a baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do

Species: Human Sexuality: Questioning Pronouns: He/Him Favorite song: Are You Bored Yet? (feat. Clairo) — Wallows Big three: Leo sun, Sagittarius moon, Libra rising

Tommy held back a sigh, figuring he shouldn’t have even brought that up if he didn’t want to keep thinking about their struggling friend group. He also was clearly avoiding a different topic instead, but Lil wouldn’t let that slide so easily. It was clear neither of them really wanted to discuss her conflicts with Phil any longer anyway, so he sipped from the seltzer can in his hand as the subject got changed. He was glad to see Lil back at her apartment at least, but he did miss having her around at the same time. They definitely became closer as friends as Lil stayed with him and Chuckie for awhile. “Hey, I told you not to get any ideas, didn’t I?” He teased her with a smile. “Yeah, she’s pretty talented. I haven’t seen her play, but you know she offered to do stunts in my next film?” @lillillians​

Though she wanted to continue to tease him for not thinking of the other girl’s dietary choices, at least it had all worked out in the end. Kim must’ve really liked him if she could look past his stupidity and lack of vegan food. “Wait–I was going to let this go, I really was, but you showed her Rocky Horror on your first fucking date?” she asked, eyes wide. Who the hell had told him that was aa good idea to impress a girl with? “Yeah, I don’t think you have anything to worry about if this girl sat through that abomination of a film without anything to eat but microwave popcorn. She’s definitely into you. I mean, I do question her sanity a little bit for sticking around, but the girl’s dedicated, I’ll give her that. Just let me talk to her, I’m good with the girls, obviously,” she teased, giving him a smirk.

.

“Hey, it’s a cult classic!” Tommy was quick to defend himself with another laugh. “And like I said, there was a reason behind it — you know I had to make sure she understood the reference to my costume, I couldn’t just leave her out of the loop.” Despite all the weirdness and how the date was nothing typical of a usual first date, things still went well, which only made his interest in Kim grow. She’d really caught him by surprise by how cool she was. “You’re right, I should’ve run it by you first, I guess I’ll know for next time,” he chuckled before sipping from the can again. “Hey, don’t get any ideas. I’m gonna keep a close eye on you two,” he teased as he pointed a finger at her. “I’m excited for you to meet her, though, really.”

Even though Lil had finally gone back to her apartment with Kimi, Tommy knew that this wasn’t the end of all the tension. It felt like there was still a lot more left unsaid, and he knew from what Lil had told him that nothing had been resolved between her and Phil. Plus, it seemed like Kimi had barely spoken to him, either. Tommy was just worried for his friends — he wanted to be there for them without picking sides. He wanted things to go back to how they used to be, but he wasn’t sure that was entirely possible. “I know,” he sighed sadly. “I don’t think anyones expecting you to do that ...” She hadn’t worded it exactly how he’d put it, but she had a point. “And you know Chuckie loves you no matter what. You’re family..” He wanted to say they were all family, but was that still true? With two friends’ feelings in the mix, it didn’t feel much like a family like it once had. “I’m sorry it all went down this way .. I really wish there was more I could do to help.” @itskimibtch​

Poppy was always trying to make fast friends, but she was still always so happy and surprised when she did. It felt nice connecting with someone right off the bat. She thrived when she was able to get along with others. “I will for sure take you up on that sometime! Spoiler alert! It’s hard to get rid of me once I have a new friend. I just…really like getting to know people.” She had heard of the new areas and she hadn’t been to a single one yet. It wasn’t because she was scared; she just…didn’t want to go headfirst into a new place alone. “How is New Salem? Sadly, I have not been to any of the new places yet. But I have heard only good things! Except for that one….oh gosh what was that called…the one with the rumored dragons? Sounds a little spooky! But in a fun way?”

.

