Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Theseus?”

Tommy blinks his eyes.

“Hey, kid come on, we are here.” A calm voice says, “We have to get off the plane.”

Tommy opens his eyes fully, looking around. Plane… He looks at Techn-

…

Techno?

His eyes widen a bit.

Memories of the night prior flood his brain suddenly. He left. He actually left… Fuck, he left Ranboo, Beau, Tubbo, Phil- He left all of them. It was just a stupid fight, it wasn’t-

…

No. No. He did what was best for him. He left because they hurt him, he left because he needed to.

He looks at Techno who is looking at him patiently. 

He did this for himself, not for them. He… He is safe now.

“Okay.” He nods, standing up, grabbing his bag from the seat next to him, “Lead the way, big man.” He says with a smile.

Techno stands as well, stretching his arms up, “You feeling okay? Last night was a lot.” He questions lightly, grabbing his own bag as well.

Tommy shrugs, “I uh…” He looks down at the ground and Techno leads him off the plane. There was no one else in first class with them, which was nice, “I guess.” He mutters, “Overwhelmed I guess.” He admits, walking close to Techno.

The older nods, “I would imagine so, I am not going to force you to talk about it, but I will listen if you do want to.” His voice is calm, sincere, and kind.

Tommy nods, grabbing onto his arm, just like he had done the night before. The airport was loud and full of people. It was daytime now, which just made it worse honestly. Part of him was worried Techno would shove him away, tell him to get over it, but instead, an arm wraps around his shoulder and pulls him close.

“It’s okay, I got you, kid.” He promises.

Tommy looks up at Techno. He is walking with a calm, almost bored look, he moves like he knows exactly what he is doing and where he is going. He doesn’t falter or even looks anxious. He looks confident.

Tommy finds himself believing the older.

He smiles slightly and puts his head down, letting Techno lead him.

He left. He left his hometown, the place he has lived his entire life. Before last night he was convinced it would be where he’d die too. But he left. Ranboo and Phil betrayed him, and hurt him-He expected it from Phil. It was bound to happen eventually. That didn’t matter, he could have lived with it. 

But Ranboo?

No. They… They lied, they broke a promise. What they said and did wasn’t fair, it wasn’t okay. He understands that, he knows that. So, in a mix of desperation and panic, he packed a bag and ran to the park.

He knew how likely it was Techno was still there, it was hours past the originally agreed-upon time, but he had to try.

His legs burned, his lungs hurt, and he was soaked, maybe it wasn’t the best idea to leave in the middle of a storm. But he couldn’t think, his heart was too loud in his chest, and his head was pounding. His vision was blurred, and he wasn’t sure he was going the right way, whether that be because of the rain or the tears pouring freely down his face, he wasn’t sure. But everything hurt, and he just knew he needed to get to the park.

He couldn’t go home, not after that. Not after what Phil did. What Ranboo said? That hurt. It hurts more than anything he has ever felt, and he doesn’t know what to do. They said they would never hurt him, and they LIED. That hurts more than any physical wound he could have been given.

So he does what he always does.

He turns to his older brother.

Techno has always been labeled as safe in his mind, he isn’t thinking properly he knows that. He is going to regret this in the morning, but fuck, he has the option to be safe with his brother in person, not just in the corners of his mind. He knows it’s unlikely, but he has to try.

So he runs, he runs until his chest hurts, and he thinks he is going to collapse. Yet still, he makes it. He runs through the park, toward the old swing set. He runs, and runs and-

Techno. He is here. He- He is leaving, no please, don’t- He stumbles forward, body leaning heavily against the old broken swing's set.

“WAIT!” He cries out, his voice is weak, broken. But he prays that Techno hears him.

Techno turns to him with wide eyes, his hair is soaked, he looks…

Concerned, relieved, softness?

Tommy feels his body shaking, he clutches Henry tighter in his hand, “Wait.” He begs, 

Techno’s movements are instant, he rushes forward. Tommy is scared, worried-What if he’s mad? What if he hurts him? But he doesn’t. His arms wrap around Tommy in a tight embrace and Tommy CRACKS. He sobs and his legs finally give out beneath him as he clutches onto Techno tightly.

He is safe, he is okay.

He is safe, he is okay.

“So, I have a book signing tomorrow at eleven, so after we check into the hotel my agent got us-” Techno explains as he slows to a stop at a red light. He drives much more carefully now. Tommy isn’t sure if he likes that or not, “I thought we could go get lunch? Maybe I could take you to a few different places.” He offers, looking over at Tommy.

Techno’s agent, Steve apparently rented a car for when Techno got here, which was nice of him.

He shrugs, “Sure.” He mutters, looking out the windshield blankly. He is slouched down in his seat, not having bothered with the seatbelt.

Techno hums, “Okay, well is there-”

“I am fine with whatever.” He snaps, “Just stop asking me stuff, for fuck’s sake.” He grumbles, rolling his eyes.

Techno goes silent.

Tommy’s eyes widen, “Wait-” He sits up quickly, looking over at Techno who staring at him with an unreadable expression, “Shit, I-I am sorry, I didn’t me-mean to say tha-that.” He rushes, his stutter kicking in due to him talking too fast, “We c-can do what-whatever you want.” He says, shrinking back in on himself. He fucked up, he is going to be left on the streets in some random town that he doesn’t know and- 

A hand cups his face carefully. It’s warm, Tommy looks at Techno who has a careful look on his face. It isn’t a smile, but still has the same effect as one, “Theseus, it’s okay, I’m not upset.” Techno says slowly, “You had a long day yesterday, I don’t expect you to be all sunshine and rainbows. You are allowed to be upset.” His voice is soft, careful, and sincere.

Tommy blinks as Techno pulls his hand away, and sets it back on the wheel. He just nods and pulls his legs to his chest as they start driving again.

“I like bugs and plants.” He mutters, not even sure if Techno heard him.

Well, more like he finds them interesting. Plants are fun to take care of, it’s something he can do well he spaces off, hence why he made a garden back home. Bugs are… well he isn’t sure, he just likes them. Spiders and moths to be exact.

Techno hums, “Got it, I think I have something you will like.”

Tommy just nods, “Okay.”

Techno smiles slightly, as they pull off the road into a parking lot, “Mk, let’s go then.” He says, getting out of the car. Tommy glances out the window. It’s a nice hotel. Like… A really nice hotel. People with nice suits walk in and out, and the inside looks expensive. He looks down at his baggy, too-big clothes, his old torn sneakers, and the dirt that is smudged under his nails. He sighs and gets out of the car, he opens the back door and goes to grab his bag but hesitates. He takes Henry who was on top of his bag and puts him inside. He then grabs his bag and sets it over his shoulder, before closing the door.

He looks at Techno who has a bag, and a suitcase. Even Techno looks nice! A comfy pair of jeans and a clean ironed black button-up. He is going to stick out like a sore thumb.

He shuffles over to Techno who is standing a bit off to the side, waiting for him. He walks over and stands next to him, “I look like a rat.” He mutters.

Techno pats his head, “If it helps, you make an amazing rat.”

Tommy just glares.

Techno grins, “You’ll be fine Theseus, I have stayed in the place plenty of times. The staff all know me by now. I won’t let anyone look at you weirdly.”

Tommy grumbles and just moves closer to Techno, who just like at the airport, wraps an arm around his shoulders.

“This will be fun! Think of it as… uh, family bonding? Yeah, family bonding. Okay?”

Tommy rolls his eyes, “Tech, neither of us knows what family bonding even looks like.”

Techno grimaces, “Fair, but I wanna try? This is the first time I get to hang out with you properly in years. Well… Actually, this is just the first time in general. I want to make the most of it.” He looks down at Tommy with a determined look, “And I am determined to see him again.”

Tommy tilts his head, “Who?”

“You’ll see, now common!” Techno announces, walking towards the doors. Tommy stumbles a bit but just shakes his head.

“This is gonna be a long day.” He whispers as he is led inside. 

The place isn’t like… overly extravagant or anything, but still way nicer than anywhere Tommy should ever be inside. He sticks close to Techno who keeps an arm around him at all times. Tommy does his best to shrink down out of sight and hide away from people’s eyes, it doesn’t really work though. A few people give them questioning, and looks, but Techno easily ignores them and leads them over to the reception.

A man with red dyed hair and a nice suit looks up at them, grinning when he sees Techno, “Mr. Blade! It’s an honor to see you again.” He greets.

Techno offers a small wave, “Hullo, yeah, glad to be back.” He greets, then turns to Tommy,  “Want your own room, or are you okay with sharing one?” Techno asks as he pulls out his wallet.

Tommy keeps his eyes down, “Anything is fine.” He mutters.

“Mk, can you upgrade me to a double room?” Techno asks, looking back at the guy.

The man with red hair looks at Tommy, “Yeah sure,” He says, looking Tommy up and down, “Never took you as the type to take in a stray, Techno.”

Tommy’s eyes kind of narrow at the guy

Techno shrugs, “I’m not, this is my brother.” He says, holding out his ID.

The guy looks at Techno quickly, “Brother? As in-”

“Mhm.”

The guy’s eyes widen, “Oh, oh my god, I am so sorry, I didn’t- I thought-”

Tommy rolls his eyes. Of course, rich pricks like this guy are all the same. He was complete down to take a shit before he knew that Tommy was related to someone with money. 

“Yeah, Yeah, you're forgiven, just get us our fucking room already.”

The guy nods and takes Techno’s ID quickly.

Techno looks down at him, “There he is.” He laughs and ruffles Tommy’s hair, only for his hand to get swatted away.

“Fuck off, my hair is already a mess!” He whispers shouts.

Techno shrugs, “I would just be making it better then.”

Tommy rolls his eyes, “No, you're just a prick, and I still don’t know what you mean by, “There he is.” That makes no sense.” He states, crossing his arms.

Techno just smiles softly, “You will soon.”

“You already know the process, and we have all your info saved. So unless anything has changed?” The man with red hair asks.

Techno shakes his head, “Nope, everything is the same.” He says, taking the offered ID back, along with 2 room keys, “Thank Max.”

The man nods, “Mhm, your room, 109 and 110, they are connected, if you have any issues, questions, or need something, feel free to call. Maintenance is here from 9am to 3am, and someone is at the desk 24/7. Breakfast is from 6 to 10am, and we offer room service from 6 to 3 as well.” He states, as he hands Techno a paper, which said man sighs and hands back, “Alright, you're all set, enjoy your stay.” His smile is wide and his voice is that typical customer service shit and is annoyingly sweet.

Techno hands Tommy one of the room keys, it has a 109 written on it.

“Thanks, Max.” Techno repeats, turning and walking away, Tommy following easily. He looks down at Tommy, “You okay Theseus?”

Tommy nods, “Yeah.” He shrugs, “People like that just get on my nerves.”

Techno nods, “Always the one to speak your mind.” He says, matter-of-factly.

Tommy looks down at the ground, a faint pink dusting across his face, “Shut up.” He mutters.

Techno shrugs, “It’s true, when you were little it was a disaster taking you anywhere, do you know how many people you would insult in stores just because? It was a mess and a half.” He mutters.

Tommy just keeps looking down, “Shut up.” he repeats.

Techno says nothing else as they walk. Tommy eventually looks up and notices that they are walking towards an elevator.

Tommy’s stomach drops. 

It’s tiny, it’s a small elevator. He-

He shakes his head, it’s just an elevator. It’s fine. It’s nothing. He will be fine, it’s just a small room. A small room… A… A room with walls that start closing in around him, and makes him see a dark, tiny closet, and makes his head spin and heart pick up, and makes him feel the urge to get out, but he can’t. Wilbur won’t let him out, he never does, he-

“Theseus,” Techno says suddenly.

Tommy’s head snaps up, when had he looked down?

Techno smiles, holding his wrists lightly, lowering them from his head.

“Hey kid,” He says slowly, “Wanna take the stairs?”

Tommy nods stiffly. 

Techno nods back, “Okay, come on.” He takes Tommy’s hand and leads him over to the stairs.

Tommy focuses on breathing, trusting Techno to not let him walk into anything or trip. 

He is okay, it’s fine, he is okay, he isn’t there, he isn’t locked inside a closet, he is safe-

“Tell me about your favorite kind of plants,” Techno says, about halfway up the stairs.

Tommy blinks, “Uh… W-Well.” He takes a deep breath, “Peony’s ar-are interesting, I-I guess.” He mutters.

“Tell me why.”

“Th-They are like roses, a-and come in a bunch-bunch of different co-color’s, they-they grow best under the sun-sun, and I use to gr-grow them i-in the old garden.” He recites.

Techno nods along, “Peonies are nice, what’s your favorite color of them?”

“Yellow, or purple.”

Techno leads him to a door, and swipes his key, “Those are pretty.”

“Mhm.” He nods, walking inside. Techno lets the door close behind them on its own.

It’s nice, a typical hotel room to be honest if not a bit nicer. It has a queen-sized bed, in front of a window overlooking the city. 2 side tables, each having a lamp, and one with an alarm clock. A table sits in a corner with 2 sofa chairs, and a stand with a TV, microwave, and mini fridge across from the bed. A door to the immediate right that leads to the bathroom and a mini closet on the left. 

Techno leads Tommy over to the bed and brings him to sit down, dropping his bag and suitcase near the table.

“Now that we aren’t surrounded by people, do you want to talk about it?” Techno asks hesitantly. He looks a bit awkward and unsure of what to do really.

Tommy shrugs, “I-I Don’t, I uh.” He tries to form a proper sentence, but he can’t, he keeps going back to the room, that closet, it-

“Okay.” Techno nods, “You don’t like elevators?”

Tommy takes a shaky breath and shakes his head.

“Small spaces?”

A nod.

Techno’s face relaxes a bit, “Okay.”

Tommy closes his eyes and lets himself lean against Techno.

“You wanna tell me why? Don’t have to, we can just sit here if you want.”

