Work Text:
Tommy walked as quietly down the stairs as he could, trying not to wake his mother if she was still sleeping and trying not to draw attention to himself if she wasn’t.
He silently grabbed a granola bar and crept out of the still house, knowing he had locked his bedroom door and all his homework was done.
Tommy walked to school most days, and on the days he didn’t he just couldn’t go to school.
The walk was the only peaceful time he would get in his day, the quiet before his head was filled with useless school things and dealing with the aches the day gave him, usually in the forms of bruises shaped like fists.
When Tommy started high school, he thought it was going to be the best thing ever, a new start in a new school with new friends and teachers…
In reality, he was smaller than everyone else and was a target for anybody and everybody bigger and stronger than he was.
He was the underdog, and that was the biggest change from middle school.
What hadn't changed was the raging parties his mother threw every other night, drinking away her money and time to try and ignore her growing son and his issues.
Like how he needed physical comfort more than he needed a harsh reprimand or punishment.
Or how he needed her to talk to the school to help his bullying problem stop.
Tommy breathed out a sigh and sniffed in the cold autumn air.
Six weeks in and the year was already looking… just great.
<.>
Tommy wiped his tears away as he put another bandaid on an open cut, trying not to bite his tongue as he cleaned another with antiseptic.
Today had been rough, mainly because he knew he got at least one problem wrong on an important test and gym was tough.
But also because it had started snowing halfway through the day and he had to walk in it to get home.
Tommy’s favorite professor, Professor Sam, offered to drive him home, knowing that he had to walk quite a ways, but Tommy knew that if his mom saw him with anybody that she didn’t know, he would be in so much trouble.
She would know him if she just… went to a parent teacher conference. Tommy thought rebelliously.
But that didn’t matter because he just needed to finish patching up his cuts before his mother’s party guests arrived and tried to drunkenly break open his door to do god knows what.
He quietly went back to his room and locked his door before putting a broom across the door, making sure both sides were firmly in the hooks he had screwed into the wall on either side of the door.
“Perfect.” he whispered, then pulled out his air pods and turned on his music, disappearing into the songs.
He was going to pull out a piece of paper to draw on, something he liked to do while he kind of… spaced out, but he had homework to do and he needed to get it done.
The night slowly passed, song by song, as Tommy forgot about the day and all the issues that came along with it.
It was 18 weeks into the school year and Tommy was feeling utterly and entirely alone.
It wasn’t hard to deal with, he’d been doing it his entire life.
<.>
His bag was heavy, but that didn’t matter as soon as it had been ripped from his shoulders and he was pressed harshly against the lockers.
“Hey little punk, got any cash for us today?” Jared asked, putting an arm to his throat.
“F-fuck off-” Tommy choked, pushing desperately against the kid’s arm in an attempt to get him off. Jared wouldn’t budge, but his cackling got even worse.
“Beat the defiance outta him!” One of Jared’s cronies laughed as another dug through Tommy’s carefully organized bag.
Jared smirked as he raised a fist, but was interrupted by a sharp whistle.
“Enough boys.”
Jared’s arm dropped and Tommy fell heavily on the floor, panting for breath.
“Drop his stuff.” Professor Sam said, glaring at the boys, “And get to class or I will be taking time out of everyone’s days to deal with you, and not just in after school detention.”
Jared nodded sheepishly and ran off.
“Thanks sir.” Tommy breathed, picking up his fallen papers and binders with his head down.
He was going to walk off when a gentle hand descended gently on his shoulder.
“Tommy, do you need to go to the nurse?”
Tommy shook his head, he had been there enough this year already.
“I can take you there and vouch for you as your guardian if you need me to.”
“That’s illegal sir.” Tommy said, a small smile on his face.
Professor Sam smiled fondly.
“Maybe, but I don’t think Miss Puffy will mind,” he said in a conspiratorial voice.
Tommy raised an eyebrow and the teacher laughed.
