Duchenne (DSMP Superhero AU)

Chapter 14

Tommy woke up yet again to an empty apartment. This time he just laid in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. It had been a week of the same routine, Wake up, wander around until Bee and Void showed up, play games, Wilbur showed up and the other two left, then they went and bought new stuff for the apartment. Glow in the dark stars now dotted the ceiling, and Tommy's closet was filled with clothes. On his wall right above his bed were two discs Wilbur had gotten him. He had come home from patrol and given them to him as a gift, drawing a little doodle of Wilbur on the cover.

Tommy really liked the discs, they made him feel a bit less lonely in the morning. Today however, he didn't want to wait for Bee and Void to come over. He dragged himself out of bed, throwing on a hoodie and jeans. Wilbur said he needed to pay more attention to his style but whatever. Hoodies were comfy and that was what mattered.

Tommy made his way out of his room, heading to the kitchen where he popped a couple pieces of bread into the toaster. While waiting for the toast he busied himself grabbing a plate, spreads and a knife. Then he aimlessly wandered around with a rag, cleaning any spots that looked suspicious.

This apartment was in District 18, of course he was careful with suspicious spots. He was in the middle of cleaning one of the random blue stains when the toast popped. Tommy dropped the rag and dashed to the toaster, yanking the toast out and swiftly spreading butter on it so the butter would melt into the bread. Once the toast was cool enough that the butter was just soft, he applied a layer of peanut butter followed by Marmite.

Wilbur had expressed his disgust at the combination several times, trying to convince Tommy it was better to have the Peanut butter and marmite on separate pieces of bread but the blonde was stubborn. It tasted to him kinda like roasted peanuts, and those were really yummy.

Tommy scarfed down the toast, putting his plate on the pile of dishes next to the sink. It wasn't too high a pile, but Tommy really wanted to leave before Bee and Void did. Stuffing the rest of the toast in his mouth, he dashed to the door and froze at the door knob.

It was just a shiny silver knob, cold to the touch and surprisingly reflective compared to the rest of the door knobs in the apartment. For some reason, Tommy couldn't bring himself to turn the handle. A cold hand closed around his heart, the little voice in the ack of his head hissing in his ear.

He could find you if you go outside. Stay inside, it's safe here. Stay inside. You don't want to be found. It's dangerous outside. Danger. Danger. Safe. Danger. Safe. Safe. Danger. Careful. What if Wilbur saw you left? He'd hit you. Just like Clay. If you leave you'll have to deal with two angry men. You can't go outside.

What if you died?

Tommy stumbled back like the knob had burned his hand, staring wide eyed at the door. Since when was he too scared to leave the house? Bee and Void were right next door, he wouldn't even be outside for very long.

What if it was just enough time?

No. He was safe here, he could go outside. Tommy slowly reached for the door knob, gripping the cold metal in his hand again. The voice in the back of his head screamed in the back of his head as he slowly opened the door. A familiar smiley face flashed in the back of his mind, Tommy collapsing in front of the open door. He curled up into a ball, shaking.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

Bee appeared in the doorway, his brows furrowed in worry. He recognized Theseus and squatted down, grabbing his shoulders and saying anything he could to calm him down.

"Hey Theseus, it's okay we're here! Take deep breaths, in, out, in, out, in, out. Okay? Focus on my voice. You're safe, it's okay."

Void followed, sitting next to Theseus and putting a hand on his shoulder. Theseus slowly regulated his breathing, his eyes fixed on Bee's face. Void rubbed his back, muttering words of encouragement. Slowly, gradually, Theseus calmed down enough to manage a small smile.