Tommy’s body relaxes slowly, “Wilbur.” He mutters.

Techno wraps his arms around Tommy, almost protectively, “Take your time.” He says, running a hand through Tommy’s hair.

Tommy nods a bit, “He… He uh, he used to lock me in the closet.” He whispers, “For long periods of time. The one-”

“Next to the downstairs bathroom?”

“Mhm.” He nods, “I know you had to let me out occasionally, but he… He did it a lot. I don’t like small spaces. It reminds me of the closet too much.”

Techno nods, “Okay, we can avoid small elevators then.” He agrees, with no hesitance.

Tommy blinks, “Just like that?”

“Just like that.” The older confirms, “I… I know what it’s like, to not like certain things because of Wilbur.” Techno says slowly, cautiously.

Tommy tilts his head up with a small smile, “Wanna talk about it?” He offers.

Techno smiles back down at him, “I’m older than you, I am not supposed to trauma dump onto you.”

Tommy shrugs, “So?”

Techno looks up at the ceiling and Tommy looks back at the bedsheets.

“He uh, well, I don’t like running water. Still, water, like lakes are fine. Baths too as long as I am not in the room well the tub is filling up.” He admits.

“Why?”

Techno’s head rests on top of his, and Tommy shrinks back into the warmth of Techno. Seriously, why is this guy so warm? It’s like 30 degrees outside.

“He used to do the same thing to me.” Techno admits, “But it didn’t make me claustrophobic, if anything it made me like small spaces more.” 

Tommy closes his eyes, letting Techno talk.

“What did affect me was whenever we went swimming. If Phil or Kristin weren’t paying attention, he would push me and hold me down, under it the water. Always said it was because I liked the water more than him, so I should just be in it forever.”

Tommy’s eyes open, a certain instance coming to the front of his mind.

Techno grins slightly, “It made no sense really. But back then I just thought it was normal, he was my twin, you know?”

Tommy nods, “Yeah.” He whispers.

“You know that Will was, and probably still is sick, right?” Techno questions, looking down at him.

Tommy nods, “Yeah, I kinda got the hint.” He shrugs. He pauses a second, a question coming to mind, “Hey Tech?”

“Hm?” Techno hums.

“Do you… Do you think Wilbur ever really loved me? He said he did but…” He trails off, looking down at the blanket, “Please, don’t lie to me.”

It’s quiet for a long time, the only sound being the distant sounds of traffic and Techno's heart beat as Tommy moved his head to the rest of his chest. They sat there like that for a while, with Techno sitting with his legs crossed, one arm around Tommy, the other at his side, and Tommy laying sideways against Techno, half asleep.

Eventually, Techno takes a deep breath, “I don’t know Theseus. I want to believe he did, but if I am being truthful? I don’t think Wilbur knows what love is.”

Tommy nods, “Thank you.”

“Anytime Theseus.”

“Are they closed?” Techno asks for maybe the hundredth time.

“Yes, my eyes are fucking closed.” He mutters.

Is he anxious as all hell about not being able to see anything? Yes. Does he trust Techno to keep him safe? Kinda. Is he gonna open his eyes? No. No, he will not. He was told the location is a surprise, and as anxious as he is. He likes surprises. 

They walk for another few seconds before Techno stops, “Alright Theseus.” He says, “Open.”

Tommy drops his hand and opens his eyes. He expected some old museum or a hiking trail. But this…

His eyes wide, “It… It’s beautiful.” He whispers. He is standing in a greenhouse, all different kinds of butterflies fly around him, he sees a few ladybugs, and a spider's web covers a potted plant, “How did you find this place?”

Techno shrugs, “It belongs to one of my publishers, he lets me come by whenever I want.”

Tommy looks around slowly, the sun is setting, casting the glass-made building in a soft orange color. He looks at the flowers, Roses, lilies, lilacs, peonies, and sunflowers. There is a Venus flytrap, a tomato plant in the corner, and-

Tommy runs over to a small pot with a single purple flower growing from it, “An Allium!” He laughs, running a hand over the steam carefully, “It’s Ranboo’s nickname for me. They have Lexical–gustatory synesthesia, and said when they saw me, and heard my name, they smelt Allium flowers. They also once mentioned my name tasted like banana taffy.” He rambles, “Did you know that Allium flowers represent perfect, elegance, unity, and patience? Ranboo always said they think I represented the representation of perfect.” He smiles lightly, “They also-” He stops blinking.

Ranboo… Ranboo isn’t here. They are back with Phil, Tommy left.

He shrinks back, pulling his hand away.

They lied to him, hurt him… He shouldn’t care about them anymore, he has Techno now. Right? Yeah. Yeah, Ranboo has PHIL, they don’t need Tommy and Tommy doesn’t need them.

( Phil whose name smelt and tasted like ash from a fire. )

( Phil who was supposed to be your dad, not theirs. )

Tommy shakes his head. That isn’t what happened. 

He stands suddenly and walks over to a spider web, a small spider sits in the middle. He smiles at it and holds a finger out to it. He watches it crawl onto his hand with no hesitation, and sit’s there calmly.

“This is just a normal jumping spider.” he explains, “They don’t actually tend to even want to bite humans. They prefer insects or other arachnids that are smaller, or equal to their size. They are one of my favorites since they-” Again, he cuts himself off. Not because of some mental realization or anything, he just realized how much he was talking. Techno had always preferred the quiet, he was being annoying. 

It’s only quiet for a moment, “Why did you stop?”

Tommy shrugs lightly, “You probably want quiet. So I will stop talking, you always preferred when it was quiet.” He keeps his voice low, soft. It is the tone he used when talking to customers at the dinner late at night. They were there for peace and quiet, so he always kept the juice box on mainly piano, and classical songs, and talked in soft tones. He had a lot of regulars because of it, and he got some good tips.

“I don’t mind, I wanna hear about the spiders and plants,” Techno says, voice monotone. 

Tommy blinks and turns quickly, he can’t help the excited look on his face. Ranboo is the only person he ever really got to talk to about these things, “Please don’t be joking, because that’s just cruel if you are.” He says.

Techno smiles softly, lowering his phone, which Tommy assumes he was looking at, “I will never lie to you Theseus. I wanna hear about things you are interested in.”

Tommy grins, “Well, jumping spiders are unique because-”

Techno nods along, face relaxed, he isn’t smiling, but he looks content. He watches Tommy jump around and talk quickly about the different plants, and describe things about each bug he sees. Techno knows there will be points where Tommy regrets leaving, there were points where he himself had regretted it. The difference was, that he had to deal with it alone. Theseus won’t. Techno will help him as best he can. He wishes he knew what happened, but he also gets why Theseus hasn’t and maybe will never tell him, and he is okay with that.

Techno glances down at his phone screen and can’t help the smile that grows across his face.

Theseus was hurt, badly and Techno will live with that guilt for the rest of his life. But he is gonna try, try to make it better, help his brother. Not fix. There is no fixing this, not when there are too many broken pieces missing from the puzzle. But help heal him. Help him find pieces to fit the missing broken ones, and help put it back together. 

There will be troubles, pieces may break again, revealing a new problem that they hadn’t expected. Both he, Theseus, and anyone else involved will probably end up getting cut, but that won’t stop him from helping glue the broken masterpiece that is his brother back together. It will be mismatched, in perfect, and certain pieces may still be missing by the end of it, but that’s okay. Things like this aren’t supposed to go away, but they can get better, and that is what he plans to help Theseus do. 

He looks at his brother as he explains some random facts about the Venus flytrap to him.

But that process will start when they get home. For now? He is gonna let his brother experience what his childhood should have been.

He types a quick message out on his phone and attached a photo to it before sending it.

*Papa Puffy*

Sent at 8:27 pm

You - (Just thought you’d like to see this.)

*You sent an image*

*Papa Puffy* - (AWWWWWWWWWW!)

He grins, looking back at the picture.

The moment Theseus turned around.

He has a bright, almost childish look on his face, he looks relaxed and genuinely happy. He is holding out a finger with the spider on it, half turned around. Plants and the sunset create the perfect scenery and picture. Butterflies were flying all around his head, some even landing in his hair, almost like a crown.

His hair and eyes and bright, and he looks like a kid.

Techno smiles, “There he is.” He whispers to himself as Tommy goes off on another tangent about the ladybug that just landed on his finger.

Chapter Text

Tommy sat on the hotel bed, his phone in his hand, finger hovering over a contact.

Techno left for his book signing 30 or so minutes ago, and that left Tommy alone. He tried distracting himself, He DID, but he got bored fast. So… he turned on his phone.

63 missed calls from Ranboo and 99+ unread messages.

A few from Phil as well but nothing above 30, same with Beau, Grain, and Tubbo, but they didn’t even reach double digits.

He hasn’t been able to look away from the contact, he wants to so bad, he wants to call them and tell them he is okay, and that he will be home soon-But he doesn’t want to go home, he doesn’t want to see them. He is upset beyond belief and… He misses them. No, he doesn’t, but he does, and he hates it. He hates himself for it. But fuck he-

He shakes his head and drops his head to his knees, taking a deep, shuttering breath.

No. He left for a reason. They hurt him. They lied. They broke their promise. They left him first.

He drops his phone and stands up. He needs to do something. He needs to- what does he need? He doesn’t even know! 

He left, why the hell did he leave?

You overreacted, what the hell is wrong with you?

“No, I didn’t they- they…” He blinks his eyes, “They hurt me.”

Did they?

“Yes! They-They sided with… with him .” He spits, grabbing his hair, “They lied! They chose HIM !”

Was he wrong though?

“Yes!” He shouts, “Yes-I-I didn’t-I was a-” His voice breaks, “Kid, I am a kid, I didn’t deserve that.”

Of course, you did, you're a freak, a waste of space.

He shakes his head, “No, please-”

Pathetic.

Tears fall down his face, “I-I didn’t-”

Weak.

He falls to his knees, curling in on himself, “I-I-I’m s-so-sorr-sorry!” He shouts, body shaking.

You are nothing.

He nods, “I know.” He whispers, grabbing his hair.  He knows it’s his voice, his own conscious but god does it sound like Wilbur, “I know, I am worthless, I am a waste, I am useless, I am pathetic, I am weak, I have no place here, I deserved it, I am annoying, I am loud, I-” His voice is broken, practiced with the words, “I hate him!” He exclaims suddenly, slamming his fist onto the floor, “I hate him!” Tears hit the carpeted floor, making a small drip sound each time, “I Hate all of them!” His voice hurts, it feels sore, broken, “I hate everyone!” His hands find his arms and his nails dig into his skin, “I-I-I-” He sobs, cries, breaks down and does nothing to stop it. He has no one here to help him, just like always, he is alone. Ranboo was there, weren’t they? They had been there, right? 

No. No, they weren’t. Not when it mattered or counted. They weren’t there when he painted his arms and legs red. They weren’t there when he passed out because he drank too much. They weren’t there when he dealt with hallucinations because he’d gotten too high. They weren’t there when he put a gun to his head. They weren’t there when he almost pulled that god-damn trigger. The trigger of a gun he… a gun he packed. He packed the gun. He just remembered. He looks up at his bag, sitting innocently on his bed. He moves to his feet robotically, face going blank as he walks over to the old beaten-up school bag he has had forever. He dumps it onto the floor and out falls a sleek black pistol. 

Tommy stole it 3 years ago from Quackity. He has never shot it. He knows it’s loaded, he honestly forgot he had it half the time. He hadn’t even meant to pack it, but he kept it in his old school bag. So he has it. He… He has a gun he has held twice. Once when he stole it. Once when he almost killed himself with it.

Ranboo hadn’t helped him through that. Ranboo was out that night hanging out with friends. They went out to eat with the money they took from Tommy. 

The only reason they hadn’t died that night was… a mix of things. He looks down at the red bandana around his wrist. That and he had been dragged into his world. His version of Techno held him and comforted him.

Ranboo wasn’t there.

He picks up the gun and sits on the bed. Eyes blank, head spinning.

He laughs dryly, “They never cared. Did they?” He spits, holding the barrel up and to his temple, “It was a lie. It was all fake?” He asks the air.

The universe has great timing. His phone rings on the floor.

‘Do not enter is written on the doorway- ’

Fills the room. Tommy leans down and picks up the phone before he can think too much. He presses answer.

“The fuck you want?” He mutters, staring at the floor.

“ Allium?” Their voice is full of concern, relief, and confusion, “Oh, thank god! Tommy, please, where are you? Please I can come to pick you up, just please, are you okay?”

He laughs, “No. I am not okay.” He says, his tone void of care, “I am gone. Stop fucking calling me. Tell the dipshit the same damn thing.”

“ Allium- ”

“Tommy.”

“ -Please, I am so sorry, I didn’t mean what I said. It was stupid, wrong, and horrible, and I am so sorry. Please come home, I can make it up to you! I-I-please, please Tommy.” They beg and ramble and Tommy scoffs.

“I don’t care. That place isn’t home anymore. YOU aren’t home anymore.” He states, and he isn’t sure who he is trying to convince, “I never want to see you. Talk to you. Be around you. Hear your voice. Acknowledge you. EVER again, do you understand me?” His voice is full of anger, pain, and spite, “I HATE you. You agreed with him. You sided with him, what he said, what he did. You lied. You left. You hurt me. YOU left a scar this time.” He chokes out a laugh, “Nothing will fix this. Enjoy your perfect little life with Phil, Purpled, and him. ”

Ranboo’s voice grows frantic, “T ommy please, please, no, no I am sorry, I know what I did wasn’t okay! It was -”

“I DON’T CARE!” He screams, “I hate you! Leave. Me. ALONE!” He yells one final time before taking his phone from his ear and hanging up, he blocks Ranboo, and then Phil drops his phone to the floor. The gun finds his head again as he sobs into the air, hand clutching the fabric under him.

He can’t help but smile.