“Well, if you don’t need to go to the nurse, I suggest you get to class before the bell rings.”
Tommy smiled widely and nodded, heading off to his next class.
Then he walked headlong into a tall upperclassman’s chest and his heart dropped out of his ass.
“I’m so, so sorry, I-i didn’t mean-” Tommy stammered, his eyes wide and fearful.
The pink-haired junior looked at him with a concerned look on his face before shaking his head and giving him a polite look.
“It’s alright, you should get to class.”
Tommy nodded and took off, his eyes ahead and watching for more dangerous obstacles.
Why didn’t he lash out at me though?
Halfway through the twenty-first week of school and Tommy was doing alright… sorta… kinda…
He needed friends, holy cow, Tommy was so not social.
<.>
That pink-haired junior started showing up a lot more in the school and Tommy was getting a little worried.
Sure, it could just be a fact that Tommy just never noticed the dude before, but was now on the look out for him just like he was on the lookout of Jared and his crew.
But it could also be that the junior was following him around, trying to find when it was the best time to strike, trying to find when he was the most alone.
Tommy was always alone though, and Jared had discovered that early on, brutalizing Tommy in between classes and mercilessly teasing him for his lack of friends.
But the junior always seemed to be around and Tommy didn’t know how he was supposed to cope with that.
Maybe I should just be thankful that he hasn’t hurt me yet, even if he plans to.
The funny thing was, whenever the junior was around, Jared and his crew weren’t.
It’s like they were almost… scared of him.
Which probably meant that Tommy should be scared of him too.
But Tommy was curious, dangerously so. He wondered why the boys that terrorized him were so scared of such a seemingly calm person.
So he tried to figure it out. He started asking his acquaintances about why the junior was left alone.
“That guy? I don’t know, I just heard that he was scary.”
“I’m pretty sure he beat up a couple of kids in his grade back when he was a freshman. I think he broke somebody’s nose?”
“People avoid him because he’s bad news. You should keep your distance…”
“He’s calm alright. Calm enough that you don’t notice that he’s filled with untamable anger and then it explodes and you end up in the hospital. It’s happened before, I swear.”
“Oh, do you mean Techno? He’s pretty sweet, but you should be careful around him. He’s been known to be… dangerous.”
So Tommy did have a right to be scared of this guy.
Only…
He didn’t feel scared.
This “Techno” guy seemed badass.
So Tommy decided to get to know him a little. That meant he would start purposefully hanging around him.
He spent the next couple of weeks trying to get close to the junior and those couple of weeks were the safest he had ever been at school.
Too bad he never got the courage to actually talk to the dude.
<.>
Tommy shuddered as a late winter wind cut into his skin through the thin jacket he was wearing. He had a couple more yards to go before he ran into Techno again.
“Uh… hi?” Tommy whispered, gripping the shoulder straps of his backpack tight.
“You’ve been hanging around me,” Techno said, a sort of bored tone in his voice.
Tommy nodded shakily.
Is he going to hurt me? Am I going to pay for being too nosy?
“Why?”
Tommy looked down at his feet and tried to control his breathing.
It was getting difficult to breathe.
“Kid?”
“I wanted to get to know you.” Tomy blurted, looking up into Techno’s eyes, wincing a little when the older narrowed his eyes.
“Why?”
“Because Jared and company seem to be scared of you and I want to know why.” Tommy sighed.
“Oh.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, I broke his nose in freshman year and everyone’s been scared of me since.” Techno said in a conversational tone. Tommy blinked.
Apparently one of those stories was true.
“You ok there kid? He’s been bothering you too, hasn’t he?” Techno asked, putting a hand on Tommy’s shoulder.
“I’m not a kid! I’m the biggest man to exist, and my name’s Tommy.” Tommy frowned up at him before he completely took in the rest of Techno’s question. He blinked and lowered his eyes, “And yeah, he has. Since the beginning of the year.”
