#poor “tommy”

[nomsfaultau]

Dark SBI AU where Philza’s human children were replaced by monsters. Start of ficlet is here.

(sorry for repeating a part im new to formatting ficlets)

The Lambs Wolves Wear part 4

Once the truth came out, “Tommy” was the least likely to wear the skin of his child. The shapeshifting demon slipped in and out of forms like water, powerful and sleek. To him, Tommy was nothing more than another form to play with. Discarded like a toy the demon lost interest in, like Tommy wasn't Philza's whole world. "Tommy" only ever wanted the form to manipulate humans, to appear small and vulnerable and precious. Perhaps the shape changer knew it felt like a gut punch every time Philza remembered those soft blue eyes were only a mask for the monster hiding in what used to be his youngest son.

It helped that his true form hadn’t a chance of fitting inside the home. So Philza found himself spending more and more time trapped in doors so as to force “Tommy” to a smaller, more manageable size. At least he’d learned to be more benign near the cattle and hens, though at times he stirred them into a frenzy, sharp teeth laughing at the chaos. Yet more often than not he wore a corrupted version of the real Tommy, clinging onto Philza’s hip. “Tommy” did little to suppress his four demon horns, mangled wings at time materializing to further ensnare Philza. He was often left covered in shallow scratches and a few nip marks. Nothing dangerous, mind, simply a reminder that at any point "Tommy" could rend him limb from limb.

As often as he confined himself to the home now, it had become nigh impossible to tend the fields, though “Technoblade” had taken to it with glee. The undead legions flickered between rows of grain, having declared war on the weeds. It was harder than it used to be with fewer tasks to distract himself with. Philza found himself stripped of work, the monsters stealing it so that he was left with undivided attention for them.

He didn’t know what to do with himself. But the monsters found a use for him. A flap of tattered demon wings and a small earth quake signaled “Tommy’s” return from a long day of terrorizing mortals or whatever it is he did in his free time. The door slammed open, wind rushing in a gale as a terrible eagle ripped through the home, wings smashing things off the walls and tables. Red eyes gleamed as they found Philza sitting before the fireplace, and at once it dove towards him sharply. Midair, the demon enlarged, smoothly converting from a dive to a pounce. A chimera slammed into him full force, knocking the air from Philza’s lungs. Sharp claws pinned him in place as a lion head began to butt against him roughly, goat horns jamming into his soft underbelly.

“What have I said about shapeshifting in the house, “Tommy”?” A deep growl froze Philza in place, bared fangs inches from his face. The chimera circled a few times, then flumphed into his lap, settling in. “You can’t just-“ a wing shot out, slamming across his face in retaliation. Something hot trickled down his lip. Fire glowed in the back of “Tommy’s” mouth as Philza clutched his bleeding nose. It grew brighter and brighter, “Tommy’s” hackles bristling, but Philza stubbornly tended to his injury. At least, till the lion’s maw part in jagged fangs and the fireball in the chimera’s throat threatened to devour him in flame. Philza jolted, and quickly began to pet “Tommy” with shaking hands covered in his own blood.

Bristling fur smoothed, and “Tommy” snuggled in, tearing large rips through the couch and gurgling a thing that couldn’t quite be considered a purr. “You can’t intimidate me every time you want something,” Philza said the moment his voice worked again. Each word tasted like the blood quickly beginning to coat his front.

“Of course I can,” “Tommy” rumbled. “It’s how Hell works.” The viper’s tail wrapped around his ankle, venomous fangs poised above his arteries. “I could say ‘scratch me behind the ears or I’ll poison you’ and you’ll do it.” And so Philza did, after the hiss of a snake nearly buried itself in his flesh. “Tommy” stretched, satisfied, though the viper curled around Philza remained.

“That isn’t how love works, though. If you keep being mean, I might stop loving you.”

Hellish red eyes whipped towards him, shock rounding them. “It can be revoked?” At Philza’s nod, all four of “Tommy’s” ears flattened, a snarl building in his throats. “If you stop loving me I’ll rip you apart.”

“A-and that will just ensure you’ll never get love again.”

