Changing With The Tides (A TommyInnit Au)

Chapter Twelve: Genuine Advice

After a good tenish minutes of running through the forest, Purpled came to a stop, stepping out of Tommy's way so that he could fully take in the view. And what he saw blew his mind. A large lake with crystal clear water sat in front of him, a waterfall flowing into it on the opposite side. Lush ferns and beautiful flowers decorated the edges. Sandy banks, almost like miniature beaches, covered a large portion of the area in front of the lake, and Tommy had the sudden urge to go swimming, though he managed to ward off that thought. For now, he had a lot to explain to Purpled, and a very short amount of time to do it. The two sat down on the cool sand, and Tommy sat back. "Alright Tommy, let's hear it. What the fuck is up with Henry?"

Tommy looked over to Purpled, then sighed. "I guess I'll start at the beginning. Basically, my parents were killed in a car accident. I didn't even have enough time to grab my things from my house before they took me to a car outside and then to an orphanage. I'm going to be honest with you Purpled, the orphanage was shit, and my houses were worse. But I learned violin, which helped me a lot, and I also learned something else. I learned a lot about electrical engineering. Which is where Henry comes in." Tommy held up his bracelet. "I created a device that would only work with my wrist. It has three main functions. One is GPS. I can trigger it with the red button. One is a signal of danger. I can trigger it with the blue button. But the one you saw is probably one of the most impressive. The green button will reveal Henry. Henry is a hologram that I made myself. He can answer almost any question, intake and output sounds, mimic people, and more. He became a friend to me, as well as an ally."

Tommy pushed the green button, and Henry sprung to life. "Hello Tommy, hello Purpled." The hologram said instantly. "Hey Henry!" Tommy replied. "Hello?" Purpled said uncertainly. "Listen man, sometimes it's nice to have a fucking super computer at your disposal." Tommy said. "Tommy, you built this?" Purpled asked incredulously. "Yeah, I guess." Tommy replied. "I have the tech to add an electric shock button that would emit over 75,000 volts of electricity for dangerous situations, but I haven't had the time to add the feature, nor to come up with a solution on how to not shock myself." He looked away as if ashamed he hadn't come up with a solution to his issue yet. "Tommy, I don't think you understand. This is some next level shit. Fucking hell man, how the fuck did you learn how to do this stuff? Is there anything you aren't good at?" Tommy laughed at his comment. "Fighting, dancing, eating, the list goes on." Purpled laughed, but stopped when he heard the last part. "What do you mean eating?" He asked, suddenly concerned. Tommy weighed his options. He trusted Purpled. And even if he didn't, it wasn't like Purpled didn't already know enough about him to make his life shit if he wanted to. So he decided to tell him the truth. "It's just a stupid phobia." He muttered. "I don't like to eat in front of people. I don't even understand it, but it just fucking happens." He frowned at the ground, and Purpled moved a little closer. "Tommy, it's okay to have irrational fears. That's what a phobia is, a fear that doesn't make a lot of sense." He patted Tommy's back awkwardly before hauling himself to his feet, offering a hand to Tommy. "Come on, let's make that list a little shorter. It's time to work out."

The breeze was quite cool against Tommy's skin as he and Purpled ran. They were winded and out of breath, but they kept going thanks to each other. Every time one of them wanted to quit, the other was there to lift their spirits up and motivate them to keep going. When they finally finished, Purpled guided Tommy on a few stretches that would help with his sore muscles, and Tommy had to admit, although it felt like hell while he was physically doing it, it was addicting. He immediately wanted that rush of adrenaline that came with the satisfaction of knowing he had just pushed his body to its limits, and with the overall goal in mind, he felt finally useful. It was almost one o'clock in the morning, and Tommy knew he was going to regret his decision to stay up so late later, but for now, he sat down for a quick break before the long walk back to his house.

"Purpled, do you ever feel totally useless?" Tommy asked on a whim. "Why?" Purpled shot back, sending him a confused glance. "I don't know, I guess another one of those stupid phobias of mine. I know I'm good at making shit, and I know I can play violin, and I know that I'm not worthless, but something inside of me just keeps telling me I'm not enough." Tommy explained. "Sorry, I feel like I'm kind of dumping all my emotions on you." He added. "No, it's fine, but I need you to understand that you aren't worthless. No matter what your brain tells you, you will never be insignificant. I know it's hard to think that way. But that's okay. Just try, and come talk to me if you ever feel that way." Tommy smiled at his friend, surprised by the genuine advice. "What did I do to deserve you?" He asked quietly. "Tommy, you always deserved someone to talk to. I'm glad you finally have someone." Tommy smiled as the two began the walk back to Tommy's house. "I'm glad I have you too." Tommy all but whispered.

When the two reached Tommy's house, Tommy glanced up at the wall worriedly. As if he could sense Tommy's unease, Purpled placed a comforting hand on Tommy's shoulder. "You got this man. Use Henry if you need to." Tommy didn't bother to correct Purpled on which button he would need to press. Instead, he simply pressed the blue button and took a deep breath. "Hey, I'll be right here. Remember what happened earlier? I won't let you fall." Purpled took up position below Tommy, holding out his arms as if to catch him. "Okay, I trust you." Tommy whispered. And slowly, he hoisted himself up onto the wall.

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I think a little bit of fluff was inevitable, after all, it is Christmas! A/N coming up next!