Archive of Our Own

Tommy stared at the crossed out date on the calendar and took a deep breath, testing his hands on his hips. 

There weren't any more 'tomorrow's' left for them to use; the long wait they had been given had finally run out because the day had finally come. 

After years of holding it back, today was the day they’d go back to the seaside and revisit the orphanage. 

That only made Tommy slightly nervous. 

Tommy sighed, falling onto his chair and leaning back. They had been putting it off for…well, years now. 

He himself had made up his mind to go a long time ago, but he also couldn’t do it without Tubbo or Ranboo, and they definitely weren't ready to even step foot back there.

Tommy had understood, of course he had, they quite literally share the same scars. If it weren’t for the reason he had, Tommy would have buried his time at the orphanage at the back of his mind and thrown away the shovel; he would have never looked back if it weren’t for the sake of his curiosity's grip on him and it's unyielding need into finding out what happened to him back then. 

Healing wasn’t linear and Tommy knew that, Puffy made sure he did; and now after years of navigating through a bumpy road, they decided that maybe it was about time that they looked back, it would be good for them, to see how far they've gone.

Tommy knows that Tubbo and Ranboo need it, to see how far they've come along in healing, to see how much they've changed for the better; because it would finally let them see how while they used to be, they are no longer the frail and scarred children that Tommy met. 

Tommy stares at the photo of them on his desk, absentmindedly tracing the edges of the frame with his thumb and easing down. 

It would…make Puffy proud too. 

If not for the fact that they were finally taking another step into healing; then because they were helping others. 

It would be a week-long program, funded by Puffy's foundation that both donates to the orphanages and encourages the orphans to find their own identities through hobbies. 

They also wouldn't have to go through the hassle of trying to find a hotel in an already small and crowded town, as the orphanage would provide rooms for them. 

It would admittedly be nice to see the new batch of kids. Giving children that Tommy sorta saw himself in and giving them support, something that Tommy really could have used back then, is an idea that to him; is pretty neat. 

He stared at the articles pinned on his laptop screen and clicked his tongue as he tapped his finger on the open journal laid on his desk. 

Too lost in his thoughts, Tommy didn’t hear the door to his room opening, “Tommy?” He stiffened and spun his chair around to face him.

“Tubbo?” Tommy blinked, Tubbo’s arms were crossed and his brows were furrowed. Tommy would remark on how tired he looked, but one glance at the mirror made it clear he was in no position to judge, seeing as he looked the same, if not, worse .

“Why are you still up?” He mumbles, rubbing his eyes and yawning, “We’re supposed to be on the road by 5.” He glanced at the clock, “And it’s almost 4 am.” 

Tommy blinked, had that much time passed already? He glanced at the clock, wincing as he confirmed that it really had recently struck a quarter to 4 am, and he cleared his throat, “I’ll just sleep in the car, Tubs.” 

Tubbo stared at him for a moment, before seemingly giving up, he shook his head, “You need to fix your sleeping schedule, bossman.” 

Tommy only gave him a small grin and a shrug, "I simply operate on a different wavelength." 

Tubbo sighed, either too bothered or too tired to answer his antics, “Did you pack everything you needed?” 

Tommy paused, staring at his suitcase sprawled on the floor; his suitcase that was very much empty . 

He turned back to Tubbo who had a disgruntled expression on his face and nervously chuckled, Tubbo's brows furrowed further. 

"Don't look at me like that!" He crossed his arms, "I bet you haven't packed yourself." He huffed

Tubbo froze at that, stammering like a deer caught in headlights. 

Successfully bamboozled. Tommy gave himself a well deserved pat on the back. 

“Yeah, I thought so.” Tommy smugly grinned and Tubbo scowled at him.

———

Tommy shoved the rest of his sloppily folded clothes into his suitcases. He didn’t need too much clothes, they were only going to be there for a week or so. 

Which meant that Tommy only had a week. He hoped it was enough. 

“Are you ready?” A voice came from the door, Tommy blinked.

Ranboo stood there, leaning on the wall, already fully dressed. His brows were furrowed and he was nervously tapping his foot onto the floor, the sight made Tommy soften just the smallest bit.

“Hell yeah.” Tommy gave him a small grin, standing up straight and brushing off the dust on his hands, “A bit nerve racking thought, innit?”

“Yeah, it’s been like, 4 years.” Ranboo nervously chuckled, “it really doesn't feel like it's been that long..” He mumbled

“Yeah, you’re bloody old now, big man!” 

“I’m literally only a year older than you.” Ranboo shook his head. 

Tommy cackled, “Absolutely a fossil of an age.” 

Ranboo’s annoyance eventually devolved into a soft chuckle, at the sound of it, Tommy’s grin grew into a genuine smile . 

Tommy could admit that he… really wasn't the best at comforting traditionally, his words were naturally sharp, a built in instinct that Puffy had described as some kind of defence mechanism he had built as some kind of shield and in consequence, it was difficult for him to filter out his boisterous personality and pick up social cues that usually direct the tone of a conversation.

Puffy had taught him how to make use of what he was given, how to navigate around his instincts and react the way he wanted to. Even if he wasn’t the best with words, he had his way with humour and Puffy had taught him that there wasn’t only one way of comfort. 

She had called it ‘love languages’, and Tommy had been particularly fond of ‘quality time’ and ‘gift giving’.

In short, words weren't his speciality, and they probably never will be. But he knew that right now, it's what his best friend needed the most. 

"I mean, we've all grown a whole lot, huh?" Tommy hummed, staring at a picture frame that was stood up on his desk. A photograph of the three of them, finally out of the system, newly adopted by Puffy. 

Ranboo hummed, following his gaze and softly smiling at the picture, "Definitely." He hesitated, "It still feels unreal." He mumbled. 

Tommy frowned, taking a moment to compose his train of thought, "Just proves that we’re all fuckin’ brilliant, innit?” 

Ranboo blinked, startled, he raised his head to look at Tommy, “Huh?” 

Tommy smirked, “We're amazing, so amazing that it's hard to believe. I mean, how many people can say they've survived the shit we've gone through?” He placed his hands on his hips, "Even Puffy said she’d never seen anyone as strong as us.” 

“I- i guess so…” Ranboo mumbled, arms hanging idly in the air as if he struggled to find the right position to settle them down in. 

“‘Guess’? Don't patronise me, Ranboob” Tommy raised a brow and Ranboo huffed a small laugh.

“Yeah..” He trailed off, “Yeah, we are pretty awesome, huh?” 

"That's more like it." Tommy nodded in approval, Ranboo's shaky smile turned into a grin; secure on his lips. 

"When we get there, I’ll take you both out for food.” He hummed, “It's my treat, no favours, no payback, just free food and quality time.”

Ranboo looked hesitant at that, but his shoulders eventually softened and he hummed, “Only if I get to choose the most expensive thing on the menu.” 

“Ay?! Aren’t you the rich one here? You are abusing my generosity, Ranboob.” Tommy shook his head, “The things I do for you.”

Ranboo only laughed.

———

Tommy leaned his head on the window still as the car powered up and rumbled below them with a low hum, he took a deep breath and plugged his earphones in. 

Usually the car would be filled with hearty laughs and banter, usually, but right now, the sun was barely in the sky and they were all tired and muddled with their own anxieties. 

So Tommy settles for the silence. 

Everyone needed their own moment of silence to collect their thoughts and opinions on the matter that faced them; even Tommy.

He stared at the buildings that they passed through, following the service lines as the came and went and observing the small details that stood out over the most, from the noticeable things like an exceptional flower shop that stood out with it rainbow colours that clashed against the harsh grey and white exteriors, to the smallest things like a squirrel climbing a tree.

Eventually Tommy trailed off, the music in his ears turning into a faint buzz as he was left with nothing but silence. 

Truthfully…Tommy doesn’t know what he would do when he’d get there. They’d settle into their rooms first, and he has an itch that the three of them would likely decide to go and explore the town. 

What a wreck that would be, Tommy thinks it would be gratifying anyways, what better satisfaction than to enter the place filled with horrible memories no longer as the scared child but instead the person who had outgrown his scars and survived .

Puffy said it would be good for them; to revisit old wounds and see how far they’ve gone, it’s what introduced the idea of returning to Tommy in the first place; Tommy wasn’t sure of it at first, Tubbo and Ranboo were the ones that had taken the idea into consideration and they told him that Puffy had called it closure. 

Back then, Tommy said he had closed those wounds long ago. 

Sometimes Tommy wonders if he had meant it when he said that, if he had really believed he had healed, because now, he can say that even if the person he was back then was better; he was not healed. 

He had realised it over time, he had to get a number of ‘heart-to-heart’ talks, and one day he had an incident that snapped him out of his delusioned haze and had forced him to admit.

The day he admitted it was the day he had been alone in the house. He had stumbled, and knocked over a vase that Tubbo particularly liked, he had panicked and rushed upstairs to find anything that could right his mistakes; he entered his room and was face to face with his mirror, and only then did he see the wounds he had gained from the shards grazing his skin. 

On that day, Tubbo and Ranboo returned home to the sight of him curled up in the corner of his room, sobbing into his sleeves.  

Tommy huffed at the memory. After that incident, Tommy had been even more unsure of returning to the seaside; Puffy had reassured them that they didn’t have to do it, that they could do it only when they were ready, and if they were never going to be ready, then it would be okay. 

And back then, despite how he despised the way he felt so defeated, Tommy was more than okay with never having to step another foot back into those creaky, wood planked halls populated by workers who had proven time and time again, had never truly cared for the orphans.

Gratitude was the push that made him choose to go. 

