It was the next morning, and Thomas woke up extra early. Not because he thought it was a school day, but because he wanted a lot of time to be able to talk with his boyfriend.

Once he was fully awake, he didn't even go to brush his teeth, he just grabbed his laptop. Once he opened it up, he saw that Carter had left a few messages.

-Hey Tom. You doing alright? Don't know if you're available at all at the moment-

Carter sent that message only a few hours ago.

-Yeah! Am. It was slightly exhausting yesterday. How have you been? I hope you're still close to Mei and the rest-

Thomas hit send.

Then, in just a few minutes, Carter sent another message. Thomas smiled cheerfully after getting the notification.

-Oh? Are you alright? Hope you didn't overwork yourself or something :(-

-I'll explain it to you over a face call, do you want to do that?-

-Sure! I want to see your adorable face again ;)-

Thomas blushed after reading that. He selected the face call icon, then he looked at the screen, awaiting Carter's response.

In a few seconds, he saw his adorable boyfriend. "Carter!" Thomas exclaimed.

Carter smiled, then giggled a little. "Hey, Thomas!"

Thomas sighed, "I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to message you," Thomas told him.

"Hey, it's ok!" Carter said. Then, his facial expression turned to a look of concern. "What did you mean by exhausted?"

"Oh... well...," Thomas sighed, then crossed his arms sulking. "I learned that my engine is based on a pitiful excuse of a bloody locomotive," Thomas grunted. Carter tilted his head in confusion.

"Huh? What do you mean?" He asked, but then softly giggled at Thomas's pouty face.

"Apparently, the E2s weren't that great of an engine. They ran out of water constantly," Thomas said. "Ohhh... Oh, shoot... So that's happening to you?"

"Yeah, basically,"

"Is there a way to fix it?"

"Surgery in my engine form can, well, as I've heard,"

Carter blinked. "Surgery?! Won't... that affect you as a human?"

"Apparently, no. But I'm still rather nervous to go about that,"

"Wait... so there are people there with you?"

Thomas nodded. "I think I did tell you, yes! There is!" He smiled. "There are loads of kids here; Kids, preteens, and teenagers of the lot. There are so many! And... There's also a school. So you can stop being jealous of me for thinking I'm skipping school," Thomas said, giggling at what he said last.

"Oh damn, and I thought you weren't going to get any schooling, haha," Carter laughed. "They just teach normal stuff?"

"Well, normal stuff with some twists. I'm not the only one who can change into an engine here, obviously. So, they give us some assignments on railways signs and stuff like that. Most of them here actually ride around as engines to get around,"

Carter gasped. "That's cool! So you guys use your power to do things! Any of them became your friends?"

Thomas nodded. "Three actually,"

Carter smiled warmly at Thomas. He was happy for him. "I'm so happy that you got to make some friends! What're their names?"

Thomas smiled back, then replied to his question. "Duck, Oliver, and James. They're all very sweet,"

Carter blinked for a bit. "Wait... Duck?"

Thomas chuckled. "That's his nickname. He told me that some little arseholes from his early years used to bully him for his deformed leg. It made him waddle when he walked. So kids used to call him 'Duck' as an insult, but he told me he moved past it, and he prefers the nickname over his real name... What was it again...? Montgomery... No... oh! Montague,"

"Wow," Carter said staring at Thomas from the screen. "That's a Villan arch that diverted,"

Thomas giggled. "Definitely. Don't think I could have moved past it,"

Carter tilted his head. "Didn't you say you were bullied?"

"O-Oh right!" Thomas said. Carter giggled.

But then...

Thomas's mind started to wonder after Carter said that word. His mind started to think about Diesel.

Anytime that kid pops up in his mind... He gets flashbacks of that horrible moment. His expression changed, to a more worried state as that cloud of negative emotions started to haze his mind. His heart started to race. Flashes of that moment of him crushing those kids his age at that time filled his thoughts...

...It hurt.

Carter instantly noticed the mood swing on his boyfriend's face. Concerned for him, Carter instinctively grabbed the edge of his laptop's screen, "Thomas-... a-are you alright?" He asked.

Thomas was looking down at the keyboard of the laptop. He looked up with his eyes, which were swelling up with tears.

"T-Thomas...? W-What's wrong?" Carter asked, with a lot of concern in his tone.

Thomas's heart was still pounding. He looked over to the side for a moment, then back up at Carter. "Carter... You remember that bully I-I talked about?" His voice was very shaky.

Carter quickly nodded. "I do, I do! His name was Diesel, right? You mentioned about him when you... uh... changed into the train back in that one other dimension we went to,"

Thomas nodded, but then arched his eyebrow confused. "Wait... How do you remember?"

Carter looked at Thomas for a bit, then smiled softly. "I remember everything about my boyfriend~," He said flirty-like.

Despite Thomas feeling like utter rubbish at the moment, hearing Carter flirt with him, made him blush a little, and he had to giggle.

"So... What happened? That... couldn't be why you're kinda crying right now, is it?" After Carter asked that, it brought Thomas right back into the stressed state.

