"Chapter; 4, Laughter."
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Act one, Shy Greetings
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TW/CW: Yelling/arguing, Breif possessiveness, mentions of Alchohol

Raegan sat with Tommy on the fountain ledge, who animatedly rambled about insects and their other special interests. The man was trying his best to keep up with bells fast pace to no avail. Raegan sighed and pulled down his hood, the heat sending pangs down sunkissed skin. Tommy's eyes zeroed in on their antennae, and bells eyes lit up, a soft gasp leaving his lips. "You some kinda bug? , dude, that's sick! why didn't you say anything earlier?" Raegan sheepishly grinned and shrugged.

"Didn't think it was relevant...?" Tommy didn't look amused. "Whatever, what kind of bug are you? , your antennae are fuzzy so, I wanna say... Moth?" Raegan nodded, earning a gleeful hum from the other. "Do you wanna see something cool?" Tommy nodded. Raegan stood up, playfully flexing their arms, and then effortlessly picked Tommy up. The boy yelped and squirmed as Raegan chuckled with a grin resting on his lips. "This isn't cool! It's TERRIFYING."

The casino door slammed open, the thud echoed across the courtyard, causing Raegan to jump and accidentally drop Tommy into the fountain. Wilbur stormed towards them, prompting a soaked Tommy to flinch and move slightly behind Raegan. The seething man stopped and stared at the two, "What are you buffoons doing." Tommy whimpered at his sharp tone and shuffled closer to the moth.

"Two things, One, trying to have a good time. Two, what happened to Tommy?" Wilbur rolled his eyes. "He's fine. They're being overdramatic." Tommy glared at Wilbur, opening his mouth to say something before changing bells mind. "Well-" Raegan started.

"I SAID, they're being overdramatic." Tommy groaned, "You've been like this ever since pogtopia! , learn how to fucking LISTEN to people for once!" Wilbur froze. "What did you just say to me?" Tommy whimpered and shrunk further behind Raegan. "Leave bell be, Wil. They're just a kid." Raegan's voice held a firm tone, leaving a bitter taste on Wilbur's tongue. He didn't appreciate them disagreeing despite being on his side.

"But-" Raegan shot him a look. "Wilbur, I think you need some time alone. You're clearly upset, and taking it out on Tommy isn't a good way to solve that." Wilbur rolled his eyes. "You sound like my old therapist. Whatever." Wilbur walked away, grumbling to himself.

Raegan turned to Tommy, surprised to find the boy fidgeting with his hands and looking everywhere but at him. "Are you okay? sorry if I scared you!" Tommy looked up, eyes slightly widened. "what? 'course not!, You're actually pretty cool, so I'm the one who should be sorry for annoying you!" Raegan sighed and ruffled the boy's hair. "How about we go do something else, take your mind off things?"

Tommy nodded started walking in a seemingly random direction while Raegan silently followed. "Do you know anything about spider hybrids?" The moth brightened, "I know bits and bobs! My younger brother had a HUGE crush on this spider hybrid named Nora. He just wouldn't shut up about her... I miss him." Tommy looked up at him, bell's head tilted in a silent question. "nevermind that, what would you like to know about them?" Tommy took a deep breath.

"What environment do they need in their room? What's a proper diet? Should I introduce them to other kids? Are they supposed to purr when you pat them?" Raegan chuckled. "Well, webs are necessary for enrichment. Have a couple in there until they feel comfortable making their own. For diet? not too sure. Maybe rabbits and other meat." Tommy nodded, taking mental note. "Socialization is good for anybody. You can't grow as a person without other people. And the purring is normal. Why didn't you just look this up in a book or something?"

Tommy turned red and looked down at his sneakers. "Well, the SMP doesn't really have a library... Not that I'd be able to fuckin' read it anyway." Raegan paused at that, "You can't read?" Tommy shook their head. "Well, I can, but I'm not very good at it. Wil was teaching me when I was like nine. That got interrupted by that shitty war, so I guess I just never fully learned." Raegan's lips downturned, distorting freckled skin. "War? So young? Jeez, I hear more about this mysterious war every day!" Tommy nervously laughed. "You really don't know much, do you?" Raegan shook his head. "Nope! but if you want, I can teach you how to read properly?"

"Really?"

"Yeah."

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Nocturne made his way through the drunken crowd, the man atop the podium singing his heart out. Slurred words passed through alcohol stained teeth. He scrunched up his nose at the smell, He pushed the man out of the way, a grin found its way onto chapped lips. "Greetings, I was wondering if anybody has seen," He held up a poster of a figure with fuzzy ears was drawn upon it, antennae sprouted from their head. "This man. If any of you disgusting slobs have seen him, do be sure to let me know."