"What are you running from Nookie?" The question pouded through Tom's skull like a jackhammer.
"Who else could I be running from you damn fox!" he shouted. The boys gasped, Tom instantly felt guilty.
"Boys wait I'm sorry," Tom said, the two boys slowly backing up as he tried to reach for them, "You have to understand please."
"Please, don't yell uncle Tom," Tommy had tears in his eyes. If Tom was yelling, it was indication something bad was about to happen.
"We're sorry uncle Tom," Timmy sniffled, "We won't do it again. We're really really sorry!"
"Hey boys come here," he reached out and hugged the boys tightly, "It's not your fault, it's mine. I'm sorry boys."
"If I may-" Redd tried to speak up.
"What you 'may' do is leave," Tom snarled, "I think you've done enough." Redd didn't even argue, he felt that he wasn't helping.
"Uncle Tom," Tommy spoke up, "Why don't you like us?"
"What?" Tom was astounded by what he heard, brushing the top of the sniffling tanuki's head, "Now where'd you get a silly idea like that?"
"Everytime we were together, you weren't happy," Tommy explained, "You went straight to work when you dropped us off at home, and when you came in to the store, you yelled at the fox."
"We didn't know he was bad," Timmy picked up, "He was being so nice, promising we didn't owe him anything, even when we tried to pay him."
"He said that he was your friend," Tommy said.
"He said it was all his fault," Timmy continued.
"What am I doing?" Tom thought aloud, "Gosh boys, I'm being such a dummy today. But I promise I don't hate you, and it's not your faults at all. I think you're old enough to make a decision about Redd on your own. You can tell me later if you trust him or not, I won't stop you."
"Thank you uncle Tom," the boys said in unison.
"In the meantime, Isabelle still might be serious about that raman."
As Tom left the store, he could have slumped against a nearby wall set out for decorative purposes (and as Isabelle believed, to anguish the resident service production time management) but he kept walking. If he gave up, the boys would give up.
"Nookie!" that familiar voice stopped him in his tracks, but for what reason, he didn't know, "Sorry, Mr. Nook. I- Look, I want to apologize. I really don't want to cause trouble."
"What the hell am I even doing anymore?" Tom was starting to feel the exhaustion get to him as he turned to Redd, "I keep trying to chase you away. I've seen what your own paws can do! Yet, I can't get rid of you. Why the hell am I still trying?"
"Woah Nooki- Mr. Nook. You're starting to sound like one of those characters right before they go crazy in some cheesy poem," Redd warned. He suddenly seemed to notice something and gripped Tom's face, looking him dead in his cold, exhausted eyes, "Woah Nookie, those bags could carry my groceries. What happened?"
"I just can't do it anymore," Tom seemed to fall forward in exhaustion. Redd caught him, moving him to lean against the impossibly straight cliff, "Everything I do is either too much or not enough. All because of you."
"Hey Nookie- Mr. Nook it's okay," Redd tried to reassure him, "Just tell me what's happening, okay?"
"I haven't been home in forever," he seemed to be talking to the wind, which was somehow carrying a present. The resident rep was chasing it down with a slingshot, "The boys have been on their own for so long and the first time I surprised them with a visit, I scared them. And I can't even properly apologize because I still have work. It's just...so much. I don't think I can take it anymore."
"Hey Mr. Nook it's going to be alright," Redd tried to be friendly, "I think you just need a break, okay? Here, you can take one now and sit with me. It's been so long since we've had a regular conversation, and I missed you so much."
"That's," Tom seemed to snap, stiffening up and regaining his deadly glare, "No way in hell I'll fall for your tricks again! God, why do I waste my time on you! You turn my coworkers against me and then my nephews. Why not the whole world next? I can't stand you, you know that? I'm leaving Redd, maybe you should too!"
"Nookie wait I-!" Redd realized he couldn't win. He knew his former business partner was right, "Of course Mr. Nook." Tom began to walk away, but Redd wasn't done, "For what it's worth, I missed you, every single day after that night."
