Neutrality Order (TomBoo)

N.E. - Chapter 11

The train ride back to Musutafu in the morning was full of silence and almost heavy calmness. It was Sunday so the trains were much less crowded than they usually were, which Tommy appreciated.

He replayed the night before over and over in his mind, one long muddled moment of emotions coming to a head, kissing, touching, giving, and taking. They didn't last the full nine hours, too mentally and emotionally exhausted, but Ranboo had taken care to put his finger-gloves on before falling asleep, holding onto him possessively with his hand reaching around to lightly curl around Tommy's neck.

Waking up and getting dressed was silent and solemn, neither saying much of anything. It wasn't out of regret or embarrassment, Tommy knew; they had their own factions to return to and duties to uphold. This was a temporary cease-fire at best.

But this time, neither of them were being pulled away from the other. They were leaving on their own terms now, with a lot more maturity than even Tommy himself was surprised to have, considering everything he'd done just to TALK with Ranboo again.

Ranboo said nothing about joining him again. They felt their roles were established by now, which was how Tommy preferred it. The look in Ranboo's eyes still spoke of what he meant before.

"You will always have a place at my side."

He knew Ranboo meant it.

They walked to the train station together, and Tommy bought them both coffee while he waited for his train. Ranboo didn't mention how he would be getting back to his own team, and Tommy didn't ask. When his train came, he impulsively grabbed Ranboo's hand and squeezed it tightly, making the same promise back to him without saying it, and left, just as it began to lightly rain again like some sad moment in a cliche rom-com.

Tommy didn't feel sad, though. He didn't feel the urge to call or text Ranboo just after leaving.

It wasn't satisfaction, per se, but more like a concrete knowing that all of his hard work finding him again hadn't been in vain.

He got off the train and went into the bathroom to change out of his disguise, instead putting on shorts, running shoes, and a t-shirt along with some ankle weights, and stuffed everything else into his backpack before running all the way home. He'd left his mother a note last night in case she woke up before he was home, telling her he'd gone out on an early run. Not showering before he left Jaku City and running back from the train station would give it credibility.

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Kristin was making coffee when he came in, looking relieved that he was okay. "Did you have a nice run?" she asked.

"Safe and sound, in view of heroes," he fibbed, rolling his shoulders before easing the backpack off; it wasn't the first time he'd run with backpack weights, so he wasn't concerned about her asking about it. "I'm gonna take a shower before I head back to UA."

Kristin nodded, watching him go into his room before pouring herself some coffee. Despite him being in good spirits, what with that atrocious failure of obtaining a work-study (Aizawa had to grab her car keys midway through her levitating them to her to go give Nighteye a piece of her mind after he told her). According to him, Tommy had been insulted or hurt enough to leave the building for some mental peace, and THEN happened to run into a yakuza villain.

It gave her no small amount of relief to hear that Tommy had turned down the re-offered work-study and in turn a sting operation to the same yakuza group. Aizawa told her that Tommy put his readiness into his hands, to which she was extremely grateful for. Aizawa seemed to be one of the only ones there that had a lick of common sense, she thought.