Tommyinnit Oneshots

Wishing You Were Sober

Part two of Cigarette Burns on My Heart
Recap of that: Tommy developed a smoking habit after Wilbur's death, and continues to smoke while living with Wilbur in their shack. Wilbur doesn't care, Ranboo and Tubbo are upset by this, and everyone in Las Nevadas is aware, saddened but unknowing what to do

The smoke wasn't a dark color. It was a lighter gray than the smoke from a fire or explosions. It seemed to be thinner, too. It wasn't suffocating so much as it made the air Tommy breathed taste different. The smoke dissipated in the air quickly. It faded into the night sky without ever touching the stars. Tommy reached one hand into the smoke to play with the line drawn into the air like a pencil.

Someone was sitting beside Tommy. They had their legs spread out on the ground as they leaned against the outside wall of Wilbur's house on top of a chest. Tommy didn't remember what was in that chest. It could have been half spoiled food or mutilated flowers. The person sitting on the chest didn't care what was inside it either. They probably assumed it was something that wasn't important enough to be placed inside but worth keeping all the same. Tommy knew it wasn't. Nothing about Wilbur's house was important. It was filled with things that should be thrown out, things that were living longer than they really should.

"I'm worried about you," Foolish said with a sigh as he watched Tommy blow out another puff of smoke. Tommy ran a hand through his hair. It wasn't the first time Tommy had heard that. For some reason, Tommy made people worry a lot. Tommy wasn't oblivious to the pitiful looks he received when somebody saw his wounds, his cigarettes, or when he would get the trembly hands in a plains biome. Tommy had been told those words by almost everyone in Las Nevadas, from the key players to the villagers. Tommy had varying reactions. The most common would be to roll his eyes, but he would glare sharply at specific people like Quackity and Tubbo.

"I'm serious, Tommy. It's not even the smoking. It isn't good for your health, but this is one of the better options for an outlet," Foolish continued as he kept staring intently at Tommy. The blonde kept his gaze steady at the city across the lake. It reminded Tommy of a train wreck. It was illuminated in neon, but that was just fire on rubble in Tommy's eyes. People were ruining their social, love, or physical lives. Tommy shouldn't have been the person that needed concern. Quackity was a hypocrite, Tommy noted with another long drawl of smoke in his lungs.

"Tommy... I haven't been around for long. I don't know as much as I should about this world. But I know that Wilbur isn't good for you. I believe in second chances. I don't think that Wilbur is pure evil. There is redemption for him. That doesn't mean that you and him should be together. You don't work together. You aren't... you bring out the worst in each other. He makes you a violent, codependent mess that doesn't have any other purpose than to please. You make him into an egotistical, manipulative maniac that has lost all sanity," Foolish said with wild gestures that were meant to explain something that his words couldn't. Tommy registered the words, at least. Tommy knew that his relationship with Wilbur wasn't the best. It didn't help how awful his mental state was, but Tommy didn't see himself as a people pleaser or codependent as Foolish argued. He went out of his way to annoy people. Tommy had destroyed every good thing he had in his life, and most of the time it was his fault. The destruction of L'Manberg and Wilbur's initial death were inadvertently his fault. Dream manipulating him was probably the one that that had been ruined that wasn't his fault. That time when Ranboo disliked him, Techno, Phil, Sam, Jack, Niki, Connor, and so many other people had been Tommy's doing. He failed to be the person they wanted. He did things he shouldn't have, or maybe he didn't do things that he really should have done. Whatever the case, Tommy wasn't naive enough not to take responsibility.

"I can't watch this, Tommy. You are killing your soul. You are destroying your mentality until you will be nothing more than a... non hostile mob. You'll wander this world without purpose or emotion until you are eventually slain," Foolish said. Tommy wouldn't look at the humanoid totem, but he could hear the tears breaking through his voice. Tommy felt a remorse encircle his heart like a snake choking its prey. Was Foolish trying to make Tommy feel guilty for hanging around Wilbur? It wasn't like Wilbur was as bad as everyone thought he would be. Even Tommy was expecting much worse. Wilbur had a weird infatuation with Dream and rivalry bordering romantic tension (that part was in Tommy's head) with Quackity, but Wilbur didn't seem eager to create or destroy a country. It had been disheartening when Wilbur admitted that L'Manberg was a mere stepping stone for something greater, that this unfinished symphony he had permanently died for and Tommy had sacrificed the most important things to himself for, wasn't anything more than a project. Tommy felt righteous anger and resentment when Wilbur said that, but otherwise Wilbur was fine. The two of them weren't exactly happy but they weren't at each other's throats like Tommy was with most people.

"I don't know how to help. I don't know if I should. Maybe you were meant to be like this. Maybe you were destined to be miserable," Foolish said with a wet laugh. Those words reminded Tommy of a story that Techno had told him. Techno had regaled many a tale, but the one that he hammered into Tommy's head was of Theseus. He was a hero who had been in the favor of the gods. He had slain he Minotaur, and discovered that the blood of kings was in him. Theseus, in some myths including the one Techno had told him, was betrayed by Lycomedes, king of Skyros, who had been his friend after Theseus lost popularity in Athens. Heroes didn't get good endings, Techno had warned. Heracles had lost his family because Hera cursed him with madness. Achilles had his closest companion ripped away from him. Hector had been dishonored in death, and Paris had his brother taken from him and his people killed because Zeus had cursed him with making the choice between three goddesses. Perseus had been foolish enough to look into Gorgon's eyes when he had grown old. Bellerophon was cursed to wander the Earth for his hubris. All these great heroes had gotten the short end of the stick. Tommy never considered himself a hero even though Dream was definitely a villain. Still, Tommy would never die happily. Foolish was right.

"No... I'm going to help. I thought you were a stubborn, childish gremlin that didn't believe in consequences or responsibilities. You proved me wrong. Your story proves that wrong, but so does the words you told me. Tommy, you told me never to give up on people. I'm not giving up on you. We'll get through this... one way or another. I won't let you die."