“See you in hell motherfuckers.” He mutters. His finger finds the trigger and-

“Sir?” A voice calls, followed by knocking, “I am going to have to ask you to stop screaming, it is disturbing other guests.”

Tommy pauses. Then he laughs, dropping the pistol, running a hand through his hair defeated. He won’t do it. He can’t do it. But it’s fine. He has other ways to leave reality behind. He gets up and stumbles over to the door, pulling it open.

He puts on a smile, greeting the same redhead from yesterday, “Hey, sorry about that. I was watching TV, guess it was too loud.” He laughs. Running a hand through his hair. This guy knows he is underage… how is he supposed to get alcohol from him? He would just go buy some, but he doesn’t have his fake ID with him or know where any stores are. Huh… It works with people back home? He hates it, it’s the last resort method, but he did also almost just shoot himself, so…

“No problem, just try to keep it down?” The man requests.

Tommy nods leaning on the door frame, “Yeah sure, say…” He hums, “You guys have room service right?”

The man perks up, “Yes! Yes, we do. Can I get you something?” He questions.

The guy is wearing a white button-up shirt with black dress pants. His hair is swiped to the side, fluffy looking, and he is about Tommy’s height, maybe taller with the shoes he’s wearing.

Tommy nods, “Yeah actually, you guys have a bar?” He tilts his head, curiosity in his voice.

The man deflates a tad, “We do yes… But Mr. Blade said you were under 21, so I can’t-”

Tommy groans, “Come on.” He whines, grinning, “Please? I won’t tell him. I’ll even put in a good word for you! Saying you had amazing room service.” He tries.

The man shakes his head, “Sorry, but-”

Tommy sighs. Fine. Last resort it is. 

He pushes himself off the wall and steps forward, tilting his head up at the redhead. The man links taken by surprise. Tommy notes that the guy looks under 18 as well. Well, his job just got a lot less awkward, and a whole lot easier.

“Please?” He questions, “It would mean a lot to me.” He lets his voice lower to sound more pleading and makes his eyes sad, puppy dog eyes he thinks they are called, “You're a handsome guy, look like you would indulge in a drink or two occasionally.” He lightly grabs the redhead's arm.

The guy splutters and swallows air, “Uh, well-” He tries.

Tommy is far from proud of this little talent he picked up. And he means FAR from proud of it. But what works, if he can use his looks to his advantage why shouldn’t he? He does what he can to survive, and currently, that alcohol will be what keeps a bullet out of his head. So if he has to flirt with the random guy so what? He will live with it. He has done worse and filtered with worse. 

“Come one, help a guy out?” He tries again, stepping closer, “Just one bottle of vodka, that is all I want.” He mutters, “You can do that for me, right?” He smiles slightly, making his eyes sad, pleading.

The guy nods, “Yeah, yeah I uh- I can.” He agrees, “Just please uh, step back?” He questions, looking away from Tommy.

Tommy grins and does so, “Thanks! You're the best, I owe you one.” You say with a wink before he closes his door. He sighs and rolls his eyes. Ew. Just- ew. How people find things like that attractive is a mystery to him. He doesn’t do romance. Not his thing. But, he can when he needs to. Never farther than AT MOST holding someone's hand. They try to kiss him, or even farther than that? They get punched. 

He watches Wilbur stroll into the store, smile wide and eyes bright. Tommy walks beside him silently, holding his older brother's hand as they enter a liquor store. Wilbur glances down at him and winks, before walking over to a shelf and grabbing a few bottles of clear liquid. He then takes them to the counter and sets them down.

The man standing there had dark, short-cut hair. He was taller than Wilbur, but that was fair, Wilbur was only 16 or so at this time, making Tommy 6, maybe 7. The guy is wearing a black tank top and some jeans. His skin is an olive color and his eyes are a deep blue color.

“ID.” The guy says, looking Wilbur up and down.

Wilbur frowns, “Don’t have one.” He says sadly, “But you think you could help me out?” He questions leaning on the counter. “Please? I can pay.” He promises, making his voice sound more innocent, and quieter.

He shakes his head, “Sorry kid, but-”

“Alternatively?” Wilbur whispers, leaning forward, tilting his head up at the guy, “Just gotta hook me up with the stuff wherever I want it.”

Tommy watches with confusion as the guy tilts his head, “Yeah okay.” He agrees, “Just the two bottles?” He asks, looking Wilbur up and down. Tommy frowns more and shuffles closer to his brother.

Wilbur nods, “Yep!” He leans back, resting a hand on Tommy’s head. A smirk on his face as he grabs the two bottles, “Cya tomorrow.” He says with a small wink as he leads Tommy out of the store. Eyes watch them go and Wilbur’s grin never falters.

Tommy looks up at Wilbur, “Wilby?”

“Yes, sunshine?”

“What… why was he looking at you like that? It made me feel weird.” He mutters as they get into Phil’s car. Wilbur stole it for the night.

Wilbur laughs and leans back in the seat, “That, my dear Theseus? It is how you get whatever you want from someone.” He states and Tommy makes a confused noise, “If you have a pretty face, you can get whatever you want sunshine.” Wilbur explains, setting a hand on Tommy’s head, “Especially when you know the kinda person you're talking to. All I have to do, especially in this shithole of a town is blink my eyes and make a promise, and BOOM whatever I want!” He laughs. Starting the car up.

Tommy nods along, “Will I be able to do that?”

“No doubt sunshine.” Wilbur confirms, “You're my baby brother, after all, me but blonde with blue eyes. But keep in mind, if someone ever tries doing something you don’t like or aren’t comfortable with?” Wilbur’s smile turns dark, “Tell me and I will take care of it.”

Tommy nods, not entirely sure what his brother meant, just happy that Wilbur was talking to him and being nice,” Okay Wilby!” He agrees.

Wilbur looks back at Tommy quickly, carefully cupping the side of the child's face. He has a small smile, but his eyes shine with possessiveness. Tommy is too young to understand, too young to know that that look is promising danger if he steps even the slightest bit out of line. It is promising a locked closet door for hours on end. This look means Wilbur is scared, it means he thinks there is the risk of Tommy leaving his side, of Tommy replacing him. 

It means Wilbur thinks Tommy may stray off from him and become something horrible. His own person.

“Sunshine?” His voice coats with honey as Tommy leans into the hand.

“Hm?” He hums.

“Promise me something?” Tommy nods, “You are my little brother, my sunshine. That no matter what, when I call, you will come home. Home to me.” He whispers, voice gentle, and Tommy is young to notice that hint of rage in that tone. It isn’t a question. This is a test.

Tommy opens his eyes. All the 6-year-old sees is his favorite brother, his guardian, his idol, and the person his life is centered around, “I promise.” He says with a smile.

He shudders at the memory of that night. He takes a deep breath. He isn’t Wilbur. He is Tommy.

He walks over to the bed and sits down, staring at the floor, “I am not Wilbur.” He whispers, grabbing his phone from the floor, and opening the gallery. He scrolls down. He scrolls down for a very long time. He scrolls to the bottom of his hundreds of pictures, some of him and Ranboo or him and Beau, but mainly pictures of sunsets or the sky or things like that. 

He reaches his first photo. The first picture he ever took with this phone.

He looks down at Wilbur’s face. It is the only picture Tommy had kept of his oldest brother. Tommy smiles slightly. He hasn’t looked at it in a while, but today is the day to remember, apparently.

Wilbur is sitting on the roof of the old house, guitar in hand as he plays, he has a bright smile and a calm look. He is wearing an ugly yellow sweater and some sweatpants. His glasses are resting on his face neatly and his hair is a mess of brown curls.

He was singing a song that night. Tommy doesn’t remember the name, or lyrics anymore. Just like he doesn’t remember anything else from that night. Because he didn’t take this photo. Techno did. Because this is one of Techno’s old phones he had left behind. Tommy started using it when his old one broke. It is old with a cracked screen, but it works. 

It is then that his emotions turn sower to the photo.

Because Wilbur is 14 in this photo.

Tommy was 4

He never got to see this, this side of Wilbur, this is back when he thought his brother was perfect, could never do anything wrong. He thought the abuse was love. Techno got to see this. Techno got to see Wilbur happy, normal. Techno-

Experienced the same things he did.

Just then a knock rang out. Tommy turned his phone all the way off and stood up. When he opened the door, the red head guy stood there with a bottle of a familiar liquid inside. He forced a smile, accepting the bottle, “Thank you.” He says, leaning against the door with his fake smile. Fake confidence. Fake appreciation. Fake. Just like his family. Fake. (Techno isn’t fake. Techno is nice.)

The guy smiles, “Yeah no problem.” He says slowly.

“Keep this between us, yeah? My brother can’t know, he will freak.” He laughs, unscrewing the bottle and putting it to his lips. Pouring the burning liquid down his throat with practiced ease. He welcomes that feeling embraces it like an old friend, and lets the pain take over hold of his mind, his actions, him. He lets it take control and stop his thoughts from spiraling into pure chaos.

That's what Phil and Wilbur did, so why can’t Tommy?

The guy nods, “Yes, yes of course.” He agrees, “I will not speak a word of this.”

Tommy brings the bottle down to his side and steps forward, a small smile on his face, “Good.” He hums, tilting his head, “How old are you?” He questions. He looks older up this close…

He steps back, and Tommy steps forward, “I uh- I am 22.” He states, looking down.

Tommy hums. Well, he was wrong the first time. Eh, “Fine by me.” He says with a grin.

The guy looks away quickly, “I have to get back to work, enjoy your vodka.” The guy stammers out before rushing down the hall quickly.

Tommy laughs and leans back against the wall, rolling his eyes. It’s too easy. He brings the bottle back to his mouth and slips back into his hotel room.

It is a few hours later when he hears a knock at his door again.

He has gotten at least 3 more bottles since then, all empty around him. The gun is somewhere on his bed, his phone is… somewhere, he might have broken it… Hehe, who cares? He giggles as he stumbles to his feet, leaning heavily on the wall. He has been watching stupid ROM cons and staring at the ceiling the last few hours. It has been great! He hasn’t had to THINK, god it is amazing! It has been a while since he got this drunk… last time was-That night. A night he isn’t going to think about!

He gets the door and pulls it open as he slouches against the wall.

“Hey Theseus, I picked up coffee on the way-” Techno’s eyes widen as he blinks.

Tommy reaches for the cup, “Thaankss Techno.” He laughs.

Techno pulls the paper cup away with a furrowed look, “Theseus, are you drunk?”

Tommy shakes his head and puts a finger to his lips, “Nooooo!” He laughs, “You aren’t supposed to know, so you gotta-” A hiccup interprets him, “-Keep it secret. Mk?” He whispers as if it were a secret.

Techno frowns, staying quiet for a while before sighing, “Okay, let's get you sober. Then we can talk.” The older says, voice going monotone.

Tommy laughs as he stumbles back into the wall, “MK!” He shouts, as Techno walks into Tommy’s hotel room and shuts the door behind himself. He then sets the two cups down on the table in the corner before turning to Tommy.

“Theseus, please lay down. Do you have any water?”

He shakes his head with a childish look, “Nope! Nope- Ha, that’s a funny word.” He laughs, sliding down the wall, “Nope, Nope, Nope, Nope!” He chats, swaying his head.

Techno sighs and walks over to the blonde kid on the floor, “Up we go.” He mutters, pulling Tommy into his hold, wrapping an arm under his legs and his other around his back, “I didn’t think you of all people would drink Thes.” He states.

Tommy shrieks as he is lifted into the air then starts laughing, “Aww! Techno is worried, Techno worried!” He exclaims, going limp in Techno hold, “It’s okay Techie, wanna know a secret?” He whispers, eyes wide.

Techno sets Tommy down on the bed gently, “Sure Theseus.”

“Phil and Wilbur drank too.” He whispers, going limp on the bed, “But they got mean, really mean.”

Techno nods, “I know Theseus.” 

“But-But then I started to drink right?” He turns to Techno, “And it made it so much quieter, and made me feel all fuzzy and like… Like… alive.” He grins, sitting up and grabbing Techno’s shirt, “It made it hurt less.” He giggles. Head falling onto a frozen Techno’s chest.

“Made what hurt less?” He questions softly, slowly running a hand through Tommy’s hair. His stare was distant. He drank the first year he moved away, a lot. He was numb through the whole thing. Wilbur was an angry drunk and Phil was a mix of numb and angry. Tommy is a… Funny drunk? He isn’t sure yet. He just never thought Tommy of all people would… Tommy is 15. Fuck.

“All of it.” Tommy whispers, “The thoughts, the bruises, the scars, the knife.”

Techno looks down, “The what?”

“The burn, the- huh?” He looks up with foggy eyes.

Techno furrows his eyebrows, “Did you say KNIFE Theseus?”

Tommy nods, “Yeah, it makes me feel better.” He whispers, eyes wide with… well Techno doesn’t actually know.

Techno nods and sits down on the bed, “Can you show me?” He asks, keeping his voice soft, “The cuts.”

Tommy hums, looking up and then back at Techno nodding.

He pulls his legs up closer to him and after a few seconds of struggling is able to pull both his pant legs up to his upper thighs. He is wearing black sweatpants, and a red oversized hoodie, so it’s easy enough. He then pulls up his sleeves and holds his arms out to Techno.

Techno looks at his baby brother's arms and legs, covered in new and old scars. He looks at the words carved into his body, he looks at the lines cut through his name, and he looks at the random spots of strange scars. Caused by a lighter. He was burning himself.

“Theseus…” He whispers.

Tommy shrugs, looking at Techno innocently, “I like red, it is pretty.” He whispers, giggling slightly.

Techno takes a deep breath, “Red your favorite color?”

“Mhm!” Tommy hums, suddenly dropping forward, head landing on Techno’s legs as he proceeds to curl into a ball and close his eyes, “Techie, promise not to tell on me? Do’ want Tech mad at meeee.” He mutters, words slurring slightly “I just got ‘em back… can’t lose ‘gain.”

