Through the Deep, Dark Valley

Wishing Well

It's been three days. Three days of ignoring knocks at his door. Three days of covering his ears to block out the concerned words of his new roommates. Three days of staying locked away only kept company by his cow and the stars. It's been a long three days, but after crying, sleeping, and eating what little food he still had in his bag from when he left Dream, Tommy decided he was somewhat ready to face the world again.

Opening his door quietly, Tommy walked through the factory with only his socks, a torn hoodie, and a pair of sweats keeping him from the cold of the floor. He could hear voices coming from the main area, and he clutched Harold closer. Ignoring the anxiety that was pooling in his stomach, Tommy entered. He ignored the others as he made himself comfortable on the couch, only looking up Bitzel crouched in front of him. "Hey, Theo. How're ya feeling?"

Tommy bit his lip, looking away and fighting back tears. "'M sad, but it's fine..."

He saw Luke shake his head from out of the corner of his eye. "Sure, it's okay to be sad, but is there any way we can help you feel better?"

He remembered his arm, his leg, and his ribs. He had been putting a lot of stress on them recently, so maybe they could help him there? It would also show if they were medically competent or if he would need to read a shit ton of medical books. "I-I, uh, my arm, and my leg and ribs..."

Bitzel hesitantly rested a hand on Tommy's knee. "What's wrong with them? Are they okay?"

Tommy shook his head, pulling up his left sleeve and left pant leg to show the dark bruises and the small bump of a bone sticking out. Bitzel gagged softly, bringing his hand back in shock. Wisp came around the couch quickly, trading places with Bitzel. "Shit, Theo! When were you gonna tell us?!"

"I wasn't..."

Wisp froze at that, and Tommy let some of his tears fall. "I was scared... I didn' wanna bother you guys more than I have..."

Deo shook his head as he sat to Tommy's right. "Theo, Theseus, we wouldn't get upset with you because you got hurt. We wanna help you. I- we understand that you were scared when we found you, and we aren't angry at all that you kept it from us. But-" Deo brought his hand up to cup Tommy's cheek, brushing a few tears away and turning the blond to face him. "-I can say that we are very proud of you for coming to us now. It means a lot, and we are very happy that you trust us enough to help you."

Tommy sniffled, burying his face in Deo's hands as Wisp began to move his leg forward and his arm out. "Hey, Theo? I'm gonna try and heal you now. Is that okay?"

Tommy nodded slowly, and Deo brought the blond into his chest. Deo proceeded to pet Tommy's hair gently as Wisp began the process of healing. It felt like hours before the brunette was done, but it happened soon enough.

"I-I'm sor-ry." Tommy hiccupped softly.

Deo shushed him, bringing Tommy into his lap and rocking him gently. "It's okay, Theo. You're safe now. We won't let anyone hurt you, okay?"

As Tommy began to cry, the blond buried his face into the crook of Deo's neck. He hadn't been held like this since his mother had left, and he wasn't going to let this opportunity pass now that he had it. He felt the couch dip a little more as the others gathered around, getting comfortable in their places before he felt another hand in his hair, a hand on his leg, and a hand on his back. Peeking to see who was doing what, he saw Wisp at his back, Bitzel by his legs, and Luke behind Deo. Said brunette looked down and into Tommy's wet eyes. "We're here for you, kid. We'll be here for as long as you want us to be."

Tommy buried his face once more as Deo wrapped his arms around his small body. He hears them begin to talk above him, but he feels too tired to even want to understand them. He feels two people get up, their hands leaving him, causing Tommy to let out a soft whine of protest and lean further into Deo. He felt Deo's chuckle through his chest, and he relaced even further into the warmth after a blanket was placed on him.

"Hey, Theo, do you think you can open your eyes for me?"

With a grumble, he complied. With his eyes now open, Tommy saw some of the bags that they had gotten from their shopping trip a few days ago. "Wha's tha'?"

Bitzel snickered softly as he pushed one of the bags towards Tommy. "They're gifts."

Looking at the bags, Tommy furrowed his brows. "Wha' for? I haven' done anthin'."

Deo moved Tommy so that he was face forward, his back to Deo's chest. "Think of them as... 'welcome to the group' gifts. Sound good?"

Tommy nodded slowly as he took the bag Bitzel had given him. As he moved the tissue paper out of the way, the blond couldn't help but gasp softly. Inside was a few notebooks that had space designs on the covers. He had been looking at them when they went into a crafts shop, and he guessed this was the thing Bitzel had bought when he had snuck off on his own. To go with the notebooks, there were a few pens that had similar designs on the bodies. As he read the box of pens, he noted that each had a different color of ink, so he could use that to his advantage.

He looked up at Bitzel with a grin. "Thank you, big man."

Placing the gifts back in the bag gently, he looked up. Wisp was the next to push a bag towards him, and he took it without any complaints. Inside was three new hoodies. Tommy gasped louder than before as he took a deep blue hoodie out of the small pile. He ran his fingers over the fabric, practically purring over how soft it was. "You can put one on now if you'd like!"

Tommy looked at Wisp with a small grin before he nodded. Slipping off his old hoodie, silently cheering over the fact he had put on an undershirt that morning, he put the pink one on instead. Tommy sank into the soft fabric, sighing as he continuously rubbed his fingers over his sleeves. The blond opened his eyes with a smile, thanking Wisp for the hoodies before he placed the bag next to Bitzels.

Luke then pushed a decent-sized box towards Tommy with a grin. Using one of his nails, the blond managed to cut the tape on each side before opening the box. Inside was a small box with a phone on the front, and the rest of the box was filled with small nicknacks and art supplies. Taking the phone box out, he opened it slowly. After seeing that there really was a phone in there, Tommy felt the need to start crying again.

Sniffling softly, Tommy wiped his eyes on his sleeve, relishing in the comforting touch Deo provided. "Tha-Thank you, Luke..."

Luke grinned as Tommy placed the box with the bags. Deo was the last to bring out his gift. It was a small bag, smaller than Bitzels, and Tommy couldn't help but be slightly confused. Deo moved himself to sit next to Tommy, most likely so the brunette could see his face, and he couldn't help but get just a tad bit nervous.

Opening the bag, Tommy expected to see a spider or something that was supposed to scare him, but instead, he was met with black and white fur.

It was a plush cow.

Tommy could hear Deo talking, but he couldn't hear the words. He could feel his tears begin to fall as he took the cow out of the bag, holding it in front of his chest. It looked so much like Harold, and yet it still looked so different. Tommy sniffled as he brought the cow plush to his chest, hugging it tightly. The talking stopped before a hand came to wipe his tears away.

"Do you... Do you like it, Tommy?"

The child nodded quickly. "I love-I love him."

Looking up, he could see the others with tears in their eyes as well, and he couldn't help but laugh lightly. Looking down at Harold and his new cow, Tommy felt happy. He felt safe. And so Tommy curled into Deo's side, a smile on his lips as the others whined for his affection.

"I think I'll name him... Harvey."