Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

    It’s not every day that Tommy’s mom drives him to school. It’s the perfect walking distance and it’s a needless waste of gas, but she insisted this morning. She won’t tell him why.

    “Thanks for the ride, Mom,” Tommy says as he grabs for his door handle.

    “….Yeah…” Her voice is hesitant and distant but she turns to look at him. “Uhm, I love you!”

    “Love you, too, Mom,” Tommy replies, waving as he exits the car. Mom doesn’t leave the drop off until he’s inside.

    It’s odd. She’s never been like this. She was glad when he reached an appropriate age to be allowed to walk to school alone. Excited even. And her emotional distance has always been something Tommy didn’t quite like about her. She doesn’t worry. She doesn’t get worried. Especially not about Tommy.

    But something has scared her, something she won’t tell him about.

    ----

    First period is fine. It’s school, pretty average stuff. But Tommy notices the tiniest things. He notices an absence, an empty feeling. He sees the twitchiness of many of the kids, sees them checking the windows, staring off.

    Second period is more obvious and he can’t help but search the window for anything creepy. There’s nothing out there.

    Third period, someone snaps.

    “Mr. Hober?” One student calls, raising one hand. It’s solo classwork time. She’s probably confused about a math question.

    “Yes?” Mr. Hober replies, standing from his desk.

    “Did you hear about the missing kid?” She says, gripping her pencil tightly.

    The teacher pauses, sitting back down. “I…..have. Why? Is something wrong?” She barely hesitates, her voice somewhat shaky.

    “No, I just wanted to ask who it was….” The student explains, rubbing her pencil between her fingers as her eyes slowly go back to her work.

    Mr. Hober sighs. “…..It was Wilbur Soot. He disappeared last Friday,” he says.

    Many of the students look up, curious now. Tommy tries to just focus on his class work, but he can’t stop the eavesdropping.

    “Where did he disappear?” One asks.

    “He was just on the way home from school, no one knows who took him or where they took him from. All we can do is hope the police find him.”

    Tommy stares blankly at his paper. He can’t imagine what might be going through Wilbur’s head right now. He’s probably scared. What about his family? They must be terrified for him.

    He suddenly understands why Mom wanted to drive him to school today.

    ----

    Tommy sticks with his friends during lunch, like usual. But, this time, he can only think of ‘what if one of us disappeared, too?’ He would hate to find that someone he knew well was suddenly gone and he wouldn’t know where they were for a long time.

    But, as long as they’re all taking precautions, everything will be fine.

    It should be, at least.

    ----

    “Hey, Toms! How was your day?” Mom asks when the back car door opens and Tommy gets in. She seems much more cheerful now.

    “It was alright, just normal school stuff,” he replies with a wave.

    Mom nods and doesn’t push for more, no one speaks again until the car leaves school property.

    “Are you afraid I’ll disappear, too?” Tommy asks quietly, staring out the window. Did Wilbur disappear on the sidewalk he’s watching right now?

    Mom takes a minute or so to respond, her nearly- white, blond hair covering most of her face.

    “Yeah…I just….it crossed my mind when you started walking to school that it was a possibility…” she says with a sigh. “But I guess this just scared me, to hear of it actually happening.”

    “Yeah…” the teen agrees.

    ----

    It’s dark out, the lamp has been shut off and Mom said ‘good night’ for the first time in years. He heard her lock every door after dinner. She told him to lock his own.

    He’s under the blanket now, trying not to picture the shadows in the corners as creatures reaching for him.

    Tommy stares up at his ceiling.

    He hopes Wilbur is okay.

    ----

    The next day is pretty similar; tense and quiet. Luckily, the lunchroom is getting a little louder.

    “Hey, Dream?” Tommy says, gripping the edge of the lunch table tightly.

    “Yeah?” The brunet replies, trying way too hard to open the yogurt in his hands. It’s probably George’s.

    “Do you think….someone else might disappear soon?” The blond questions, eyes trained on his lunch box.

    “Well, surely one kid is enough, y’know?” Dream says, mumbling a very annoyed ‘you’re welcome’ as he hands George his opened yogurt.

    “Really?” Tommy says in mild irritation.

    “What?” Dream replies with a straight face. Based on his words, he does seem serious.

    “But….what if the people who took him-”

    “ Tommy ,” the older teen interrupts, placing both hands on small shoulders. “Listen to me, okay?” His hands switch to holding the blond’s face. Tommy nods.

    “I don’t care what your brain is trying to tell you, but no one is going to take you away, alright? Wanna know how I know?” Dream says seriously, slightly squishing Tommy’s face now.

    “How?” Tommy replies, having to lean forward slightly.

    “Cause I know for a fact that they’d let you go the second they realized how much of pain in the a** you are,” the brunet explains, still extremely seriously.

    Tommy pulls away, giving his friend a bitter look as he sits up.

    “Dream, you’re not helping……much,” he manages quietly, speaking through gritted teeth. He doesn’t want his voice to shake.

    “Sorry, Toms, just tryna keep it light. But, and I’m being serious now, just come get me if you’re too freaked out about it. I’ll walk you to drop off or drive you home if you need me to, just try to get your mind off it, y’know?” Dream explains genuinely.

   “Okay—” The brunet pulls him into a hug and somewhat huddles around him protectively. “Thank— thanks, Dream.”

    “I care about you more than you think I do, this is all just in the contract,” the senior says reassuringly, patting Tommy’s back before pulling away and smiling. Tommy smiles back.

    “Anyways, why don’t you finish your food before the bell rings,” Dream suggests, turning back to his own food.

    “I will, I will.”

    A few minutes after the bell rings for next period, Tommy glances back at Dream as they both walk towards the locker room.

    The guy has always been there for him, always been a source of comfort when Mom and Dad wouldn’t take the time to show some sympathy.

    He wouldn’t lie about this.