"He... He's here,"

Carter just froze for a while, then gasped. "W-What?!" He asked, clearly very shocked. "H-How is he there with you? Are you sure?"

Thomas sighed, "Yep. It's him. He can turn into an engine too,"

Carter gasped. "What... kinda karma is that? He bullied you for liking trains, and the dude literally became able change into one?!"

"Only thing is, he turns into a diesel locomotive, and not a steam," Thomas told him. "And according to my new friends, he hasn't changed. He's still an asshole,"

"I'm sure he can't be as bad as Tyler," Carter said.

Thomas tilted his head. "What do you mean? Tyler's a saint compared to him! Last time I checked, Tyler never tore up a property of mine, or anyone else's,"

"Ohh! That's right!" Carter said as he snapped his fingers once. "I forgot you said he ripped your train book to shreds. I'm so sorry that happened, Tom,"

"Yeah...,"

"He still bullies you?"

Thomas shrugged. "I haven't been around him much. So I can't really say if he's still going to be a bitch. But... It's not really the bullying I fear. That wasn't why I was crying,"

"Oh? What's wrong then?"

"It's just his presence," Thomas said as his voice started to get shakier. "Anytime I think about him, or see him, my brain goes back to that traumatic moment. When... I crushed him and everyone,"

"Ohhhh..." Carter said sadly. "I see... Damn, I... I-I can see how that could fuck with your brain," He said.

Thomas looked down, and the wiped his eyes.

"You... ever thought of therapy?"

Thomas looked up at the screen. "Therapy? Yeah sure- 'Oh hey Mr or Ms. Therapist, my name is Thomas Hatt, and I can change into a tank engine, that I crushed three people with-,"

Carter blinked. "Well... Y-You, don't have to tell them everything like that, just tell them you're going through a lot of stress of a mistake that happened when you were young. I mean, even if you do tell them your secret, they're not allowed to share your information with anyone,"

Thomas nodded. "Yeah, I'm aware of that," he said.

"You know, I saw a therapist once," Carter said.

"Oh, you did? What for?" Thomas asked. He had no idea what happened with his boyfriend.

"Yeah. I... started to like wearing darker clothes and stuff for a while. I used to have been made fun of, and a lot of people used to call me ugly and stu-"

Before Carter could have finished his story, Thomas got so very offended that people called his boyfriend ugly. "Ugly?! What little wanker called you that?!"

Carter's face went red. He wasn't expecting Thomas to have that reaction. "T-Thomas!" He said bashfully. "This was years ago," he chuckled.

"So!? I can't even describe how adorable you are! You're so cute and huggable! Whoever called you that is a knob!" Thomas yelled, angrily. That made Carter blush, but then he giggled at what Thomas said.

"I don't even know what you just said!" He said with a snort, then he fell into a giggle fit. "The hell is a knob?!" He laughed loudly. "You and your British words."

"I just don't see how someone can call you ugly! You're very dashing!"

Carter giggled. "Dashing huh?"

Thomas blushed. "Y-Yes..."

"You're 'dashing' too," Carter said in a fake British accent.

Thomas just playfully rolled his eyes, while giggling.

"So how're you with Mei and the rest?"

Carter had a soft smile growing on his face. "Once again, I thank you, for making us all get close. As I said, I used to choose to stay alone, but since Shane and Pirya are dating, we're all the best of friends now,"

Thomas smiled at that. "I'm very glad it worked out like that. I'm guessing Percy and Tyler are still going strong?"

"You better believe it," Carter said, with a chuckle while shaking his head. "They're so in love it's kinda scary,"

Thomas snorted. "Wow,"

"Meilin and Miriam are still together too,"

"You guys still on a train subject in class?"

"Yep," Carter told him. "My teacher made us do a quiz on different railroad things, and I passed!"

"Oh, cool!" Thomas said.

"Wouldn't have passed without you, my train-loving sweetie~,"

Redness crept up on Thomas's face. "Well, I'm glad my nerdiness paid off."

Carter giggled. "Totally,"

Just at that moment, there was a knock on the door. Thomas looked up, then to the left of him. He was lying on his stomach, facing the laptop that was in front of him. He was about to ask who was there, but-

"Hey, Thomas, it's me, Oliver. You doing alright in there?"

"Yeah, I'm doing alright! Uhh... You can come in if you want," Thomas said.

Oliver slightly opened the door. He smiled once he came into the room. But once he stepped in, he saw Thomas in front of the laptop. "You on your laptop?" He asked. He sat on the bed next to Thomas.

Thomas looked over at Oliver, then back at the screen. "Um... Carter, this is Oliver,"

Oliver gasped, then looked over at the laptop screen. "Oh! So this is your boyfriend! He looks very dashing!" Oliver exclaimed.

Carter blushed a little.

"O-Oliver, you're going to make him get bashful!" Thomas said, slightly pushing Oliver, who giggled in response.

Carter just shyly giggled. "Hello! I'm Carter! It's nice to meet someone who's just like my boyfriend," Carter said.

Oliver smiled. "I can turn into a Great Western Tank Engine!" He exclaimed.

