Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

SODOR TAVERN  est.  1902

We’ll pour out your drinks while you pour out your heart and soul

BUSINESS HOURS: 7PM to 5:30AM 

ID required to enter the premises. No one under 18 allowed.

Meet your main bartenders:

Cranky: Not much is known about his background, not even his real name. For many, at first glance, he does appear stoic and unfriendly, hence why his nickname is Cranky. So cranky he may be, but unfeeling he is not. He doesn't speak much of his own life but he's there to listen to his patrons unwind, celebrate, mull, and reflect on their lives while also offering them any advice if needed. As a rule of thumb, he normally doesn't speak unless spoken to.    

Carly: A university student who only works at the pub for a few hours each weekend. Personality wise, she is the opposite of Cranky: approachable and engaging. With her youthful demeanor, she definitely knows how to make any patron feel comfortable enough to open up to her. There's nothing she enjoys more than talking to people and getting to know them. It's a nice distraction from the monotony that uni life can become. Of course, the hefty tips she receives also adds to the appeal of the job.

Chapter Text

"Hey Cranky!" 

Ryan grabs a seat in front of Cranky. Cranky momentarily stops wiping the shelves behind him to turn to Ryan.

"Hello. How are you Ryan?"

"Feeling great. And yourself?"

"Nothing new." Cranky turns back around to continue wiping the shelves. "So what brings you here alone tonight?"

Ryan has just finished his first year in university and he wanted to celebrate. Growing up, he had always imagined being a uni student would be like what he saw in movies: mostly partying and drinking with friends. That was, until he actually got there, and realized quickly that succeeding in uni requires a lot of diligent studying and everyone there was too busy stressing out about studying and passing their classes. He also realized that he's not much of a drinker or a party goer. He's not a complete teetotaler though and does enjoy a small drink occasionally. Overall, his first year wasn't anything remarkable.

It wasn't all bad though. Despite the stress, Ryan was still able to make several friends this year, one of them being Thomas. Ryan had moved to Sodor from the mainland in order to attend university, so he was practically on his own at the beginning of the year. It was Thomas, someone who has lived his entire life in Sodor, who showed him around the island and introduced him to new people. During this time, they grew quite close as friends, having each other for emotional and academic support during the past two semesters. Thomas is one year older than Ryan, so he was able to help him adjust and navigate the mess that is university.

It was Thomas who had introduced Ryan to Sodor Tavern, having come with his own friends several times in the past. It was also Thomas' idea that he celebrate the end of his first year there, all on him. Originally, he and Thomas were going to meet up right before walking to the pub together. Unfortunately for Thomas though, he suddenly got held up at work and told Ryan that he would instead meet him there a half hour later. 

"I just finished my first year at uni!" Ryan cheered.

Cranky gave him a subtle smile. "Congrats. Here let me make you a drink." 

"Nothing super strong please~"

"How about a piña colada?"

"That sounds lovely."

As Cranky proceeds to make Ryan his drink, Ryan receives a text message from Thomas.

Thomas: Yo Ryan 

I'm finally omw

Gimme about 15 min

Ryan: Great~

Shall i order you your drink?

Thomas: Daiquiri pls

Remember drinks are on me tonight

Let Cranky know

Ryan: Will do

"Cranky?"

He is walking towards Ryan with his piña colada and then places the drink in front of him. "Yes?"

"I forgot to mention Thomas is on his way. He's paying our tab tonight. Maybe in about 10 minutes, if you can have a Daiquiri ready for him."

"No prob. Hope I didn't make it too strong for ya."

******

Moments before Ryan enters the pub

"eeeeuuuuuuugggghhhhhh....."

Daisy is drinking her... well at this point she's practically lost count since she is currently pretty damn wasted. It doesn't really matter anymore. 

She was dating Diesel until a few days ago. They had quite a turbulent relationship. Diesel wasn't the most loyal boyfriend. Daisy wasn't the most accommodating girlfriend. Both, however, have quite fiery personalities, arguing over petty shit while smoking and drinking their sorrows away. This has led them both to many a fight, almost every other day. The sex wasn't good either; they just were not compatible. However, they stayed together throughout these past 2 years because as much as they hardly got along, they also seemed to miss each other's charisma while apart. Who even knows what kind of charisma they had but they both somehow saw it in each other.

Ultimately, everything for them finally boiled over when, after a drunken rage, Diesel pushes Daisy down a short flight of stairs and she sprains her leg. At that point, she finally comes to term that he is no good for her and that she deserves better. That night, after Diesel finally falls asleep on his couch, she decides to pack her stuff and leaves his apartment for good. She is currently staying at a cheap inn while she looks for a new place to live.

Cranky had been serving her several shots of Jack Daniels for the past hour. When he noticed that she was becoming too cripplingly drunk, he decided to put a stop to it and had instructed the other bartenders to not serve her anymore drinks. He walks over to Daisy.

"Are you ok?"

Daisy had her head face down on the table, too out of it to even move. "hhhmmmmmm..... mhm"

Except she clearly wasn't. At this point, Cranky didn't know what to do, whether he should just leave her alone or call a cab to send her home. After about a minute, he decides to let her be. He turns his back on her and begins wiping the shelves behind him.

A few minutes after, a tall man, wreaking of tobacco and cologne, enters the pub. He has quite a stern look on his face, almost like he was here to search for someone. First, he turns his head around to look at everyone. When he still couldn’t see the person he came to see, he proceeds to walk all over the pub. After a few minutes, he was about to give up and leave until he sees the back of a woman, slouching on the table and looking somewhat unresponsive. The man slowly begins walking towards the woman and after receiving a whiff of her perfume, he immediately recognizes her. 

“Daisy. Babe.”

Daisy doesn’t lift her head up. She groans after a few seconds.

”Gah... bloody hell. Now I hear his voice too.” She slurs, hardly intelligible.

Diesel puts his hand over Daisy’s shoulder and shakes it lightly. “Babe it’s me.”

In a quick moment, surprising Diesel, she quickly grabs his wrist and then finally lifts her head up to look at his face. Her makeup was all smudged and runny from having her face down on the table for quite a while.

”Don’t fucking touch me.” She snapped, her voice sounding quite husky, “If you don’t want to enrage me any further, I suggest you leave right now.” She shoves his hand away from her.

”Well why are you so predictable? Of course a raging alcoholic like yourself would piss the night away at a place like this.”

”Whatever just leave me alone.”

”Babe I just-“

”I’m not your babe anymore.”

“PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I WANT YOU BACK DAISY.” Diesel shouts, going on his knees in front of Daisy. At this point, most of the patrons and bartenders have noticed what was going on. 

Ryan, suddenly caught off guard, turns around to see what was going on. He double takes when he sees the woman currently at the center of attention.

Daisy? Is that Daisy? He thought to himself.