All it took for him to change his mind was a picture, a picture of the sandy beaches and waves he knew so intimately, it triggered a memory that Tommy had no idea he knew he had.

The day he had drowned.

Tommy was 13 at the time, but he remembers that one moment he was knee deep in the water and the next he was drowned and being pulled down by the currents and into the depths of the ocean.

He barely remembers what happened, there were only vague fragments of the memory in his mind, fragments he had been unable to piece back together. 

He could remember the way the waves had taken him down, the way the air rushed out of his lungs, his throat ached, he had tried to yell out but no human could hear you when you were 6 feet underwater. 

Tommy remembers descriptions of death. How once the acceptance rolls in, peace eventually comes with it. Everyone around him says they’d pass on with a smile on their face and once Tommy may have thought he would have too, but no; Tommy would not allow himself to die with silence. 

If the waves had taken his life back then, he would have died with an unsaid scream on his throat and a spark that made him flail, whether or not it was to live or just for the sake of it, Tommy wouldn’t go without a fight.

He doesn’t remember how long he was under the currents, but surely it wasn’t too long, back then he hadn’t even learned to swim yet. All he could remember was two hands, wrapping around him and pulling him up .

The last memory he had of that day was him waking up inch deep in the sand and realising he was all alone, he remembers the footprints that were dug into the sand, and how they hadn’t gone further into the city but instead back into the sea. 

And just like that, Tommy had gained a motive, a newfound motivation to convince himself into coming back. 

To find whoever saved him that day, but to thank him or just to meet him? Tommy didn’t know, whoever saved him might not even be in town, he doesn't really care, all that mattered was that it was a reason to look back, and maybe even find closure along the way. 

With one last glance out the window, with his heart pounding in his ears, he took a deep breath, and let sleep overtake him.

———

The car pulled over, and Tubbo shook Tommy, who awoke with a jolt. 

Ranboo huffed from the steering wheel, "We're here." Tommy blinked and looked out the window. 

He was met with the familiar sight of cracked pavement and broken streetlights, he stiffened at the sight. 

He turned to see Tubbo who had met his glance with a tight smile that didn't quite meet his eye, he grinned back, "We can do this." Tubbo assured; though, it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself rather than Tommy. 

Tommy nodded, "We can." 

Dragging his suitcase along with him, Tommy shuffled into the orphanage doors, following behind Tubbo and Ranboo. 

He glanced around to see that the same paintings from years ago were placed securely on the walls, the bookshelves were still there with barely anything in them. 

…wow , other than the fact that dust wasn't collecting in every corner anymore, this place had barely changed at all. He huffed. 

Too engrossed in his thoughts, he hadn't noticed when a worker had approached them, one that Tommy didn't recognize. He awkwardly stood behind Tubbo, not eager to really talk with someone with a uniform that frequented his night terrors. 

"Are you three here under Ms.Cara?" The lady hummed, and Tommy felt a bit guilty for feeling so defensive as her stare reached him. She smiled and he gave an awkward, half-assed smile back. 

Ranboo nodded, "Yeah- uh, for the week long program." 

"Wonderful!" She claps her hands together, "Again, everyone here is so grateful for this, thank you, truly. This is sure to lift the children's spirits." She beamed. 

She admittedly seemed nice, but even the workers from 4 years ago seemed unrecognisable when they were in front of people whose influence would benefit their paycheck. 

Ranboo, who seemingly had the same thoughts, just awkwardly nodded at her enthusiasm, "Yeah, that- that's the goal." 

She hummed, "Well then, I should introduce myself," She placed her hand on her heart, "My name is Clementine, and I'm one of the orphanage's caretakers." 

"Nice to meet you." Ranboo meekly mumbled, Tubbo cleared his throat and cut in. 

"His name is Ranboo-" He then pointed to himself, "My name's Tubbo-" and pointed to Tommy who awkwardly gave a half-hearted wave, "-And that's Tommy."

Clementine smiled sweetly, "It's nice to meet you all." She glanced at their luggage, "Well then, allow me to lead you to your rooms, so you can settle in."

Ranboo and Tubbo smiled stiffly, and Tommy was just glad that the conversation was over. 

The three of them shuffled into their shared room, bidding goodbye to Clementine and collectively letting out a sigh of relief when they were left alone. 

She was…nice, and seemed genuine. And while a part of Tommy told him that he shouldn't trust how people portray themselves so easily, Puffy had told him that there are people that are just kind . 

Puffy had told him he was one of them. 

Ranboo leaned forward and face planted onto one of the three beds with a long yawn, "Has this room always been here?" He mumbled into the mattress.  

Tubbo tucked his suitcase next to the nightstand, and hummed, "Yeah," he sat on the bed squished in the middle, "I remember how the older kids used to sneak into here sometimes." 

Tommy huffed, "Didn't you try sneaking in here once?" He raised a brow 

Tubbo only raised his hands in surrender, "In my defence, I never succeed so it technically doesn't count." 

"Wow, I forgot how much of a troublemaker you were back then." Ranboo shifted onto his side, "How were you ever able to achieve being called the 'well-behaved' one?" 

Tubbo glared, "Excuse you! I only slightly misbehaved sometimes." He crossed his arms, "And for the record, you were the good natured one of us three." 

Tommy nodded, "Probably why you were roomed with us." He shoved his suitcase next to the closet, "To counterattack Tubbo's mischief."

Tubbo scowled, "You were so much worse than me, you got into trouble like, every day!" 

"Hey! It's not my fault that danger followed me wherever I went." Tommy placed his hands on his hips, "I simply had- no, I have too much charm."

"Uh-huh, doubt it." Ranboo remarked and Tommy scowled. 

"What's that supposed to mean, bitch boy?" He turned to Ranboo and blinked at the sight that greeted him, "Are you falling asleep?" Heis brows furrowed

Ranboo only gave him a half hearted shrug, face buried into the mattress.

"He did drive us here, bossman." Tubbo hummed. 

"But we were supposed to hang out!" 

"It's too early for that." Ranboo yawned.

"It's twelve pm!" 

Tubbo laid flat on his back, "I agree with Boo on this one, It's way too early right now." 

Tommy glared at the both of them, "Are you serious?" 

Ranboo exaggeratedly snored, and Tubbo snorted at the sound. Tommy needs new siblings.

Tommy crossed his arms and grumbled, "Fine!" He stood up, "Be boring and spend this wonderful afternoon sleeping, I'll be enjoying my life exploring, the way God intended!" 

"Mhm, have fun." Ranboo gave him a thumbs up. 

"Bye bossman!" Tubbo waved. 

Tommy flipped them off. 

———

"Do you not like crowded spaces?" Puffy had asked, sitting across from him with a notepad in her hands. 

Tommy huffed and shook his head, "No, that's not it." He curled up into himself. 

Puffy hummed, "Is there something you can think of that you don't like about cities?" 

Tommy stayed silent for a moment, gently gripping the blanket wrapped around him, "I- uh… I had this problem back at the seaside too.." He mumbled, cautiously watching Puffy's expression for any negative reaction. 

He was only met with a comforting and patient stare that encouraged him to continue, "I didn't- I never explored into town, cos' I felt…bad." He mumbled. 

"Bad? How so?" 

Tommy shrugged and scratched his finger, "Bad like- i don’t know, I felt pathetic.” 

Puffy nodded, “Do you have any idea why?”

Tommy hesitated, grip tightening as he glanced away from her.

“You can tell me, Toms.” Puffy started, “You’re safe with me.” 

He stared at her for a moment, looking for any indication of deceit, as he found none he eased just the slightest bit.

“I- I don't know, I feel like everyone’s looking at me all the time.” He winced, “Not in the good way- like…like they think im below them or something.”

Puffy’s face softened, “You aren’t ‘below’ anyone, Toms.” 

“Im below Ranboo, mans is fuckin’ tall.” Tommy cracked a small smile that Puffy returned.

She shook her head and huffed, “Toms…”

Tommy cuts her off, “I- I know.” he mumbles, “I know that, but I don't know how to stop feeling like..like this .”

Puffy stayed silent for a moment, “Have you always felt this way?”

“...no.”

“Do you remember when you started to feel this way?” 

Tommy’s brows furrowed, “...yeah.” 

Puffy leaned in, “Can you tell me what happened?” 

Tommy fidgeted with the stitches on the blanket, biting his gums and staying silent for a moment. After a few moments, he stiffly nodded, “Don’t- You wont think it's stupid?”

“Never.” Puffy promised. 

“Uh, I got kicked out of a store once.” Tommy flushed, “I saw something cool and I asked for the price but the owner just thought I was wasting his time cause I was an orphan, and we- well, we usually aren’t the richest.” He chuckled nervously, “Its stupid, he was right, i know-”

“It’s not stupid, Tommy.” Puffy had a sad smile on her face, a smile that made Tommy feel guilty as hell, “You didn’t deserve that.” 

Tommy shrugged and hummed, “Yeah. It was pretty fucked up." He knows well that if he did that to Tubbo or Ranboo he would have punched him in the face, he bit his lip as his thoughts started trailing off, “I can’t convince myself about it cause- cause it was me.” 

Puffy stayed silent for a moment, a silence that made Tommy shift uncomfortably. 

“Tommy, would you like to go to the mall with me?” 

Tommy blinked, head raising in surprise, “Right now?”

Puffy smiled, “Yeah, I’ll buy you anything you want.”

“A-are you serious?” Tommy’s brows furrowed in confusion.

She nodded, “We don’t lack money, Toms.” She lightly jokes

“But what if I- I don't know, ask you for something really expensive?” 

