Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Phil looked over at his phone where it sat next to him as it buzzed with a text from Techno.

Techno: 

[Phil]

Phil:

[yeah mate?]

Techno:

[my room]

[need you]

Shit, ok. ‘Need you’ was Techno’s shorthand way of saying ‘I don’t feel safe and I need you to come help me feel safe again.’ Phil hurried up the stairs to Techno’s door. He tried to twist the handle, but it was locked.

“Techno,” he called through the door, “I can’t come in if the door’s locked. Can you let me in?”

A moment later the phone in his other hand buzzed again.

Techno:

[cant]

“What do you mean ‘can’t’, Techno?”

Techno:

[cant unlock the door]

Phil sighed. He meant for Techno to elaborate on why he couldn’t unlock the door. Oh well.

“Techno, I can’t come in unless the door is unlocked.”

Techno:

[I know]

[but I cant]

[need you]

Shit. Ok. He could unlock the door from the outside. He didn’t like doing that though. Especially for Techno. He didn’t want to take away his kids’ feeling of being safe in their own space.

“Techno, I can unlock the door from out here then. Is that ok?”

Techno:

[dunno]

[please]

“Ok.”

Phil got the door open and walked into the room. Techno was pressed into the corner, his phone clutched tightly in his hands. He was breathing heavily as his eyes darted around the room.

“Aw, mate…” Phil breathed out.

Techno’s eyes snapped to him and widened in fear. Phil frowned. Had he not noticed him come in?

“Hey, hey. You’re okay. It’s just me, Techno. It’s Phil. You’re safe.”

Phil moved closer and sat against the wall next to him. 

“Do you want touch?” Phil asked.

Techno shrugged.

“Um…” he whispered, “can I just touch, but you don’t?”

“Sure,” Phil replied easily.

Sometimes that was better, it allowed Techno more control over the situation. Techno tentatively reached over and grabbed his wrist, pulling it onto his lap.

“Keep talking please,” he whispered as he played with Phil’s fingers.

“You’re safe, Techno. You’re okay. You’re in your room at the house we live in together with Wilbur. The weather’s getting colder, it’ll really be fall soon. You’re safe here. We’re in your room. It’s just you and me in here. Wilbur’s in his room. If you really listen, you can hear him playing that song he’s working on.”

Phil paused to let Techno try to listen for it. 

“It’s a nice song, right? I think-” Phil was cut off by his phone ringing.

He picked it up to look at the screen. It was one of the social workers he had worked with before. But Techno needed him right now. He went to put the phone back down next to him but was stopped by a hand on his wrist. Techno was leaning forward with his arm stretched across him as he looked at the screen.

“Answer it,” he said calmly.

“Techno-”

“Someone else might need you too. I’ll be fine. Answer it.”

Phil shook his head fondly at the pink head of hair in front of his eyes. Techno was always putting others first, even when he probably shouldn’t.

“Ok, but I’m right here, alright?”

Techno leaned back against the wall and squeezed the hand still in his lap lightly. Phil answered the phone and brought it to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Philza, can you talk right now?”

He glanced over at Techno, who nudged him with his shoulder when he waited too long to answer.

“Yeah, sorry. Now’s fine. What’s going on?”

“We need a placement for a kid. He’s 10. His name is Tommy. He’s, uh… He’s a bit of a handful.”

“Ok,” Phil hummed out.

“There’s an issue at his current foster home with the other kids.”

They continued discussing the situation for a bit and they promised to send him the file.

“Alright, well, I’ll need to talk to my kids first. Can I call you back in a bit?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll look out for your call.”

“Thanks, bye.”

Phil hung up the phone and looked over at Techno. He was tracing the lines of Phil’s palm and mouthing words to himself. He looked up at Phil when he realized that he had stopped talking.

“Does someone need you?” Techno asked.

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Are they coming tonight?” 

“I still need to call them back. I said I needed to ask you guys.”

“So call back and tell them yes.”

“Techno, I haven’t even told you anything.”

“You told me that they need you. That’s all that matters, really.”

Techno looked down at his lap and his expression hardened.

“I don’t like thinking about what could have happened to me if you hadn’t said yes.”

Oh.

“Ok, I still need to talk to Wilbur though, ok?”

Techno squeezed Phil’s hand and pulled it closer to him. The unspoken message was clear. Don’t leave . 

