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Tommy's heart pounded as he ran, a heavy thumping against his rib cage that had been missing only hours before. His surroundings blurred together in his peripheral vision as he ran, feet stumbling beneath him and struggling to keep up with his advanced pace.
He couldn't get away from the prison fast enough, memories of his limbo chasing him away and clouding his mind as some form of persistent torture. He was stupid to go, he realised now. He and Dream would never be okay, and no matter what he would always be at danger. Trying to move on from that trauma was a lie, and he just needed to get as far away as he could and stay there.
The burning sensation in his lungs travelled to his throat once he reached colder weather. He slowed to a stop, looking around the frozen and lifeless territory. He slowly walked in a circle, large dark oak trees towering above him and the crunching of shallow snow beneath his feet helping him realise one thing: He was completely alone without any form of guide to help him find somewhere safe.
Tommy stared ahead blankly, eyes beginning to water with the biting cold. Now that his adrenaline high had run off, he was left with frozen fingers and heavy limbs. He leaned against one of the trees, scrounging his inventory to see if he had anything that could offer him any sort of warmth. The closest thing he had was an old pair of iron armour he had intended to get rid of directly after he left the prison, but his plans had changed after his encounter with Dream.
He tugged the metal on, fastening belts and cursing as the cold metal brushed his exposed neck. One of the only benefits of the armour was that the wind had less of an effect on him. However, that factor proved itself useless as he continued to walk through the snow and attempt to find some form of shelter. The armour weighed him down, stuck out like a sore thumb, and made it difficult to run.
He was finally met with a clearing, a large open circle surrounded by the impossibly large trees. The snow was undisturbed, and the sky showed that the sun was soon to set.
The panic hit Tommy hard. He had nowhere to go, no source of heat, and his stock of food was rapidly depleting thanks to the extreme cold and his lack of body heat. He fell to the ground against a tree, pulling his knees to his chest and letting his body rest. His mind ran a mile a minute while his heart continued to pump blood in a steadily slow pattern.
"Tommy?" The blond looked up at the gruff voice, eyes squinting against the brightness of the snow.
"Techno?" He stood up in a rush, dropping his bag on the ground and running to the other. He wasted no time in throwing himself at the other, worming under his heavy red cape and into the piglin hybrid's arms.
"What are you doing this far North with such little clothes?" Techno asked, moving Tommy further to his side to keep the cloak wrapped around him in a protective manner.
"I... I went to the prison, Techno." Tommy shuddered at the memories. Tears welled in his eyes as he continued to speak, "I wanted to stay with Dream to get over my fears and then he... he killed me, Techno." Techno's hold on the boy grew stronger, and as the blond began to sob he hoisted him up onto his hip in an effort to make transportation easier for the both of them.
"You're okay now, Toms. He's locked up. You're safe with me, I'll fight off anyone and anything that tries to hurt you," Techno spoke. Tommy continued to cry, but his sobs quieted and the tears slowed as Techno soothed him with a hand on his back moving up and down.
He was slipping, and fast. The built up stress from the day was enough to force him into a young age. He leaned on Techno's shoulder with silent tears slipping down his red cheeks.
"Let's grab your stuff and collect my game bag and we can head home, alright? It's too cold for anyone to be out here without proper attire, more so when it's a scrawny boy like you," Techno mused. Tommy nodded, pulling the cloak around him and holding it close as the piglin hybrid began to move, holding true to his word.
The walk back was quiet with the exception of Tommy's quiet sniffles and the shuffling of Techno's heavy boots in the snow. Tommy's cold fingers held onto Techno tightly, as if the piglin hybrid was going to disappear if he let him go.
"You okay now, Toms?" Techno asked as they approached his house, looking down at the shaking blond being held in his arms. There was a thin strip of white hair on Tommy's head, something that blended in with the light blonde colour well enough you wouldn't notice unless you were close.
"Mhm," He mumbled, eyes half closed and chest rising and falling slowly. Techno smiled at him softly, pushing the front door open to reveal his open living room. A dog sat curled up on the couch.
"We're home, kiddo."
"Home?"
"Yeah, you're staying with me for a bit. Is that okay?" Tommy nods in response, letting Techno set him down on the couch to help him take off his armour. Techno quickly strips himself of his own netherite set, hanging it up on a nearby armour stand.
"'M hungry," Tommy whines. Techno picks him up again, hoisting him up onto his hip.
"I only have big kid cups, Toms. Do you think you can be careful enough?" He asks, moving into the warm, old-timey kitchen. Tommy nods slowly, fingers holding onto the thick cloak weakly. Techno pulls the glass milk bottle out of the fridge, setting it on the counter and closing the door again.
"Tech?"
"Yes, Toms?"
"Hug?"
"Of course, kiddo. Let me put the milk away really fast and we can sit in the living room together and hug as long as you want, m'kay?" Tommy nods, taking the cup of milk in both his hands carefully. Techno picks him up once again, carrying him out to the living room and telling Apollo to get off the couch so the two have room to sit.
"You okay?" Techno asks, ruffling Tommy's hair and wrapping an arm around him protectively. Tommy leans into his chest further, fingers still an angry red. He sips on the milk in his cup slowly, focusing intently on his task of not spilling it. So far, he was doing extremely well for a toddler.
"Mhms." Techno reaches for a book on the side table, an old diary that Phil had left behind for him to skim through. There was an old tale that Philza had been told as a child on one of the pages, and he figured that it might help calm the abnormally quiet blond in his lap.
"You tired, kiddo? I saw you yawning when I was getting you your milk."
"Is cold."
"It is cold."
"Sleepy."
"Go ahead and sleep, Toms. A little boy like you needs lot of sleep. Want a bed time story?" Tommy nodded slowly. Techno assumed it was because of how exhausted he was. Techno wanted to jump with excitement when he finally found the story. He remained calm on the outside, though, and set the story down in front of Tommy so he could see the small pictures Philza had added in as well.
"Once upon a time," Techno started. He quickly launched into a long tale of a beautiful goddess that dressed in black cloaks and lived in an enchanted forest, Tommy falling asleep in the first ten minutes. Techno snorted in amusement, pulling the half-drank glass of milk from Tommy's hands and setting it on the side table with Phil's old diary. He fell asleep shortly after, the warmth of the little on his chest forcing him to realise his own exhaustion.