Let me level with you man, as someone guilty of the game

3. Questions, Comments, Concerns

Tommy was getting antsy.

Dream had banned him from going on patrol by himself, and everyone else was just too busy to go out with him. Sighing, Tommy flopped back on his bed, throwing an arm over his eyes to block out the bright lights overhead. 

Tommy was bored. 

And if he couldn’t patrol, there was only one other thing Tommy could logically do.

“Hey Niki!” Tommy called, pushing open the cafe door with a grin. Niki looked up from behind the counter, smiling in confusion.

“Tommy? You’re not working until later I thought.”

Tommy just shrugged, setting his backpack down and hopping over the counter, quickly busying himself with the coffee machine. 

“Meh, I have nothing to do so I figured I’d come in early. You don’t have to pay me extra, don’t worry.”

Niki looked like she wanted to argue, but she just nodded, giving him a smile before turning back to the register to ring up the next customer. 

“I’m actually glad you’re here,” Niki said after a moment, handing Tommy a cup for an order before turning to rearrange the baked goods shelf. “Ranboo was supposed to be working right now, but he called in sick, so I had to come in.”

Tommy frowned, filling the new cup with coffee and adding some creamer. 

“Sick? I didn’t think Ranboo could get sick.”

“Weird, I know,” Niki said with a laugh, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. “But it’s Ranboo. He wouldn’t call in sick if he was sure he couldn’t actually come in.”

Tommy nodded, though something felt off. Ranboo truly was never sick. Tommy wondered distantly if something was seriously wrong. Surely either he or Tubbo would let Tommy know if something had happened though. Right?

“Tommy,” NIki said slowly, looking slightly guilty as she turned to look at him. “I hate to ask, but do you think you could hold down the cafe for the rest of the day? I had some pretty important plans that I had to flake on because of Ranboo calling in sick. I know it’s a lot to ask…”

Tommy waved her off, smiling confidently. “No no, don’t worry! I got this. Go do your thing.”

Niki sighed in relief, giving Tommy a grateful smile. She quickly slung her bag over her shoulder, hurrying out the front door of the cafe, the bell chiming behind her. Tommy fell into his normal work routine, any previous worries and questions about Ranboo disappearing in the business of the cafe. 

“Hello, welcome in, what can I- oh, it's you.”

Wilbur smirked, leaning against the counter and raising an eyebrow at Tommy. Tommy resisted the urge to smack him.

“Tommy, right?” Wilbur asked, even though Tommy could tell he already knew he was right. Tommy ignored him in favor of finishing someone’s order, calling out a name and watching out of the corner of his eye as Wilbur deflated slightly, his smile dropping.

“Now, what can I get for you?” Tommy said with a sigh, giving Wilbur a purposefully fake smile. Wilbur smiled back, the expression not reaching his eyes at all.

“Black coffee, no milk no sugar.”

Tommy sighed In defeat, quickly writing the order on a cup before turning back to Wilbur.

“Name?”

Wilbur blinked. “You know my name.”

Tommy just stared back at him. “Name?”