Chapter Text
Tommy woke up. It was somewhat normal at first. For a moment, he even believed everything to be okay. But all it took was him throwing off his covers for Tommy to remember, his body suddenly racked with shivers, and the dread of his situation again set in as he couldn’t bring his body to take a single step out of his room. The false memories pushed against his mind, trying to convince him to love the monsters that took over his life, but he wouldn’t give in; he couldn’t he wanted to.
It was time for Tommy to try again to win, even if he had no idea how to do that or what winning really even meant. All Tommy knew was that he would let them come to him this time, his body exhausted and his mind fearful of going downstairs to the kitchen again, even though he knew they never harmed him. Tommy just sat on his bed, waiting for them to meet him. Part of him was terrified, as always, but another part was apathetic at this point; it was the part that let him lounge comfortably in his bed instead of sitting tensely, as he might have done a few redos ago. They haven’t hurt him or his Mum. They just kept sending him back. The most they did was get angry and throw shit, glaring at Tommy when he didn’t comply. It was scary, especially when Tommy caught a peek at their more monstrous appearances, but his body could only be in fight-or-flight mode for so long.
They were as frustrated as Tommy was at the whole situation. Tommy could tell they were trying everything they could, and while some ideas worked better than others in terms of getting Tommy lulled into a false sense of security, for whatever reason, Tommy’s mind couldn’t fully be manipulated, and even they didn’t know why.
It only took about ten minutes for a knock on his door and a quiet “Toms?” to be said before the door was slowly pushed open to reveal Wilbur. At first, his expression was one of love before it morphed into a pointed frown at Tommy’s blank expression and refusal to look at him as Tommy mindlessly pulled at invisible threads on his pajama pants.
“Let me guess, you remember,” Wilbur deadpanned, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall beside the door with a sigh. Tommy glanced at him, his eyes half-lidded.
“What do you think, dickhead?” Tommy tried to say with a bite, but it fell flat. He was just as tired as they were.
“Gremlin child! I just don’t understand what we’re doing wrong! We’ve done this so many times; by now, even the most resilient minds would give in,” Wilbur mumbled, starting to pace a bit as he rubbed his brows.
"So you've done this before?" Tommy asked, watching as Wilbur practically wore grooves into the floorboards. He was genuinely curious this time. How many lives had these monsters ruined, and what happened to the victims once they accepted these false memories? These lies?
Wilbur looked up at Tommy and stopped pacing, a playful glint in his eyes that spoke of violence. “Oh, of course, we’ve never done something quite like this before, which is probably why we keep messing up. Usually, we trick people into complacency before we take their lives. Humans can be so tasty, especially when they trust you so completely. It feels almost like real love to consume someone who believes they love you fully, but we got a bit bored of that…” Wilbur said with a wistful smile and a sad look— almost like he mourned it wasn’t real. Tommy ignored it.
He knew they probably killed people, but to eat or consume them or some shit? That was straight fucked. They really weren’t human at all. They knew nothing of love or family, and this just proved it even further to Tommy.
"That's disgusting. How can you eat people? I promise you that's not a version of love, and if you even try that with my Mum and me, I'll be pissed!" Tommy said with a glare, heaving his body to the edge of the bed and swinging his legs over the side. He almost wanted to run up and punch Wilbur square in his stupid nose. He wouldn't, though. It'd be pointless, resulting in no effect and a hurt hand (Tommy would know; he had tried plenty of times before.) He wanted to really threaten him, make him as scared as he made Tommy and his Mum. But Tommy held no power here. Nothing other than his righteous anger at these creatures.
In the end, they wanted his love. He was more than happy to keep leveraging their goal against them, letting them turn back time forever if it meant never letting them get what they wanted. (A part of him feared his mind would one day give out, and he would die from how often they had reset the days. Could he really last much longer? Could his Mum?)
“Our Mum, you mean-” Tommy scrunched his nose at that but let it pass this time, “-but yes, I do understand your confusion, and I don’t expect you to ever comprehend why we do what we do. Humans have too many sensibilities. We are different beings, Tommy, so of course we don’t value human life to the same extent.”
“If you don’t value humans, then why are you doing this to us? What did we do to warrant this?” Tommy asked, desperately searching for an answer as he fisted his hands into his sheets. Wilbur took a moment to think, trying to figure out his words. It was weird for Wilbur; he always seemed to know what to say (or maybe those were just fake memories that Tommy’s brain was still trying to convince him of, it was hard to tell at this point).
“...Originally, we were fine with how we were doing things. We didn’t ever care for any of the humans we used, they just needed to love us to make them more appetizing, but then Dad saw you and Kristin. Everything was different then, but I think Dad can explain that better,” Wilbur said with a smile. Tommy opened his mouth to ask before snapping it shut as Phil walked in, hand resting on the doorframe.
“What, no Technobitch too?” Tommy snarked, hoping to piss Phil off. But, instead, he just laughed the question off.
“Nah mate, your brother is sitting with Kristin and keeping her occupied,” Phil said with a smile. His eyes glowed with possessiveness when he said Tommy’s Mum’s name— like he was savoring the word in his mouth. It made Tommy shudder. The movement didn’t go unnoticed by the monsters, although they misunderstood why he was suddenly scared.
“Oh, Sunshine, he won’t do anything to her. He loves Mum just as much as all of us, even if he tends to be a bit more… aggressive than us,” Wilbur assured Tommy. A memory flashed across Tommy’s mind at his words: Techno held Tommy in a chokehold. It was a gentle hold despite the violent act. Tommy saw his Mum sobbing as Phil held her back, his arms scratched up by his Mum’s attempts to get to Tommy before he passed out and woke up again, a whispered promise in his ear from Techno that everything would be okay.
“Whatever. Wilbur said you would explain what makes us so ‘special?’” Tommy said to Phil, using hand quotations to show what he really thought of the phrasing.
"Well, I can't explain it all." Phil says as a compromise, "I believe it would break your brain, just how seeing us as we really are would. I know you looked into Techno's eyes and saw at some point. I doubt that felt good." Tommy shuddered at that. The–
Redredredbloodviolencedeath-
It was overwhelming, and Tommy had to blink a few times and rub his head to get rid of the headache that started pounding behind his eyes at the memory. Despite this, Tommy still wanted an explanation, and he could tell Phil would give him something by the way he sighed at Tommy’s expectant stare.