Tommy smiled again. “Hey, I don’t mind! The more friends, the better,” he chuckled. It was a nice change to be making new friends lately, he had to admit. He loved all his childhood friends no matter what, but with the way things had been going, it was certainly a nice change. “It’s pretty cool! A little .. Eerie, but definitely interesting. I’m excited to see the other areas,” he admitted. “Yeah, that one sounds unbelievable! I think it’s called New Berk? If you’d ever wanna check it out, you could come join me.” He’d gone to check out New Salem with Wendy, so it would be cool to have someone else to tag along with him to the other areas. “It does sound kind of spooky, but I’m not gonna let that hold me back from checking it out. Just sounds like an opportunity for an adventure!”

☏

Tommy holding her tighter caused her breath to hitch. Surprisingly, it served as a reminder to her that she wasn’t dreaming, that she was actually very close to getting a midnight kiss from the cutest boy in Animania. Kim let out a soft giggle and shook her head lightly, “Who would ever get tired of seeing you?” She couldn’t remember the last time she was this into a guy, it was nerve-racking yet exhilarating at the same time. She’d just wished that 5-second countdown to midnight would start now instead of whatever the clocks actually said. Kim has tried to be a patient person when she can but it was getting annoying how much longer she’d have to wait until their lips finally met. “That’s easy for you to say, you’re not gonna be the one in front of the camera,” she teased. “But I’m willing to try it, as long as you’re okay with the possibility of an okay performance.”

It was endearing listening to Tommy talk about his friends, it was clear they were people he cared about deeply. The way he talked about his whole group made her a bit envious she didn’t have that growing up. But given that their friend group seemed to be going through something at the moment, something that she could tell was bothering Tommy, it was for the best to save meeting them for another day. “I feel kinda bad now, like I just stole you for the night when you should be spending time with them. I’m sure they’re missing you right now.”

.

Tommy was always known to put his friends first, but that wasn’t to say that he’d changed his priorities recently. Instead, he was focusing on his wants and needs, especially as his friend group continued to be in a rut. There was only so much he could do to keep the peace, and with the drama being between siblings that didn’t include himself or Dil, he had to also be careful to not overstep any boundaries. Luckily, hanging out with Kim had truly helped with that. He wasn’t worried about making his friends upset by spending time with her tonight — he wasn’t going anywhere, after all. Tommy was always a supportive friend, no matter what. Besides, Kim was a friend now, too, someone he actually wanted to be more than a friend. She was willing to put herself out of her comfort zone for him, and truthfully, he’d do the same for her too. He smiled at her teasing words.

He’d gone on and on about his friends by now, starting with Chuckie and ending with his brother Dil (saving the best for last, of course). It did make him a little sad that they weren’t all there together tonight, even if the others were at Susie’s party, but that didn’t mean that they were growing apart, at least that’s what he told himself to not grow worried about the distance they’ve all had lately. “No, you didn’t steal me,” he reassured her with a chuckle. “I wanted to come here with you.” As he was about to continue, there was a break in the music signaling that midnight was about to strike. He smiled, his arm still holding her close. “It’s finally that time  —” his heart was racing, excited but also a little nervous, and his arm didn’t leave her side as they counted down the seconds. Once the last second was counted down, shouts of Happy New Year being heard around them, Tommy leaned close to the red head and pressed his lips against hers.

Kimi hadn’t expected her life to change so drastically over the course of the last few months, but now that she was here, all she could do was keep trudging forward. She missed her friends, all of them, not just Tommy. She’d been spending her time at work, a lonely apartment or bars — maybe a little too often. Avoiding drinking tonight, she wasn’t expecting company, and she certainly wasn’t expecting Tommy. “Of course,” she smiled, stepping aside to let him in, though she suddenly got a knot in her stomach wondering if he’d showed up for a reason. “Is everything okay? Is Chuckie okay?”

.

Tommy felt a little bad showing up unannounced, but he hoped Kimi didn’t mind. He genuinely just wanted to make sure she was doing okay, considering recent circumstances. Her smile was reassuring, and he nodded as he stepped inside. “Yeah! Yeah, I think he’s doing alright,” Tommy replied, turning to face her once he was inside the apartment. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you or anything. I just wanted to see how things have been? Since, you know..” He trailed off, continuing. “I didn’t get a chance to stay long at the new years eve party, so I wasn’t sure if things have gotten better since then, you know?”