Techno nods stiffly and lays a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, “Okay Theseus, your secret is safe with me.”

“Than’ you…” He mutters.

“Hey, hey.” He shakes Tommy slightly, “How about you change into something more comfortable first?” He suggests.

Tommy grumbles but sits up nonetheless, “Whyyyyyyyyyy.” He complains, his face morphing into a childish pout.

Techno laughs lightly, “Because, brush your teeth well you're at it?” He recommends as he helps Tommy stand. The boy stumbles, laying the majority of his weight, (Which is concerningly not a whole lot.)

“I can stand by myself.” The blonde mutters, “I- ‘m a big man!” He proclaims, stepping back, nearly collapsing but catches himself. Basically strutting over to the bathroom, “See!” He puts his arms up, puffing out his cheeks. Techno just laughs and shakes his head, “You guys have noooo reason to be worried!”

Techno hums, “Yeah? Who else told you this was a bad idea.” He hums as Tommy slams the bathroom door.

“Red head guy! He gave me da vo… vod? Video… no, vodkra?”

“Vodka.” Techno supplies.

“YES!” Tommy shouts, followed by a crashing sound, and Techno grimaces, “I am okay! But anyway, as I was-” Another crash, “AH!- saaaaaaying, Techie, did you know how easyyyyyyyyy it is to get people to give you vrakya?” He questions, followed by the water turning on.

“Vodka, and no I didn't, considering you are 15.”

“Yeaaah! Wilby taught me, I just was like, ‘damn, you're hot.’ and he got me the vlokyer!” He cheers, throwing the door open, now wearing a pair of white shorts and- a purple, way too large hoodie, “Well, I didn’t say THAT but implied it and was all like.” He leans on the door, “Hey, get me the vlak, and I’ll put in a good word for you, and you're like, damn, you know?” He giggles, stumbling over to the bed and flopping down, giggling more.

Techno nods, “Uh huh.” How was he getting farther from the word Vodka? “And who is, “Redhead guy?” If I may know.” Techno requests.

Tommy hums, “Mat.” He furrows his eyebrows, “No- Mas? Mac… Max? MAX!” He snaps, “Maxy, bitch guy, front desk, prick, snob!” He lists off names, putting a finger up for each, “Don’t worry tho, he isn’t aaaactually attractive. He is way below MY standards, I used to joke that Ranboob was my standers, the reality is I just don’t like people like that.” He rambles, kicking his legs and swaying his head.

Techno frowns, “Hm, okay, let's get you to sleep Theseus.” He says, standing up.

Tommy groans as he rolls onto his stomach, spreading his body out like a starfish, “Noooo.” He says, giggling again.

Techno grabs one of the blankets from the floor, (Why they were there is a mystery to him.) and throws it over the top of his little brother. He then walks to the bathroom and grabs a glass on his way, he fills it with water and by the time he has returned, Tommy is out cold. He has wrapped the blanket around himself like a cocoon and is snoring softly Techno smiles slightly, setting the cup down, and presses a kiss to his brother's head, “I will be right back.” He promises quietly.

He then slips out of the room, making sure to grab the room key, so he can get back in.

(Tommy wakes up in a haze, confused a few hours later. He doesn’t remember much… Flashes of Techno, he is stumbling- He can’t remember. There are no bottles in the room anymore, and any sign of the vodka was gone. Tommy shrugs and slips back to sleep. Assuming he was just exhausted.)

Techno smiles as he discards the empty vodka bottles in the bin out back of the hotel. He also cleaned the quite frankly, destroyed hotel room, up a bit. He put the things Tommy had apparently dumped onto the floor from his bag, back inside. Found the boy's phone, on, unlocked, next to the window, hidden by the curtain. Techno hates to admit he stared at the photo displayed on the phone longer than he would like to admit. He remembers that night vividly. That night Wilbur played him, Jubilee Line. A song he had written, and wanted to show off. Techno listened happily. That was one of the last good memories he has with his brother… He shook it off and turned off the phone. He put it on the charger and set Tommy’s coffee in the microwave. 

Techno found the gun. He ignored it. He wouldn’t assume what it was for. He put it in the bag, shoving it to the bottom, praying that was where it should be.

He has no intention of telling Tommy what the kid told him. That would scare him away and Techno knows it. Tommy is private, he can tell by just looking at him, and would kill either Techno or himself if he knew he’d told Techno what he had. So? Tommy rambled on about Ranboo and some random plants before Techno convinced him to go to bed. He will talk with Tommy about drinking another time. If he remembers? Techno will do his best to comfort his little brother.

They are leaving early. He has his laptop and is sitting next to Tommy, booking the flights home already. They can stop by the butterfly garden before they leave. He looks at Tommy and smiles, running a careful hand through his hair.

“I am so sorry I had a part in this.” He whispers, before returning to booking 2 first-class tickets, “Love you Theseus.”

Tommy isn’t awake to hear the words. But if he was, he would have said, “Love you to Techno.”

Chapter Text

Techno sits across from him, looking at him with a patient look.

Tommy looks down at his hands, head still pounding from the severe hangover.

He told Techno, he showed Techno the… fuck, he’s gonna be sent home, huh? He’s fucked. He is gonna be abandoned, and left alone again! How could he fuck up this bad!?

“Theseus,” Techno’s voice is soft yet stern. “Kid, talk to me here.” His brother says, sighing. He moves his let-down hair from his face, “What were you thinking?” (Tommy woke up avoiding him, he knew Tommy remembered every bit of the previous day, so there was no point in trying to say it didn’t happen.)

They were sitting in Tommy’s hotel room, at the table. Tommy was sitting stiffly like he was a board, eyes on his fidgeting hands. Techno sat relaxed, one leg thrown over the other, hands in his lap.

After some silence he shrugs, “I… I don’t know?” He mutters, still not looking up.

“I think you do,” he insists.

Tommy shakes his head.

“It-It was a spur of the moment, okay?” he says quickly, “I am sorry, just get the stupid punishment over with.” He leans back a bit, finally looking at Techno, expecting and hesitant.

Techno raises his eyebrows. “What ‘punishment’ do you think I’d give you-?”

Tommy shrugs, “I don’t know, I-” he looks down. “It’s not a lot, but I have like 50 bucks? Uh…” He feels his mind go numb, slowly reverting back to his past self. In trouble, what is wrong with you? Be better. He looks back at Techno. “The bathroom is small, not a fan of it… Your room has a small closet. I don’t need to eat anything for a while, I um…” Techno isn’t reacting. Why isn’t Techno reacting? He just looks sad!

Wilbur looks at Tommy sadly, “No, Theseus. Wrong answer, sunshine.”

He blinks quickly. “I-I uh…” What does Techno want from him!? “You can hit me? I don’t-” He shakes his head, “I-I’m sorry I, I don’t kn-know what you want me to say, or offer, I-” 

Techno shakes his head. “Tommy?” Techno’s voice softens, “Is that what Wilbur did?”

He nods quickly. Was he being stupid? Did Techno have a different punishment system-? ( Techno never punished you, he isn’t like that. ) But he did something wrong! He broke a rule!

“I- Yeah, I don’t…” he gives a desperate look, “I don’t care what you do, just please don’t leave again,” he begs quietly.

Techno holds his hand out. “Theseus, listen to me.”

Tommy takes the extended hand.

“You are not in trouble, there is no punishment,” Techno says. His voice is low and calm, just like how Puffy’s was when Techno had a flashback or started panicking. “We’re just talking, none of that is gonna be happening, no punishments.”

Tommy gives him a hesitant look. “But-”

Techno shakes his head. “No punishments.”

Tomy presses his mouth closed. God… he is pathetic. Techno never hurt him before, why would he now? He reverted back so quickly, he had grown, he grew a spine, and he can stand up for himself, why does Techno revert him back to the mindset he had with Wilbur? Not even Phil did that-

Techno has Wilbur’s face.

Why does that only just hit him? He feels it, and the realization sets in as he looks at the other’s face. The smile, the eyes, the shape, everything. It’s Wilbur, slightly older, but Wilbur no doubt. The same amber eyes that look at him with nothing but love and adoration. The only difference is Wilbur’s was fake, a hint of something unreadable hidden under that affection.

“Okay,” he nods, looking down, “Whatever.” 

Techno smiles. “How would you like to go to the garden before our flight leaves?” he calmly offers.

Tommy nods. “I would like that a lot.” 

“Let’s go then,” he says, grinning. He stands up.

Tommy crouches in front of a sunflower, a smile on his face. He feels a butterfly crawling across his face. He hums as he runs his hand over the barely-bloomed petals, the flower feeling soft under his hand. He likes it here. If he were to die, he thinks he would want to do it here. It would be peaceful. More so than alone in a hotel room.

“Theseus?”

He hums in response, a monarch butterfly landing on his finger. Clementine, he decides.

“Come on kid, we gotta go.”

Tommy nods. “Okay,” he agrees. He stands and moves from the flowerbed. still feeling hesitant. He knows Techno said no punishment, but… why? He did something horrible, he… he should be in trouble, right? Yet, Techno ruffles his hair gently before guiding him out to the car. It’s weird, wrong, yet… nice. He stays quiet, not wanting to ruin this for himself. All of their stuff was packed up in the back seat and he was back to sitting in the passenger seat. It was barely 8 am and their flight left at 11, but Techno wanted to get there early. He didn’t really understand, but he just went with it.

He understood now. By the time they got through the line, security and all that bullshit, it was 10:23 am. He was astounded considering how fast they did all this the other night. Techno just laughs at him in amusement.

“Fuck off! Why are there so many people?” he grumbles, pulling his legs to his chest, sitting at a shitty Starbucks knockoff since they had yet to eat breakfast and Techno insisted.

“It’s not that bad, Thes,” Techno comforted, hand tapping the table.

He tucks in on himself. “You may have gotten the chance to get somewhat used to people Tech, but I lived in that shitty little town my whole life with the same people. I don’t like people .”

His brother nods knowingly. “I had to get used to it too. You’ll get there kid.”

He rolls his eyes. “Sure.” He takes a bite of the very shitty sandwich he got.

“C’mon, hurry up, we gotta get over to the boarding area soon.”

He nods.

“Where are we going?” Tommy asks. “Like, where do you live again?”

Techno smiles. “Malibu, California.”

Tommy pauses. “Wait, really?” He looks at his brother, eyes wide. Techno nods. “Malibu?” Another nod. A smile grows on his face. “Oh my god,” he says, standing up, a smile wide and glowing. “Well, what are we waiting for!?”

Techno nods. “Knew you’d like it,” he says, standing up.

Tommy grabs his bag, practically jumping. “The beach? Techno there’s a BEACH!”

His brother laughs. “Yes, yes there is.” 

Tommy’s eyes brighten exponentially. “Let’s go, let’s go, come on!” he exclaims, grabbing Techno’s arm, who’s happily being led by his little brother through the crowd of people. “Did you know that there are Bark Crab Spiders in California?” he says, quickly. “They don’t like going inside the building since they’re attracted to flowers outside. They aren’t even dangerous to us! Bigger crabs’ bites can hurt, but their fangs are too small to inject any venom into a human.” He begins ranting, “They also have Bee Flies!” he blurts, looking up at Techno. “Tubbo’s a big fan of Bee, he’d definitely like them. I don’t know much about them but I’m sure he would!”

Techno nods along. “Sounds interesting, Thes, what other kinds of things do they have?”

“Well, they also have a type of flower called Chocolate Daisies-”

For the rest of the wait, Tommy talks on and on about bugs, animals, flowers, and other plants that he may be able to find in California. He has never been to a beach before or seen the ocean in person, but he’s always wanted to. He lists sea animals and plants he could find if he were to go swimming. He asks about things in the area and Techno happily tells him about the nice little park he lives by, the beach that’s 15 minutes away by car and 40ish-minutes away on foot. Around the block is a coffee shop, and a hiking trail that goes up to a gorgeous little lake and river.

By the time they get on the plane, again in first class, Tommy is practically vibrating with excitement. It’s an 8-hour flight so, sadly, Tommy does run out of animals, plants, and bugs to talk about within the first hour of the flight. He falls silent, looking out the window.

What if he’s doing the wrong thing? God he… he yelled at Ranboo last night, they didn’t deserve that. Yes, they did . He… is he being selfish? He left Beau… Tubbo… Michael, dear god he left Michael. His stomach flips around, he left Michael. Shit, he shouldn’t have left, Techno doesn’t need this stress, he didn’t think this through-

Techno silently takes his hand away from the armrest he hadn’t realized he was gripping. The man doesn’t look up from his book even as he squeezes Tommy’s hand reassuringly.

He curls his knees to his chest, squeezing back.

He lets the feeling ground him.

He… he did what was best for him. Right? He left for himself, he wasn’t happy there. He… he was though…

You told yourself you were happy for 5 years. You may have had times when you were happy, but that doesn’t make up for the bad. You left because you had to in order to keep living.

He could have survived there, he could have! 

Even after what they did?

…

You’re safe now. You did nothing wrong.

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes tightly. “Techno?”

“Hm?”

“What a-are you reading?”

“Everything I Never Told You,” he says, “Why?”

“Can you read it out loud to me? Please?”

Techno nods. “I can’t believe I still want you. Even, after all, we have been through-” He begins without question. Tommy relaxes, letting his brother's voice and hand comfort him, keeping him in reality.

Tommy smiles when he sees Puffy standing with a sign up saying, “WELCOME HOME!” Techno just sighs.

“Welcome back!” she cheers, smiling brightly. “I was surprised to hear you’d be coming home so soon, I thought you’d be there another week at least.”

Techno shrugs. “Decided not to stay, wanted Tommy to see the house and get adjusted and all.”

Puffy nods with an understanding look, turning to Tommy. “Oh my,” she says softly, her face softening. “Hello, Tommy. You have grown quite a bit,” she comments with a proud look.