“Let's just say I saw you and Kristin, and it was different. You two were different. For once, we wanted what normal humans yearn for. A family,” Phil said with a quirk of his lips like he couldn’t believe his own words. He wasn’t the only one. “We desired a permanent family that doesn’t sustain us physically, but mentally, so we took it. I wanted my sons to know the love of a mother and a, shall we say, normal brother, the love that only something as foolish as a human would willingly give away so easily. Maybe that’s why you won’t submit; we’ve never tried to keep someone with us forever,” Phil mused, looking Tommy up and down. He may have said he doesn’t want to kill Tommy, but the look sure felt like a predator sizing up its prey.
Yeah, Tommy felt that Phil’s explanation was bullshit a part of him wanted to believe it, did believe it. He wanted their love and trust despite all that had happened.
They wanted to be family, but they were torturing Tommy and his Mum. It was so fucked up, and Tommy could feel the mask of apathy slip away as burning anger took its place.
“We’re not family, and you won’t convince me of it! You can’t just barge into our lives and pretend we know each other! Manipulating my memories, my Mum’s mind; do you know how fucked that is?! What about our consent, our permission?! You’ve even kissed my Mum!” Tommy started to shout, causing Wilbur to suddenly be by his side, his hand pressing into Tommy’s shoulder as a warning. Be quiet, it spoke, and Tommy knew he had to comply if he didn’t want the day to already end. He hated their stupid freaky powers.
“Tommy, as far as Kristin is aware, she loves me. She married me. The memories, while not true, are not entirely manipulated. Sadly, we cannot fully enter into a human’s life if we are not compatible on some level; that would be beyond us. We had to check all of that before we came here. We spent years studying you two, learning who you were, and slowly becoming more assured that we would all fit together. This wasn’t a temporary hack job like what we had done previously since we wanted you two to last. Who we are with you isn’t fake, even if you don’t believe me.”
They had been watching them for years?
Tommy didn’t even know what to say to that. When had they been doing that? For how long exactly? Were they ever safe from them or always destined to be dragged into this mess?
“J-just get this over with; I don't want to hear anymore,” Tommy stuttered, ready for the cycle to reset. He couldn’t deal with their lies. It was pointless to just sit here and listen any longer.
“Fine, we can play again later,” Wilbur said with a hum, ignoring Phil, who seemed to want to talk more. “Maybe try to accept the memories when you wake up; I mean, imagine if you got as far as actually doing something outside of the house,” Wilbur joked before Tommy felt a cold hand press into his back-
Tommy woke up comfortably. He was sleeping in Technoblade’s bed, having snuck in the night before after some nightmare that Tommy could no longer remember. Techno had been his protector since childhood, always fighting off whatever demons Tommy faced. Wilbur, like usual, was a deep sleeper and didn’t even hear Tommy come in. Techno was still asleep, and Tommy felt bad for waking him up at night. Techno was usually a light sleeper, and for him to still be asleep when Tommy was already awake showed how exhausted he was, even if he would never let it show.
Tommy didn’t want to get up, though. Techno was practically a heater with how warm he was, and Tommy still felt a little sleepy. Still, he also knew the alarm would go off soon enough, and Techno would wake them both up anyway. Tommy wanted to get up early and maybe even do something, go somewhere. He wasn’t too sure why, but he felt it was right. Home felt too stuffy, and Tommy missed hanging with his friends. It felt like forever since he saw Tubbo and Ranboo, even if he did see them yesterday at school.
Yesterday was so long ago-
Tommy shook his head, getting rid of some of his grogginess. Then, as carefully as he could, Tommy extracted his limbs from his brother’s and pulled the covers off, ignoring the chill in the air that was trying to lure him back to sleep. Techno didn’t wake up by some miracle, and Tommy was sneaking out of the room and closing the door softly, releasing a shaky exhale once he was out.
He wasn’t sure why it made him so nervous, but something about sneaking away from his brothers had Tommy on high alert, more so than his usual fear of being forced into long cuddle sessions.
Tommy’s feet were cold against the wood floor as he walked downstairs, noticing his Mum was awake and in the kitchen, pouring a coffee. Tommy went to ask her where his Dad was before she put a finger to her lips and smiled, then pointed to the couch.
Tommy could hear soft TV playing, probably to make sure Tommy and his brothers didn’t wake up, but his Dad was clearly passed out while watching. Tommy guessed he had sat down before his Mum put on the coffee and didn’t have the energy to stay awake without one.
With practiced motions, his Mum quietly got Tommy's cereal and milk while Tommy grabbed a bowl and a spoon. She nursed a cup of coffee as he poured a bowl of cereal and dug in, the two at ease in their routine. It was natural. A sort of ease Tommy hadn't felt in...well, it couldn't have been that long, right? They made funny faces back and forth at each other, trying not to laugh as they ate and drank. They had always been good at talking without having to say anything. His Mum finished her coffee and then came to sit next to Tommy, whispering quietly to him.
“What do you think of just a you and me day? It feels like forever since we went to the park and fed the crows. I’m sure our murder misses us,” His Mum suggested, nudging Tommy in the shoulder at the mention of their crows.
The crows had been a part of their lives for years. Tommy and his Mum always fed them, and sometimes they brought them little trinkets. It did seem like a while since Tommy saw them.
He wanted to go with his Mum, but Tommy had a feeling his family would all insist on going, and he just didn’t feel like being with all of them today.
“I think I’m gonna hang with Tubbo and Ranboo today, Mum. How about tomorrow?” Tommy said quietly, ignoring the slight disappointment in his Mum’s eyes.
“Hey, you can still bring the others,” Tommy joked, knowing that she would never go with just them. The tradition was hers and Tommy’s; the others only got to go sometimes. Tommy expected her to quietly laugh at the obvious joke suggestion, but instead, she froze, panic in his Mum’s eyes.
“Mum?” Tommy questioned, not getting any response as she just stared.
“Mum, what’s wrong?” Tommy asked, feeling dread. What happened? What did he say?
His Mum didn’t look at him as she started to speak hesitantly.
“I- yes… I-I won’t do that. Just me and them for the whole day. Of course not,” His Mum whispered in a monotone voice, so unlike her. Tommy wanted to keep insisting on what was wrong before he and his Mum jumped as hands grabbed their shoulders. They whipped around to face Tommy’s Dad.
“Jeez, Dad, next time warn us,” Tommy grumbled out, clutching at his chest and shrugging off his Dad’s hand, which uncomfortably lingered for a second longer.