☏

Acting wasn’t something Kim had ever anticipated doing herself but the idea did interest her, “I’ve never tried acting before but maybe I could for a Tommy Pickles film.” She liked the look he gave her and decided to provoke him, looking into his eyes as she played around with his hair. “But since it would be my first time, I’d need some help from the director himself, that’s if he’d want to spend a lot of time and effort dealing with me.”

Kim nodded along as he explained where his friends were, “Gotcha.” She could agree that it probably wasn’t the best to meet them until things were completely resolved. She was about to change topics before she got an idea. “Before I meet people, I do research on them. Nothing crazy, just a standard check-up to make sure they’re not, like, hardened criminals. So how about you tell me about your friends? That way, when I do get the chance to meet them, I’ll know what I’m getting into.”

.

Tommy’s smirk grew. Her interest in his work was exciting, and he felt butterflies in his stomach as her fingers fumbled with his hair. His eyes met hers, and he used the arm around her waist to pull her a little closer. His mind kept wandering to when midnight would roll around, how he was sort of tempted to kiss her now instead of waiting for that perfect moment .. He’d see how things played out. “I think I could handle that. You don’t think you’d get sick of seeing me around so much?” He asked teasingly. “Acting is pretty easy to get comfortable with, though. I’ve used my friends for all kinds of short films, and none of them are professionals.” 

He was glad she was being understanding about his friends, and was also glad that she was still eager to meet them. He knew Lil was dealing with something similar with Riley, too. He’d met Lil’s girlfriend already, but he wasn’t sure if they’d met the rest of the group yet. Maybe he needed to take an approach like that, introduce Kim to them slowly. “Okay,” he chuckled, “I don’t think they’re hardened criminals, but maybe you’d know better than I do.” He decided to start with Chuckie first — he was probably the easiest to talk about. “Well there’s my roommate, Chuckie, he’s my best friend. He’s a graphic designer, makes some really cool stuff.”

*

As they lock the door Chuckie turns to Tommy with a sad look. “It was habit, you know. Inviting the others.” His mind wanders to the time they were kicked out of the laser tag place, that time they all got a little too into the game. “I just miss everyone. How easy it used to be.” When they got to the car Chuckie sat in the passenger seat and leaned back with his eyes closed. “I’m scared Tommy. I’m scared of losing everyone.” After a small moment of silence he reaches into his pocket and pulls out the shot bottles. “I don’t want these. This isn’t me. I just wanted to stop thinking for one second. Stop worrying that everything is going to fall apart.” Drinking wasn’t the answer, he knew this. Usually, he didn’t even like it. That loss of control scared him a little too much. He shoves the shots back in his pockets, not wanting to leave them in the car. “We don’t have to laser tag. We already know who’s winning this one,” he says with a laugh. “If you want, I can buy us some dinner and come back here to Mario Kart. Driver’s choice.”

.

Tommy gave his friend a sad smile in return, along with a gentle pat on the shoulder. “I know, Chuck.” He wanted to reassure him that things would go back to how they used to be eventually, but the truth was that it was completely out of his control. No matter how much Tommy tried to be the mediator in all of this, it almost wasn’t his place. It was practically a family issue between the Deville and Finster families, and he didn’t want to overstep and cause more problems, despite being seen as the leader of their friends. It was territory that he’d never had to step into before, usually brave when facing the unknown but never having so much at stake before. If one more thing went wrong, everything could potentially fall apart. 

They got to the car, and Tommy looked over at Chuckie as he continued, putting his seatbelt on and letting out a soft sigh. He hated to see his best friend like this. His eyes glanced down at the shot bottles, then back to the redhead. “It’s alright to feel that way, you know. With everything that’s been going on .. It has been scary,” he agreed. “Whether you need to drink and get it out of your system, or just need a shoulder to cry on, just know I’m always your guy,” he reassured him with a small smile. He chuckled, “I don’t know, it could’ve been a close call on that one.” Tommy nodded. “Sounds good, but dinner’s on me. What are you in the mood for tonight?”

