AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hey everyone! I FINALLY finished chapter 5 of Ace of Heart! It's shorter than the past chapters but Still pretty long enough in my books, So I hope you all enjoy it! Big shoutout to my friend/online sister, Goldsaddletank for editing this chapter and for also adding some of her own stuff to this story! I greatly appreciate all of the work she puts into editing my stories and basically becoming a co-author for my stories so thank you once again for the outstanding help! I highly recommend reading her stories for they are extremely good!
DISCLAIMER: Thomas and Friends belong to Mattel (ewww...), humanized version of the engines belongs to myself and Goldsaddletank along with any OCS that will be in this story
Enjoy!
-suicuneluvr
"I can't believe Spencer would say something like that!" Gordon growled as he tightly gripped his glass of water. "He knows words like that will trigger Thomas."
"And you said that Spencer said that after Hiro made the decision to catch Thomas as he fell?" Stanley asked as he looked at his eldest cousin.
"It's what James told me." Edward sighed as he rubbed his temple. "And what Spencer told me as well when I arrived."
"I'm going to go check up on Thomas..." Rosie said softly as she stood up from the couch, leaving the living room.
Listening to her brothers and Stanley continue to talk about Spencer in the other room, Rosie silently walked up the stairs and towards her youngest brother's room. She was about to open it but stopped, hearing the soft cries behind the door. She felt her own tears blur her vision, the memories of him suffering all those years ago flashing through her mind once again. She closed her eyes and silently let the tears fall before opening the door a bit. Looking in, she slowly walked over to his bed and looked at Thomas.
Thomas held a pillow close, the tears sliding down his cheeks like a steady river, his lips twitching as he muttered some words. Rosie gently sat on the edge of his bed and gently pets his head while humming softly. She saw him slowly relaxing before his sniffling stopped. Her fingers softly wove through his chocolate brown hair before she leaned over him, kissing his forehead.
"We're here for you, Thomas." Rosie whispered into his ear as she looked at him. "Don't ever forget that." She hummed quietly.
Staring at her little brother for a while longer, Rosie eventually stood up from bed and left the room. Holding the doorknob, she looked back over at Thomas and smiled sadly.
"Try to get some sleep, little brother." Rosie said softly before closing the door behind her.
"...Did you break up with him?" James asked as he looked at Hiro, standing next to the hospital bed in his room.
Hiro sighed as he leaned his head back, closing his eyes. "...I didn't break up with Spencer, James."
"He's an asshole." James huffed in annoyance. "Always has and always will be."
"James." Hiro said in a stern, yet soft voice. "He has made improvements in trying to change."
"Could've fooled me..." James muttered under his breath as he sat at the edge of the bed. "Didn't give him the right to say that about Thomas when it was your decision to move."
"I will admit that his actions tonight were wrong, and I am highly disappointed in him, but he was also concerned about my safety." Hiro said calmly as he looked at his brother.
"That doesn't justify his actions!" James growled as he stood up. "Everyone on Sodor knows that words like that trigger Thomas' depression. He's almost as bad as fath-"
"Jēmuzu." Hiro said firmly, a stern look overcoming his normally calm face.
James flinched and instantly looked down when he heard his name in Japanese, knowing fully well he passed a line. Silently, he sat back in the bed and looked at Hiro. Hiro sighed softly before leaning forward and gently petting his head.
"I know Spencer has his moments, but he is nowhere near as bad as father is, James." Hiro firmly stated, though his voice was a bit softer. "And you know this."
"I know..." James sighed softly as he leaned back. "I just...I just don't want to see anyone suffer the way we did. Especially you." He said softly before looking at him. "I mean, you still bear the wounds from him..."
"I know I do." Hiro whispers softly before lifting his arm up, pulling the sleeve down to show various cuts and slash marks that covered his entire arm, all scabbed over. "Even doctors aren't sure why they won't heal."
"Which is why I worry about you, Onii-chan." James hummed softly as he stared at his arm. "Both on the railway and around Spencer."
"I can promise you this, James." Hiro said before grabbing his hand, and gently holding it. "Spencer has not tried to hurt me in any way that would harm me like father did."
"He tried though..." James muttered distastefully.
Hiro hummed softly before gently petting his head. "He only tried to send my engine to the scrapyard, he never physically attacked me."
"Hai hai..." James sighed softly as he stood up. "Do you need anything?"
"I'm good for the night, James." Hiro hummed softly as he laid back down slowly. "Good night, James."
"Night." James said before he walked out, sliding the shoji behind him.