Daisy, like Ryan, is also a student. They go to the same university and have taken a few courses together, which is how they met. Like Thomas, she is one year older than Ryan. Unlike Ryan however, Daisy seems to put in minimum effort in her studies. She cuts classes often, preferring to go out with her friends and Diesel. Because of this, she decided to cozy up to Ryan one day and ask for his number so that he can keep her updated on any assignments/projects that are due for their classes. She did this with at least one person in all of her classes. It’s worked well for her so far. Outside of uni, they got along well for the most part. He knew somewhat about her kind of lifestyle and her relationship with Diesel, but he wasn’t aware of how volatile their relationship is.

”Stop it Diesel you’re just embarrassing yourself now.”

”I’ll do anything to win you back. Please!”

”Leave me the fuck alone, how about that.”

”Not until you take me back. And I won’t leave until you do.” 

With that, Diesel grabs Daisy’s arm and pulls her close to him. She responds by pulling away from him and with one swift kick, she aims for his balls. The crowd gasp in horror. Diesel chokes on his own saliva and collapses to the floor. She then proceeds to kick him once more on his back.

“Arry, we need you.” Cranky announces through his walkie-talkie.

At that moment, Ryan springs out of his chair and runs towards Daisy.

”Daisy stop!” He shouts. Once he reaches her, he grabs her shoulders and tries to pull her away from Diesel. When she sees who’s grabbing her, she is taken aback.

“Ryan?? What are you doing here??” 

Ryan chuckles nervously. “Just making sure you don’t hurt yourself. Maybe you should go home?” He whispers to her.

Arry, the pub bodyguard, walks up to them both. He turns to Daisy, arms closed.

”I think you’ve caused enough trouble tonight. You should probably get going now, before I drag you out.“

”Pah, ‘twas not my fault. This despicable bloke right here started it.” She points to Diesel, who is still on the ground moaning in pain. Currently, Cranky is trying to help him up and into a seat.

She starts slowly walking towards the exit. Ryan follows her and begins calling for her. She then turns to him.

”Oh Ryan. You innocent boy. I was not expecting someone like you to hang out at pubs. I’m all fine. You don’t need to worry about me. I can stand up for myself.”

“I know you can.” He purred, “It’s not safe for you to go home alone though. Let me take you home!”

“I’m fine to do that myself.” She turns around and starts walking but her ataxia began manifesting itself and she trips and falls. Ryan helps her up again. She turns to him once again.

”Thank you Ryan... alright you can help me get home.”

As they both walk out, Thomas finally arrives.

”Ryan? Daisy? What’s going on?”

”Hello Thomas...” Daisy mumbled. She was laying her head on Ryan’s shoulder and was already beginning to knock out.

“Thomas! Sorry about tonight. Daisy had quite an eventful night. I offered to take her home. I do apologize for leaving so soon but if you’re ok with it, I can come back after dropping her off.”

”Well, I don’t mind helping you two out then. We’ll be done much quicker in my car. Let me just tell Cranky that we’ll be back later and that I haven’t forgotten to pay.”

Thomas gave Ryan his car keys, then turned around and was about to walk inside the pub when Daisy suddenly began to groan. He stopped and turned his head towards her.

”I don’t feel well...” she mumbled.

”Oh dear. Will she...” Ryan asks.

”I’ll ask Cranky for some bags just in case.” Thomas exclaims. He walks inside the pub.

Ryan walks Daisy to Thomas’ car and helps her get inside while he sits on the passenger seat and they wait for Thomas to come soon.

Ryan has had quite an uneventful year, until tonight. He had debated for a few days whether to come to Sodor Tavern but now he’s glad he chose to come.

Chapter Text

Just after midnight, the majority of the people on the island of Sodor are getting ready to go to bed. At this hour, the island becomes completely silent and there are hardly any cars driving on the roads. There are a few lights on, but not many.

Tonight, for three people, things are a little different.

There is a lone truck slowly crossing the bridge into Sodor. After landing on the island, the driver continues on until right away, while passing by a gas station, the silhouettes of two men appear. Their faces are not completely visible. The driver pulls over and parks the truck. Exiting the truck is a woman. The two men begin walking towards the driver and once the three of them finally recognize each other, they can’t help but to smile at each other.

“Duncan! Rusty!”

“Madge!”

The three of them all hug each other tightly.

“Och aye it’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?” Duncan chimes, still hugging Madge.

“Ahh seriously! I’m glad I’m finally able to make a visit.”

They walked towards her truck and she lets them in, Rusty in the passenger seat and Duncan in the front seat.

“Duncan” calls Rusty, “you told us that you know where we can go to catch up?”

”Aye I do.”

Duncan gives Madge the address of the location and she puts it in her GPS. She begins driving and they start catching up on what’s been going on in their lives. As they speak, she is also driving quite slowly. As usual, Duncan can’t help but begin griping.

“Bloody hell Madge! Ye still drive as slow as bollocks! Ye don’ change do ye?”

Madge and Rusty can’t help but start cracking up.

“Considering it’s practically the middle of the night, I don’t think it would be wise for Madge to start speeding like a madwoman. She doesn’t rock n roll behind the wheel like you do.”

“Psh.” With that being said, Duncan sighs and rolls his eyes, all with a small smile on his face.

Madge works as a truck driver. She had first moved to Sodor almost three years ago, helping to bring goods in and out of the island to the mainland. Depending on whatever assignment she had that day, she would sometimes collect goods from the railway for her to deliver to the less accessible parts of Sodor. She had met and made friends with many of the railway workers, one of them being Duncan.

One day while on the job, he had an accident and broke his foot. He needed to be taken to the local hospital but before he was able to call an ambulance, Madge had offered to drive him there instead. He agreed to it and during the drive and by extension during his recovery, they quickly became good friends. They continued keeping in touch and seeing each other whenever their hectic schedules allowed.

About a year and a half later, Madge was offered the same job but with a higher pay and a more convenient schedule. She liked the conditions of the job and accepted it but unfortunately, this required that she relocate deep within the mainland. Duncan, a very grumpy person, originally did not take the news well and had sulked for the rest of the time Madge had left on Sodor. She reassured him that she wouldn’t forget him and also promised him that they would still call and text and videochat each other frequently. And they did.

While she was still on Sodor and especially after she left, most of his coworkers had begun to notice how different Duncan would become whenever Madge crossed his mind. Normally, he is a very irritable person. It really didn’t take much to frustrate him and when he is annoyed, he doesn’t hide it at all. He’s also quite blunt about it. Whenever he sees or communicates with Madge however, his temperament softens considerably and forgets anything that is annoying him. He is also more careful with his words. In fact, his persona switches so smoothly that even he’s not aware of it.

Rusty was the only one to point it out to him directly. The others didn’t want to for fear that he would lash out at them. They weren’t wrong though. Duncan had denied everything he said and called him a “stupid cunt”. Duncan began to mostly keep to himself for a few weeks afterwards but soon, his feelings for Madge became too much and he eventually went to Rusty to apologize and confess his feelings for her but told him to not tell anyone else. He promised.

