Chapter Text
When they step outside, Tommy involuntarily curls inward against the bitter cold. It's well below freezing, and the wind is making it even worse. He's seriously regretting not bundling up more, but he knows he can't admit that to Techno, obviously, especially after he refused an extra jacket earlier. He's a big man and all, he doesn't need extra coats or whatever.
Well, hypothermia isn't that fast, right? And feeding the animals shouldn't take too long. They make their way into the barn, where the walls provide miniscule relief from the biting cold and wind. Tommy visibly relaxes when the doors shut, cutting off the wind entirely. If Technoblade notices, he doesn't comment on it. He wordlessly hands him seeds and jerks his head towards the chickens, directing him.
"Get the eggs too," he reminds him.
"Why, you baking me a cake?" Tommy teases, making his way to the pen.
"Uhh, if I tried to bake you anything, I'd probably set the house on fire. No one wants that," he says, "just get the eggs, alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it," Tommy says, rolling his eyes and waving Techno away.
The task is simple enough, he gives the chickens their breakfast and they all rush to eat. Tommy finds himself pausing to watch them. Techno probably has every single one memorised, and the hierarchy of their pecking order and shit, but Tommy is just content to just watch the scene unfold. He notices one, a tiny guy, as he sneaks around the others in an attempt to get to the centre of where the food was scattered, but no one's letting him in. Tommy, as quietly as he can, throws a small handful to him. The chicken gets a few good pieces before the rest notice that there's more and converge.
Satisfied, he goes to the eggs. He collects them without incident, and returns back to find Technoblade, leaning against the wall and raising an eyebrow at him as he returns.
"What did you do, feed them piece by piece? What took you so long?" he asks lightheartedly.
"Shut up, I was getting your eggs, bitch." Tommy counters.
"Tommy, I probably fed all the other animals in the time it took you to feed, like, one."
"Oh yeah, well if you're so fuckin' fast-" He takes an egg from the basket and throws it at Techno's head. Of course, he expertly dodges it, but Tommy still can't help but begin to laugh at his bewildered expression. Techno even begins to smirk back at him, wh-
Not paying attention, Tommy's foot twists into a hole he didn't see was there. He falls ungracefully down and for a moment, can only notice the sharp pain in his ankle- holy shit that hurt, what did he even do? Did he break something? No, he knows what a break feels like, this isn't as bad, but he still fucked something up, he thinks. Techno's voice breaks through his focus.
"What the fuck, Tommy?! Seriously?" He snaps. Tommy looks up, and properly notices the mess of shattered eggs on the floor for the first time. Fuck. He had dropped them all when he fell, and they broke. Dread quickly begins to pool in his stomach. "God, you goof around too much, man, that was a week of eggs, at least!" Techno complains. His foot is completely forgotten, as sheer panic begins to constrict his breathing and take over his senses.
"I- I'm sorry," he stammers.
If Techno wasn't preoccupied with annoyance and the thought of all the bland breakfasts that were in his near future, he would have already seen the red flag there. Tommy apologising for a joke he played going wrong?
Tommy shakily begins to fiddle with his boots, undoing straps and buckles while vehemently ignoring the spike of pain in his ankle. They weren't his diamond ones, but they'd have to be okay for now, right? Techno could destroy the diamond ones if he wanted once they got back home.
"I- here. I'm sorry, I- all I have on me are the boots." Techno gives Tommy a confused look back.
"What? Why would I want your boots?" he asks, genuinely taken aback by the strange offer. Tommy lowers his gaze in defeat.
"Right, of course. Sorry, I- just, do it then."
"Tommy what the fuck are you talking about?" The confusion was adding onto Technos already shortened temper. He doesn't have the patience to figure out whatever weird thing Tommy is doing now. Technoblade just exhales sharply, and says, "whatever, man, let's just go back." He turns and leaves before waiting for Tommy's response. He does hear him stumble to his feet and follow, though.
Tommy tries to keep the sick feeling in his stomach in check as they walk back, but he knows this is gonna be bad. God, he wishes he had better armour, enough that would make its destruction enough of a punishment. But no, Technoblade was going to hit him now, surely as soon as they got back.
His nausea spikes as he remembers the last time him and Technoblade fought, his brother's strength and ferocity. Jeez, whatever he's going to do to him is going to be a thousand times worse than anything Dream ever did, isn't it? He feels actually sick with fear, and his ankle protests with every step, but he doesn't dare slow down his pace.
Tommy walks into the house as quietly as he can behind Techno, and braces himself. Technoblade calls out a greeting to Phil, grabs a book from the bookshelves and… sits down? For a second, Tommy stands there frozen, at a complete loss of what to do.
"Hey Tommy, how'd you like the animals? Techno's got a crazy collection, doesn't he?" Phil asks casually, walking into the room.
Tommy jumps slightly as Phil arrives, and alternates fearful glances from Techno back to Phil. Techno completely ignores him, already entranced in his book and tuning them both out, and Phil just looks at him expectantly. Tommy opens his mouth to answer, but then slams it shut.