Sighing softly, James headed towards the stairs and ran his hand through his hair. He felt completely drained after everything that had happened within the last few hours. Walking into his snake room, he smiled slightly as he saw the snakes on the bonsai tree relaxing under the heating light.
"Alright, noodles, time for bed." James said, only to hear a chorus of hisses surrounding him. "No arguments. " He hummed as he opened the empty cages before walking back to the tree. "Come on." He said before gently picking them up.
The various breeds of snakes continued to hiss in protest, though they complied with what he wanted. James chuckled as some of the snakes slithered onto him and coiled around his neck and arms. Kissing some of their heads, he walked over to the opened cages and gently placed the snakes in their corresponding cages. He watched how each one slithered into either a small cave or onto a wooden branch in their enclosures before closing them. Turning off the main lights, he made sure each heating lamp was functional before leaving the room. Upon entering his room, he walked over to his futon and laid down on top of it, and stretched.
"Hopefully that tea helped Thomas..." James muttered to himself as he stared at the ceiling. He blinked as he watched two sets of eyes slowly appear in front of his face. "And it's time for you two noodles to go to sleep."
Viper hissed before slithering off, Flame staying and continuing to stare at him as he flicked his tongue.
"You too, Flame." James chuckled as he gently flicked his nose.
Flame hissed happily before slithering after Viper quickly. Chuckling softly, James stood back up and took his kimono off before laying back down on his futon. Pulling a thin sheet over him, James continued to stare up at the ceiling before sleep finally overtook him.
Thomas groaned as he rolled around on his bed, stretching and wiping his eyes with his hands. Hearing his alarm going off, he reached over to his bedside table and turned the alarm off. Sitting up, Thomas stretched again before climbing out of his bed. His body cracked a bit as he stretched once more, walking over to Sky's cage and taking the cover off. Sky squawked happily upon seeing his owner, happily walking onto Thomas' arm once the door was open.
"Did you sleep alright, Sky?" Thomas asked, gently placing him onto his shoulder before walking into his bathroom.
"Sky slept fine. Thomas sleep?" Sky squawked as he ruffled his feathers.
"...Yeah, I slept fine." Thomas said softly, stopping at the bathroom sink. Memories of last night flooded his mind once more, along with that dream he had of James. "I slept fine." He muttered as he turned the cold water on, splashing his face with it.
"Thomas, breakfast!"
"Coming!" Thomas called back, easily hearing Gordon's voice from his bathroom.
Sky squawked softly as he gently kissed Thomas' cheek, nuzzling him. A small smile appeared on his face before leaving the bathroom.
...
"Finally, just pulling the Express all day!" Gordon smiled proudly as he looked at the paper of his jobs for the day.
"Just don't expect that every day." Edward hummed as he sat at the dining room table, reading the newspaper.
"It should be every day." Gordon huffed snootily. "My engine is the best and the fastest for the Express!"
"So is Henry's." Rosie giggled as she put plates of food on the table. "His engine is similar to yours."
"Only because the blueprints of my engine were stolen," Gordon grumbled as he sat down. "Besides, look at all the problems his engine gave him."
"His engine was fixed years ago after his accident," Edward said firmly, lowering the newspaper to look at him. "Besides, remember the compliments YOUR passengers were giving him when he pulled the Express while you were cleaning out your engine's firebox?" He asked with a smirk as he started to eat.
Gordon grumbled quietly as he silently started to eat. Rosie laughed softly as she walked into the kitchen to make their drinks. Hearing soft footsteps, Rosie smiled warmly as she saw Thomas walking down the stairs, Sky riding on his shoulder.
"Morning, Thomas." Rosie smiled as she walked over to him, gently hugging him. How are you feeling?"
"A bit better." Thomas softly said, gently nuzzling her as he held her close. "What's for breakfast?"
"Eggs, bacon, toast, and fruit." Rosie smiled as she gently led him to his seat. "I'll pour you some orange juice in a bit."
"Where's Stanley?" Thomas asked as he started to eat.
"He left earlier to start shunting trucks at Vicarstown." Edward hummed softly as he folded the newspaper up. "We all have busy schedules today."
"Joy..." Thomas muttered quietly, feeding Sky some fruit. He didn't feel like doing much work today. "What are my jobs?"
"You'll be working with Annie and Clarabel on your branch line for a few hours, then have your break at 12, then you'll be shunting some coal trucks with James after your break then finish working on your branch line."
"Why can't someone else shunt trucks with James?" Thomas sulked, who was still feeling humiliated by his older cousin and unwilling to face his crush at such a vulnerable time.
