It was a peaceful morning on the island of Sodor. The morning sun was warm as it lit up the sky and peeked in through the trees as they danced in the soft wind. Thomas was taking his usual coaches, Annie and Clarabel, down his line that morning after just waking up. He seemed rather tired than usual and it didn't take long for Annie and Clarabel to notice this.
At first they didn't bother with it as he seemed to be doing rather fine until he fell asleep waiting for his passengers to dispatch and board at the first station. "Thomas wake up!" Annie hollered as Thomas jolted awake. "Wha! What- what is it?..." He yawned.
"You fell asleep! You can't just sleep on the job Thomas and you know that!" Clarabel scolded him. "I know.. I know" he yawned once more. "Thomas promise us you will try and get some sleep.... This is the first time in years you've been sleepless...." Annie spoke softly as they left the station.
Thomas merely struggled to keep his eye's open while they was heading to the next station. James was waiting there once they puffed in. He had just finished pulling a load of crates filled with potato sacks and tools for the farmers market when he noticed Thomas pull in.
"Well hello there Thomas~" James said in his usual tone of voice. Thomas rolled his eye's, he didn't really feel like dealing with James that morning. He was more focused on getting his jobs done in time so he could sleep the rest of the day away.
James didn't hardly notice this until he realized that Thomas had made no cheeky comment. "Uhm? I ssid hello?..." James repeated himself. "Hello... James..." Thomas nearly mummbled.
"Well whats clogged your funnel today?" James asked as the station master blew his whistle. "He's tired James now leave him alone!" Annie said. "He barely got any sleep last night!" Clarabel added as they left Dryaw station.
James was confused at first, Thomas wasn't the type to stay up all night unless some thing was bothering him or worse. James was now curious as to what was going on.
Thomas continued on his branch line for the remainder of the morning before continuing onto his other jobs. During that time James took it upon himself to go visit Annie and Clarabel to see if they could help. Once he arrived to the shunting yards he was suprised to see how quiet it was.
He puffed up next to the shed they was resting in before blowing his whistle to wake them. "We was awake you know!?" Annie yelped. "Oh is just James..." She said rolling her eye's. "What do you want James?" Clarabel finished.
"I wanted to ask, what was wrong with Thomas earlier?..." The coaches fell silent unsure if Thomas would like for them to tell James the true reason. "Like we said he's tired he didn't get enough rest" Annie spoke up. James narrowed his eye's at them, "are you both sure?' He asked hoping they'd spill.
And they did just exactly that "Thomas has been having some sleeping issues he didn't want to tell you because he was afriad you'd pile more work onto him just for it!" Annie snapped. "Are you happy now James?" Clarabel added. James didn't know what to say. He thought that all this time Thomas would turn to him for comfort but he should've knew better.
All this time he thought he was helping Thomas but he was wrong. He was the worst friend Thomas could've possibly asked for. The coaches noticed his silence. "James?...." Annie said "Are you okay?" Annie softly asked. James soberly sighed. "I'm okay.... I'll be fine..... Who am i kidding im not....." He softly said not able to hold back any more tears.
"I thought i was being a good friend towards Thomas but i guess i haven't been....." James softly muttered. "James...." Annie softly said. "He didn't want you to worrie about him.... So..... He told us...." Annie tried to assure James. James glanced over at the coaches. "What do you mean?..." He asked.
Annie and Clarabel looked at one another unsure but decided to go ahead and tell him. "James...... You promise us you wont tell another being what we're about to tell you will you?..." Clarabel softly asked. James nodded, "Thomas has had a crush on you for awhile now and he was afriad of telling you up until now......" Clarabel softly said.
James eyes widen, "r-really?....." He asked. The coaches nodded. "Then.... Maybe i will have a chance....." James whispered to himself. "Are you telling us that you like him too?" Annie asked. James blushed for amoment not realizing he had spoken outloud. "Y...yes...." He softly said looking away.
The coaches perked up. "Oh thank the heavens!" Clarabel said. "If you want to catch him he's at Tidmouths resting now go hurry!" Annie enourged. James felt confused for amoment before realising that they supported the relationship and was encouraging it. "I will and thank you both!" James whistled before quickly leaving the shunting yards.
"I do hope it goes well" Clarabel softly said. "I do too Clarabel...i do too..." Annie trailed off as they watched the red tender engine leave the yards in a hurry. James was moving as quick as his wheels could take him. Sure he wasn't far from the sheds but he wanted to get there as fast as possible so he could comfort and confess to the small blue engine.
Thomas was in his shed staring down at the rails below him. He was once again struggling to find sleep. It was the afternoon by now and the sun was in the middle of sky looming over Tidmouth sheds. He was far from any window so the suns rays couldn't hit his face but no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't sleep.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a engine approaching the sheds. The other shed doors was open all except his very own. He glanced out the pan windows in the shed door to see James on the turn table, he looked very worried.
Thomas wasn't sure what it was about James looking worried but it felt like lighting had struck his own boiler he had felt that bad for the red engine. James slowly puffed into the birth next to Thomas. Neither of them made eye contact nor spoke for a few mintues until James gathered up his remaining strength and spoke up.
"Thomas...... I heard you was having sleeping issues....." James softly glancing over towards the blue engine. "Yeah.... And who told you that....." Thomas said harshly hoping James would leave him alone to rest thought he knew he wouldn't get it any time soon. James paused for amoment before continuing.
"Look Thomas when i heard you couldn't sleep i got worried for you because....... I don't like seeing you sad or tired....... If anything i want to help you the best i can.... Since..... I've neglected to do that for the past few weeks......" James trailed off. Thomas was taken aback from his words as he slowly looked over at the red engine. At first he had thought that he was here to annoy him or make him do his own jobs but instead he was here to apologize.
"I decided to go ask Annie and Clarabel what was wrong, at first they just told me you was tired but they finally told me the true reason..... And i guess you could say i cried infront of them because....... Because i had thought that i had broken are friendship....... And my chance to confess to you....." James mummbled the last part catching Thomas off guard as he felt his cheeks heat up.
Looking over at the red engine, he noticed his face was also slightly red. "James...... You didn't ruin anything...... I was just afriad to tell you because i was afraid that you would worrie too much over my stupid self......" Thomas trailed off. "Thomas.... Your not stupid.... Sure your cheeky and you some times get yourself into trouble or even hurt yourself from time to time but you never mean too...... If it helps even i do all that from time to time" James said trying to assure him.
Thomas softly smiled as he looked over at James, they're eye's meeting one another's. "James..... What would you do if i told you a engine here on the island liked you?....." He softly asked. "We'll i would kindly reject them...." James said pausing as Thomas felt his hopes drop down. "Because i have my eye's and heart set on a small blue tank engine named Thomas" he playfully teased.
Thomas felt his face heat up as his boilder pressure shot through the roof. James simply chuckled at the small engine's reaction. "So..... Will you date me?" James softly asked. "Of course James...." Thomas chuckled as the two of them leaned on one another as the two slowly slept the afternoon away enjoying the time they had alone at the sheds together in peace.
(This ship was requested by the lovely x_Seeker_x thank you so much for the request i have been currently buzzy green lighting ideas for other storys and doing other stuff for other BIGGER projects yet to come on my other social medias and here as well so the suggestions have been kinda on and off lately but like always i hope you enjoy the screen shot above was taken and made by me however the game does not belong to me it belongs to is rightfull owner and have a Good Day/ Night!!)