Tom didn't respond. He was afraid he'd give in, to the twisting feeling building in his gut. Was it guilt? Sorrow? Yearning for the past? No, he and Redd were no longer friends. He just kept walking back to the resident services building.
The walk back felt like eternity, and being alone didn't help. Every step only made his stomach churn. He wasn't ready to admit that he wanted to go back to Redd, to believe things could have been the same as when he first entered the city. But he knew better. He's seen what Redd can do and doesn't want it to happen again.
"Hey Mr. Nook!" Isabelle called as her boss entered the building, "So, how'd it go-"
"I'd fire you if you weren't the most important person on this team," Tom glared at her, sliding her bowl of now room temperature raman across the table, "I don't think I've ever had a plan go that awry."
"Oh no," Isabelle gasped, fully expecting her and Ran's plan to have worked, "What happened?"
"What happened, Isabelle?" Tom could have laughed, "You tricked me into being in the same room as that...horrid kitsune! You didn't ask how I'd even feel about it! Pulling me away from work only to find out, he was with my boys! He could have hurt them. I should have bit him while I had the chance, now I can't make it up to the boys. This trip set me back."
"Not neccessarily," Isabelle said, putting the completed files that once belong to Tom in a filing cabinet, "I wish I could have made more impact, but I thinned the pile while you were gone!"
"Just," Tom Nook rubbed the bridge of his snout. too exhausted to reprimand her, "Take a break Isabelle. You're too young to overwork yourself."
"So are you," Isabelle said, putting on a pair of reading glasses while she pulled out a book, "In case you haven't noticed, you aren't exactly an old old man."
"Well I'm no youngster," Tom Nook shook his head.
"Thomas Nook, have some self respect!" Isabelle glared up at him, "You do know that if you claim that you're old, what do you think that makes me?"
Tom sighed, "Fine, I guess I'm not THAT old then," Tom gave in, "But work still calls."
Tom was used to the sounds of the keyboard clacking and scribbling on paper filling the room, but it didn't make the stream of paperwork seem any smaller or less exhausting. In fact, it seemed to only grow.
"I'm going out," Isabelle loudly announced, receiving several text notifications on her Nookphone, "I will be back! My papers are done!" She exited quickly. Tom had no complaints, the day had been droning on and he needed something to stop him from falling asleep.
Tom kept clicking, until he noticed several silhouettes pass by the windows. He thought nothing of it, and went back to work.
Little did he know, this was the conversation taking place right outside of his building:
"Okay team," Isabelle rounded up everyone, "Clearly Tom did not fall for Operation Noodles."
"I just wanted to talk with him guys," Redd said, "I didn't need you to try manipulating to your will."
"Redd not now, we're trying to bend Tom to our will," RanbowKng spoke with their hands and nods.
"We could try Operation Parent Trap?" Timmy suggested.
"It would be exactly the way it happened in the movies," Tommy explained, "Where the girls-"
"Boys, that would require Redd being one of your legal guardians," Isabelle shut down the idea.
"Nookie would kill me if I took one of you dumplings home to the boat," Redd ruffled the fur on the top of their heads.
"Wait, what movie?" RanbowKng nodded, "What was the plot? I'm confused."
"Not important," Isabelle waved it off, "We could try Operation Gas Station. Where we lock the two of them in a car on the often empty side if the-"
"I don't like that idea!" Redd cut her off, mildly fearing for his life in the enactment of Operation Gas Station.
"What about Operation Tax Fraud!" RanbowKng suggested.
"What does tax fraud have to do with this?" Redd asked.
"What's a tax fraud?" the boys asked in unison.
"Don't worry about it, cause we aren't doing Operation Tax Fraud," Isabelle could have hit RanbowKng. Tom would certainly want to know where the boys learned the words "tax fraud."
