Changing With The Tides (A TommyInnit Au)

Chapter Two: Familiar Faces

Although Tommy considered himself a mentally stable boy, he knew that around others, that carefree, easygoing mental state was very easily and quickly broken. He had some pretty severe trust issues from previous abusive foster homes, and his ADHD acted up whenever he was around others. He found it hard to eat when people watched him, partially as a result of a foster home that forced him to eat leftovers until he felt sick every night. He also found that his panic attacks would start up whenever he was around others, most likely because of his newfound social anxiety. Two years ago, if you had asked Tommy to go up to someone in the street and dance with them, he would have done it in a heartbeat, just for the fun of it. Now, if someone so much as spoke a word to him in public, he would start to feel very claustrophobic and nervous. Despite all these problems, Tommy found that he wasn't as broken as everyone thought he was. He understood that others only saw his broken side since they could never see or feel what he felt when he was alone. This in itself was a problem, because certain people would take it upon themselves to "fix" Tommy, who knew he didn't need to be fixed. This led to some of his worst houses, as the people thought Tommy was being ungrateful for not taking their stupid advice to heart. Tommy was yanked out of his thoughts by the sound of the door creaking open, then two pairs of footsteps entering the room. Tommy had gotten surprisingly good at observing things since he had been sent to the orphanage, and he could immediately tell that there was a woman and a man entering the room. The woman was on his left, the man on his right, and he was surprised to hear no aggression whatsoever in neither the man's nor the woman's steps. Still facing the opposite way, Tommy strained his nose, but the normal smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke was not present in the air. Huh. Surprising. These people were either truly looking to adopt, or they were doing a damn good job of acting like it. Slowly, Tommy turned around to face the couple.Tommy's bluish-grey eyes observed the people in front of him cynically. He really wished he had thought to grab his identifier glasses before he was whisked into this room, though with one glance at the two, he was sure he didn't need them. The man was a dirty blonde. He had bright blue eyes and a kind smile, though his face quickly morphed into shock at the sight of Tommy. Ignoring the man, he turned to the woman. She had dark brown hair and wore an almost identical expression to the man beside her. Tommy more than recognized the two. In fact, at one point, he had been best friends with them. Long ago, his fans would call the man that was seated in front of him Dadza, and the woman Mumza. They used to be so close, close enough that he looked up to the man like a father figure. But now, so much has changed. As much as he wanted things to go back to the way they used to be, they simply couldn't. Tommy was different now, more calculating, quieter, smarter. He didn't flinch at pain, his loyalty unwavering from those who truly deserved it. Not only that, his mental state around others caused worry, which was something he certainly didn't need from these people. So instead of running to the man like he probably should have, instead of smiling, or laughing, or crying with happiness, he sat there, face blank, watching the two, waiting for them to make a move. Cool, calculating, strong. He observed. And soon enough, they made their move.

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Phil and Kristen had thought about adopting a teenager for a long time now. They wanted a child, but they wanted one that could stay home alone, who could take care of themselves when their crazy schedules didn't exactly line up. They didn't really have enough time to properly take care of a young child, so teenagers it was. They also wanted a kid that needed a family to get what they deserved, and now was the perfect time to do it. As a group, several members of the Dream Smp had decided to move in together. Or rather, move in next to each other. The members had worked together to find a spot for all of their houses to be next to one another. That meant collabs would be easier and they could all see each other in everyday life. Not everyone was moving there right away, some people wouldn't be moving there for a couple years, but for now, a core starting group had been established. Dream, George, and Sapnap would all be living together in the Dream Team house, though they wouldn't move in until later on. Techno, Wilbur, Phil, and Kristen would live together in the Sleepy Boys Inc. house. Finally, Purpled, Hannah, Tubbo and Ranboo would live together in the Tubnet house. And Phil and Kristen's foster kid would be coming with them. Of course, it was met with a bit of backlash from Techno and Wilbur, who were a little hesitant to be living with a complete stranger. But it had already been decided. Phil and Kristen were adopting. Tubbo and Ranboo were elated at the thought of a new friend, and Phil and Kristen were very excited to invite the newest member of their family to live with and meet their friends. Only they weren't expecting the boy that waited behind the old wooden door.

Earlier that morning...

Phil squeezed Kristen's hand encouragingly. "You ready?" He asked softly. The two had planned this for so long, and it felt sort of surreal to see the orphanage in front of them. The building was old looking, and quite big. It looked more like an old manor than an orphanage. "Yeah." She said, returning the squeeze. The two made their way to the old fashioned door and swung it open, stepping into a rustic and old looking waiting room. They carefully made their way to the receptionist's desk, greeting the lady with a smile. The woman barely smiled back. "Hello, I'm Phil and this is my wife Kristen. We were meant to meet a few of the teenaged children here today?" The woman nodded, barely looking at him. "Yes, right this way." She led the two down a small hallway, past a set of stairs, and down a second hallway, stopping in front of a large oak door. "The boy you will meet first is named Thomas. He's a bit of a troublemaker, and if he proves to be too much, there are plenty of other young children who you can choose from." Phil narrowed his eyes at the woman. Why was she making this boy's chance of being adopted worse? "I'm sure he won't be a problem..." He trailed off, looking for a nametag. Upon finding it, he finished his sentence. "As I was saying, I'm sure he won't be a problem, Lisa." The woman merely glared at him before she turned to walk away. "One hour," She called over her shoulder. "And then you make your decision." With that, she left, leaving the bewildered couple outside. "Do we just go in?" Kristen asked quietly. "I guess..." Tentatively, Phil pushed open the door, and the two stepped inside.

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Hey everyone! I hope you're enjoying the first few chapters. I've made significant progress on my next book, and hopefully I'll have the description for that one soon. That's about all I've got for today, see you all later, yeah? Bye! <3