“Sorry, Mate, didn’t realize you guys didn’t hear me,” His Dad said apologetically.
Tommy looked at his Mum, who seemed less freaked out now, instead leaning into Phil’s body while telling him off for scaring her and mentioning Tommy’s plans to go out. She seemed totally fine, it was weird, but Tommy couldn’t bring it up now that the conversation had shifted.
“Oh?” His Dad started, looking at Tommy pointedly (it made Tommy kinda uncomfortable, but he didn’t know why).
“Yeah, I feel like I haven’t hung out with my friends in forever. We’ll probably play video games at Tubbo’s,” Tommy said, continuing to eat his breakfast and trying to shake off the morning's weirdness.
“Sure, that's fine, son. You just might want to leave before your brothers wake up. I bet they want to hang out with you today,” His Dad said with a smile as Tommy groaned and sped up his eating, his Dad chuckling at his antics.
“They’ve been pricks lately! They never give me space,” Tommy grumbled to his Dad.
“Woe is you,” he responded with fake sympathy, running his clawed hand through Tommy’s hair.
Tommy finished his breakfast and left the kitchen as his parents started to flirt (disgusting). He quickly changed and was out the door into a lovely sunny day. Tommy felt like he hadn’t seen the sun in a while; maybe it had been cloudy the past few days? He couldn’t really remember.
The shades to his brother’s bedroom were still closed, and Tommy slightly regretted not sleeping in with them; they definitely ignored their alarm, but he was so happy to feel the breeze through his hair that Tommy thought it was fine just this once. His brothers always got his attention, after all. It was time for Tommy to do something new for what felt like the first time in forever.
Tommy had a bit of a pep in his step, but he paused in front of the empty house next door, looking at it when he heard a caw. On the doorstep of the house sat a crow.
Tommy smiled. It was definitely one of his birds, watching Tommy with its beady yet soulful eyes. It cawed again before flying up into the air and circling around Tommy as he walked towards Tubbo’s house.
He wasn’t looking where he was going, watching the crow instead, and bumped into someone, almost falling backward had they not caught his wrist.
“Sorry man, I wasn’t looking where I was-” Tommy started to say before realizing he had bumped into Techno. Techno, who was meant to still be asleep.
“Tech? How the fuck are you here right now? You were sleeping!” Tommy said with a confused look and slightly shrill voice, staring at his brother.
Techno raised an eyebrow. “Did you really think you gettin’ out of bed wouldn’t wake me up? I heard you, and while you were busy getting dressed, I ate breakfast and went for a quick walk,” Techno explained. It made sense, but it also seemed… off. Had it really taken Tommy that long to get ready?
“Techno, sometimes it scares me how efficient you are at everything,” Tommy joked, his brain insisting he just moved on. “Now, will you let go of my wrist? I’m not gonna fall anymore.” Techno did before looping his arm over Tommy’s shoulders.
“What the fuck, your heavy,” Tommy complained but let Techno drape himself over him. Being close to his brother was nice, even if Tommy wouldn’t admit it.
“So where are we goin’?” Techno asked, starting to lead them forward.
“We? I think you mean me. I’m hanging with Tubbo today, not you,” Tommy said.
“Nah, we should hang out instead, maybe go to the park,” Techno suggested. Tommy at first thought he might be joking, but when he tried to lead Tommy in the way of the park, Tommy stopped walking with him, forcing Techno to stop and look at him.
“Techno, I said no. I’m seriously hanging with Tubbo today. I haven’t seen him in forever, and I’m always with you,” Tommy said, growing a little frustrated by how his brother just stared.
“Hello, Earth to Techno? You should just go home and hang with Wil,” Tommy suggested. He blinked and-
“We should hang out instead, right? We can go to the park and see the crows,” Techno suggested. Tommy thought about it for a second. He did want to see Tubbo, but he could do that later.
“Fine, I’ll spend the morning with you, needy bitch,” Tommy said with exaggerated annoyance.
“Oh, I’m the needy one? So says the kid who asked to sleep with his big brother last night cause he was scared,” Techno snorted. Tommy gasped indignantly. He was not a scaredy cat! He was a Big Man!
“You take that back!” Tommy screeched, ducking out under Techno’s arms and jumping onto his back.
Tommy looped his arms around Techno’s neck to keep his balance as Techno tried to get him off, the two laughing in the middle of the street. If anyone saw them, they would think the two were crazy.
Tommy kept laughing as he squeezed his arms around Techno’s neck as hard as he could, unable to stop himself. Suddenly his happy mood was replaced with burning red hot anger. It consumed him as his laughter became more deranged. He wanted Techno to feel pain, to hurt as Tommy had hurt-
Techno pried Tommy’s arms off and pushed him away, staring at Tommy with storming eyes.
“What was that for? What did you remember?” Techno barked out with a glare, fists tightening. Tommy stared at Techno with absolute terror before looking at his shaking hands. What had he just done? Tommy couldn’t help it; he burst into tears.
"I-I don't know why I did that," Tommy said weakly, his emotions all jumbled up as he tried to figure out why he wanted to hurt his big brother so badly. Why he felt so angry, so… upset. Techno's expression immediately fell into something apologetic, wrapping Tommy in a hug without a word. Tommy's first instinct was to pull away, scared to hurt him again, but Techno held strong until Tommy gave in. He hugged Techno back, soaking in the comfort like he needed it more than anything. Questions raced through Tommy's mind as he tried to process what exactly had just happened. He didn't understand. What was wrong with him? Was he going insane?
“Hey, everything’s alright; you just got a bit confused, that’s all. How about we go home, Theseus, hmm?” Techno suggested, and Tommy wordlessly nodded. He- he needed- well, Tommy wasn’t sure what he needed, but he definitely wanted to see his Mum. She always made things better. Techno walked with his arm comfortingly cradling Tommy’s body until they were back home. Tommy was no longer crying; his body was just exhausted now, but his face probably looked horrible. He still didn’t understand what had happened or why he would hurt his monster brother.
“Dad, we’re home!” Techno called out as he opened the front door, and he and Tommy took their shoes off (Tommy tried to keep his hands from shaking as he undid the laces). Phil peeked into the front room from the kitchen, smiling before concern broke out, and he rushed to Tommy’s side, holding his face gently.
“Toms, what’s wrong? What happened mate?” Phil asked, looking between Tommy and Techno.