Lil had no doubts that Tommy was going to make some sort of blockbuster one day that would put him on the map, but it was the in between that worried her. She knew that there were artists out there who worked years, decades, even, to achieve their dreams, and she just hoped that Tommy wouldn’t be one of them. Of course she wanted him to achieve his dreams, but if there was one thing she’d learned from being Phil’s sister, it was the power of practicality.

She couldn’t help but let out a laugh about how Tommy’s date had gone. She hadn’t even thought about dating someone who couldn’t eat pizza, but it was pretty funny. “Well, that’s on you for not ordering something nicer than pizza,” she teased, “but at least I know you make a good batch of popcorn. You didn’t show her one of your boring, old classics, did you?” His taste was definitely not the same as Lil’s, nor anyone else who was a casual movie viewer. “You think there’s gonna be another one after that? Maybe with tofu?”

.

Tommy knew Lil would get a kick out of his first date story, laughing along with her and rolling his eyes. “It was supposed to be a casual thing, alright? Nothing fancy,” he chuckled, holding the white claw can in his hands. “No, I actually showed her Rocky Horror, ‘cause she didn’t get what our costumes were supposed to be on Halloween. Probably not the best first date film, but we had a lot of fun,” he shrugged. “Yeah, I hope so. Maybe I’ll ask her if she knows any vegan restaurants around here.” He took a sip from the can, mind wandering as he thought of other things they could talk about. He knew Lil’s dating life was going well, but not so much with her brother or Kimi. He wasn’t sure if he should avoid talking about them or not tonight. “You’d love her, though. She’s awesome. I’ve just been .. hesitant to bring her around, with all the tension.”

Sam always enjoyed her time spent with Tommy. He helped her with her YouTube channel sometimes and she was always willing to give him a hand with his films. Plus, he was a cool guy and she enjoyed his company. Getting coffee was the perfect thing to do to catch up. Once they received their order and were sat down Sam smiled at him. “”Hey, anytime. It’s been too long. Stop being such a stranger,” she teased. “I’ve been doing pretty great,” she admitted, her mind wandering to Wendy. “Holidays were fine and all. You?” she asked. 

.

Tommy smiled. “Sorry about that. Life’s just been pretty .. Busy,” he admitted, struggling to think of a better word than that. He wasn’t exactly busy, perhaps preoccupied. He shrugged his shoulders. “Same. I actually thought of a cool idea for my next filming project, if you’re interested to hear about it.” He wasn’t sure what Sam’s knowledge was on Animania as a whole, but he figured she’d still be intrigued nonetheless. “Also, how’s your channel doing? Anything new in the works?”

While many looked at the mansion as something grand and exciting, at this point in her life, Willow simply looked at it as home. And, as of recent, because of the holiday, she’s been seeing it as a little lonely and a little secluded. With the head of house being staunchly against Christmas, that meant no lights or decorations, and when the snow fell, the shovels and plow was immediately out in full-force. That had never been explained to her fully, but it only really mattered to her in this last season. “ Thank you ! We honestly don’t have many people over, especially during the wintertime, ” she admitted in return as she led the way, the two of them shoulder-to-shoulder and keeping pace with one another. “ I’m trying to change that, though. ” She gently shouldered him, smiling wide. The triplets occasionally brought their friends around, but she was the one who really spearheaded trying to fill the house with light and life again.

Entering the kitchen first, she pressed a button, and the overhead lights came up with a warm, golden glow. It was huge, combined with the dining area, where a large mahogany table and chair set sat. But the two of them would be on the island in the middle of the kitchen, where all of her supplies for cookie decorating were set out in neat little bowls, the mugs for hot chocolate were sitting side-by-side, and the sugar cookie-making supplies were out and ready for them to get started. “ So, I thought it’d be fun if we did hot chocolate and cookies ! ” she told him with a little turn and a wave toward their work station. “ ‘Tis the season and all, right ? Plus they’re a fun gift to take home to your family. ” She laughed a bit. “ And I can turn some music on on my phone, and we can just talk and hang out and catch up and - ” She looked at him, a piercing thought in her head making her eyes go a little wide. “ If this is too much, please tell me. ” Her laugh this time was a little awkward. “ This is only, like, my third time having a friend over. ” And the last two people she’d brought to the manor were girls, who she had sleepovers with, who were sort of tended to by her grandmother. She was on her own here.

