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Tommy didn’t hear a warning yell fast enough.
He stumbled backwards when something hit his chest— thank god he was wearing the bulletproof vest that Tubbo had made him.
Another one hit him, and it actually found his skin this time. It wasn’t near his chest, but at his thigh.
The force made him stop. It left him stunned, and if he wasn’t high off adrenaline, he was sure he would’ve fallen to the ground.
His teammates didn’t get the memo.
“Tommy!”
Someone pulled him behind a cover. He hissed as it jostled his leg.
“Oh god, did that hit your chest?!”
Wilbur’s eyes scanned him, fear making them blown wide. He grabbed his shirt, trying to find the bullet hole.
“No— the vest stopped it. I think,” he winced. “It’s my— leg. ” Stress leaked into his words. He could feel it now, and it hurt so bad he felt like he couldn’t breathe.
He’d heard people describe getting shot before. They had really undersold it.
Wilbur refocused, now trying to find the bullet hole in his leg.
Tommy screwed his eyes shut, with his fingernails digging into the palms of his hand. He let out a sharp gasp when Wilbur found it.
“Shit— We need to get you to a hospital.”
“Well, I can’t exactly move right now.”
Wilbur poked up from behind the barrier and brought up his radio. “We have an injury, going to need medical attention A.S.A.P, over?”
Tommy peaked out from the side, picking up his firearm, which he hadn’t even noticed fall.
He saw Phil look behind as he heard the message. He sent one more shot over, and then ducked down so the blonde couldn’t see him anymore.
Tommy screwed his eyes shut again and leaned back behind the barrier. He heard the sounds of gunshots coming from above him— Wilbur.
He felt sick, like he wanted to throw up. Something was very wrong with his leg, he could tell that much.
Wilbur ducked back down. “Put your hand over it and try to stop the bleeding.” His voice had taken on a tight tone.
“You— worried — about me, Wil’?” he teased.
“No, because you’re going to be fine.”
They didn’t comment on the way Wilbur’s voice shook.
“Where are you hurt?”
He wiped around and came face-to-face with Phil. It left him shocked, so he didn’t answer.
“It’s his thigh.”
“Fuck.”
Tommy winced as another bullet hit the barrier and shook it.
Techno was still out there, fighting by himself.
They couldn’t get out of the building until they could get to the doorway. They were at the bottom floor when they had been ambushed, and it had turned into four against about twenty.
“We need to get out of here,” Wilbur stressed again.
Phil leaned to the side of the barrier, checking.
“Go, advance, now!”
Wilbur looked at Phil and nodded. Tommy, on the other hand, shook his head.
“It hurts,” he whispered, then tipped his head back.
“Here, I have some bandages.” Phil pulled them out and moved to the other side of him. He reached for Tommy’s hand so he could pull it away.
When Phil did, he could feel that something was wrong.
Blood coated his hand and pants, even though he had been pressing down on it. It was a lot of blood.
His heart leapt to his throat, and he looked away. That was a lot of blood.
“C’mon, can you bring your knee up?”
Tommy nodded and followed the instructions. Something extremely tight began to wrap around the injury.
It hurt so bad, and he couldn’t stop himself from crying. Tears fell down his cheeks as the situation began to press on him.
Their base wasn’t just a hop, skip, and a jump across the stream. He couldn’t walk there in this condition.
Sure, their group had cars, but what if they hadn’t heard their radio? Even then, what if they didn’t bring someone medical savvy?
What ifs began to tumble around his head, and the scenarios all ended the same; him not making it back alive.
“Tommy, stay focused,” Phil snapped.
He blinked, and the bandages were now wrapped so tightly circulation was probably being cut off to his leg.
And even then, something told him that it wasn’t enough to stop the blood.
His gaze focused on the concrete below him. There was dark blood pooling on the grey surface.
“Phil—“
“I am not leaving you behind, so don’t even try to convince me.” The anger in Phil’s voice made him flinch.
“But—“
“Tommy, no .”
Phil finished up the bandages— he must’ve used a whole roll. He tied it off, then went up to look over.
“C’mon mate, we need to move forward.”
“I can’t, Phil.”
Phil slotted his arm under one of his armpits and dragged him upwards. He leaned practically all of his body weight onto him, but Phil seemed to be able to manage it.