He nods, fidgeting as he clings to Techno. Too many people, “Y-Yeah, guess I-I ha-have.” He agrees.

“Let’s get home,” Techno mutters, wrapping a protective arm around Tommy. He melts into the embrace. Puffy nods.

“Common kiddo,” she says, gesturing. She begins to walk towards the exit of the airport. The trio makes it out fairly fast. Puffy leads them to a fairly nice car, if not a bit… out there. A bright pink Tesla Model S. Techno puts his stuff in the trunk while Tommy slides into the back seat. After finishing with the luggage, Techno slides into the driver seat, and Puffy slides into the passenger seat.

He turns his attention out the window. There’s a beach, and an ocean, and he can’t help but stare in awe. There are hundreds of people, either walking on the sidewalks, along the beach or on the road. But, his eyes focus on the crystal-like water. It’s so much better in person. Beautiful, reflective waves crash onto the sand. It’s amazing.

He hears a soft laugh and he looks over at the sound. It’s Puffy.

“You like it?” she asks with a soft smile.

She looks no older than she had 2 and a half-ish years ago, but she looks.. different. Her hair is no longer just a curly brown, it’s now a silver color. She’s wearing a long leather coat that reminds him of a pirate from a movie he saw a few months ago, with high, lace-up brown boots, along with a pair of black leggings and a black V-neck shirt under the coat. Her hair is more curly than he remembers, and it’s let down instead of being pulled into a ponytail or bun. Her smile is brighter, and just.. happier looking.

“Like what?” he asks quietly.

“The water,” she states, nodding in the direction of the beach.

He smiles slightly. “Yeah. I always wanted to see it in person,” he admits.

She nods. “I loved it the first time I walked on the sand,” she agrees while Techno begins driving. ”After you guys are settled we can go if you’d like?”

He shrinks back a bit. “I uh… maybe, I don’t uh…” he trails off, shrugging. He only has long sleeves and sweatpants. He isn't sure if he can wear them to the beach. He spares a glance out at the people in swimming suits, shorts, and short sleeves, and some are even topless. Yeah, definitely not.

Puffy glances back at him. “We don’t have to,” she says softly. There’s no judgment, no disappointment. Just understanding.

“No!” he shouts, shrinking back quickly. “I mean, I want to! But um…” He looks down at his hands, rubbing his fingers together in a quick motion. “I don’t have anything to wear?” he says quietly, unsure if the adults in the car had even heard him.

Techno hums slightly. “Thes, how tall are you?”

He blinks, confused. “I’m… I think I am 6’1?”

“Foolish is around your height then. You can borrow some of his clothes ‘til you’re able to get some more of your own,” Puffy pipes in cheerfully.

Fuck.

Fuck, yeah he- he has to get clothes. His eyes widen slightly, grabbing his bag and start to rummage through it. Puffy gives him a confused look as he pulls out the money in his bag.

20, 40- he has 53$

Okay, he… he can make that work. He can get a job tomorrow, he should be able to go without food tonight. He can get a short sleeve shirt and some lighter pants. (He will never wear shorts) and some snacks until he can get enough to buy his own food. Shit… what about furniture? He will need a bed… okay, blankets, he can sleep on the floor, get a blanket and call it good until he can get more money. Yeah… yeah that should work.

“Something on your mind?” Techno asks from the front. “You’re staring at the cash like it’s your lifeline kid.”

“I’m fine,” He mutters. What about rent? He should have brought more money! Shit, he also has to pay Techno back for the hotel and the coffee-

“Theseus,” Techno interrupts, “What’s wrong.”

“Sorry, I’m trying to work out the expenses,” he mutters.

“Elaborate?” Puffy requests softly.

“Well, I need to buy clothes, and I can go without food tonight so I can get snacks tomorrow. Then I know I’ll have to get a-”

“Mkay, I am gonna stop you there,” Techno interrupts quickly. “Theseus. You are not paying for food, rent, clothes, or any of that. You want a job for some extra cash? Okay, he can work that out in a week or two. But right now? That money is yours. I will take care of the essentials.”

Tommy furrows his eyebrows. “But I don’t know when I’ll be able to pay you back?”

Techno shakes his head. “Never. Phil is shit for making you pay for that stuff yourself. You are 15, I will handle the necessities as well as anything else you want,” he explains. Puffy looks at him with an almost proud look on her face.

Tommy makes a confused sound. “But…” he mutters.

“Nope!” Techno looks back at him with a small smile. “Welcome to the world of not shitty authority figures. It’s gonna be weird as hell for a while,” he announces.

Tommy nods slowly, still very confused. He… doesn’t need to pay for his stuff…? But it’s him, if Techno buys it, it’s not Tommy’s… right? If he doesn’t help with rent how can he say he lives there, he is essentially squatting. He has-

Music fills the car.

He looks up as Techno turns the radio up, rolling down all of the windows a bit. Tommy blinks in confusion.

“Stare out the window, sing along, do whatever!” Techno calls out over the music. “Trust me!”

Tommy gives his brother a confused look, nodding slowly. He looks out the window, relaxing back into the seat. He doesn’t recognize the song, it’s a very upbeat tune with more instruments than lyrics. He watches everything pass in quick blurs, reminding him of driving with Beau. He does feel bad for leaving her… God he needs to call into his jobs, let them know he won’t be there… also his clients.

He looks at his bag. His bag that has his phone. The phone that connects him to Ranboo. To Phil… 

The song switches.

He smiles, recognizing this one.

So guess what

What? I don't know

Take a knife and drain your life, hahaha (uh, uh, uh)

He grabs his bag, humming along to the song.

If it's a depot, gotta bite it (bite, go)

If I see weed, I gotta light it (uh, uh)

If I get feelings, gotta hide it (gotta hide, uh, uh)

If it's illegal, I don't mind it (I don't mind, uh, uh)

“I broke my wrist, I gotta ice it,” he mutters, turning on his phone. He ignores missed calls, and messages. All of it.

I wanna see you be my sidekick (uh, uh, uh)

If I post pics, you gotta like it (uh, uh, uh)

If you do this, then you're the nicest (uh, uh)

He opens his messages with all his clients, typing out the same message to send to all of them. It said, “I will have to cancel any scheduled meetings indefinitely. I no longer am in the area and am shutting down.”

To be honest, if it's wrong, I don't want to be right

I don't wanna talk if you're not gonna talk to me nice

To be honest, if it's wrong, I don't want to be right

I don't wanna talk if you're not gonna talk to me nice

Talk to me nice, talk to me nice

He sends the message to all of them quickly. He then opens Grian’s contact. He frowned slightly, he did like the diner. He shoots the man a message. “I hate to do this last minute, but I am not gonna be able to come in anymore. I’m okay, but I am not coming back.”

You sure?

No.

I don't wanna talk if you're not gonna talk to me nice

Talk to me nice, talk to me nice

I don't wanna talk if you're not gonna talk to me nice

He messages Michael’s mom. “Hello Mrs. Corses, I apologize for the short notice but I will no longer be able to babysit Michael as I have left town permanently. Tell Mike I am sorry.”

Two strike is nothing, I three-strike it (strike it)

Can't name the feeling, man, that I get (I get)

All this shit, I'm goin' through a crisis (through a crisis)

If you do this for me, you're the nicest (you're the nicest)

He then promptly blocks all of them, and then Phil. He… he can’t bring himself to block anyone else. Not yet, he… he isn’t ready to do that yet.

You're the nicest, my sleeve pull surprises

How many times I prayed? I pray three, I'm not anxious

Gotta play the game and it's free but not painless

He looks at Ranboo’s contact, smiling slightly. He is too tempted to just call, and tell them where he is, and that he is safe. He will be home soon…

I slide D&G, Silver Link, fuck a razor

But he won’t. He won't be going home because Ranboo isn’t home anymore. He grips his phone tighter.

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh (be nice to me)

He won’t be hurt like this again. 5 years, the gifts, everything just… nothing.

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh (be nice to me)

He tosses the phone back in his bag, looking back out the window.

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh (be nice to me)

He watches them pull up to a nice apartment building, dark, yet clean brick making up the walls. It looks like one of those nice, small apartment buildings in movies that are much nicer inside than you’d think from the outside.

Oh (be nice to me)

“Welcome home Theseus,” Techno says, pulling into a parking space and turning off the car.

Drain Gang

“Home,” he whispers with a small smile. “Can we go inside?”

Techno looks back at him. “Yeah, let’s go,” he agrees easily. “I have someone there I think you’ll like.”

“You mentioned a roommate,” he mutters, “Is it them?”

“You’ll love him,” Puffy says, laughing.

Tommy grabs his bag. “We’ll see.” 

He gets out of the car, Techno following after a moment. Puffy gets out alongside him and goes to set a hand on his shoulder, but he shies away, shuffling back.

She gives an apologetic look. “No touching, got it,” she confirms with an understanding look.

He nods. Techno appears next to him. “Let’s go kid,” he says, nodding towards the entrance to the lobby.

Tommy walks forward. It feels weird, wrong almost. He pushes the glass door to the lobby room open. Hardwood floors, a wall covered in mailboxes, a few couches around a fireplace, and walls painted a pale white. A man sits behind the front desk and nods at Puffy and Techno as they walk by. A set of 2 elevators and then stairs on the right, opposite to the front desk. Techno guides them to the stairs without a second thought. They are the same wood as the floor. They walk up the stairs until they reach the 6th floor, the top floor from what he can tell. Each hallway is the same, with the same wood floor, the same wall color, and the same doors, all with various numbers of them.

It looks more like a hotel than an apartment.

Techno takes out his keys, unlocking and opening the door. 

“Home sweet home,” he announces, gesturing Tommy inside. He gives a hesitant look as he slowly steps inside the apartment. 

It’s a living room that he enters. The floors are the same wood that the rest were, but the walls are painted a softer white than the pale hallways. A fancy grey leather couch sits infront of a flat-screen TV and a nice, soft-looking circle carpet covers most of the room. There is a reclining chair next to the couch, a table in between them, and books stacked on top of it along with a lamp with a pink light shade. A large bookcase covers the left wall, and a doorway- without a door by the way- in the form of an archway leads into what Tommy thinks is a kitchen. A hallway leads off from the left wall.He can’t see where it goes.

He looks at the front wall, framed photos lining the wall. Techno, Puffy, a younger man with brown hair that looks a bit like Puffy, and a younger blonde girl. There are pictures of a small, fluffy dog, and some of the people he doesn’t recognize, a man with dark hair, tips dyed a bright blue, and a brunettewho seems to be wearing the same, devil-horned hoodie in every picture he is in. There are others, yet they don’t stand out to him much.

The lights are on in the living room and the TV is on. Probably the supposed roommate.

“It’s nice,” he mutters, slowly spinning, observing the room in quick glances.

He takes note of the old record player that sits on a free space on the bookshelf.

“It’s not much, but it’s home.” He shrugs off his coat, hanging it on hooks on the back of the door. Puffy steps inside and Techno shut the door. “Anyone home!” He calls out.

Footsteps come from down the hall and Tommy… Well, it’s far from what he had expected that’s for sure. He expected some college dude, maybe some nerdy guy? Nope. Instead, a person with waist-length blonde hair walks down the hall. They have bright green eyes and freckles across their face. They are wearing a plain white shirt under a school jacket of some kind- it’s a jock kinda jacket, with a black base and green detailing. They have these weird cat socks that say, “Have a pur-fect day!” on them and a pair of black basketball shorts. It’s… well it’s a girl who looks younger than Tommy.

He raises his eyebrows as she turns the corner. Techno’s roommate is a female child-?

“Hey, mom! Hey Techno,” the girl greets with a grin, eyes moving over to Tommy, head tilting. “Who are you?” she asks with a now curious look.

“This is my brother, Tommy,” Techno shrugs at him, and the girl frows slightly.

“Brother?” she has a contemplating look on her face before her eyes light with recognition. “Oh, the one you didn’t shut up about for like a year?” she questions, now looking amused.

Techno looks deadpanned at her. “Bruh.”

Puffy laughs. 

“Excuse her, she has no manners,” Puffy says in a soft voice, “Tommy, this is Drista, she is my daughter.”

He looks her up and down. 

“Drista?” he questions. Her eyes roll.

“It’s a nickname,” she explains. He nods.

“That makes more sense,” he says with a shrug. “What is it short for?” He furrows his eyebrows. “Can Drista even be short for anything?”

She crosses his arms.

 “None of you’re business what my name is, and for your information, it’s a family joke because my brother dreamed he had a sister then I showed up.” 

He hums, nodding.

 “Puffy you’re daughter is kinda a bit-”

“Okaaay!” Puffy buts in, Techno holding a hand over his mouth, “You two seem to get along GREAT, but let's not immediately get into a fight?” she suggests quickly. Drista shrugs. 

“Whatever, he seems boring anyway,” she says.

He responds by sticking his tongue out.

“Mature,” she comments smugly.

“Bruh, calm down you two,” Techno mutters, “Thanks for watching the house, Drista.” He nods at the blonde female.

She does a two-finger salute, spinning on her heels and jumping over the back of the couch.

 “Yep,” she grabs the remote, “Floof is in you’re room.”

“Floof?” Tommy asks. Techno gives an amused look.

 “My roommate,” he explains.

Tommy tilts his head.

“How do you feel about dogs Thes?”

Tommy suddenly lights up.

 “You have a dog?” Techno nods, walking down the hallway. Tommy rushes after quickly, ignoring every room but the open door. He focuses in on the bed, a queen with a grey bedspread and pink, pig-printed pillows. But more importantly, a small, white, fluffy dog is sitting there, wagging its tail at him.

“Oh my god!” He grins, walking up to it and holding his hand out.

Techno leans in the doorway.

“That is Floof, he is my service dog.”