Last week, Madge had messaged Duncan and told him that she was given two weeks of vacation and that she plans on visiting him and the rest of the crew on Sodor. Upon reading it, he felt his heart flutter. He hadn’t seen her in almost a year but even so, their relationship continued growing through their conversations. He offers her his apartment where she can stay for the two weeks she’ll be here and she agrees to the arrangement.

******

They finally reach Sodor Tavern. Tonight seems to look quite slow though. There aren’t many patrons inside.

Och, thankfully it’s slow tonight, Duncan thought to himself.

The three of them grab a seat by the bar. Carly looks up from her notebook, closes it, and begins cheerfully walking towards her new patrons.

“Hello! I’m Carly! How are you three?”

When they turn to look at the bartender, they’re left staring at her. They weren’t expecting a petite girl like her serving alcohol to people. After a few seconds, Duncan breaks the silence.

“Is Cranky still here? It’s been a while.”

“Yes he is! He has the night off though.”

“Aye.”

“What would you guys like to drink? I promise I don’t bite!”

“I’ll just have some Coke please! I’m driving later.” Madge says with a smile.

“I’ll do a Martini!” says Rusty afterwards.

“I’m feelin’ a Bacardi.” Duncan ends.

“Alrighty! I’ll be back.”

Carly walks away and begins preparing their drinks. As much as Duncan and Rusty don’t really mind Cranky’s stoicism, they have to admit that sometimes his intimidating aura does dampen the mood. At least Carly doesn’t seem to look or sound like she wants to throw the bottles of liquor behind her at people.

“I remember coming here a few times with some coworkers in the past” recalls Madge, “it’s a lovely spot actually. I’m glad to be back! Bother that I can’t drink right now.”

Duncan’s eyes widen, “We could always come back another time before ye leave.”

“I don’t mind not drinking. Besides, I have other things planned for us those next two weeks.”

Carly returns with their drinks and places them in front of each person.

“I’ll be here if you guys need me. Enjoy!” She walks back to her notebook.

“Thank you.” The three chimed.

Right as they were going to cheer, Madge excuses herself to go to the restroom. Once she is out of sight, Duncan begins to feel his heart beating quickly and the palms of his hand sweat. His mind also wanders off slightly. Rusty turns to him and immediately notices what is happening.

“Duncan?”

He gasps deeply.

“Is everything alright?”

“Ehmm..”

Rusty then remembers what’s going on.

“Are you planning on confessing to her tonight?”

Upon hearing that question, Duncan couldn’t help but blush. He thought he felt confident enough to do that but now that the time has arrived to do that, he snow feels like running out of the pub and hide under a ditch or something. On top of that, she is staying with him, so imagine how awkward and disastrous it would be if he does confess his feelings to her and she doesn’t feel the same way? He was going to respond to Rusty’s question when he suddenly becomes lightheaded and in a matter of seconds, his view blurs, then blacks out.

Thud

...

“Duncan! Duncan!” A voice echoes.

“Are you ok?” Echoes another voice.

Duncan slowly opens his eyes and he sees Rusty, Carly, and Madge standing over him, all of them looking panicked. He was breathing quite shallow but soon it went back to normal. They helped lift him back up, though he was still feeling a bit dazed. When he realized what had happened, Duncan couldn’t help but feel like such a dumb fool. He starts rubbing his head.

“Och...”

“I think he’ll be fine,” Rusty finally breaks the silence, “sorry for the scare Carly.”

“Are you sure? I was beginning to think that maybe I had made his drink too strong.”

Madge and Rusty look at Carly and each give her a sympathetic smile.

“Don’t worry. It wasn’t you at all,” replies Madge.

The three of them help Duncan up and into his seat. Eventually, Duncan was no longer feeling out of it. He turns to Carly.

“Thank ye Carly. I dinnae mean tae do that.”

“No problem! Do you need anything else? Maybe some water to help you feel better?”

“Maybe a glass.”

Carly goes to fill a cup of water and brings it to Duncan. He proceeds to drink it all in one shot. As he orders his water and drinks it, Madge is simply left staring at him all bewildered. She was not expecting something like this to happen.

“What just happened? I go to the restroom and when I come out, I find you on the ground all knocked out. I almost assumed that you might have gotten into a brawl or something!”

”I think I’ll let Duncan explain himself. Meanwhile, I need to use the restroom myself.” Rusty let’s out a small chuckle before walking away.

“Well? Duncan?”

He could try to fake another fainting spell if he wanted to... and he did want to actually. However, he doesn’t want to attract any more attention to himself nor does he want to end up annoying Madge with his antics, not to mention that his real knockout did leave him feeling quite drained.

“Ehm Madge...”

“Yes?”

“I..”

Madge raises an eyebrow, “..hm?”

When was the last time Duncan ever uttered the words I love you to someone? He can’t even remember that. It’s not to say that he is incapable of feeling love (c l e a r l y I didn’t write this much so far just to leave Duncan fOrEvEr AlOnE psh), but he’s simply never felt so strongly about anyone. Who knew that three simple words could invoke such strong emotions.

Gah fuck it.

He grabs her arms, gently pulls her towards him, wraps his arms on her waist and begins giving her a very gentle kiss on her lips.

Madge is completely thrown off guard at this sudden moment. However, she soon feels her heart flutter inside her and with a giggle, she begins kissing him back. Once Duncan realizes that she is enjoying the moment, he begins kissing much more passionately. She simply follows what he does while giggling in between kisses. They continued kissing each other for about a minute, eventually seeming to forget that they were at a pub where other people could watch them and not somewhere private.

Ultimately, what Duncan wasn’t aware of was that she had also felt the same way about him. I mean, why did she not hesitate to stay with him while on her vacation? Duh. Knowing how much of a stubborn man he can be though, she was planning on confessing her feelings to him in private. This turn of events was a complete surprise to her. She was not expecting Duncan to act so vulnerable in public.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Rusty and Carly are watching them from a distance. You see, Rusty didn’t actually have to go to the bathroom. He figured that if he had stayed and watched, Duncan either wouldn’t confess or would say something quite foolish in an attempt to coverup his vulnerability by acting smart. Rusty had instead decided to tell Carly what was going on between them. She enjoyed listening to it as much as she enjoyed watching the moment unfurl in front of her. In fact, when she finally saw them kiss, she may or may not have squealed and Rusty may or may not have held in a good laugh. Eventually though, he wanted to go back to them and his drink.

“Having fun guys?”

Duncan and Madge finally break off the kiss and turn to Rusty and Carly. When they realize just how long they were in the heat of the moment, their faces both turn a deep shade of red.

Carly begins to cheer them on, “you’re both so cute together!”

They both giggle nervously.

“Oh my... I had forgotten that we’re still inside a pub. Sorry you guys had to see that.” Madge said shamefully.

“It’s all right. I was beginning to wonder when you two were finally going to kiss.”

“I’m not feeling uncomfortable at all~ Seeing things like this warm me up inside!”

Madge smiles brightly in their direction. Duncan, on the other hand, is still feeling quite embarrassed and doesn’t really know how to respond. Still, he manages to produce a faint but endearing smile.