Puffy hummed, “I’d get it for you anyways.” 

Tommy stammered, “What if you can’t afford it? Like- like I ask you for a new house or something?"

She shrugged and stood up, “If you really want to, then I'll just take out a loan.” 

“What- why would you go that far for me ?” 

Puffy only smiled at him, “Because I’m your mom.” She paused to look at him, “And no child should be worrying about money.” 

Tommy shook his head and cleared his throat, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he glanced around the buildings bustling with people, some buildings and people he vaguely remembers seeing before. 

He walked through the streets, waving and smiling stiffly to strangers that gave him short greetings. 

Tommy was just about ready to pass through, but paused as wet droplets fell on his shoulder.

…

Shit.

He hadn’t brang an umbrella, after all, who would expect for it to rain when the sun was shining that high in the sky, with no grey clouds in sight? It seemed to be a lovely day, it should have been a lovely day, but here Tommy is, cursing the gods that cursed him with such horrid luck. 

He rushed into the open cafe that had been the nearest to him, nearly stumbling over the door frame as he entered and having to use a chair as a clutch to stabilise himself. 

The bell rang through the empty cafe, and Tommy looked around for a cashier or- well, anyone really.

“Welcome.” A lady’s voice spoke behind him, which had successfully caught Tommy off guard, yelping as he turned around to face her.

A lady with pink hair and a sweet smile greeted him, at the sight, Tommy blinked, “Hello.” He chuckled nervously, “Didn’t see you there.” 

She chuckled, “Guess you're here for shelter?”

Tommy nodded, “I didn’t think it would rain today.” He sighed, “Talk about having bad luck,” He gave another glance around, pausing and eyes widening as he realised that, oh, this was a bakery .

The front desk was filled with display’s of different pastries, goods that happened to look incredibly mouth watering, he turned back to the lady, “I am also starving."

"Well, you stumbled into the right shop." She shuffled behind the counter, leading him to the front to take a look at the display as she leaned on the counter, “Take your pick.” 

Tommy blinked, and followed after her, the smell of fresh baked goods filling his senses. He leaned down to take a closer look. 

The displays were illuminated with a warm light, and each tray was almost empty, which probably meant that this was a fairly popular bakery, he was a bit torn on that though, seeing as the place was very much empty. 

Tommy stayed silent for a moment, struggling between the options layed out in front of him, he cleared his throat,  “Uhhh, what’s your best seller?”

The lady hummed, “Well, people seem to take quite a liking to the chiffon cake.” 

Tommy’s nose scrunched up, he enjoyed sweets, but he didn’t really like cakes all that much, Tubbo was the one who liked them; he was a cake fanatic, a cake connoisseur even. He raised his head, “What would be your personal pick?”

The lady blinked, “Oh!” She clapped her hands together, “Well, personally, I'm quite fond of our egg tarts and hot chocolate." 

Tarts that were just about the size of his hand with a filling that to Tommy, looked like jelly; they were put in white liners with a  pretty floral pattern. 

Tommy tilted his head, cocoa is a classic and a pretty safe option, so he'll get that one. 

But he’s only ever eaten tarts once, but it was a berry one. It wasn't his favourite, but he had been standing here for more than a minute now and he decided that he liked it enough , he shrugged, “I’ll take those then,” He paused, “And two slices of chiffon cake please, to go.” 

She nodded, “Alright then, that's going to be $12.47, please go ahead and take a seat and I’ll bring you your order.” She said in a voice that Tommy thinks might just be the winner of all 'customer service' voices ever. 

“Thank you.” 

The lady only nodded before she disappeared into the kitchen and Tommy turned to walk over to the table near the door, sitting on the wooden chair with a cherry coloured cushion built in, softly sighing as he laid his head on the table. 

Well, so much for ‘exploration’, he barely walked 10 steps without divine intervention stopping him from continuing, he grunted. God he hoped the rain would stop soon. Knowing his luck though? It probably wouldn’t. 

And then awkwardness would get to him and he’d brute force his way back to the orphanage with his jacket sprawled over his head. He really didn’t want to have to deal with soggy laundry, seeing as how barely anything changed in the orphanage, he’s assuming that the washing machines would be as shit as they were 4 years ago.

Wow, it had barely been a day and the trip was already making him struggle. 

A cup being placed on his table had snapped him out of his thoughts, he blinked and raised his head. 

“You seem troubled,” The lady hummed, placing his food on the table. 

Tommy blinked and huffed, “It's just the rain.” 

"It should stop soon, if that's any comfort at all." 

Tommy shrugged, "I'd hope so." Though, knowing his luck, his hopes would most likely be unanswered.

Silence filled the room for a moment, and Tommy awkwardly shuffled in his seat, quietly eating his food that, by the way; tasted amazing. Easily beats the berry tart he had years ago. 

The older lady cleared her throat, "What brings you to town?" 

Tommy blinked, "Huh?" 

"I've never seen you around here before." She explained,

"Oh…well, uh. I used to.." He hesitated, "I used to live here, four years ago. Just here to visit."

Her brows raised, "Really?” She hummed, “I don't recall seeing any blonde children roaming around the town back then." 

"Ah, I didn't really explore much." He tightly smiled,  "Protective parents or whatever." By parents he meant caretakers , by protective, he meant protective of their paychecks; paychecks that would lower if any of the children got in trouble, their bandage solution to this was to just forcefully trap them in the orphanage most of the time. 

But he couldn’t exactly dump all of that onto the lady without making her think he had a few screws loose. 

He nervously chuckled, placing his fork down, "But really, who wouldn't be a bit protective of their 13 year old child with the tendency of getting lost?" 

The lady nodded, seemingly buying the excuse. Not that she’d have any reason to believe  that Tommy was lying. 

Trying to fill the silence, Tommy continued, "My name is Tommy, by the way. You'll probably be seeing me more throughout the week I'm here, considering your egg tarts are absolutely amazing." 

She grinned a bit at that, "Flattery, eh?" 

Tommy shrugged, "If flattery will get me another tart, I'll do it." 

She laughed, "A bit more and you might reach your goal. My name's Niki by the way, it's nice to meet you Tommy." 

Tommy smiled back at her; a smile that was cut short as the rain got heavier outside, he slumped at the sound, glancing out the window, "The rain doesn't look like it's gonna stop anytime soon." He sighed

Niki hummed, "That's odd, it usually doesn't rain this hard." 

"Pretty sure the rain gods just really fuckin' hate me." 

"Well now, don't say that! I'm sure it will get better-" 

A loud crash sound from outside as a flash of light hit the road with a loud boom . Tommy jolted, god, he hated thunder. 

"...oh." 

Tommy only gave her a tight smile, one she returned sympathetically.

"Can’t you call someone? Did you travel alone?" 

He huffed, "I came here with my siblings. But I didn't bring my phone. I planned to come back after I found a place to eat dinner later, but…” He grumbled, “The rain found me first." 

Niki laughed, grabbing a cup of cocoa from the next table, "Don't be too gloomy, kid.” Tommy blinked, he hadn’t even noticed there was one back there. Oh well, she did say it was her favourite too.

"I'm 17. Barely a kid anymore." Tommy argued.

The young adult lowered the mug from her face and slightly shrugged, "Ehh, I'd disagree." Wow , isn’t that just familiar. 

Tommy huffed, "You sound just like my mom." 

Niki hummed, "Well, your mom is right." 

Tommy opened his mouth for a rebuttal, but another strike of thunder quickly shut him up, he poorly tried to play off his flinch as a wince. 

She hesitated, “You don’t like thunder?”

Tommy stayed silent for a moment, it didn’t seem like she was gonna make fun of him, “...yeah.” He scratched his finger, “My family usually helps me through it.”

“Ah.” Niki stays still for a moment, before seemingly making up her mind and sitting across Tommy in silence. Tommy froze for a moment, wanting to; but not asking why, as his head provided the answers to his own questions. 

Ranboo did that too. Like Tommy, Ranboo wasn’t the best at words, but unlike Tommy, Ranboo chose to convey his love and comfort through actions. Like tucking Tommy under a blanket when he’d fall asleep on the chair again; never moving him because he knew just how much Tommy hated not waking up to the place he had slept in. 

Tommy gave her a small smile that reached his eye, a silent and small thank you .

She only gave him a small nod, You’re welcome.  

“Do you wanna hear a story, Tommy?” Niki asked, slowly stirring the milk into her hot chocolate, Tommy blinked.

“A story?” His brows furrowed, “About what?” 

“You said you used to live on the seaside,” She leaned back, resting her head on her palm, “So I'm assuming that you're already familiar with the myths that the townsfolk talk about.” 

Myths? Like, fiction? Other than the classic bedtime stories the caretakers would lazily read them on sunday nights, Tommy’s never really heard any other tales here, “Tales? Like- like humpty dumpty or something?”

Niki laughed, “No, no! I mean like cryptids. You know what those are right? The townsfolk talk about them all the time.”

“Cryptids?” Tommy shuffled in his seat, taking a sip from his cup, “I’m not really into reading that much, bossman.” He wasn’t… fond of reading. 

“Well, would you let me ramble on until sunset?” Niki hummed and glanced at his cup, “I’ll fix you up another cup of hot cocoa, on the house.” She coaxed.

Tommy was decidedly very weak when it comes to persuasion, and plus, Niki was really nice, he smiled, “Deal.” 

“Great.” Niki grinned, and leaned into her chair as she stayed silent for a moment, “Lets see…where should i start..” She hummed, clearly deep in thought. 

