there is only us | wilbur soot x reader

Chapter 28 - Lighthouse

Tommy POV

Six days were, in the grand scheme of things, nothing. But to me, traveling alone, day and night to make up for lost time, wandering without any real sense of direction, battling with a jumbled mess of emotions, predominantly guilt and doubt (and did I mention alone?), six days was forever.

So when I finally stumbled into familiar territory, when I finally caught a glimpse of L'manberg's obsidian glories, when the sun began to set as I crashed through the screen door of Niki's house and turned the place over looking for someone who wasn't there, I didn't know what to do. I was beside myself, really, which is such a horrible thing to admit. I collapsed on the living room couch, and my imagination told me it was still warm. I had spent the past almost-week entirely alone, tired and hungry, only to arrive and still be alone. It was terrible. It felt like a curse.

At least there was no audience to witness me in such a state; perhaps that was the one perk to my loneliness. I had no one to be strong for except myself, but I couldn't lie to myself. So I gave in to my exhaustion, to my guilt and doubt and loneliness. At least there was no one to see me now: the great vice president, reduced to tears and bony ribs and eye bags. Look at him, what a shame, how tragic, so alone, but who does he have to blame? He couldn't make anyone stay, and he left the one person who did! What a shame. How tragic is he?

The sun soon set on my misery, and then there was nothing to keep the darkness at bay. I didn't have the strength to get up and turn on the lights. I lied there, dwarfed by the shadows, drowning in my mind. Too late. Ha ha! Too late. Look at him, what a shame, how tragic, chasing his own tail, looking for someone who doesn't want to be found. Ha ha! Ha ha! Ha ha!

I fell asleep that way, to the sound of laughter that was almost my own but not quite. I dreamt of a lighthouse that knew nothing but guiding, a tool for ships to use when they need it and ignore when they don't. Nothing more than a building during the day, nothing less than a savior at night. I dreamt of a boat in the ocean, trapped in the middle of a storm, rocking back and forth in the waves. It was a miracle that it hadn't sunk yet; the gods seemed determined to destroy it. In the distance, close and so far away, was a lighthouse. Every flash of light was a moment of hope, followed by the inky darkness of the unrelenting sea. I cannot see without you, and I have drifted away again.

I awoke to the sound of footsteps in the hall. I was on alert at once, bolting upright from where I had slouched down in my sleep. I was still, I was silent. My heartbeat was louder than my breath. A glance at the clock on the wall told me it was nearing 5 in the morning. I listened as the noises grew louder, grew closer. I watched as a dark, shadowed silhouette appeared in the doorway to the living room and walked right by me. I fought down a manic laugh. I was going insane. This house was haunted. Ha ha! Ha ha!

I got up and followed the figure. It wandered aimlessly, one hand trailing along the wall as it walked. It found its way to the front door, moved to crouch down, and examined a letter on the ground. Its breath hitched. It curled in on itself, hugging its knees, head bent. It stayed that way for quite some time. I watched in curiosity, craning my neck to try and see what the letter said. I risked a few steps forward for a better glance, but the figure heard me. Its head snapped up, and it whipped around to face me, hope and desperation glinting in its eyes, and it was (Y/n).

I stood there and stared. She sat there and stared. I was going insane. This house was haunted.

She brought a hand to her mouth. "Tommy?" she whispered, because it felt like a crime to speak loudly in the dead of night, who knows what kind of monsters you would wake, and I felt a rush of relief. This was real, she was real, she was here. I wasn't alone anymore. The curse was breaking. The dam was breaking. I fell to my knees and joined her on the ground. The dam was breaking, the water was leaking, the water became an ocean, became a storm, became a hurricane. The dam was breaking, the tears were slipping, and so, it seemed, was I.