All this time later... and the three of them remember that they still haven’t touched their drinks. At that moment, Duncan finally breaks his silence.

“Shit, we haven’ touched our drinks.”

“Then let’s, shall we?”

“Cheers!”

They grab their drinks and clank their cups together. They remain at Sodor Tavern for another half hour before finally heading home. For the new couple, however, let’s just say that their night won’t end once they get home. They want to finish what they started at the pub... and do some more fooling around too.

Chapter Text

One day, after class, Bill and Ben decided that they would go to the school library to study for an upcoming exam. They're not necessarily known for being studious among their classmates, but they still put in the effort and they've been doing fine so far. After a few minutes, not only were they still not understanding the material, they were quickly growing bored. 

"Hey Bill."

Bill turns to his twin, "Yes Ben?"

"I'm not really understanding anything."

"Me neither. Screw this"

"You just read my mind."

As they were packing up their books, Ben notices Timothy studying a few tables away and right away, an idea flies into Ben's mind. He tugs on Bill's arm and whispers something in his ear. They both turn to Timothy and begin walking towards him. Timothy and the twins are opposites in many ways. Unlike the twins, Timothy is very studious and his near perfect grades are a reflection of that. He is also quite gullible and not really street-smart, something the twins occasionally like to tease and take advantage of. Despite this, there's no bad blood between them.

"Hello Timothy!" 

He looks up at them, "Hello lads. Everything ok?"

"Oh Timothy~ we need your help." Bill proclaims.

"Yes we do!" Chimes Ben.

Timothy raises an eyebrow, "Oh really? What is it?"

"Help us study for this exam please!"

Timothy was left confused at this request. As mentioned before, the twins don't study often so it was weird that out of nowhere, they would ask him to tutor them. Even so, he had to admit that the material for this exam was quite difficult. He figured that forming a mini study group would benefit them. And so, for the next hour, the three of them hit the books and they all left the library feeling a bit more confident.

A week later, they all received their exam results. As they were walking out of the classroom, Bill and Ben were left floored when they see the score they both received. This was definitely their highest one so far.

Bill shows his twin his score, "Holy shit Ben! Am I seeing this correctly?"

"You are Bill. Maybe we really should study more often!"

"Haha maybe or maybe not... say where's Timothy?"

They both begin looking around for Timothy. After a few minutes, they find him still sitting in the classroom, looking quite unhappy. 

"Timothy!" Ben shouts, "We can't believe it. We did so well, right Bill?"

"You're right Ben! We just wanted to say thank you."

Timothy looks up at them, still unhappy. They show him their scores, to which he smiles at them in response.

"I'm glad to hear that boys. I didn't do so well, unfortunately."

"What!?" The twins gasp.

He shows them his score. Maybe it is a bit lower than what is normal for him but it's still higher than theirs. So this is what Timothy is upset about?? The twins can't help but begin laughing loudly. This only upsets him even more.

"It's not funny boys! Just leave me alone." Timothy pouts.

"Oh bother! This score really isn't that bad." Says Ben.

"Yep. Oh lighten up Timmy." Adds Bill. At that moment, an idea flows into his mind, " Say, to make you feel better, how about we all go and celebrate tomorrow night. The three of us!"

On hearing the suggestion, Ben smiles, "Sounds delightful Bill! Right Timothy?"

"Hmm... and where do you lads want to celebrate?"

Actually, the twins didn't know where to go. They quite literally just made this plan up. They knew of a few options but they couldn't think of anything specific right now.

"Well," Bill begins, "How about we text you in a few hours? We still don't know yet."

"Alright then. I'll be waiting. I can't be out too late though."

Usually, the twins would walk towards the nearby train station to take the train home. Since they still needed to figure out where they would go however, they decided this time to forgo the train and instead walk a different, longer route. It was still the middle of the day and they had time. Along the way, they pass by several different options: a movie theater, a bowling alley, an arcade, several restaurants. All ideal choices. Yet, they've already been to most of these places several times in the past with friends. So out of the available options, they originally decide to settle with the bowling alley. That is, however, until they eventually pass by a small cottage tucked away behind trees and other foliage. They haven't seen this business before. Now curious, they begin walking towards it and see the name of the establishment: SODOR TAVERN.  

"What's this Ben? I don't think we've ever seen this place before."

They both peek through the window. It looks like it could be a pub. It's closed at the moment but they then turn to see the business hours by the entrance. 

"Oh boy oh boy! I think we just found our new spot to celebrate don't you think Bill?"

"Splendid!"

"Alright I'll text Timothy now."

Except, Bill quickly sees what is possibly the most important sign. "WAIT!" He puts his hand on Ben's phone and once he looks up, Bill points to said sign. 

ID required to enter the premises. No one under 18 allowed.

Their 16 year old selves groan. So it is a pub, though they also serve food. They hadn't paid much attention to the bar inside.

Ben still insists that they could at least try to sneak in. Why? Well, they might be 16 but being 5'9" is quite tall right? As if being tall alone is supposed to distract from their youthful, facial hair less faces haha  Unfortunately, they don't have the time to grow a stubble in one night but the next best option would be to try to dress and sound older. They have the clothes to pull that off. Alright, so how about the ID part? They clearly can't use their own since it'll give away their real age. Well, they remembered that they know someone at school who is such an absolute pro at Photoshop that he has helped other classmates in the past get away with fake IDs. As ridiculous as this idea was (and they kinda knew that), it's only for one night.

Now that they have their plan in place for tomorrow night, they begin walking back towards their school in order to take the train home. In the meantime, Ben begins texting Timothy and lets him know of everything they have planned while Bill texts their other friend about the fake ID's they will need.

******

As the three boys are walking out, BoCo hugs and kisses his twin sons goodbye. He also gives Timothy a tight hug and a gentle rub on the back.

"Enjoy the night boys! Don't stay out too late."

"We won't!"

Bill and Ben had told their father about their exam score and how they were proud of it since Timothy had helped them and how they wanted to take him out as a way to thank him for that. All fine and dandy. BoCo was kind of surprised himself. Knowing how incredibly cheeky his sons could be, he didn't think they would ever go out of their way to thank someone in this fashion. As a reward, he gave them each £30 for the night, on top of the £20 given to Timothy by his parents. What they kept in the dark from their father, however, was their idea of going to Sodor Tavern. While he himself doesn't mind a drink or two every now and then, he doesn't want his sons to go out and start drinking just yet. They instead told him that they were going to celebrate at the bowling alley. As mischievous as they've always been, they actually don't lie to their father often, especially lately. When they do, it's always over some petty nonsense, something BoCo has had to hesitantly grow accustomed to. On the bright side, dealing with it now is no longer as stressful as it was when they were younger. At least they are now old enough to use their words instead of just screeching and throwing tantrums. Alas, they're finally maturing... or not?

