What one can hide

Chapter fifteen- in and out

Trigger warnings- abuse, effects of abuse

Tommy had been living with Wilbur for about a week now. He'd begun to feel bad for stealing all of Wilburs clothes, which were surprisingly large on him, so the two decided it was time to go back to his house and grab all of his things. It would be nice to have his own clothes back, along with his streaming setup. But as Tommy sat in the front seat of Wilburs car, staring at his old home, he couldn't bring himself to get out of the car.

Tommy hadn't been gone from his home for long, but the sight of it just made him feel unsafe. That home held every single one of his bad memories, very few good ones to go along with it. Tommy and Wilbur agreed to go on a Tuesday morning, when they knew his dad was at work, but it didn't make it any easier. Going back inside would mean having to relive all the trauma, and Tommy had done so good this week to not have any breakdowns, and if he did, he kept them quiet.

Tommy's leg bounced up and down as he gazed out the window. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of his home. An unsettling fear crept into his stomach, making him feel queasy. The sight brought back too many memories. His mother leaving, the countless nights of his father coming home drunk, the amount of pain that always followed, it was too much.

Wilbur turned the car off and the two sat in silence, just looking at the empty house. "We can go another day if you want," Wilbur said, pulling Tommy out of his head. The idea of going another day sounded great to Tommy, but he knew if he pushed it off, he would never go.

"No, it's fine. I need my things, it'll be okay," he said, reassuring himself more than Wilbur. With trembling hands, he opened the car door and made his way into the house he wished he didn't recognize. Tommy was thankful he was able to walk much better than he could a week prior, he was healing quickly. It still hurt to do a lot of activity, but he'd be fine to walk.

He walked up the path to his front door and heard a door close behind him. Tommy stopped walking and closed his eyes, convincing himself that his father wasn't right behind him. The noise of a car door closing was always the signal he'd listen for when he waited for his father to get home. He felt two hands on his shoulders, much more gentle than his father ever was. "It's alright Tommy, we'll be in and out," Wilbur said, calming the boy down.

Tommy nodded his head and walked to the front door. Not wanting to back out, he quickly put his hand on the doorknob and twisted. Of course, it was unlocked. He walked right into his house and saw a mess. Empty beer bottles were littered all around the room, along with a few broken ones. The stench of the house brought back even more memories. In and out, Tommy thought, just get in and out.

Not wanting to spend more time here than he had to, Tommy quickly walked up the path to his room. Tommy crept up the steps, carefully avoiding the spots he'd learned would creak if he stepped on. It's not like he had to be quiet, nobody else was home, but he simply did it out of habit. He was used to having to sneak downstairs at night to try and get a meal.

Tommy opened his bedroom door to see it the same way he left it, broken glass on the floor and all. He stood for a minute, just taking in the sight of his room, and thinking of what he would take and what he could leave here.

"I'll start by taking your pc to the car, yeah?" Wilbur asked behind him.

"Sounds good, thanks," Tommy answered, walking over to his closet to grab a bag for his clothes. He was glad Wilbur offered to carry his setup, it would hurt to carry something that heavy down the steps with his injuries. He started throwing all his clothes into a bag. He didn't have very many, so it wasn't a difficult task to get them to fit.

Tommy made sure to grab his toothbrush and toothpaste, along with his charger and other necessities. In the end, he ended up having two large bags filled with all of his belongings. He grabbed his school bag, although he wouldn't really need it seeing as he switched to online due to obvious reasons. He only had one picture, and it was the one that laid on the floor, surrounded by shards of glass. He bent down, carefully avoiding the sharp pieces, and picked up the picture. He smiled as he looked down at the photo in his hands. It was of him and Tubbo when they met up, big smiles present on both of their faces.