Tommy was at a loss for what to say, for how to explain himself, before suddenly his Mum came running into the room and pushed Phil, pulling Tommy into a hug and backing up towards the front door, Tommy struggling to stand and follow her.
“What did you do to my baby?! Did you hurt him? You monsters–!” Kristin shouted at Phil and Techno, leaving Tommy utterly confused. He was the one who should be in trouble right now! He had hurt Techno!
“What do you mean, Mom?” Techno asked, concern for their Mum obvious.
Kristin was close to tears, squeezing Tommy almost too tightly as she shook.
“Kristin, my love, what has gotten into you? I’m sure Tommy is okay, right, Toms? He was just about to explain what happened,” Phil said. Tommy nodded numbly and then spoke up.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine, Mum. J-just had some Big Man cries earlier. Techno didn’t do anything, just comforted me.” Tommy tried to pull away, feeling guilty that he wasn’t telling her the truth about what he did, but his Mum wouldn’t let him.
“No! Tommy, stay with me. It’s okay that you don’t remember, but I do! I know what you things are!” Kristin shouted. “You aren’t our family! Leave us alone!”
Tommy could feel pounding behind his eyes at his Mum’s words, and he tried to blink it away. When he opened his eyes back up, his Dad was in front of them suddenly, black shadows breaking out from his back. He put a hand on Kristin’s cheek with a sad look before-
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He went for a knife but missed-
̵̠̘͑̕͜T̸͔̝͇̦̈́͋̃̊o̷̲͎̻͎̺̲̮̙͍͓̙̗͊́̽͛̍̊͐̆̈͜m̵̙̹̙͖͙̭̯̖̝̭̻͎̋̊́̽̀̍̓̈̍͐̽̋̚̕̚m̴̗͍̞͈͗̇̍̑͊̆̋̎̿͠ỷ̶̨̼̆͗̓̓́̏̎̊̒̾͛̿͘ ̴̢̧̛̺̳̬͈̭͉̺̹̯̪̑̔͛̌̓̊̿̂͐̔͒w̴̢̪͙̤̟̮̘̎͊͂̎̈͋o̶̧͚̘̙̖̓̎͛̏͜͠͝k̷͖͛̓̈́̆͑́̎̇͠͠é̸͔̺̘͈̮̋̈́͂̇̈́͆̑͛͘͜ ̴̪͍̩͊̽̈́͊́̀ų̴͍̰̬̞͍̫̜̗͍̈̍͊̆̓̓̎̑̐̕͜͝͝p̷̝̝̙͈̎̽̔̋̅̋͘ -̴̘̱̹̰̽͘͝
Tommy ran out the door with his Mum, the flock of crows surrounding them from above-
̴̢̧̮͕̫̞͇̖͈̣̰̠̪̟̈́͒Ț̵̰͖͓̭̹̩͓̰̥̈́̅̓̋͜͝ǫ̵̞͓̪̥̭͚̂͌̀̃ṃ̴̦̟̙̘̹̠̠̹͉̺́̀̐̓m̷̩̣̺̖̠̘͈̰̯̐̊̈̈̀̀̓̀͂̐̀͝͝y̵̦̜̟̮͉̹̺̽̉͘͝ ̸̢̢̢̲͚͙̪͈͎͕̬̘̠͋̑͊̃̎̔̈́̾͆̈̽̀̕͝ͅw̸̛̤͙̦̻̜̰̅͒̆̐͋̿́͛͑͗ȯ̶̡̯͇̭̩͍͇̞̱̱̲̥̭͘͜ķ̴̪͔̘̆͛̀ȩ̸̣̫̻̪̘̠͊̀̊̓̑͆͒̽̏̑͗̑͜ ̴̧̯̟̗̍̄̉̑͋͆̓͊̅̌́̋͌̈́͋ů̶̢̮͖̺́͗̏͂̋̽ṕ̷̛͖̞̖̪͊͗̈́̃ ̴̻̺͉͌͑̿-̷̧̙͍̻̲͖͒͂̿̆̑̽͒ͅ
They had just been watching TV when his Mum started screaming uncontrollably, sobbing-
Tommy tried to tell himself it was just a nightmare, but as claws dug into the crack of the closet door, he knew it wasn’t-
̵̶̥̪̤̥͈̪̟̪̳̝̩͋̀̓̽͌͘͘͝T̴͕̯͇̪͌͗̈́̓͆̈̔̓̓́͋͗̉̈́̕o̶͎̿̇́̄͊̏̂̊̈́̍͐͛̚̚ṁ̴̨̧͇̤͎̞̙͉̲̭̼̟̆̇͒ͅm̵̩̦͒ͅý̷̨̲͔̰̻̭̬͎͔̲̩̯̰̤̊̃́̉̂͒̀͋̕ ̸͔̗̺͉̣̄̅͂̕ẉ̷̤̳̫̲̰̭̫̜̜̺̠͎̓́ͅo̴̡̤̤̠͖̼̪͚̪̲̿̾ḱ̴̡̡̛͎͚̼̞̥̬͆̈́̇͌̈͌̂̏ͅe̷̙̠̹͔̺͖̞̱̬̐͂̑̔̀̃͋̈́͑̇̚ ̸̧̨̟̘͉͍̦̈̔̄͒̑͂̕u̶̡̧̞̤͉̣̻̻͓̾͐̎̏͋̔̆̌̎͐͑̋͘͜͝p̷̧̡̖̝̜̲̞͈̍̓͐͝ͅ-̸̡̜̱͖̠̪͇̞͕̮̤̘̭́̃͑͒̔̈́̎̽̕͝
Wilbur hugged him as Tommy broke down. He held him tightly like he was the most precious thing in the world. Tommy clung just as tightly back despite knowing better. It felt like forever they were in each other’s arms as Wilbur began to cry, and Tommy couldn’t stop himself from believing it was real-
̶̵̛̜͍͇̰̪̳̤͔̩͙̎͋̉̂̈͛̾͌̈͌͒͛̎̓̒̈̄̐̊͘͜͝͝͝T̶̡̘̞͍͖̓͑̽̾͑̎o̷̥͚͈̥̔̔̑̐̅̂̀̊̋̂̍͋͗͠͝m̴̢͉̟̫͔͖̺̙̹̿̉̀́m̴̛̖͙͙̫͈̮̦̩̭͕̼͖̲͗͑͒̅͋̽̄͛͐̕͠͝ÿ̶̻͗̔̆͑͐͗͌̅̃̓̉͋̐͘ͅ ̵̳̤͍͆̊̀͜͝w̵̻̰̰̩̣͇̬̝͖͎̽͒̅̎̈̈́́̈́̕ö̷͈̻̭̙͓͈̦͎̞̝͕́͋̀̃͋̀̔͋k̷̨͆͌̍̓͆e̸̝͉͖͋̍͛̽͑̄̽̓̋͂̂̀́͘ ̵̼̟̈́̐̇͗̋̋̓͊́̉̿͆͝͠͠ụ̸̝̩̳̣̤̰̰̝͕̾̀͗̐͂́̐͝p̶̥͎͇͖̱̠̭̤̜̣̪̝̖̹̭̄̐̾̍̒̈́͂̅͂̆̓̓̚͝-̸̛̝̀̈͌͒͑̎͌̕͝
Tommy laughed as he killed Wilbur in Minecraft, only to instantly be killed by Techno.
