Chapter Text
"You know what I think, Techno?"
Techno sighed. "What, Tommy?"
Tommy plopped himself into the front seat, propping his feet on the dashboard. "I think," he said, "that this is going to be a very long car ride for you."
"Not if we put on some music," Techno countered, gesturing towards the backseat. "I'm pretty sure I saw some old tapes back there, if you wanna have a look."
With a flimsy salute and a "You got it, Big Man," Tommy hopped out of the front seat and crawled around on all fours, searching under seats and scavenging through piles of abandoned clothes. After a moment, he suddenly stopped himself, frowning. "Hey, Techno, do you reckon this is a little..."
He arched his brows expectantly. "What?"
"Like, unsafe? I mean, I'm rummaging around in a moving vehicle-"
"Tommy." Techno shifted in his seat, glancing at him through the rearview mirror. "Do I look like someone who cares about road safety laws?"
With a cheer, the boy avidly continued his search. Occasionally, on a particularly sharp turn, he would topple over onto his side and erupt into a fit of laughter.
And, despite his best efforts, Techno would smile.
After much longer than it should've taken, Tommy snatched a dusty tape from under a seat. "Got it!" he announced, jumping back into the front seat and observing the tape player. "Okay, so how exactly do I..." He trailed off, attempting to cram the tape inside.
Techno frowned, watching the display from the corner of his eye. "No, that's not- Tommy, you're going to break it."
He rolled his eyes. "How am I going to-"
With a horrible CRACK! the tape snapped cleanly in half, tumbling to the car floor. The two fell silent, slowly meeting each other's eyes.
"You have got to be kidding me," Techno groaned.
Tommy burst into laughter. "Don't worry, I found more," he reassured, reaching into his back pocket and revealing three other tapes. "Ah, maybe you should-"
Techno silently offered out his hand, and he gingerly placed them in his palm. Without taking his eyes off the road, Techno placed one in the tape player, and gentle melodies filled the space between them.
"Better than nothing," Tommy huffed, settling himself into the seat.
After a moment, Techno glanced over at him. "How about you get some sleep, alright?"
He scoffed, crossing his arms. "I'm not even tired."
He was out in ten minutes. Techno knew because he had been watching the time, swearing to himself that if that boy didn't sleep soon, he would knock him out himself. He watched him snore and, for a moment, he smiled.
The smile suddenly vanished from his face as he glanced back out the windshield. He hurriedly slammed on the breaks, turning to the seat beside him. "Tommy- Tommy, get up."
"Oi!" He woke with a start, scowling. "Christ, give a man a warning before-"
"Get down, you idiot!" Techno seethed, pushing him down by his head.
He peeked his eyes above the dashboard, watching a man limp towards the car. He was crying out for a help, waving his arms in the air, and Tommy turned to Techno. "We're helping him, surely?"
"Get back up, quick," Techno urged, "and put your seatbelt on."
Tommy obeyed, furrowing his brow. "What about the guy?"
He narrowed his eyes, gripping the steering wheel. "He's not even hurt," he snarled.
He slammed his foot on the pedal, and Tommy lunged forwards, his seatbelt the only thing stopping him from tumbling out the window. The man, who had only moments ago been barely able to stand, suddenly straightened up, pulling out a pistol. As the car veered around a corner, more men jumped out of hiding places, weapons drawn. Tommy ducked down as bullets flew through the windows and men flung themselves at the car. He squeezed his eyes shut, shielding his head with his arms, his heart pounding in his ears.
At the wheel, Techno gritted his teeth as he drove through the ambush. At one point, he ran straight over a man who'd attempted to shoot out the tires, now rolling underneath them with a sickening squish. Tommy's quivering figure in the corner of his vision, only one thought repeated in Techno's mind: PROTECT HIM, PROTECT HIM, PROTECT HIM. Finally, when he had nowhere else to turn, he desperately swerved the car into an abandoned drug store.
Mistake number one: The store wasn't as big as he'd thought.
Mistake number two: The windshields weren't as durable as he'd thought.
A horrible CRACK! drowned out all other noise as the car slammed against a wall, and everything faded to black.