Sacrifice (A Poppy/Tommy Story)

One

《Author Note:

*EDIT* I changed up a little part of this section because I made a change with a character that I think will enhance the story :) 

Welcome to my next story, everyone! This was a really emotional chapter for me to write. I hope everyone likes it! After writing the one-shot, I was so intrigued, I had to expand on it! If this is the first work of mine you're reading, make sure you go check out my other works on my profile, especially my completed KaoEarth story, Fate of the Forest! Let me know what you think in the comments and enjoy!! ♡》

BANG!

Tommy sat bolt upright in bed, his heart pounding. He looked around, his brain trying to make sense of where he was as he tried to calm his heart rate. 

"Stupid junk car," Tommy muttered under his breath, running his hands through his hair. Throwing his covers back, he padded his way across the condo to the bathroom. He squinted as his flipped on the light, frowning at the face staring back at him.

He barely recognized himself anymore. It had been a rough six months since he had returned from active duty and his physical appearance had started to show it. 

His once-buzzed chestnut brown hair had grown out so it now lay unkempt across his forehead, brushing his dark eyebrows. There were dark circles under his espresso-colored eyes, a product of his many sleepless nights, due to the haunting dreams of combat. 

Turning on the faucet, Tommy splashed water on his face, catching a shadow of the dimples he hadn't seen since he got home. 

Jimmy had loved Tommy's dimples. 

"Now I know you're really happy,"  he would say, poking Tommy's dimples with his finger. He had done that for as long as he could remember - high school maybe? - and it never failed to make Tommy smile.

That's why Tommy loved him: Jimmy could make him smile without even trying. Everything between them was so effortless. They had grown from best friends to something more so seamlessly. They were inseparable.

Which is why it hurt so damn much that Jimmy hadn't come home with him.

Inhaling sharply, Tommy shook himself out of his thoughts, swiping away the tears that had escaped his eyelids. Running his hands under the water, Tommy rubbed his face again, moving along to the back of his neck. His hands froze in their tracks as he realized there was an absence of cold metal against his skin. White-hot fear gripped him as he slammed the faucet off and raced back to his room. Practically diving into his bed, Tommy desperately tossed the blankets aside, digging for his most precious possession. He searched under pillows, by the headboard, beneath the sheet, until finally his fingers closed around the cold, metal chain that had fallen between the bed and his nightstand.

Clutching the necklace to his chest, Tommy let out a shaky breath, rubbing his thumb across the engraved name. Tommy never considered himself a material man, but Jimmy's dog tags mattered to him more than anything in the world.  They were the one tangible thing that Jimmy always wore close to his heart so that's how Tommy always wore them because Jimmy was a part of him. He didn't know what he would do if he actually lost them.

Sliding the chain over his head, Tommy glanced at the clock on his nightstand. 

4:53 A.M.

It was too late to go back to sleep now when he had to be up in an hour anyway. Grabbing his phone off the bedside table, Tommy flopped back against the pillows to browse. 

Time passed as he scrolled through posts of friends he didn't really talk to much anymore. He ignored the numerous notifications and messages he had of people asking how he was doing. He swore if he heard someone ask that question one more time, he was going to lose it. He was tired. Tired of hiding behind the same, empty smile day after day. It was exhausting. Tommy sighed, tossing his phone to the bed, and reached over to grab a folder off his desk. At least if he focused on his work, he felt useful. 

Shortly after 7 A.M., a familiar smiling face appeared on his caller ID. 

"Morning, Sammy," Tommy answered, trying to sound positive. "You're up early."

Samantha Coates was Tommy's closest friend, and also Jimmy's big sister. When Jimmy was still with them, the three of them were always together. They had grown up together and Sam was the only one of his friends that he hadn't pushed away since he came home. She refused to let him, and Tommy actually had to admit that he was grateful. They had needed each other and Sammy and her fiance, Park, had been his saving grace over the past six months. It was almost as if, through Sammy, there was still a little part of Jimmy with him. 

"T. I...I need you." Sammy sounded like she was on the verge of tears, very unlike the calm, cool and collected Chief of Police she was. "This case is priority and you're my best detective. I need you, Tommy." The police chief was also Tommy's boss. 

"Sam?" Tommy sat upright, furrowing his eyebrows. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

Sammy was quiet for a moment. "Park didn't come home last night and I can't get a hold of him. His car was found in the University parking lot but no one has seen him on campus. When I talked to him last night, he said he was going to be working late with a student on a project. But neither of them can be found."

Tommy could tell Sam was starting to panic talking about her fiance.

"Park is missing, Tommy."