With the ITF, with building, it's not as if he needs the exercise, but on the mornings when the girls are with someone else, Abby or Florence or any number of Island aunts and uncles, Tom slips out in running shorts and sneakers, hitting the wet sand at a good clip. By midmorning, he was exhausted and slicked with sweat, collapsed back on the beach with an arm thrown back across his eyes, not thinking about much except his heartbeat as it slowly evened out.
He recognized Mack's giggle just a few steps before she threw herself across his bare stomach, laughing out loud as she bounced onto his chest.
"Hey lil' lady," he said, still out of breath. "Where did you come from?"
She escaped. That's what Florence's expression says when she reaches Tom and Mack a moment later, Flo still held tightly against her hip. The little girl seems perfectly content to stay exactly where she is and Florence has no need or desire to set her down just yet.
Tilting her head, her eyebrows lift as she looks at Tom, sweating and out of breath.
"Uh-oh," he murmured, catching sight of Florence and giving her a big grin. He rolled to a sitting position, taking Mack onto his lap as he did so. He was still keeping the tattoo covered with fresh bandages, but the sweat was making the adhesive slip and he didn't want to grind sweat into sensitive skin.
"You better be good for Aunt Florence. She kept me and dad out of trouble for years and years," he murmured into Mack's messy curls, grinning up at Florence.
Florence gives a snort of amused laughter at Tom's comment, although that isn't particularly untrue. They've kept each other out of trouble, she thinks.
Nodding at his question, her gaze darts to the bandages before she looks at Tom questioningly. What happened? And, more importantly, is there someone she needs to hurt?
He looked up when he felt her gaze on him and it was a moment before realization dawn. He let Mack squirm off his lap, tottering off down the beach after a hermit crap as he rolled slowly to his feet. Aching. His bones felt old this morning.
"That?" he said, trying to look over his own shoulder. "I'm surprised Mike didn't tell you about it. It's a tattoo," he said, offering the bandage to her to peel back. "We both got the same one. For Neil."
He shifted awkwardly, ears tinted pink. Somehow, with Florence knowing him from before, what he had with Mike and Neil still made him stutter around her. "For his birthday."
Florence has always liked it when Tom blushes, although it's not something she's ever communicated to him or Mike. It's endearing, a reminder of the boy he had been once, a trait of the man he could have been before Harsh Realm. It's comforting now, to know that this part of Tom is still there and she has to fight the urge to cup his face briefly.
Instead, she smiles teasingly, lifting her eyebrows. Oh? she's asking. And what is it a tattoo of?
Grumbling a little, like a toddler without the vocabulary to explain something, good or bad, he offered his shoulder to her, knowing to trust her with bandages.
"He drew it a while back...something he read in a book about him. He changed it around a little." Three little spheres, planets, in orbit of each other in perfect symmetry.
Inexplicably nervous, he looked back at her anxiously. "What do you think?"
Florence can tell that he's nervous for some reason and she lifts her eyebrows, appraising the tattoo. She can't fight the smile, though, and she falls back a little, nodding her approval.
"Mike's got one too," he muttered, feeling overwhelming pleased to see the smile on her face. Once they'd decided to go through with it, it had happened awfully fast.
"It's just...one of those things. You know." Again, he head was ducked and his voice pitched low, but he was grinning, bottom lip caught in his teeth. "Um..."
He recognized Mack's giggle just a few steps before she threw herself across his bare stomach, laughing out loud as she bounced onto his chest.
"Hey lil' lady," he said, still out of breath. "Where did you come from?"
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Tilting her head, her eyebrows lift as she looks at Tom, sweating and out of breath.
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"You better be good for Aunt Florence. She kept me and dad out of trouble for years and years," he murmured into Mack's messy curls, grinning up at Florence.
"They being good girls?"
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Nodding at his question, her gaze darts to the bandages before she looks at Tom questioningly. What happened? And, more importantly, is there someone she needs to hurt?
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"That?" he said, trying to look over his own shoulder. "I'm surprised Mike didn't tell you about it. It's a tattoo," he said, offering the bandage to her to peel back. "We both got the same one. For Neil."
He shifted awkwardly, ears tinted pink. Somehow, with Florence knowing him from before, what he had with Mike and Neil still made him stutter around her. "For his birthday."
Reply
Instead, she smiles teasingly, lifting her eyebrows. Oh? she's asking. And what is it a tattoo of?
Reply
"He drew it a while back...something he read in a book about him. He changed it around a little." Three little spheres, planets, in orbit of each other in perfect symmetry.
Inexplicably nervous, he looked back at her anxiously. "What do you think?"
Reply
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"It's just...one of those things. You know." Again, he head was ducked and his voice pitched low, but he was grinning, bottom lip caught in his teeth. "Um..."
Reply
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