Edward had picked the newspaper up, and softly tapped it on Thomas's head. "Busy schedule, was what I believe I said,"
"I know!" Thomas whined. "Surely I can swap with someone, and-"
Edward shook his head. "I wish one of us could swap," he said sadly. "But it's a busy time and it's too last minute to swap jobs around now."
He put a finger under Thomas's chin and lifted it tenderly. "Besides, James is embarrassed and angry about Spencer making a fool of himself. He told me as much. Perhaps you could find a moment to talk about this whilst you're shunting."
Thomas pondered this for a while. It wasn't a bad idea, he supposed. But he was also tense with anxiety.
"What-what if-"
"Thomas, please," Pleaded Edward. "You have to try."
"Yes, little Thomas," Added Gordon seriously. "You can't ignore things like this forever."
"If you'd rather have one of us with you," Added Rosie, "then we could arrange something."
Now Thomas was more riddled with anxiety than ever.
"Sit, and have some breakfast," Gordon said, deftly pointing to Thomas's chair. "You might feel more in a frame of mind to decide then."
Nodding at Gordon, Thomas quietly down.
They were about to eat when there was a sudden commotion outside.
"What's going on?" Grunted Gordon, getting up to look out the window-then, without another word to his siblings, he dashed out of the door-without either coat or shoes.
"Oh dear," said Edward gravely. "I have a feeling we'll need a first aid kit."
...
Sure enough, Gordon hauled in a lanky teen, with greasy hair and torn clothes, which were olive green. He was about Rheneas's height, and, Edward noted in surprise, vaguely resembled him as well.
Making a mental note to ask Skarloey and Rheneas about this later, he smiled kindly.
"Hullo there. Seems you've had a frightening experience."
"Tell me about it!" The teen replied, as Gordon guided him to the table. "Thought that would be the end of me, if he hadn't come along." He jerked a thumb at Gordon.
"Yes, thank you, let's not get excited." Gordon huffed.
"So why were you jumped?" Asked Rosie, confused.
"Long story." Then he remembered something. "Name's Smudger, by the way."
"Well, pleased to meet you, Smudger," said Edward politely. "I'm Edward, that's my younger brother Gordon who helped you in, our sister Rosie, and Thomas, our youngest brother."
"Pleasure's mine," Smudger drawled.
"Do you have any family we could call, Smudger? Someone to tell them that you're alright?" Asked Edward.
"Nah, just my dad. And he's probably too busy fucking another girl to notice I got beat up. Even if he did notice, he wouldn't care."
'Why does that sound like Skarloey and Rheneas's father?' Edward thought to himself, remembering his friends' stories of how Mr. Floyd Sr. ran off to pursue someone 'younger, prettier, and without crotch goblins!' after Rheneas was born.
Tragically, their mother had had the longest relationship with him before he ran off.
...
'He's hiding something.' Rosie thought as she studied the battered teen. The way his eyes avoided Edward when he was asked that question, he talked like he... Rosie couldn't put a finger on it, but something didn't feel right. Though, the eye contact could be for a harmless reason, like a disability
Putting the thought aside for the time being, (She didn't think the kid an immediate threat, just a bit odd) she smiled warmly before placing a plate in front of him. "Please, have some breakfast. What would you like to drink?"
"Orange juice, please." Smudger replied politely as he scooped some scrambled eggs onto his plate before eating.
"Do you live around here, Smudger?" Edward asked before taking a bite of his toast.
"Near Crovan's Gate." Smudger hummed as he started eating. "Was in the area to visit a friend though." He muttered quickly, looking away from them.
As Thomas silently ate, he kept taking small glances at Smudger in confusion. His name sounded familiar to him but not what he looked like.
"This is going to bother me now..." He thought as he quietly ate.
"If you want, Gordon could give you a lift to Crovan's Gate for you." Edward smiled warmly.
"What?!" Gordon huffed in annoyance. "I'll be busy pulling the Express! I don't have time to take him to Crovan's Gate then back to Knapford to get my coaches!"
"One of your stops is Crovan's Gate, brother mine." Edward replied drolly, looking at his brother.
"... did you just go all Mycroft Holmes on him?" Rosie asked.
Edward shrugged. "I blame Rheneas. He got me and his brother watching it on the telly."
Gordon opened his mouth to argue but quickly closed it. Grumbling under his breath, he finished his breakfast and went to finish getting ready.
"Sounds like a few people I know." Smudger chuckled as he drained his glass and continued to eat his breakfast.
