(Content warning: abuse, suicidal thoughts, selfharm, death, abandonment, pretty much the normal for these.)
(Based kind of off of Karma by AJR)

     Tommy couldn't believe that Sam managed to drag him here to this plastic chair across from Puffy.

     He was wearing a red and white hoodie, unlike most days, and was wearing black sweats. Hair disheveled, his face didn't look much better with bruises, a crooked nose, and bags under tired and bloodshot eyes. It was unusual to see Tommy in such a state of grief or exhaustion that it made Puffy almost double take as she looked up from the clipboard in her lap.

     Her face was clear and calm, no trace of stress or tension was shown as she jotted down notes. She wore a white button up with a red jacket over top, black jeans and boots to match. Well, the boots were laying against her chair as she lounged with her legs over the arm.

     "So, why are you here today, Tommy?" She asked after a minute of writing. The blond teen just sighed and sat back, looking at the ceiling.

     "Because Sam forced Phil into forcing me to come here." It was true, he had been in the other room and heard the yelling as Sam tried to convince Phil that sending Tommy to therapy would be a good idea. After thirty minutes, they both walked into the room with a look of agreement on both of their faces as they told Tommy that he had to go to therapy. Sam would have done it on his own but since Phil was still technically Tommy's legal guardian, it would be easier.

     "Alright then, why do you think they put you into therapy?" Tommy rolled his eyes (he hated questions about his life) before looking back at Puffy.

     "I don't know, maybe because they are jerks? I probably did something wrong again." Puffy raised an eyebrow at that.

     "Do you think this is some sort of punishment?" Tommy pursed his lips and crossed his arms. "You are going to need to elaborate. Therapy doesn't have to be punishment if you make it."

     "I guess it does feel like a punishment, yes." Puffy moved her arms as a gesture to make him explain. "Then it means people have to think about me more than they do and have to pretend like they care. They don't need to but now it's like an obligation, like a chore. I don't want to be a chore to anyone. Plus, people in therapy, they have problems, but I don't. My mind is perfect and fine just the way it is!" Tommy shouted the last bit but was surprised to see Puffy still laid back.

     "Therapy isn't for the weak and broken, Tommy. Everyone should be in therapy in order to have a balanced life but it doesn't always work out. Everyone needs support and thats what therapy can be. Perfectly fine people could still need therapy to vent about work or to stop bad habits, its different for everyone." Puffy sat up and placed the clipboard down on the arm of the couch. "Now tell me, why do you think you need therapy? Any problems with other people? Ever have any fears, stresses? Anything that would seem normal?"

     Tommy slouched into the chair, messing with his hoodie strings.

     "I guess with stressing about people leaving?" Puffy seemed to be pleased as she scooted foreward in her chair and nodded her head.

     "Explain."

     "W-well," he rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess it started with my father and older brother abandoning my other older brother and me at a young age. I was only a toddler when it happened so I rarely remember Phil besides the day he left for one of his many trips. Wil might have been about eleven? He was left with me and had to take care of me until I was eight years old."

     "Phil came back with Techno and I had never seen Wil so mad before. Fundy was only five, I think? He is my nephew and was Wilby's son. We left a year later for here. It was then that there was a long string of abandonment." Tommy rubbed his eyes before sighing again. "It got worse around exile, I was all alone besides D-Dream and I became attatched. He didn't like how clingy I got so he left me for a few days once. He would beat me with a stick if I got too close afterwards."

     "It sounds like physical touch is your love language, is that true?"

     "No! Only pussies like physical touch and I am a big man!" Tommy shouted as Puffy nodded her head.

     "How old are you?" Tommy's expression fell at that into one of confusion.

     "Sixteen, it should be in my file. Phil had to ask me as well when he was filling up the forms. Why?"

     "Tommy, are you aware that you would be considered a man at eighteen?" Tommy became defensive once again.

     "I am a big man! It doesn't matter my age and I'm not a kid!" Puffy simply hummed and tapped her pen on the side of her clipboard she just aquired again.

     "Is there any reason why you like to call yourself a big man?" The blond once again became deflated in the chair, slouching against the back.

     "I don't know, I've had to deal with so much that I technically would have the mind of an old geezer," Puffy's smile grew at that, "but everyone just invalidates it by calling me a child. They tell me to grow up and then never admit I have." Tommy closed his eyes as he drew in a long breath. "They just won't make up their minds so I decided to make up mine. They never listen though so they call me a child, not even a teenager. It-it hurts." His voice got quiet at the end before he opened his eyes to see Puffy's reaction.

     "Well, that is pretty shit of them to think, I think you have become a big man with what you are telling me. But what you need to understand is that you also are young- a teenager- and still need time to be just that. Playing around without having to worry about others, having friends and opening up. Nobody has to be told they have to become an adult but unfortunately it happens all the time. I want you to relax and have fun." Tommy gripped his hair and groaned.

     "I did try that once and that led me to exile! I decided to play one prank on George and then the next think I know, my bestfriend bans me from a country we worked hard to get for two years. I was there in the cold and dark and was forced to learn how to do things for myself. I had to build a house for myself, gather food, and cook. I didn't have food most days so I often rationed or starved myself when Dream visited. Even when Wilbur was young and alone, he still had me to help him manage the house. Phil sent money so we could go to the shops and we had dinners with other people so we could share. It was just me, by myself, in the cold." Tommy crossed his arms before he continued. "I just don't want to take the chance of being exiled- or even executed- over having a little fun. I heard of a prankwar when my family went to MCC one time in the Hermitcraft server. I thought the same would happen here with relaxed fun but no, why did I ever think that things can go right."