As the silence persisted, Tommy resisted the urge to open his mouth to say something, but was cut off as Niki asked him a peculiar question, “What’s your favourite animal, Tommy?”

Tommy leaned back, a bit taken off guard, “Well, I think that all animals are great.” He paused, “But, I do think whales are exceptionally awesome.” 

Niki continued to hum for a moment, “Do you like hanging out by the sea?” 

Tommy blinked, “I…yeah. I used to, but I don't really live near the beach anymore.” He trailed off. 

“Then I'm sure you’ve heard of mermaids.” Niki said, and Tommy had blinked because yes; yes he has heard of mermaids. Hell, he pretended to be one when he was twelve, who hasn’t? 

He nodded, “I have.” He clicked his tongue, “I used to think they were nice, but they’re like…evil, right?”

“Hm? Why do you think so?” 

Tommy paused for a moment, “Don't they do all that stuff about leading people to their deaths or whatever?"

Niki shrugged, clicking her tongue, “In some variations of the myth, they do lure people to the sea.” She admitted, “But that’s historically a siren’s thing.” 

Tommy tilted his head at that, it rang a few bells in his mind so he had probably come across the word at one point; he just couldn’t remember what it meant,  ”Sirens?”

Niki hummed, “Kind of like mermaids. The briefest way I could describe them would be ‘evil-mermaids’” She huffed, “But in the earliest portrayals of them, they were more of a mix with birds rather than fishes.” 

… what ?

“That’s…a really fuckin’ weird evolution.” Tommy’s brows furrowed, “Bird’s are avian creatures, so how’d sirens end up as fish?” He scrunched his nose.

Niki barked out a laugh, “A long story. A lot of interpretations were destroyed or forgotten, and a lot of them were made too.” She paused for a moment, “But I am pretty sure that a big factor in the change was because the siren's entire thing was to lure people into the sea, which would mean that they’d have to be more ‘tempting’.”

Yikes. “All I'm hearing is that people really, really liked fish back then.” Tommy shivered, “And not in the morally right way.” 

Niki chuckled, “Mermaids were a popular art thing back then, usually a sign of beauty, but who knows, maybe it did have something to do with fish.” They both cringed at the thought.

“The odd changes were because they wanted to emphasise ‘allure’ with sirens back then,” She paused and winced, “Which is probably why male sirens gradually stopped appearing in art pieces."

"Ew, homophobia?" 

"More of a toxic masculinity situation." 

"Oh."

Tommy stayed silent for a moment, “But do they exist?” 

Niki shrugged, “No idea.” She hummed as she observed the shift in Tommy’s expression, “You seem particularly interested in sea creatures.”

Tommy huffed and shrugged, “Yeah, well, I lived the first half my life on the seaside, I’m bound to get curious, y’know?” 

He remembers dipping his feet into the water and sitting in shallow water, only ever eyeing the deeper waters with curious eyes. The curiosity had never left, clinging and growing alongside him. 

Niki nodded and hummed, tapping her finger onto the wooden table, “Well, since you seem to like sea cryptids that much, I’ll tell you more about them.” 

Tommy only slightly beamed at that, only slightly. 

Niki smiled softly at the younger boy’s excitement, and with one last sip of her cocoa, she continued, “You said you liked whales, right?” 

Tommy nodded. There used to be a picture book about whales that was tucked into the depths of the orphanages library, it was the only book he was ever actually interested in reading back then, too bad it disappeared one day. 

“Then you might like Ningens, cryptids that in popular belief, seem to be a species similar to them.” 

Tommy perked up at that, now that’s something he’s never heard of before, “Ningens?” 

“A funny name actually,” Niki snorted, “Despite most renditions of them being portrayed as ‘whale’ or ‘dolphin’ like creatures, their name means ‘human being’.” 

…that does sound pretty silly. 

“They’re apparently creatures that originate from the Antarctic, since the first sighting of them was there.” Niki slightly trailed off, “But there’s been rumours around the town you know…” 

“About what?” Tommy curiously leaned closer, he was still pretty surprised that these kinds of stories were ones that circulated in this town. Tommy’s few interactions with the townspeople left him with the impression that they wouldn’t be fond of the idea of cryptids existing. 

Niku hummed, “Apparently there’s been sightings of them here.” 

Call Tommy crazy, but he’s pretty sure the seaside was nowhere near the cold hell that was the Antarctic, his face skewed in confusion, “Really?”

She nodded, “Mhm, some fishermen returned from the sea and claimed they had seen one.” 

Tommy snorted, “That sounds ridiculous,” 

Niki shrugged, “You never know, we are pretty close to the Antarctic.” 

“But we’re also in Australia, it's not exactly the coolest country.” 

“We don’t know if they’re chionophile animals or not.” Niki hummed

Tommy…had no idea what that word meant, but he’s going to assume it means ‘animals that live in the cold’; which if was right, would just leave him stumped, “But you said they originated from the Antarctic?” 

“They were seen in the Antarctic, but we don’t actually know where they come from.” Niki corrected, “So there definitely is a possibility that the fishermen were telling the truth.”

Tommy would have made a snarky comment at that, but just frowned and said, “Do you believe them?”

Niki hummed, “Would you find it strange if I did?”

Tommy stared at the older for a moment and huffed, “...no.” 

She smiled, “Another interesting thing the fishermen said was that apparently,” She took another big pause, taking another sip from her cup, which Tommy was pretty sure was her way of building suspense, “The Ningen looked more human than animal.” 

“What if they just saw a mermaid?” Tommy’s brows furrow. 

Niki calmly ignored him, “They claimed that it was as large as a whale, but had a humanoid shape.” 

“So sea giants?”

She chuckled, “Maybe, you never know.” 

“What did the people who first saw them say about their looks?” Tommy tilted his head, he figured that they’d probably be the ones who could be trusted the most. 

“What the fishermen said, humanoid.” 

Tommy nodded slowly, “So sea giants. ” 

Niki once again ignored his remark, “But based on what all the other few sighting reports say, they’re more likely to be dolphin-like.” 

Tommy grumbled, “But sea giants sound cooler.”

“Cooler than whales?”

“ Way cooler.”

Niki laughed, Tommy couldn’t help but grin in return.

Their conversation would continue for an hour or more, and as time passed, Tommy just got more convinced that Niki definitely acted less like Puffy, and more like an estranged older cousin, and also that, yeah, Niki is cool. 

Maybe this day wasn’t that unlucky.

And by the time Tommy finally glanced back outside the window- 

“Looks like the rain is finally calming down.” Niki hummed

Tommy blinked, “Yeah.” 

The sky was starting to fade into a cool blue, and a select few of stars that shined the brightest had started to appear. 

“Looks like the god’s don't hate you that much.” She remarked, one that made Tommy huff. 

“Maybe.” 

———

“Be careful on your way home.” Niki escorted him out, and Tommy gave the older one a hearty grin.

“I am always careful.” There’s a reason his old unofficial middle name had ‘careful’ in it. He was amazingly cautious of everything. 

Niki huffed, “Sure.” She paused, “Wait I’ll be right back..”

Tommy couldn’t get a word in as she walked away immediately. So Tommy stood there, awkwardly shuffling around and gently swinging the plastic bag Niki had given him to hold the things he had bought. 

Thankfully, Niki had returned before the boredom could get a tight grip on Tommy, and he opened his mouth to say something but was cut off as she handed him- 

…

An umbrella . 

“Just in case it rains again.”

Tommy stood there in disbelief for a moment, “You- you had an umbrella this entire time?” He hissed. 

She leaned on her door frame, “I just…” She shrugged, “forgot about it.” 

Tommy doubts that. 

He glanced at the bakery’s door and stammered as he saw the small wooden plate, hanging on the handle with the words ‘CLOSED’ carved in cursive. So that's why it was empty. 

He turns back to her, “Do you always just wait for strangers to seek shelter in your shop so you can rant about cryptids?” 

She hums, only nudging the umbrella towards him, “Come back tomorrow, and bring your siblings with you too.” 

He huffed, “Is this a marketing tactic? Or do you just want to talk about monsters more?” He hesitantly took the umbrella from her hands as if it was some bribe of sorts.

She only gave him a smile identical to the one she had when they first met, “Get home safely.” She turned and shut the door in one swift movement. 

Tommy grumbled, "Rude." He huffed as he walked off of the mat, only giving the cafe one last glance before turning the block and walking back. 

He tried to ignore the small smile on his lips. 

It’s… strange . Not the way he expected, everyone was frankly, nice . Completely unlike the scenarios he had made in his head. 

Maybe time washed the bitterness out of the townsfolk’s mouths, maybe kindness comes with the passage of time, Tommy doesn’t know, all he knows is that despite standing in the same town road, the same misplaced bricks and flickering street lights from all those years ago; everything has changed. 

Maybe even Tommy himself. 

He grumbled at the thought. 

He stared at the signs attached to the lampost. 

So he should take a left here for the orphanage and- 

To the right would be in the direction of the beach, Tommy blinked. 

Niki hummed, “Apparently there’s been sightings of them here.”  

Tommy shook his head, that's dumb. Super dumb. 

He needs to stop thinking about this, if he really wanted to then maybe he should just do it tomorrow , when the sun isn't about to set. 

“So there definitely is a possibility that the fishermen were telling the truth.”

…surely a minute wouldn't hurt? 

He sighed, "Fucking damn it." He grumbled. 

Without so much as a second thought, Tommy gripped the umbrella and promptly turned right . 

———

Passing through the orchards, Tommy stood on shattered pavement that became buried into sand as it went on.