"Oh? Really? So like Percy?" Carter asked, looking at Thomas first, then back at Oliver.

"Percy? Wait... You know Percy?" Oliver asked, looking at both Carter and Thomas.

"Percy did tell me he came here once. Wasn't sure when that was... Did you guys meet him at one point?" Thomas asked. Oliver nodded.

"Yes! But he left. One of the only ones who actually got to leave," said Oliver.

Thomas could see that Carter looked a little confused with what Oliver just said, but he decided not to make him understand that at the moment.

So, he changed the subject.

"So, where's Duck?"

"Oh, he likes fishing. Nearly every weekend he goes fishing at one of the rivers along the old branchlines," Oliver spoke. "He always tries to drag me with him, but fishing isn't really my thing," he giggled.

"Oh," Thomas said. "I never fished before."

"Well, if you ever want to, I'm sure Duck can teach you," Oliver suggested.

Oliver then got up. "I'll let you be with your boyfriend alone for now," He said getting up. "Just don't do anything that I wouldn't do," He joked.

Thomas sighed with a grunt. "Oliver, he's literally in the screen-..."

Oliver giggled. "I'll see you later," said Oliver, as he left Thomas's room.

Thomas just shook his head, then looked back at Carter. "He's something else, isn't he?"

Carter laughed. "It seems like. Wow, he thinks I'm 'dashing' too?" He said, continuing to laugh.

Thomas just smiled, "Well, you are!"

Carter blushed. "You all are so different than other people I've met. Some people hate the 'emo' makeup I ware,"

Thomas looked at him. "You know... I really love it on you, it makes you look very cute,"

"You don't even know what I look like without the makeup, or without my hair like this. I used to have short hair. I just outgrew it, and it kinda stopped where it is right now," Carter said. "You likely would change your mind if I changed all that of me."

"And I wouldn't! I'd love you forever," Thomas said with a smile.

After Thomas said that, there was a faint growl sound. "What was that?" Thomas asked. "I heard something like a chair was dragging on the floor,"

Carter's eyes widen a bit, then he erupted in a burst of loud laughter. "Thomas, that was my stomach! Haha! I'm just a little hungry. You know how loud my belly gets for whatever reason,"

"O-Oh, your belly, it was?"

Carter could see the blush creeping up on Thomas's skin. He just smirked a little, resting his chin on his hand.

Thomas knew why he was doing that. "Stop-," Thomas said looking away.

"Why should I? Mr. Bellybutton lover~,"

"Shut up!" Thomas snapped, his entire face was now blown up in redness. Carter giggled.

"I don't like belly buttons,"

"That's a flat-out lie, you told me you do on the train to the airport," Carter giggled. "You said 'I find them interesting' that was what you said to me," He said.

"Dammit," Thomas grunted.

Carter giggled, then made fun of his accent. "DAAMit,"

"Bloody hell Carter! Shut up! Hahaha!" Thomas laughed.

"Never~."

Thomas just rolled his eyes.

"Wait here for a sec-," Carter said, then the camera shut off, but Thomas could still hear what was happening. He heard some shuffling.

"What're you doing?" Thomas asked. He was expecting Carter was getting up to get something, or maybe to use the bathroom or something. "Are you off to head to the loo?" Thomas asked.

He heard Carter laughing. "Yes, yes, I said loo. Shut up," Thomas giggled.

But since Thomas could hear Carter laughing, told him he was still there. He hadn't left from the screen.

But then, the camera came back on.

Then Thomas's entire face went red. "C-Carterrrrrr!" Thomas yelled, so very bashful-like. Carter was showing him his bellybutton again. As soon as he reacted that way, he could hear Carter go into a giggle fit once again.

"Haha! I knew that would have made you blush so hard," Carter let go of his shirt, letting it fall back down, then he sat down back in his chair.

He saw Thomas had his head buried in his hands. "Geez, did you not even see it?" He giggled.

Thomas looked up. "No..."

Carter rolled his eyes, then stood back up, showing Thomas his belly button again.

After like three seconds he sat back down.

"You and this thing," He said.

"Why do you have to be so teasy-..."

"Because I want to be~," Carter giggled.

Thomas was about to say something, but then the entire screen went black.

Thomas blinked. "H-Huh?"

He tilted his head. "Carter, are you there?" He called out. There was no response. Thomas pressed the power button, but it wouldn't leave this black screen.

"Did... the battery die-?"

He pressed the power button a few more times, and after a few more tries, he gave up.

He sighed, then got up to get the charger for his laptop.

He walked over to his bag and opened it. He dug through the stuff, but he couldn't feel a cord anywhere. "Where is it?" Thomas asked himself. He took out a few of the stuff, then turned the entire bag upside-down, and shook out his belongings. A lot of stuff fell out, like the clothes he had yet to pack away in the room, but not one single cord.

He rummaged through the loose items on the ground, and there was still nothing. "Oh... Oh no..." Thomas said once he realized the horror of the situation. "Oh no!"

He left the laptop charger back at home in Toronto.