    …..Right?

    ----

    Three days pass with no sign of Wilbur. Not a trace. It’s been a week to the day since he disappeared now.

    Mom seems much calmer now than she did Monday and Tommy feels more at ease, too.

    Dream had kept his promise and talked Tommy out of his thoughts more than once, providing a hug if needed.

    Periods still feel tense and two teachers play a movie today. Nothing that has anything to do with kidnapping.

    He’s on his way to class when he notices someone who hasn’t recovered even a little since word came out.

    Tommy nearly passes the girl in the hall, stopping in his tracks the moment he hears sniffling. She’s leaning against the wall, curled into herself with her hands close to her face.

    “Are you alright?” Tommy says, flinching slightly when her head whips up and her red-rimmed eyes meet his pale blue ones.

    “He was my little brother ,” she whispers, pained and desperate.

    It doesn’t take more than a moment to realize who she’s talking about.

    “He still is , they’ll find him,” Tommy says, keeping his voice low as he grabs her hand. It’s wet and cold.

    The blond jumps when the hand he grabbed goes for the collar of his shirt, pulling him close in a way that he has to stare at her tear-stained face. Her eyes glare into his; it’s scary.

    There’s fear in her eyes, too.

    “They don’t want anything. They just want him . Him ,” she whispers so hard that her voice grows hoarse. She lets go and looks away, down at the ground as she leans on the wall again.

    Tommy stays silent, staring at her until she turns away and goes in the opposite direction of him, her hands in her pockets.

    The blond races down the hall to his next class, his heart pounding in his chest. He gets to the door and almost can’t manage to open it, his hands shaking and his muscles feeling slow.

    It hurts.

    But he gets inside and to his desk, sitting down as his teacher’s eyes land on him.

    Tommy tries to keep it together, but his eyes start to tear up and one falls down his cheek not three minutes after he sat down. His heart is pounding so hard it hurts as he worries about this boy he knows so much about yet has never met.

    His teacher appears at his desk and kneels down, making eye contact as the teen wipes his face.

    “Are you alright, Tommy?” He says quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder. Tommy nods and wipes his face again, sniffling.

    “Has this whole Wilbur situation been freaking you out, too?” He asks carefully, rubbing Tommy’s shoulder. He gets another nod.

    The teacher stands and lets go of his shoulder, turning back to the rest of the class.

    “I believe I’m right in guessing that most of us are pretty freaked out by what happened last week, huh?” He asks, making his way back to the front of the class.

    Sounds of agreement circle the room and Tommy finally notices a boy who’s trembling and nodding as his leg bounces.

    “That’s understandable, it’s a terrifying situation. But it’s a very rare situation. Our society has ways of fixing these situations with our police force and the incredible methods of tracking that have been developed in the past couple years. They will find Wilbur Soot,” he says, sitting down on his desk.

    “We’ve notified all parents and the option to stay home is open to everyone as of right now, as well as car pooling groups ready to help any kids who can’t drive. We’re working to keep everyone safe, you are all very safe here.”

    The room still feels suffocating even after the teacher stops talking to pass out classwork, muttering something about Tommy being free to keep it for homework.

    The teen just sets his head on the desk and wraps his arms around it.

     “They don’t want anything. They just want him .”

    ----

    Tommy tracks down Dream once the final bell rings, finding him by the boy’s bathroom.

    The blond nearly crashes into the senior’s side, wrapping his arms around him like a koala bear to its mother.

    “Tommy! Are you alright?” Dream exclaims, returning the hug much tighter. “Breathe, Tommy. Everything’s gonna be okay.”

   The calmness of his friend’s familiar voice pulls Tommy out of his head and he starts to breathe shakily, still refusing to let go. Luckily, Dream seems set on the same thing.

    It doesn’t take much consoling to get Tommy to calm down and he’s breathing much deeper and slower than before, though tears still fall down his face. Dream has him sit down beside him on the tiled floor, an arm still wrapped around his shoulders.

    “Did something happen?” Sapnap asks as he comes out of the bathroom. He sits down, cross-legged, in front of the senior and freshman with his arms in his lap.

    The two brunets look at the blond with concern, but no expectancy.

    “I talked to Wilbur’s sister today…” Tommy mutters, clearing his throat. “She…..she doesn’t think he’s coming back…….”

    “And that messed with you?” Dream supplies calmly. He gets a nod. “That’s understandable. But, remember, it’s her own brother who disappeared. Of course she’s going to be more anxious and feel more hopeless than the rest of us. It’s only natural to worry about your closest friends and family.”

    The blond takes a deep breath before slightly choking.

    “Didn’t you …know him?” Tommy points out, letting the older teen bring his blond head to his shoulder.

    “Yeah, kinda. My little brother was one of his best friends so he’d bring him over pretty often. The kid didn’t often have his parents around so we were like a second family. His sister was always distant, rarely on time for anything, unsympathetic, just tired. I just hate to see their family becoming more divided because of someone else’s disgusting decision,” Dream vents out, keeping his voice even. He sighs.

    “Right, is Ranboo okay?” Sapnap asks. “I haven’t seen him around.”

    “Oh yeah, my dad’s keepin’ him busy at the animal shelter. He’ll be alright,” Dream replies with a small wave of his hand.

    “Are you okay, Dream?” Tommy asks slowly, not moving from his spot.

    “I’m alright, Toms. Everyone’s still pretty shaken up by last Friday, and that includes me, but I’m pretty good at keeping a level head,” the brunet explains, patting his younger friend’s shoulder.

    “Yeah, right! The amount of times you’ve screamed over Minecraft is concerning at the least ,” Sapnap points out with a laugh.

    “Aye, you’re louder,” Dream defends, swatting at his friend’s head.

    “Bro gets emotional over a block game,” Sapnap says, Tommy laughing to himself as he sits up.