There weren't many people left. Wilbur and Techno were managing them fine, and they both looked okay.
Of course. He was the only one who had gotten hurt. What was he? A main character?
His tears had stilled, but when he attempted to walk, his vision blacked out for a moment.
Curses flew out of his mouth in a muddy slew. Phil’s grip on him tightened as he tried to keep him from falling, but he couldn’t exactly hold his entire weight.
Another gunshot went off, and another, and another— the sound was relentless, grating on his ears.
His hearing was already decently damaged from his childhood, and joining the rebellion definitely hadn’t helped.
Everything was too much right now. Lucky for him, the shooting finally stopped.
“Techno, come help me with him!” Phil shouted.
Techno looked back, confusion dusting his features. Wilbur did too, and started to make his way over even though he wasn’t called.
The twins reached him in an instant.
“Are you okay?” Techno asked.
He wanted to laugh. Of course he wasn’t okay!
Concern swirled in all of their eyes, so he kept quiet. All his energy was leaving, and he found the urge to completely collapse becoming more and more prominent with every passing moment.
He eventually muttered a ‘no’ and leaned his head on Phil’s shoulder.
“Here, Tech, can you carry him? The van should be here soon.”
Tommy perked up a bit at the idea of his brother (?) carrying him. He liked it— Techno always ran a bit warm. It was like getting a hug from a blanket.
“Be careful of his leg.”
He was handed off to another person, and then picked up. He whimpered when they accidentally brushed his injury, but other than that, he was comfortable.
“Phil, he’s already bleedin’ through—”
“I know.”
What were they talking about again?
His head went spacy as he stared at the roof above him.
Right, his leg.
Tommy felt himself distancing. It sent alarm bells through his mind, so he tried to focus on what was happening around him better.
Techno’s shirt that he wore when they went out on missions was feeling rough. He probably needed a new one.
They were moving. Techno was taking incredibly careful steps, and held him close.
In an attempt to make it easier for him, he looped his arms around his neck and leaned on his shoulder.
It was so comfy. He could fall asleep here.
His eyes were growing heavy. He heard a shout of alarm above him, but all he could really focus on was the way the grey of the roof turned to a dark blue sky, and then, grey again.
He made a questioning noise when he was set down somewhere, Techno’s long hair disappearing out of view.
There was more yelling above him. He blinked slowly.
There was a grip on his arm. Blonde hair and blue eyes entered his vision, and he smiled.
“Dad.”
He couldn’t feel his leg.
Tommy’s smile dropped like water retreating back to the ocean. He had a moment of clarity, and he remembered.
I’ve got to stay awake, he told himself. Right?
There was a hand on his head. He turned it to the side and found Wilbur kneeling down next to him.
“Yeah, focus on me Toms.”
“‘il?”
Wilbur smiled, but it felt wrong. “Yes.”
He blinked slowly, letting his eyes stay shut for a moment.
He was tired.
Maybe he could just take a little nap…
No! a more awake part of him screamed.
But he was so, so tired.
“ Tommy, sunshine, can you keep your eyes open for me? ”
He was more tired than the first time there had been city sweeps.
He was more tired than the time he had sat by Phil’s bedside in med bay for three days.
He was more tired than when he had gone on a re-con mission in the guard cadet academy for four.
He could feel himself slipping.
“ Tommy— please— c’mon— “
Selfishly, Tommy let himself fall.
━━･ ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ ･━━
Tommy’s eyes felt like they had been sewn shut. His throat felt like actual sandpaper, and his lips were so chapped he was uncomfortable.
He heard slow, steady beeping beside him. It grated on his ears, which also hurt.
Everything hurt.
Slowly, he peeled his eyes open, and was met with solid white. For a moment, he thought he was dead.
And then, it cleared. His eyes picked up on the imperfections in the ceiling, and a very distinct smell entered his nostrils. He winced. Med bay. What did he do this time?
He racked his brain, trying to remember. The last thing he could think about was retrieving the files, and then running into a trap.
But what had happened after that?
Tommy groaned, mind coming up blank. All this thinking was making his head hurt, which was already pounding for some reason.
“Tommy?”
The words were spoken hesitantly, and he almost didn’t pick them up. He turned his head to the side to find whoever had talked.
