Work Text:
Crack.
Tommy froze in place at the ugly sound, his heart dropping into his shoes. In front of him sat a multicolored mechanical toy dragon, now missing its head. He shakily picked up the snarling dragon's face and pressed it back into the neck, but it didn't reconnect.
“No, no no no!” He tried once more to reattach it, but his fears were confirmed when a few small gears clattered to the floor from his efforts. The ball joint allowing the dragon’s head to be switched out was in pieces.
It was broken. He broke Shepherd’s dragon.
The guilt rising in Tommy’s stomach made him feel sick. This wasn’t just any toy, it was one of Shepherd’s prized possessions! When the Barovians had arrived at Yona, one of the first things Shepherd did to unpack was place the dragon and a small music box onto a high shelf in his room, giving Tommy a stern warning that they weren’t to be touched.
Tommy had a few toys of his own, classic Blinski trinkets that had been gifted to him and the other children by Ireena. Shepherd had promised that Tommy would get other toys, ones besides the few he brought from Barovia, which Shepherd seemed to find creepy. Tommy wasn’t sure why Shepherd disliked his old Blinski toys, but if his favorite cowboy (guardian? father figure?) didn’t like them, then Tommy didn’t either!
Except… helping the other Barovians make homes and settle in kept Shepherd and the Doc too busy for toy making, and playing with a stick in the dirt got old pretty fast. Tommy had been bored, and boredom made it harder and harder to ignore the world’s best and coolest toy sitting just out of reach.
So one thing led to another, and Tommy spent half-an-hour joyfully stomping around Shepherd’s bedroom, razing an imaginary city to the ground. He was still careful as he played, not switching out any of the dragon’s colorful parts or using its real fire. When the sound of hoofbeats and familiar voices drew near, however, caution went out the window. If Shepherd saw him playing with the dragon, he’d be furious! He would… he would… Tommy wasn’t sure what he would do, but it couldn’t be good. Back with his parents, any misbehavior got him sent to bed without dinner at best, and at worst… Tommy shuddered at the memory of his parents' backs turned to him as Morgantha dragged him towards her cart.
Even during the long and stressful journey from Barovia to Yona, Shepherd hadn’t ever been mad at Tommy. Any mischief he got into was met with a fondly exasperated look and a barely scolding lecture. Tommy didn’t know how Shepherd would react to disobedience, but he didn’t want to risk finding out.
To get the toy from the top shelf in Shepherd's room, Tommy had placed Shepherd’s desk chair on top of his bed and had slowly eased the dragon off of its perch, taking every precaution he could to not drop it.
Hearing people approaching, he panicked. Tommy had rushed to the bed and climbed with reckless abandon, teetering back and forth on the chair as he reached out for the top shelf.
He missed.
His hand had grasped at empty air for a moment before the chair tilted out from under him, sending Tommy and the dragon toy sprawling to the floor. Tommy had cried out when he hit the ground, head bouncing off the floorboards and something in his wrist shifting painfully. His pain was almost forgotten, however, when he heard the crack of the toy hitting the floor.
So there he was sitting, a red dragon head with a perpetual snarl in his trembling hands, when familiar footsteps pounded through the house.
“Tommy! Tommy, are ya alright?! I heard a crash–”
Shepherd’s concerned shout trailed off as he careened through the doorway of the room. Tommy kept his eyes fixed on the ground, even as Shepherd’s boots stepped into his sight.
“What…” Shepherd knelt down and reached for the pieces of the toy. Tommy dropped the piece in his hands like it was burning him and scooted backwards, curling in on himself. He couldn’t bear to look Shepherd in the eyes.
Shepherd inspected the broken joint on the dragon’s neck. He then set the pieces carefully and deliberately on the floor and took off his hat to run a hand through his hair. “Tommy,” he began slowly, “ what did I tell you about this toy?”
“Not to touch it…” Tommy mumbled, unable to meet Shepherd’s eyes.
“That’s right. So, can you please tell me why it’s in pieces right now?”
His words were stilted with poorly disguised anger, and Tommy felt the guilt in his stomach turn to fear. This was it, the other shoe had finally dropped. He almost wished Shepherd would just start yelling already and get it over with.
