A Mockingbird In The Crows Nest

All Of Me

"Have you ever wanted braces, Tommy?" Sam asks, suddenly; and Tommy pauses briefly in his mission to rifle through the blueprints in the mans office. Turning to frown at the man over his shoulder.

"Like- for my teeth?" He asks, confused beyond belief.

Sam snorts, and he adjusts the gas mask over his mouth and nose with a head shake. "No, like- an elytra. For your wings?"

The limbs in question pull closer to his back and shuffle nervously as Tommy looks back down at the pile of blueprints; unsure how to respond. He hasn't really spent a lot of time with the creeper hybrid. He's usually far too busy to supervise some random teenager poking around in his workshop. But today, it was either annoy Sam or go sit in Phil's office with him while he did paperwork.

He very quickly decided to annoy Sam.

It's..Not like he's avoiding Phil. He's just..Not sure how he feels about him, right now. He hasn't really been able to discuss that with Kristin yet.

But he clears his throat a bit and starts moving around the blueprints again- trying to seem nonchalant. "I mean..When I was younger, yeah." He says, honestly. "But they're expensive. I didn't really have the money to get any."

"What about now?" He pushes; oddly eager. "Have you considered getting some now?"

"It's still expensive." Tommy frowns, turning to frown at the hero again. "I know heroes get paid a shit ton but I'm.." He hesitates. "..Not working right now. I don't have the money for braces."

He hasn't actually talked to anyone about whether or not he's still considered an apprentice or a hero or whatever. The only time he tried, Techno said there were some complications with the government as they looked for his real birth records- and Tommy dropped the topic fast.

"Oh, you wouldn't have to pay for them." Sam says, easily. And Tommy snaps his head to look at him so fast he nearly gives himself whiplash.

"What do you mean I 'wouldn't have to pay for it'??" He balks.

"I mean you wouldn't have to pay for it." Sam laughs. "It's coming out of my workshop. And when I produce things for medical needs- no one needs to pay for it."

"That's..No." He says plainly; furrowing his brows at the creeper hybrid as he glances him over. Looking for the joke. "You're fucking with me."

"I'm not." He insists, putting his hands up in mock surrender. "We make prosthetic limbs and other braces for free all the time. I don't see why we couldn't make you an elytra."

"Well- They're for really bad wings, aren't they?" Tommy tries; shuffling his wings around. Trying desperately to talk himself out of this offer. "Things like..Deformities or when there's an accident. Mine are just a bit smaller than they should be."

"Anything worn to assist with flying is an elytra." He explains, his eyes flicking to Tommy's wings briefly- but not lingering. "It might take me a bit to make them- but I don't mind if you're interested."