Work Text:
The sea lapped steadily against the shore, creating a gentle crashing noise. Seagulls screeched, flying off into the slowly setting sun.
Tommy sat on the wet sand, tears quickly drying on his cheeks. He let the sea water soak into his clothes, staring apathetically at the occasional crab that would scuttle past.
He regretted running away. He wished he hadn’t screamed at them, hadn’t slammed the door behind him as he ran out of the house.
Tommy had stayed with more foster families than he could count on two hands. Not one of those families had ever really cared about him.
Some, had cared about an ideal him, a version of Tommy that didn’t exist but they tried to force into existence anyway. Others, had just wanted the money. They just wanted to fill their bank accounts as quickly as possible.
The worst houses had been the ones where nobody cared about anything at all.
This house had been different though.
They actually seemed to care about Tommy the way he was. They seemed to genuinely want the best for him. They seemed like good people.
But then he had to go and fuck things up, getting into a dumb argument with his foster brother, Wilbur, and soon enough Tommy had found himself in an intense screaming match.
He could still remember Techno’s hard, edging on angry, gaze, and Phil’s disappointed, worn-out look. Tommy felt like throwing up when the image of Wilbur’s tear-stained face, anger practically dripping off his entire expression.
Tommy didn’t want to leave, but he knew they’d be angry the moment he got back.
He’d run off without warning, speeding off into the steadily darkening town, booking it towards the ocean.
He curled up tighter, quiet sobs escaping him. Tommy didn’t want to go back. He’d procrastinate it here for as long as he could.
He didn’t know how long he cried for, all Tommy knew is that as his sobs finally began to dissipate, he heard the sound of footsteps on the sand behind him.
Tommy turned his head, his gaze still angled on the ground as he saw brown boots that could only belong to Tubbo, and black and white tennis shoes that he knew were Ranboo’s.
Tommy had always had trouble making friends before he came to this town.
He couldn’t honestly remember having any close friends like Tubbo and Ranboo before this house. He didn’t always know what to do with the constant affection and reassurance they gave him. It was new, strange, and foreign.
Tommy continued to stare silently at the sand as the footsteps got closer and closer, eventually stopping on either side of him. He heard the sand shift as two people sat down on either side of him.
“You alright, Tommy?” Ranboo asked, his voice steady and reassuring, full of care.
Tommy sniffled, rubbing the back of his hand over his nose, trying not to grimace at the feeling of snot on it. “Isn’t it obvious what the answer to that is?” He replied, laughing emptily.
Ranboo sighed. “Yeah, I guess. We just saw you here and wanted to help you out. Like friends should, ya know?”
Tommy tried to not say anything about how he didn’t know what it was like to help a friend. Because, as mentioned earlier, he had never really had any close friends.
“Oh- uh thanks I guess.” Tommy shrugged, finally forcing himself to look up at his friends. Ranboo was smiling reassuringly, and Tubbo had a determined look on his face.
“It’s no problem.” Tubbo replied. “Like Ranboo said, it’s just what good friends do. What are you doing so far from home anyway? Does anyone know where you are?”
Tommy felt himself tense, and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.” He mumbled.
“It does matter.” Tubbo said firmly. “Your emotions matter, and you should be at home, getting help.”
More tears began to drip down Tommy’s face and he quickly wiped them away. “I-I dunno.” He said quietly, taking a deep breath. “I’m just not sure how to handle this fuckin’ foster family, I guess.” He looked back down at the sand, fidgeting with the sleeves of his ratty old shirt. “I’m just not sure they actually care about me and… I got into a fight and everything and I- like majorly fucked up. I dunno if you like- understand what I mean, but yeah.”
“No, I do understand, Tommy.” Ranboo responded softly. “It’s hard to go from having no family. Having nothing. To just- suddenly having everything.”
Tommy nodded. “Yeah, you explained that better than I did.”
Ranboo laughed quietly. “Well, that’s what friends are for, huh? And honestly, I don’t think they’ll be mad about you getting into just one fight with them.”
“You should ask them directly.” Tubbo cut in. “Ask them if they really care, if they really love you, if they’re really mad about the fight, and all that shit.”