“Gimme an answer, Tommy.” He could tell Shepherd was on the verge of losing his temper, but he couldn’t find his voice to respond.
Tommy had known deep down that his new life in Avantris was too good to be true. What was going to happen to him now that Shepherd knew he was a total screw up? Would he be locked in his room? Beat? Kicked out entirely? He felt a cold shiver run up his back at the last thought.
A cruel voice echoing in the back of his mind cackled. Maybe you’ll be sent back where you belong! You can join your siblings like you deserve to…
Shepherd inhaled sharply through his nose and set his hat on the floor. “Alright Tommy, here’s what we’re gonna do...”
He’s going to send you back. No, no, no. He couldn’t go back there, NEVER.
Unwilling to hear what was coming next, Tommy bolted. He darted around his mentor and through the bedroom door.
“Woah, hey, HEY! TOMMY!” Shepherd’s startled shout echoed in the hallway behind him. Tears began to blur his vision as he slammed through the back door of the house. He had to run away. Maybe he’d find a place to hide with the other Barovian villagers, maybe he’d become a bandit wandering through the desert. Maybe he’d curl up under the burning sun and cry until he turned into a tumbleweed. Anything except go back to Barovia, back to the hags.
Tommy’s vagabond plans were cut short, however, when he tripped over his own feet and tumbled down the back step. He landed in a heap in the dirt, the pain in his wrist increasing tenfold.
As fast footfalls approached behind him, Tommy started to cry in earnest.
“TOMMY! Oh my gods,” Shepherd cursed as he burst out of the house, “Tommy, are you alright?!”
As Shepherd reached out for him, Tommy jerked away with a sob. “Please don’t send me back!” He cried. “I didn’t mean to break it, I promise, please don’t make me go back!”
His head hurt, his eyes and chest ached from crying, his wrist was burning with pain. Everything was just too much. “I can’t go back, I can’t, I can’t…” he whimpered.
“Tommy…” Shepherd’s voice was almost a whisper, “You think I’m gonna…”
He trailed off for a moment.
“Tommy.” There was a rustle of fabric as he knelt down next to the crying boy. “I will never send you away. Not anywhere, and sure as hell not back to Barovia. I swear on my life, you won’t ever have to see that place again if ya don’t wanna.”
A gentle hand brushed against Tommy’s shoulder. He took in a shuddering breath and looked up, seeing Shepherd’s dark eyes shining as he opened his arms.
“C’mere, buddy.”
Tommy slowly sat up, trying to brush away his tears, only to start crying anew as Shepherd drew him into a hug. It was awkwardly positioned with Tommy’s arms wrapped around his own chest and both of them kneeling on the ground, yet he had never felt safer.
“I’m sorry I scared ya. I would never, ever do that to you, Tommy. Never . It’s true that the dragon is important to me, but it’s just…” Shepherd took a deep breath. “It’s just a toy, Tommy. It means a lot, but you are a thousand times more valuable than some sentimental trinket. You hear me, son? It’s alright, you’re alright.”
Shepherd brushed a hand over Tommy’s hair as his tears slowly subsided. Pulling away slightly, Tommy scrubbed a hand against his eyes and said shakily, “I know that it is just a toy, but… it was still important to you, and I’m really really really sorry that I broke it.”
“I know bud, I know. Here’s what we’re gonna do, okay? Let’s go inside, clean ya up, and we’ll bring the toy to the Doc. If anyone can fix Blinski’s fuc– uh, freakin’ weird contraptions, I bet he can.”
He gently pulled them up to stand. Tommy winced as his arm was jostled, and Shepherd paused, just now seeing his swollen wrist. His face twisted with concern and guilt.
“Aw hells, kid. Ya don’t do anything by halves, do ya?”
Suddenly, Shepherd was gathering Tommy up in his arms and stood, carrying him back towards the house. Tommy buried his face into Shepherd’s poncho and sniffled. “I love you, Shepherd,” he mumbled.
Shepherd paused as they ascended the steps, and he held Tommy a little tighter to his chest. “I love you too, kid,” he said softly.