Forget-Me-Not (dreamxreader)

46 || Best Friends

"Short spaghetti has to wake him," he declares rolling them around in his fist. He stops and we pull out one each, I draw short. 

"I swear you're cheating," I say remembering all the other spaghetti draws I'd lost to Tommy, specifically when he was holing the spaghetti.  He sticks his tongue out at me and brushes his longish hair off his face. 

I gently sit on the window seat in front of the kid and touch his knee. He wakes instantly with a jolt that nearly makes me jump. At least now he wasn't so keen to run away and hide, but I didn't miss how he pulled the blanket up higher. 

"Hey, how did you sleep?" I ask gently. The kid gives me a shy thumbs-up and Tommy comes down and sits cross-legged on the floor by the window seat.

"That's great! We were just wondering if we should give you a name, we don't want to be calling you a number all the time," I explain. The boy nods slowly showing me that he understands. His expression saddens in a way that suggests he wasn't fond of being called "fifteen" either. 

"Do you have any names that you like?" I ask but the kid stays silent. I look to Tommy. 

"We can pay 'Yes or No' until you like a name," Tommy suggests nonchalantly. The kid nods his head quickly showing us that he likes the idea. 

"Alright then, how about Josh?" I ask. He shakes his head and pulls a face making me laugh. 

"Kalvin?" Tommy shoots and the boy shakes his head profusely. I laugh again and Tommy grumbles. 

"Ben?" He shakes. 

"Clementine?" Definitely not. 

"Miller?" No. 

We go on and on but nothing seems to stick. We sit quietly mulling over all the names we can remember. 

"Do you like Shroud?" Tommy suggests. I pull a face feeling sure that the boy will say no again. But instead, he hesitates and thinks for a moment. I watch carefully as the he nods his head smiling. 

"Well then Shroud, it's nice to meet you," Tommy sticks out his hand and Shroud shakes it. I'm still confused. 

"How did you come up with Shroud of all things?" I ask. 

"I actually thought of it last night but it felt stupid so I didn't say anything," Tommy shrugs and Shroud looks at him shyly. Tommy raises a brow but then Shroud slowly crawls closer to Tommy and Tommy works it out and opens his arms for Shroud to climb into. Tommy hugs Shroud and takes his spot on the window seat. 

Now for the trickier question. 

"Shroud, how do you feel about meeting somebody?" I ask. Shroud's grip on Tommy tightens visibly. 

"Don't worry bud, they're very nice people, they aren't going to hurt you," Tommy runs his hands up and down Shroud's back, fingers bumping up and down as they glide over Shroud's six extra legs. We sit letting Shroud digest the idea slowly. 

Nervously, he nods. 

****

Tommy and Shroud are sitting on the back verandah when I hear knocking on the door. Tommy had been complaining about the butterflies, I could hear his belly-aching from here. Occasionally, Shroud would protest and take the butterflies into the meadow where the flowers swayed gently in the summer breeze. Michael didn't even wait for the door to open properly before he bolted into the kitchen to find me. 

"Y/N!" He shouts excitedly and I scoop him up and spin him around. 

"Rascal!" I say with just as much energy and just as bright a grin. He giggles as I toss him up in the air and catch him again. I mentally note how strong our latest training routines had made me.