Techno nodded and patted Tommy’s shoulder.
They walked up to the school together and Tommy decided to stick by Techno’s side as much as he could.
Twenty four weeks in and Tommy finally had a friend, albeit a slightly scary one.
<.>
Tommy almost enjoyed going to school for a couple more weeks, with Techno as his friend.
The junior kept the rougher elements away and he was great to talk to.
But then Jared started getting bold again.
He would catch Tommy in between classes when Techno wasn’t around.
Tommy had tried to hide the bruises and the cuts at first, but then Techno had noticed and assured him that he wasn’t going to think him weaker because of it.
Tommy was grateful for that.
Then Techno proposed something that made Tommy uneasy.
“You know, I can teach you some self defense.” The junior said one day on their walk back to their homes.
“What?” Tommy sputtered, stopping and looking at him with confusion, “Why?”
“Because I’m sick of seeing you covered in bruises and I want to help.” Techno sighed, patting Tommy’s shoulder.
“It’s not your fault.” Tommy said quietly.
“And it’s not yours either. So is that a yes or a no?”
“Yes.”
“Ok, I’ll meet up with you in a couple days to start.”
Tommy blinked up at Techno, surprised at the amount of trust he put in the older boy.
Techno nodded and they parted ways, Tommy to his house and Techno walking on for a couple more blocks.
Tommy smiled as he opened the door to his house, but he quickly wiped it off his face when he realized that his mom was home.
“How was school?” His mom asked.
What does she want from me?
“It was… good.” Tommy answered slowly.
“Don’t give me that attitude. I just asked you a question.” His mom snapped, glaring at him, “What do you mean by good?”
“I got a hundred on a quiz.” Tommy muttered. He wanted to get away from his mom for a while, he had a new book that he wanted to read.
“Speak up.”
“Nevermind, I’ve got homework. See you at dinner.” Tommy sighed, walking through the entry and up the stairs.
His mom shouted curses behind him, but he ignored it.
Tommy sat on his bed and put his head on his hands.
What if…
He shook his head and crawled under the covers of his bed with his new book, opening the cover and starting to read.
<.>
Tommy stood still as he waited for Techno to hurry up and get out of his class, trying to forget about the weird dream he had a couple nights before.
“Hello Tommy- What’s wrong kid?” Techno asked, patting his shoulder.
“Weird dreams and a sketchbook I’m positive I didn’t buy, with things I didn’t write in it.” Tommy muttered, “And a library book is missing, but I talked to the librarian about it and she said that it didn’t even exist, so there's that.”
“Odd. You ready?”
Tommy nodded and smiled sheepishly.
“Don’t worry kid, it’ll be fun.” Techno smiled, patting Tommy’s shoulder.
They walked to a park not far from the school, Tommy trembling with fear and excitement.
That’s what you call nervousness, idiot.
“Ok, Before we start, you can tell me you need to stop at any time, that you are uncomfortable with anything, ok? Don’t be scared, I won’t hurt you.” Techno reassured, patting his shoulder and looking into his eyes.
Tommy smiled widely and nodded, his heart warming a little.
And then they started.
Slowly at first, with Techno showing him the proper fighting stance while also telling him that the best way to win a fight is to avoid it.
Then Tommy sparred against Techno for the first time, and had a panic attack, ending that session. Techno took him to his house so that Tommy could meet his dad for the first time.
The next spar went better, no panic attack, but Tommy still got to go to Techno’s house and spend time with his dad again.
Then Tommy was holding on his own.
Then he was going with Techno to the gym and the junior’s fencing practices.
But Tommy was also bringing Techno to the library, showing him books and in turn learning of Techno’s obsession with Greek mythology.
Then Tommy started to notice how his mom’s party guests started to avoid him and his room.
And that the bruises from Jared and his crew were fading.
And how he felt stronger and more confident.
How people at school started to look at him, not out of amusement, but awe and a little bit of fear.