     "So, people don't let you have fun anymore?" Puffy asked as the teen nodded.

     "Yeah, it's all because I was a child soldier and worked in a country more than once. They act like one job makes you old so they treat you that way except they always belittle you for your physical age."

     "Alright, what if we try this, just listen before you jump to conclusions. What if you were to hypothetically have a whole bunch of fun and when people get mad at you for acting childish, remind them that they call you a child."

     "But they still would blame me! I don't want to be blamed for something like that." Puffy just gave him a comforting smile.

     "Then blame me, say your therapist told you to as a therapeutic experience. If they need any more evidence, they can come and talk to me about it personally." Tommy returned the smile with a smaller one of his own. It was unsure but looked willing to try. "Alright, so you have talked about exile in our discussion so, is there anything about that you would like to touch on?" Tommy seemed to flinch as his smile fell.

     "Which exile? The first Pogtopia one or the Logstedshire one?"

     "How about you tell me the major upsetting moments from both?" Puffy could sense the discomfort in the air so she made an effort to look relaxed.

     "W-well, when Wilbur in Pogtopia got stressed, he would sometimes hit me. He didn't like me talking back to him especially. He would always apologize so I forgave him. He became so destructive and I was alone trying to deal with it while Techno was off on his own. I had to stop him from hurting himself so many times and he ended up offing himself by our father's hands.

     "And then Logstedshire... was a nightmare. Everything about it was so wrong. At least in Pogtopia I had Wilbur who did have his moments where he would pull me in and relax with me and then there was Tubbo and everyone else since the exile was barely dictated by anyone. In Logstedshire, Dream always seemed to be there, reminding me I would never be able to return home. Nobody visited besides him and he made sure to make it a living hell. Always beating me and using harsh words, it was awful.

     "He would never apologize for any of his actions. In fact, he would make me apologize for being a nuisance he had to watch over. He would burn everything I owned in a pit he forced me to dig and I had to shove it all inside. He forced me to watch as everything I worked hard for was destroyed. I ended up not caring about getting tools and armor any more so I wouldn't have to deal with it. I would get sick constantly either from malnutrition, dehydration, overwork, lack of sleep, and hypothermia. I would sometimes wake up in the water, drowning. It was like my own body decided death was the best option.

     "One day, he found a hole underneath a house and found my chests of items I was going to use and kept hidden. Dream got so mad that he blew up the entire area and forced me to watch as everything I had came to know of was burned to ash. I decided I had enough and built a tall pillar."

     "So... you are still here right now so what happened on that pillar?" Puffy asked quietly as Tommy rubbed his forearm.

     "I was about to jump when I realized that the only thing that Dream was afraid of was me. He would have not been taken down if I died so I jumped into water below the pillar. I decided to go to the artic and hide under my brother's house. I got hypothermia again and was incredibly ill afterwards."

     "For whatever it's worth, I'm glad you are still alive and here today, Tommy." The blond just slightly laughed at that, his tone dark.

     "Sometimes, I wish I did end it there or the other times before that when I stood on the Nether bridge and stared at lava or maybe even being too late to swim to the surface in the water. When I watched L'Manburg explode for the last time, apart of me died with it. It was like I was mourning for everything all over again. It was the last good thing I had from Wilbur and my father and other brother decided to blow it up with my abuser. I almost offed myself that night but Tubbo was going around to everyone and making sure they were alright. I decided I didn't want him to be the one to find my body so I ended up not killing myself." Tommy looked over at the clock on a side table before looking at Puffy.

     "Oh, sorry Tommy but we need to continue this next week, our hour is up. Are you fine if I tell whoever you came with some information I picked up?" Tommy frankly didn't want the appointment to end, he enjoyed not being judged and being able to explain every other thought in his head. He wished it would last longer.

     "Sure," he just whispered as she gave him a comforting smile while they stood up. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder as they walked out to Sam who was sitting in one of the chairs. He stood up and instantly, Tommy came to his side. Sam did the same as Puffy and pulled him closer to him as the blond burrowed his head in the elder's side. The creeper hybrid ran his hand up and down Tommy's back as the teen blanked out. He was so tired and the exhaustion hit him like a train.

     "... he would probably like some rest. Hey Tommy," he looked to see Puffy's smile and tilted head, "see you next week, big man?" A small smile appeared on his face as he nodded his head. Him and Sam walked out of the office, tears were gathering in his eyes.

     "I would say it went well with the expression on your face." Sam said as they walked to Tommy's house. The blond nodded his head as they walked in.

     "I'm tired." He yawned as Sam chuckled.

     "Sounds like it. How about you take a nap for the rest of today and I will take care of everything? Just let all the feelings sink in and relax. I will wake up up for dinner, yeah?" Tommy nodded his head as he sat on the edge of his bed. Sam bent down and helped to untie his sneakers and pull them off before getting back up. Tommy lunged into him as a hug and let out some sobs.

     "T-thank you."

     Sam stayed with him there before he fell asleep, tears dried on his cheeks and feeling better than he had in years.

Words: 2442
Written: Wednesday, March 10th, 2021
Edited:

Wow I'm 16 and a half as of today. I'm very old now.