Chapter Text
A normal, overly sunny day in Foreign Terrain. It’s not special, it really isn’t. Today’s landscape is located in the fields of floral. Normally, on days like these, T3P always announces a new tea party, to which a few people would be invited to, but today they didn’t. Maybe they have better things to do.
Aether was nowhere in sight, as always, probably just.. doing their background stuff. Fern, the newbie, was still getting used to their new environment after just being in the forest area for the first few weeks. But, finally, the others also got to find out why Aether was barely present those weeks, so.. that’s nice. And Fern is also really nice, even if communicating with them can be difficult.
BFC, like the idiot he is, is just sitting in the flowers and- hey, that’s not idiotic behavior! Why is he just sitting there, eyes closed?? Eh, no need to worry about that, she’s weird anyway, isn’t she?
Getor was, surprisingly, sitting next to BFC, watching videos on their shared laptop. Shared media is really weird here. Most people have to share, while one person doesn’t. Obviously, that person is Tomato. The reason? Not important enough to question, apparently.
Mrghgh was currently being interviewed by Telly. They were still chained up and felt a bit restricted. Telly seemed to purposefully stand way too far away from them so they couldn’t properly mumble into the microphone. It’s questionable, for sure. Telly can really be a rude one, can’t she?
Pyt was just… sitting on one of the benches, probably processing some code or whatever they do. They were just sitting there quietly, and that’s all that’s important. Though, who really knows what’s going on in their cold mind?
And of course, Pixxie was just posting lots and lots of selfies on her social media accounts, with status updates, and all.
And.. Tomato? Oh, right. They sat at their little shop booth, just waiting for something interesting to happen. She was weirdly tired. She doesn’t even know HOW she was tired! After all, none of them NEED sleep. Maybe he was just.. exhausted? Exhausted about all the thoughts floating through his clouded head? Yeah, that’s probably it.
They scrolled and scrolled on their phone, desperate to find something that could even slightly perk their interest. Everything on TikTok these days is just stuff they can’t even debate with. Wow, the people outside sure have interesting views on their own world. But luckily, their FYP finally landed on stuff like animation memes again. She finds things like these really impressive and fun to watch.
It's not a new thing for a day to be boring, but it’s been happening a lot more often lately. Nobody really notices, because they always have something new to do by themselves. But those people also don’t care about the ones that just seem happy all the time. The ones that look like they don’t care about what they do, as long as it’s something. And that’s what Tomato is. Except…
Anytime someone would even just go near him, his expression changes from tired to remotely happy, turning his phone off in an instant, as if he could have had nothing better to do than just standing in this stupid booth.
But, sometimes, even Tomato’s FYP gets them bored, like just right now. So, they put down their phone and just gazed upon the sky. The clouds moved slowly. All of them were one of a kind. Well, until they looped the movements.
About 5 minutes of thoughtless glaring and careless resting, Tomato sees something in their field of view. A tall figure. She flinched slightly, diverting her glance to the figure. Tomato’s posture was a lot stiffer, until it wasn’t.
“Oh, it’s just you.” She sighed, resting her shoulders again at the sight of Aether standing next to her booth.
“My apologies, Tomato.” Aether replied calmly, their voice as soothing as it always was and hopefully will be. They stepped closer to the front of the shop, folding their wings. “I did not mean to startle you.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Tomato added, steadying their stance once more.
“How is your shop doing?” Aether smiled. That smile is so.. er.. weird. Yeah, they probably mean it genuinely, but if you don’t exactly show your eyes, don’t smile so creepily.
“Well, the only daily customer is still you.” Tomato shrugged. “And BFC, occasionally.”
“Interesting… Well-“ Aether started, hands behind their back.
Tomato cut them off. “Yeah, yeah, don’t worry, you’re getting your little rose.” Tomato huffed slightly and turned around, facing the shelves in their booth. In the corner lied a little bag of flowers, specifically red, thorny roses.
“Hey, Aether? Why don’t you just take them? You’re the only one, besides me, that can access this area. So why ask?” Tomato asked halfheartedly. She carefully grabbed a rose, hissing silently at the sharp pain she felt as one of the thorns prickled into her skin.
Aether didn’t answer, they just stood there silently.
“Great, feeling superior today, Aether?” Tomato chuckled softly, trying to not get annoyed and to keep up their happy attitude as they turned around to face Aether again.
“I…” Aether hesitated. “Just give me the rose, mortal.” They didn’t sound angry, or annoyed, just a tiny bit impatient, while still being gentle.
But Great. That STUPID nickname again. What does it even mean?? Yes, everyone knows that Aether is immortal and all, but they also said that nobody here can die, so what is this? A threat??
“Fine, buddy.” Tomato grinned, but Aether knew it wasn’t genuine. They gently took the rose and clutched it to their chest.
“Thank you…” Aether bowed lightly, then turned around. Just as they were about to teleport away, they opened up their wings and looked over their shoulder, slightly gazing back at Tomato. “I appreciate it, Tomato.” And gone they were.