“I don’t know if they’d answer truthfully.” Tommy whispered, shivering even though he wasn’t that cold.
Tubbo sighed. “Honestly? I think they would. And if they didn’t, then I think you’d be smart enough to tell, bossman.”
“Just try it.” Ranboo added. “Then you’ll know. You’ll know the real answer, hopefully.”
“A-Alright.” Tommy said shakily. “I’ll try it.”
Tubbo smiled. “Now, let’s get you home, Tommy.”
———
Shockingly, Tommy’s foster family hadn’t been mad when he got back.
They’d just been concerned, asking where he’d been and telling him to not run off without telling anyone again.
They’d seemed to genuinely care that he’d gone missing. Most families usually didn’t care when Tommy ran off. Sometimes, the cared too much, yelling and screaming at him once he got back.
He thought about asking them if they actually cared, if they actually weren’t mad about the fight, like Tubbo said he should. But Tommy couldn’t work up the courage to do it.
Tommy went to bed that night, still wondering if this was fake or not.
———
It took Tommy several days to find the confidence to ask the question.
He spent his nights arguing internally with himself if he should just ditch the idea. He always came to the same conclusion though, that nothing would change if he didn’t.
Tubbo was right. Tommy would never fully settle in here until he knew the truth. Until he asked them directly if they cared about him or not. If this was real or if this was fake.
It was movie night when Tommy finally got the courage to say something.
Movie night was something they did once a week. According to Techno, it was a sort of ‘family tradition’ they did. When Tommy had first heard that, he’d felt both sick and oddly warm, as if being included in their family traditions was a good thing.
His foster family were all sitting in the living room and the lights were off, the light from the tv illuminating their faces. Tommy was sitting on the end on the end of the couch, a blanket they had bought for him when he first arrived covering his legs.
Tommy didn’t know why he’d somehow come to the conclusion that now was the time to ask the question. He didn’t know why he had even thought that taking Tubbo’s advice would be a good thing in the first place.
All he knew was that in the middle of the movie, he found his mouth opening and the words reluctantly coming out. “Do you guys actually care about me?” Tommy’s voice wavered slightly at the end and he cringed internally. “…Is this all… I dunno- Just an act or some shit?”
There was a long pause.
Tommy could feel his foster family’s stares as Tommy dragged his gaze down to the ground, staring at the stained gray carpet that covered the living room floor. The only sound was coming from the tv, the movie still playing in the background.
The silence was broken by the sound of Phil hastily picking up the remote and pausing the movie. “Why would you think that, mate?” Phil asked, his voice steady and reassuring as always.
Tommy shrugged, still staring at the floor. He didn’t have the courage to see his foster family’s faces.
“We do care about you, Tommy.” Wilbur said, sounding shocked. “I-I don’t know why you’d think otherwise. We’ve done so much for you. And we’re going to continue to do stuff for you, unconditionally.”
Tommy gritted his teeth, feeling tears build in his eyes. “That… can’t be true.” He replied quietly, voice barely more than a whisper.
“It is true.” Techno chimed in. “We’ll prove it to you as much as we need to. I promise.”
Tommy swallowed, forcing himself to look up at his foster family. Their expressions were much different than what he expected.
He’d thought they’d be angry, that they’d be upset he’d even questioned if they cared.
Instead, Phil looked worried, Wilbur was giving Tommy a reassuring smile, and Techno looked oddly determined. Their expressions all had one surprisingly unfamiliar thing in common though. Underneath the surface, their was an indescribable amount of love.
“Oh.” Tommy breathed, feeling as if he’d been punched in the gut, all the air knocked from his lungs. Tears began to flow down his face, and Tommy tried desperately to wipe them away, to no avail.
Before he knew it, Tommy heard footsteps coming his away and then Wilbur was standing in front of him, arms open in a silent invitation. Tommy took it, getting up and hugging his brother, beginning to sob quietly into Wilbur’s shoulder.
Before Tommy even knew what was happening, two more pairs of arms joined the hug.
It was warm. It felt good. It felt right.
Tommy might not fully believe them yet, but he was beginning to have a feeling that this might be home.