"I can't believe all my jobs today are pulling trucks!" James groaned as he and Hiro stood on a platform in Knapford Station, looking at their job lists. "What about my coaches?!"
Hiro chuckled softly as he petted his head. "Your coaches are having their brakes replaced today and the seats cleaned and reupholstered."
"But Hiro," James stated, pointing to his red L&YR Class 28 mixed-traffic engine, "people need to see my engine's splendid red paintwork! It's the most splendid red engine on Sodor!"
"People will still see your engine as being really useful in delivering goods trains for people across the island." Hiro smiled warmly before walking over to his engine.
Groaning, James adjusted his red work jacket with black piping and climbed onto his engine's footplate, dusting off his black pants as he did so, scowling at a scuffed toe on his left shoe.
Running his gloved hand over the engine's bright red boiler, he sighed.
"You'll get your coaches soon." James sighed before patting it affectionately. "Then everyone on Sodor will see how splendid you really are."
Just then, Thomas and Gordon arrived at the station with Gordon stopping at Platform 1 and Thomas stopping at Platform 2.
Thomas felt relief when he saw Hiro's engine, glad to know that he was at least recovered enough to return to work.
Seeing James nearby, however, Thomas quickly ducked down and blushed, both from seeing his crush and embarrassment after last night's events.
He was excited that he would be working with James in a few hours, but his embarrassment made him doubt himself once more. He didn't want to have another accident in front of him again.
"Smudger!"
Thomas silently stood up a bit, looking over his cab door and watching as James walked over him.
"You finally got out, man!" James smiled as he walked over to the teen next to Gordon's engine.
"No shit." Smudger laughed as he grabbed James' hand, both of them hugging each other. "Why else am I down here?"
"True." James laughed before letting go of him. "By the way, what happened to you?" He asked, pointing to the bandages.
"Was jumped by some fucker when I was heading towards your house, only to be found by the boastful one behind me." Smudger shrugged before pointing to Gordon.
"Watch it." Gordon huffed as he inspected his engine.
"Look at you, Gordon, being such a sweet grown-up." James teased before laughing.
"Oh, the indignity..." Gordon groaned in annoyance before walking off.
"Do the others know you're out?" James asked when he and Smudger sat on a bench.
"Not yet. I wanted to surprise them tonight when you lot get together at the Double D's house." Smudger smirked as he leaned his head back.
"They'll be surprised." James chuckled softly. "What do you want drink wise tonight?"
"I'll just bring some Monster with me. Promised Dukie I'll stay clean from drinking...for about a week or two. Same with smoking pot."
"Makes sense." James nodded in agreement. "Truth be told, you scared all of us."
"Yeah..." Smudger sighed softly. "I feel bad for the way I treated Dukie as well when he took me off the streets after my fucker of a father tossed me out... So I want to prove to him that I have changed for the better."
"Well, we're here for you man." James smirked as he playfully shoved him.
"Yeah, I know." Smudger laughed as he stood up. "I'll see you tonight." He waved before walking toward Gordon's engine.
"Later." James waved before walking back over to his engine.
"Now I remember." Thomas thought as he watched James before looking at Smudger. "He was the quiet kid who kept skipping school and hung out with James and the others. I wonder what happened to him." He thought before standing up.
He was too deep in his thoughts that he didn't feel his two coaches being coupled up to his engine, yet alone see two female twins walking up to him.
"Something troubling your mind, Thomas?" A soft female voice asked, startling the teen.
Looking out of his cab, he smiles when he saw the two women who acted like his aunts. They were wearing the basic all-blue work uniforms that the conductors and station masters wore. They both had auburn-colored hair and beautiful hazel eyes. They smiled warmly at him. He saw Annie was holding a walkie-talkie.
"I'm fine." Thomas smiled as he climbed down, hugging them both. "How are you two?"
"We're both fine." Clarabel smiled as she petted his head.
"Indeed." Annie giggled softly before handing Thomas the walkie-talkie. "And we're ready for the day."
"Good 'cause it's a long day today." Thomas smiled.
"Please don't go too fast today." Clarabel pleaded softly. "You'll shake our poor coaches to pieces!"
"I thought I was going to be sick when they were accidentally coupled up to Caitlin." Annie sighed softly.
"So was I, and I was very worried about you two..." Thomas muttered quietly, looking down sadly at his feet.
"Oh Thomas." Clarabel cooed softly as she gently held him. "It wasn't your fault."
"I know...but still." Thomas sighed softly as he hugged her close.