The dog sniffs his hand for a moment before standing, barking, and looking up at him. He does not hesitate to pick the ball of fluff up and begin petting him.

 “Techno, he is adorable.” He drops onto the floor, ignoring any and all manors he ever learned because there’s a very soft puppy that is licking his hand and he is in love.

Puffy chuckles as she comes up behind Techno.

 “Yeah, he is cute till he gets a boost of energy at 3 am,” she says.

Techno looks over at her, very seriously.

“He is cute no matter the circumstance.”

“No Floof slander mom!” A voice calls from the living room.

“Puffy how dare you,” Tommy says, very offended. He scratches the dog’s ears. “It’s okay Floof, have as much energy as you want, whenever you want,” he whispers. Floof looks at him and barks. Tommy grins.

Puffy throws her arms up.

 “I wasn’t slandering him! Floof is adorable, I swear,” she exclaims, exasperated. Techno looks at her skeptically.

 “You are forgiven for now.”

She shakes her head, a fond look in her eyes.

 “Appreciated.”

Tommy smiles, looking down at the dog. This may not be so bad… He can get used to this, it’s a big city, but he has 2 people he at least sort of trusts. Drista seems… kinda like a bitch, but nice enough. The dog may be the best part though. The apartment is small, and he will properly be on the couch, but…

Fuck he actually did this, huh? He… he left, he did it. The thought makes him want to laugh and cry. 

Someone shifts beside him. He looks over to see Techno now sitting beside him, legs crossed. Puffy is gone and the door is shut, but he can hear a conversation between her and Drista in the living room.

“I’m fine,” he assures quietly.

“That’s a lie, Theseus,” Techno says with a monotone, yet fond voice. “I was far from okay when I left, it’s too tempting to go back to not be not okay.”

Tommy snorts.

 “That made no sense,” he said 

“Wasn’t supposed to.” 

Tommy nods, looking down at Floof again.

“I won’t force you to talk to me Theseus. It would do no good,” Techno says calmly, “But if you want to, I will listen. I want you to enjoy it here, I want…” He trails off, falling silent.

“Want… what?”

“You do not have to do this shit alone,” Techno said, his voice quiet, almost a whisper, “I want you to have a life, as normal as you can.” He looks at Tommy with a soft smile. “I want you to be happy here.”

Tommy leans onto his brother silently, Floof flopping down into his lap.

 “I want you to stay. That will make me happy.”

Techno’s arm wraps around him.

 “I’m gonna do more than stay Theseus, I am gonna do what Phil never figured out how to do.”

“Which is?”

“Raise a kid.”

He laughs softly, eyes closing.

 “I need clothes,” he admits. Techno chuckles lightly.

 “Yeah, Yeah I know. Foolish has good taste, you’ll be fine until we have a chance to go shopping.”

Tommy snorts, sitting up.

 “We all have such stupid names,” he says, laying his head back. 

Techno grins.

 “Nah, Theseus, Techno, Puffy, Drista, Foolish? Perfectly normal kid.”

“Oh yes, of course.” He shakes his head.

They lapse into a comfortable silence. Just sitting there. It’s not home . Dream’s voice whispers in the back of his mind. You weren't made for peace, you thrive in the war zone, and you’ll get bored of this domestic life soon enough.

“I’ll learn to love it,” he whispers, if Techno hears him, he says nothing.

You are a bomb waiting to go off. I’ll be waiting for when you eventually snap.

He squeezes his eyes shut and takes a deep breath.

“Come on.” Techno stands up, offering a hand out to him. “Let’s get you some clothes and settle in a bit.”

Tommy opens his eyes, smiling as he takes his brother's hand and is pulled to his feet.

He can learn.

Chapter Text

The first thing he notices is that the floor bored creek under the weight as you walk through the kitchen area. It’s a nice kitchen, and his hands want to be the ones cooking the food, but instead Techno and Puffy are talking about some cooking show- God their old- and making homemade pizza. It’s odd, he is used to being the one dancing around the kitchen well Ranboo sits on the counter and chats about their day. It’s weird and he doesn’t like it. He keeps his hands busy by flexing them in and out. Drista is on the couch watching some show on Netflix. 

He stands up and walks out to the living area. He moves around the couch and sits on the opposite side of the blonde girl.

She glances over at him, “Sup.” She greets, turning her eyes back to the TV.

“Sup.” He repeats back, watching the characters on the TV, “Whatcha watching?”

She looks over at him, “You don’t know what this is?” She nods at the TV.

He shakes his head, watching the characters… start cooking a brain? The fuck?

“It’s called Zombies.” She explains, grabbing the remote, and switching back to the episodes catalog, “If you are living here, you have to know what this is. It’s amazing.” She says with a grin, playing the first episode of season one.

He hums, “You don’t have to restart it, I can catch on pretty fast.” 

“I'm on my 5th rewatch, it’s fine.” She says with a shrug.

“Okay then.” He relents, watching the intro start to play.

He watches the TV.

His mind begins to wander. 

He is antsy, he needs to do something. What can he do? He can’t go do what he usually does. So what is he supposed to do?

He starts picking at his nail beds as he watches the lady shoot up out of the body bag. It’s a good show, but he needs to do something.

“Bad habit.”

He looks over at the person next to him, “What?”

“Bad habit.” She repeats, pointing at his nails, “You shouldn’t do it. It isn’t healthy”

He rolls his eyes, “It’s not supposed to be healthy.” He mutters.

“Yeah well, you should stop.” 

“No thanks.”

“Why are you doing it?”

He looks back at the TV, “None of your business.”

She hisses through her teeth, “Jeez, moody much?”

“Yeah if I’m just gonna be berated then I can just go back to the kitchen.” He says, standing up. 

“You ever tried drawing? Maybe an instrument?” She suggests.

He pauses, “Yes. I can do both of those things. But in case you didn’t notice, I didn’t arrive with most of the essentials, let alone the inessentials.” He deadpans.

She looks at him, “No I noticed, just curious.” She stands up, shutting off the TV, “What can you play?”

“Again, none of your business.” 

Why is she so insistent? 

“I like the drums, let out pent-up energy.” She grins.

He keeps a deadpan expression. He doesn’t know this girl very well. He does not want to talk to her. He does not wanna be around her. He agreed to Techno, not other people.

“Well, my mom is a therapist you know, and therefore I am pretty good at this whole advice thing.” She points at his nails, “Destroying your nails is a horrible coping mechanism, you should work on better tactics.”

He glares harshly, “It’s not a fucking coping mechanism, I don’t have them or want them.”

She frowns suddenly, “Do you know what a coping mechanism is?” She questions.

His eyes fall to the floor, “Of course I do.” 

“Mhm.” She looks skeptical.

“Whatever.” He turns on his heels and walks into the kitchen, Puffy is pulling a pizza out of the oven and Techno is setting the dinner table that is in the corner of the room. He walks in and stands awkwardly. Puffy looks up from the cheese grater.

“Hey, kiddo-”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Okay.” She nods, “Hello, Tommy. Something you need?” Her smile is kind.

Too kind. She wants something.

No, she doesn’t.

“No, I just need something to do.” He shrugs, glancing at Techno who is rolling out dough.

She hums, “Well, is there anything particular you’d like to do? If not, you can cut up the vegetables for that salad.” She offers.

He nods, “Yeah I can do that.”

“Great, go ahead and get the tomatoes, carrots, and cucumber from the fridge.” 

He does as asked, getting the needed items from the fridge, and finds the cutting bored easily. Puffy smiles at him, and he smiles back. He grabs a knife from its place and begins cutting up vegetables. It’s repetitive, the buzz begins to fade, he can do this, he is being helpful. He can be helpful! 

The buzzing slows to a stop, and everything begins to feel fuzzy as he watches the knife. It’s a good kind of fuzzy, he likes the fuzziness. 

“Hey, Tommy!”

The world infront of him flickers between Techno’s kitchen and the one back at home. Isn’t he meant to try not to do this? When did he decide that? He likes his world. 

“Whatcha making?” Arms wrap around his shoulders.

He lets himself slip into the world he knows and loves. He has Ranboo there. The version of Ranboo who isn’t a backstabbing bitch.

“Making dinner. Now fuck off.” He pushes them away, dumbing the cut-up vegetables into a bowl.

He hears shuffling, “Yeah but I am bored.”

“Not my problem.” He shakes the bowl, mixing it up.

Ranboo sighs, “Fine, what are you making? Genuinely.”

“For you, I am making tacos, I am having salade.”

“You need to eat more.” They remind, just like they always do, “You didn’t anything but a granola bar this morning, today.”

He shrugs, “Not very hungry.”

“No. You’re starving is what you are.” Their voice softens a bit.

Tommy pauses, looking down, “No I’m not.”

“You are. Why don’t you wanna eat?” Ranboos asks in the stupidly caring voice they always have with him.

“I-...” He sets the bowl down, “I like how it feels.” He says quietly, “The hunger. It reminds me of…” He trails off. Ranboo knows what he was gonna say, he doesn’t need to explain.

A dog barks.

“I know T.” Arms wrap around him, “You have to eat, you’ll worry them.”

He presses his eyes closed, “Let me stay here a bit longer.” He whispers.

Another bark.

“You have to go back.” A hand cards through his hair softly, “You have a family waiting for you.”

“You were meant to be my family.” He opens his eyes.

He is back in Techno’s kitchen.

“ I know.” Ranboo’s voice fades, along with the embrace.

A pressure on his leg. He looks down, Floof is standing on his back legs, leaning forward on Tommy. Tommy smiles.

“Theseus?” He turns, and Puffy isn’t in the kitchen anymore. The kitchen is cleaner than before, and Techno is standing up. He had just put the Pizza in then.

“Yeah?” How long had he been spaced out?

Techno smiles awkwardly, “Wanna talk about it?”

He shakes his head, “Forget it, I’m fine.” He states firmly.

“Okay then.” The pink-haired man agrees easily, “You still wanna go to the beach after dinner?”

“Yeah.” He nods, “I don’t know about wearing…” He subconsciously grabs his wrist, “Beach clothes.”

Techno hums, “Understandable, it’s really hot though and sand will get everywhere. So jeans and long sleeves aren’t too smart.” He explains, wiping down the counter.

Tommy bites the inside of his cheek, “Yeah I figured.”

“I have some longer shorts you can wear, they would go to your knees.” His tone softens, “And no one will say anything about your arms.”

He shrugs, “I don’t…” He looks down at his covered wrist, “You don’t know that for sure.” Floof sits, looking up at him.

His brother frowns slightly, “You’re right, I don’t, but it’ll be late. The only people there will be the overly romantic couples or the teenagers going to get drunk. Might also be a few mentally unstable middle age people.” He jokes, “So I doubt anyone will say anything if they can even see them. As I said, it will be dark.” He steps forward and puts a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, “However if you don’t want to, I have a lighter shirt you can wear.”

He considers it, “I uh…” He traces a line on his wrist. What does Techno want him to do? He doesn’t know the answer, it must be the short sleeves, right? It has to be, “I can do a short sleeve.” He looks down.

Techno doesn’t say anything for a moment, and eventually though, “You sure?”

Tommy nods, “Yeah.”

No.

“Okay, if you say so. The pizza will be done in half an hour, do whatever, ill come get you when it’s done.”

He nods, picking up Floof before turning and walking from the kitchen quickly.

He doesn’t see the almost sad look that crosses Techno’s face. He sighs and leans back against the fridge, “What am I gonna do with you, kid.” He mutters with a soft smile.

Drista looks at him as he leaves the kitchen, Puffy sitting next to her on the couch. He ignores both of them and walks into the bathroom. He locks it and sits with his back to the bathtub wall. He runs his hand down soft fur, he notices he is shaking. Why is he shaking? It’s not like he has never worn a short sleeve. He normally does actually. Why is this time so different?

You aren’t in your town. 

He swallows hard at the voice in the back of his mind. Dream is right, he isn’t. Everyone back home knew to some degree that Tommy was fucked up. Tommy knew everyone and everyone knew him. Over the years he had done enough legal and nonlegal things for people to recognize him. No one back home asked questions, they couldn’t without Tommy snapping and shutting down.

People here though? He doesn’t know them- He doesn’t like them, they will ask if they see.

He looks down at his arms, rolling up the sleeves. Lines. White lines, red lines, Maron lines. Dark circles and a place on his right arm that is nothing but red. People will notice. People will stare. He-

Floof licks his palm, bringing his attention back to him. He realizes he started crying by now, and scoops the dog into his arms, burying his face into soft fur. 

Why is he crying? He doesn’t have a reason too, it’s fine, they are just scars, right? Just scars, there is no reason to be worried. It is just risking people looking at him, judging him, hating him, noticing him, looking at him, seeing the scars. They will be able to see them. Theycanseethemthey canseethemtheycanseethem -

A bark drags his focus back, he shakily runs his hand through Floof’s fur. He feels wrong and spacey, and his breathing is labored. He leans back against the bath wall and takes a deep breath. He focuses on Floof, who is soft, and happy, Floof. He laughs dryly.

“R-Right, service do-do-dogg.” He reminds himself, scratching the dog’s ears, “M-M-Ma-Mak-Makes, se-sense.” Well shit. He leans back fully and sighs, “N-Not now.” He mutters. The stuttering, how fun. He pushes himself to be standing, setting Floof down on the counter well he splashes his face, and flushes the toilet, because well, no one needs to know he just had a mini mental breakdown. He pats Floof’s head, “Keep thi-this betwe-een, u-us.” He whispers, picking the ball of fluff back up and leaving the bathroom.

“Oh, there you are.” Puffy smiles, looking back at him, “Come on, I have something for you.” She stands up, nodding towards the door.

Tommy looks at her confused. He doesn’t trust himself to speak, he will come up with an excuse later.

“Just going to my apartment, bring Floof if it makes you feel more comfortbal.” She suggests. Her face is relaxed, and her tone is calm. He isn’t in trouble. He nods, walking towards her, she leads him out of the door, a faint.