He bent down and slipped off of his shoes and socks, not wanting to ruin a pretty good pair of shoes with wet sand, he shoved it into the bushes and walked forward. 

He walked and walked, white sand sticking on his legs as cold air hit his skin. He took a deep breath, ignoring the way chills ran down his spin as he continued; he didn't mind them, he was just as familiar with the cold as he was with himself. 

As his legs met the shore and the waves hit his skin, he stood; content with this. 

The sound of the waves crashing on the shore filled Tommy's ears with an echoing sense of melancholy. 

The skies were tinted blue, and the air blew through his blond curls; for a moment, Tommy just stood there, umbrella and food in hand, staring as the sun set, the sky turning into an ombre of dark blues. 

Drip

Momentarily, he was snapped out of his trance, as raindrops fell onto him. He blinked, eyes widening as he glanced above him. 

Grey clouds clouded the earth, and the sky cried. 

He cursed under his breath, the sky looked well just a moment ago, he clutched the umbrella tightly and huffed. 

The umbrella expanded over him, a dark shade forming over him as the rain slowly started to descend; drops popping softly as they slipped off the canopy and collided with the ground. 

Seriously, does it always rain like this? Tommy's trip might just be cut short because of a fever if this keeps going on for the rest of the week. 

He shook his head, he should be on his way back now, the sun was already setting and- 

Tommy paused in his movements to turn, caught in his tracks and squinting as he saw a vague silhouette in the distance. 

A man was slouched up against a rock, clothes and hair fully soaked in water and seemingly apathetic to the rain that continued to slowly build up. 

Tommy bit his lip and shook his head, he should mind his own business. If someone wants to lay by the seaside and get soaked in rain water, he has no business in intervening. 

But with one glance at the angry skies above him, Tommy feels a hint of what he thinks is sympathy, strikes him down. 

Huffing, he clutched his umbrella close and hoped he wasn't about to fall victim to murder. 

The man had curly brown hair, dripping and sticking to his face; his eyes were closed and he was humming a song that reminded Tommy of the hymns Puffy would absentmindedly hum sometimes. He wore a black turtleneck, a brown coat and grey pants tightened on with a black belt. 

Tommy's brown furrowed, the man looked miserable and seemed like someone who would probably only talk to Tommy about philosophy and life stories. 

"Do you always sit in the rain depressingly like this?" 

The man blinked, glancing up at him and giving Tommy a better look of his face. His brows were furrowed and he was frowning in confusion, "Who are you?" 

Tommy huffed, "Just passin by man, wanted to make sure you weren't like- I don't know, killing yourself or something." 

The man didn't respond, seemingly taken aback. 

"So.." He kicked a stray stone into the sea, "Are you?" 

He shook his head, "Gods, no ." He sighed, glancing up into the sky, "Aren't you a child? Don't you have bedtime to catch up to?" 

Tommy glared and scowled, "Fuck off ya dickhead, I do not have bedtimes because I am not a child."

He hummed, "Wow, such foul language." He clicked his tongue, "What's your name?" 

"Why would I tell a stranger my name?" Tommy grumbled out of spite. 

He raised a brow, "Weren't you the one that approached me?" 

"Yeah, well-" He stammered, "That's cause I'm a good person." 

"Right," sarcasm practically dropped out of his words, "and would you please be so kind as to tell me your name?" 

Tommy stayed silent, face twisted in an unpleasant way, "Tell me yours first." 

"I asked you first." 

"You could be dangerous! You can't just ask minors their name." 

"So you are a child?" His face scrunched up, "and what kind of law is that? You literally talked to me first ."

Tommy sputtered, "Just tell me!" 

He huffed, lips in a thin line as he glanced back at the sea, "My name is…William." 

What a pretentious ass name. 

"Not a kid." 

William ignored him, staring at him expectantly. 

Tommy stiffened up a bit, "What?"

"Your name?" 

Oh. 

Tommy stayed silent for a moment, anxiously picking on his finger nails, "Tommy. My name's Tommy." 

" Tommy ." William hummed. 

Should he be giving strangers his name this easily? 

"That's a nice name." He leaned on the rock, glancing up at Tommy with a tilted head. 

Tommy huffed, "Yeah." Obviously. 

"Well?" He patted the wet sand next to him, "Won't you sit down?" 

Tommy blinked, he hadn't exactly planned to stay. Hell, he didn't think he'd get this far into talking with this man, "I'm not…" he pursed his lips, "I don't want to get wet." 

William huffed, "You don't have to be so scared of water." 

Tommy grit his teeth, "I am not scared of water," he glared, "I just don't want to ruin my clothes." 

William only stared at him for a moment, "Okay." He shrugged and turned away, Tommy couldn't tell if it was sarcasm or not, it only irked him more. 

"What are you even doing out here?" Tommy shifted the topic, "Out in the rain nonetheless." 

William hummed, "It's nice." 

Tommy huffed, "If 'nice' is being soaking wet with the 100% chance of getting sick, then yeah, sure mate."  

"Sick?" William looked like he wanted to laugh, "I won't get sick, you silly child." 

"For the last time, I'm not a child." Tommy snapped, "I am 17!" He glared. 

"17?" William's eyes slightly widened, "Time goes by so fast." 

"What does that mean, fucker?" Tommy's brows furrowed. 

William slightly chuckled, which made Tommy confused, he hadn't said anything funny. 

"What's that in your hands?" He tilted his head curiously and Tommy glared, he was obviously shifting topics. 

"...food." Tommy grumbled, it didn't seem like the man would talk more about his previous statements, even if he asked. 

William squinted, trying to get a better look at the bag, "What kind of food is that ?"

Tommy huffed, "The amazing kind." 

"Very helpful." 

He scowled, "It's cake," he slightly raised the bag, "And an egg tart." 

"Egg… tart ?" William's face scrunched up, "That sounds gross." 

Tommy squacked in offense, "Excuse you ! Egg tarts are fucking amazing!" 

"I disagree." William huffed, leaning away. 

"You haven't even tried it yet!" 

"Yes," William stared at the bag like it was a crime, "And I'd like to keep it that way." 

Anyone who thinks that must have a sad sad life, and Tommy being the nice person he is, will change this man's life. 

He took the small, see-through container out of the bag and shoved it into William's direction, leaning in closer for the sake of sheltering the man from the rain, the man who looked at him with a puzzled look. 

"You are…giving that to me?" He stared, dissecting and judging the tart's appearance. 

"Yes, try it." Tommy insisted, and William hesitantly took the container into both his hands, staring at it as if it was an interesting specimen. 

He popped open the lid, and carefully picked it up with one hand, "It's yellow." 

"Astute observation." Tommy rolled his eyes, "Shouldn't you wash your hands?" 

"I just got out of the sea." William huffed, "And aren't eggs… white ?" 

Tommy's face scrunched up, "Why in the world would you eat the egg's shell?" 

"...crunchy." 

God, maybe this man was worse than a serial killer. 

William took a small bite of the tart, chewing it slowly and humming thoughtfully. 

"Well..?" 

The man swallowed and paused, "I'll admit it. Maybe I was a bit wrong about this…tart." 

Tommy grinned, "Told you!" He cockily hummed, William only fondly rolled his eyes. 

While chewing, William glanced at him, "What are you doing out here so late?" 

Tommy huffed, "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" 

"You did." William blandly remarked, "I told you, It's nice." 

"It's nice." Tommy parroted, "How?" 

"An amazing view, no?" William stared, "I think it is." 

Tommy followed his gaze, and couldn't help but agree. While he much rather preffered the sun sets, he couldn't deny that the way the stormy gray clouds that momentarily kit up with bolts of lighting, had towered over the skies, "It's…pretty." 

He glanced back at William, "But it's a view I'd much rather enjoy while not being soaking wet." 

William had laughed at that, "I think it adds to the experience." 

Tommy grinned back. The man's laugh was melodious, not boisterous like his own, not a wheezy one like Tubbo's and certainly not like the quiet cackles Ranboo had. 

Tommy liked every sort of laugh, this one- he might like the sound just a bit more than the others. 

"The sun is gone now." William mumbled, a tone inexplicable, maybe even sad. 

"Yeah…" Tommy shrugged, "But we can see all of the stars now." He mumbled. 

William stayed silent at first, "Can they compare to the sun though?" 

"No, not by size at least." Tommy huffed, "But that doesn't make them any less special." 

" Special ." William parroted. 

Tommy nodded, "Special." 

William stayed silent. 

"How long are you going to sit there?" Tommy stared at him, with something that was a 100% not concern. 

"I think I ought to be on my way home." William huffed, "No point in enjoying the view, there's no view anymore." 

"I disagree." Tommy's brows furrowed, the stars were pretty, prettier than the sun even, "The stars are a far better view."

" I disagree." William shrugged, "I like the sun more than the stars." 

"Well…" Tommy stammered, "You're wrong." 

William huffed, "Sure." 

Tommy scored, whatever. 

William got up suddenly, dusting off the sand on his pants and shoulder, not like it helped, he was practically coated with sand. 

Tommy backed away, wow this man was tall, taller than Ranboo, "You're leaving?" 

William hummed, "Yeah." 

"Okay- uh, cool." Tommy cleared his throat. 

"Something wrong?" 

Tommy sputtered, "N-no!" He glared, "Just thought you were homeless." 

William scoffed, clearly offended, "I have a house." 

" Sure ." Tommy puffed his chest. 

He glared for a moment, but eventually his act devolved into a small grin, "Gremlin child." William shook his head. 

" Not a kid, asshole." Tommy huffed, hesitating for a moment, "Do you always come here?" 

