The Silence of a Somber Day

Damage Control

Tommy grabbed the skeleton key from his belt loop, sliding open the door with ease. He pushed the door all the way open as he pulled in a cart filled with cleaning supplies. Once Tommy had brought it all the way in, he pushed it aside to close the door. Tommy turned back into the room, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Sam sitting on the bed with a thermos of what smelled like coffee with a spoonful of sugar. Fran was laying at his feet, lazily gazing at Tommy.

"Jack told me he saw you leave for the day," Tommy said quickly, realizing how horrible the situation looked. "I came in to clean and hang out with Fran."

"I did leave. I came back when Jack was arguing with that manager of yours. Your boss is a real pain. Jack has inhuman patience to deal with him," Sam said with a shake of his head and gulp of coffee.

"Don't I know," Tommy muttered, leaning down with arms outstretched. Fran rose up, trotting into Tommy's welcoming hold. Fran licked his face affectionately, and Tommy was pushing her snout away while laughing. Sam was giving an amused look that Tommy glared at. "I risked my skin to get her in here, I should be able to love on her."

"No, no, it's fine. You can stay here as long as you like," Sam reassured with a kind smile that Tommy hated. Still, Tommy wanted to hang out with Fran, so dealing with Sam was nothing more than an unplanned inconvenience.

"I can stay for 20 or so minutes. I'll have to switch out the laundry after that," Tommy shrugged, flopping onto his butt while scooping Fran closer. She didn't seem to care, relishing in the warm hug. Tommy burrowed his face in her neck. He enjoyed the warmth almost as much as Fran did.

"You're going to spoil her," Sam laughed lightly.

"Fuck off," Tommy drowsily tried to snap, but it came off as more of a whisper because of how relaxed he felt. Tommy wondered if Fran had a superpower. No dog could be that comforting without some gift from the gods.

"Fran's a service dog. She was trained to be sweet and endearing," Sam explained, setting his coffee on the nightstand. Sam dropped off from the bed, leaning down to sit in front of Tommy and Fran. Sam ran a hand through her hair, treading between the silky strands.

"Why do you have a service dog?" Tommy asked with an eyebrow raised. It should be said at this moment that Tommy didn't mean to say something that could be taken wrongly. What Tommy meant was an honest question to satisfy his curiosity, not to make fun of Sam or something of the like.

"My job can be... stressful, at times. Speaking of my job, though, I want to talk to your boss about remodeling the kitchen," Sam explained.

"Pfft. He wouldn't pay you what you're worth. That kitchen area stinks so bad a skunk called to complain. A whole colony of rats moved in, and moved out immediately after seeing the sheer filth of it. That place is just... Hell," Tommy said while his nose cinched up. He remembered accidentally wandering in the previous week. Tommy had a sensory overload right then and there without any warning. Jack had to come pull Tommy out because the boy didn't know which way was up with the assault on his senses. Tommy had avoided the kitchen like the plague since then.

"I should get to work before it gets worse then," Sam considered Tommy's words but didn't act upon them. Tommy shrugged. What did he care what Sam did? Tommy wasn't close with Sam. Tommy was there for Fran. That was it. Tommy refused to acknowledge the small, traitorous part of his brain that whispered that Tommy cared, if only a little bit.

"Your funeral," Tommy said with an eye roll. Over the next twenty minutes, Sam and Tommy chatted quietly while playing around with Fran. Once Tommy's communicator buzzed, he wasn't seen for the rest of the day.

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Next chapter will involve some angst, don't fret my little shits!