The growl died. Confusion twisted the monster’s features, the demon trying to find a way he could threaten Philza without ‘being mean’. Or more aptly, how to weasel out of threat he couldn’t actually fulfill without losing his perceived power. The bafflement only increased exponentially, the demon becoming distraught. “How do I get something if not by force or deception?”

“Love is reciprocal. You have to give it if you want to receive it.” The demon was distrustful of the notion, squinting at Philza as if waiting for the catch. He slowly peeled off the mortal he was crushing, till Philza was face to face with a lion head, demonic eyes piercing him for truth. “That means- that means you can’t hurt me. Or threaten to, either. You have to be nice, like I’ve been to you.”

A giant paw rose, hesitated, then raked across his chest. Philza flinched, pressing back into the couch as much as he could. “Tommy” batted at him over and over, tearing Philza’s shirt and streaking light crimson scratches across his chest. The demon ignored his yelps of pain, his strength unmatched as he pinned the panicking Philza in place. He’d pushed his luck too far, and now he was going to get gutted. He should’ve never tried to set boundaries with a demon. “Stop squirming,” the chimera growled. “You’re making it hard to pet you.”

Philza grit his teeth. Nice. Warm. Fatherly. He bit out a strained smile so he couldn’t scream. “You’re playing too rough, son. You gotta be gentle with me, remember? You’re making me bleed.”

The chimera paused in its attack, frowning. “But blood is how humans bind their vows. You promised to love me, so you must bleed to keep that oath.”

That. Yeah, in retrospect that explained a lot about how cuddling with “Tommy” usually went. Philza had always ended up bruised, nipped fingers and scratch marks. “Humans can keep promises without a blood pact. In fact, that’s how most of them are done.”

“Then how will I force you to uphold it?”

“If you are kind I shall do it of my own volition.”

“Tommy’s” hackles raised. “No you won’t. You would betray me at the first opportunity.”

“Perhaps in hell. Not here.” Philza stroked “Tommy’s” muzzle and slowly began coaxing him to be more gentle. He distrusted Philza’s words, scoffing at them, but seemed willing to try so as to not lose Philza’s affection. Eventually he persuaded the demon to don a weaker, safer form, particularly after the lion head’s nuzzling started trying to bite his arms. A fox curled in his lap, happily purring as Philza ran his fingers through too-hot fur. Occasionally "Tommy" rubbed against him to show affection. Or possibly just to make sure Philza was paying attention to solely him.

“What was Hell like?” Philza asked curiously. Fishing for information was the least dangerous with "Tommy", and given how unintentionally (?) lethal he was that was saying something. But the others were far more conniving in a way the straight-forward demon was not. And Philza needed to figure out how to get his real children back as quick as possible.

The purring stopped abruptly, hackles bristling as the beast grew. Philza braced for an attack that never came. “Tommy” simply looked away from him, resting his head on his paws. “…really, really awful. That’s why I want to stay with you forever.”

Next>

Art for this part

[pistachi0art]

he will be missed pt. 2 🙏

[atu433b]

[llove-me-anyway]

Buck being held at gunpoint *mildly inconvenienced*

Buck being caught by Eddie on his “first date with a dude” *life and death flashing before his eyes*

[scarecrowismybabygirl]

[pepemoon]

It is said that the Boogeyman often appears in the dark, hiding in closets and under beds. But not this one. Tommy was so sure that man was within his walls. But lately, he isn’t even sure that was true. Especially tonight, after the loud siren blaring.

[firewasabeast]

prompt: tommy's dad shows up at the 118 out of nowhere

heads up: Tommy's dad is a homophobic asshole here, and he acts as such. Also contains references to past child abuse (hit with a belt, and knocking a kid)

Bobby was in the middle of cooking dinner with Buck, the rest of the team hanging out on the sofa, when the newest probie, Jones, came walking up the stairs. “Uh, Cap? There's a man here who wanted to talk to you.”

The man followed closely behind Jones, who went right back downstairs to continue with whatever he had been up to.

Bobby wiped his hands off on a towel before walking over to the man. “I'm Captain Nash- Bobby,” he introduced, shaking the man's hand. “How can I help you?”