     “It’s a good game ,” Dream whines, splaying out his arms in the air as he sticks out his lip like a kicked puppy.

    Tommy and Sapnap laugh with each other and Dream joins in moments later, patting the blond teen’s hair before standing up and waiting for his friends to do the same.

    When Tommy stands to his feet with his backpack still on his back, Dream brings an arm around his shoulders and gives him a quick little squeeze as he grins.

    “Feelin any better, Toms?” He asks, adjusting his own backpack straps.

    “Yeah. Anyways, I think my mom’s gonna be here soon so….I’m gonna go wait for her,” Tommy replies, his friend’s arm dropping. “Thanks, guys.”

    “Of course,” Dream says with a nod.

    “Sure thing, kid,” Sapnap agrees, waving as the blond walks off towards the drop off.

    He holds tight to his backpack straps as he walks. There’s still an itch in his stomach.

    ----

    When he finally sees the red bird sticker at the back of the car and the blue name card on the windshield, Tommy stands and leaves the small group of kids still waiting for their parents.

    As he walks, he notices that, for whatever reason, the sticker seems slightly skewed, but he’s been having a weird day so maybe he imagined it or something.

    Also kinda weird that the windows are more tinted than yesterday, like, he can barely see inside… But Mom was probably worried that someone might break in if they saw inside. With the whole Wilbur situation, stealing is probably a bigger concern now, too.

    Tommy opens the door and gets into his seat, setting his backpack down on the floor, closing the door behind him and grabbing his seatbelt.

    His eyes land on the rearview mirror and he’s greeted by another pair of blue eyes, not green. Not Mom’s.

    “Oh-! Uh, sorry,” Tommy sputters in embarrassment. “I— I thought this was— uh, my mom’s car. My bad, heh.” His hand grabs at the door handle and he pulls. The door doesn’t budge.

    Tommy’s heart plummets as he pulls again and the door refuses to open.

    “Oh, don’t worry about it,” the man replies calmly.

    The car begins to move and Tommy rapidly pulls at the handle, breathing heavier and heavier as his situation sinks into his bones.

    “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m not gonna hurt you,” the blue-eyed man says with a smile. He has bright pink hair. All Tommy wants to do is scream.

    “Let me out,” he fails to properly say, choking on his future tears.

    “Let me out! ” He yells, hitting his side against the door.

    “It’s alright, Tommy. You’re okay,” the man insists, his eyes flicking up to watch the boy.

    Tommy opens his mouth to argue but gasps shrilly as someone pulls his back against the seat and shoves a cloth over his mouth and nose, making him breathe harder and harder as he tries to pull it off.

    The panic heightens to a nearly unbearable level as he starts to slow in his movements and breathing, the tension in his shoulders and fingers slipping away until his vision goes black.

    ----

    Tommy’s eyes shoot open and he gasps, his heart and head pounding. Tears slip down the sides of his face. He feels so scared. Terror bites at his fingers and his chest. He might throw up.

    “Good morning, sleepyhead,” a kind voice says above him, a hand messing with his hair.

    Tommy looks up, his eyes focusing on a man with tied back blond hair and blue eyes.

    “Morning?” The teen says weakly, shifting his shoulders a little to look around the room. He tenses suddenly.

    His hands and ankles are tied together. He was in the car. Mom wasn’t driving. There was a cloth—

    He was kidnapped.

    Tommy jerks up, trying to stand and get the hell out of here. But the blond man just smiles and cradles him closer, one arm going around his back and the other around his head.

    “No!” He yells, pushing and wriggling at the arms around him. Tears come fast and his heart beats in his throat. “ No… ” he manages weakly.

    “Settle down, darling. I’ve got you,” the man says gently. Too gently.

    “Who— who are you?” Tommy chokes out, staring at his bound ankles.

    “My name is Phil,” he replies. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Tommy.”

    The teen’s breath catches tight in his throat as he trembles against the man. What else does Phil know about him?

    “Please let me go,” he pleads, tears creeping into his voice. “ Please just let me go .”

    Phil hums in amusement. “I’m not going to do that, mate,” he says, patting the teen’s back.

    Tommy can’t help it as he cries uncontrollably, trembling and feeling sick with terror.

    “Phil, you’re scarin’ him,” a new voice says from the now closing door.

    The blond looks up and stiffens more, seeing the man from before. He was driving the car. His piercing blue eyes stare back at the teen, gentle in a way that makes him feel vulnerable.

    Tommy actually presses closer to Phil as the pink-haired man comes closer and sits in front of the two blonds.

    “I think you’re scaring him more ,” Phil replies, loosening his hold on the teen.

    The pink-haired man reaches out a hand and lifts Tommy’s chin, wiping a few tears from his pale face as chills run down his spine.

    Tommy shuts his eyes and a particularly pathetic sob comes from his mouth. He sucks in a shaky breath as more and more tears fall.

    “ Please don’t kill me ,” he manages shakily, because that’s what they’re planning, isn’t it? They tied up and killed Wilbur, too. And now Tommy’s next.

    “Aw, sweetheart . I’m not gonna kill you,” the man replies sweetly, moving closer. “Phil, can I hold him?”

    The blond man starts to push Tommy towards the pink-haired man, making his breathing pick up as he tries to squirm and kick and get the hell away. But how is he going to escape while his limbs are tied together?

    The teen sobs pathetically and desperately, trying to hit the pink-haired man in the chest or face or arms or just something . But he’s quickly shut down as arms lock down his own and hold him tightly.

    “Shhhh, shhhhh, it’s okay. It’s alright, Tommy. I’m not gonna hurt you,” he says gently. Like he’s trying to console a child.

    “Let me go! I wanna go home! ” Tommy yells, his tears sliding down his face faster and faster as his cheeks grow more and more wet.

    “Oh but this is your home, darling!” Phil points out, his hand reaching out and holding the teen’s face. Tommy cringes and stares at the man with fear burning in his eyes.

