Tricks and Treats

12 - Why Bother Hiding?

Captain Puffy was in her late thirties, and she never imagined that someone would call her 'Mom'. Dream had never uttered that name, and Foolish called her 'Papa', probably still seeing the adoption as a joke. To Captain Puffy, despite being called the Mom of the Server, never imagined someone would think of her as their real mother. It made her heart feel warm, and tears rose up in her eyes.

"Tommy, I'm going to stay right here. I won't let you go, I promise. Please, just let me see your face," Puffy whispered. Slowly then all at once, Tommy drew back. His blue eyes were a clouded with thick tears, his face a bright red, and lips trembling under the weight of his sobs. Something haunted lingered around him, an aura of a phantom that wouldn't bother leaving.

"Tommy," Puffy breathed out the name. She put her hand on his cheek, thumb rubbing back and forth like a windshield wiper for tears instead of rain. "It's okay. It was all a scary nightmare. But the nightmare is over. It's you and me. We're standing in the light of dawn, and you're barefoot in the dew covered grass."

Tommy nodded, leaning back onto Puffy's shoulder. She rested her head on his, holding Tommy in her arms until he had cried all he could manage for that morning.

———

Captain Puffy was a few hours older when Tommy came down the stairs again, looking refreshed and healthy. Puffy had stayed in his room until he had fallen asleep, and snuck downstairs to make breakfast with Sam. She was explaining what happened when her nosy boys (Karl, SapNap, Quackity, Foolish, and George) tuned into the conversation.

"He called me 'Mom'. That means you owe me three diamond blocks," Puffy gloated at the end of the story. Sam rolled his eyes, glaring at the eggs in the pan.

"Why does he owe you three diamond blocks for that?" Karl asked with a raised eyebrow. Sam sighed but Puffy laughed to herself.

"When we first agreed to take care of Tommy, we made a bet about who he would acknowledge as a parent first. In fact, we have that bet for all of you," Puffy explained the bet that was made a few weeks ago.

All five of the boys looked to each other before looking back at Puffy. In creepy unison, they all simultaneously said, "Mom!"

"I guess that's 15 more diamond bricks?" Puffy said while laughing as Tommy came down the stairs with a yawn. He received several good mornings from the others, and he plopped down in his seat.

"Now that everyone is here, we're going over the plan. SapNap, Karl, and Quackity will be working on Party Island. Please wear the proper equipment. I have some prepared lunches in the fridge for you three," Puffy explained. "George will take Foolish and Tommy swimming in the nearby lake. George, watch them so they don't drown, alright? And boys, please behave. I made a cooler outside with lunch, snacks, and Tommy's Healing Potions. I will be gardening and terraforming out back while Sam will be at the prison for work. We all meet back here for dinner."

The boys started laughing, and one of them even said, "Okay, Mom!" Puffy sighed into her hands. Sam was even laughing at her, trying to hide his giggling behind his mask. Puffy frowned at them all as she made plates for everyone. When she handed Tommy his plate, she leaned down to whisper something to him. "Hey, I want you to know that you can call me Mom whenever. Sam is ready for you to call him Dad when you feel you're ready. We're all looking out for you."

Tommy looked like he was going yo cry again so Puffy pulled him into a tight hug before getting back to business of making sure everything was in order. Quackity made an offended noise, "Mom, where's my hug?" Puffy threw a strawberry at him.

——

Foolish looked about 16 or 17 on a good day, but today, he looked like a 5 year old on Christmas. He bounded along the path, bouncing with each step as he arms swung at his sides. Tommy was behind him, hands in the pockets of his trunks, bare feet slapping against the concrete path as he enjoyed the scenery. George brought up the rear, pulling the rolling cooler behind him.

"Did you two put on sunscreen? Puffy would kill me if you came home looking like lobsters," George said as he grabbed the sunscreen from the colorful tie-dye bag that Puffy loaned him for the trip.

"How do you know what color lobsters are?" Tommy asked, not looking at George as he dodged the question.

"It's an expression, Tommy. Now put the sunscreen on or I'll rub it on there with poison ivy," George said darkly as he threw the sun screen. Tommy caught it without looking, not attempting to put it on at all.

"How do you know your colorblind? How do you know that the colors you see aren't the ones we see? If I showed you a block that I saw as red and you called blue, but everyone called it purple, wouldn't we call it purple because everyone else does? Because we don't know that they see a different color," Tommy continued to ask with a thoughtful expression.

"There's tests for these sorts of things, Innit. Put the sun screen on!" George let his voice get louder without yelling. Shouting was a trigger George was cautioned against using around Tommy by Sam.

Tommy rolled his eyes, rubbing the sunscreen across his skin. When he was done, Tommy threw it at Foolish. Unlike Tommy, Foolish didn't catch it. He had to pick it up before using it. When he was done, Foolish threw it back, misjudging the shot so he hit George in the forehead.

Tommy blew up into laughter. As soon as George put the sunscreen away, he glared at the two kids. Without warning, George started chasing after the them. Tommy and Foolish ran for what they assumed was their lives. After a few yards (meters), the boys were wading through the shallow water of the lake. Foolish turned around to look at George who was setting up the stuff, waves lapping against his calves.

"Alright, boys, enjoy the day," George said, plopping down into the sand to build a sand castle. Foolish light heartedly laughed as he dove under the water. The freshwater filled his vision, the blues and blacks shaping into an underwater landscape with green and purple plants growing below. Foolish swam around in circles and loops before rising up for air.

Tommy was laying on the water's surface, wings spread out but hands crossed over his stomach. He stared at the sky before Foolish splashed him with water. Tommy reacted quickly, body snapping together before sinking below the waves. Foolish waited for Tommy to resurface, but to his surprise, Tommy came up under Foolish, lifting him above the water to toss him back down.

At this, Foolish surrendered. Tommy showed Foolish a bucket he had, and pointed at George. They filled the bucket with water before carrying it to the sand. After a countdown, they dumped the water all over his head. George reacted by chasing the boys to the water before tackling them under.

I'm thinking about Hannah Rose joining the family dynamic soon :)