The Bebop Blues - [Animal Crossing | Tom Nook x Reader]

Chapter Four | Turns Out You're Just Fam

          It's been days since they passed out.

          They're still breathing – weakly, that is.

          What was at one point a human capable of turning a deserted island into a thriving home for him and everyone else is now comatose, looking weaker with each day. There's not much positivity Tom can gain from seeing them in that same spot visit after visit. No matter what Isabelle, Mabel, or any other people say, it's impossible to get his hopes up, even if just for a minute or a second. Sable's about the only one who has the same mindset as him, with her being far too worried over the potential loss of her friend to care about smiling or searching for the bright side of things. She's visited just as often as he has, allowing for both to support each other through the process.

          "Thank you."

          Those words leave him as Sable sets a can of orange juice in front of him, along with a few snacks. She sits down and attempts a smile in response, yet it's more of a grimace than anything else. Circles remain under her eyes, revealing she's barely slept much as of late.

          Tom slumps on the sterile-smelling couch with a sigh and lets himself relax. It doesn't last too long, though it helps him against further worrying about things that aren't possible to solve right now. He picks up the can, opens it, and takes a few sips. It's as cold as the air conditioner feels and about as sweet as his memories of (Y/N), making him shudder despite how numb he seems toward everything else. His eyes then fall on one of the snacks, this one retaining a key memory compared to the rest. He grabs it – a soft-baked cookie – and is brought back to the time when the human had finally gathered enough Bells to afford a bigger kitchen, full of every ware they could possibly need for cooking. 

• • •

          "Try one," they say, grinning. 

          A tray's held out in their hands, and steam rises in large puffs from the freshly baked goods. 

          "I made these from scratch!"

          He takes a cookie from the batch and sniffs it on instinct. 

          The smell is powerful but pleasant likewise, making him lose himself in the scent rather than in the overall look of the treat. When he does snap out of it, he notices it's a bit wonky, and there are far too many chocolate chips in it, hardly leaving space for the cookie dough. Still, they seem excited for him to try it, so Tom does just that. He's immediately punched in the teeth by how sweet it is, yet he continues to bite and munch until it's all gone. The chewiness is just right, however – and so's the limited, chocolate-less batter he can grab a taste of.

          "...What do you think?" they ask, gaze almost shining with hope.

          That sight makes him tense up a little, though reminded by how well they took criticism over the island's state – regardless of how much work and effort they put into it – he smiles at them and replies with, "The texture is impeccable, and the dough tastes wonderful, but…" He hesitates for a moment. "It's truthfully too sweet. It has… too many chocolate chips, I'd say. A bit more caution on that side, and these would be excellent. Yes, yes!"

          "Thank you!"

          All worries are set aside as the human bursts out their gratitude, not only through their words, but by hugging him tight enough to nearly pop like a balloon.

          They're smiling brighter than before by the time they let go of him, and he can see them take a deep breath before saying, "I was afraid it was gonna be bland, so it looks like I went overboard." They grab his hand and squeeze at it. "Thanks for being honest with me, Tom. I'm glad I asked you!"

• • •

          He's snapped out of that memory by something warm running down his cheek. 

          His face feels hot and stuffy, and it's not until he sees himself through the reflection of the table before him that he notices he's been crying throughout. Sable's standing behind him, rubbing circles on his back in an attempt at consoling him, yet she seems just as sad as him – with the exception that she isn't crying as much as him; only a few tears leave her eyes. Mabel stands behind Sable, creating a cycle of sorts as the former tries to cheer up her sister, just like she's trying to do for him. Thankfully, Mabel doesn't appear to need someone to console her. And so, it ends on that: with Sable comforting Tom, and Mabel comforting Sable.

          "What should I do?" he mutters, more to himself than anyone else. "All the projects they had in the making, and all the visions they had for this island…" He swallows the bile crawling up his throat and huffs through his nostrils, gaze furrowing in the process. "How am I supposed to continue? Perhaps I'm the one who started this, but…" A few more tears leave his eyes, and a shudder takes his body over when he sighs. "The island truly wouldn't be the same without them."

          The weight on his shoulders turns heavier, and he tunes out everyone and everything else, besides his memories of them and the sound of his heart beating fast the more he thinks about the prospect of losing them. A sudden dislike toward scorpions makes him wish he could catch enough of them to make these less of a threat on the island, but he knows and reminds himself that's not the most logical or ethical thing to do in this situation. Glitching was the real problem, and though he knew little about what that meant exactly, he's been researching the topic ever since the human went into a deep sleep – a coma, he didn't want to admit it to be just yet. He was still far from acquiring a more solid answer in terms of why that was happening. In the end, nevertheless, some progress was better than nothing. And he didn't mind spending hours and hours reading by the dim light of a desk lamp swarmed by moths, if it meant he would solve those questions soon.

          "Tom."

          Their voice makes his eyes shoot wide open, yet he still doesn't tune back into reality. 

          "Tom!"

          Rather, he narrows his brow and looks around with a blank, unfocused gaze, trying (and failing) to take in his surroundings. 

          "Oh, Tooooom!"

          His heart thumps, his tail wags, his ears perk, and he turns to the voice as quickly as he hears them call him a second time.

          "I love you, Tom!"

          Disappointment is fast to arrive when he acknowledges where that voice is coming from, an emotion that's then overcome by anger – if not, hatred – when he sees who's the one behind that illusion.

          Redd stands behind the Able Sisters, these clearly having tried to stop him based on the hostile looks on their faces; he has a small recording device in his hand and a cheeky look on his face.

          "How's it going, Nook?"