.

As Tommy looked around in awe, it was surprising to see that the manor was lacking any holiday decorations. Maybe because of how large it was, they felt it was too much of a hassle or something. It was rare to see a house lacking any sort of decorations this time of year, but Tommy wasn’t judging.

He smiled, nudging Willow’s shoulder in return. “You can invite me over anytime! I can only imagine how much Dil would love this place,” he chuckled. He loved that most of his friends were also close with his brother, as well. He felt it was a bad sign if he hung out with someone who didn’t get along with Dil.

The kitchen was a sight in itself, and Tommy was still mesmerized by how different this household was compared to his own. He saw the set up Willow already had for them on the kitchen counters, and he was already excited to get started. “That sounds amazing,” he agreed, stepping toward where she had everything set up. The last thing he had thought was that Willow was being too much — he was actually just as eager and excited as she was. They’d spent most of their time so far watching movies together, so the change in scenery was nice. “No! Are you kidding?” He asked, meeting her gaze with a friendly smile. “This is awesome. What kind of music you thinking?” He asked, checking out all the supplies she had for cookie decorating. “Plus, I do have a lot I could catch you up on. Life’s been .. Pretty crazy lately.”

Once inside, she couldn’t help but mentally note just how homey and cozy everything felt. It really was a childhood home, a home that had been properly and thoroughly lived in for generations, all the touches there - picture frames on the hallway wall, the distinct marker tallies of height growth over the years on one of the living room bannisters, the crocheted blanket thrown over an armchair. Willow’s heart ached with appreciation over just how well it fit the Pickles aesthetic. “ Oh, popcorn, yes ! A movie night staple. ” She followed behind him dutifully, the kitchen teals and whites and warm. “ I used to mix chocolate chips with my popcorn. Whenever I could, of course. My granny was very careful about my diet, ” she explained with another light laugh, setting her things onto one of the counters. “ I was - I mean, I still am - pretty hyperactive as a kid. No sugar, absolutely no caffeine, no big exciting adventures or crazy action-packed movies… ” That made her grandmother sound boring, though; her brows furrowed slightly. She’d never really said it out loud like that before. “ Well, okay, not all the time. She did let me indulge, every once and a while. ” Especially after the triplets and Donald entered all of their lives and their world was completely turned upside down. “ But I am very excited to watch Indiana Jones ! ” she assured him, beaming. “ I’ve heard all about it. Well, okay, obviously not all about it, or I’d have been spoiled on it, but… ” She trailed off, laughed to punctuate her sentence. “ I grew up on stories like these. Daring-do, narrow escapes, treasure hunting and artifacts, history - It’s some of my favorite stuff ! ” She was a history major, after all. As she pulled out the spoils of her little shopping trip, she asked conversationally, “ Do you have movie nights with other friends often ? ” She knew she wasn’t the only friend Tommy had - she couldn’t be, he was too good of a guy to not have a whole bunch of friends - but she wondered who else he hung out with; if she might know any of them.

.

Although Tommy loved having an apartment with Chuckie to themselves, he still loved coming to his childhood home, too. It was comfy and familiar, filled with memories of him growing up with all of his friends. Even if they were all older now and things weren’t quite the same as they used to be, the Pickles residence remained close to the same. Tommy couldn’t help but appreciate the consistency of his family’s home while there.

