Chapter Text
If you were to ask Tommyinnit if he liked flowers, he’d laugh at you and say, “No.”
If you were to ask Tubbo or Ranboo if Tommy liked flowers, they’d say, “Yes.” In fact, you could ask just about anyone and they’d say yes, it was common knowledge! Just something that would never be confirmed directly from Tommyinnit himself.
Nonetheless, it was true. He did like flowers, something he could only ever admit to himself, but he always has. It was one of the few things he could enjoy when he was out and about by himself.
Before he met Philza and Techno or Wilbur or even Tubbo, and even afterwards, he’d spend hours just sitting, learning, and smelling the flowers in a flower field nearby. After meeting them, he’d drag them along with him, especially because he was a bit younger at the time, and he had always used flowers as a way to show his appreciation for someone. Getting gifted a flower by Tommy was always a good thing. It meant you were special enough that he thought of you while doing one of his favorite things. Getting gifted a flower by Tommy was always special, and his friends knew that.
At some point, Technoblade had gifted him a book about flowers. Tommy still had the book, it was something, despite the fact that they were no longer on good terms, he kept with him throughout the years. After he got gifted the book, it was pretty common to see younger Tommy sitting in the corner or at the dining table, book in hand, trying to read it. It’s been actual years since Tommy’s even read the title of the book now, but he keeps it nonetheless.
Ever since then, Tommy has always had small gardens around his house or had some flowers on him, especially during L’manberg, before it’d be griefed or stolen from. He didn’t really mind if he was being honest. If he were ever to run out he could always ask Niki or Tubbo to get resupplied. Though, nowadays, he can’t ask Niki. His go-to person now to ask is..well, no one. He had just died, hadn’t he? Then got resurrected, so, it’s not like many people even knew he was back or that even believed he was truly back and not just a ghost.
It doesn’t matter much, does it? He talked about it with Puffy, and she said she actually used to run a flower shop before they all got thrown into conflict and fighting again (He apologized to Puffy for that, but she said it wasn’t his fault.) so the flowers inside were probably dead. That made Tommy frown. Even during the Independance war, he had made sure to never let his flowers die, at least not from neglect.
Puffy apologized and promised to take more care of them after that.
Puffy also said he was doing much better. That he was coping and making a good recovery (well as good as someone like himself could) and that he should be proud of himself. If he was being honest, he was, but he also wasn’t. Like, it’s a little silly, isn’t it? To get frightened of plain biomes or creeper holes or loud sounds..right? He talked to Tubbo about it one day and he said he thought it was normal since he was also scared of loud sounds like fireworks so Tommy guessed maybe it wasn’t that silly, because Tubbo could never be silly like that.
He had also told Puffy he felt like shit almost every time he left the Therapy Office since it felt like he was just being a burden to Puffy. Surely, she had better things to do than listen to Tommy go on and on about his trauma right? (She said no. She said that she wanted to do this and she was glad to help.)
Despite knowing this, it didn’t really stop the idea of gifting a bouquet as a thank you to Puffy. Though something about heading down the stairs of his house and to his storage room to grab things he hadn’t used since the early days of L’manberg filled him with dread.
Tommy sighed. It’s been a few hours and he’s pretty sure night has fallen already, but he’s still sitting at his desk, in his basement, with a journal that he hasn’t opened in ages.
The last time he opened this journal was probably before he got exiled. He didn’t write anything in it, but he remembers opening it. It’s hard to enjoy your hobbies when there’s a constant worry of people trying to kill you and war so a little before the Election he decided to abandon most of his hobbies.
He was pretty sure he was still on some people’s hitlist, but who cares really? If he’s gonna die at least Puffy will know that she was doing something that few people did for Tommy nowadays. Caring.
Tommy had gone through an array of bouquets, not really knowing what would be best for Puffy. He had decided against the rainbow bouquet since he didn’t have enough colors. Not to mention, most of the bouquet ideas he thought of didn’t look too appealing. To be fair, though, this was probably one of the first times he made a bouquet, especially this year.
He had also decided against a red, blue, and white bouquet, considering that, again, he did not have that many flowers or colors and also because it looked way too patriotic.
Tommy had decided that this room was throwing him off, and went to go sit by the bench.
It was, in fact, after nightfall. He didn’t worry too much for mobs, considering he had fenced off his plot of land very early on.
The air was refreshing as he felt it comb through his hair. The idea of playing a disc or messaging Tubbo to come sit with him on the bench plagued his mind, but he shaked them off, trying to focus on Puffy’s gift.
“Maybe I’m focusing too much on colors..” He mumbled.
If anyone passed Tommy’s house that morning and saw him passed out on the bench, they didn’t question it and left him alone.