“I’m right here, Tech, don’t worry,” he assured.

Techno grabbed his phone and typed out a text. Phil’s phone buzzed with a message to the family group chat.

Techno:

[Wilbur]

[come to my room]

[Phil needs to talk to you but I’m hoarding him]

Phil heard the guitar playing stop and then a chuckle down the hall. Techno gave a satisfied smile and set down his phone. Then he shifted so that he was leaning against Phil and hugging his arm.

“You doing alright, mate?” Phil asked gently.

Techno tightened the hug on his arm.

“Yeah, it’s getting better,” he mumbled.

There was a knock on the door. Techno jumped and squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his face into Phil’s shoulder.

“It’s just Wilbur. It’s just Wilbur. It’s just Wilbur. Wilbur is safe. Wilbur can come in,” he muttered frantically under his breath. 

“Come in, Wil,” Phil called. 

Wilbur cracked the door open and slipped into the room, closing it behind him. His eyes flicked over Techno and he winced.

“Sorry, Techno. Did I startle you?” he asked. 

“‘M fine,” Techno mumbled.

Wilbur met Phil’s eyes with a concerned and apologetic look but didn’t say anything more about it.

“So, what did you want to talk about, Dad?” Wilbur asked as he sat on the floor and leaned back against Techno’s bed.

“I got a call from a social worker, they have a kid who needs a new placement. I need to know how you feel about this before I give them an answer.”

Phil watched as Wilbur tipped his head back and thought for a moment.

“Ok… What can you tell me?”

“His name is Tommy and he’s 10 years old. Um… he’s having some issues in the foster home he’s in right now, so they’re looking to move him to a new home.”

Wilbur hummed.

“How does Techno feel about it?”

“I said yes,” Techno supplied.

Wilbur’s eyes widened slightly.

“Dad?”

“I will respect whatever decision you make, Wilbur, but, if you’re asking if I want to offer Tommy a place in our home, then yes, I do.”

Wilbur hummed again. 

“Ok. I… yeah, let’s do it.”

Phil checked his son’s expression for any signs of uncertainty or doubt, but found none. A finger poked him sharply in the side.

“Call them back and tell them yes then,” Techno grumbled. 

“Ok, ok. I’m working on it,” Phil chuckled as he unlocked his phone.

He called the social worker back and they worked it all out so that Tommy would be coming for a visit tomorrow to make sure they were a good fit for him.

Chapter Text

Tommy fidgeted in the back seat of the social worker’s car. This was so stupid. He didn’t get why they even bothered with this shit, no one showed their true selves on the first day. Maybe the foster parents would say they didn’t think they could handle him, but that usually didn’t happen until a week in. So, really, this was just a massive waste of time for everyone involved so that the social workers could say they ‘had no idea anything like that would happen’ when it all went to shit. The social worker, he was pretty sure her name was Sarah or something like that, had started talking to him about the Craft family.

“So his name is Philza and he has two sons, Wilbur and Techno, they’re 13 and 14. Philza has been fostering for several years and adopted his son Techno after fostering him.”

She kept talking but Tommy didn’t think she was going to say anything more important. He turned his attention to the houses passing by the window. They had gotten off the highway and we’re heading into a nice suburban neighborhood.

A biological son who’s older than him… there’s no chance he would be able to rank at the top of the pecking order then.

They pulled into the driveway of a nice looking two story house. A man who looked to be in his thirties walked out onto the front porch, his shoulder length blonde hair swaying in the slight breeze. The man smiled and waved cheerfully. 

Tommy scoffed under his breath. What did he have to be so happy about? It was probably a front to get him to let his guard down. Well too bad, old man. That wasn’t happening. He wouldn’t see the man’s true nature today, then. Not with the social worker still there. Tommy unbuckled his seatbelt and slid out of the car. He followed his social worker up to the porch with his arms crossed across his chest and a scowl on his face. The man smiled even more when they reached the porch, which- how did that not hurt his face or something, seriously? 

“Hi, mate. My name is Philza, but you can just call me Phil,” the man said, holding out his hand to shake.

Tommy gave the hand a pointed look and kept his arms crossed.

“Don’t call me Thomas. My name is Tommy,” he said firmly.

Phil just nodded and dropped his hand back to his side.