William blinked,  "Oh?" He seemed puzzled, but answered anyways, "Yeah, I like watching the sun come and go." 

Tommy hummed, "Cool..." 

William nodded softly, "Cool."

——— 

"Tommy?" Tubbo's brows furrowed as the door opened, Ranboo was still sprawled on the bed, looking up from his phone in surprise. 

"Ayup." Tommy awkwardly waved from the doorstep, placing the soggy umbrella leaning on the side of the door. 

"Where have you been?" Tubbo's brows were furrowed, sitting up straight. Tommy winced, he was definitely a bit mad. 

Tommy cleared his throat, "I got…distracted." 

"That's no excuse." Tubbo huffed. 

"It's really not that big of a deal, Tubs." Tommy shook his head, Tubbo only seemed to get more irked at that. 

It really wasn't a big deal, truly. Tommy could take care of himself, and he certainly didn't appreciate the notion that he couldn't. 

He hated being looked down upon. 

"Not a big deal?" He glared, "if you were going to disappear till midnight, you could have at least told us!" 

"I didn't have my phone! And it was literally fucking raining!" 

"It stopped raining hours ago." Tubbo snapped, "Where were you?" 

Tommy's brows furrowed and he scowled, he frowned, "Tubbo-" you're being a bitch . 

"Calm down." Ranboo spoke up, causing both Tommy and Tubbo to look at him. 

He sighed, "Tubbo, Tommy's not a kid anymore, we should trust that he can take care of himself. You know how adventurous he gets, he easily loses track of time." 

"But-" Tubbo stammered. 

"And Tommy, you should have at least taken your phone with you." Ranboo sighed, "You know how easily Tubbo gets worried after.." 

"I-..." Tommy winced, right. At the reminder, guilt immediately overtakes him, stiffening. 

"Sorry." Tommy blinked, and glanced at Tubbo who looked the smallest bit guilty, "It's just that it was the dead if night and you were somewhere you've never been-" 

"I'm sorry too." Tommy blurts out cutting him off, "I uh…should've been more…" he hesitated, "... Thoughtful ."

They stayed in silence for a moment. 

"I- I bought cake..?" Tommy raised his hand, giving them a better view of the cake, "Your favorite." 

Tubbo paused for a moment, before slightly grinning, "Thanks, bossman." 

"Truce?"

Tubbo nodded, "Yeah, truce." 

Tommy slumped in relief. 

"I met a weird guy at the beach earlier." Tommy suddenly brought up. 

Ranboo blinked, "...huh?" 

"He was sitting in the rain, curled up on the sand." Tommy's brows furrowed, "His name was William, a really fucking pretentious name in my opinion." 

"Tommy…" Tubbo looked mildly worried, "You probably shouldn't approach weird strangers on the beach, alone, at night nonetheless." 

Tommy shrugged, "I could have totally taken him down! He looked like a soggy cat." 

Tubbo only looked slightly frustrated and slightly exasperated at that. 

Ranboo was still eating his cake, "Where did you get this?" He said, still chewing, "Cause- this is really good." 

"A bakery." Tommy paused, "I forgot the name, but I'll bring you two there tomorrow." He did promise Niki that after all. 

"Easily the best cake I've ever had." Tubbo hummed, satisfied. 

"Dunno, could use a bit of something extra." 

Tommy blinked, "Extra?" 

Ranboo thought for a moment, "Pasta." 

"...what?" 

"Pasta." Ranboo shrugged, "More accurately, spaghetti." 

Tubbo and Tommy shared one look of horrified worry. 

"Right…so right, bossman." Tubbo chuckled nervously. 

Tommy was still in disbelief, unable to tell Tubbo off from encouraging Ranboo's god-killing tastes. 

——— 

Tommy waved stiffly at the man, who once again, was sitting in the sand against the rock, pants soaked in the small currents that reached him. 

"You came." William blinked. 

Tommy shrugged, handing him a plastic bag, "I bought croissants this time." 

"...I'm not homeless." His brows furrowed. 

Tommy glared, "If you don't want it, I can just eat it myself-" 

"That won't be necessary." William immediately cut him off, making Tommy grin. 

William glared at him, staring at him up and down, "Why do you never wear shoes?" William's brows furrowed, staring at Tommy's bare feet that were buried in the sand. 

"I'm not gonna ruin my shoes with sand." Tommy crossed his arms. 

"You can always just wash it off?" William stared, puzzled, "I don't get you." 

"It's a hassle." Tommy sighed, "The washing machines back in the orphanage are shit. " 

"Orphanage?" 

Tommy froze, "I-" 

Shit. 

He scratched his finger and huffed, "Yeah." He tried to not wince at the obvious hesitance and slight shake in his voice. 

There was something inexplicable in his eyes, "You're an orphan?" 

Tommy shook his head, "No, not anymore." 

William slumped, only slightly, "Oh." 

Tommy frowned, what was with that tone? 

"Got a problem with me being an orphan, Will?" Tommy glared 

"What-? No! Of course not." William shook his head rapidly. 

"Good." Tommy hummed. 

"I-if you aren't an orphan anymore, why are you at the orphanage?" 

"I'm visiting." Tommy shrugged, "Volunteering to help the new batch of kids out." 

"Oh.." William's brows furrowed, "For how long?" 

Tommy paused, "Until Saturday." He hummed, "After that, I'm going back to the city." 

"5 days." William hummed, turning away slightly. 

"Yeah." Tommy shuffled uncomfortably, did he make the man upset? 

Uncomfortable with the silence, Tommy opened his mouth to say, well, anything . Maybe a joke, a random comment or even just a small jab. 

"You're doing a great thing, by the way." 

Tommy's brows raised, "...what?" 

William huffed, "The volunteering thing, that's-" he paused, "That's a really nice thing to do." 

He glanced back at Tommy with a small smile, "You're a great kid, Tommy." 

Tommy…had no idea how to respond to that. 

He ignored the way his heart warmed and he huffed, "I-" he sputtered, "Yeah- I know, I'm fucking awesome." 

William only chuckled. 

——— 

"Hi mister!" 

Tommy nearly jumped in surprise, head immediately turning to the child that had been waving at him. 

"O-oh! Uh- hi, kid." Tommy shuffled uncomfortably. Fuck, getting along with kids were not his thing, teaching? Sure, that gave him something to work with. 

Whenever he'd teach them to crochet, they'd be occupied with their things to really try and talk, and he'd only really interact with them when they needed help, that was a topic that gave Tommy an idea of what he should say. 

But he's not teaching right now, and he was really only here trying to sneak around the library for something to read. 

"What are you looking for?" The child smiled at him, and Tommy gave a small smile back. 

The kid was tan and had dark hair and eyes, his face was covered in freckles, and he was wearing a bright red hoodie. 

"Oh, uh. I'm looking for something that was…" he hesitated for a moment, "Lost a long time ago." 

That whale book, he had the urge to use it as a topic with his talk with William later. 

"A lost book?" The child tilted their head. 

Tommy nodded, "Yep." 

"The librarian always knows where lost books are!" The child hummed. 

Right, he doubts the librarian would care all that much, "I uh, don't think I should bother the librarian with this, kiddo." 

"Nonsense!" The child nearly yelled, "Karl always wants to help people!" 

Tommy blinked, Karl? Well…that's certainly not the librarian who I was familiar with. 

In his daze, the child took the opportunity to take his hand and drag him away. 

Considering Timmy was a 6 foot guy, and the child was well…a child . There really was no real force, but Tommy stumbled anyway, unable to do anything but follow the kid, because if he forcefully took his hand away; he could hurt the kid, or worse make the kid cry . 

The library was…cleaner, fuller than he remembered. 

And almost all of the books were in pristine condition, and no speck of dust could be seen, it was well decorated and no bugs were crawling anywhere. 

…maybe the new bookkeeper actually liked his job. 

They eventually reached the front desk, and there was a man standing there, curly brown hair and wearing a purple hoodie, Tommy blinked, yeah, he's definitely never seen this guy before. 

"Mister Karl!" The child called out, and the man blinked, glancing at the pair. 

"Shroud, what have I told you about yelling?" At the scold, Tommy slightly stiffened, ready to step in at any moment. 

He walked out of the counter, approaching the child, which only made Tommy flare up more.

He seemed nice, he hoped he wouldn't be proved wrong. 

"Uhhh, not to?" Shroud- which was apparently the kid's name, had tilted his head. 

Karl only sighed fondly, leaning down, "I'm glad you're enthusiastic about books, you're a really smart kid, Shroud." 

The child grinned at the praise, Karl smiled back, "But, there are other people in the library and they find it hard to focus with the noise." 

Shroud blinked, faltering, "Oh…'m sorry." 

Karl softly patted his head, "Hey, it's alright. Just make sure to try and not do it next time, yeah?" 

Shroud nodded, "Okay…!" 

Tommy only stared at the interaction with a soft and distant look, he had eased long ago, his worries comforted and made quick work of. 

Shroud turned back to him, "I got to go now, I'm sure Mister Karl will help you sir." He waved and ran off, not giving Tommy the chance to thank him. 

Tommy huffed, "He really is a ball of energy." He softly smiled

Karl huffed, "Most of the kids are." He smiled, "Can't help but love them though." 

Tommy paused at that, "Yeah.." 

Karl shook his head, "Anyways, what was that about you needing help?" 

Tommy blinked, "Oh! Yeah, I'm uh, looking for a book." He flicked his wrist, "It was lost a while ago though, so if it can't be found then-" 

Karl had seemingly disappeared, he was back behind the counter, leaning and grabbing a stack of stapled papers, all slightly charred with age. 

