Not too far from the Decker household, Tom Herald was waking up about the same time that Jen Decker had woken up. He rubbed his eyes a few times to try and get the sleep out of them, but to no avail. He reluctantly pulled the warm covers off his body, exposing him to the cool air, before getting out of bed and making his way to the bathroom to take a shower.
Tom hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. Despite the reveal meeting going rather smoothly (at least, it went well in his eyes), the man couldn’t help but feel a bit concerned for his wife’s safety. He worried that those who were against the reveal, such as Fives and Amehr, would attempt something drastic in order to make him stop, such as hurting Alice. Despite these concerns, Tom knew that he had to stand firm if he wanted his future wife to live in a world where she wouldn’t have to hide who she truly was.
After taking a shower and getting dressed for the day, Tom walked over to the bedroom window pulled back one of the curtains slightly so he could peek outside. He was concerned that there were protesters outside that would attempt to stop him from getting to work. Much to Tom’s surprise, however, there were no protesters in sight. The man sighed in relief as he closed the curtains and quietly slipped out of the bedroom as to not wake his sleeping fiancée.
As Tom walked downstairs and entered the kitchen, he found Harold, his future stepfather, sitting at the kitchen table with a coffee mug in his right hand. He was admittedly a bit shocked to see the Wereraccoon up so early. Harold seemed to sense Tom’s shock, as he gave a slight chuckle before taking a sip of his coffee.
“Surprised to see me up so early?” Harold asked as Tom grabbed a coffee mug out of one of the kitchen cabinets and began to prepare his morning coffee.
“A little bit,” Tom admitted, pressing a few buttons on the coffee maker. The machine made a few noises before beginning to dispense coffee into his mug.
“Well, I figured that I would make sure that you left the house okay,” the Wereraccoon said. “Wasn’t sure if there would be protesters out in the lawn this morning, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“That was one of my concerns when I woke up,” Tom said, taking his coffee mug and taking a sip its contents. “Thankfully, it seems like no one wanted to get up this early to protest the reveal.”
“I spoke to Yoshiro and Ichiro a few minutes ago,” Harold said. “Both of them said that the night was rather uneventful, thank God. That doesn’t mean it will remain peaceful all day.”
“If protesters do show up, it will most likely be around the time I get back from work,” Tom suggested. “It’s me they really want to shout at.” The Werefox let out a sigh and shook his head before saying, “I’m so sorry that you, your wife, and Alice all got dragged into my crazy idea. None of you should have to wake up worrying if there will be protesters on your lawn.”
Harold simply put a hand on Tom’s shoulder as a reassuring gesture. “You don’t have to apologize for your beliefs,” he said. “You’re fighting for a world where my daughter can truly be herself, a world where all Weres can be themselves. Those people who are against the reveal are right to be concerned, but when your plan comes to fruition, they’ll see that this was the best course of action.”
Tom gave his future father-in-law a grateful smile.
“Thank you Harold,” he said.
“You’re very welcome,” Harold responded.
Just then, Tom’s phone vibrated in his pocket. The man pulled out his phone and looked at the screen to see a reminder to leave for work.
“I should get going,” Tom said, standing up from the table before finishing up his coffee. “Thank you for the reassuring words, Harold.”
“Anytime Tom,” the Wereraccoon said. “Drive safely.”
“I will,” Tom responded as he grabbed his keys from the small table near the front door and exited the Stevens household.