    “ Stop! Stop touching me! Let go! Let go! ” The boy screams, making Phil flinch away.

    Tommy shrieks when a large hand cups over his mouth, squeezing his face but not in the joking and gentle way Dream always does.

    Oh. He’ll never see Dream again.

    The boy bursts into more tears, panicking more now that one airway is blocked and one is clogged with snot. His smaller hands grasp at the one over his mouth and he tries to force it off, shutting his eyes tightly as they sting with tears.

    “Shhhh, it’s okay. It’s alright, sweetheart,” the pink-haired man whispers in Tommy’s ear.

    Tommy jerks away, still trapped by the hand over his mouth and the arm around his back. His muffled sobbing doesn’t stop. He can’t stop.

    Phil gives him a sympathetic look, placing one hand in his hair and patting his arm gently. The boy whimpers and tries to shrink away from the touch, pressing into Techno as a result.

    His breaths are still sped up but Techno’s not moving his hand. Is he gonna pass out? Is this how they’re gonna kill him? By suffocating him?

    He’d fight more if he wasn’t so f****** tired.

    “There you go, see? Everything’s alright,” Techno says calmly, replacing Phil’s hand as he pets curly blond hair. His other hand drops to wrap under Tommy’s arms and hold him close.

    “I wanna go home, ” the boy cries, weakly curling in on himself as tiny whines escape his mouth.

    “You are home, Tommy. Besides, why would you want to live with a mother who doesn’t care about you?” Techno reasons, even though nothing he’s saying is reasonable.

    “She does care about me!” The teen sobs out, his voice thick with tears as he sniffles and covers his face with his hands.

    “Then why did you always walk to school and back home? Why did your mother always forget about your lunches? Why did she always ignore you?” The pink-haired man argues, sitting back and holding up Tommy’s face. Blue meets blue as Tommy tries to pull away.

    “How do you know any of that?!” The boy says thickly, his stomach aching with the crying and the quick breathing and utter terror that’s sitting inside him.

    “It was all planned, sweetheart. We knew you were ours the moment we laid eyes on you. We even mimicked what we saw of your room, just for you,” Techno explains softly, looking around as if gesturing to the room around them.

    Sure enough, as Tommy looks around and takes in the room for the first time, it looks incredibly similar to his room. His bed with his watermelon comforter and bright red pillow cases, the lamp in the corner beside the door, the big white cat rug below them in the middle of the room. Even the desk is the same shade of dark blue with the same brand of chair and multiple notebooks at it.

    “What the f***....” The teen whispers to himself, his eyes returning to Techno’s as he smiles.

    “Do you like it?” He asks, letting go of Tommy’s face to instead wrap him in a loose hug.

    Tommy continues to just stare wide-eyed up at the man before he shakes his head, his hands trembling.

    “Oh, why not? Did we miss somethin’?” Techno asks worriedly, looking past the boy and probably making eye contact with Phil.

    Tommy shakes his head again before looking down at his hands, attempting to tug his wrists away from each other. It doesn’t work, obviously. He’s fourteen, he can’t possibly break actual rope.

    Which means he can’t possibly get out of here. Not on his own.

    Will someone come looking for him? Soon, surely. Mom didn’t pick him up from school, but the drop off staff saw him get into a car. They’ll figure it out..eventually.

    But how long does he have before these people decide he’s better dead? A day? A few hours? Are they gonna kill him here in this replica of his room so his last memories are of the bedroom his mom helped him make? Is that even something they would consider? If that’s the case then why do they so desperately want him to suffer?

    And why are they insisting that Mom doesn’t love him? That this is his home now?

    It’s insane. They’re insane! This whole situation is insane!

    And to think that he was just with his friends earlier, his friends who were reassuring him about his worries for Wilbur. That this wouldn’t happen.

    How is this happening? This can’t be happening. It can’t! It isn’t .

    Yeah, he’s just having a nightmare. He fell asleep while waiting for Mom, and now he’s just having an awfully realistic nightmare!

    Tommy digs his fingers into the back of his hand, shutting his eyes as he tries to wake himself up. Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up! He yells at himself, feeling tears beginning to reform. He opens his eyes.

    And he’s still here.

    “Aw, are you okay, baby?” Techno asks gently as Tommy’s eyes fill with hot tears. The arms around him tighten and he’s pulled closer to the man; it’s not comforting.

    The blond shakes his head as the beginnings of a sob build in his chest. Sure, yeah, he’s always wanted more affection, but not like this.

    “What’s wrong?” He asks, burying one hand into curly blond hair.

    Tommy desperately just wants this person to have some pity for his situation, for the awful predicament he’s responsible for.

    “I— I just— I don’t wanna be— tied..up,” he chokes out, sniffling at every word. A sob falls from his mouth as he continues to cry, flinching when Techno moves.

    The blond watches as the man reaches into his pocket, pulling out a metal stick thing. He clicks a button and oh it’s a pocket knife . Is Tommy gonna get stabbed? Is this where he dies, just having made a simple complaint? Maybe Techno hates complaining—

    The man takes Tommy’s hands and lifts the knife to his fingers, making the boy yelp and try to pull away.

    “I’m not gonna hurt you, remember?” The man says gently, smiling calmly.

    The blond shuts his eyes and braces himself for the worst as he feels the blade come closer, brushing against his skin without leaving a mark.

    In a matter of moments, he feels his wrists come apart and the ropes fall away to his lap. Tommy slightly opens his eyes, allowing Techno to go for his ankles and cut them loose too. He’s free.

    The blond waits for only a moment before the man is pocketing his knife so he can take his chance. He shoots up to his feet and goes immediately for the door, yanking at the knob and jiggling it in frustration as it refuses to budge. He shrieks, getting yanked off his feet and pulled back to the ground where his arms are held at his sides and his back is pressed against Techno.