“Of course. Nice to meet you, Tommy.”

His social worker cleared her throat and held out her hand.

“Nice to meet you as well, Phil. I’m Sarah, Tommy’s social worker.”

Phil shook her hand.

“Alright. How about we head inside and we can go over introductions and ground rules?” Phil gestured for them to go inside and into the kitchen.

Tommy followed behind Sarah and looked around the house. It looked nice enough, if not a little cluttered. A tall kid with curly brown hair and round glasses was lounging on the couch in the living room, his long legs dangling over the arm while he scrolled through his phone.

“Hey, Wilbur?” Phil called as they walked past. “Can you text Techno, since you’re already on your phone, and meet us in the kitchen?”

“Sure.”

Phil led them into the kitchen and gestured for them to take a seat at the table. Tommy sat down next to Sarah and Phil sat down on his other side. 

“I’m mostly just looking to see if Tommy and your kids get along alright and we can discuss some of the paperwork side of things towards the end of the visit if everything works out,” Sarah explained.

“Sounds good,” Phil said with a smile.

Wilbur came in a moment later and flopped down in the chair across from him gracefully. He seemed calm and comfortable, which Tommy supposed made sense. He was on his home turf, he had nothing to worry about. Tommy would need to figure out how to get on his good side and stay there. 

“Hullo…” a voice drawled out behind him.

Tommy nearly jumped out of his chair. A teen walked around the table and- holy shit! Why was he so intimidating?! He was tall, though not as tall as Wilbur, and, while he was lean, Tommy could tell that he had muscles. His face was set in a blank expression and even his pastel pink hair pulled back into a braid somehow added to his intimidation factor. He sat down in the chair next to Wilbur and crossed his arms and looked around at everyone else sitting at the table before settling his gaze back on Tommy. Tommy fought the urge to shrink back from his gaze. He was being sized up and he could not afford to back down. 

“Alright,” Phil clapped his hands together quietly, “I think we should start with some introductions and basic boundaries, if that’s alright with everyone?”

The other two boys nodded easily and Phil turned to look at Tommy.

“Oh… uh… sure?”

Tommy wasn’t exactly sure what that meant but it wasn’t like he could complain about a new foster family’s get to know you/going over rules routine.

“Ok, so, I’m Phil, but I don’t care much about what you call me so long as it’s not outright offensive. I do ask that, if you are going to be out of the house for a while or coming home late, you let me know in some way because I tend to be a bit of a worrier. Please knock before coming into my office if the door’s closed and I think that applies to all the doors in this house.”

Wilbur nodded in agreement to that.

“I think that’s all… Wilbur, do you want to go next?”

“Sure. I’m Wilbur. Some people call me Wil. I’m fine with nicknames, but you need to actually put effort into them,” he said with a laugh. “Um, I’m 13 and in middle school. I play the guitar and sing and write music. Please try not to yell at me or say vague things like ‘can we talk’ or whatever without clarifying. If anything I do or say upsets you, please try to tell me directly so that I can stop it, instead of just making you hate me. That’s everything.”

Wilbur started fidgeting with the cuffs of his sweater sleeves at the end but kept the easy smile on his face.

The teen with pink hair shifted slightly.

“I’m Techno. Making fun of my name is cringe. Don’t touch me without asking and don’t grab me ever. If I ask you to stop talking about something, stop. If I say I don’t want to answer a question, don’t ask it again,” he said flatly.

Techno leaned back and let his gaze fall to the table between them.

“Technooo…” Wilbur pouted.

Techno scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“Fine. I’m in high school. I play basketball. Happy?” he asked Wilbur, annoyed.

“Yes.”

“Alright, Tommy?” Phil asked.

“Ok… My name is Tommy, not Thomas. I’m 10 and in elementary school. I’m probably better than you at video games.”

“Tom.” 

Sarah scolded him, but Wilbur and Phil laughed. Techno didn’t react though. Tommy faltered slightly. What were his boundaries? He’d never really done this before. 

“Um…? Don’t take my stuff and don’t be a bitch, I guess?”

“Alright, we can work on making that more specific later,” Phil said. “So, Tommy, do you want to go hang out with Techno and Wilbur in the living room for a bit? Or you can all stay in here, if you’d prefer?”