"How about we try my idea," Redd piped up, "I know, shocking, but I know how I want to try to get to Nookie. And believe me, he needs me back as much as I need him."
"What is it Mr. Redd?" Timmy asked.
"Okay so here's the idea."
Tom sighed, still buried in work when most people would be going home. He hoped that Isabelle was still enjoying her break. Although he did sneeze a lot, yet he couldn't remember if that meant someone was talking about him, or if someone was planning on committing tax fraud.
It felt like the day has been purposefully dragging on forever, and it was only adding to his ever expansive pile. Thankfully, the resident rep hadn't had any big ideas. However, Tom didn't trust it would last long. Especially with the way they'd been looking at the park they built on their third day on the island, or was it the fifth? Either way, the resident rep had been looking back and forth at their shovel and a few of the flowers. He probably should talk to them about all the island's flowers, it was affecting his allergies and the bushes they grew to slow the spread were not helping, especially since they just had more flowers.
The bell rang for the door opening. Tom thought nothing of it, RanbowKng always enters silently, exactly like this.
"Ah good you're here," he nodded, still typing, trying to get at least another few papers done before he passed out from exhaustion on his computer, "Hey, can we talk about those garden plans you had." Their footsteps got closer to the desk, "Sorry, can't go to the desk right now. Do you mind just putting a little more emphasis behind your motions so I can hear the way the wind blows as you talk."
The sound of the desk door being lifted did cause him to perk his ears, but he still typed away.
"Oh, yeah that works too," Tom nodded, "If it's not urgent, why don't you just write it on a piece of paper or something. As for the garden, don't try to hide it, I know you want to do something about it. New benches? Shrink for more space? New park? What's up?"
"It's been forever since you talked to me like I wasn't the devil himself," the feeling of two very fluffy paws on Tom's shoulders definitely stopped him in his tracks. He swung his swivel chair around to look into the eyes of the scammer of a fox, "Heya Mr. Nook!"
"You!" Tom shouted, "You don't have authorization to be back here!"
"Relax, Izzy gave me her card," Redd smirked, holding up Isabelle's I.D. card, "I kinda have special permission to be here."
"I'll be discussing this with her shortly," which was Nook enterprise lingo for, "She better count her days, because my countdown reached it's end."
"Ah just pretend I'm not here," Redd smirked, "I'm only doing something for the ol' girl anyway."
"Don't call her old!" Tom snapped at Redd.
"You know what I meant," he said teasingly in a flirty tone.
Tom huffed and turned his seat around, getting back to his work. He didn't understand why Isabelle would possibly need Redd of all people to take care of something for her. He also didn't get why it involved poking around his shelves.
"Hey Nooki- Mr. Nook," Redd corrected himself, "Would you happen to know where the other half of this picture is?" Redd held up the picture of Tom in front of the old Cranny.
"Not a chance," Tom lied, "And don't you dare go poking around you hear!"
"Got it! Top drawer on your desk, didn't have time to hide it last time you looked at it so you just shoved it back in," Redd gave him a wink. Tom gasped, but Red just flashed his usual mischievous grin, "What? Think I didn't spend enough time around you to learn when you're lying and what you really mean?"
"Wait, so all those times I tried to throw you a surprise birthday party-"
"Already knew," Redd confessed, "But it was so sweet that I never told you that I already figured it out."
"Why you insufferable fox!" Tom Nook stood up, grabbing the loose skin on Redd's chest. He really should invest in a shirt like everyone else.
"Thanks Mr. Nook!" Redd grinned, holding up he other half of the picture, "Man we were so young weren't we?"
"I should've burned that picture when I had the chance," Tom grumbled, letting go of Redd to cross his arms.
"But you didn't," Redd pointed out, "Meaning, you didn't want to, and you hid it in a spot only you would see it. Now why would you do that?"
"I didn't want to admit I worked with you," Tom grumbled.
