Chapter Text
Tommy arrived at his apartment after a long day of working at a fast-food restaurant to find the front door unlocked.
Instantly, he considered just turning around and leaving, but discarded that. It was probably just forgetfulness, no need to get worked up over it. He opened the door and stepped inside, flicking on the lights.
And froze, as he saw the other person in the room.
“Hey Punz,” he said, trying to sound casual. “How’s it going?”
“Not too great,” Punz returned, keeping the same casual tone. “My boss gave me an… unfortunate assignment.”
Tommy nodded. “Honestly, I’m kind of surprised I lasted this long. I almost thought you all had forgotten me.”
“Sadly, no.” The two sat in silence for a while, then Punz continued, “I really wish I didn’t have to be the one to do this. You’re a good kid, Tommy, but…”
Something was off about this. Tommy tilted his head, as though that would help him find the problem. Punz wasn’t the kind of assassin to hesitate, he knew that. He was normally so decisive. “Is something wrong?”
Punz muttered something under his breath, then sat up with a new determination. “No, I was just trying to decide whether or not to tell you this. There’s this rule I have, entirely apart from Dream’s rules. About what I can do. It’s called thirty days.”
“Thirty days?” Tommy repeated. “What does that mean?”
“Basically, you have thirty days to find someone willing to die in your place.”
“... that’s kind of messed up.”
Punz nodded. “Unfortunately, there’s not much I can do around that. I’m paid to kill people, and I need to earn a living somehow. This just creates a way around having to kill someone you know. It could be a big problem for professional assassins otherwise.”
“So I have thirty days. How can you be sure I wouldn’t just leave?”
“You’d have to be back here at the end of each day, otherwise you’ve forfeited your chance,” Punz replied. “Do you want to take it?”
Tommy thought for a moment, then replied, “Yes.”
Punz gave him a smile. “I’ll see you in thirty days.”