Tommy weighed his options. If he stayed in the kitchen, there would be Phil and Sarah to act as a buffer, but the other two might see that as a sign of weakness. He glanced at Phil and stood up and pushed in his chair.

“We can go to the living room if you guys want,” he said with a shrug.

Wilbur and Techno followed him out to the living room. Tommy sat on the one end of the couch Wilbur had been laying on. Wilbur sat down on the other end of it and Techno sat in an armchair, twisting his body to swing his leg over the arm.

“So… You said you liked to play video games?” Wilbur asked.

“Oh? You want to get your arse kicked?” Tommy challenged, puffing out his chest.

Wilbur laughed.

“Sure, kid.”

“Hey! I’m not a kid!!” 

“You literally are, but ok,” Wilbur said, grabbing the controllers from the cabinet next to the tv. “You playing, Techno?”

“No,” he grunted, not looking up from typing on his phone.

~~~

After a couple rounds of mario kart, Phil walked into the living room.

“Hey, how’s it going?”

“Tommy’s actually pretty good at this,” Wilbur teased.

“Hey!” Tommy squawked.

Phil walked over to where Techno was sitting and bent down to whisper something to him. Techno hopped up and left up the stairs. Sarah walked over and pulled Tommy out into the hall.

“So, Tommy, what do you think?”

What did Tommy think? There wasn’t really much to go off of and Techno scared him, not that he’d ever admit it, but there was no telling if the next choice would be better or worse.

“They’re alright, I guess,” he said with a shrug.

“Wonderful. I’ll start on the paperwork with Phil then. Do you want to keep playing games with Wilbur or sit with us?”

Let’s see, play video games or listen to Sarah tell Phil about his “difficulties”... He gave her a look that he hoped said ‘what do you think’. 

“I’ll stay with Wilbur.”

Chapter Text

Phil glanced at the time on his phone. It was almost time to go pick up Techno from his therapist appointment. He’d spent the afternoon running around getting stuff ready for Tommy to come tomorrow and had decided to stop at the store while waiting for Techno to grab a couple extra things. He made his way to the checkout, his cart full of throw blankets and decorative pillows and sweatshirts. It was probably a bit much, but some of the stuff was for Wilbur and Techno, sue him, he liked buying stuff for his kids.

Once everything was bagged and loaded into the back of his car, Phil drove to the strip mall where Techno’s therapist’s office was. He pulled into the parking lot and sent a text to Technoblade just as his session was ending.

Phil:

[Hey mate I’m here. Do you want me to come in or wait outside?]

Techno:

[Wait outside.]

A few moments later, a familiar head of pink hair hurried out the door and over to the car. Phil smiled gently at Techno as he climbed into the passenger seat and buckled his seatbelt. 

“Hey, mate.”

Techno didn’t respond and instead curled up on the seat, wrapping his arms around his knees. Phil hummed. He reached over and changed the radio to play classical music quietly as he pulled out of the parking lot. He continued to glance over at Techno from the corner of his eye as he drove. His hair was out of its normal braid and instead was hanging loose with lots of small braids throughout it, something that Phil recognized as a sign that Techno had been talking about something difficult and had sought comfort in the familiar motions for his hands. He could see his natural hair color starting to show through at his roots and made a mental note to ask him if he wanted to touch it up soon. He grew a bit concerned when Techno still hadn’t moved or made any sound.

“Techno? You with me, mate?”

Techno shifted slightly.

“Yeah, I’m here. Just…” he made a sound somewhere between a whine and a groan, “not doing great.”

“Is there something I can do that will help?” Phil asked, careful to keep his voice soft and even.

“No… Maybe... I don’t know,” Techno grew frustrated as he spoke.

“Ok. Let me know if you want me to do anything.”

They kept driving without saying anything else for a while.

“Can you… Can you tell my teachers that I can’t do my homework tonight? I- I just need another day. I can’t…” 

Techno trailed off at the end. His voice was so quiet Phil barely heard him.

“Yeah, I can do that for you, mate.”

Techno gave a nod of thanks before curling into a tighter ball. Phil tried to ignore the way his heart twisted at that. He wished he could take all of his worries. Wished that he had the power to undo all the wrong his kid had experienced. But he didn’t. All he could do was offer what little comforts he had.

They pulled into the driveway and Phil turned to Techno again. 

“Do you want to be with someone or alone right now?”

Without lifting his head from where it was buried in his arms, Techno held out two shaky fingers, indicating the second of the two options.

“Ok. Let’s head in so you can go upstairs then,” Phil said as he got out of the car.

Techno followed behind him with his arms wrapped around himself and his head down. Phil held the front door open for Techno and closed it behind them. Wilbur poked his head out of the living room.

“Hey Tech-….no,” he said as Techno walked past and up the stairs without acknowledging him.

Wilbur looked up at Phil with a concerned question written on his face. Phil just met his eyes and shook his head slightly. Techno had asked to be left alone, so they would respect that.

“Do you want to help me get the stuff out of the car, mate?” Phil asked.

Wilbur shrugged and followed him back out to the car.