When they first told him of their plan, well quite frankly, Timothy was ready to refuse. Why do they like messing with me?  I can't be this easy of a target for them. As expected, he was uncomfortable with the idea of sneaking inside of a pub. He’s not a fan of alcohol either, having tried beer once before and gagging at its bitterness. Could the twins have successfully convinced him to just follow along for one night or is this just the feeling of peer pressure? Somehow, they were able to soften Timothy up to this idea and promised him that they would not pressure him into drinking if he really didn’t want to. Also, if sneaking inside ends up not working out, they still have their back up plan, the bowling alley. It better not though, since the twins paid £10 for each fake ID.

Tonight, Arry is standing by the entrance. Upon first sight, Timothy is left feeling intimidated at the sight of this brute man. He also took notice of how vigilant he appeared and began to worry. If his facial expression and muscles were to give anything away, Arry doesn’t look like a person you'd want to try to pull a fast one on.

”Rubbish!” Says Bill, “We know how to take care of this, right Ben?” 

“Yes we do!” Answers Ben. He puts his arm around Timothy and pats his shoulder, “Watch and learn Timothy.”

Ben and Timothy find a tall bush to hide behind and watch from a distance as Bill begins walking confidently towards Arry. When Arry notices the teen walking towards him, he turns to him but doesn’t move from his post. Bill pretends to not take notice as he continues walking towards the entrance. 

“Ahem.” Arry tightly grabs Bill’s shoulder.

Bill responds by staring directly at Arry and deepening his voice, “Yes sir?”

”What are you doing? I need to see your ID.”

“Well of course!” He pulls out the fake ID and shows it to Arry. Upon a closer look, all Arry could respond with is a huge sigh. He had seen enough fake IDs that at this point, he was genuinely able to tell them apart without much effort. 

“Nope.”

Bill crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow at him. 

“Mate, I don’t know what your first impression of me was, but I’m no fool. I’ve been doing this for years. I know a fake ID when I see one.”

When Ben and Timothy begin noticing that the plan was beginning to fall apart, they couldn't help but feel some second hand embarrassment, especially Ben, who simply facepalms. Timothy, on the other hand, begins to feel his palms sweat. Why the hell do I keep falling for their words?? Why am I so gullible?? 

”Is this supposed to be that brilliant idea you two had for tonight?”

“Oh shut up. We didn’t realize this bloke couldn’t be fooled easily.”

”Even Stevie Wonder could see that this was never going to work out!"

Annoyed at this point, Ben rolls his eyes towards Timothy, ready to talk some sense into him when suddenly,

”GAH!”

They quickly turn their heads around and see Bill on the ground, bending over his foot. The pained look on his face pretty much says it all. Weirder still, Arry finally turns his back to the entrance and begins walking towards him. Since there's no one else around (still unaware of Ben and Timothy), Arry figures he can let his guard down just for a tiny bit. He soon notices a huge stone just a few feet away from him, presumably the one Bill must have tripped over. From behind, he bends down and puts his hand on Bill's back, asking if he's ok and if he might need medical attention. While this is happening, an idea flows into Ben’s mind.

”Don’t make any noise. Just follow me.”

“Wha-“

Ben grabs Timothy’s arm and they both begin quickly running towards the back of the tavern, Arry still comforting Bill. Once at the back, they see the emergency exit, and the door is open slightly. Man, this whole fiasco just made their night a lot easier. Maybe now Timothy will eat his own words. The groups of people inside eating and drinking the night away matched the kind of music playing in the background, animated and lively. It's going to be easy peasy maintaining a low profile. So many emotions are currently running inside Timothy: fear, surprise, anxiety, and even excitement. The poor boy finally has some adrenaline pumping in him. Amongst all the people inside, he and Ben find a small table to sit in near the emergency exit and by the bar. Carly begins walking towards them.

"Hello lads!" She hands them a small menu of their drinks and appetizers, "Let me know when you're ready to order!"

"We are actually!" Begins Ben, "For now, I'll just have an ale and some fish and chips. How about you Timothy?" He and Carly turn their heads toward him and Ben snorts upon seeing his face. Timothy isn't paying attention. His eyes are fixed on Carly, his mouth slightly open. She is indeed very pretty and there is a delightful softness to her voice. Maybe it's also the age difference that is adding to her attractiveness? Ben, still trying to hold in his laughter, manages to snap a photo on his phone of Timothy still lost in his thoughts. Under the table, Ben uses his foot and begins nudging on Timothy's leg. He finally snaps out of his trance and upon noticing what he's done, he blushes in embarrassment and simply looks down. At this point, Ben could no longer hold in his laughter. Carly just smiles at them both. The staring didn't really make her uncomfortable.

Still laughing from the incident, Ben manages to break the pause, "He still hasn't decided yet, but maybe in a few minutes he will."

"No worries. I'll be here if you need me! Be back in a few."

Carly walks away to the bar. Timothy bites his lip and sighs, still embarrassed. This was a perfect teasing opportunity for Ben.

"New crush you have there Timmy? Why don't you give her your number?"

"Was I really just staring at her like an idiot? I probably just made her super uncomfortable."

"Maybe you did but I don't think so."

Timothy sighs again and finally begins looking at the menu.

"So what were you saying about our plan earlier?" Ben looks at him and gives him a sly smile.

Timothy didn't really want to admit it just yet. He's still curious to see what else the twins may have in store for him, "Well I still can't say that it was a smart one." 

"You'll thank us for this night later!"

"I do wonder if Bill is ok though. He looked like he was in a lot of pain out there."

"You're right. I'll call him right now."

Ben dials his twin's number but he doesn't answer. Timothy proceeds to do the same thing but he gets the same result. As they both begin to type on their phones, they feel a hand on their backs.

"You both made it in!"

Ben and Timothy turn around and they see Bill, finally reuniting with them after over half an hour. 

"Bill!" They both shout.

"Is your foot alright? You looked like you were in a lot of pain." Timothy asks in a concerned voice.

"Of course. I made the whole thing up."

Bill begins discussing his interaction with Arry. After Arry figured out right away about his fake ID, Bill tried to charismatically talk his way inside the pub but when that too failed, he noticed a stone on the ground and with that, an idea flew into his mind. He lead Arry into thinking that he would take the L right there and leave but as he began walking away, he passed by the stone and did an impromptu stumble to the ground and clutched his foot in fake pain. It worked since he was able to finally convince Arry. Carly returns to the table with Ben's ale and his fish and chips. She notices Bill and smiles.

"Ah so there's two of you!"

"Yep. I was at the restroom haha" Bill returns the smile.

"Have you both decided on your order?" She looks over to Timothy. His cheeks turn pink once again, but this time he knows what he wants.

"Well first, I apologize for earlier. And also, I guess I'll have what my friend here has." He points to Ben's ale.

Carly smiles at Timothy, "Ah ok, so another ale. Got it! You don't have to worry, I took no offense."

Bill chimes in, "I would just like a simple champagne please and another fish and chips."

"Absolutely! I'll be back!"

"Wait!" Bill says, "If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"

"I'm Carly."

"Lovely name!"

