It Couldn't Be... Love? | Tom Nook x Redd | Fanfiction |

Chapter 3 - Yet Another Confrontation

"What the heck is going on here?!" Vivi stared open-mouthed at Isabelle and Tom. Isabelle looked like a scolded child. Tom looked like a triggered parent. She had no clue what she'd just walked in on! Ever since Tom had sent Isabelle out to try to reason with Redd, she'd been doing yoga with Bob and Roald, two villagers on the island. She'd come back to Town Hall an hour later to this scene.

"I was just telling Isabelle," Tom's words were grating, Isabelle didn't look at him, "That this Redd guy has clearly charmed her socks off!"

"That's not true!"

"Look at you! You're blushing! He used his charmy scammer tricks on you!"

"Is 'charmy' even a word?"

"Oh, don't bother!" Tom blistered, "Stop trying to change the subject!"

"I'm not! Good grammar is important!"

"Isabelle! THIS IS NOT THE TIME!"

"Calm down, Tom! I've never seen you nearly this angry!"

"You want to know what will make me calm?"

"Yes?" Isabelle smiled nervously with caution, hopeful.

"Twisting that guys head right off his neck!"

"Oh, Tom!"

"Tom!" Vivi gaped. She'd never heard him threaten violence! She was forgotten, however, when Tom turned on Isabelle again.

"What did you say to him?"

"I just... told him you wanted him to leave." Isabelle mumbled.

"I bet you were all soft on him."

"I tried, Tom, I really did."

"Hm, yeah, right!"

"I thought-" Isabelle couldn't find the words, "I thought I could be nice to him, so I brought him some pears."

"PEARS?! YOU TRIED TO BE NICE?" Tom roared.

"I just thought you probably freaked him out with your screaming! I wanted to be nice!" Isabelle fought.

"Yeah, and that worked like a charm! That trickster got anything he wanna say to me?"

"He says... to take care. And that he's not moving off the island unless you drag him out."

Tom stared at Isabelle in shock before fury crossed over his face, "Maybe that's exactly what I'll do!"

"Tom, no! You can't!"

"What's it to you?"

"He seems nice."

"Stop throwing the word nice around! Don't be nice! Be a bad, mean, brute machine!"

Isabelle stared, dumbfounded, "I don't want to be mean." She said softly, she looked at her toes.

Tom's angry visage broke away and hot shame flooded his cheeks. He knew how sensitive and fair Isabelle was, how much she'd done for the island and him. And here he was yelling at her! What was it about Redd that made him so... angry?

"I'm sorry, Isabelle."

She barely looked at him, trudging out the door. "I'm going on a walk."

"Isabelle, I really am sorry."

"I need to clear my head."

"Isabelle-"

She was gone already.

He turned desperately to the silent Vivi, "Vivi, you got to help me! You go talk to him this time!"

"Me?"