“That's not fair!” Tommy whined into his headphones at his brothers in their room.
The twins just laughed, and Tommy couldn’t stop laughing with them. They played all day, and it was the longest Tommy had ever made into a day. He almost let himself just accept it, but then his Mum got a weird look, and suddenly the perfect day was-
̵̤̰͍͈͐̽̐̉̈́͆̊͗͝T̸̨͖̤͎͓̹͖̜͔̣̦͇͍͙̐̏̾̈́̍͋̕o̶̢̳̲̍͋̀̽̕m̸̡͍̘̼͈̪͚̞͈͌͛͒͆̿̅̆͌̿̈̑͋͝͝ṃ̷̙̣̦͌̿̈́͂͜y̴̧̪̘̪̖͔̟͇̦̖͋̿̽͐̌́̐̀̿͜ ̷͉̼̜̜̲̻̦̪̼̤̟̹͍͖̎̏̀̏͘͝͝ẇ̶̨̡͓͕͖̫̊͐́̽̔ͅǫ̶̗̮͓͈̮̳̗̹̗̪̜̽̉̽̀̑ͅk̸͇̜̜̬̺͚̯̻͕̩̥͌̎̊̔̅̑̂̉́̈̽̕ȩ̵̨̨̼̻̗̠̣̰̭̺̻̰̯̻̌̒̊̾̓̔͋͒́̓̿̕ ̷̨̌̊ṷ̸̝͍̫̳͛̂͂̀̃̋̈́̄͝p̵̧̯͍̠̦̘̫̖̭͖͇̳͍̾̐̅̈́͌̒͘-̴̛̤͉͔͈̳̬̬͚͕́̇̆̎͜͝͝ͅͅ
“Please just let us go,” Tommy whispered as Phil approached him slowly, hands up in mock peace.
“You know I can’t do that, Tommy, I love you too much. You are my son no matter what,” He said as Techno snuck up behind Tommy-
̵̤̰͍͈͐̽̐̉̈́͆̊͗͝T̸̨͖̤͎͓̹͖̜͔̣̦͇͍͙̐̏̾̈́̍͋̕o̶̢̳̲̍͋̀̽̕m̸̡͍̘̼͈̪͚̞͈͌͛͒͆̿̅̆͌̿̈̑͋͝͝ṃ̷̙̣̦͌̿̈́͂͜y̴̧̪̘̪̖͔̟͇̦̖͋̿̽͐̌́̐̀̿͜ ̷͉̼̜̜̲̻̦̪̼̤̟̹͍͖̎̏̀̏͘͝͝ẇ̶̨̡͓͕͖̫̊͐́̽̔ͅǫ̶̗̮͓͈̮̳̗̹̗̪̜̽̉̽̀̑ͅk̸͇̜̜̬̺͚̯̻͕̩̥͌̎̊̔̅̑̂̉́̈̽̕ȩ̵̨̨̼̻̗̠̣̰̭̺̻̰̯̻̌̒̊̾̓̔͋͒́̓̿̕ ̷̨̌̊ṷ̸̝͍̫̳͛̂͂̀̃̋̈́̄͝p̵̧̯͍̠̦̘̫̖̭͖͇̳͍̾̐̅̈́͌̒͘-̴̛̤͉͔͈̳̬̬͚͕́̇̆̎͜͝͝ͅͅ
“Do you think in another life, if you were just humans, we could have been friends?” Tommy asked Wilbur tiredly, glancing at him as he stood over the police officer Tommy had called for help. At least he would be back to life once things started again.
Even covered in blood, Wilbur never tried to hurt Tommy. He flicked some blood off of his hands pointlessly with a disgusted look, not actually getting it off. Tommy knew Wilbur hated getting dirty.
Surprisingly, Wilbur actually stayed far away, careful not to get Tommy bloody and even looking fucking guilty of all things (but Tommy could tell the guilt came from Tommy seeing him kill with the scalesbluedrowning growing over his cheeks that faded after he had finished, not from the fucking murder he committed).
“Oh, Tommy, I think we would have been so much more. We would have been brothers. But don’t worry, we still can be,” Wilbur whispered more to himself as reassurance. The blood dripped from Wilbur’s fingers onto the floor, and Tommy watched it hit the wood with a plop-
̶̧̛͎͈̪̜̮̤̠͉̰̏̏̈́̈̽̌͗̍͝T̸̨̡̡̹͙̪͔͎̼͉̭͈̣̮͈̃̈́̈́̂̓͆͝ơ̴͚̻̟̪̆̊͆̋̀̓̎̽͒͝͝ͅḿ̸̩̙̥̪͓̹̺̙̿̀̕͝͝͠͝ͅm̶̛͓̏̑̈́͆̏̅̃͛̋̚ỷ̷̜̣͑̊̒͗̀̋̈́̈ ̵̡̨̛̞͈̥̻͚̫̟͈̙͎̝̽̈́̎͌͛͜͝ẅ̸̧̨̞̜͓̮̻͔̞͉̜̫̗̲̫̈͘ȯ̸̢̨͇̪͓̳̞̥͚̖͒̍̃̊͋͛k̷̛͈̠̩͇̱̲͂̈́͗͌̀͊̕͠e̸͈͇̦̟͙̪͚͝ ̸̡̼̝̗͇̣̋̂͐̍͗̄͑͆̎̿̕u̸͍̝̟̰͌̿͛̐̒̒ṗ̶͖̯̻̰̰̥̤̞̩̇̀ͅ-̶̹͈̍́
Techno showed Tommy the new fencing techniques he had learned, Tommy cheering as he easily beat Wilbur.