~~~

Phil always preferred to sleep with his door open as it allowed him to hear what was going on in the house better. He also was a rather light sleeper and woke up easily. It was because of this that he woke up just a moment before Techno knocked softly on his doorframe.

“Phil?”

Phil sat up and rubbed a hand over his eyes.

“Yeah, mate?”

Techno’s expression was illuminated by the nightlights in the hallway and it made Phil’s heart clench. He looked so young and vulnerable. The small braids from earlier had all been brushed out and the loose strands fell in front of his face.

“Can… Can I have a hug? Please?” Techno asked, his voice painfully small.

“Of course, Techno,” Phil answered as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and held his arms out. “Come here.”

With some hesitancy, Techno walked over and sat down next to Phil on the bed. He leaned into Phil as his arms wrapped around him. Phil held him and waited for Techno to give a sign of wanting to pull away. They sat like that for several minutes while Techno seemed to try to regulate his breathing. When Techno pulled back slightly, Phil let him go without any resistance. Techno took a deep breath.

“I-”

“…”

“…”

“Whenever you’re ready, I’ll listen,” Phil whispered after a couple moments of silence.

“I didn’t like the things my dad did to me. They- They were bad things.”

Techno’s fingers found their way into his hair, expertly intertwining the strands. 

“They were,” Phil confirmed.

“He shouldn’t have done those things.”

“No, he shouldn’t have.”

“I didn’t deserve that.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Parents aren’t supposed to hurt their kids.”

“No, they aren’t.”

Techno’s lower lip wobbled as he dropped a finished braid and moved on to another section.

“Why did he hurt me, then?”

Techno drew his knees up to his chest, his fingers still working through his hair.

“It hurt so much. Why did he do that?” 

Phil’s heart clenched tightly. He wanted so badly to wrap Techno up in his arms and tell him that everything was ok now, but he knew that wasn’t what he needed right now. That didn’t make it any less heartbreaking to listen to Techno as he continued, though. 

“He got so mad when he couldn’t find me. I told someone once about that. They said that parents were supposed to get upset when they couldn’t find their kids, because it was scary for them. I told them that I didn’t think he was scared and that it was really scary for me instead. They told me that I should be scared when I was lost. I didn’t tell them that I was hiding on purpose because that would make me a bad kid. One time he was really angry when I woke up, so I hid out in the barn. I hid all day long and he never found me. Until dinner time, then he started calling out that he was sorry and that he wasn’t mad anymore and that he just wanted me to come back home.”

Phil’s gut wrenched as Techno let out a shaky breath and his eyes brimmed with tears threatening to spill over.

“But he lied. He was so, so angry. He just hid it from me until it was too late. What he did to me was- He was so mean, more than he usually was. And it hurt so much. Why? Why did he hurt me?”

Techno curled in on himself tighter and started sobbing. It was all Phil could do to keep himself from crying right alongside him. 

“If I d- didn’t deserve it, wh- why did- did it ha- happen?”

“Techno-“

“What d- did I do wrong? Why do I ha- have to have all th- this bad st- stuff happen to me?”

“Techno-“

“Wh- why did no one tr- try to st- stop him?”

Phil knelt down in front of where Techno was sitting on the bed.

“Techno-“

“How c- come no one hel- helped me?”

“Techno-“

“If every- everyone knows th- that it’s wr- wrong, then how- how come n- no one did any- anything?”

“Techno. Techno, can you look at me?”

Techno sobbed and lifted his face to look at Phil, tears pouring down his face.

“Hey, mate. Can you tell me two things you can see?”

