☁︎︎❥𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲, 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘁|⌫ - 𝘗𝘦𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘜

Alone, at the edge of a universe, but not quite alone

General POV:

Tommy and Allister lay in their makeshift bed on the roof, huddled together under covers beneath boundless stars. Allister had pulled Tommy next to her and tucked her face into his hair.

Tommy breathed in the sweet smell of her jasmine shampoo and allowed himself to be relaxed. "Hey Allie?" He whispered.

"Mhm?" She hummed.

"Can you sing for me?"

"Sure, Tommy." Allister chuckled, sitting up and pulling him with her. The two re-adjusted the blankets so they could watch the stars and the ocean meet, yet not freeze.

"What's a song.. I learned this one from TikTok." She laughed. Tommy let out a soft giggle.

"Time is an illusion that makes things make sense." She sang in her head voice sweetly. Tommy felt as if the world slowed down and waited for her to be done, to let her sing without pause.

"So we're always living in the present tense." The stars seemed to close down around them, leaving just Tommy and Allister and the soft sound of the ocean.

"It seems unforgiving, when a good thing ends." Allister turned her head towards Tommy softly, still gazing out at the beautiful scenery. "But you and I will always be back then."

"That was beautiful." Tommy murmured.

"Stop, I'll cry."

"Sing more."

Allister giggled and thought for a minute. "You know, Miracle Musical has always been one of my favorite artists. Their work always resonates with me and I don't know why. On that note, this one's called Dream Sweet in Sea Major. I sound like a band director."

Tommy chuckled and allowed himself to lean against Allister, so he'd feel the melodic hum coming from her throat as she sang.

"Alone, at the edge of a universe, humming a tune. Or merely dreaming we were snow.." she started. "A siren sounds, like the goddess who promises endless apologies of paradise, and only she can make it right. So things are different tonight."

Allister cut herself off and began to hum a slow tune, in place of the interlude the actual song provides. She turned her head to look at Tommy. He looked back, and saw a playful smile on her face. Allister cut the interlude, grabbing his hand and singing "We'll go together in flight."

She pulled him up and dragged him in through the window, down past where Toby and Ranboo were chatting in the kitchen and to the door, shouting a "Tommy and I are going on a walk!"

Toby looked at Ranboo. "A walk, she says."

Tommy broke the trance of the two walking and Allister humming another interlude by asking where they were going.

"It's now or never," she sang. "A reverie endeavor. Awaits somnambulant directives to take the helm!"

"That isn't much an answer, Allie. We have to go on an endeavor now?"

Allister nodded. The two arrived at the beach.

"Believe me darling," Allister gestured to the sea of stars above them, twinkling brightly in all their glory, in a broad motion. "The stars were made for falling! Like melting obelisks as tall as another realm!"

The reverberation as Allister sang 'Realm' almost gave Tommy chills. The ominous yet poetic song sounded beautiful to him.

She began to sing in another language Tommy didn't understand, yet he was entranced by it. Allister spun around gracelessly in the sand, clearly enjoying herself greatly.

"It feels like flying," Allister looked to him, extending her hand. "But maybe, we're dying. A cosmic confluence of pyramids hologrammed."

Tommy chuckled at her nonsensical poetic words, taking her hand. She pulled him in and the two began to dance as the moon smiled upon them.

The air was filled with laughter. "She knows you heard her, staging music murder, in line before the show began to be where I am!"

She went back to humming, Tommy spinning her. She drew her shoulders up, stepping closer to him and allowing his back to fall onto her arm, before pulling him back up. Tommy sucked in a breath of fear.

"You think I'd let you fall?" Allister laughed.

"Yes, actually!" Tommy exclaimed.

"You look quite divine tonight," Allister tapped Tommy's nose. "Her beneath these vibrant stars." She altered the lyrics. "Pure delights fill us as we," she chuckled. "Balter, to dance gracelessly but with enjoyment, signed, yours truly, Allister."

The two broke into laughter, collapsing on each other, finally ending Allister's fit of singing.

"Your singing is nice when it's not a joke!" Tommy managed through his laughter.

"Thank you, Tomathy."

"No! Allie no!"

*^*

Allister allowed her body to stay awake as Tommy's breathing slowed. The late birds of the night chirped at each other in harmony, and all laid in peace. Somewhere in their time zone, a clock showed 12:17 am. She and Tommy had danced on the beach for an hour, laughing and enjoying themselves.

She sighed, allowing her thoughts to creep and crawl around her head, swimming together like catfish fighting for a bread crumb. Yet one won, like it always did.

Did Allister like Tommy?

She knew the answer to the question, but she hadn't let herself to come to terms with it yet. People who were just 'friends' didn't dance together holding hands late at night on a beach. People who were just 'friends' didn't sleep in a makeshift bed on a roof together every night. People who were just 'friends' didn't have to resist the urge to just hug each other and shower each other with affection until they drowned in it.

People who were just 'friends,' didn't reimagine their futures together.

Allister always labeled Tommy as 'Friend (?)' in her mind, like a swirling black cloud that hung over his head in her memories and her imagination.

In her imagination, she saw a small little house with floral decorations and the constant smell of vanilla, or home made cooking. She saw herself, some few years in the future, petting a cat while some food she hadn't determined yet lay baking in the oven.

She was content, and she would die that way. That's what she always imagined.

But now, in her dreams, she new it was a birthday cake in the oven, and she new the house was a bit bigger, to fit more people. And she knew Juliet was sitting at the counter, and Ranboo was sprawled on the couch, and Toby was asleep in his room, and Tommy was sitting at a kitchen table with a nice white table cloth leaning back in his chair, begging Allister to talk to him, because it was his birthday.

And she walked over and kissed his forehead, and told him no, she had to ice the cake.

They weren't married, no, and she wasn't even sure they were dating, because shadowing his face, were the words:

'Friend (?)'

And she knew what that question mark meant, and she knew that her mind was going to block her from clearing that until she was sure she was ready for it.

Allister didn't know when she was ready, but for now, she could agree that Tommy wasn't just a 'friend', but a 'friend (?)' would suffice.