Once Carly walks away, Bill turns to Timothy and asks him what the apology was for. Before Timothy can begin to explain himself however, Ben begins to chuckle again. He starts telling his twin about what had happened between Timothy and Carly before he arrived. Ben even shows Bill and Timothy (still unaware of it) the photo he had taken during their interaction and upon seeing it, Bill begins laughing hysterically while Timothy begins blushing. Carly once again returns to their table and brings with her Bill's champagne, fish and chips and Timothy's ale. After dropping them off, she gives them one final smile and a wink before walking away. The twins begin chanting at the table:

"Timothy and Carly, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Timothy's face was completely red and warm. He went back to looking down at the table. At this point, he just wanted to run away and hide under a rock somewhere. Their laughter was becoming louder as well, so he was also becoming worried about the possible unwanted attention they could receive.

"Come on boys it's really not that funny."

Ben wipes a tear from his eye, "Oh Timothy no need to worry. We're just messing with you~"

Bill coughs and wipes the sweat from his forehead, “Yeah man, but hey! I’m surprised you went straight to a beer. I thought you were just gonna spend the night drinking soda.”

Timothy looks down at his drink. His first time tasting alcohol may have not gone over so well but, like most things in life, he has to admit that he’s willing to give it a second try. He grabs his glass and takes a sip but this time, no gagging. It’s still bitter, but it’s not overwhelming. In fact, it actually tastes a tiny bit sweet. He smiles shyly at the twins.

”This isn’t bad actually. I kind of like it.” He takes another sip.

The twins turn to each other, then back to Timothy, grinning. 

“And you didn’t want to spend the night with us you silly boy.” Chuckles Ben.

”We may mess with you a lot but we really do like you as a friend. You’re a great pal.” Adds Bill.

”You guys were right. Maybe I really do need to go out more.” Timothy reflects, “This has actually been fun so far.”

The three of them laugh. They clank their glasses and cheer.

******

Meanwhile, several tables away, a man is writing something in his notebook. He stops for a moment to take a sip from his Merlot when, among the noise and chatter coming from the many other patrons, he starts hearing laughter. Laughter that soon grows louder. Out of curiosity, he turns his head around to see what could possibly be happening. His eyes widen at the sight he’s seeing. No, maybe he’s just imagining it. He takes another sip of his wine and then looks again.

Is that...?

He’s not imagining it. He recognizes them. The man pays for his drink and walks out of the pub. Once outside, he pulls out his phone and begins to make a call.

“...listen, I don’t know if you’re aware of this but...”

******

For the next hour, the three of them continue conversing and drinking. Timothy was only able to drink one more glass of plain ale afterwards before needing to stop as he was beginning to feel tipsy and he was scared of pushing it further. The twins were able to down two more glasses. They could’ve gone further but (a) they didn’t want to spend all of their money and (b) they didn’t want to get super drunk either and possibly risk their father seeing them that way. Either way, they also ate fish and chips and ultimately, the food prevented them from any further drunkenness. To pass the time, they also began to play games. The twins even brought cards with them; Bill brought regular playing cards while Ben brought UNO cards. Every other round they would switch games in order to not get bored quickly. At one point, once it was no longer super busy at the pub, they even invited Carly over to play a few rounds of 21, which she enjoyed very much.

Once they were ready to leave, the three boys saw that there was a group waiting to enter while Arry was checking their IDs. He didn’t notice them walking out so they managed to do that without much issue. They begin walking towards the bus stop.

Timothy sighs happily, ”Wow this was a night!”

The twins look at him and they rub his back.

”You had lots of fun, right?” Ben asks.

”You’ll never be bored with us Timothy!” Adds Bill, "We could always bring you back in the future if you’d like.”

”Is that so?”

The three of them suddenly freeze. They feel goosebumps rising from their skin. That voice, so familiar. Oh boy. They turn around.

“Dad!? Uncle Edward!?”

They both had their arms crossed. BoCo actually looked more annoyed than angry, whereas Edward was just looking down.

”Why the hell were you three out drinking? Especially this late."

”But- but how did you find out??” Bill asks.

Edward frowned slightly. He may have tattled on them but he still felt bad seeing the boys get in trouble. 

“Hello”

”Hey BoCo! How are you?”

”Ahh Edward! I’m feeling great. How are you?”

”I’m fine. Just relaxing for the night at the Tavern. It’s been a long day.”

”I can imagine it mate.”

”Haha you already know... Anyways, I need to break some news for you.”

”Alright. What might that be?”

”Listen, I don’t know if you’re aware of this but I just saw Bill and Ben with a friend inside the pub.”

”...what the-“

”They were also drinking quite a bit.”

”W H A T ! ?”

"I really wonder how they were allowed inside."

"They lied to me... but why? Those two dragging poor Timothy into their mess."

"I can kind of understand the lads though. Not excusing their behavior but I understand the temptation, especially at their age."

*sigh* "Edward, I don't want them going out to pubs. I still don't believe they're mature enough for that responsibility."

"Of course. I understand."

"Where is the Tavern again? I'm on my way."

"I think I should take the blame for that." Edward forces a crooked smile, "Sorry lads."

The twins frown at him, "Well you're no fun Uncle Edward!" 

"That's not the point." BoCo raises his voice. He's normally a calm person and so he rarely gets angry, especially at his sons, but he also doesn't like being lied to, "Why would you two lie to me? You know I don't like being lied to." 

"Well... we knew you would've said no but we also wanted Timothy to experience something new." Ben pouts.

BoCo turns to Timothy with worry in his eyes. He wasn't aware of how cunning the twins can be towards him. He knows how easily pressured the boy can become. "Oh Timothy I'm so sorry for this. They must have pressured you into coming." 

Timothy turns to BoCo. There was sweat on his face, coming from the awkwardness of this situation. Now he was nervous about what BoCo might do with him. Will he tell his parents about this? They would not approve of this either. He feels very guilty because it felt wrong but he also doesn't want to openly admit that he enjoyed the night. All he can respond with is a nervous chuckle and a frown. The twins look at Timothy and immediately begin feeling remorse.

"This is your fault Ben. This was all your idea."

"My fault? Might I remind you that it was all your idea for us to go out Bill."

"Well you suggested we come here!"

"And you were the one who spent 30 quid on fake IDs!"

As the twins continued bickering, Edward began chuckling quietly. He has to admit that he's always found their bickering adorable. They constantly argue about the silliest of things but in a weird way, he finds it quite endearing. Because of this, he has always had the most respect for BoCo. He can't imagine having to raise twin boys all on his own. Meanwhile, BoCo takes in a deep sigh and rubs his forehead in frustration. At this point, he was just not in the mood.

"BOYS!"

They immediately stop and turn to their father. Timothy and even Edward jumped at how loud that was.

"I don't bloody care who's idea this was. It was a very stupid idea. You're lucky you three didn't get caught but imagine the bigger mess that could've happened if you boys did!"

Now the twins really felt very silly. Seeing their dad angry at them really intensified the shame and remorse they were already feeling, "We're sorry dad. Please forgive us!"