“It’s not fair! Techno is so much better, and I stopped training years ago!” Wilbur whined to Phil, who just laughed and gave Tommy a side hug.
"Just get good, loser, and maybe you would be Tommy's favorite," Techno said with a slight smile. Wilbur glared at him, his eyes shining unnatural yellow as he lunged at Techno, Tommy screaming as he burrowed into his Dad's shoulder and–
̵̵̢͎̻̰̻̼̤̳͚͖̦̮͈̹̫͓̪͂͛̓̍̂̾͋̀͆̌̑͘ͅT̵̰̭̹̏̐͗̊̈́̕o̶̗͌̿̀̓͒͆̿̉̐͘͘͝͝m̶̡͓̥͕̹͙̦̞̬̻͉̃̓̎͊ͅm̸̡̡̘̲͚͙͚̰̜͈͚̣̠̈́̐͆̇̈́̇́͌͊͝y̸̨̺̯̦̻̹͔̯͖͉̞̔̾̀͛̾̉͒͆̓̒̏̍͘̕ͅ ̵̻̑̑͋̈̀̑̍͘̕w̵̨͕̣͇̘͓͚̦͚̥̝̪̣̏̈́̿̾̕o̵̳̝̱̰̖̅͌̅̎̐̾̄̓̐͐k̸̫̺̣̗̇̽̐͋͘͝ẽ̶̢̨̱̪͖̩͚̙̱̣̫͍̑͜͜͜ ̸̣̖͋̋̓͘͝u̵͍̮̼͕̞͔͝p̴̡̝̻͔͇̰̫͚̩͖̩̤͚̜̝͂̿̑͒͊̕-̵͉̃̀̏͊̈́̈̒͆̌͊͜͝
“Why can’t we just be happy, Kristin?” Phil asked as Tommy secretly watched from the hallway, leaning into the wall and stifling his breath as tears ran down his cheeks. He didn’t like to see them fight, some part of his mind insisting his parents shouldn’t do such a thing even when Tommy knew Phil wasn’t his Dad.
“Because you stole my life from me, you are breaking my son’s mind, and you are trying to force me to be with you. I wish I had never met you,” Kristin answered, tears silently falling from her eyes but her face resolute. Tommy knew she wanted to forgive Phil, to love him, but she wouldn’t. Just like Tommy would never give in for his Mum’s sake, she wouldn’t give in for his. They were miserable, but neither one would falter if it meant protecting the other, even if giving in was easier-
̷̸̢̯͉̮̭̥̟̳̙̯̩̫̞͉̭̱̤̥̹̙̜͋̎̓̑͑̂̂̏̓͠T̴͚̙̹̪͓̤̥͍̪̭̬̰̯̪̑̄̅̌̎͊̈̆̽̃͊͝͠͝o̷̧̠͖͕̰͓̥͑̃̄̽͜m̸̧̛͍̱̠̗̝͎̬͂͌͒̌̾́̈m̸̺̠͐̈́y̴͈̭̜̻͈̗̝̑̋̃̊͆̔̋͒͂̎͌̏͠ ̶̛͎̯͕̘̰̦͇̯̺̋̿̓͆̀w̸̰̯̣̳̤̆̂͋̏͆͛̑̈̂͑͘̚ợ̴͍͙̮̥̺̫̤̜͙̜̟̘̐͐̆͌͂͌̋̂͌̔̋͜͝k̸̭̠̻̹̳̲̫̣̰̖̙͆͊͐͗̈́̒͜͝͝ͅë̸̮̤̩̼̺̹̦͇͖̻͙́̓̿͗̋̕ ̵̡̡̥͇̯̝̘̠̱̺͇̀̅͌͆̉͒̍͋̒̄͝ú̵̯̹̭̦̜͎̓̉͆͛͘ͅp̴̧̬͈͓͓̙͆̾̅͐̏́́-̶̧̨̛͔̘̮͕̗͔̼͈̜̻̃͌̀̿͋͌́͜
Tommy turned the gun on himself. Maybe with his death, it would all be over. He could be free, and his Mum could be too. He took a breath before all three monsters ran into the room, yelling at him to stop, true terror on their faces that had Tommy hesitating-
̷̸̢̯͉̮̭̥̟̳̙̯̩̫̞͉̭̱̤̥̹̙̜͋̎̓̑͑̂̂̏̓͠T̴͚̙̹̪͓̤̥͍̪̭̬̰̯̪̑̄̅̌̎͊̈̆̽̃͊͝͠͝o̷̧̠͖͕̰͓̥͑̃̄̽͜m̸̧̛͍̱̠̗̝͎̬͂͌͒̌̾́̈m̸̺̠͐̈́y̴͈̭̜̻͈̗̝̑̋̃̊͆̔̋͒͂̎͌̏͠ ̶̛͎̯͕̘̰̦͇̯̺̋̿̓͆̀w̸̰̯̣̳̤̆̂͋̏͆͛̑̈̂͑͘̚ợ̴͍͙̮̥̺̫̤̜͙̜̟̘̐͐̆͌͂͌̋̂͌̔̋͜͝k̸̭̠̻̹̳̲̫̣̰̖̙͆͊͐͗̈́̒͜͝͝ͅë̸̮̤̩̼̺̹̦͇͖̻͙́̓̿͗̋̕ ̵̡̡̥͇̯̝̘̠̱̺͇̀̅͌͆̉͒̍͋̒̄͝ú̵̯̹̭̦̜͎̓̉͆͛͘ͅp̴̧̬͈͓͓̙͆̾̅͐̏́́-̶̧̨̛͔̘̮͕̗͔̼͈̜̻̃͌̀̿͋͌́͜
Tommy could remember. He had more days of that than forgetting. It hurt his head so much, but he put up with it, he had to, even if he couldn’t remember why. He thought he loved the three monsters who invaded his life. How could he not after so much time? But he resisted anyway.
“I wish I could just freely love you,” Tommy whispered as he cuddled into his Dad’s side on the couch. He knew he shouldn’t be saying this for some reason, but Tommy’s mind was so muddled that he couldn’t remember why. Phil froze for a moment before he squeezed him back.