Techno swiped under his eyes with his hand. He gave a tiny nod. 

“I ca- can see you, and I- uh, I can see… I can see…”

Techno started to panic.

“Hey, it’s ok, Techno. Just take a deep breath. There you go.”

Techno took another deep breath. 

“I can see the bed.”

“Great job, Tech. Do you want touch right now, or no?”

Techno nodded. 

“Please.”

Phil obliged and climbed back onto the bed. Techno crawled around to sit behind him and leaned against his back.

“Is this ok?” Techno whispered.

“Yeah, Tech, that’s fine.”

“Can I braid your hair?”

 “Yeah, mate. You can braid my hair,” Phil easily agreed.

Techno’s fingers worked carefully through his hair, though he could still feel the way his hands shook. A few sniffles escaped the boy every once and a while.

“Techno, do you want to keep going, me to say something about it, or to stop talking about it right now?” Phil asked, genuinely unsure of which would be the best course of action.

The fingers in his hair stilled and Techno sucked in a sharp breath. Slowly, hesitantly, his fingers began to move again.

“I want to be done talking about it for tonight.”

He said it cautiously, like he was waiting for Phil to force him to keep talking or to listen while he shared his piece. That was part of the further abuse that Techno had suffered in the system. Even well meaning adults had tried to force him to share about his trauma and tell him how he should feel about it. Phil did not want to join them.

“Ok. Do you want to talk about something else?”

He felt Techno shift behind him.

“Could… Could you read something to me? It doesn’t have to be anything in particular, anything at all. It doesn’t even have to be interesting, just-” Techno cut himself off with a sharp breath. “Sorry.”

“You’re ok, Techno. I can read to you if you want.”

He glanced at the edge of his nightstand and grabbed the book he had been reading off of it. 

“Is this one good or should I grab a different one?” Phil asked, holding the book up so that Techno could peer at the cover.

Techno hummed and nodded.

“Yeah, that one’s fine.”

Phil started to read the book from the beginning aloud. As he read, Techno drifted off and slumped against his back. Phil eased him down onto the bed and covered him off with the blankets.

Chapter Text

“Techno? Techno?”

Techno’s eyelids fluttered open. Where..? The memories of the night before surged into the forefront of his mind. He shuddered and curled tighter in on himself. He had fallen asleep in Phil’s room. He sucked in a sharp breath. He wanted Phil to tell him that he was ok… because he wasn’t completely sure of that himself at the moment. Where was Phil?

“Phil?”

He hated how whiny his voice sounded.

“Yeah, mate?”

Techno turned his head to see Phil sitting on the edge of the bed, his body twisted to look at him.

“Can you hug me?” Techno asked urgently with a shaky breath.

“Of course,” Phil said gently as he opened his arms.

Techno buried his face in Phil’s chest, taking deep, albeit shaky, breaths as Phil ran his fingers through his hair. 

“I’m okay?” Techno asked desperately.

Phil’s fingers started to brush out the small braids left in Techno’s hair that had begun to tangle in his sleep.

“You’re okay, Techno. You’re safe,” Phil assured. “Do you want me to keep reminding you?”

Techno shook his head. It was enough.

“I’m okay. I’m safe,” he said firmly as he sat up.

“Do you think you want to go to school today or stay home?”

“I’ll go,” Techno said, fiddling with the blankets between his fingers.

