Leather Liberation// Thomas Hewitt x reader

chapter 19: The caged Bird sings

Y/n pushes the eggs around her plate, stomach threatening to jump out of her throat and into her lap.

"Are we really doing this, Charlie?" Luda asks, wiping tears from her face.

"What, you want to sit around and wait for the cops to find us? We gotta leave by tonight. " Hoyt says through a mouthful of food.

"I'm gonna miss this place. . ." She sighs, tracing a boney finger across the wood of the dining table.

"Have you even talked to Roy and them yet, Charlie?" Monty asks.

"Of course I have! They have enough room for us up there north."

Y/n catches Thomas staring at her. While he keeps looking, her eyes drop back down to her plate.

Once everyone's done eating,  they all head to their rooms to finish packing,  a grim mood falling upon them.  Y/n does the dishes one last time.

Thomas sneaks up, hugging her from behind. She gives him a weak smile, before turning back to the plate in her hand. He grunts, grabbing the plate from her.

"What, Thomas?"

He sets the plate down, grabbing her arms and leading her upstairs to their room.

"It's not like I have anything to pack, Tommy. There's no rush."

He dismisses her with a grunt, pulling her into the room. Two black suitcases sit on the bed. One, she notices, is already packed with clothes.

Thomas reaches over to the bed side table, grabbing Anne of green gables and sets it inside the suitcase.

Y/n steps up to it, noticing the pretty white frills.

"Where did these come from?"

Thomas gestures to Luda's door. She nods, taking them out to examine them. Pretty sun dresses, some flowy tank tops, summer clothes. It's a little cold for them now, but she makes a mental note to thank Luda.

If she even has time.

At the very bottom of the suitcase is a pair of brown leather gloves.

"What about these, Thomas?" She asks, raising the gloves for him to see.

He points to himself. She smiles softly, pulling them on. Remarkably, they're a perfect fit on her misshapen hands.

"Did you make these yourself?"

Thomas nods.

"They're great." She flexes her hands, enjoying the new feeling. Her other ones had shrunken from the rain and wet morning dew, not to mention stained in Thomas's blood from the night before.

She puts all the clothes back in the suitcase, along with her sowing kit and book.

Thomas grabs her shoulders softly, bringing her in for a hug. She rests her head on his chest, sighing.

Was he giving her all of this stuff to make her feel better about leaving? If so, it only made her feel guilty. Nothing would make her want to leave Poth with them.

Thomas had to understand that.

"Thomas, I love all of this, but I can't leave."

He loosens his grip, pulling away to look her in the face. She reaches up and runs a hand through his messy curls.

"I love you. I really do. But I can't leave Poth. You have to realize that."

His brows furrow, his hands tightening around her arms.