A memory of a familiar voice screams in his ear, "Shut the FUCK up Tommy! All you ever do is bitch and whine, maybe if you shut the fuck up for once, we wouldn't have to do this, huh?" Dream had said. He had just left Tommy bleeding on the floor, but was still angry with him for crying. Dream didn't like it when he cried. Or talked back. Or talked at all, really, except for his loyal 'yes, Dream' and 'no, Dream' s.
Tommy says nothing, leting Phil's question hang in the air. Techno and Phil surely don't actually want to hear him, especially now. He turns back and quickly hurries down the stairs, away from the two of them. No point in making them angrier, he guesses? He should probably stay out of sight until they decide to punish him.
As he descends he wonders idly what Techno is going to do, if he wasn't going to do this now. Dream, when he was going to hit him, usually just did it then and there. However, Tommy supposes it's not unreasonable for Techno to wait. Maybe he wants to figure out what specifically he wants. Or, god, maybe he wants to transfer the responsibility to Phil, instead. Tommy shudders at the thought. He never ever wants to do something that bad that Phil would have to hurt him. He hopes, prays, that if that ever comes, that he's able to keep his mouth shut and take it without crying like a baby.
He hears footsteps clunking down the stairs, and Tommy tenses. Okay. Here Techno comes. Just shut up and behave, Tommy.
"Tommy?" calls a quiet voice.
No. God, no, please no- it's not Technoblade. It's Phil. Tommy bites down on his lip so hard to stop its trembling that he tastes blood.
"Tommy, you down there? Are you okay, you seemed kind of… skittish when you got home. Techno says he didn't notice, but I'm betting you he did, nothing gets past him amirite?" Phil attempts to joke. He does not get a laugh. He does a once over of the basement, and finds Tommy sat in a corner, staring intently at the floor. Phil approaches him slowly, but still notices the subtle flinch Tommy gives at every step.
"Tomms?" he asks, impossibly softly, "are you okay?"
Tommy can't bear it, not hearing his stupid nickname, not Phil's gentle voice, not when he knows what's about to happen. The dam breaks, and he chokes out a terrified sob. Phil instinctively reaches out to comfort him, only to have Tommy violently flinch away. Phil retracts the hand in confusion, and is shocked further when Tommy starts to beg.
"Please, Phil, don't- I'm so sorry, it- it was an accident, p- please, don't do this, take my boots, take whatever, or- or send Techno! I- I can handle it being him, I don't- I don't care if it hurts worse, just please, not you…"
"Tommy- Tommy, buddy, slow down okay? Take a deep breath." Tommy does not, his breathing remains ragged and broken. "Tommy, listen, okay, I have no idea what you're talking about. But- but you're safe, alright?" Tommy pauses.
"He… he didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"Oh, I- I broke the eggs. It was stupid, so stupid, I was messing around and- Phil, please, don't- don't let him make you do it, okay? I don't care what he tries to-"
"Do what?"
"Punish me! Hit me, whatever! I- I offered him my stuff, you know t- to burn? But it wasn't- it was only just boots, so, he- he's, I don't know what he's doing now, but I- I promise I'll take it fine when he decides to hit me, I just- I didn't want it to be you, Phil, that's all."
Phil freezes in place as the words sink in, very, very slowly. One tiny, desperate part of him wants to hunt Dream down and kill him, kill him so slowly. However, helping Tommy takes precedent over his newfound homicidal urges.
"Tommy, listen to me, okay? You are not in trouble. The eggs mean literally nothing, alright? No one is mad at you, no one is going to take anything from you, and God, Tommy, no one is going to hit you." Tommy looks at him uneasily, and Phil says, "here, buddy, come with me and I can show you. Just trust me, it's okay."
Tommy is scared, he's terrified, and doesn’t believe Phil for a second, but he was given an order. So he obeys, standing and slowly following him back upstairs, trying to make his footfalls as quiet as he can.
"Techno," Phil says.
"Yeah?" Techno replies, barely looking up from his book.
"Is Tommy in 'trouble' for breaking eggs?" The question shatters his concentration entirely.
"What? 'Trouble'? This ain't a daycare, Tommy, I'm not dishin out time-outs over here. We'll just live without eggs for a week." Techno's response makes no sense. Tommy, before he can stop himself, blurts out,
"Bu- But I broke the…I- you're saying nothing is gonna happen? Why? "
Techno puts down his book, and takes in Tommy and Phil properly for the first time. Phil definitely looks concerned, and Tommy is red-eyed like… was he crying? Does he care about omelettes that much?
"Uh, Tommy, it was an accident," he says. He tries for that soft comforting tone that Phil effortlessly provides, but he doesn't know how close he gets. Something about Tommy's behaviour makes him wonder, though, "what… what did you think was going to happen here…?" Tommy shifts an anxious gaze from Phil and back, questioning him silently. Phil murmurs an answer back, and Tommy takes what appears to be a steadying breath.
"I would have been… in trouble, if you were Dream. Dream, um, he would have punished me for that."
Confirmation. Confirmation of what Techno had long suspected.
"Well, I'm not Dream. Neither is Phil," Techno manages to say evenly, even though he's quietly infuriated. Tommy manages a weak laugh.
"Well, good on that. Dream is a bitch."
"Yeah, and homeless," Techno jokes, returning to his book. Phil reaches out and gives Tommy a one armed hug, and Tommy suppresses his flinch to allow it.