Tragic Kingdom (80s/90s imagines)

84: C. Thomas Howell (pt. 2)

For cloudycade (who requested for a continuation of that last Tommy imagine)

Discreetly holding hands and stolen kisses had become normal, but the feeling you got when you thought too hard about it was not. Even though he wasn't really your brother, you knew to others it would be taboo and difficult to understand.

The breakup had been quiet and painful. He had seen it coming, but he had silently prayed that you wouldn't do it. He loved you. Something that seemed so hard to believe when you both had been at each other's throat since first meeting.

"Tommy," you whispered in the dark. You had waited until nearly 2 am to tiptoe into his room. "I need to talk to you."

He sat up in his bed and ran a hand through his dark, disheveled hair. "Come here," he murmured.

You crawled into the bed next to him. "I don't think I can do this anymore." You couldn't meet his eyes. "I don't even want to think about what our parents would say if they found out."

A deep sigh escaped him as he processed your words. He found your hand and squeezed it, slowly nodding. "Alright." He leaned over and kissed you, lingering longer than either of you had ever risked. "I understand."

You cried that night, and in the morning, you told your stepmom you were too sick to go to school when she came to make sure you were up.

Five years later, you were home for the holidays when your dad found you alone.

"Hey," he said softly, sitting down beside you.

"Hey, Dad. You good?"

He cleared his throat and sat up. "I've got something to tell you."

You sat up too, sensing that whatever he had to say was important.

"Candice and I are getting a divorce." Your father looked pained as he said it.

You put an arm around him. "Oh, Dad. I'm so sorry."

"We were going to wait until it was done to tell you and Tommy, but we decided that it was better if you both knew sooner rather than later."

Tommy. Holidays were the only time you saw him now, and even then, not for very long. You had made those last couple of years in the same house work. Somehow.

Before you were supposed to leave for school again, you were making sure all of your things were clean and packed. You heard a knock at your open door, and when you looked up, Tommy stood in the doorway.

"Hi."

"You can come in," you said as you went back to folding clothes.

You two had spoken since that night, so you were confused by his attempt at small talk. In fact, you had tried to go back to your previous dynamic, but it never felt right. You usually stuck to greetings and talking around each other in larger family conversations.

He sat down in your desk chair. "Did they tell you?"

You stuffed a t-shirt into your suitcase. "Yeah," you sighed. "Dad told me the other night." You paused. "Were you surprised?"

He shrugged. "I guess. I never knew they were having problems."

"Me neither." You picked up another shirt and began folding it.

Neither of you could say what you wanted to say. This divorce meant that you would not be related even by marriage. You could become absolute strangers to one another now. Or not.

"Well, you know where I'll be," is what you needed up saying after an eternity of silence.

He nodded. "Yes, I do. Does that mean..." he trailed off.

You finally met his eyes. You had forgotten how comfortable his gaze was. "We'll see."

I hope I didn't take too much creative control w this one. I know it wasn't rlly resolved but uhhh I love a good ambiguous ending. Thank you for requesting!!
Also, sorry if it seems kinda choppy. M'kay.

~Mariah