    “Phil already thought of that when he left to go make dinner,” the pink-haired man says, resting his chin on the blond’s shoulder. It sends a small shiver down his spine.

    Tommy winces as he’s squeezed in a hug, feeling his eyes water again as a kiss is pressed to his temple.

    “I wanna go home ,” he repeats for the third time, too tired and too terrified to fight.

    “You’re home, Tommy. You’re home,” Techno replies, reassuringly . Even though it’s not at all reassuring and it’s only succeeding in making the blond’s skin crawl as his tears grow more abundant and trace his cheeks.

    Tommy sobs miserably as he’s turned around and held against Techno’s chest, his tears being soaked up by the man’s shirt. Why does this man not understand that he doesn’t wanna be here?! Does he not get the basic meaning of kidnapping? It’s illegal, y’know!

    “ I hate you ,” the boy mutters, feeling his insides lurch as Techno pulls away just a bit.

    “You don’t mean that,” the man says softly. Tommy looks up to glare but falters when his eyes are met with a gentle, kind expression.

    “ Yes. I. Do! ” The blond hisses, tears continuing to fall. Seriously , what does it take to piss this guy off?

    “No you don’t, sweetheart,” Techno says, brushing several tangled strands of curly blond hair from the boy’s ear. “Because, deep down, you already know that I love you more than your parents ever could. Because you know that I’m goin’ to take good care of you.” Another kiss is pressed to Tommy’s forehead before he’s pulled into a close hug again.

    This time, he can’t seem to bring himself to cry. Even though he’s never felt more terrified of anyone in his life. Even though he feels like a pet. Even though this is the most alone he’s ever felt in his entire life. He can’t cry anymore.

    Luckily— and the only thing that’s gone slightly in Tommy’s favor today —someone knocks at the door and interrupts the awfully suffocating affection of Techno.

    “Who is it?” The man replies cheerfully, his voice calm. It doesn’t tremble the way Tommy does.

    “Uuuhhh, Wilbur. Ph— Dad said I could meet Tommy,” the new, muffled voice replies.

    Tommy’s heart speeds up in disbelief. Wilbur? He’s alive?

    “Sure, ya can,” Techno replies, loosening his hold on the teen, the latter of which fights the urge to scramble away and hide in the corner. Something tells him that Techno wouldn’t like that very much.

    The door lock clicks before opening and then shutting with another click of the lock, leaving the three of them locked in the room. Together.

    The boy that steps in looks far from the photos on the news and posters. Sure, his hair is still brunet and curly as heck with matching eyes and tanned, freckled skin— that’s all normal. But the way his eyes are slightly rimmed with red, how his eyebrows seem stuck in a worried position, the redness of his torn up lips, and the trembling of his fingers as they tangle together is evidence of his situation.

    The older teen gives a small wave, his other hand grasping at the bottom hem of his t-shirt. Tommy waves back, albeit shakily.

    “Would you two like some alone time? You could get to know each other?” Techno offers in a way that suggests he’s worried they’ll be upset at the suggestion. News flash: they’re not.

    “Oh, uhm…sure. If we’re gonna be spending a lot of…time together, y’know?” Wilbur replies slowly, his one lip trembling a little.

    Techno nods and turns back to Tommy, pulling away almost entirely. “Be good for me, alright?” He says, pecking the blond’s forehead one last time before smiling and standing up.

    He pats Wilburs shoulder, unknowingly making him flinch, before unlocking the door with a key he apparently had and leaving quietly.

    It takes only a moment before the brunet is on his knees and grabbing Tommy, pulling him into a tight and very grounding hug. Much better than Techno’s hug, less suffocating. And the blond hugs back.

    “I’m so sorry, Tommy,” he whispers, sounding on the edge of tears. “I’m sorry this happened to you.” He takes a deep breath before pulling away.

    His eyes are kind and he takes another deep breath before giving a weak smile. “At least….you’re not alone?” It’s a pathetic attempt, but still an attempt. And it helps…just a little.

    “I…I guess..” Tommy replies with a small shrug.

    Wilbur nods slowly before adjusting his position, instead now sitting beside the blond as they both stare at the one empty wall in the room.

    “They’re gonna call you my brother,” the older teen says quietly, like a warning. “They’ll probably make you call one of them ‘Dad’. They’re gonna get less and less tolerant of any talk of your family. Just— go along with what they say. For your own sake.” Wilbur makes a sudden grab for his arm as if panicked or pained, but he settles after a moment, letting out a shaky breath.

    “Why are they doing this?” Tommy asks, his voice just as low and sad.

    “Ph— Dad is my biological father. He was mad that my mom wanted full custody of me. I guess he made threats…so we moved states. I….I don’t know how they found me…” Wilbur admits, bringing his knees up to his chest and partially shielding his face as he leans his chin on them.

    “What— what about me?” The blond presses, cringing at the sight of a fresh bruise on Wilbur’s upper arm.

    “Techno said— he said that….that he and Dad could both have a kid. That we could be brothers . You were just….the easiest option,” the brunet explains, taking a deep breath.

    “Oh.”

    “Do you have any escape plans?” Tommy whispers, practically mouthing the words.

    Wilbur nods. He makes a motion of pulling something towards himself before making a phone motion at his ear and mouthing ‘nine one one’.

    “Do you know the address?” The blond whispers again, eyeing the room suspiciously. Hopefully there aren't any cameras.

    The brunet shakes his head.

    “Hopefully they’ll be able to track the phone. But I don’t know for sure,” Wilbur whispers back.

    Tommy nods and droops his shoulders as he faces the empty wall again.

    A few minutes pass, the two boys still feeling hopeless of their predicament as they ache in silence.

    Then, Tommy feels a nudge at his shoulder and he turns.

    “We could sit on the bed? It’s probably more comfortable than the floor….” Wilbur suggests, shrugging.