Tommy was indeed focusing too much on color since after he made the discovery he made a bouquet he was actually happy with. All that was left now was to actually make it. And then..well give it to her.
“I don’t have a vase,” Tommy groaned. The bouquet was essentially already done. He had already found and arranged all the flowers, as well as putting some sting around the stems to tie them together. He found a nametag he had in one of his chest and added it to the sting, the name tag reading, ‘ CaptainPuffy ’. “I could probably make one..I have glass after all.”
Big problem for the big man, though. He doesn’t know how to use the glass he has to make a vase. He could also use clay to make a much simpler flowerpot, but, to be fair, he didn’t know how to make that either and he wanted to give 100% effort into this. Which he has, by the way!
In the end, he decided to just wrap them in wrapping paper, which he didn’t even know he had.
“Oh.” Tommy stepped back, to look at what he’s done. “Wow. I did that!” He laughed to himself. This was a big step, for him at least. “Wow! Okay..well.” He took a shaky breath. “I guess I have to go deliver this to Puffy now.”
As he walked to the TheraPuffy office, he thought about the flowers he had picked.
Purple Crocus. A purple flower (obviously) that has a bright yellow pistil in the middle. Purple petals that incase the pistil in the middle like walls, protecting it. Some of them have a bit of gradient of purple to white on the petals. They signify youthful happiness.
Daisies, which he had a surprisingly large amount of. A flower with thin and white petals that lay out flat and a yellow pistil. Daisies signify new beginnings.
Iris. Some flowers white, but most purple. They signify wisdom and trust.
Eustoma. Some flowers’ purple, but most white. They signify peace, happiness and gratitude.
As he made it to the office, he realized that the office was probably locked, considering Puffy had gone to visit Foolish in the desert he lived in. He tried the lock, and, yup! It was locked. Not like that stopped him before, but before he could even try to pick the lock he heard footsteps behind him and before he had time to react accordingly he heard a very familiar voice.
“What’re you doing, Tommy!” Puffy laughed.
Tommy nervously chuckled as he hid the bouquet from the person he was supposed to give it to. “..Hello..Puffy! How are you on this fine..Saturday.”
“Tommy, it’s Tuesday.”
“It’s just a bit, Puffy! It’s a bit!” He yelled before laughing nervously again. God, he was sweating bullets right now. He really didn’t expect to come across the lady who he planned to give a gift to today. Tommy cleared his throat. “Anyways! I thought you said you were going to go visit Foolish and that’s why we had to reschedule?”
“Well, I was, but I found him at the portal and we just talked for a bit. He’s busy building this mansion Tubbo and Ranboo commissioned? It’s insane! You should see it, Tommy. It’s bigger than the prison, I think.” Tommy tried not to tense up at the mention of the prison. He had only visited a couple of times and he didn’t really plan on going back for another anytime soon. “Anyways, yeah, speaking of, why are you trying to break into my therapy office Tommy?”
“Here goes nothing, I guess..” Tommy mumbled, before speaking up and taking his hands out from behind his back. “I..I made this for you, Captain.” He pushed the bouquet into her hands before she could coo at him.
“Awww!” She cooed anyways, “Thank you! I think I understand why you were so upset at my mention of my flower shop last time now!”
“Yeah. It’s just..I don’t know. I haven’t done this in like.. so long and you mentioning it last time made me remember I used to do this.”
“Thank you, Tommy! I appreciate it! I’m glad you’re going back to hobbies you used to do! It’s great to see that you’re finally feeling safe enough to sit down and enjoy things like you used to.”
“Yeah! It’s been so long since I picked up a flower so you have no idea how refreshing it was to sit down and do this, especially since I was making something for you, Puffy. Anyways, yeah, I just wanted to say thank you, is all. You’ve helped me a lot and you’re not trying to fucking kill me so..yeah!” He laughed, his anxiety having lowered by now. “It was nice..to do again.”
“Well, thank you, Tommy!” Puffy unlocked the door of the office and walked in, Tommy stayed outside, but slightly leaned in to see what Puffy was doing. After a few minutes of silence, he heard a bit of a clattering and water pouring before he heard his name being yelled. “Tommy Innit! Please enter my office.”
Tommy walked into the waiting room, to see Puffy sitting on the other side of the desk, flowers he had gifted Puffy sitting in a glass vase next to her, as she smiled at him fondly. He stood there awkwardly, not really knowing what to do until-
“Tommy.”
“Yes?”
“This is the waiting room.”
“Oh. Oh! Yes, yeah! I knew that. Um..okay-”
“Tommy, just get in my goddamn office.”
“Yes, Captain Puffy!” He saluted before they both bursted into laughter and walked into the office together.