"Cheer up, Thomas." Annie smiled warmly. "Today is a new day. Besides, it was a silly accident, and accidents do happen."
Nodding, Thomas hugged them both once more before climbing into his engine's cab.
...
Working on his branchline went by in a blur, and now? Now he was heading towards the Whispering Woods.
To shunt coal trucks.
With James.
James.
Thomas felt sick to his stomach with anxiety and nervousness. He was dreading this since he was told that he would be doing this job.
Edward's advice to talk to James about last night was easier said than done. He was having a hard time just saying hi to him for Lady's sake!
Sighing, Thomas looked out of his engine's cab, watching the trees blur by as he entered the Whispering Woods.
Truth be told, he always enjoys coming here or to Henry's Forest, both of them being calm and quiet. The sounds of the forest were always so soothing and helped him to relax, though today it was barely even helpful.
Seeing the very engine whose color matched James' eyes suddenly come into view, Thomas gulped as he slowed his engine to a stop next to it. He felt his cheeks burn as he looked at the older teen, casually chilling against his engine's boiler. His jacket was opened, revealing the pristine white button-up underneath that outlined his toned body.
Texting on his phone, James eventually put it in his pocket and looks up. "Hey, how are you feeling?" He asked softly, still concerned after last night.
"I-I'm...I'm doing a-alright..." Thomas squeaked, his heart pounding against his chest. "T-Thank you f-for the tea..." He gulped quietly. "I-It helped."
"I'm glad it did." James smirked as he walked into his engine's cab. "Ready to get this over with, Koneko?"
Thomas felt his face burn from that nickname, followed by that smirk plastered on James' face. He was beyond happy that the shadows of the trees hid the redness that emblazoned his cheeks.
"I-I am..." Thomas managed to speak out, quickly spinning around to shovel coal into his engine's firebox, hoping to avoid looking at James (for the moment, anyway).
James chuckled softly as he did the same thing, glad to see Thomas back to normal - well, at least the normalness he was used to. Pulling the throttle open and easing off the brake, he felt his engine move forward before gently bumping into some of the trucks.
Thomas constantly took deep breaths to calm his racing heart as he shunted the trucks.
Every other time he had worked with James in the past, he was always surrounded by other people who helped distract him. Rarely did he work with James alone and he both loved and hated it.
Music soon started to echo in the forest.
Confused, Thomas looked over, seeing a Bluetooth speaker resting on top of the coal in James' tender, playing rock music on a low volume, - but loud enough to be heard.
A small smile appeared on Thomas' face as he watched James silently sing along.
He's seen it multiple times from watching his live streams, followed by all the heart emojis that were posted in the chat.
But hearing it, in the flesh, knowing he's the only one listening, made him feel both ecstatic and special.
As the time went by, Thomas soon started to feel himself calming down, his heart returning to its normal pace. His self-esteem was boosted by this show of trust James was showing him.
His daydream was interrupted by a bang, muffled music, and a loud "Lady damn it!"
"What's wrong?" Asked Thomas worriedly as James stopped his engine.
"My speaker sunk into my fucking tender." He grumbled. "I'll have to get it back or I might damage it when I grab more coal."
"D-do you wa-want help?" Thomas asked, annoyed his stammer had come back.
"Just give me a spare rope, if you've got one," James answered, holding a shutters pole aloft. "I'll climb in, swish this about." He waved the pole.
Thomas felt sick. What James was implying was reckless, not to mention downright dangerous.
"James, you could get hurt, or worse!" He squeaked. "Are you really willing to risk your life for a speaker?"
James just raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow.
"Hiro gave me that speaker for my birthday." James hummed as he took his jacket off, followed by his white shirt. "Of course I'll risk it." He stated before taking his piercings out, not wanting to risk losing any of them as well.
Thomas tried to talk, but felt his mouth clamp shut as his face began to burn once more. James's muscular body glistened from sweat caused by the heat from his firebox, each muscle rippling under his skin, like ripples in a pool. The tattoos seemingly come to life with each movement.
The only times Thomas has ever seen him shirtless was either in the locker room at school or when he was washing his engine.
Either way, both scenarios were always his favorite to watch.
Shaking his head, he quickly grabbed a spare rope and tossed it to him, though he wasn't completely sure about it.
Easily catching the rope, James tied one end around his waist before tying the other to the handrail near his cab. Climbing onto his tender, the coal moved under his feet as he started to use the shunter's pole. He swore as the coal seemed to crumble beneath him.
With a yelp, James felt himself sink deeper and deeper, until he was about knee high.