    “Sure,” the blond replies with a nod as the older teen stands to his feet. They take each other’s hand until Tommy’s feet are under him and they can move over to the bed.

    “Did they recreate your room, too?” Tommy asks as they both pull back the covers and clamber into the bed. Huh, when did Tommy’s socks and shoes disappear?

    “Mhm. Real creepy if you ask me,” Wilbur says, settling in the middle of the bed with the blond close at his side. He seems to flinch slightly before placing a hand behind him and pulling something away from his back.

    He holds it out to Tommy so he can get a better look, the latter’s eyes widening. It’s Henry, the fox plush he got from that one furniture store. It, oddly, had a cow-print pattern and he thought it was cute enough to ask Mom for it. She’d been happy to hand it back to him after scanning it at checkout.

    Tommy takes the plush and he knows that this isn’t his favorite stuffed animal, merely a copy of it from the same store. He didn’t buy this with Mom.

    But, even so, it reminds him of her. Of when she used to spend time with him. When they didn’t disagree with every conversation. So he holds onto fake-Henry.

    “Are you okay?” Wilbur asks quietly, his eyes sympathetic at the way Tommy’s are welling with unshed tears.

    “This is my favorite stuffed animal. Kinda. I named him Henry and I got him with my mom,” the blond says slowly, sniffing. He only sheds one tear, but it still hurts to think that she’s not here. That he might never see Mom again.

    “I don’t have a great relationship with my mom,” he continues, letting another tear slip down his cheek. “She always wants me to be ‘more independent’ but I know she just doesn’t want to deal with me. She works all the time. It’s the whole reason I always walk to and from school—” Tommy’s voice chokes and he feels more tears coming as his throat aches painfully. He holds fake-Henry closer to his chest.

    “Do you have any siblings?” Wilbur asks quietly, pulling one arm around the smaller boy.

    “No…the closest I’ve ever gotten to a sibling is Dream,” Tommy admits, sniffing and wiping his eyes.

    “Oh, the guy with the obnoxious green and white checker hoodie?” The blond can’t help but chuckle. The green is pretty, hideously, obnoxious. But that’s what Dream likes. He nods.

    Wilbur looks off, seeming thoughtful, if a bit sad. Maybe a lot sad.

    “Ranboo’s really worried about you…but he’s working at the animal shelter his dad works at right now. Dream said he’s okay,” Tommy recounts, hoping it’s reassuring.

    The brunet looks back at him and lets out a breath, seeming relieved. “Thanks. I’ve been worrying about him all week,” he says.

    The two of them fall into silence, eventually— mutually —pulling themselves into a hug with Tommy leaning against Wilbur. A hand ends up in his blond hair and it seems comforting to both of them. Which is good.

    “Y’know,” the brunet starts after a long while of quiet and the occasional shifting, “I’ve always wanted someone to relate to. Just…..not like this.”

    “Yeah…not like this,” Tommy agrees, feeling the arms around him squeeze for a moment as the older teen curls closer.

    They would have noticed the door opening fifteen minutes later, had they not fallen asleep together under the blankets. Dinner would have to wait.

    ----

    “Hey, Tommy? It’s time to wake up, sweetheart,” a new and familiar voice interrupts Tommy’s sleep, a hand gently shaking his shoulder.

    The blond slowly opens his eyes, feeling something around him as he sits up. Or tries to.

    “There you are, baby. Did you sleep okay?” Techno asks, using one hand to pull Tommy’s face up to look at him. His expression is gentle and kind and awful .

    Tommy pushes against the man, grunting with the effort to get away as he tries to kick his legs into his side.

    “Let. Go,” the boy growls through gritted teeth, his eyes glaring up at the pink-haired man….. Who doesn’t seem even a little upset by it.

    “Come on, Tommy. You can’t fight me forever,” Techno teases, unphased by the boy’s attempts. Maybe even amused.

    “I! Don’t want! You touching me! While! I! Sleep!” Tommy yells, shoving the guy even harder. And, while there’s some give in the arms around him, freedom is far from within reach.

    “Well…you’re not asleep any more ,” the man points out with a smile, holding just a bit tighter to the boy.

    “I don’t care! I just— I want you to stop touching me! It’s— overwhelming and freaking me out!” The blond yells, continuing to squirm as angry but also scared tears begin to well up in his eyes.

    Techno’s face changes, his eyes sympathetic.

    “You’re right. I should be easin’ you into all this, I guess I just assumed that you’d get over it,” he says with a small shrug, lifting his arms and taking Tommy’s wrists with one hand instead. His other hand pulls the boy’s face close and a kiss touches his forehead before he’s let go.

    Tommy immediately takes his chance to scramble away, happy to sit just out of the man’s reach. He wishes he could just hide under the bed or in the corner.

    “Oh, did you want dinner?” Techno asks, picking up a plate from the bedside table beside him. Tommy hesitates but nods, scooting just a bit closer while holding out his hands to take the plate. Techno, though seeming disappointed, hands the plate and fork over.

    The blond picks up his fork and scoops up a bite of green beans, putting it in his mouth and swallowing before another thought crosses his mind. He looks back at the man and frowns slightly.

    “This isn’t drugged….right?” He asks suspiciously, moving around his green beans and chicken worriedly.

    “If it was drugged, you’d be able to tell and wouldn’t be askin’ me that,” Techno replies, leaning against the headboard. “It’s harder to subtly drug things than you think.”

    Tommy goes back to his food, not completely convinced. But he’ll go along with it. At least, he’s fairly sure they’re not going to kill him if Wilbur was telling the truth.

    So Tommy eats his meal in relative peace, doing his best to ignore the eyes constantly on him. It doesn’t quite work.

    But, when he’s done, the pink-haired man takes his plate and sets it back on the bedside table. Next, he’s handed a cup of apple juice which he gladly takes. Odd that they’d give him apple juice for dinner, but he’s not gonna complain.