“I wish you could too,” Tommy’s Dad said as-
Tommy woke up in Wilbur’s bed. He couldn’t remember sleeping in his brother’s room, but he must have moved here at some point at night. Wilbur was being clingy, though, and Tommy was ready to get up and away from his icy body, so he decided the right course of action was to kick Wilbur. Tommy did just that right in his stomach without a second thought, earning a shout from Wilbur, who quickly grabbed his middle.
“Ow! What the fuck?!” Wilbur yelled tiredly, opening his eyes to glare at Tommy.
“I want donuts!” Tommy proclaimed, throwing the covers off of both of them. It was fun to annoy Wilbur; Tommy should do it more often.
“Well, get them yourself gremlin,” Wilbur said, trying to pull the covers back on but finding them out of reach.
“No, you owe me,” Tommy said, holding the covers away as Wilbur grew more frustrated. He was kinda like a cat, all grumpy but not ever going to retaliate since he wanted Tommy to like him too much. He and Techno had always competed to be Tommy’s favorite.
“And why is that?” Wilbur asked stupidly. Tommy smiled brightly at that.
“Because you keep fucking with my life. I think I at least deserve some donuts out of it. It’s also been a long time since you guys gave up on making me breakfast. I’m tired of cereal,” Tommy said innocently, enjoying how Wilbur’s eyes went cold as he sat up in bed. Tommy could hear Techno getting up, too, staring holes in the back of Tommy’s head. Guess he was just watching until he felt he had to intervene. Annoying.
“Yeah, I’m not getting you donuts. I actually think I should-”
“No!” Tommy screeched, grabbing a pillow and hitting Wilbur in the face before turning and throwing it at Techno. It bounced off of his body and fell in his lap. Techno gave Tommy an unimpressed stare, his redblooddeath eyes burning into Tommy’s skull.
Tommy just collapsed back into Wilbur’s bed, bundling the covers over himself before peeking his head back out to look at the twins.
“Okay, you can do it now. I had to get that out of my system,” Tommy said with a laugh at their dumbfounded expressions. Ha, they were so stupid Tommy loved them for it, for how easy they were to read now after so long. He couldn’t remember every time they had done this, but Tommy had done it so many times now. It was easy at this point to mess with them. He almost enjoyed it in some ways, enjoyed hanging out with them and annoying them as if they were his real brothers. Fighting them was like playing with fire, and Tommy craved it at this point. He even liked to pit them against each other, make them fight for which one Tommy loved the most he loved them all, but he couldn’t give in, not after so long. As long as his Mum fought, Tommy would too. If she gave up, he didn’t know what he would do.
It looked like Wilbur was about to say something annoying, maybe use his “I know better than you, and I have all the power here” voice, when they heard Kristin screaming downstairs. All three brothers looked at each other and immediately sprinted out of the room downstairs to the kitchen. They found Kristin breathing heavily while angrily looking at Tommy’s Dad.
“LEAVE! STOP MANIPULATING US AND LEAVE, PLEASE!” Kristin screamed in Phil’s face, not at all afraid to get so close to him.
His Dad said nothing in return as he took her screaming, not even flinching when she pounded her fists against his chest.
“Mum,” Wilbur whispered, getting their attention. Their Mum looked so tired, so broken down. Tommy bet he looked similarly.
“I am not your mother,” Kristin said with tears in her eyes, forcing the words out of her mouth like they hurt.
Wilbur’s breath hitched, and Tommy unconsciously reached to hold his hand. Wilbur gripped him tightly, like Tommy was the only thing keeping him alive, keeping him from losing everything (maybe he was).
Phil gently grabbed Kristin’s wrists, pulling them down and away from him as he stared at her tear-stained face. He then looked at Tommy and Wilbur’s clasped hands, a sad smile finding its way on his face. Tommy could have sworn there were also tears in his eyes.
“Okay,” Phil whispered resignedly, meeting Kristin’s gaze again.
“O-okay?” Tommy’s Mum asked as Phil let her wrists go, her expression one of disbelief. Tommy could tell his face mirrored hers.
“Okay, we’ll leave you alone,” Phil said before the kitchen burst into sound as Wilbur and Techno began protesting. Even Tommy was shocked and felt a part of himself wanted Phil to take the words back, to tuck them away, and never utter them again.
“R-really?” Kristin asked. She, like Tommy, just couldn’t believe he would give up so fast. What made this time different?
“Yes, really. This isn’t working. You were right, Tommy,” Phil said, gazing at Tommy. He could feel his heart squeeze at his words. It was painful, more so than anything else. “This isn’t real love, and we will never understand what that is by doing this. We wanted you to love us, but all we have done is ruin your lives. I can’t put my sons through this any longer, just as you don’t want your son to go through this anymore, Kristin. I won’t say I am sorry, but I do wish I never hurt you two. All we wanted was what humans have, what you two have, but we’re monsters,” Phil bit out with an empty laugh.
Tommy now grabbed onto Techno’s hand, giving it a squeeze. He didn’t squeeze back. He was frozen in shock, a blank expression.
“We just wanted a family,” Phil said wetly. Tommy could feel Wilbur’s body shake as he cried. He had always been easy to give in to emotions since childhood (and even if it wasn’t a real memory, Tommy knew him enough now to know it was still true). “You’ve made us so human. We spent years watching you through our crows, so confused why they stayed near you, but then we understood. I just wish we could have earned your trust like they did.”
“You watched us through the murder?” Kristin asked, confused more than mad. Tommy tried to ignore how he felt almost happy that they had been with them for years when he knew not too long ago (or maybe it was years ago at this point), that he found the idea horrible. It wasn’t real, but the love felt real. It never used to feel like this before.
Phil gave a humorless laugh. “Yes, and they loved you both so much. I hope you will still treat them the same after this. They were just our eyes and never wanted to hurt you.”
“Dad, are we really-” Techno began to ask, finally breaking out of his stupor, but Wilbur interrupted him, yanking his hand out of Tommy’s.
“We are Tech. It’s- it’s time,” Wilbur said shakily, looking longingly at Tommy. Wilbur was leaving him first? But it had always been the other way around-
Techno gently slipped his hand away too, walking with Wilbur to their Dad (not Tommy’s Dad, not anymore). Kristin backed up as they got closer, moving towards Tommy and holding his hand. Tommy felt unbalanced with only one hand held.
Phil placed his hands on Tommy’s brother’s monster’s shoulders. Tommy suddenly surged forward, unsure what possessed him as his hand slipped from his Mums.