“Good to meet you, Bobby,” the man replied. His shake was firm, almost aggressive. “I'm actually here looking for my kid. Haven't heard from him in a while and last he told me, he was workin' here.”

As much as Buck was trying not to be obviously nosy, he couldn't help but keep glancing over at the guy. He looked so familiar, but Buck couldn't quite place him. When the man caught Buck's eyes, he quickly looked away and grabbed a nearby can, pretending to fiddle with it.

“I'll help how I can. What's his name?”

“Thomas Kinard. I'm his father, Richard.”

The can Buck was holding dropped onto the counter with a loud thud. Everyone's head whipped in his direction.

“S- Sorry. It, um, it slipped from my, uh, my hand.”

“Uh,” Bobby turned back to Richard, “I'm sorry Mr. Kinard, but Tommy hasn't worked here in about seven and a half years.”

“Figures.” Richard shook his head. “Damn kids'll screw you over every chance they get, won't they?”

Buck hurried over to introduce himself before Bobby could even manage a response.

“Mr. Kinard, hi,” he started, wiping his hand on his pants before reaching out for a shake. “I'm Buck. Evan, um, Evan Buckley. You can call me Evan, or Buck, whichever.”

Richard stared at him in a way that Buck wasn't exactly sure what he was thinking. “Buck's a strong name. I like strong names. We'll go with Buck.”

Buck nodded. “Sure. That- That's fine.”

“So, Buck, did you work with Tom before he left here?”

That's when it hit Buck. If this man didn't even know where Tommy worked, he definitely didn't know Buck was his boyfriend. He could feel himself begin to sweat. Could sense everyone's eyes on him. “Um, no, I- I mean, yes. I work with him, um, sometimes, but not- we didn't work together h- here. So, no.”

Richard snickered. “Cat got your tongue, Kiddo?”

“Why don't you go get your phone, Buck?” Bobby suggested. “Let Tommy know his dad is here.”

“Huh? Oh, um, yes. Yeah, I'll do that.” Buck hoped and prayed to God in that moment that Richard didn't notice the phone in his pocket.

“And while Buck does that, you can have a seat.” Bobby led him over to the table, where the rest of the team was now making their way over. “Once Tommy gets here we'll have lunch.”

*****

Buck skipped every other step as he went downstairs, hurrying outside to call Tommy.

He answered on the third ring. “Hey, Evan. What's up? Everything okay?”

They may have the same job, but it didn't stop them from worrying about one another when they were on shift.

“Hey! Everything's fine, but c- can you come down to the station?”

“You miss me that much?” Tommy joked. “You're off in like four hours, Babe.”

“No, I know. I mean, yes, I miss you, but no that's not why I need you here.”

“What's going on, Evan?” He sounded worried again.

“Your... Tommy, your dad came in looking for you. He's, um, he's waiting here.”

The silence lasted so long that Buck glanced at his phone to see if the call had dropped. “Are you there, Tommy?”

Finally, Buck heard the sounds of Tommy shuffling around. “I'm on my way,” he answered. Any lingering happiness in his voice was long gone. “And Evan?”

“Yeah?”

“I'm sorry.”

“Sorry?” Buck asked. “Why're you-”

Tommy hung up before Buck could get out the question. He sighed, put the phone in his pocket, and headed back upstairs.

“-it looks like the damn United Nations in here.”

Buck's eyes met Eddie's. It was clear he'd walked in on the middle of a conversation that shouldn't be happening.

Eddie shook his head at Buck. A silent don't ask.

Buck sat down quietly, his leg shaking with nerves and his stomach filled with knots. Tommy wasn't even there, but he already felt terrible for him as Richard happily went into a very depressing story about Tommy crying after a girl kissed him when he was twelve years old.

*****

Tommy steeled himself before walking up the stairs at the station. It took everything he had in him to not turn around and go right back home.

He couldn't do that though. Couldn't leave his father with Evan, or anyone else up there. They didn't deserve that.

“Tom had half the girls in the school chasing after him, askin' him to prom, and he still went with the most unattractive looking thing you'd ever seen.”