“Cya in a bit.” From Drista can be heard.

It’s not a far walk, just right across the hall, still, he feels awkward as she closes Techno’s door, “Are you alright?” She questions, walking over and opening her own door, “Or do you just not feel like talking?”

He shrugs, holding Floof closer.

“Okay.” She guides Tommy inside, and the first thing that comes to mind is safety.

It’s nothing special, a typical apartment, but something about the simplicity is calming. 

“Did you know I use to babysit your brothers?” Puffy asks, walking into a room. It is pretty empty, just a bed, covered in shark-themed things, a closet, a dusty computer set up, and a few pictures of Puffy, Drista, one of Techno, and some dude with brown hair he thinks was in a few pictures back in Techno’s apartment.

What Puffy said catches his attention and he perks up, making her stop, and smile at him, “I am only a few years older then them. I am 28.”

He looks at her in complete shock. 28? That is only like 4 years older than Techno and Wilbur are!?

“I stopped when I started university of course.” She walks over to the closet and starts going through it, “But I remember the few years I babysat them. I started when I was 11, so they would have been what, 7? 8?” She chuckles, “God, they were like the sun and moon, I’ll tell you that.” She takes out a pair of sweatpants, “What do you think?” She turns to him with raised eyebrows.

Tommy still focused on the whole, his teacher babysat his brother’s thing, nods, “T-They l-l-look ni-nic-nice.” He stutters out, before realizing and looking down at his socked feet. He bites the inside of his mouth when she says nothing. He bites until he tastes copper. Phil hated the stuttering. He got in trouble for it. He should have caught himself.

“Alright, they should fit!” She sounds cheery. He looks up cautiously, only to see Puffy looking through the closet again, the pants sitting on the bed. 

She doesn’t mind.

You are okay.

Fuck off Ranboo.

“As I was saying, Techno was so quiet, no trouble at all other than a few times. But that’s to be expected.” She looks over and winks, making him laugh slightly, “Wilbur was a menace, do you know how many times that house nearly burnt down because he wanted to experiment?” 

Tommy smiles, knowing damn well it wasn’t Wilbur who Tommy learned to cook from. He learned by sneaking into the kitchen to watch Techno or Phil cook. Wilbur was his example of what NOT to do in the kitchen.

She pulls out a soft green hoodie that would be WAY too big on him, “Hm?” She raises her eyebrows.

It’s then that he realizes that this must be her son’s room. The one she said he could borrow clothes from. A pang of guilt hits him, making him frown.

“N-Not M-Mi-Mine.” He shakes his head.

Puffy also frowns, “Tommy, you need clothes and it is gonna be a sec before we can go shopping. You need something to wear tonight, tomorrow, and something for the beach tonight. You will give the clothes back, okay?” She reassures.

He hates how much better that makes him feel.

Still, he tilts his head at the mention of the beach.

She smiles slightly, “I’m a therapist, it’s my job to notice when something is wrong.”

He nods, grimacing, he thought he had hidden it better.

She sits the hoodie on top of the darker gray sweatpants.

By the time they are done, Tommy has the hoodie, sweatpants, a pair of shorts that go to his knees, a lighter, light blue sweatshirt, a pair of washed-out jeans, and a black long-sleeve. He doesn’t like that it’s someone else's clothes, but he has to admit, the hoodie is comfortable. 

Puffy insisted he changes out of yesterday’s clothes, so he put on the shorts and the hoodie, which he was correct about, it’s way too big, nearly reaching his knees, just like the shorts. He isn’t complaining though, it’s comfortable.

When he walks out of Puffy’s bathroom- which was cleaner in general than Techno’s had been. The urge to clean Techno’s apartment is a bit too strong- Puffy is waiting, and she laughs softly.

“You look like a child.” She comments and Tommy rolls his eyes.

“No, I do not, your child is just freakishly large, like what the fuck.” He brings his arms up for emphasis.

She laughs a bit louder, “Yeah, Foolish got his height from his uncle.”

Floof trots over and sits down, looking up at Tommy. He reaches down and picks up the ball of fluff, and grins. He calmed down, happy to have the stutter gone, “Im starving, pizza should be done.”

“That it should!” Puffy raises her arms, “Let’s go binge-eat pizza!”

Tommy laughs, following her back to Techno’s apartment.

Drista is setting the table when they walk in, and Techno is cutting the pizza.

Drista looks back at the and promptly starts laughing, “Oh my god!” She puts a hand on the table for stability, “Is that G’s?” She questions.

Tommy looks at Puffy in confusion.

“She calls Foolish, G.” She whispers, “His real name is Noah, but we are a family of nicknames.” She leads him farther inside.

The pizza is amazing. He gets teased by Drista most of the dinner, but he has no problem teasing back. So it’s mostly just them throwing insults at each other for half an hour. When they finish, Tommy helps wash the dishes, he pretends not to see that sad look on Techno’s face when he rolls up his sleeves, and then they all get ready for the beach. He borrows a pair of Techno’s flip-flops and changes into the sweater.

The beach isn’t far, so they decide to walk.

Malibu is… loud at night but in a good way? There aren’t too many people, but just enough. He is excited. He has never been on a beach before, He walks a good 20 feet infront of everyone, eyes gleaming as he catches sight of the sand. He only stops when he smells the salt in the air, and he can hear the ocean waves. He stares at the moving water that he has only ever seen on TV, and something makes him want to slip underneath, and never come back up.

A hand on his shoulder makes him look up at his brother, “Beautiful isn’t it?” He smiles, hair down in a loose braid.

He nods in response.

“Well come on then!” Drista runs past him, wearing a pair of jean shorts and a tank top. It’s warm even though it’s 9 pm, it’s odd yet nice. He looks at Techno who nods, which is all the permission he needs to run after her. Her hair is put into two braids, and she has a wide smile.

He grins and runs after her, the sand is different, it’s cold, but he loves it. He catches up quickly, hearing a faint, “BE CAREFUL!” from Puffy behind them.

“Hey boring guy, ever been in the ocean before?” She shouts over the sound of the wind.

“Nope!”

She laughs, “Heads up, it’s cold!” She offers before running straight into a wave. It goes up to her calf, and she just laughs and looks back at him with a challenge in her eyes. Daring him to do it.

He slows down, right out of reach of the water, watching it go back out.

He looks at Drista, and for a second it’s Ranboo standing there, for a moment, he is at a lake back at home, Ranboo holding a hand out, telling him it’s gonna be okay, and that they’ve got him. He was 12, the day Ranboo learned he couldn’t swim. The day they taught him how. He was better than most people in his town were by now. He learned he loved the water.

He steps forward, feeling the ice-cold water make contact with his skin. It’s electrifying. He walks deeper until he is standing next to Drista.

She smiles, looking out at the water, “I think of Techno like a brother you know.” She admits quietly.

Tomy nods, “Okay.”

“Don’t hurt him as the jackass did.” She look up at him, her eyes narrowed.

He looks back down at her, seriously, “I am nothing like Wilbur.”

She shrugs, “Believe when I see it.” She looks back at the water, “First one under the water gets to be in charge of walking floof all day tomorrow?”

He grins, “Deal.”

“Well then, GO!” She shouts and starts pushing through the water.

He runs after her, feeling the cold eat at his skin. He loves it. This isn’t like a lake or river. It’s different. More freeing. He doesn’t know if he won, all thoughts left his head, as he went under a wave, and felt himself start to sink. His eyes burned, but he couldn’t close them, he watches the blurry image of the moon fade away slowly. He smiled. The cold stung. The saltwater burned his eyes, and made his cuts itch and burn. He loved every second of it. It reminds him of hitting the water for the first time in his world. The moon fades from view, sinking, the freeing feeling. 

He closes his eyes and sinks.

Despite not wanting to, he does resurface after a minute more.

He laughs, and waves at Techno and Puffy who watched from the shore, sitting on a blanket. Techno waves back, looking relieved for some reason, and Puffy is watching Drista as she jumps over the waves.

He lets a wave push him back towards the shore, he struggles to stand back up but manages.

Tommy decides right then, as he stumbles back onto the sand, looking up at the moon, that he loves the ocean.

Chapter Text

“What.” He demands heart, hammering in his chest.

“You heard me Theseus,” Techno says from the couch, eyes scanning over his laptop, “It has been a week since you got here, and it isn’t healthy to stay inside all the time.”

“I can start going on walks or something!” He tries, “Not-” He shudders, “Not SCHOOL.”

“You need an education.”

“I know everything they are gonna teach me!” He reminds, “I can’t go! I will get bored, and then start acting out or something.” He is standing in front of his brother, pacing in front of the TV.

“When was the last time you were in school Theseus?” Techno asks, looking up at him through his glasses.

Tommy pauses, fists clenching, “Four and a half years ago.” He mutters, “But I have been going to college classes online!” He adds in quickly.

“You are going. Four years is too long.”

Fear is replaced by anger easily, “No.” His eyes narrow, “I am not going to some dump of a place, where I have to sit at a desk, listen to some bitchy adult, and do everything I am told. I stopped going for a REASON.” He reminds his brother.

Techno sets his laptop off to the side with a sigh, “Because you didn’t have time for school and however many jobs you needed in order to keep living with Phil.” Techno adds, looking at Tommy calmly.

Push. A familiar voice hums.

No, shut up.

How far can you go before his patients wear thin? Push.

“Fuck off.” He rolls his eyes, “I don’t need or want school, so fuck off with it. I won’t go.” He says with a tone of finality.

“You are going to school Theseus. I will sign you up under Tommy, we don’t even need to use Watson-”

“NO!” He screams, and Techno flinches back.

Good . The voice whispers, Act like HIM and maybe he will give in.

“Shut up.” He spits, out loud.

Techno’s eyes close, he takes a deep breath before saying, “Theseus do you understand why I want you to go to school again?” He questions.

“No!” He throws his arms up, “There is no reason! I am not going.”

“I want you to have a future Thes.” He admits softly.

Tommy’s eyes fall to the floor, “I don’t have a future. We both know that.”

“Everyone has a future.” Techno counters, “What that future holds is up to you.”

He shoves his hands into his pockets, “Then let me decide it.”

Techno shakes his head, “By graduating, you can go to college. Get a job. Have a LIFE.” He insists as he stands up, “I want that for you.”

His head snaps up, “I don’t. I don’t want that.” He snaps, “That won’t work for me and we all fucking know it!”

“Why?”

“I don’t deserve that.” He turns away, walking to the door, “I am going for a walk.” 

“No, you are not-”

“Yes, I am.”

Techno’s voice becomes stern, “I said no.” 

Tommy chuckles, “Okay? You aren’t my damn dad.” He glances back, putting his shoes on quickly, “I will do whatever I fucking want.” He stands back up and pulls the door open.

“Theseus.” Techno grabs his arm, and tugs slightly.

His back slams against the floor, making him cough as he struggles to get air into his lungs, “I-”

“Shut up.” Wilbur stares down at him blankly, “You are such a crybaby.” He spits, “How can I be related to something so pathetic.”

“I’m-” He curls into himself, “-Sorry, W-Wilby-”

He turns quickly, pushing back against the wall, “Don’t.” His eyes widen crazily and fear streaks across his face, “Don’t touch me.” 

Techno steps back, looking at him apologetically, “I am sorry, Thes.” He says calmly, “Okay, just, breathe?” He carefully steps back forward.

“I don’t want your help!” He screams, fists digging into the coats hanging on the walls behind him. He watches Techno’s eyes fall to the floor, “I was fine on my own before, and I am fine now!” He scowls deeply, glaring at his brother.

“Theseus-”

“Let him go.” A soft voice says from the kitchen doorway.

Both brothers look back at Puffy who is smiling softly at Tommy.

“Please be back by 10, and message one of us if you get lost.” She requests and Tommy nods curtly.

“Yeah, sure…”

“Alright, do you have your phone, wallet, and coat?”

He reaches over and grabs the first coat his hand touches, “Yeah..”

“Alright then, you can go.” She nods with a small smile.

Tommy slowly nods, walking backward out the door before slowly closing it. Surprised when he got it closed without Techno or Puffy saying anything else. She is just… Letting him go? Huh. No wonder he likes her.

He grins and turns, sprinting down the hall to the stairs.

Techno watches the door shut, “Why did you do that?” He demands, turning to Puffy.

Puffy still has a soft smile on her face, “Because, it would do more harm than good to stop him.” She explains.

“What makes you think that?” He grabs his shoes, starting to put them on, “He is a kid with anxiety, in an unknown city, alone, and night, unarmed. How is that good for him?” He spits out harshly. He never did revert to yelling, at least not often. He couldn’t without having a breakdown afterward.

Puffy’s hand lands on his shoulder gently as he stands up, now with his shoes on, “Techno, I deal with children like Tommy every day.” She reminds, “If you were to keep him here, it would result in an argument that wouldn’t end well for either of you. He left in order to blow off steam. It wouldn’t do any good to go after him.”

Techno shrugs her off, “He is still ALONE Puffy. He could get hurt or, do something stupid.” He reaches for the door, with no intention of listening to Puffy.

“Tech, he is fiiiiinnnnne.” Drista drawls out from the kitchen table. She has been sitting on her phone throughout the whole ordeal.

“Don’t start, you know how dangerous it is out there alone.” He says with a slight glare pointed back at her.

“Yeah, but he has a knife on him. Bitch-Boy doesn’t strike me as the type to just kneel over and lose a fight.” She mutters with board tone, walking into the living room, “You going after him is just gonna piss him off.”

“But-”

“He will come back,” Puffy assures, watching Drista drop onto the couch.

Techno’s fists clench at his side, “I get why Drista is so calm about this. But Puffy why are YOU, you should want to protect him-!” His voice raises in desperation, worry flooding his system.