Tommy's eyes widened, he had only blinked for a second. 

"What was the name?" Karl hummed 

Right. The name, he frowned, "I uh- don't remember-" he paused, "It was a picture book, about whales and shi- stuff." 

Karl nodded, "What year was it lost?" 

Tommy fidgeted with his sleeve, "Probably about… 4? years ago." 

They stayed in silence for a moment, Karl flipping through the pages and pausing for a few pages before stopping entirely. 

He traced the texts with his finger and blinked at the slightly washed out ink, "Found it.." He mumbled, "By the looks of it, it was borrowed and never given back." 

Borrowed? Tommy's brows furrowed, no one had ever really payed attention to that book, who would- 

"Thomas Simons."

Tommy froze. 

"...what?" 

Karl hummed thoughtfully, "The kid borrowed it, and he probably lost it." He turned back at him with an apologetic smile, "Sorry…it doesn't seem I'll be able to help you with this." 

Tommy shook his head, "I- uh…no worries." His brows furrowed, turning away. 

Thomas Simons. Also known as Tommy. He had borrowed it. His brows furrowed, mind racking for something to graso at. 

He doesn't remember that at all. Why would he borrow a book? He had nowhere to bring it. 

He stepped out of the library, his stomach twisting in confusion. 

He glanced back at it for a second. Thinking back to that kid- to the new librarian and- 

Tommy is glad. Glad that Shroud- that every child here will grow up in the right hands. 

He shook his head, this was something to discuss with Puffy.  

——— 

"Do you like whales, Will?" 

William blinked, "Where'd that come from?" 

Tommy glared, "Answer the question." 

William huffed and shrugged, "Kind of." 

"...it's a yes or no question." 

He rolled his eyes, "Well, I say no to society's norms." 

Tommy groaned, "Just answer the question!" He whined 

William glared, "Fine, I don't like them, happy?" 

Tommy scoffed, offended, "Not at all! How could you not like whales?" 

"They're okay, but there's far much better things to like." William hummed 

"Not at all!" Tommy shook his head, incredibly distressed, "Whales are awesome , Will." 

William only stared at him, a brow raised, an expression that Tommy has learned to know meant 'continue, I'm interested.'

"They're fucking massive! And not only that, they're nice ." 

William shrugged, "Not convinced." 

"But Will !" 

"Why are you so obsessed with whales?" William's face scrunched up. 

"Cause they're literally amazing, the best animal in the world ." Tommy paused, "And probably cause I'm influenced." 

William frowned, "What whale lover has skewed your identity this much?" 

Tommy glared, "It's just because I loved reading whale books when I was younger!" 

"Shocker, you know how to read?" 

Tommy squacked, "You bitch!" He tried to lightly hit the man

William dodged the teen's hit with ease and he teased, "By the way, I'm pretty sure picture books don't count as reading, Tommy." 

Tommy glared, "Hey! I'll have you know I started reading at  an extremely young age, I'm practically an english extraordinaire!" 

———

"Where do you keep disappearing to?" 

Tommy blinked, and stared up to Niki, "Huh?" 

Niki huffs, "Your brother's tell me you run off somewhere after you come here, and don't return until after sundown." 

Tommy's eyes widened, had…he really made a routine out of this? 

Niki only stared at him, waiting for him to either tell her to back off, or explain. 

Tommy cleared his throat, "I just…made a friend." 

Niki's brows furrowed, "With the weird man you saw sitting in the rain?" 

"They told you about that too?!" 

Niki grinned, "What can I say, you can't hide anything from me." 

Tommy huffed, "Whatever." He grumbled, staying silent at Niki's stare that so obviously had a hint of concern, "Will's not a bad person." 

Niki blinked, "That's his name?" 

Tommy winced, "Well, no. William's his name." He grumbled, "He's weird but he's not a bad person." 

"I've never seen any brunette's named William around here before.." Niki dismissed. 

" Niki !" Tommy scowled. 

Niki raised her hands in defeat, "Alright, alright, I'm sorry." She sighed, "I can't help but be a bit worried." 

Tommy huffed, "I can take care of myself." 

"That won't stop me from worrying, Tommy." 

Tommy grumbled and looked away, "I know…"

Niki seemed slightly guilty, she cleared his throat, "Tubbo tells me you're looking for something you lost a long time ago." She hummed, "I can help you find it." 

Tommy sighed, "I doubt it." He rested his head on the table, "I'll probably never find it." 

"Mind at least tell me what it is?" Niki huffed and Tommy shrugged. 

"Just a book about whales." 

Niki's brows furrowed, "You don't like reading."  

Tommy flared up, "It was a picture book!" He crossed his arms, slumping on the chair, "And even though I don't like it, I can read just fine, thank you." 

"A picture book, huh?" Niki hummed, "I'll try finding it online." 

Tommy paused, "You don't…have to." 

Niki shrugged, "I want to." 

Tommy only huffed, and turned away. Niki only chuckled. 

Niki's laugh is melodious too, like William's laughs but less sharp and more soft. 

William… 

Tommy's brows furrowed. 

"Something wrong?" 

Tommy glanced up at Niki and shook his head hesitantly, "No, it's nothing." He bit his tongue. 

How did William know it was a picture book? 

——— 

Tommy sighed, leaning on the rock, sitting firmly in the sand. 

He had been a bit drained of energy, the kids were adorable, don't get him wrong, but it's hard to teach a room full of energeric little fuckers, that had been more energetic than usual (courtesy of Tubbo's small cooking class, so much sweets.), how to crochet without it being a shit show. 

"You've finally gotten over your fears of sand." William clapped, "So proud." 

Tommy scowled, "Fuck off, dick! I'm not scared of sand ." He grumbled, "And I'm just tired."

"You, out of energy? Impossible." William exaggeratedly gasped, "That's like if the sun ran out of fire." 

Tommy rolled his eyes, asshole. As he gazes away, his head roams back to the missing book. 

Maybe he'd remembered it wrong, maybe he had mentioned it before or-

Maybe he should just ask- 

"Do you know how to swim, Toms?" 

Tommy blinked, immediately snapping out of his gaze, "What?" Where'd that come from? 

William hummed, staring absentmindedly at the waves, "I dunno." He shrugged, "Just wanted to know." 

Tommy huffed, crossing his arms and curling up into himself, "Of course i-..." 

The currents were dragging him down . 

Tommy's limbs flailed, energy quickly depleting as oxygen left his lungs. 

He winced, staring into the deeper, the darker area of the ocean and grimaced, "...I don't." 

"I can teach you." William tilted his head, staring at him with his head resting on his knees. 

Tommy blinked, faltering for a moment. "I…" Can he trust William like that? Does he trust Will enough? He frowned, "Maybe not…now." 

William seemed a bit disappointed, but didn't pry any further. 

Not now. 

One day . 

He ignored the nagging in his head that told him he didn't have many days left here. 

———

Niki hummed, "There's been more reports of sightings." 

Tommy blinked, "What?" 

"The Ningnens, who else?" Niki raised a brow. 

"No- I know what you're talking about but-" Tommy winced, "I've been going to the beach everyday, I think I'd notice if there was a giant ass whale in the waters." 

Niki huffed, "Well, you've only ever been on shore."

Tommy paused, good point, "I'm still not convinced." 

Niki lazily rested her head on the table and hummed, "Alright." 

Seriously , he wasn't. 

——— 

It was Friday. 

Time passes…quick. 

Tommy gave the kid a small grin, "This is awesome, Shroud." He patted the kid's head, "You did a great job, big man." 

Shroud brightened up, staring at Tommy in a way that made his heart clench, "Thank you, big brother!" 

Tommy grinned, "Keep up the good work, yeah?" 

He nodded, "I will!" He grinned, "I'll even surpass you one day." 

Tommy dramatically gasped, "Really now?" 

Shroud giggled, "Yeah!" 

"That's one hell of a commitment, bossman." Tommy chuckled, "Well, looks like you're gonna have to learn faster then." 

Shroud puffed his chest and nodded, running away while giggling. 

Tommy only fondly stared as the kid ran to catch up with his friends as they played in the rain. 

"It's like you've made a mini you." Tubbo commented from behind him, watching the interaction with a big grin. 

Tommy only rolled his eyes, "So have you!" He huffed, "Michael literally talks exactly like you, it's uncanny."

Ranboo chuckled, "Smart kid." He hummed, "...I'll miss them." 

"Imagine going soft. Cringe." Tubbo teased 

"I saw you cry when Michael gave you those cookies Tubbo, don't lie." Tommy remarked. 

Tubbo scoffed in offense, "Can you blame me?!" 

Ranboo huffed, "We're all a bit attached." 

"A bit ." Tommy raised a brow, "Ranboo, I don't think you know the definition of 'a bit'." 

"...they call me big brother ." Ranboo sniffled 

Tommy sighed and shook his head. 

"I'll miss Niki's tarts." He mourned.

Tubbo nodded, "Nothing back home could even start to compare." 

They glanced at each other for a moment and winced at the expressions in each other's faces. 

"So…" Ranboo drawled out, "We're definitely coming back, right?" 

Tubbo hesitated for a moment, dangling his feet on the chair and shrugging, "It's inevitable." 

Tommy opened his mouth to saying something- 

"Tommy!" 

Tommy blinked, head turning to face who called him. 

"Karl?" 

Ranboo blinked, "Who's that?" 

Tubbo whispered, "The librarian." 

Tommy didn't pay them any mind, and instead approached the man who had a book in his hands, Karl smiled, "You know that book you were looking for?" 