Wilbur was sat with his arms in his lap, a book discarded to the side of him. His vision drifted over, and he found Techno actually reading one. It didn’t stay that way for long, though— Wilbur slapped his arm, bringing his attention over to the blonde.
“Hey,” Wilbur offered.
“Hey,” he croaked back.
Well, tried to at least. He was sure nobody understood what he was saying.
Techno stood up and grabbed something from under his seat. “Take some water, kid.” He handed a bottle over to him, lid already unscrewed.
He took the water out of his hand— his arms were shaking so bad, he thought he was going to drop it— and lifted it up to his mouth.
The bottle started to slip out of his hold. Before he could even begin to react, a hand caught it.
The water streamed down his throat, and he prayed that it helped the sandpaper feeling go away. He was already done with it.
The bed sunk down to his side when Techno sat down. He took in the man’s appearance when he fully came into view, and his heart plumented. His hair was disheveled and his eyes were puffy.
The pinkette tipped the water back all too soon. He went to open his mouth to complain, but Techno beat him to talking.
“I’m just makin’ sure you don’t choke.”
Tommy looked to his lap. A quilted blanket sat on him, and he recognized it as one of his own. He had struggled to find a blanket that fitted his long stature, and had resorted to making his own whenever he had the time.
He had a lot of that, surprisingly. City officials ordered raids for days on end, and during that time, everyone was stuck underground. So he spent his time on mundane tasks to take his mind off the fear.
He clenched the familiar fabric in his hands. Confusion was still at the forefront of his mind, but he couldn’t pry his mouth open to ask the age old question— what happened?
Also: how much longer was he going to have to stay here?
He placed his hands into the cot, pushing himself further upwards. An excessive amount of pain shot up his leg, which now felt like it was one fire. He groaned.
“Tommy, what’s wrong?” Wilbur was at his side now. He leaned over, protectiveness leaking into his actions.
“The pain medication must’ve worn off,” Techno frowned.
Tommy leaned his head backwards, still wincing. Well, at least he had found out why he was in the med bay in the first place.
“I’ll go get Charlie.” Techno set the cup down on a nightstand and disappeared behind a curtain.
There were only a few true rooms in the medical wing, so they had fashioned curtains out of whatever they could find. It provided an illusion of privacy, but Tommy still hated it.
He had said goodbye to too many people in this place. He had spent too many hours by people’s bedsides, too many hours trying to crochet for comfort.
Techno had literally dragged him away once, telling him he spent way too much time in there for his own good.
He wondered how much time they had spent by his side, too scared to leave lest his chest stopped going up and down— absolute hypocrites, they were.
(He couldn’t blame them.)
He looked around the room again. There was an IV strand to his left, attached to his arm.
“They had to get you a blood transfusion.”
He looked back at Wilbur. The brunette had taken hold of his hand, lacing their fingers together.
“Your lucky Tubbo knew what your blood type was,” Wilbur huffed. “I don’t even want to know why he knew that instead of us, though.”
Tommy squinted, trying to remember when he had told the boy in question something as random as that. He shuttered when he found that he didn’t have a clue.
“Yeah, me too.” His voice was still croak-y, but at least he was understandable now.
His mind ventured elsewhere as he thought of Tubbo. But instead of thinking of a brunette— Tubbo couldn’t enter the med bay, too many bad memories— he was thinking about Phil.
His eyes dropped to his hands again.
Where was Phil?
His stomach dropped, and tears brimmed in his eyes. He tried to stuff it down but he couldn’t stop them from rolling.
Was he not worthy of the man’s time?
“Tommy, what’s wrong?”
The blonde shook his head. He brought his hand up to wipe at his eyes, smearing the tears all over his face.
He knew that Phil wouldn’t do that, but a voice in his head, the one that whispered insecurities in his ear, told him that he was too much. That nobody wanted him.
Tommy’s heart rate quickened as he spiraled. There was no heart rate monitor to alert Wilbur to his panic, who in turn, assumed something was hurting.
“Techno’s gonna be back soon, and Charlie will give you some medicine. How does that sound, sunshine?”
Right on cue, the curtain was opened. Two people stepped inside the makeshift room. Techno was at his side again, but it still wasn’t okay. His father was nowhere to be seen.
“Tommy, I’m going to need you to tell me how bad it hurts.” Charlie placed a hand on his arm, standing on the other side of the bed.