Thirty one weeks into his freshman year and Tommy felt pretty unstoppable.
All thanks to Techno.
<.>
Then it came crashing down on his head, completely wiping him off his feet.
It started with his mom confronting him about his new routine.
“Thomas.”
“Mother.”
“What have you been doing after school?”
“Coming home.” Sadly. Tommy thought grumpily. He had seen how Techno’s dad treated him.
“Not right away. I know when your school day ends and I’ve told you that you can’t be out with people I haven’t met.”
Tommy stared at his feet.
“Answer me!”
Tommy flinched. He just really wanted to start walking, it was pouring out and the quicker he left the house, the more time he had to dry off.
“I’ve been going to the library.”
Silence filled the house.
“Liar.”
Tommy took a deep breath and looked up at his mother.
She glared at him for a moment longer, then her eyes widened.
“You are too strict with me, mother.” Tommy said calmly, “And yet, you’ve neglected me at every turn. You have had thousands of opportunities to come meet my teachers, to meet my friends. You aren’t just strict, you’re lazy as fuck.”
“Don't you swear! You don’t know what you’re talking about!” His mother yelled back.
“Oh, don’t I? Well, this might surprise you, but I’ve been getting bullied at school, I think I have the right to swear. But, it isn’t a problem anymore, because I’ve been getting self defense lessons.”
“By whom? WHo would ever teach you anything, you ungrateful little brat!”
“A friend. And his father is far better at parenting a kid that isn’t his than you are with a child that you created.” Tommy said, just as calmly as he had before.
“I- No-”
“Mother, if you didn’t want a kid, why did you have me?” Tommy asked, his calm mack breaking a tiny bit before he took a deep breath and hoisted the strap of his backpack up onto his shoulder, “I have school now, and I’d like to see my friend.”
He brushed past his mom, who was frozen in place.
“Love you mom.”
And he was running out of the house, the cold rain hiding the warm tears running down his face.
He arrived at school just in time for the first bell, Techno standing in the hall with a calm look masking the worry Tommy knew he felt.
“Hey kid, what made you late?” Techno asked, stepping up and patting his shoulder.
Tommy sniffed and grabbed the taller boy in a wet hug, taking Techno by surprise.
“It’s alright Theseus, it’ll be ok.” Techno said soothingly, patting his back, “But we really need to get to class, I don’t think Professor Sam is going to be too happy with you missing first period again.”
Tommy chuckled and wiped his face, and frowning when he realized that he was soaked through.
“Actually, maybe you should get a change of clothes before you go, it might help you focus.” Techno laughed, patting his shoulder.
Tommy laughed along and it made his morning better.
But the day was dreary and the rain didn’t let up, meaning Tommy and Techno weren’t going to be able to go out and spar.
Tommy sighed as he closed the door to his locker after the last bell, turning to walk down the hallway to meet up with Techno.
Only to be stopped by a familiar figure.
Jared.
“Look at this big shot.” Jared laughed, looking at his crew and smiling when they laughed like fools.
Tommy frowned, breathing deeply to try and control his heart rate. As unstoppable as he felt, he was still scared of these guys.
Fuck, why am I still scared of them?
“Aw, are you scared, squirt?”
Tommy scowled and crossed his arms, his back straight and his heart still racing, just not with fear, with adrenaline.
I’m going to fight and win.
I’m going to win.
“You think you can fight me?” Jared laughed.
The best way to win a fight is to walk away.
It was a little late for that now, in Tommy’s opinion.
“Have you not heard yet? I’m not weak anymore, motherfucker.” Tommy said calmly, mirroring how he had talked to his mother that morning.
Jared laughed, his crew following suit.
Tommy balled his fist and stood just like Techno had taught him.
Jared stopped laughing and blinked at him.
Realizing the change.
But as much as he bullied the weak, he was no less a coward than Tommy.
So he didn’t leave as Tommy punched his gut.
In fact, it gave his crew enough time to fall on him.
