Vengeance - Thomas Hewitt x reader

Chapter 3. Birthday

Thomas eyed my arm closely before looking at me. As much as he appreciated my help, he was also concerned. 'It's fine. Don't worry about it.' I waved my hand and flashed him a smile. 'Ey, uhm... you know it's August, right?' He nodded slowly. 'It's the 24th.' He shrugged and looked down at the couch. 'It's your birthday.' He barely responded. I slid off the couch. 'I got you some presents, though.' His eyes widened. He pointed at the bag I was holding. I handed it to him. He pointed at the presents before pointing at himself. 'Yeah, this is all for you.' He picked one up. I bought all kinds of stuff. I knew his love for making masks, so I got him some sewing equipment but also a notebook. He's really creative. He embraced me tightly. 'No problem.' I just made his day. 'I also have something else for you.' I got off the couch and grabbed the pie I had made. 'This is your favourite according to your mom.' He nodded and jumped a little in excitement. I giggled and sat down.

We ate the cake together and played tons of board games until my mom got home. 'Thomas, happy birthday.' Thomas smiled. 'You're having a good day so far?' He nodded and pointed at me. My mom hummed and embraced me. 'I spoke to your mother; she's okay if you stay here for dinner. We wanted to eat pizza.' Thomas jumped a little and nodded rapidly. Thomas grabbed his new notebook and wrote something down before showing me. 'I never celebrated my birthday like this... thank you.' I smiled and waved my hand. 'Of course, you're my best friend.'

'You got a beautiful mask there, Thomas. Did you make it yourself?' He nodded proudly. 'You're very talented, huh?' I saw him blush a little. 'He's very talented, mom! You should see his other masks. He showed me how he made them last week.' My mother sat down at the table. 'Really?' I nodded and looked at Thomas. He shyly looked at his feet. I smiled and gently nudged him. I really don't understand how people can be so mean. He's so sweet and loving.

The next day, he ran up to me when I entered the schoolyard. 'Thomas!' I chirped. We embraced. 'Oh, look... the freak show.' Mitchell snarled. I narrowed my eyes at him. 'Leave him alone! I am not afraid of you,' I snapped. Mitchell approached and shove me into the ground. 'Oops.' Thomas glared and helped me back up on my feet. 'Really pathetic... both of you but you, in particular, Hewitt.' Mitchell jabbed his finger in the centre of the smaller boy's chest. 'Oh, piss off! Cry in the corner of something.' I waved my hand. I grabbed Thomas's hand and dragged him with me. 'One day you're bigger, Thomas. They won't hurt you ever again after that,' I muttered. He nodded slowly.

We sat down in the classroom. Mitchell kept an eye on me. It probably made me feel uncomfortable. I really tried to stand up for Thomas and protect him. He didn't really have a voice, and he was vulnerable if he was alone. I didn't want him to be in pain. I gave Mitchell my middle finger before focussing back on my work. Thomas nudged me, cocking his head to the side. 'Idiot is keeping an eye on me...' I muttered. Thomas sighed, looking down at the table. 'Don't worry... I will make sure he won't hurt you again.' His mask lifted as he cracked a small smile.

After school, we headed towards Thomas's place. 'Blake, dear...' Luda smiled and brushed some strands from my face. 'Hello, Mrs Hewitt.' I smiled. 'Oh, please... you can call me Luda,' she replied, closing the door. I took off my coat. 'It was really kind of you to think about his birthday and give him all those presents.' I smiled, looking at Thomas. 'Yeah... I like birthdays.' I didn't know what else to comment on that. I reached for my backpack and took out a box. 'My mom made pie.' I offered it, Luda. 'Oh, thank you, dear. Thank your mom for me.' I nodded. My mom always made pie for the Hewitts, and Luda often returned the favour. My mom and Luda became pretty close.

Thomas and I ran upstairs to hang out in his room. He was working on a new mask. 'Looks good, Tommy.' He nodded excitedly. I pointed at the ground. 'Is that blood?' He looked away. 'Tommy?' he reached for his notebook and wrote something down before turning. 'Charlie found my face ugly, so he cut off some pieces. He said I didn't need to look pretty to start working in the slaughterhouse eventually.' My eyes widened. 'What?' I forced him to sit down. 'Show me your face.' It was a demand. I had seen it once a few weeks back. Thomas shook his head. 'I mean it... show me your face.' I untied the ropes and slowly took off the muzzle. It was one big, bloody mess. I was horrified. I slid off his bed and walked up to the bathroom, grabbing a wet cloth. 'Doesn't this hurt?' He looked away again. I shook my head and sat down, gently wiping the blood away from the nasty cuts. Charlie had done a sloppy job. Some pieces of flesh were still hanging down or not properly cut.

He must be in pain. There's no doubt about that. I really cared for him. Seeing this made me so angry. 'Stay still.' I made my way back downstairs and grabbed my backpack before heading back upstairs. 'I have some stuff with me...' I opened up my bag. I kept some first aid stuff in my back, just in case. Thomas watched me grab some things. The first thing I needed to do was disinfect everything. 'Lay down.' Thomas obeyed. 'Do you trust me? It can sting a little bit, but it will get better.' He nodded. I sat down beside him and gently disinfected his skin and wounds. 'This is a suture strip... It will help grow the skin back together. I did some research online. On your skin disease and how to treat it... or how to keep it under control,' I said. Thomas cocked his head to the side.

I applied the suture strips and cleaned his mask. 'Alright... that looks better. I have these... I take them when I am in pain, but only two in six hours, alright?' He took the paracetamol from me and nodded. He grabbed his notebook. 'Thank you.' I nodded and grabbed my back before sitting crossed-legged on his back. 'This is cream that will hydrate your skin, keep it all nice and smooth. It makes sure your skin doesn't dry out. It will help against the cracks in your skin. If you use this every day, the pain will go away, and this...' I grabbed another bottle from my back. 'This is for extra care... It's all plant-based, but it smoothes the pain.' I handed him the products. He looked at it for a moment. He teared up. 'No, I didn't mean for you to get upset... I only wanted to help–' he grabbed his notebook. I appreciate your help, and you're the first one who has been so kind to me. I smiled and hugged him. 'Of course... anytime.'