A/N This is the 2nd request, so if it's weird, that's why. My school had tissues on the bus, which comes into play here.
It was Autumn's 10th birthday party day, and she was very excited. Especially because her new friend Sawyer went with her to the school bus and got invited to her birthday party. Her happy time on the bus lasted until there some kids came by and picked on Autumn and said mean things. Sawyer wasn't happy to see this, stood up the kids and told them to back off, or she will report them to the principal's office to have them kicked out the bus. Then, the kids went back to their seats. The bus driver couldn't believe that Sawyer stood up to the kids and felt sorry for Autumn, because at first she wanted to get away from the mean kids, so she slumped in her seat, then began to cry hard.
The bus driver gave Autumn the bus tissue box and Sawyer comforted her friend.
Sawyer said, " There, there, Autumn. I know how much your feelings are hurt, so it's okay to cry and let those tears wash away the pain. Cry it out and feel better."
"M-My h-heart h-hurts," Autumn said. "I-I n-need t-to w-wipe m-my e-eyeballs.", as she held a tissue over her face to wipe away her tears. She wiped her nose as well.
Sawyer said, "If you want to talk, I'm here to listen. I'm here for you, in your hurt."
Autumn sniffled, wiped her cheeks and eyes with a fresh tissue, then blew her stuffy nose, saying, "I-I'm v-very s-sensitive, s-so s-sometimes I-I g-get o-overwhelmed w-with e-emotion a-and n-need t-to l-let i-it a-all o-out. L-Like w-when p-people a-are m-mean. I-It m-makes m-me d-deeply u-unhappy. T-Tears.".
Sawyer was in tears herself, so she pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed her eyes. "I get overwhelmed with emotion, because I'm extremely sensitive. Because of my compassion, my eyes get tears from distress over someone's pain," she said as she dried the tears from her eyes. After she finished drying her eyes, she put her hanky away.
Autumn finished her cry, dried her last tears from her red eyes, sore and puffy from crying and face, then said, "I'm going to get the snot out of my nose,",blowing her nose until the stuffiness from crying was relieved. "I hate being stuffed up, whether I don't feel good or, like now, cried my eyes out.".
After Autumn arrived home with her new friend Sawyer, they thanked the bus driver and got off. Autumn threw out her wet tissue mound on the way off.
Autumn and Sawyer played party games in Autumn's yard and everything until the big kid came by. Sawyer thought of how Autumn had spoken of going to A Day Out With Thomas, starting when she was 5 and going to Thomas theme parks or, in one case, a park that had a Thomas area before and still had a train-themed ride from it.
Autumn was annoyed at him crashing her party and said, "You're not invited to the party, go away!"
The big kid said, "I wasn't coming to the boring baby party, I came by trying to tell you to grow up and act like a lady and stop watching Thomas stuff. You are such a burden, autism runt."
Autumn ran inside, then started to cry. She found the tissue box, took one and cried into it.
As Autumn fled, Sawyer couldn't believe it and now was not happy at all. She said, "Why don't you just get out of here and don't come back! And leave Autumn alone, you ruined her special day and kids at the school did the same thing to her. Autumn can watch Thomas the Tank Engine whenever she likes even though she's too old for that, you're just a complainer. You better go away or I'm gonna tell Autumn's parents and they will call the police, and my aunt is one of the police officers! She'll arrest you and tell your parents. Now go!"
The big kid couldn't believe that Sawyer stood up, then he did as he said before he went, he said one last thing. The big kid said, "Fine I will go. But I will not take back what I said and I will not say sorry." Then, the big kid left without a word beyond that.
Sawyer went inside to tell Autumn the big kid was gone and found her friend wiping tears away. "It's okay to cry, Autumn, when someone's been cruel to you. Wipe your eyes. I can handle your emotion."
Autumn blew her nose loudly, "I-I cr-cried m-myself s-stuffy b-because th-that k-kid w-was s-so m-mean."
Sawyer said, "If you want to talk, I'm here for you, just to listen to you."
Autumn sniffled, wiping her wet face and weeping eyes, "I-It h-hurts m-my f-feelings d-deeply, h-how m-mean m-my b-bullies a-are.". She wiped all her tears away as best she could.
Sawyer said, "Your rainy eyes tell me."
Autumn thanked Sawyer again for helping her, as she dried her face and eyes of her last tears and blew her nose, relieving the stuffy feeling her tears caused. Then Autumn's parents came by with the pizza, and wondered what's going on. They saw the pile of wet tissues and Autumn's red face and eyes, the latter sore and swollen.
Autumn explained, "The kids at the school and the big kid across the street are saying horrible things to me with regard to Thomas. Sawyer stood up and told them to back off. I feel better now, after a good cry."
Autumn's parents were happy and thanked Sawyer for helping her. And they continued the party.
After the party was over, Sawyer's mother came and picked her up. Autumn thanked Sawyer for coming over and said goodbye.
While Autumn was playing her birthday presents, she decided to go see Thomas, so she looked at her Thomas poster and floated away.
When she arrived to Sodor, she found Thomas at the coal hopper.
Autumn said, "Hi, Thomas. "
Thomas said, "Hello, Autumn."
Autumn told everything about her new friend Sawyer, including that she stood up the bullies.
Thomas said, "I'm glad you have Sawyer as you're new friend." and smiled with twinkling black eyes.
Autumn said, "Me too."
Thomas took Autumn for a ride around the stations and even the beach.
She said, after her ride, "I'm making my rounds, now."
Autumn went to the Little Western and found Oliver sobbing. "What's wrong, Oliver?" she said, climbing onto his buffers and hugging him. She pulled out her handkerchief after breaking the hug. "There, there, Oliver," she continued. "Let me wipe your eyeballs.". She gently rubbed his sodden cheeks and wiped his tear-filled eyes, listening attentively as she imagined how he must feel as he sobbed into her hanky.
Oliver sobbed some more, fresh tears welling up in his eyes. He was sniffling hard, coughing as he choked on his tears and hiccupping. He gasped and gulped, shaking with sobs as his tears came, not once stopping and let Autumn comfort him.
She said, as she continued to wipe his tears away, "I wish I knew what happened, so I could find some context and maybe a way to inspire you, but whatever it was, it's valid for you to be unhappy about it, I'm sure. I'm here for you, not to rush your healing or put a positive spin on things with platitudes or empty promises. Just to listen and dry your eyes.". She held her hanky to his eyes and wiped all his tears away as best she could.
Oliver sobbed until he had no more tears, then told Autumn, "'Arry and Bert said I should've never made it to Sodor, never escaped scrapping.", as she dried his last tears away, wiping his face and eyes dry of tears. She then found context and gave him the inspiration she thought of, as she put her sodden handkerchief away. Then, she finished her rounds and found her way back to Thomas.
After the sun began to set, Autumn thanked Thomas, then they said goodbye, she gave him a hug and went back home. She finished her day, then had her bedtime routine
Autumn played with the Thomas bath painting that Sawyer gave her for her birthday. Then, she read herself a bedtime story and went to sleep with her Thomas plush toy.
A/N Autumn's bus driver knows kid noses can be sensitive, so the bus tissues are soft enough for Autumn. It's plot convenience, so she could dry Oliver's tears in her daydream. A character my FanFiction buddy typed the same as Sawyer cried over her friend's pain, so Sawyer does the same.