    Though, as the blond lifts the glass close to his face, he catches a whiff of something. Something that doesn’t smell like apple juice.

    His eyes go directly to Techno, his expression unchanged from moments ago.

    “Is this drugged?” He asks, gesturing to the glass of not-apple juice.

    “It’s not going to hurt you, if that’s what you’re askin’,” the man replies with a shrug.

    “Then what is it?” Tommy presses, gripping the glass tightly.

    “Apple juice.” Is the simple reply.

    “What’s in the apple juice?” He clarifies, tensing his shoulders in frustration.

    “You’ll figure it out, just drink it,” Techno insists, crossing his arms over his chest as he watches Tommy carefully.

    “I—” the boy snaps his mouth shut, his lips pressed together with a slight tremble. His eyes keep lingering apprehensively on the glass before going to Techno pleadingly and back to the glass again when that doesn’t work.

    “It’d be easier if you just started chuggin’ it,” the man points out, leaning forward.

    Tommy grits his teeth, his heart beating loudly in his ears. He feels like when you’re sick and your mom insists you take the awful cough medicine she just bought while she stares at you with half a mind to force it down your throat. Except….this isn’t his mom and whatever drug is in this apple juice has a possibility of being a lethal one.

    “Tommy, hey, look at me,” Techno says softly, in that tone that tells the teen he’s about to say something too uncomfortably parental for a stranger to be saying.

    But Tommy looks up anyways, trying to swallow down the sick feeling in his stomach as he meets kind blue eyes. Ugh, why does he have to look like that?

    “If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done it already, right?” He says, seeming much closer than he was a second ago.

    “Well— I mean, I wouldn’t know. I— don’t know you. You could be a sadistic monster who finds this absolutely hilarious. You know, kidnappers sometimes torture their victims before killing them,” Tommy replies, his tone monotone and slightly shaky.

    A calm sigh.

    “It’s just going to make you a little sleepy, Tommy. It’s nothing to worry about,” Techno explains. And, oh, he’s very close now. Close enough that one hand wraps around the glass of tainted apple juice and the other behind the teen’s head.

    “What if I don’t want to sleep?” Tommy argues, glancing at the cup before staring back at Techno.

    “Then don’t. I said it’d make you sleepy, not fall asleep,” the man says with a shrug, lifting the glass up.

    “Why do you want me to be sleepy?” The boy says nervously, his voice going slightly up in pitch. “To— to make it easier to hurt—”

    “ Tommy , sweetheart, you are only succeedin’ in makin’ yourself panic more . If you’re terrified, it’s goin’ to be a lot harder to drink this. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you,” Techno explains slowly, close enough now that he pecks Tommy’s nose.

    “I’m not gonna hurt you,” he whispers softly before pulling back a bit.

    And, in a disturbing and terrifying way, it’s…. comforting . His shoulders settle and his grip loosens on the glass cup as he takes a deep breath reflexively.

    And the worst part about it is that Techno seems overjoyed . His hand buries deeper into the back of Tommy’s hair and his smile widens.

    Tommy looks away immediately, staring down at his apple juice now. He lifts it up closer to his face and sniffs again. Definitely drugged.

    Techno helps this time, pushing it closer to the teen’s lips until he can feel the cold glass against his skin. His bottom lip wobbles as he opens his mouth the slightest bit, tilts his head back, and takes as big of a sip as the man lets him before he pulls the cup back.

    Tommy gags at the taste. Apple juice and….spicy mint? Whatever the other taste is supposed to be, it does not mix well with apple juice. And now his mouth tastes like a cold mint that’s been doused in hotdog water. Gross.

    “I brought plain apple juice for you to get rid of the taste,” Techno says sympathetically. Tommy burps and gags as the taste comes back. “You could try to just keep drinking?”

    The teen stares at the partially empty glass(there wasn’t all that much in there to begin with) with disdain, pulling back his bottom lip as he remembers he has to drink it again.

    Techno helps him lift the glass, being the one to push it against his lips again until he tilts his head back and chugs the rest.

    Tommy covers his mouth with one hand as the man takes the glass away and sets it on his empty plate. He reaches to grab another glass from the floor and hands it to the gagging teen who takes a moment to settle his gag reflex before taking a sip of apple juice.

    The taste leaves his mouth pretty quickly after a few small sips and he clears his throat.

    “It’ll kick in in about fifteen to twenty minutes. I’ll be right back,” Techno says, standing up from the bed and taking the plate and glass with him as he goes to the door. He looks back with slight disappointment on his face before unlocking and relocking the door as he leaves.

    Tommy scoots over to the bedside table and sets down his glass before looking around for where fake-Henry went. He checks under the covers and behind the pillows, but the plush is nowhere to be seen. So he moves over to look off the side of the bed, finding fake-Henry sitting just out of sight.

    The teen grabs the fox before leaning back against the headboard and pulling the comforter up to his chest. The bed is comfortable, he’ll give them that. But it’s not his.

    Tommy holds fake-Henry close, missing Wilbur a lot more than he expected to. Though, he’s basically the only normal person in this entire house, so…

    He waits for a long while before Techno returns, jumping slightly when the door unlocks. The lock clicks again and the blond curls into himself as the man makes his way over and sits down in his spot from before.

    “Does he have a name?” He asks with a smile, his hands seeming to twitch in the boy’s direction.

    Tommy pulls himself out from under the blanket, scooting just a little bit away from the pink-haired man.

    “Uhm….Henry,” the teen replies, staring at his feet.

    “That’s cute. Is he special to you?” Techno says, seeming perfectly calm.

    “Mhm. I got him with—” Tommy cuts himself off, burying his mouth into fake-Henry’s fur. Wilbur mentioned that they didn’t like him talking about his family, Tommy probably shouldn’t either.