“Wait!” Tommy yelled, surprising himself. They stared at him as Kristin tried to wrangle him back half-heartedly.
“I-if you hadn’t done all of this, tried to force us to love you, maybe just met us like normal humans, things could have been different. All the memories might be fake, but I can tell who you guys are. We might have gotten along. We could have even been a- a family,” Tommy choked out, unsure why he was saying this. They were leaving like he always wanted, but he felt like his world was being torn apart. Wilbur smiled, most likely remembering his conversation with Tommy all that time ago about being brothers, but it didn’t stop them from leaving.
With Tommy’s words, they were gone, and Tommy screamed as he ran into his Mum’s body for support-
Tommy woke up normally. The sun shone slightly through his shades, his blankets falling off his body, the crust in the corner of his eyes irritating him. Everything was normal. A normal weekend. A normal and boring day.
With a yawn, Tommy stretched out, rubbing the shit out of his eyes and cracking his back. It was Saturday, so Tommy could sleep in, but he could smell bacon. He couldn’t not get bacon. His Mum usually didn’t make breakfast, but today she was, and Tommy was not complaining (not that his Mum didn’t do other things, but Tommy was fifteen, so she didn’t really need to make him breakfast. She was a busy working single mom after all).
With a sigh, Tommy got out of bed and instantly felt the slight chill in the air. With a little shiver, Tommy opened his bedroom door and went downstairs. He could hear faint humming coming from the kitchen, and when he poked his head in, he could see his Mum getting the bacon out of the pan.
Breakfast was definitely pog today.
“Hi, Mum,” Tommy said with a yawn, going over to the stove and stealing a hot piece of bacon.
“Hey! What if I wanted that piece?” His Mum joked, finishing up with the rest of the bacon and putting the pan in the sink.
“You snooze, you lose,” Tommy said, earning a playful hit to the head.
“Gremlin child!” Kristin laughed out. Wilbur used to call him that all the time until others did too.
“Let’s eat at the table instead of right here like heathens, hm?” His Mum said with a quirked eyebrow. Tommy grumbled dramatically but carried the bacon to the table as she got plates for them.
Breakfast was normal and relaxing, just the two of them (it felt a little empty, like there should be a bigger table in the kitchen with more seats).
“How about when we’re done, we go visit our murder, yeah? I actually miss them a lot right now,” Tommy’s Mum said, a far-off look in her eyes. Tommy understood the feeling too. The mention of the crows made him… nostalgic.
Tommy rushed through getting dressed as he met his Mum downstairs in the front room. His Mum smiled at Tommy and looked behind him like she expected someone else to be there. Tommy turned too to look at the stairs, but no one was there, of course. Both his Mum and Tommy shook off the feeling and went to put on their shoes, but before they could leave to go to the park, the doorbell rang.
The two looked at each other before his Mum went to open the door, Tommy following behind her.
“Hello?” Kristin asked, opening the door to an older blonde man and two boys who seemed slightly older than Tommy. They were definitely twins, but one had long pink hair, of all things, as opposed to his brother with brown curly hair, almost like Tommy’s. Tommy hoped they weren’t annoying solicitors.
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you! We’re your new neighbors, just moved in next door. I’m Phil, and these are my sons Wilbur and Techno,” The older man, Phil, said with a smile.
“Oh!” Tommy’s Mum said, “I didn’t realize someone had bought the house! It’s been empty for years now. It will be nice to have kids Tommy’s age living so close by. Oh, I didn’t introduce myself, did I?” Kristin said with a little laugh, blushing slightly. It was kinda gross. Was his Mum flirting???
“Um, my name is Kristin, and this is my son Tommy. It’s just us here! It will seriously be nice to have new neighbors. Don’t tell anyone I said this, but our other neighbors are a cranky old couple, so it’s nice to get some life into this street!”
Phil laughed, relaxing the more Tommy’s Mum spoke. Oh god, Tommy was almost sure he was flirting by the look in his eyes. They exchanged some more pleasantries as Tommy looked at the two kids, Wilbur and Techno was it? They seemed uncomfortable (probably with the flirting like Tommy was), but Tommy found them interesting for some reason, even though they were doing nothing but awkwardly shifting on their feet and avoiding eye contact.
Before he could get lost staring at them (it would be rude, innit?), Tommy tapped his Mum’s elbow to remind her they were going to the park. He didn’t want to stand by the door for hours even when part of him wanted to invite the family in, let them make themselves at home. Kristin sent him a stink eye but rolled her eyes and wrapped up the conversation.
“-very nice to meet you, but we were actually just about to head to the park,” Kristin said. Tommy could see Phil’s smile slip slightly while his two sons almost looked relieved. Tommy wasn’t a fan of their reaction. Did they want to get away from Tommy and his Mum? That was rude!
Before Tommy could think about it, words bubbled up in his throat.
“Do you want to come?” Tommy blurted out. “I mean, you probably don’t know where it is, but it's very nice there, and the park is a good place to visit,” Tommy could feel his cheeks redden a bit. He didn’t know why he invited them, the crows were just his and his Mum’s thing, but Tommy kinda wanted to get to know them. He wanted to wipe the discomfort from their faces and make them feel welcomed. They had to know they were welcomed.
Instead of rejecting or getting more uncomfortable, though, the whole family smiled so brightly Tommy could feel his heart squeeze happily. Even the two twins looked relieved at Tommy’s words instead of annoyed, their eyes lighting up. Tommy had not seen them this happy in forever, since the first time he met them. He wanted them to always look like this; it was right.
“That sounds lovely, mate, thank you,” Phil answered for them.
Tommy found himself smiling back just as brightly. He wasn’t exactly sure what it was, but part of him thought he would get along great with the three of them. He could almost see the two boys as brothers in a way and, while it was gross, Tommy could tell his Mum was interested in Phil. Tommy never had thought about wanting a father in the past, but Phil seemed like an okay choice, even if he was wearing the most god-awful white and green striped hat Tommy had ever seen. Tommy’s mind whispered that it was a trick, but he ignored it. He wanted this. He wanted to be with them, no matter what. Why would he want to be normal after all he went through?
“So what’s the worst word you guys know?” Tommy asked the group, much to his Mum’s horror. Yeah, Tommy wanted this. They were neighbors for now, but maybe one day, they could be more, and the thought warmed Tommy’s heart in a way he never thought it could. They were monsters, but they were his monsters.