“Missy was not unattractive, Dad,” Tommy said from the top of the staircase. Everyone turned in his direction. “She was sweet and my best friend at the time.”

“Girl had braces twice the size of her face.”

Richard made no effort to stand and greet his son, not that Tommy expected him to.

Tommy was met with apprehensive hello's from the team, and a look of nervous concern from Evan.

“Come sit with us,” Bobby said, motioning to the seat beside Buck. “We were about to eat when your dad came in, so I figured we could have lunch together.”

“Thanks, Bobby.”

Tommy sat down stiffly, avoiding any physical contact with Evan. Not that Evan was trying anything either. He kept his hands firmly planted on his thighs.

“What are you doing here, Dad?” Tommy was purposefully avoiding eye contact with everyone else in the room. Maybe if he tried hard enough, they'd all disappear and not have to witness whatever was inevitably about to occur.

“Figured seven years was long enough to go by without seeing ya. Thought I'd stop by and see what you'd been up to.”

Bobby finished setting out the food and everyone began to pass around the dishes and fill up their plates.

“You know you could've come by my house, Dad.”

“Lost your address. You know I'm no good with computers. Plus, thought it'd be nice to see you in action.”

“Oh, well, I'm off for the next two days so... no action.”

“Where are you at now?”

“Harbor Station. I'm a pilot there, but I work ground ops sometimes too.”

“Back to flying, huh?” Richard sounded genuinely impressed. “Good. That's good. Got you a girl yet?”

The spoon Chimney had in his hand dropped loudly onto his plate as Buck choked on the bite of food in his mouth.

“Sorry,” Chimney muttered as Buck coughed.

He grabbed his water and took a couple sips. “Sorry. Sorry, uh, wrong pipe,” he explained, clearing his throat.

Tommy sighed. “Nope. No girl.”

“Well, soon. You're a good lookin' man. Get yourself out there, they'll come running.”

“Running so hard they injure their best friend,” Eddie mumbled, earning him a kick under the table from Hen.

Richard didn't seem to hear the comment, but Chimney spoke up anyway. “So, Mr. Kinard, what do you do?”

“Nothing now, but I did twenty years in the Marines, oil rigging after that. Retired about seven years now.”

“Tough work.” Hen regretted her words the second Richard puffed his chest at them.

“That's right. I always drilled into Tommy's head the importance of hard work.”

"More like knocked it in,” Tommy muttered.

The room quieted.

Richard took a sip of his drink, then opted for a subject change. “Shame I can't see where you're working now, Tom. Guess you were so busy talking about that other thing you failed to mention you were somewhere else.”

“That other thing?” Tommy repeated. “You mean me telling you I was gay and you laughing in my face? Is that the other thing you're talking about?”

“Well, it was all a load of crap, wasn't it? Just another way to disrespect your old man.” Richard looked around the room as he laughed, apparently not paying any attention to the fact that he was the only one laughing. “That was always Tom for ya. Shootin' off his mouth, causing trouble. I told him one day he'd take it too far.”

“Telling you he was gay was him taking it too far?” Hen wasn't even trying to hide the disgust on her face. Richard was too busy being an ass to notice.

“I just knew it wasn't true. He comes to my house all serious, sayin' he's got something he's gotta tell me. I thought maybe he was going back into the army, the reserves or something. Then he tells me he's a queer. I know the world is changing and all that crap, but I also know my son, and that's not my son.”

Tommy felt on the verge of tears now. He hadn't taken more than a couple bites of food, using his fork to swirl the rice and the peas. He wished more than anything he could make himself smaller. So small no one could see him. He was embarrassed and ashamed that all these people he cared about, all these people who were starting to really get to know him for all that he was, were now seeing the disgrace that was his father. That's all they'd be able to see when they looked at him, especially Evan.

Evan who somehow always looked at Tommy like he'd hung the moon and stars. Evan, who made Tommy feel so undeservingly cared for. Who had just swapped I love you's with Tommy a few weeks ago... Now, this is what he'd see. This is what he'd think about. And who could love that?

“Or maybe you just don't know your son.”