    “With who?” Techno presses, leaning back against the headboard.

    “Uhm…..my..friend,” the boy lies.

    “Dream?” The man questions innocently.

    Tommy stiffens even more. But he nods slowly.

    “He called your phone more than your mother did. Texted more, too. Lots of angry messages, all directed at us. It’s kinda sweet.” Techno places one hand on Tommy’s knee, thumb rubbing slowly against his skin. “Too bad that you’re probably never goin’ to see each other again.”

    The blond stares at his feet as his vision clouds with tears, gritting his teeth as a sob builds in his chest.

    Imagining not ever being able to hug his best friend again hurts more than anything has thus far. Being unable to call him on those nights where he feels most alone, unable to read through their past conversations for a little bit of comfort when he’s too anxious to call.

    And to know that Dream is pissed as f*** about Tommy disappearing….it feels so nice, yet it hurts him to his core.

    A sob rips from his chest and he hides his face entirely in fake-Henry, tears pouring into the plush’s fabric.

    “Aw, baby . It’s alright, you have me now. Wilbur and Phil, too. We’re your family,” Techno says gently, moving his hand to rub up and down the boy’s back.

    Tommy flinches at the touch, realizing how close the man has gotten once they brush knees. That’s the last thing he feels before his brain decides that he can’t do this anymore .

    “Well I DON’T WANT YOU AND I DON’T WANT PHIL OR WILBUR OR ANYONE ELSE! I WANT— Dream! Because he’s basically my big brother and he’s my best friend! ” Tommy screams, faltering mid-way through when the energy in him suddenly disappears.

    And he keeps slowing down until all he can do is feel buzzy and sob. That’s basically all he can do in his situation. He feels his fingers loosen and his muscles refuse to tense properly without mild delay.

    His grip doesn’t stiffen when fake-Henry is suddenly pulled from his hands, making him cry out as Techno gets off the bed with the stuffed animal.

    “ No! Wait! ” Tommy yells, following quickly.

    “ I think, if you can’t handle thinkin’ of Dream, then maybe you shouldn’t have somethin’ that reminds you of him, huh?” The man says, his tone just as bitter as before. It reeks of jealousy.

    “ NO! ” The boy pleads, tears pouring down his face as he tries to latch onto the man’s arm in order to reach his beloved stuffed animal. But, it’s to no avail.

    Techno gets out the door and relocks it, all the while pushing Tommy off of himself— gently, still.

    The blond sobs miserably over the loss, his fondest memory of Mom and new link to Dream gone. He collapses to the floor.

    ----

    Tommy is still lying on the floor when Techno comes back, feeling exhausted to the bone. Must be the medicine. His breakdown probably didn’t help.

    “I’m sorry, baby, but I just don’t want you bein’ reminded of someone if it’s goin’ to cause you so much pain,” the man ‘reasons’ in his unreasonable way.

    He kneels down and plucks Tommy off the floor before carrying him to bed and placing him in his lap. The man is careful to pull the covers over the teen.

    And, as Techno pulls him into a tight hug, the boy doesn’t feel panic as he sinks into the touch. It’s confusing, but he stays calm. He’s just so tired.

    It’s pretty much hopeless at this point anyways. Techno’s stronger, taller…scarier. The door’s locked, the one window in the room is blocked by curtains and a board nailed to the wall, every door and window in this house is probably locked, and he doubts the neighbors are nearby if he did escape or scream loud enough.

    He’s curious to know if his Life360 is disabled or not. Did they figure out his password? They can’t use face recognition so…. But he basically never uses his password, so how would they find out?

    Have they really been stalking him that much?

    It’s a little nice that he doesn’t feel too concerned about it, he doesn’t need to calm himself if he's already calm. Except that it’s weird, unnatural. It’s not something he usually feels.

    “Are you okay, sweetheart?” Techno says gently, rubbing up and down the teen’s spine.

    “I’m fine. Just sleepy,” Tommy replies, curling closer to the man.

    “Okay. Are you comfortable?” The blond nods, his thoughts saying otherwise. Physically, sure, yeah, he’s very comfy. Emotionally? F*** no.

    Techno leans down just a bit and kisses the teen’s forehead before burying his nose in curly blond hair. It’s not helpful, it’s not good.

    Dream has always been big on boundaries. Not with anyone else, just Tommy. Why? Well, he had explained that going from almost no affection to just a bit too much can be overwhelming for someone who didn’t grow up with it readily available.

    So he eased Tommy into it. From small shoulder taps to hair brushing to hugs, Tommy slowly got more and more used to physical touch until it wasn’t as overwhelming.

    He took over the role of ‘older brother’ gradually and gladly, both in theory and in practice. Like making sure he always got home safely, watching him when Mom and Dad weren’t home….stuff like that.

    Knowing Dream, that crazy s.o.b. will keep looking for him until he’s found. He’ll put up posters, rewatch school camera footage for clues, and ask around for witnesses. He’s detailed these tactics before, on a dark night earlier this week.

    Honestly, the guy’s psychotic. But he’s Tommy’s brother, and he loves him for that.

    Tommy shuts his eyes, happy to focus on his best friend rather than the pink-haired man holding him. One loves him like a normal person and another is a creepy a** guy who locked him in his car. There’s no competition there.

    He’s not sure what time it is, or if it’s purely the fault of the drugged apple juice, but he’s exhausted. He has had a rough day, so of course he’s tired.

    So Tommy settles against Techno and tries to think of peaceful things to lull himself to sleep. And it doesn’t take long before his breathing deepens and he’s wrapped in calm darkness.

    ----

     Big Bro Dream: ANSWER THE DAMN PHONE YOU MASSIVE PIECE OF S*** (15m)

     Big Bro Dream: Good night, Tommy! Love you <3 (Now)

    Big Bro Dream: tell him I said that (Now)