"The Case Of The Fire Inside."

I will help you swim, im gonna help you swim 17

"Techno?" Tommy asked, blinking awake. Techno startled from where he sat reading, setting his book down quickly to frown at the younger boy.

"You're supposed to be asleep Tommy," Techno chided gently as Tommy groaned, his pupils still blown wide in the low lighting. Sweat shone on his forehead, plastering his hair down. The cold cloth on his forehead had fallen off. "You're healing."

This was probably the second time Tommy had been conscious since they brought him in two days ago. His fever had gone down considerably, but he had yet to fully wake up. He had talked to them once, mostly gibberish while he asked for water, but he had once again fallen asleep soon after, remaining in and out of it for what felt like forever.

Techno had been watching him for two hours now. They had been taking turns the entire time. Technically he was supposed to get Phil if Tommy woke up. He looked into Tommy's half-lidded and clouded eyes and knew there wasn't much point. Tommy wasn't fully awake, not in the way that mattered.

"But it hurts," Tommy whispered, his voice breaking. Something twisted inside of Techno's chest as he got up off the chair, kneeling in front of Tommy.

"What hurts kid?" Techno asked, reaching out to brush Tommy's hair behind his ear. The kid flinched away, a pathetic-sounding trill in the back of his throat. Techno swallowed thickly as he put his hand back down.

He's never dealt with sick people before. Never really had the need to. It wasn't fun seeing Tommy like this. Sure it was worse when they were in the middle of the fever, with flailing arms and loud cries of pain, but seeing Tommy delirious and out of it wasn't much fun either. He wasn't supposed to be so small. He was supposed to be loud and obnoxious and annoying. Not weak and sick and hurt.

"I want them to stop touching it," Tommy said, his eyes slipping closed again. Techno tilted his head in confusion. "Why won't they stop Techno?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Tommy," Techno said gruffly, and Tommy's hand was blindly reaching out, bandaged fingers grabbing onto him and squeezing tight.

"Tell them to stop," Tommy demanded, his voice flail and whiny. "I want them to stop but they're not going to listen to me. I'm not human enough for them to listen, but you are. Tell them to stop touching it."

"You're delirious Tommy," Techno said lowly, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"They won't stop Techno," Tommy sobs, tears gathering in his wandering eyes. The grip on his shirt tightening and pulling him closer until Techno was almost draped over him. "Please protect me. They won't stop touching me."

"Who's touching you Tommy?" Techno's heart was hammering in his chest. Phil had warned them of this, of lucid dreaming that might carry over to real life. This felt a bit too real. This was very much in the realm of things Techno didn't know how to deal with.

"I don't know," Tommy sobbed, and he's weakly pulling Techno closer until he's able to bury his head into his shoulder. "But they won't stop and it hurts. They touch it and I start to hurt even worse and I don't want to hurt anymore. Please make it stop hurting."

"You're okay Tommy," Techno whispered, hand lightly rubbing up and down on his back as Tommy shook, breathing shakily. "I've got you. You're safe. You're here with me, Phil and Wilbur are upstairs. You're safe, no ones touching you."

"But they are!" Tommy's grip tighten, and he slammed a fist lightly against Techno's chest. It was much too weak to even sting. "They always are and they won't stop. I just want it back, it's mine."

"Go back to sleep Tommy," Techno soothed. This was just a bad dream. Tommy would wake up and not even remember it and that's all that mattered. This was all just some bad fever dream that he would forget the second he fell back asleep. "You're safe."