Tommys clinic for supervillains

Chapter 14

Tommy had been staying with Wilbur for nearly three weeks before he ended up having to explain his new living situation to Puffy.

In all honesty, he was surprised she hadn't picked up on something being amiss sooner. Tommy didn't end up going back to his apartment to get his clothes, and while he was content to keep wearing Wilbur's old stuff, one day he came back from work to find a pile of new clothes in his own size sitting on his bed. It wasn't the ratty t-shirts and thin sweatshirts that had practically been his uniform. These new clothes were high quality, brightly-colored, and had 100% been picked out by Wilbur since they all looked like they belonged on a Pinterest board.

So Tommy's style change alone should've been enough for Puffy to realize something was up with him. But he hadn't gotten much chance to see her in the cafe as of late. She only stopped by for a few minutes at a time every few days, always with her mouth set in a thin line, and Tommy wondered what got her so worried.

Puffy wasn't the only one who seemed off though. Although Tommy and Foolish's conversations were limited to the few minutes they got to chat while they switched for their shifts, Tommy could tell that Foolish was tired. There were bags under his eyes, and the gold streaks in his hair seemed duller than they used to be.

And yet, in complete contrast, his smile was brighter than Tommy had seen it in years. His friend Eret was always waiting for him to get off work, and Foolish would beam at them before waving goodbye to Tommy, slinging an arm over his friend's shoulders and guiding them out of the cafe with the kind of ease that only came with knowing someone for years on end.

It was a strange situation. Foolish was clearly exhausted, but he was happy about it. Puffy was worried about something, but was trying not to let it show. It made Tommy wonder what was going on in their house, although he knew that wasn't any of his business and didn't pry.

But still, when he saw the frown lines creasing Puffy's forehead as she waved at him when he came in for his shift, he couldn't help but try to figure out a way to ask her what was going on without being too nosy about it.

"Sup Puff," Tommy said as he approached her table in the far back corner, squinting at the bright sunlight that was glowing against her curls.

"Hi Tommy, we haven't had a chance to chat in a while," Puffy said, smiling at him as he sat down across from her. "Which is totally my fault, by the way. I've been so swamped with other work stuff that I haven't been checking on the cafe as much as I want to."

"You're fine, Puffy. Not much has been happening with me," Tommy told her, leaning back in his chair and trying not to think of how he'd had to scrub the backroom floor for nearly an hour last week when Rosethorn bled all over it.

"Really?" Puffy asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Nothing new at all? Because you've been wearing a lot of new clothes lately, and you look like you put some weight on meaning you've finally gotten a healthy eating schedule."

Frowning, Tommy shrunk down in his seat. He might as well come clean about it. It's not like he was trying to hide it from Puffy or anything.

"Well, to be honest, I got into a fight with Tubbo and Ranboo so I've been staying at a friend's place for the past few weeks," Tommy admitted.

Puffy blinked a few times in surprise. "Wait, you're not living with Tubbo and Ranboo anymore?"

"Not, like, as a permanent thing. Just till we can figure out our shit," Tommy shrugged, turning his head to look out the window and not at Puffy's concerned face.

"Did they kick you out?"

Tommy shook his head. "No, of course not. I left on my own. Need some time to figure out how I feel about everything, y'know." He knew where this was going. Puffy was going to get worried and then she was going to start doing her therapy thing to him, and while he appreciated her trying to help, he really didn't need it right now.