“I do.” She reaches up and places her hands on his shoulders, “And I AM worried, but I trust he can take care of himself.” Her eyes flash with something that Techno realizes is guilt, “I wish I could say he was more like you than anyone, that would make helping him much easier. But Tommy doesn’t shut down in order to protect himself. Instead, he gets loud, yells, and shouts in order to block out everyone else’s voice.” She says slowly, “Perhaps he will fall silent, or disappear into his own world when triggered, but if forced out of that safe place, he resorts to anger.” 

Techno casts his gaze down, “I… I know that. But what if he finds Beer or something worse and decides to use that to feel better?” His stomach flips at the idea of having to find his baby brother drunk. Again. Just this time, not in the safety of a hotel room, “The last time he did something like that, he-” He chokes, thinking of the gun placed at the bottom of his brother's bag.

“I know.” She nods, “I am not going to say he isn’t going to do something stupid like that. Because he probably will-”

Fear runs down Techno’s spine and he moves to turn and run after his brother, but Puffy’s hold tightens, stopping him.

“However, you are right, he has anxiety. He won’t go too far. Which means if he isn’t home by the time I gave him, we can go look for him and will be able to find him quicker than we would have if you kept him here.”

“In other words.” Drista cuts in, “If you forced him to stay, he would have ran.” 

His arms wrap around himself, staring at the floor, “I just want him to be okay.” He mutters.

Puffy hugs him gently, “I know dear. Trust me, I do. I went through this already might I remind you.” She chuckles into his shoulder, “If I hadn’t already experienced this, I would have joined you in going after him, or keeping him here.” Her eyes move to look back at her daughter, casually playing angry birds on her phone, “I tried to force things. The only response I got was the horrifying realization my 10-year-old was out on the streets alone at 1 am, and I had no clue where to even start looking.”

“But-”

Drista groans, “Shush! He will be FINE.” She grumbles, “The idiot isn’t stupid enough to go so far you can’t find him. He is mad at you, but it’s not like he hates you.”

The pink-haired man's shoulders slump, “Okay… Fine. But, if he isn’t back by 10 we go look for him.” He relents hesitantly, still not sure this is the right decision.

Puffy nods, “Okay.”

Tommy grins, walking out of the apartment complex. He really had expected someone to run after him, but they didn’t! 

He looks out at the city infront of him, bright lights shining to the point he can’t see the stars, (Which actually kind of makes him sad, but oh well-) and music in the distance.

Music huh? Music usually means a party… He begins walking in the direction he hears the sound coming from. Of course, he doesn’t have his fake ID with him… That decreases the chances of him being allowed in if it’s a club or something. Maybe it is just like- a house party. He can easily slip into a crowd and blend in. He has gotten good at that- No to mention he hasn’t smoked, drank, or anything of the sort in nearly a WEEK. That is a long time for him. Without the ID that says he is 21, there is no way he can get beer or cigarettes from a 7/11 either, which in the only gas station-type place within his comfort area. 

He doesn’t want to go into unknown territory, so he plans to stay within the perimeters of places he has already been. Getting lost would not be good. It’s too cold for him to be okay sleeping outside tonight.

The music gets louder and he starts to walk a bit quicker grinning when he sees a middle-income-looking house. Lights flash inside, and loud music emits from the large speakers. It’s only a few blocks from Techno’s, yet this area looks like the type to not mind the loud music that is probably gonna go late into the night.

But the best part-

Teenagers.

He sees people around HIS age, which means blending in will be easier, and he smells beer- He isn’t the biggest fan of beer, but it will do the trick either way.

As he approaches the house, a kid maybe a bit younger than him seems to spot him. He tilts his head and excuses himself from the group he was with.

Tommy stiffens, shit he hadn’t planned on getting noticed so soon-

“Hey!” The guy says with a wide smile, “I don’t recognize you.” He tilts his head, stopping infront of Tommy.

“Yeah, uh, I am new to the area.” He explains, glancing at the floor, “I moved in a few blocks away. Heard the music and got curious…” He says slowly, watching the person's face closely.

“Oh damn!” The guy grins, “That’s sick! Not many people move into this area!” He drops a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, making him tense quickly, “Well this is my place!” He turns and puts his hand out, showing off his house, “My name is Eryn!”

“I’m Tommy.” He introduces himself, “You have a nice place.”

“Thanks, mate!” He points a thumb in the direction of the group he had been with, “Hey! How about you come and hang out for a bit? You can get to know everyone in the area!”

Tommy hesitates, looking ‘Eryn’ over quickly.

He has darker tanned skin, and brown hair that has a slight red tint to it. He is about Tommy’s height, and has… Heterochromia.

Tommy smiles, looking into green and red eyes. 

Fuck.

But at least this guy's eyes are brown and gray. Not Green and gray.

But fuck, the gray always seems to look red to him. This time is no different and the LED lighting isn’t helping.

Ignore it. Dream hisses in his head. Tommy takes a deep breath and nods.

“Sure, sounds fun.” He puts on a grin and allows Eryn to take his wrist, and pull him over to the group of 3 other people.

“Eryn! Who is this?” A female asks, tilting her head, dark hair falling into her face.

“Hey, guys! This is Tommy, he moved in a few blocks over apparently.” The boy introduces, throwing an arm over Tommy’s shoulder. How does he always end up surrounded by touchy people-? He isn’t exactly complaining, but fucking hell is he cursed?

“A new guy, huh?” A slightly older-looking guy says.

“Nice to meet you, Tommy!” A boy who is- Taller than Tommy!? What the hell!?

Tommy smiles and waves, “Hi, nice to meet you all.” He does his best to keep his voice even, “Uhm- Eryn could you maybe-?”

The boy jumps away from him in response, smiling sheepishly, “Sorry about that man.”

“It’s fine, not a fan of touch is all.” He smiles assuredly.

“Noted! Well, Tom-” Tom? “As I said, I am Eryn.” He points to himself, “That is Niki,” He points to the dark-haired girl. She has swirling eyeliner on, and a kind smile, “That is Freddie,” He points to the taller guy, he has a tacky Hawaiian shirt on and a frog hat… Okay then, “And finally, that is Justin!” He has an old-looking orange sweater on, and sunglasses despite the sun having already finished setting.

Recognition hits Tommy like a train.

How…

A man with a bright smile offers him a hand, he has an orange sweater and is wearing a Christmas hat, “Hey kid! Names Deo.”

A girl guides his hand well he cooks. She is gentle and her voice kind, “That’s it, Tommy! Amazing job!”

Oh what the actual fuck-

Well… This Niki looks nothing like HIS Niki, His Niki had pink hair, and never wore make-up. Claims it was bad for her skin. Niki was based on one of Wilbur’s old friends- Of course, he changed her a bit, making her like a perfect older sister. 

There is no way this is Niki… Wilur’s friend's name was Nikita, but just went by Niki. Plenty of people go by Niki. The only thing about them that is even remotely alike is her eyes are the same ocean blue, and her smile is still full of pure kindness.

Jusin on the other hand? Well, Tommy isn’t sure he isn’t just imagining his old ‘friend’ being here. He had made an entire world with a group of people before he created his current world. Deo was his best friend. He hadn’t been based on anyone though, That’s… weird. 

Tommy is quick to shake off the feeling of deja vu. It’s just a coincidence, thats all. He smiles, “Nice to meet you guys.” He says, doing his best to sound sure of himself.

“Same, so you are new?” Frog hat- FREDDIE? -Asks, and Tommy nods. “Thats cool. where you move from?”

“A shit hole in Rhode Island,”

“WOW!” Justin- Deo - perks up, “Thats far, why move all the way down here? I mean, I get the beach is nice, but hell, its kinda shit hole here too isn’t it?” He laughs, head tilting with curiosity.

“Oh- Uh, moved in with my brother.” He says, Technos face flashing through his mind- flinching back- god, he did that… He made Techno FLINCH, he SCARED him-

“Sweet!” Eryn brightens, gesturing for Tommy to follow him, “Come on! I wanna show you around!” Tommy hesitate, why would this guy be so trusting-? That doesn’t make any sense. Tomy could be a serial killer for all he knows!

…But then again, he ISN’t a serial killer- Maybe Eryn is a serial killer… Well that would certainly make tonight more fun wouldn’t it?

…

“Yeah, alright.” He flashes a smile and lets himself be lead further into the house. 

He stumbles through the door, cursing at himself as he nearly falls flat on his face, pushing the door shut behind him as quietly as he can-

“Theseus.” Technos voice comes from the couch, sitting with his eyes on the TV screen. 

Tommy freezes, eyes darting to his brother, hands clenching into fists before relaxing, “Hey Tech.” He greets back, eyes moving to the TV, some weird doctor show playing, “Where is Drista, and Puffy?”

“Kitchen, cleaning up dinner, which you missed by the way.” He says calmly, fidgeting with a cup in his hand, “I left a plate out for you. Its in the microwave.”

“Not hungry, but thanks.”

Puffy walks out into the living room, smiling as she dries her hands, “Tommy, im glad you got back okay. How was your walk?”

“How drunk are you?” Drista pipes up from behind her, ignoring Puffys look of disproval.

Tommy just shrugs in response, “Not enough apparently.” He grumbles pushing past them both into the kitchen for some water. “I hardly drank, for your information.”

Techno stands up following him, “Where did you go?”

“Am I being interrogated now?” He snaps back, not looking back at Techno.He hears Puffys quiet warning of, “Techno, don’t push it…” Which just serves to piss him off more. He went to calm down, and he DID. He was back at the told time, he hardly drank- Why is Techno pushing this? He doesn’t need school. He doesn’t need to be treated like a child!

Hands wrap around his shoulders, he shrugs them off just for them to come back, “He is mad~” A voice taunts, and Tommy shivers, trying to pull away, “Techie is mad… Poor sunshine… Why don’t we see how far we can go tillt he snaps, hm?”

Tommy ignores Wilburs taunts and just fills his glass, downing the water inside.

“No, its not an interrogation, Thesus. I- Just wanna know you were safe.” Techno tries with a defeated breath.

Tommy puts the cup down, “Party, couples miles down. It was all teenagers- met a few kids, seemed cool, hung out for a big to calm down then came back here. Happy?”

“Yeah, happy.” Techno huffs.

It goes quiet. A stalemate. Tommy turns around facing his brother, anxiety turning in his chest, dread starting in his stomach- He is ruining this-

Drista is gone from the doorway, and Puffy is standing close by, eyes mong between the two boys with caution.

“I don’t wanna go to school.” Tommy says eventually, tone firm. Be an adult about this. You aren’t a child. “I will take online classes, ideally college ones, if you insist on an education. But NOT highschool. I won’t do it.”

Technos hands clench into fists, Tommys eyes snap to the movement-

“Here it comes~” WIlburs voice mocks in his ear-

Technos hands go slack once more, “I understand you don’t want to. But you need to. Itll be fun! You will be around people your own age, maybe even some of those kids you met at that party-” He tries again, a forced smile on his face.

“No.”

Techno visably deflates, irritation creeping into his eyes, “You know what?” He says with a breathy laugh as he throws his arms up, “FINE!” He turns and leaves the kitchen. A moment later his bedroom door slams and it makes Tommy jump, his hand grabbing the counter in a white knuckled grip.

Puffy sighs, looking at Tommy with- is that pity…? No. No, Puffy has no reason to pity him. He is FINE! If anything she should go pity Techno!

“What?” He demands, looking away from her.

“Nothing, Tommy.” She shakes her head, “Just… Nothing. Why don’t you eat your dinner?”

“...Still not hungry.” He forces out.

“You did it. They hate you now.” Dream starts with a mocking laugh, “Congratulations, Tommy. You did it. One whole week! Thats a record ain’t it?”

“Shut up!” he yells, closing his eyes, curling in on himself.

It’s not his fault!

He shakes his head, looking up at Puffy, “I’m tired. Can you and Drista leave so I can sleep?” He forces out, grip still white knuckled on the counter.

Puffy just looks at him for a while before she nods, “Of course, Tommy. Ill see you in the morning.” She smiles slightly, “Goodnight,” She turns away and walks down the hallway, assumedly to say bye to Techno.

Dristas head pops into the room, eyes cold as she glares, “Already going back on your word?” She says matterifactly.

Tommy looks down at the floor, scoffing, “Fuck off, don’t know what you’re on about…”

“Yeah? Well figure it out, Jackass .” She steps forward, eyes narrowing as she jabs a finger into Tommys chest. Tommys mouth opens to retort before he remembers the other night- “I think of Techno like a brother you know.” She admits quietly. Tomy nods, “Okay.” “Don’t hurt him as the jackass did.” She look up at him, her eyes narrowed. He looks back down at her, seriously, “I am nothing like Wilbur.” She shrugs, “Believe when I see it.”  His mouth snaps closed. Her words hitting him like a punch to the gut.

“I know NOTHING.” He shakes his head, pushing her hand away, “You understand me? NOTHING, about what Wilbur was like. I am nothing anywhere close to that.” He feels the sting behind his eyes, the clawing at his chest.

“Aren’t you though, Sunshine?” Wilburs voice whispers.

“Could have fooled me.” Drista shrugs, turning around, “Techno doesn’t FLINCH, ‘Tommy’. He doesn’t yell, or lose his cool-” She says, “The only time ive ever seen him flinch, or his composer crack, is when he was thinking of HIM.” 

Tommy doesn’t move. He can’t. Theres no way he reminded Techno of Wilber. He didn’t. She lying.

“And I think, deep down, Thats what you were going for.” She turns away, “Self destruct if you want asshole, but don’t bring up Technos past along with your own.” With that final jab she walks out of the kitchen.

He hears the front door open and close. Puffy and Drista gone-

Tears slip free from his eyes and he vaguely feels himself hit the floor.

No…

No.

No!

His hands are shaking as they curl into his hair.

“Fuck…” He chokes out, “I was acting like wilbur-” And with that final admission the sob builds in his chest and releases, curling into himself.