were born into the world. thomas constantly showered them with love and support because it was in his blood as a father to cherish them very deeply.
but everything changed that one night.
he felt cold. thomas was shaking as isabella stuttered, dripping wet from head to toe. kamryn is whispering assurances to her ear, coddling her with a blanket to keep her warm, but isabella still looked frightened, eyes wide with horror as her brain stopped functioning properly.
he looked at her, feeling a surge of disappointment, loss, and most importantly, anger. thomas felt angry at isabella. but he can't just feel that way to his daughter? it wasn't her fault, right?
she didn't save him
thomas clenched his fists, lips folding before words poured out of his mouth, not really thinking straight. "it's all your fault."
the two girls froze, and kamryn snapped at thomas as isabella stared at her hands. "thomas! don't say that to her! it's not her fault."
his brows furrowed, his grief keeping a tight hold to his heart. "but she could have saved him, kamryn! she could have kept searching if he was alive!"
"she was scared!" kamryn argued, her face shifting into a horrified frown. "and isabella could have died too if she dived in deeper."
"but she would have tried at least!"
"thomas, she's our daughter. we can't risk her life!"
thomas let out an explosive sigh, the frustration that suddenly burst out of nowhere dimming as he turned away from them.
he walked away, wanting to punch a tree or cry. louis is dead and the reality of that began to sink in.
it's all her fault
•
thomas sighed in relief as andy came back to the house with his keys in hand. he watched as the apple entered his home and reclined heavily on the couch, his gaze shrouded with apprehension at what happened at the barn.
"so, we're fake, huh?"
thomas bit his lip and look away. the truth of the matter had been shocking and most likely life-changing for andy. he could imagine the existential crisis he can be experiencing right now.
but none of those things happened; no breakdown or questioning of their existence. andy just seemed worn, unlike his cheerful self. thomas wondered why.
as if reading his mind, andy spoke. "i kinda put the pieces together, how sometimes everyone gets all weird and... scary. i thought it was just my imagination when claus suddenly looked dead, saying deceased backwards," he closed his eyes, his brows pinching together in thought. "and how i never saw the likes of you before."
guilt rose as andy's voice cracked. as much as he was their creator, he never considered how sentient and life-like they are.
thomas wanted to make his game better — a game with characters that have personalities, showing life on what they do than just code.
isn't that he desired? to finally get his game to be approved by big companies?
but thomas should have known his actions can cause despair to everyone he loves, even to his creations.
he lowered himself next to andy, his ghostly presence affecting the apple to shiver slightly despite being used to it — it felt colder than usual. "andy, i... i wished you didn't know. that you are fake, that everything around you is fake. i'm sorry."
"you lied,"
the memory of that night at the diner sprung up; how he said he hated liars. the irony is there and it left a bitter taste in his tongue. "i know." he said, softly.
"mr. eastwood, i don't know... if i can trust you anymore." andy muttered.
thomas nodded, expecting that response. "i don't expect you to trust me. i popped into your life and lied to you."
andy breathed out slowly and eventually opened his eyes, turning to thomas.
"but that doesn't mean i don't hate you,"
thomas' eyes widened, taken back. "i-i don't understand?" he stammered, something that was uncharacteristic of him.
andy managed a smile, strained of its sanguinity. "sure, you've lied to me and such, but you did it for a good reason, right? learning that i don't technically exist is a thing i might never forget, but i can handle it fine."
"but what about your trust in me?"
"i..." he hesitated, his smile faltering. he picked it up again. "it'll be hard to put my trust in you again, but not impossible. you're still my friend and whatever the heck is going on needs to be stopped. that peter guy... he's not normal, isn't he?"
thomas stared, speechless.
he was prepared to face backlash, yelling, or andy just hating him.
and yet.
is he even worthy to earn andy's friendship? he put him in danger because of him. he almost died getting that last pumpkin while thomas is possessing his body.
but studying his expression, he catches determination to help him, though he shattered what trust they have left. andy is willing to do anything to assist anyone.
it reminded him how much he missed, how much it cost him to lose the important things in his life.
thomas caused this mess because of his selfishness and he's going to fix it.
he smiled back gently and followed andy as the apple got ready to sleep for the next day, keeping watch as his friend slept without turmoil.
"thank you."