You Choose the Ship Shot!-KOTLC Edition

Sotam-The Zoo (Part 2)

A/N: Hello! It's me again. Here's the second part of this section of Sotam! Enjoy!

But as a warning, there will be a little bit of racism and name calling in this. Just as a heads up. Nothing too major though.

Tam gulped.

"Is something wrong Tam?"

Sophie glanced quizzically over at the boy with the silver bangs, his shadow growing and shrinking quickly.

"No. I'm fine. Or, I will be. Let's just go."

His voice turned rough but he ignored the look of hurt that flashed on Sophie's face as he pushed by her.

It's fine. It's not like she'll understand it anyways.

The gum in his mouth turned sour as Tam chomped on it, bile filling his mouth.

He spat it out in a black metal bin, a trash can as Sophie called it, and stuffed his hands in his pockets, rubbing the leaping crystal that was in there.

Fitz and Linh were chatting quietly in front of Tam, but Sophie just looked all around them, taking in the sight of her first home.

"I really liked coming here to the zoo. All the animals. I swear that sometimes, they could talk to me, and I'd respond back. And maybe I could. Fitz found me not too far from here, at Balboa Park. I want to take you there sometime too."

"After we would get Dippin' Dots, and I would eat it on the way back home, and imagine myself as something that I saw that day, running down the highway with the cars. It was my favorite part of driving in the car. Imagining."

"I would pretend to be whatever animal was in the exhibit that I had last seen, but it always changed after I saw the next!"

Tam looked at Sophie, the happiness and fondness of the memories plain on her face.

"I wasn't different from all the other people who came here, and it was really nice. I didn't hear any judgement from the people around me because they were busy looking at the animals. It was so nice."

"I-I get what you mean. Before the plague, Wildwood was absolutely gorgeous. The rest of the Lost Cities are great and all, but Wildwood will always be something special to me."

Sophie turned her head to look at Tam, a small grin spread across her face.

Blushing, Tam thought about looking away, but there was just something in her eyes that wouldn't let him.

I'd like to be the one who put it there. Maybe someday.

Unbeknownst to him, Tam had a similar look of bliss upon his face, and Sophie took all of it in, happy to see him happy.

It was one of the rare times she had ever seen him truly happy over a memory, and what made it even more special was that he was sharing it with her.

As the group moved up the line, Sophie noticed Tam's steps were getting slower and slower the closer they got to the actual trams.

"Tam, are you nervous?"

Sophie asked her friend quietly, too quiet for anyone else to hear.

Tam scowled at her, but something in his eyes flickered.

Patiently, Sophie waited for an answer, and grudgingly, Tam gave it.

"Maybe a little. Exposed wires and tech have always made me a little uneasy, but especially your human tech."

"No offense Sophie."

Tam stammered quickly, trying not to offend his friend, who simply shrugged, smiling a little at him.