BoCo is obviously still upset, but seeing his sons own up to their mistake calmed him down considerably. He honestly couldn't remain mad since that's not his type of temperament. Eventually, everyone gets in his car and he he soon begins driving, first dropping off Timothy at his house, then dropping Edward off at his home before the three of them finally make it back to their home. As punishment for the next few weeks, Bill and Ben were not allowed to hang out with their friends and they had to come straight home after school, and he knows their schedule so he can keep track.

A few days later

Bill and Ben had just finished their last class of the day. They were walking out of the building when suddenly,

"Bill! Ben!"

They turn around and see Timothy running towards them. They grin.

"Hello Timothy!"

"How are you two? Is everything ok at home?"

They mention their punishment to him. Timothy frowns.

"Oh I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's alright really." Says Bill.

"Yea, maybe we should've just stuck to the bowling alley haha." Adds Ben.

"How about you? Did your parents get mad?"

"Well," Timothy ponders for a moment, "I didn't tell them and neither did your dad. I'm surprised he didn't actually."

The twins were floored. This wasn't really fair they thought. Then again, they quickly remembered that this was not his idea and soon they just smiled at him.

"Lucky you!" They chanted.

"I really enjoyed that night. Maybe once you're both out of punishment, we can all go out once again! Not to the pub obviously but somewhere else."

"Aye!"

The twins grinned in agreement and they all gave each other a huge hug. They may have gotten punished for it in the end but it seems that night has brought Timothy closer to them as a friend so really, it was worth it. He also now has something he can brag about to his other friends so there's that as well.

Chapter Text

”Here you go lads.”

Cranky brings the four men each a shot of rum to start the night, along with two plates of fish and chips.

“Thank you!”

He turns to Oliver, "Where's Toad? He couldn't be here tonight?"

"Unfortunately not. He has to work tonight."

"Shame."

"No worries. Duck and I promised him that we would bring him here next week."

Cranky smiles faintly, "I'll look forward to that then." Next, he turns to the identical twins and also gives them a small smile, ”Glad to see you two again. It’s been a while.”

”Och it’s nice tae be back!” Donald cheers.

”Aye we’re happy tae be back home but we’ve missed Sodor so much.” Douglas chimes in.

After over a year, Donald and Douglas were able to return to Sodor for a visit. After graduating from university, they returned to their native Scotland. They did miss Sodor though, especially Duck and Oliver, their closest friends. So, when the twins announced to them that they would be returning for a visit, the four of them immediately began to make plans. Among said plans was, of course, to make a stop at Sodor Tavern, like they used to do often while in university.

“So how long will you two be here?”

“Three weeks!” The twins said in unison.

“Of course, we have other things planned for them as well.” Says Duck.

“Yep. Tomorrow we’ll all be going to the mainland.” Adds Oliver.

Duck, Oliver, and the twins continue discussing their plans with Cranky and the whole time he has his arms crossed and maintains a faint smile on his lips. He suddenly remembers why he secretly enjoys serving these four men: they always make him feel included in their conversations despite his reserved nature. After a few minutes, he walks away, and the four men are left alone. They continue discussing their plans.

Douglas turns to Duck and Oliver, “Remind us, where exactly are we goin tomorrow?”

“Are we goin to Barrow?" Adds Donald. (A/N: Barrow-in-Furness) 

“Well yes and no.” Duck responds.

Oliver’s face lights up, “We’re going to Barrow but we’re really going to the Lake District. Have you two been there?”

The twins nodded their head no.

“I was telling Duck the other day that Toad and I went there once around 3 years ago. A few of his friends had invited us, and we spent a few nights there. It’s really lovely. I think you three will love it!”

Oliver begins showing the three of them pictures on his phone, first of the location itself, then from when he was last there. He really wasn’t joking. It was truly a beautiful location. They were already happy to even have the opportunity to travel together but after seeing pictures of how their final destination looks like, now they were really excited for what awaited them the following day.

******

“Hey Cranky! Is Carly here tonight?”

“Hi ladies. Yes she is. I’ll go get her.”

“Thank you!”

“We’ll be over there!”

Emily, Rebecca, Nia, and Rosie find a table and sit down. Hopefully, tonight will have them temporarily forget about what’s to come.

A year ago, Nia had won a scholarship back home in Kenya to study at any university of her choosing in the U.K for one year. Now that one year has officially passed and the semester has finished, these are her last few days on Sodor before she leaves for London to catch a flight to return to Kenya.

She was excited to return home to her family, but she was also feeling unhappy about leaving behind the friends she made while on Sodor. It was Emily’s idea that the four of them hang out at the tavern for the night. She specifically chose a night where Carly would be on shift so that they could both surprise her and include her in their celebration.

When Carly sees the four girls, she excitedly runs to them. They all hug each other tightly.

“OMG girls! I was not expecting this at all!”

“Well we all wanted to surprise you tonight!” Giggles Rosie.

“Yea! That and also I don’t know if you’re aware of it yet," Rebecca turns to Nia, giving her a pouty look, "but Nia is leaving us.” She wraps her arm around her.

Emily wraps both her arms around Nia, “Of course, we can’t let her go before stopping by to celebrate the night away.” 

Carly gasps. Suddenly, her big smile turns into a frown, “Wait. It’s been a whole year already?” How did she forget already? She was thinking maybe her perception of time must be messed up. It can’t have been a full year already.

Nia gulps. The more she's reminded about how much closer the day is approaching, the more anxious she becomes. There are a whirlwind of emotions inside of her at the moment. As hard as she's trying to suppress it, she ultimately can't help but shed a tear, "Oh ladies," she begins, "There were so many wonderful things I got to experience on Sodor this past year and most of it was because of all of you!" She gulps again, but this time her voice also cracks a bit, "I will really miss you all."

The other ladies surround Nia and all give her a huge bear hug. She continues sobbing for about another minute until she finally feels mostly relieved. They decide on four glasses of Baileys Irish Cream and Carly is soon on her way. To finally lighten up the mood, Rebecca suggests that Nia talk about all the things that she experienced this past year. Nia begins reflecting deeply and once she actually begins talking, the melancholy seems to dissipate with each word she utters. She talks about all the moments she's made with the other three ladies, together as a group and individually, as well as with other friends. She discusses all of the sights she's seen on the island as well as the few times she's gone sightseeing on the mainland. In the meantime, Carly returns with their drinks and she soon briefly joins the conversation. 

Rosie's phone rings. She checks the screen to see that it's her mom calling, "Sorry to interrupt ladies, my mum is calling. I'll be stepping out for a few minutes. Don't have too much fun without me!" She walks outside.

After a few minutes, Emily also steps out, "I'll be right back ladies. I need to use the restroom." Once she finishes washing her hands, she walks towards the door when she suddenly hears a voice, or rather voices.

Wait a minute.

Those hearty voices. It sounds like two men with a thick Scottish accent. Even amongst the music playing in the background, they still ring a bell to her. When she eventually narrows down who it could be, she starts assuming that it's probably all in her head.