Tommy's head shot up and over at the sound of Evan's voice. He sounded angry. He looked angry. Tommy was pretty sure if he could shoot fire, the whole place would be up in flames right now.

“Excuse me?” Richard glared. “Who the hell are you to tell me whether or not I know my son?”

Before Buck even had a chance to make up some lie, Tommy was reaching over and taking his hand, squeezing tight. “He's my boyfriend,” he said.

Richard huffed out a laugh.

This time, he noticed that no one else was laughing. “You screwin' with me?”

“No. Just like I wasn't screwin' with you seven years ago, I'm not now.”

The way Richard shook his head made Tommy feel like he was seven years old again, about to get the belt for bringing a turtle in the house. “My buddy Vic told me his daughter saw you with some guy on Facebook. Called him an ass and an idiot and you're telling me he was right?”

“Is that why you really came here? To harass me and Evan?”

“I never looked at the picture!” Richard replied, his voice rising. “And I had no clue you weren't here anymore. I came here to see you, to get the truth.”

“Well, you got it.”

“That the real reason you quit the army then? So you could be a sissy?”

Tommy's eyes widened, the question catching him off guard. Out of all the ways this conversation could have gone, he didn't expect it to pivot that way. “You've got to be kidding me. Dad, I did not quit the army, I was discharged.”

“And the reasoning never really made sense to me, son, I gotta tell ya-”

“Well it doesn't have to make sense to you, it made sense to the military-”

“-because no son of mine would go crazy in the army. Absolutely ridiculous to-”

“-which is why I got to leave, and I did not go crazy I had a brief-”

“-make up some sort of excuse like that and think it would fly-”

“Okay! Okay!” Buck yelled over them, motioning for them to stop. “I think you proved whatever point you were trying to make, Richard. Let it go.”

Tommy quieted, but Richard couldn't hold his tongue.

“What?” he provoked. “That's what you said it was, didn't you? After some mission gone wrong, you didn't sleep for like a week or something. Went cuckoo so they let you leave? S'what you told me.”

“Okay,” Bobby spoke up, his voice deep and commanding. “Richard, I think you've been here long enough. You should go.”

“If my kid wants me gone he can tell me himself.”

Through his shame, Tommy managed to glare over at his dad. “I never wanted you here in the first place.” He was shaking, his heart racing, but his voice remained steady. He was grateful for that.

An eerie silence weighed heavily around the table. The two men stared each other down until Richard finally tossed his napkin onto the table and stood up, his chair screeching with the motion. “Don't have anything here for me anyway.”

That was Richard. Always had to get in the final word.

Once his dad had descended the staircase, Tommy released a deep breath. “Well, that was fun,” he said shakily, trying for a smile.

He couldn't quite seem to make one appear.

He couldn't look anyone in the eyes either. The silence was driving him insane. He knew they had to be watching him with pity.

His eyes were burning, his lip was trembling. He was so close to falling apart.

He really didn't want anyone see him, but he also knew he was too shaky to stand. He opted for planting his elbows on the table and rested his head in his hands.

After a few quiet seconds, Tommy could hear everyone scooting out of their chairs.

A hand rested on his shoulder, giving it a brief squeeze. “Take your time up here,” Bobby said. “Don't worry if you hear the alarm.”

“You've got family with us, Man,” Eddie said as he passed by, giving Tommy a pat on the back.

Chimney was next with a, “Love ya, Bud.”

“Whatever you need,” Hen added as she passed by, “we've got you.”

The gentle touches and words of affirmation as each person went by was what broke him. He pressed his palms hard against his eyes as his shoulders began to shake.

There was another hand on him now. Rubbing his back in gentle, slow circles.

Evan.

“I'm here, Babe,” he said softly. “I'm here.”

The sob that escaped him at Evan's words sounded more like a whine. Tommy was sure he'd never heard himself make that noise before, but now he couldn't stop it.

Evan pulled him in, wrapping his arms around him tight. Tommy hid his face in the crook of Buck's neck, his hands loosely grabbing at Buck's waist as he continued to cry.

They stayed like that for minutes. Evan continued rubbing his back, holding him, letting him get out all the feelings he'd been holding in for years.

