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The whirring and buzzing of police drones are a constant presence in Tommy's ears. He's so close to being caught, yet there's a crazed smile on his face. He's having way too much fun for someone running from the law. Jumping from rooftop to Rooftop has never been easier than with the winged shoes he stole. It felt like flying, and if Tommy knew how he'd be doing various flips and tricks. He looked over his shoulder for a second to see how much distance he'd gained from the drones. The drones were flying somewhere around 4 meters away from him, trying to focus their guide lights onto his ever-moving form. He made a hard right, the way he always did, and the drones lagged a little behind after having suddenly lost sight of him. Tommy took the chance to drop down into a small alley.
It was the pathway he always took when running from the drones, it had taken him years, and a few months in a detention center, to learn. He dipped behind a trash can, waiting until the dump truck came through to collect the trash.
It arrived a few seconds later and Tommy quickly jumped on, just as the drones started scanning the alley.
The truck ride was always bumpy, and incredibly short. That alley was one of the closest in the city to the junkyard and as soon as the truck stopped there, Tommy got off. The Junkyard was one of his favorite spots in the city despite being, well, junk. It was a large open space, one of the only city streets that had so few buildings. Most people were crammed into their skyscraper apartments and their underground casinos, but the junkyard was always relatively empty. Save for whatever trash had been added to the piles since Tommy last visited. Tommy usually liked to look through it after the drones completed their scans, they'd be looking for him all over the city.
He walked over to a stack of androids to hide. They were obviously robots, but just human enough that he could blend in with them enough for the drones to miss him. He laid down near the piles and sprawled himself out in the same way the androids landed after being carelessly tossed. He waited there for about a minute until he distantly heard a drone approach. He held his breath and closed his eyes.
He knew the drones had scanned him when the light passed over his eyelids, he heard it get further away and quietly released his breath and opened his eyes again. He didn't dare move. Any movement would be seen by the drone's motion sensors. So, he just waited for a few more minutes until the noise of the drone faded into the distance. He let out a relieved sigh and sit up. Now was the fun part, looking through all the different junk that was thrown out. He smiled.
"Why were you hiding from the police drones?" a robotic voice to his right asks. He snaps his head towards the sound to see an android, powered on and looking at him.
"What the fuck?!" Tommy's voice immediately rises an octave. To say he's surprised is an understatement. He'd nearly shit himself. "How are you on?"
"I was never off," The robot speaks, its eyes light up just slightly with each word. it sits up slightly. It looked mostly normal for an android, which is to say, mostly humanoid. There was still a clear metallic shine to it, but otherwise, it looked like any other person. It had wavy brown hair and brown eyes. It seemed to be rather tall too.
"Then why the fuck are you in the junkyard?" Tommy asks, the only androids that were tossed were dysfunctional entirely. The fact that one was talking to him and seemed to function relatively easily must mean something was up.
"I was supposed to be an assistant," The robot starts to explain, "but I was too different from the other droids."
"you're quirky, ay?" Tommy laughs to himself, the robot does its best approximation of an eye roll. "Why would they put you in the junkyard for that?"
"I was too ambitious for them," It speaks with obvious disdain that Tommy has only seen from the rich people of the city. "Didn't want to settle for being an assistant."
"I didn't know bots had dreams," Tommy comments idly. The robot hits him in the shoulder lightly.
"My name is Wilbur," It sighed, "You're just like them,"
"I am so poggers, Wilbur. You're a right prick." Tommy stands up from his seat on the dirt. He was tired of talking to this robot that thought it was better than him. He was the biggest man ever. He just wanted to look through the junk and go back home to his, Tubbo's, and Ranboo's shared apartment.
"Poggers isn't a word" The robot, Wilbur, informs him smugly.
"Poggers isn't a word" Tommy mocks back at him. Wilbur shakes his head with digital disappointment. "You're just lame,"
"You're a child," Wilbur huffs.
"I am not, Dickhead!" Tommy yells back. He hits the droid. Unfortunately, metal is hard and Tommy may or may not hurt his hand. "Ow! Metal fucker!"
"Where are your parents?" The robot asks.
"Dead, asshole." Technically speaking that wasn't true, but it might as well have been. The robot made a choked noise.
"I'm sorry,"
"You should be," Tommy starts to walk around the area, looking in the piles of junk for cool things. "Making fun of orphans, truly a dick move."
"So what are you doing in the junkyard?" Wilbur asks.
"None of your business, bitch." Tommy answers and continues looking through piles.
"Alright," It trailed off, awkwardly. The conversation lulled and Tommy took the opportunity to get the fuck out of there. He tried to wander naturally away from Wilbur as he looked through the piles until he was far enough to leave without the droid saying anything. He quietly escaped the junkyard back into the alleys of the city and eventually back to his small, dilapidated apartment in the slums. Hopefully, never having to see that annoying bot ever again.
Things never go according to plan when it comes to Tommy. The world truly hates him, he decides as he ends up back in the junkyard 2 and a half weeks later, next to the android pile with a familiar face. The police drones have done their usual scan and left, for once, Tommy hoped that they might catch him.
"So," Wilbur starts and Tommy gives an indignant huff. "Running from the police again?"
"Fuck off," Tommy again sits up from where he laid on the ground.
"Are you going to explain this time?" Wilbur sits up too. Tommy crosses his arms, he doesn't really want to explain anything to this dumb robot. But he figures, at least, telling him will get the robot off his back.
"I stole some shoes again," Tommy says.
"again?" Wilbur emphasizes.
"Same reason I was here last time," Tommy shrugs.
"If you stole shoes last time, why did you steal more?"
"My roommates were jealous," Tommy says proudly, "Wanted to be as pog as I am,"
Wilbur - the robot - honest to god laughs.
Tommy has never, in his entire life, heard a robot laugh. It just didn't happen, they would smile politely and that was the extent of joy you would get from one. He drops his jaw in shock, and at seeing this Wilbur only laughs harder. Tommy can't help himself if a few chuckles slip past his lips.
"I am the biggest man ever after all" Tommy continues. Wilbur smiles, genuinely, the kind that makes his eyes squish together at the edges.
"And what, pray tell, is your name, biggest man ever?" Wilbur asks, and Tommy doesn't know why but he feels inclined to tell him.
"Tommy," He replies, and Wilbur's smile gets impossibly bigger.
"Alright, Tommy,"
The conversation continues for a while. As annoying as Wilbur was, Tommy reluctantly found that he enjoyed the company. He found himself having fun arguing with Wilbur. It was different than his banter with Tubbo and Ranboo. He found himself thinking that maybe Wilbur wasn't such a bad guy after all and that maybe he wouldn't mind talking to him every once in a while. If when Tommy stood up to leave, he ended up promising Wilbur that he would come back, there was nothing wrong with that.