Tommy's brows furrowed as Karl nudged the flat book to him, he blinked as he took it into his hands. It looked well kept, a few old stains here and there but nothing major enough. 

Why would- 

"Can I borrow this?" Tommy spoke frro the counter, hands nervously twitching as he slid the book to the librarian who looked at him with a bothered look. 

The librarian stared between him and the book for a moment and grunted, "Whale kid." He mumbled under his breath, "Name?" 

"Tommy-" 

"Real name." 

Tommy winced, "Th-thomas, Thomas Simons." 

The librarian clicked his tongue, loosely writing something on the record and grumbling, "Alright, scram." 

Tommy's eyes widened, grip on the book tightening. 

"-practically a miracle." Karl hummed and Tommy flinched, staring up at him. 

"I-im sorry, who returned this?" 

Karl blinked, "Oh!" He paused for a moment, "He said his name was William, but on paper, he wrote-" 

Tommy blinked, huddled against a rock. 

"Who are you?" He tilted his head. 

The abnormally tall man tilted his head in an uncanny way, bright button eyes staring at him, "You are?" 

Tommy pouted, "I asked first, mister." 

The man didn't answer and Tommy grunted, "Fine! Tommy. My name's Tommy." 

"Tommy." 

The name was light on the man's tongue, Tommy had never heard his name spoken like that before. It was the right pronunciation, all the right vowels but a different…tone . 

He'd never heard his name sound so nice before. 

The creature widened his lips, like an imitation to a smile. 

"I am Wilbur." 

"Wilbur." Tommy blurted under his breath. 

Karl blinked, "Did you know him?" He hummed, "Well, yeah, the name he wrote was Wilbur Soot."

Tommy's brain ran, racked for answer of any kind, and the only one he could come to was to- 

"Tommy?!" Tubbo yelped as the boy suddenly took one glance at them and ran for the door. 

"I'll be back!" Tommy yelled, and he was gone in a blink of an eye. 

Ranboo's brows furrowed, "He didn't even bring an umbrella." He sighed and turned to the librarian, "...sorry about that." 

Karl shook his head and chuckled, "Oh it's alright, I had a feeling that would happen." 

Ranboo and Tubbo shared one glance and shrugged, simultaneously confused but not willing to pry further. 

——— 

Tommy breathed heavily as he ran along the shore, not bothering to care about the way his shoes became soaked by the small currents. 

Fuck, fuck . 

He can't remember- not fully, but he grasped something. A thread, a small string that lead him to- 

"Will!" Tommy yelled out, glancing across the beach, frustration building up. 

"Fuck, why break your routine now out of all days?" He mumbled under his breath, it was about the time that William would arrive, sitting in the same spot and watching the sun; like a fucking loser. 

There was no sun right now, not one in sight. The sky was covered in a stormy grey, a grey full of thunder and pouring rain. 

Tommy had spent only another few minutes  cluelessly roaming through the beaches and waiting before snapping and running out of the small patience he had. 

The waves crashed loudly onto the shores, the sea's looked aggressive and the currents shifted. 

Tommy's brows furrowed, taking another step deeper into the waters, half of his body had already been submerged into the sea. 

Wilbur had told him to be careful, to not attempt this by himself, but Wilbur wasn't here right now and Tommy had a feeling that this was the only way he could get Wilbur to be here. 

He took a shaky breath while neck deep into the water, he wanted to see-  

Tommy almost stumbled, taking shaky steps into the water, wincing as his body hit the cold, unforgiving water. He trembled at the cold. 

Just- just a bit more . 

He was far from the shore now, having to stand at the tip of his toes to get his nose out of water. 

He wants to remember- he needs to remember. 

The currents shoved him down, Tommy wasn't able to bring himself back up. He was far from the shore now, the currents shoving him into the deeper waters, one he could not reach. 

Tommy flailed, panicking as he only winced further, fuck. Fuck. 

Not here, not now, not for a very long time.

He refused to die here- if not, he refused to die in silence. 

Between the memories, Tommy could barely recognize being grabbed by the waves and being pulled down . 

He was too deep into his head, barely present enough to even realize that he was drowning, let alone aware enough to pull himself out . 

He tried to heaven as more water filled his lungs, his limbs felt unusable and Tommy was starting to drift off. 

He tried to call out, but he could barely form thoughts anymore. 

Tommy's head hurts . 

He couldn't tell how deep he was in, all he knew was that the light seemed so far, too far away. 

Tommy couldn't hold on to the thought of dying very long, hell he couldn't think. 

His mind was blank, blank as something swam over him, blocking out the little light from the surface. 

If Tommy wasn't out of breath already, he surely was now. 

His eyes were wide, and they stung as he stared face to face with- 

With something akin to what Tommy thinks is a whale.

His body was slowly sinking, the thought didn't even come to his head. 

The whale was…translucent? A wispy light blue that blended in with the deep waters with lines of white Tommy could barely make out as bones. 

White, blank eyes stared down at him, Tommy felt the sense get knocked out of him. 

Pretty. 

The creature…whatever it was, it was pretty. 

Two hands wrapped around Tommy's waist, an action so familiar, Tommy would have laughed. 

In a seeming blink of an eye, the whale was gone, and the next thing Tommy saw was someone swimming towards him. 

He was being pulled up, being pressed to someone's chest. 

The light was getting closer. 

"Tommy!" 

Tommy gasped as he was pulled up the waves, shivering as he only just realized how cold it was. 

He was being pressed to Wilbur's chest, Wilbur who's brows were furrowed and lips were pulled down into a distressed frown. 

It was the most expressive face he's ever seen the man make. 

"Wil?" Tommy stuttered 

"-hat the hell were you thinking?!" William yelled, clearly in distress as he pulled Tommy closer, cupping his cheeks. 

Tommy- wasn't quite there yet. 

"Yes, it's me you stupid child." Wilbur hissed at him, Tommy wasn't nearly alive enough to jab back. 

"Just what went through your mind?!" Wilbur glared, "I told you to not try this alone, you could have drowned! You fucking-" 

"You- you came…" Tommy mumbled  

Tommy's head hurt , the current and past events crashing into one another. 

"Will.." He mumbled, the man only staring at him and shaking his head. 

"Christ, you humans need to keep to your habitat." He grumbled. 

"Of course I would!" Wilbur hissed, "That doesn't mean I like that I did, that was really fucking stupid- what you did." 

William- Wilbur? Looked different, Tommy couldn't pinpoint it, everything was far too blurry for him to be able to process things right. 

But he knew there was something- something different about him right now. 

"Are you back with me?" William mumbled, setting him down on the sand, Tommy blinked absentmindedly. 

"I-.." Tommy trailed off. 

William huffed, "Guess not." 

"What is this?" 

Tommy shuffled uncomfortably, nudging the book towards the man. 

Wilbur stared at it, puzzled, "A book?" 

"Obviously." Tommy grumbled. 

"...a gift." Wilbur's eyes slightly widened at the realization, and he gently took the book into his hands. 

"You…are you going to come back?" 

"Me?" Wilbur huffed, "Of course, I have to check up on this town once in a while, gotta make sure you haven't burned it down yet." He smiled at Tommy who only gave a small grin back. 

"Well, you have to come back." Tommy crossed his arms, "It's my favorite book." 

Wilbur nodded, "You're right." 

"If you don't, you- you'd be a dick." 

Wilbur chuckled, "Yes, yes, how could I dare."

Tommy meekly nodded, quietly kicking the sand. 

"Tommy?" 

"You promise you'll come back?" He whispered. 

"Tommy?" William's brows furrowed. 

Tommy stayed silent for a moment, "You dick." 

William winced, "I-" 

William looked different, his skin was pale, and slightly blue. He was abnormally tall, and he had patches of skin that seemed to look off . 

Most importantly his eyes, white beady eyes stared at him with guilt. 

He was humanoid, that much was obvious, but compared to the form he took when he met him as William, other than the new features, there was something just not quite right. 

Something inhuman. 

"I promise." The tall, lanky man had kneeled down, tucking a stray piece of hair behind his ear. He pet Tommy's golden curls and huffed, "I promise I'll come back." 

"I should have put you on a time limit." Tommy mumbled. 

William blinked, eyes widening and stiffening, "You-" 

Tommy hummed, staring as the gears in the cryptid's head turned. 

"Tommy?" William mumbled, ever so quiet, and so, so , hesitant. 

"Wilbur." Tommy huffed, smiling at the man. 

Wilbur stuttered, "You remember ." His words were so fragile , the cryptid's words were always stern, always so confident but now- 

It felt like if Tommy had muttered one wrong word, his words would come crashing down, Tommy grinned, "Hell yeah," he hummed, "Did ya think I'd let you off the hook?" He shook his head, "I missed my book, you dick." 

" Tommy ." Wilbur repeated reverently. 

Tommy grumbled, "Yes. Hi Wilbur. You can stop gawking now." 

The next thing he knew, he was pulled into the man's arms, pressed against his chest. Tommy blinked. 

"You got better at hugs." He offhandedly commented, leaning into the hug. 

"Shut up, child." Wilbur hissed, "I'm having a moment." 

"Cringe." Tommy blandly remarked. 

Wilbur didn't respond, clearly ignoring him. 

Tommy hummed into the embrace, softening, "I missed you, whaleshit." 

Wilbur huffed, "That would have been heartwarming, if you didn't have to curse me out at the end." 

"Usually you respond with a 'I missed you too', you ass-" 

"Gremlin." Wilbur sighed, "I missed you too." 

Tommy hummed, "Of course you did, clingy bitch." 

"You said it first -!" 

"Delusions."