It was a surprise that Tommy hadn’t gotten sick of popcorn at all, with the amount he ate while working and going to the movies in his free time. He believed that there was a good reason that popcorn was the most popular movie snack, though, and never complained anytime he ate it. As they got to the kitchen, he made his way to the pantry to get a bag of popcorn, sticking it into the microwave as he listened to Willow. He loved to hear about her life — she had a way of telling stories that kept him interested, leaving him wanting to learn more. “That’s a good combination. You want some chocolate chips? I’m sure we’ve got some.” He was already heading toward the fridge to check as the popcorn began to pop in the microwave. “I know what you mean. My mom makes sure Dil and I stay healthy, too.”

He smiled, excited to see that Willow was excited about the movies. “You’re gonna love them, I just know it. I might even bet that it’ll become a favorite of yours,” he grinned. “Anything to drink?” He figured he should ask as he was already looking around in the fridge. As she asked about his friends, he nodded. “Yeah! Movie nights happen with me at least weekly,” he admitted with a small laugh. Though it had been awhile since he’d done it with any of his close friends, it was still an activity he liked to share with friends and family. “You know, I should introduce you to some of my friends sometime, you would really like them.”

☏

From the looks of it, Kim’s new year was shaping up to be amazing, the proof of that kept his arm around her and gave her butterflies every time he looked at her. They weren’t at an exclusive stage, yet – at least she hoped it would get to that, them ringing in the new year was a good sign things were headed in that direction. She knew she shouldn’t expect a labeling on anything this soon but it was hard not to, maybe it was just her jumping head first into anything that craved that kind of thing. 

“Looks like there’s a market for New Year’s centered movies, you should get on that.” She shot him a wide grin as she jokingly offered the idea, “It should be like one of those Ocean’s 11-type heist movies. You could even cast me, I’ll do my own stunts.” A light giggle escaped her as she directed her attention towards the crowd of people in the room, she knew a fair amount of them, some were clients but the majority were strangers. “Are any of your friends here? I’d love to meet them.”

.

Tommy hadn’t fully thought about how he wanted things to go with Kim yet, being more distracted lately than he normally was. It had been nice to just go with the flow, to just see where time would take them. There was no denying, though, that his feelings for her grew each time they hung out. He hadn’t been this comfortable in his dating life in quite awhile, but he was enjoying every moment of it.

“That’s not a bad idea, actually.” he chuckled. It was nice that she was down to talk about work with him, even if the two of them had very different career paths. A smirk formed as she mentioned doing her own stunts, quirking up a brow. The idea of that was kind of hot. “You don’t know how tempting that is. I didn’t know you were interested in possibly acting,” he continued, intrigued.

He had a feeling his friends would get brought up at some point tonight, but he wasn’t going to lie to Kim. “They’re actually doing their own thing tonight, I saw them for a little bit before coming here.” If he wasn’t so worried about how things would go for all of them, the first time they were all really getting together since Phil and Kimi, he would have invited Kim over there, too. “I’m hoping things are looking up for all of them, though, so I think you’ll meet them soon enough.”

who: @directorpickles​ where: angel dynamite’s record store

Aurora had been exploring past her usual lately, finding new nooks and crannies to the towns she was hidden from for so long. She’d become familiar with vinyl because of her aunts. They knew good music and appreciated it be played as such. In fact what had drawn her in today was the search for her something in her own collection. She missed it once coming back to her parents and had started to piece together her favorites for herself. Fleetwood Mac was on her mind as she flicked through the records. The girl softly hummed to herself the words before she realized someone was in the row with her. “Oh, I’m sorry, I thought I was the only one around,” she said before offering a quick wave and a smile. “Sometimes you just get a song in your head and you just have to sing along, you know?” 

.

There was more to Tommy than just his passion for film — he also had a love for music. He wasn’t exactly talented in that area like he was with filmmaking, but listening to music and finding new songs and artists to enjoy was a fun side hobby. He didn’t have anything specific he was looking for as he browsed through the records, just wanting to find something cool that he could spend some holiday money on. He’d hardly noticed the humming nearby until it stopped, interrupted by the girl getting his attention. He looked up with a smile. “It’s all good, I was kinda enjoying it,” he admitted, nodding in agreement. “I know what you mean. What song?”