Tomato’s smile almost vanished instantly. They were tired of Aether and their idiotic responses. But deep inside, they can’t help but wonder about some things involving Aether. Especially this rose thing.. Mostly because if it wasn’t for the newbie, which it obviously isn’t, who could it be for? They STILL go and grab their daily roses. But for who?
Just as they started to deeply think about it, a certain someone who literally just sat in-between flowers, slid over. Tomato flinched once again. TWO TIMES already today, wow. But she can’t say that’s the high score.
“Heyyyy, Tomatoo….” BFC chuckled softly, leaned on the front of the booth and swinging back and forth with his upper body. Tomato rolled their eyes rather playfully, a smile still plastered on their face. “Great timing you have, huh?” They spoke.
“Hey, a pro gamer ALWAYS has great timing, dear.” BFC winked, leaning forward after the nickname. Tomato pushed her away with a genuine eyeroll this time. “Wow, you really can’t be serious for just a second, can you?”
BFC just shrugs, then finally sits down on the booth’s front counter and starts to kick her legs. “Hehe… anywayyy… What was that whole thing with Aether about? Don’t tell me you’re in love with them.” BFC gagged sarcastically before Tomato visibly cringed.
“Don’t accuse me of that EVER again.” Tomato laughed densely, while BFC raised their arms in innocence.
“Hey, calm down, weather… person!! I was just kidding.” They replied, a few chuckles escaping their throat. Tomato sighed longingly.
“Mhm.. Well, Aether buys a stupid rose EVERY day and…” Tomato went on about some stuff for about 30 seconds until he realized that BFC was not even remotely listening to what he was saying. “Obviously not for Fer- Dude, are you even listening??” He snapped.
BFC flinched, and almost fell inside the shop booth, but the barrier saved them from that fall. “Woops!! Guess I wasn’t.” They reached out to boop Tomato’s nose gently, maybe even expecting a little squeaking noise… like that one plushie in FNAF Ultimate Custom Night.
“Wow, you’re an idio-“ Tomato started, but got cut off immediately by the other. “Hey, maybe Aether is somebody’s secret admirer, but we don’t even know the person they’re admiring?”
“Pfftt.. yeah right as i- wait. BFC. That’s actually genius.” Tomato laughed in sarcasm.
“Yeah, I know, right?? Anyway, I gotta go beat up the fucking knight now, chat.” BFC nudged Tomato’s shoulder, he hopped off the counter and rushed back to his spot. Tomato watched the short scene as the other pushed Getor away from their shared laptop to play.. whatever kind of game he wanted to play. That sure got a small chuckle out of Tomato.
“I guess the rose person will remain a mystery for now.” She muttered to herself as she shortly glanced back down at her phone. TikTok? Nah, too repetitive. She sighed and finally stepped out of her booth. It’s getting late anyway, right? Maybe she should just socialize.
It was about.. 8PM? Everyone was sitting at the little picnic tables, but everyone refused to actually brunch with T3P. Fern was standing alone beside one of the tables, Mrghgh was just chilling under a tree nearby, somehow not chained to their little tombstone (Fern still doesn’t understand why they have to be locked up), PYT was now tapping away on their laptop, while Telly would complain and complain as to why SHE can’t have the laptop for a bit.
Getor was somehow already asleep, even though Aether told everyone to stay up later than usually. Pixxie was bored and a little bit impatient, after getting her phone taken away by Aether. Apparently ‘screen time’ is a thing now too!! But NEVER for Tomato, huh?? Yeah, maybe THAT’S a topic for tonight’s tell n’ talk! (Or that’s what Pixxie thought.)
BFC was, surprisingly, NOT yapping to Tomato again. He was, just like before, just staring up at some of the trees around them. There weren’t many trees, but the few that there were in the floral field, oh they’re beautiful. Cherry blossom trees, as pink as in some photos. To just sit under one of those with a close friend.. could be perfe- BFC!! What are you thinking?? You can’t just think that!! Tomato doesn’t even like you.
Talking about Tomato, they were sitting next to BFC. They know they’re tired, and want to lean against her, but.. that’d be a little weird, right? Tomato just yawned and got out their phone. Pixxie instantly gasped, still feeling insulted. After all, Aether told her that it’s “Too late to use your phone, Pixxie.”. So CLEARLY there’s some favoritism here.
After a few more minutes of boredom, Aether appeared, a little more down than usual.
“Hello, everyone!” They still kept up their stupid smile. Everyone turned to them other than Tomato. Genuinely? Aether didn’t care if Tomato would listen or not. As long as she doesn’t ignore her own duties or interrupt anything, there’s no problem in the order of this world.
“HEY, AETHER!!!” Pixxie whined slightly, shouting over at them. Aether flinched a tad bit. “..Yes, Pixxie?” But… they kept calm when responding.
“H0W C0ME T0MAT0 CAN USE HER PH0NE BUT 1 CAN’T???” She shouted. “I WAS STILL WANTING TO UPDATE THE BL0G…”
“…” Aether just sighed. After getting mentioned, Tomato also looked up, raising a slight eyebrow.
