ONESHOTS of They Rely On Hope. What Do I Rely On? - Tommyinnit Adoption AU

Finally Found Family?

A/N: Making this clear right here, right now, this is NOT canon, no, you do NOT get to argue that one. cool? thank you, enjoy :P (also in the canon timeline if this happened it wuldve happened before dream, but it's not canon, soooo)

Tommy Pov:

Something was wrong, different. Puffy had picked him up from that last cursed house, but her normally sad eyes were even more so today. She hadn't even mentioned the new house, hadn't talked about hopes, instead she had talked about him. She had talked about how awful it was to see him like this, wrecked, bruised, burdened and alone. Alone. She kept saying that word, and while it was true, Puffy usually made it clear that he wasn't alone.

Was she leaving him? Was she finally done with him? He hadn't aged out yet, not even close. She had always said she'd stick around for him, but had he taken too long? Had he gone to too many homes?

"Do you want chicken nuggets Tommy?" Puffy asked after a moment of silence. Tommy winced at her, confusion filling him. He had been honest this time, told her that he couldn't eat, that the last house he'd been at would feed him and make him throw it up straight after. No, he couldn't face food. He had thought she understood... Puffy normally understood. Was this really the end? Was she done with him?

"Not today, I know you can't eat yet, but do you want to be able to get chicken nuggets whenever you feel like it? Do you want to have a room to yourself? Do you want to have a garden to roam free in? Do you want to drive around and look at Christmas lights every year?"

"Wh- What?" Tommy started, the confusion only growing. What was this? What was Puffy saying? None of it made sense. She was talking about the stuff he'd admitted to living over the years, but why? What did she want?

With a soft sigh, Puffy pulled over to the side of the road and stopped the car. Shit. They were nowhere near anything, not Puffy's office, not any houses or apartments, not an orphanage... was Puffy ditching him?

Tommy sunk deeper into his seat as though that could somehow stop her from throwing him out the car door.

"Tommy... I got permission to foster you, if you would like that..." Puffy murmured, her hand resting, palm up, next to Tommy. An offer. Puffy wanted to foster him. She hadn't been allowed to be both social worker and foster parent, how did this make sense? Was it a genuine offer? Did Tommy want it?

Tommy loved Puffy, she was his one consistent in life, comforting him from the pain of the last house, getting him food, trying to protect him, but she was never there for long. What if she changed? What if becoming a foster parent turned her into the monsters Tommy knew all too well? Then he would lose his one safe constant. Who would he call then? If Puffy wasn't safe?

"I'm sorry, I know this is a lot, but I just want you to be safe Tommy. Please. Let me protect you."

"Will you change?" Tommy asked meekly, barely any voice behind the words. It was stupid to ask, but he wanted to know. Puffy was safe. She was safe. Right?

"No Tommy, I'll be here for you no matter what, if you say no, I'll keep trying to find you a good home, if you say yes, I'll be the best foster parent I can be, and Foolish, you remember him right? Foolish will be your social worker, so you will still have someone on the outside. You'll be safe Tommy, this is the first time I can actually promise that."

Safe. That would be nice. Puffy had always been safe before... maybe she wouldn't change... and even if she did, Tommy could always leave. Either run away, or talk to Foolish. He liked Foolish.

"Ok," Tommy said, although the words didn't come out, so again he tried, forcing some volume behind them, "ok."

Puffy's eyes seemed to lighten at that, the stress in her face lessoning, and her outstretched hand seeming to be looser, more natural.

Slowly, Tommy reached out a hand and took Puffy's. Safe. She was safe. Maybe he was too.

A/N: thoughts? Did I make u cry? Did I make u smile? I hope u smiled at the ending :]