"I know when you're lying Mr. Nook~" Redd chuckled, "So, you were thinking about me just as much, if not more, than I was thinking about-"
"No! I hadn't thought of you for a second," Tom yelled, "If anything, I was only thinking of how much I hate you!" There it was again, that twisting feeling. Redd was going to make him sick, and he just wanted to end the conversation.
"Okay fine!" Redd threw his paws up in surrender, "I'm taking this though." He stuffed the piece of paper in his pocket. Tom just rolled his eyes.
"You're putting me behind," Tom grumbled, "I have work to do."
"Jeez, you're so stiff Mr. Nook," Redd hummed, "When was the last time you took a break?"
"I don't need a break," Tom scowled, "I need completion."
"Hmm," Redd seemed to stare right through him, "Then allow me to help!"
"Just what do you think you're doing you damn-" Tom was cut off my the fox rubbing his shoulders. He wouldn't lie, it helped with the whole 'sitting at the computer without moving for days if not weeks in a row, "Hey! Hands off fox!"
"Hmm, alright," Redd said, switching from rubbing with his hands to rubbing with his wrists, "Jesus you're stiff, when was the last time you got out of this chair for something other than yelling at me?"
"Well," Tom huffed, but he blushed in embarrassment. He couldn't remember, "What's it to ya? Stupid fox!"
"Right?" Redd dragged out his voice, "So do you want me to go back to using my hands like a normal person? Or do you want me to keep looking like an idiot?" Redd said, but it felt like he was lightly brushing the surface of a rock rather than the soft tanuki in front of him.
"Fine," Tom groaned, rolling his eyes. Secretly, he was mildly thankful. His shoulders ached for days, and this was helping. THe only thing it wasn't helping was that boiling feeling in his stomach. Most people would call it bubbly, but Tom didn't want to give the fox the idea that it might have been romantic, it was pure hatred.
"Mr. Nook, I'm not trying to hurt you," Redd said, "I just missed you, you know? Every day felt like hell without you. I wanted to become better, so I could never hurt you again."
"So you decided to infiltrate my life and turn everyone I love against me?" Tom raised an eyebrow, still writing on a piece of paper over a hand sanitizer bottle. Why was this a part of his job again?
"That was never my intention!" Redd defended, "They keep saying something about a 'divorce arc' do you know what that means?"
"Not a clue," Tom shrugged, making it a bit harder for Redd.
"Yeah me either," Redd said, "Also, don't keep letting the boys watch 'Parent Trap.'"
"But it's their favorite movie."
"I know," Redd groaned, "That's the problem."
"Just hurry up and get out of here," Redd said, "I'm still fulfilling Isabelle's request!"
"Isabelle asked you to intrude in the building and start rubbing my shoulders and grabbing my pictures?" Tom asked.
"Nah, she asked me to talk to you," Redd smirked, "I think it's working."
"Jesus," Tom rolled his eyes, "You're such a-"
The sound of a bell ringing and the resident representative making a loud "kerplunk" as he hit the floor grabbed both of their attention.
"Hello Mr. Nook! Hello Mr. Redd!" they waved.
"Hello Ran!" Redd smiled at them.
"Don't give him the honors of calling him Mr," Tom said, "What's up kiddo?"
"I wanna do group stretches," he waved his hands around, "And I want you and Redd to join! Isabelle, Flick, Brewster, the boys, and Tiffany are all waiting." Tom knew Brewster always did group stretches regardless, island visitors were also always present, but why Tiffany?
"Sorry kiddo I have work-"
"But he'll happily come!" Redd covered Tom's mouth, "I'm sure you can step away for just a moment, right Mr. Nook?"
"I unfortunately don't have clearance to use your decapitated head as a decoration on the flag pole, so why not?" Tom stared at the fox and spoke through gritted teeth.
"Great!" the reps hands were moving a mile a minute, "C'mon! C'mon!"
Tom reluctantly got out of his chair and followed the two. He wanted to have the pile on his desk completed before he passed out again.