“I'm so sorry, Evan,” Tommy whimpered once he was able to find his voice.

Evan held him tighter. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“I didn't...” his breath hitched. “That could've been me. That was... was almost me.”

“No,” Evan disagreed. “No, you're nothing like him.” He turned his head to press a kiss into Tommy's hair. “Can you look at me?”

Reluctantly, Tommy lifted his head and pulled back just enough to look Evan in the eyes.

He sniffed, his breathing starting to come back to normal. He was sure his face was puffy and red. He knew a stray tear or two was still falling too.

Evan reached up and wiped the tears away, his thumbs continuing to brush over Tommy's cheeks so he could keep his attention. “You are not and have never been that man. You understand me?”

“Evan.”

“No, I mean it, Tommy. You think Chimney and Hen would ever give him a chance?” He shook his head. “No way in hell.”

Tommy bit at his lip. “This is so stupid,” he said with a wet laugh. “Crying because my dad was mean to me, like I'm some baby or something.”

Evan ran his hands down Tommy's arms until he intertwined their hands on his lap. “Not stupid. Very reasonable, actually. Quite possibly an under-reaction.” He brought one of Tommy's hands up to his mouth and gave it a kiss. “There's only a few hours of my shift left. I'm sure Bobby wouldn't mind if I left a little early. I can drive you to your place, we'll relax with a movie. Sound good?”

Tommy knew he should say no. Knew he should tell Evan that he was a big boy and could handle a few hours alone until Evan got off work. Instead, what came out of his mouth was, “Are you sure?”

“I'm sure.”

“What about my car?”

Evan shrugged. “We'll pick it up tomorrow.”

“Okay... Okay, yeah. I probably shouldn't be driving anyway.”

After wiping away another tear, Evan leaned in and pressed his lips against Tommy's in one of the softest, yet most loving kisses Tommy had ever felt in his life.

“I love you, Tommy.”

“I love you, Evan.”

“And Eddie's right, you know? Everyone here, including me of course,” he smiled, “we're your family. You know that right?”

Tommy nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I know.”

[icebear4president]

Sometimes I think about this and cry

[rozugold]

From that dream I had

[peggingeddiediaz]

911 text posts pt 3

[watchyourbuck]

Imagine the texts Tommy is gonna get when Buck finds out about Kim (bc we know he isn’t in the next ep). The poor man is gonna be getting off a chopper after an 18 hour shift and he’s gonna have 398 new texts from his Evan where the last one is gonna read ‘I think Eddie’s dating his dead wife’

[buckera]

can't stop thinking about how that whole situation must've been bonkers from Tommy's pov

like, there is this dude so imprinted on you that he hangs out with you 3 days a week, while you both have differing schedules and do 24-hour shifts — oh and supposedly he also has a girlfriend.

and then his boy best friend asks you for a tour at your station and flirts with you, and then he shows up anywhere where he can get you and ends up bodyclocking his bestie like a preteen boy, which you'd think was to punish him, but you later find out that it was a subconscious attempt to get him out of the competition.

that's not mentioning the fact that the guy imprinted on you also introduced you to his son, who is incredibly fond of the other guy and won't shut up about him.

and then you worry that you came between these two friends, so you go see the one who is clearly more upset, to reassure him that's not what's happening, only to find out that he was actually crushing on you this whole time and he is also just realising this as he's telling it to you.

can you imagine the spin all that gave to Tommy's head??

[bizarre-transmission]

[meep-meep-richie]

“There’s a sadness in his eyes.”

[heauxplesslydevoted]

Whether Buck and Tommy become a full blown couple through the rest of the season, or they end things over the next few episodes, I need to see Buck have a fun and cute romcom dating montage with a guy. He deserves to be wined, dined, and doted on.

[scottishaccentsareawesome]

Eddie:....I just mean - I mean Buck practically raises Christopher with me. We have a child together. Do you know what that means? Chimney(who's been listening to Eddie rant for half and hour): No, what does it mean? Eddie: It means Tommy's a damn HOMEWRECKER, that's what it means...!