“Pixxie, there’s a diff-“ Aether started. But, somehow, they instantly shut up instead.
“Ah, well… let’s just stay calm, everyone, and talk about the week. It is specifically special because we’ve got a new person here. I think.. all of you should know Fern so far, right?” Aether smiled gently. They unfolded their wings and gesture to Fern, who lit up a bit. Tomato could’ve sworn they saw Aether’s eyes for a second.. It’s been a loooong time since that happened.
Pixxie sighed slightly, and leaned back, not really caring about that. They’ll just have to live with that, though. Tomato turned off their phone and looked over at Fern. They remember the first time they saw them. Fern seemed so unknowing and innocent, but after the events of that day… they’ve changed drastically. And Tomato knows that Aether also noticed that.
“Yeah, no, I’m leaving.” Getor somehow woke up like 3 minutes ago, and is now just walking away.
“No, you are not, Getor.” Aether said calmly. But, sadly, that didn’t stop him at all. “Well, yeah I AM, Aether. You’re too much of a nice one to stop me from going away anyway..” Getor muttered, still wandering away. But.. Aether sure as hell wasn’t having a great day.
“I said NO, YOU’RE NOT.” Their wings flared up as they turned towards Getor. Getor flinched, and so did a few of the others, especially Tomato. That was unexpected, especially from Aether. They haven’t lashed out like THAT since… Nevermind.
Getor sighed and complied. “Okay…” He crossed his arms and sat back down on one of the benches. Coincidentally, they sat down right next to Tomato. Tomato turned to them and leaned closer.
“You okay..?” She whispered calmly. Getor huffed and nodded. “Don’t worry, I’m not that sensitive.” He whispered back a bit coldly.
“Wow, sorry for asking, big guy.” Tomato’s warm tone disappeared, and their gaze moved back to Aether. “Why so moody today, Aether?”
“…” Aether didn’t even look Tomato’s way, purely choosing to ignore him. Aand that was the sign for Tomato to stop talking instantly. Silence is the worst response to receive in a situation like this.
“Well, as I was saying, we have to properly welcome Fern into our little Terrain! Alright, everyone says some things and……..”
For about an hour or two, everyone said some things about the areas, their experiences, examples of hanging out, etc. Tomato also said a lot of stuff in their usual happy demeanor. Almost everyone forgot how Aether was acting up earlier. Almost. The two that didn’t were obviously Getor and Tomato. Who would’ve guessed?
But only one of them would actually have the guts to talk up about it. But that one is tired as hell. So, after the meeting, Tomato instantly left to go their little shack after saying good night to everybody.
She wandered through the flowers, flattening some blades of grass with her shoes. She couldn’t even look up. If she did, she’d just feel even more derealization as she already would.
After a few minutes, she arrived at her cabin. Tomato went inside and directly slumped onto her bed.
Fuck. He forgot his phone at the picnic tables. Tomato let out a looong sigh, standing up slowly before they heard a knock on the shack’s door.
“Come in.” Obviously, Tomato expected it to be BFC. The same guy who’d come over occasionally when having nightmares, or whenever Baja wouldn’t stop shutting up. God, she’s (BFC) annoying as hell. But maybe Tomato likes that? TOMATO. NO. Not CORRECT!! He’s too much of an idiot to like you anyway.
But… of course… it couldn’t be someone that Tomato would actually fully expect. The way the door opened by itself oh so gently, Tomato already knew who it was.
“Hello, Aether…” She sighed, sitting back down. What she didn’t expect was Aether having her phone in their hand.
“You forgot this, Tomato.” They calmly dropped the phone next to Tomato. Something was off about their posture. Their wings were folded, and they seemed… sad? SAD?! Tomato, what are you thinking? Aether would never be sad.
“Uhh.. thanks.” Tomato grabbed her phone and looked back up at Aether. She wanted to just send them out of her shack, but there was somehow still some empathy for them in her soul.
Tomato sighed. “What’s wrong.”
“What?” Aether tried to smile. “Either way, Tomato… I’m going to leave now. I will see you tomorrow.” Tomato hesitated, but let Aether go. Almost.
“Aether.” Tomato sneered, almost a little annoyed at the fact that Aether was upset like THIS. Seeing them annoyed or mad isn’t as bad as seeing them SAD. Tomato didn’t even know Aether could feel something like sadness. It just doesn’t feel right.
Aether didn’t take another step forward. Their wings spread. “Tomato. I will be leaving.”
“My goodness, stop it with the fancy talk and just tell me what happened, you idiot!!” Tomato stood up. Okayyy… that was risky. And Aether knew that. But… they just sighed.
“I’m sorry, Tomato.”
What. Sorry?? Sorry for WHAT?!
“I don’t want to talk about this. I may have lied. I may have been wrong. But I know one thing.” Aether looked back at Tomato, who was just confused.
“I was never fully alone before.”
And they were gone.
Tomato slumped back onto their bed, not knowing what to think of this. Maybe.. maybe she should just go to sleep and see what happens tomorrow.