“No,” he shook his head. “No— it doesn’t really hurt.”
“Then why are you crying?”
Tommy bit his lip. He didn’t want to say it, too embarrassed. Phil had better things to do than be with him.
Next to him, Wilbur lowered his eyebrows, a sign of him trying to think.
“It’s because Phil isn’t here, isn’t it?”
The blonde froze at Techno’s words.
“Oh, Tommy,” Wilbur leaned back in, the grip on his hand getting tighter. “He was here until a couple hours ago.”
“He hadn’t slept in over four days,” Charlie chimed in. “He collapsed from exhaustion— he’s in that room over there.” He pointed to the curtain behind him, and began to walk over to it so he could pull it open.
Sure enough, laying in a cot, was Phil.
Phil, who apparently hadn’t slept in four days.
Tension dropped from his shoulders in an instant. He couldn’t stop himself from asking though.
“He’s okay, right?”
“Yeah, he’ll wake up eventually. He’s going to be mad we didn’t wake him though.” Charlie shook his head.
“Why?”
Tommy had a feeling that he already knew ‘why’— he just wanted to make sure. Wanted to make sure that his family was truly his family, wanted to make sure that it was all real.
Wilbur clenched his hand tighter around his. “He wanted to be here when you woke up.”
He wanted to ask why again, but Techno saved him from it.
“You called him ‘dad’ before you passed out.” His voice was nonchalant, not matching what he said at all.
In a moment, he could feel heat rush up his face, dusting his cheeks what he knew was a rosy red. “What?” he squeeked.
“You activated a mother bird Phil. He freaked the fuck out,” Wilbur chimed in.
The teen ducked his head in embarrassment. A wave of something passed over him, leaving his heart in his throat.
“But,” Wilbur’s voice turned softer, “hey, sunshine, look at me.” A hand turned his chin, and he locked eyes with his brother Wilbur.
“It was okay. I think I might’ve laughed at his face if I hadn’t been so panicked.”
Panicked. They had been worried about him— so much so that they had stayed by his side in an unwavering vigil for days. For a moment, a word crossed his mind. He wondered if that was what this all was; love.
It was an alien word to Tommy. There hadn’t been much of that while growing on the streets of L’Manberg, where it was everyone for themselves. When he had joined the rebellion, he had still felt so incredibly lonely.
Until Wilbur had crashed into him.
Until Technoblade had offered to train him.
Until Phil had sat next to him in the cafeteria.
The blonde felt incredibly overwhelmed at his revelation.
Was this what it felt like to have a family?
No— no, that was too hopeful.
“Y’know,” Wilbur spoke even quieter, like he was unsure of what he was about to say. “I’ve always wanted a little brother.”
Tommy froze up again. “Really?”
Wilbur smiled at him. “Really.”
He leaned into the brunette’s chest, still unsure. Had it been that easy?
“Hey, don’t leave me out of this one.” Techno was at his other side now, and he put his arms around the two of them.
“You’re like big brothers to me too, I guess.”
“Don’t say that, I’ll cry,” Wilbur sniffled.
Tommy felt incredibly safe in the arms of his brothers.
(It felt good to say that. It was like an invisible weight had been taken off his chest, like everything was slotting right into place.)
He felt warm, and felt himself falling back to the clutches of sleep. There was a subtle pain in his leg now, though. He didn’t think that he would be able to fall back asleep because he noticed it, so unfortunately, he had to push the two off.
“Charlie, I think I’m gonna need that medication now,” he winced.
The man in question was awkwardly standing in the corner, obviously trying not to watch the heartfelt moment between the brothers. He perked up when he was mentioned though. “You got it boss!”
Soon enough, Tommy could feel himself going numb again. He blinked blearily, yawning every few seconds.
Wilbur and Techno were chatting idly above him, sensing that he had exhausted his energy levels.
Tommy was utterly exhausted. So when he felt himself falling, this time he allowed himself to without second thought.
(“He woke up and you didn’t wake me?! ”
“Phil. Phil, ” Techno reasoned. “He called us his brothers.”
“He did?” Phil’s voice quieted.
“Phil, it was adorable. I think Charlie took a photo,” Wilbur swooned.
“Where’s Charlie— I need that.”)