At Least We Have Each Other (SBI AU)

Chapter 20- Lingering Nightmares

Wilbur POV

Wilbur's heart dropped at the sound of his brother's screams. He raced towards their shared room, fearing the worst. What if he was back? What if this was a repeat of last time? Barging through the door, he was relieved to find only Techno. It was only a nightmare.

Instantly he was at his brother's side. Techno was shaking the boy, whispering reassurances as every moment passed. But instead of waking up like he usually did, he continued to cry out for help. The nightmares had never been this bad before. Tommy had never been this difficult to wake up.

Suddenly a kind hand was reaching for Tommy, making Techno growl. "Don't you dare touch him." The hand retracted at his words. "We can handle it!"

"But I-" Kristin began, a pained look in her eyes.

"Kristin." Phil coached her back to his side. He made sure to leave space between them and the others. They hadn't earned their trust yet.

The woman sighed before nodding reluctantly. "We'll be outside if you need us." However, she made no effort to move. It was only when Phil took her hand in his that they finally left the room.

Wilbur focused back on Tommy, who was still not awake. The trembling boy continued to toss and turn. His face was pained even worse than before, like he was locked away in a terrible memory.

Wilbur grabbed the blonde's hand. "Tommy it's okay. You're not there!" He could only pray his words cut through the barriers of his dream. He just wanted to bring his brother comfort, as much as he could.

Techno continued to nudge the boy, growing more and more stressed with every passing second. "Please wake up Tommy! Please!" the older begged, only panicking more when he didn't see those bright blue eyes.

The brunette looked at Techno. "What do we do?" Techno stared back blankly, the question fully dawning on him. He was out of ideas.

"I-"

"YOU'RE HURTING ME!" Tommy let out a blood chilling scream, causing both of them to freeze.

Wilbur covered his ears, remembering that scream. The night he couldn't save him... Shaking his head, he locked eyes with Techno. He knew that look in his eyes. He wanted to run. "Tech-"

A soft voice brought them out of their trance. "Shhh... it's alright. You're safe Tommy." Kristin sat beside the boy, gently threading her fingers through the boy's hair. She continued shushing him, coaxing him out of his dreams.

Tommy abruptly woke up with a jolt. His eyes flashed to everyone in the room, his lungs unable to supply enough oxygen. "Who-"

"Name five things you can see." She gently took his hand, rubbing her thumb across his knuckle.

He looked at her, puzzled, before murmuring his answer. "Um- I- you, Techno, Wilbur, t-the window, and the bed." His glassy eyes turned to her for approval.

"Wonderful! Four things you can hear?"

"Uh... your voice, birds, cars, and I-I don't know." Embarrassment flooded his cheeks.

"That's alright." she smiled reassuringly. "Are you feeling better now?"

Tommy glanced at her, his eyes filled with uncertainty. Hesitantly, he nodded as though there was no other answer. "I-I think so."

Techno let out a breath, bringing Tommy into a side hug. The younger gladly accepted, wrapping his arms around the older. "You're not there. You will never be there again." he promised.

Kristin smiled sadly, feeling the weight of the words he said. She moved, allowing Techno to take her spot beside the blonde. "If I could-"

"Leave us alone." Techno muttered, much to Wilbur's horror.

"But-"

"Now!" he snapped.

Kristin sighed, not even waiting for Phil before leaving the room.

Techno acted like nothing had happened, returning to his mission of comforting Tommy. Wilbur glared at his brother. He had no right to do that, not after she helped them. "She was only trying to help." he pointed out.

"We don't need her help." Techno commented.

"Really?" Wilbur couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Who woke up Tommy after we couldn't? We can't take credit for what she did."

"We would have managed."

"But we didn't!" he could feel his blood boiling, threatening to erupt. Kristin had been nothing but kind to them. Sure, he still didn't trust Phil. But Kristin was another story. 

Techno darted back at him, his eyes filling with fury. "We don't need their help!" he said impatiently.

Wilbur stood up, arguing, "Their offering us safety! Something we haven't had in years! They have been nothing but kind to us. Can't we at least be grateful for them? Their good people Techno." He paused, taking a deep breath. He eyes fell to Tommy, who was looking up at them with wide eyes. There was a reason they always kept him out of things like this. "Don't you want a home?" his voice broke.

Techno glared at him. "We already have a home! We don't need them to create it!"

"Yes we do!"

"We were fine before."

"Were we?" Wilbur laughed, knowing it obviously wasn't true. "Does living on the streets sound like fine?" Living on the streets was hell and both of them knew it.

"We were managing!" Techno shouted, the frustration running through every word. Wilbur was pushing his buttons, but he couldn't care less.

"No we-"

"Please stop!" Tommy cried out, making both of them instantly turn to him. The poor boy was curled up in Techno's lap with tears running down his cheeks. Guilt immediately replaced the anger. They hadn't meant to scare their brother.

"I'm sorry Toms." Techno apologized, pulling the boy closer to his chest. "We didn't mean to fight."

Wilbur shook his head. "Speak for yourself." He felt terrible about scaring Tommy, but not for arguing with Techno. Kristin didn't deserve to be snapped at. And he intended to apologize to her.

-----------

Hope you liked it!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

-Snowy