Several hours later, Techno couldn't help but wish he had made a different decision.

~~~

Techno waved off his friends from the team as he headed to his second period class. He had needed to let them know that he wasn’t going to practice after school, Phil wanted them all home for when Tommy officially arrived, so that they wouldn’t blow up his phone asking if he was alright. He walked into the classroom and frowned slightly at the sight of an unfamiliar face at the front of the room.

When the bell rang for the start of class, the man introduced himself as the substitute teacher for the day and went over their assignment for the period. Techno pulled out his computer and got to work, letting himself enjoy the quiet work time. 

Unfortunately, that didn’t last long as the sub made his way around the room, checking on everyone’s work. He stopped behind Techno’s chair and leaned forward slightly to look at his screen. As he did, a horrifically familiar scent washed over Techno, making him freeze in place. Whatever product the sub had used that day had the exact same scent as one his dad had used regularly. 

The sub nodded and made a comment about keeping up his good work but Techno didn’t notice, no longer fully mentally present in the classroom. His hands shook violently. His dad had found him. He’d been caught and he’d be dragged back to the house and punished. He couldn’t breathe properly. He needed to hide.

Thankfully, he was aware enough of his surroundings to raise his hand with the bathroom signal that was posted on the wall. The sub allowed him to leave and he rushed out of the room.

‘Where are you, Techno? I’m coming to find you.’

He ran down the hall to the stairwell at the back of the building that was barely used and shoved himself into the back of the space underneath the steps. His breathing was coming too fast. Too loud. He clamped a hand over his mouth, pressing his fingers into his cheeks so hard it hurt. He needed to be quiet and hidden so Dad couldn’t find him. Dad wasn’t supposed to be able to take him away anymore. Phil had hugged him so tightly when they went to court for the judge to say that Dad wasn’t allowed to see him anymore. Phil wouldn’t let Dad get him. He wanted Phil. 

Techno pressed his other hand over the first to try to silence the sobs that were shaking free of his chest. Phil wasn’t here though. He was busy getting things ready for Tommy to come after school. He didn’t have time to come get Techno from the school. In fact, he’d even offered to let him stay home today because Phil knew he was struggling this morning, but Techno had decided to come anyway, so really it was his own fault.

Footsteps echoed out in the hallway, making Techno flinch. They didn’t sound like Dad’s, but it wouldn’t be the first time he’d disguised how he walked. He always had been good at sneaking up on Techno if he thought he’d be able to slip away from his hiding spot. Thankfully they continued down the hallway away from him.

Breathing was getting even harder with his hands covering his mouth and his nose streaming as he cried. He was starting to feel light headed. Somewhere in the back of his mind was the somewhat rational thought that, if his dad actually really was there at the school, it was a little hard to be sure about it in his panic, then Phil really needed to know. He needed to tell Phil.

Techno slowly removed his hands from his mouth, careful to keep quiet, and  pulled out his phone to text Phil with shaking hands.

[help]

Phil responded right away, which made Techno feel warm, both from feeling cared for and guilt that he was taking up his time.

[what’s wrong?]

Techno took a shaking breath to try to calm himself before typing.

[feel like my dad is here, idk panic attack]

He watched the typing bubble from Phil and tried to count the pulsing dots.

[ok, I need you to go to the nurse and tell her you need to call me]

[can you do that for me, mate?]

Techno bit his lip and looked over at the door. Leaving his hiding spot felt wrong. But Phil was safe and Phil had told him to, so…

[ok]

Techno scrubbed at his face with his shirt sleeve and pushed himself up. He held his phone tightly in his hand and took a deep breath. All he had to do was get to the nurse and then Phil would come get him.

~~~

“Do you want to talk about it?” Phil asked gently without taking his eyes off the road.

Techno tucked his knees up under his chin and hugged his legs. He had been able to calm down somewhat after talking to Phil on the phone when the nurse called him and, now that they were heading home, he mostly felt drained. He didn’t really want to talk about it but Phil probably needed to know what happened so he could look out for it.

“I don’t, but It was a scent trigger.” He shuddered a little at the memory. “A bad one. Something the sub had used and when he came up behind me it felt like when my dad found me.”

Techno frowned and played with the hem of his shirt a little before continuing. “Actually, I’m not really sure if it’s that bad or if it’s just because it’s been really rough this week.”

He had been struggling and he felt bad about how it had been getting in the way. He’d taken up a lot of Phil’s time which also meant that Wilbur hadn’t been able to get his share of Phil’s time either. Not to mention how he’d bailed out on the time they were supposed to be spending getting to know Tommy. He wasn’t being fair to any of them. He needed to be better.

Phil hummed thoughtfully as he turned the car off the highway, breaking Techno out of his thoughts.

“What do you think you need for now?” he asked.

What Techno really wanted was to sit with Phil close to him and maybe play with his hair if Phil was ok with it. But he could see the way Phil glanced at the time and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel at the stoplights. He knew he was nervously trying to figure out how to get everything done and ready in a now shortened timeframe. Techno didn’t want to make it harder for him. He could be fine without that.

“Can I just help you finish getting stuff ready?” 

“I’m sure we can find something to keep your hands busy,” Phil said with a friendly teasing smile.