Tommy realized the reason why there was strength in numbers.
Although… Jared also realized that he wasn’t looking at a weak kid anymore.
But…
Then it was over and Tommy was alone.
He could feel himself breathing, his heart beating…
But he was tired.
And Techno had definitely left by now, probably thinking that Tommy had gone home another way.
He was all alone and he hadn’t won.
He sobbed, tears stinging the small cuts on his face, sliding over the aching bruises.
“Tommy?”
So alone.
“Tommy?”
Techno wouldn’t come back for him.
“Tommy!”
Then why did that sound so much like him?
“Oh, god, Theseus, what-”
Tommy sobbed as Techno patted his shoulder gently, taking the first deep breath in a while.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t win- I don’t walk away-” Tommy whispered, grateful that Techno had wrapped him in a tight, but gentle hug.
“Heh?”
“I’m so sorry, it’s my fault, please-” Tommy cried into Techno’s chest, gripping his warm sweater.
“You stood up to them, right? I think that counts as winning.” Techno muttered, and Tommy hiccuped and nodded painfully.
“Relax now, I’m gonna get you some help and they’ll never hurt you again.”
And Tommy sobbed again. But this time out of relief.
Six weeks left into the school year and Tommy could finally relax.
<.>
Thankfully the people that hurt Tommy didn’t go unpunished.
Jared and his group were expelled from school, and Jared was even sent to juvie for a while.
Tommy’s mother was charged with child neglect and various other crimes for her… unsavory activities.
Techno’s dad, Phil, decided to foster Tommy for the rest of the school year and Tommy suspected that he was going to end up adopted by the beginning of sophomore year.
Professor Sam had been recognized by the students at the end of the year for being an outstanding teacher and a kind person, standing up and using his authority to protect his students.
Tommy did well in his end of year exams and celebrated with Techno and Phil with a night of ice cream and movies.
Techno and Tommy didn’t stop their sparring matches either, although they did have to stop while Tommy was recovering, but Techno didn’t let him fall too hard behind.
“Why can’t I just sleep?” Tommy whined as he jogged with Techno.
“Because then your muscles will tighten and it’ll be harder to get back on track.
“So you wake me up at 6 in the morning to make me run?” Tommy complained.
“Yep.”
“I hate you. I’d rather jump into a pit of crocodiles and fight my way out than do this.” Tommy hissed.
“Save your breath for running, runt.” Techno chuckled.
“Says you! Laughing takes more breath than talking does!” Tommy argued.
Techno rolled his eyes and Tommy smiled proudly, having finally beaten the great words master that Techno was.
<.>
Techno smiled as he watched Tommy run in small circles around his dad as they walked through the park.
It was funny to think, Techno never expected to find a great friend in that little runt of a freshman, or even an annoying little brother, but here they were.
Tommy had always had that spark, the ability to do something great, he just never realized it.
But Techno saw it and he knew that under the quiet shell was an energetic, eager, and driven person.
And from the first self defense lesson, Techno watched tommy finally let himself grow.
Sure, there were setbacks, every journey has them.
But Tommy didn’t let them stop him. He bounced back stronger and more eager to work than ever.
Techno was happy that he could help this kid, but he noticed how Tommy had changed him too.
He smiled more.
He laughed more.
He was more social, something that his dad teased him about only when Tommy had gone to bed for the night.
And Techno loved that little blonde-haired kid, the one that doodled when he was bored, the one that stood up to the people that hurt him most, the one that had opened a heart that didn’t even know that it was closed and needed love.
“Techno, watch this!” Tommy shouted, doing a cartwheel that ended in a flip and Techno wasn’t sure where the hell he learned that from…
“Nice.”
Tommy giggled and smiled, looking all the world like a ray of sunshine.
The school year has ended, and maybe the last three weren’t going to be that bad.
Nothing is truly the end.
But this?
This is the end of this story, at least in words.
I bid you adieu, and a good day/night.