No.. I don't think so. 

The voices soon become louder, as if they're approaching in her direction. Then, she hears the door to the men's bathroom close. 

Hmm... 

Emily slowly peeks out of the bathroom and sees one of the twins standing by the door to the men's bathroom, his back towards her. A silly idea in her mind and a mischievous look on her face soon appear. In what looked like an instant, she wraps one arm around the man and covers his mouth with her other hand.

"WHA-nnnph!"

"Shh!"

She starts trying to drag him into the ladies' bathroom, as he is simultaneously trying to scream and writhing his way out of her reach. Once they're inside, she closes the door and lets go of him. When he turns to Emily, he's noticeably pale and has a exhausted expression on his face.

"Wh- Emily??" He lays his side on the door, panting and clutching his chest, "Ach, ye might just give me a heart attack right now! An why am I in the ladies' restroom??"

Emily quickly puts her hand on the door handle and finally, she starts cracking up from the whole ordeal, so much so that she crouches on the floor from all the laughter. As she tries to look up, she realizes which twin is in front of her. He continues looking at her with a frown.

"I dinnae think this is funny!!"

She soon catches her breath, "Donald,” She stands up, “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do something like this!" 

Before Donald can even open his mouth, they hear the next door open. Then, they hear Douglas calling for his twin.

"Donald? Donnie?” 

Donald immediately slams the door, “Dougie!” He slides his hand down to the door knob and opens it. When Douglas turns around and sees his twin, he looks completely baffled.

”Donnie! Wha- what were ye doin in the ladies’ restroom??”

Emily starts cracking up again and the twins flinch. When they turn to look at her, she’s once again crouching on the floor from the laughter. 

“Emily?” Douglas turns again to his twin, raising his eyebrow, “I’m so confused.“

”She surprised me from behind! An then she dragged me in there! I thought she was goin tae do somethin tae me!”

She once again catches her breath and stands up, “Nah! I had heard that you guys were coming to Sodor on holiday but I wasn’t expecting to see you two tonight. When I heard you both outside the toilet, I figured I should surprise you two!”

”Aye ye did give me quite a surprise indeed...”

Douglas snorts and begins chuckling. He puts his hand on his twin’s shoulder and rubs it, ”Ha ha the lassie gave ye a muckle scare dinnae she?” 

Donald just gives his twin a look of disapproval although that quickly changes. By now, the initial annoyance has worn off considerably but deep down, he didn’t want to admit it so soon. However, even he couldn’t hold back his own laughter. As much as he didn’t really enjoy the whole ordeal, he couldn’t stay mad at Emily for long. The three of them have been such good friends since their time at university. He remembers how when they first became friends, the twins would often try to impersonate each other around her since she initially struggled to tell them both apart. It was fair game at this point. They all hug and begin walking back.

******

"Alright mummy. Thanks for letting me know. Please take good care of yourself. Love you!"

Rosie hangs up the phone and sighs. She takes a few deep breaths and then walks back inside. When she sees Cranky wiping down the bar, she suddenly feels the urge to talk to him. Who even knows how he could possibly advise her but sometimes when you unwind your problems to strangers, the advice you receive seems to just sound more unbiased.

"Hi Cranky!"

He stops wiping and looks in her direction, "Hello. Remind me of your name?"

"I'm Rosie."

"Ah. Is everything ok?"

"Well," She sits down, "I just finished speaking to my mum. Her aunt passed away a few hours ago. Her cancer had advanced too much. She was crying on the phone."

"Oh. My condolences."

"The last time I saw her was a few years ago. She was a wonderful woman. I was never super close to her but they were very close indeed. Mummy would often tell me that she was her favorite aunt growing up because unlike my grandparents, she would always spoil her."

"She sounds very lovely" Cranky looks down slightly and sighs deeply, "I understand your mother's pain very well."

"Really? I didn't realize just how painful it feels to hear your own mother cry until today."

"Think of it like this: it's great that your mother is crying about it now. It will help her come to terms with it much quicker. You wouldn't want her to suppress it all just for her to possibly suffer an emotional meltdown in the future. Keep that in mind for these next several weeks while you give her your unconditional support. Might I suggest you give her a visit?"

Rosie keeps quiet for almost a minute. While pondering, Cranky brings her a glass of water, "Thank you!" She drinks it all in one sip. She places the glass down and looks at him directly, "I hadn't thought of it that way."

"I speak from experience."

"I really appreciate your wisdom!"

"That's why I'm here."

"Thank you Cranky."

"Enjoy your night Rosie."

Rosie gives Cranky a hug, which he reciprocates awkwardly. Awkward because he's not much of a touchy-feely kind of guy but neither is he rude. Mid-hug, another man soon approaches the two. He waits a few seconds after seeing what’s happening, then he finally breaks the silence.

”Um. Sorry to interrupt.”

Cranky looks up and sees the man facing him, “Ahem, yes Duck?”

Rosie immediately breaks the hug and turns around, “Duck?”

Duck's eyes widen, ”Rosie?” They both hug each other for a about 2 seconds, "I wasn't expecting to see you here tonight."

"Neither was I but I'm not alone. Emily, Rebecca, and Nia are with me!"

He smiles, "Really? You girls should come join us! I'm with Oliver and the twins."

"What?" Her face lightens up, "Donald and Douglas? They're back in Sodor?"

"Yes!" He points to the table where the other guys are but when he turns around, he already sees Emily with the twins walking towards their table and they're also laughing, "Huh, I guess we're not the only ones who know."

Rosie turns to him and smiles, "Then we'll meet again in a few!" She runs into Emily as they're walking back to their table. Once they let Rebecca and Nia know, they both agree to switch tables. Since the guys are sitting in a table big enough for only 4 people, they move another table next to theirs along with its 4 seats to make room for 4 more people.

As everyone else is catching up on things, Nia and the twins finally meet. She had already met Duck and Oliver via Rosie but not the twins since they had left Sodor before her arrival. After they introduce each other, they lament the fact that they’ll only get to spend tonight together. Nia also mentions regretting not being able to visit Scotland this past year but that she would love to do so sometime in the near future, something which makes the twins smile with pride. The three exchange their numbers along with their social media accounts and the twins mention to her that when she does, she should let them know and they will offer to show her around.

After several minutes of talking, Oliver comes up with an idea, “Hey!” Everyone stops and turns to him, “There’s 8 of us here. What kind of night would it be without a playing a game?”

Donald smiles, “Well I like the sound of that Ollie!”

“What do you have in mind?” Rebecca asks.

That’s where Oliver stops to think but he somehow can’t think of anything right now, “Hmm. I don’t know. Does anyone know of a game we can play?”

Duck raises his hand, “I do actually.” Everyone turns to him, “How about we play Never Have I Ever? I’m curious to see how many drinks you guys are willing to drink!”

He explains to them how the game is normally played and then adds how booze will be involved as well. It’s ultimately very straightforward. Everyone liked the sound of it and they all agree to give one round a try.  

TO BE CONTINUED...