Surprisingly, everyone was happy to see Tom join them. He thought they'd criticize him for not working, it's all he's ever known.
"Uncle Tom!" Timmy exclaimed.
"You made it!" Tommy squealed.
"Yes yes," Tom smiled at the boys, "Say, Tiffany, what made you decide to join us today?"
Tiffany twitched her long white and brown ears and looked back and forth between Tom and Redd, "Mr. Nook darling, you should know by now that I live for drama. Especially the relationship genre."
"Right," Tom nodded apprehensively, "I guess?"
"No more talk! Time for stretches!" RanbowKng waved.
The stretching was surprisingly helpful. Tom may not have been the most athletic, but he was getting through only slightly off timing from the music. The sound of the boys laughing hysterically made Tom smile. It also made Tom smile to hear how out of breath and out of shape Redd was as he was off time with the music.
"That was great!" RanbowKng seemed to jump, "Let's do it again!"
"No!" Tom and Redd heaved in unison.
"Eh, can't say I didn't try," they shrugged in resignation.
"Well this has been fun," Tom smiled, "But I have to-"
"Uncle Tom! Let's go home!" the boys were positively bouncing.
"Oh sorry boys but-"
"He can't walk you home alone," Redd leaned against the shorter Tanuki's shoulder, "I'll make sure the three of you get home!" The boys had stars in their eyes.
"Yay!" Timmy shouted, "Pasta with extra sauce and butter!"
"Bedtime story!" Tommy completed the thought.
"But-"
"Mr. Nook, you need sleep in a real bed, not a desk chair," Redd rubbed circles on the Tanuki's shoulder.
"But all the paperwork-" Tom was cut off again.
"Mr. Nook, with all due respect, if you neglect your health and nephews again I will scratch you," Redd threatened with a polite smile.
"Mmm fine," Tom resigned, "Let's go home boys."
The boys looked like they were in pure disbelief. As if Santa Claus himself had promised them the entire toy store in the North Pole. They did not hesitate to pull along Tom Nook and Redd.
"Well this has been fun," Redd smiled, "But I have to go back to my boat for the night. See you tomorrow!"
"Bye Mr. Redd!" The boys said in unison.
There it was again, that funny feeling. Tom wanted to reach out, to pull him back, but he wasn't stupid, he would never. Right? "Redd!"
"Yeah Mr. Nook?" the fox said.
"I-" he couldn't bring himself to anything else, "I guess I don't care about the nickname, but you have to promise you'll never hurt anyone on this island!"
Redd smiled a genuine smile, and raised his right paw, "I really do promise. I solemnly swear to you Nookie."
The two finally went their separate ways. Tom made sure to make the night extra special for the boys, because he knew tomorrow was right back to work.
When the boys were tucked in, he went to his own room. His bed had been untouched for the longest time, it looked like it belonged to a stranger, but it felt like home.
Tom reached into his pocket and pulled out a frame. The photo he displayed on the shelf, only, it wasn;t the same.
"That damn fox!" Tom grunted through gritted teeth. Staring back at him was a younger version of the kitsune plaguing his life. That fox had replaced the pictures when he wasn't looking, and now he was staring at his old partner. Meaning, Redd had taken the picture of Tom.
Maybe he really did miss Tom? Nah, that's a stupid thought. Tom rubbed his left shoulder and then laid in his bed.
"I really do promise," the thought of Redd's words rang through Tom's head like a ringing melody right before he fell asleep, "I solemnly swear to you Nookie."
...
Man, Ke$ha song are great. What was that? Oh you're at the end.
I hope the 3612 or so words makes up for my absence. But this fanfic is still really fun to write. This chapter is honestly the whole reason I wanted to write this story.
See you in the next one (whenever that is) but I have a job interview today after school because while writing fanfiction is fun, it doesn't pay, and I need money. Hey! Don't give me that look! Have you seen gas prices today?
Anyways bye lol.
Everything beyond this point is just to make sure it publishes properly
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