Swallow Your Affection

Revalations

You never really thought you'd see the day Tommy hunkered down and really read a book.

But that's all Tommy's been doing.

Early this morning the boy wandered up from the basement, claiming he was cold, and firmly in his hands he had the hunting log.

You know... the log that the people who hunted you wrote.

All the kills they accomplished and how they did it, and what you were, and how you worked.

It made your skin crawl.

And Tommy hasn't put it down.

It's been four hours.

You and Techno have been shuffling around, inside and outside of the house, doing chores, and sometimes just chatting about future stuff, yet in all that time, Tommy has only rolled around on the floor into different more comfortable reading positions.

You glance at the boy.

Hand under his chin, front pressed against the hard floor and soft pelts. The book was in front of him, and he was at least three quarters of the way through.

Has he just been reading it the entire week Techno was hibernating??

You glance at Techno, who was hunched over the crafting table, tinkering and pulling apart the peices of his netherite armor.

In his own world.

It's only been two day since he woke up from his extended nap and he's already back into the swing of the grind.

Classic behavior.

Finishing up the last bit of cleaning you were doing, you huffed, and decided that you wanted to cozy next to the fire.

Maybe see if Tommy will snap out of whatever reading fever he's in.

Which- mind you- he is very visibly and actively reading. A book.

Not even glancing it over the way Techno did when he looked at it- the golden haired boy was honest to God reading.

You don't know what disturbed you more, the fact that the book was about how to kill you, or that Tommy was processing something other then his own voice.

Strutting over to the fire, you kick Tommy's feet as you go to take a seat, making your presence know before hunkering down.

The warmth was pleasant on your skin, and you had to take a long deep breath towards the flickering flame.

Soothing.

Which is the way it stays for a hot minute.

Techno tinkering, Tommy reading, and you soaking in the heat.

The only notice you get before the silence is broken is Tommy rolling over onto his back and hugging the book to his chest.

"I never had a mom. What's it like?"

The question comes so far out of left field that you don't even know where to start.

Tommy is staring at the ceiling, book still held to his chest, and you throw a wayward glance to Techno, who peels his eyes off the netherite in his hands to make eyecontact with you.

Eyecontact that seemed to say, 'Yeah, good luck with that one.'

"Well, I suppose it was nice." You hum, rubbing your chin as you try to think about how it felt.

"You 'suppose' so- do you not know how you felt bout your own mum??" Tommy snarks.

You smack the closest part of him to you, his foot, which has him reeling his legs back into his own space.