Branded for Failure

Chapter3: Welcome Home Theseus

'I'm sowy .' Tommy sniffled, he had been five, maybe younger when he had been jumping on the couch. In his mind's eyes the floor was bubbling lava. He squealed and left from sofa to recliner. Until he missed and landed on the glass table that shattered into a million pieces upon impact.

Phil rushed into the living room panicking.

Tommy sat in the middle of the glass teary eyed. 'I didn't mean to bweak the table.'

Phil scooped his son from the middle of the glass not caring about his own feet. He sat Tommy on the counter and checked him all over for scratches. He found a few cuts on his right arm and Phil wiped them clean.

'Oh Tommy I'm not upset about the table.' Phil sighed. 'I'm just happy you're okay.'

Tommy pouted and pointed to his bleeding cut. Phil covered it with a cartoon bandage and kissed it.

'But It's bwoken now.' Tommy argued sadly.

'Tommy, it's just stuff. Material things are valueless compared to the worth of a human being, especially my son.' Phil said lovingly. 'You will always come first.'

Tommy let Phil pick him up like he was a child again, and carry him to the car. Tommy could sense Phil's concern with every step. Normal Tommy would never ever let himself be carried in public like this.

The ache in his bones and head were just too much. Tommy was so very tired. So he was carried to the car and Phil buckled him into the back seat. Tommy immediately slumped sideways so he could lay down.

Phil got into the driver's side and the car started with a gentle roar. "I'm taking you home, okay Tommy?"

But Tommy could not answer because he was asleep in an almost comatose-like state.

Tommy felt like he had barely closed his eyes when the car stopping woke him. He sat up with a big stretch.

"We are home." Phil said.

Tommy looked out the window and took a deep breath. Stepping out of the car he rubbed his eyes, then squared his shoulders and locked eyes with his childhood home. He has so many fond memories in this house.

"Who's there?" Tommy asked Phil.

Phil unlocked the front door and pocketed the keys. "Techno, Wilbur is still- working."

"Wilbur lives here now?" Tommy said in surprise. The last time Tommy had been here Wilbur had left in a similar dramatic fashion Tommy had.

"Yes for three- no." Phil thought. "Wow it must be five or six months at this point. Come on, you can lie down on the couch for a bit and I'll start dinner early."

Tommy entered the door, marveling how the living room looked exactly the same. He muttered under his breath. "I don't need to effing lie down." 

Phil raised his eyebrow and gave him a look but didn't say anything. "Well take your shoes off and go take a shower at least. I can't have you trekking grime about the house."

Tommy sent a silent thanks to Phil. gratefully takinging this order as an opportunity to not awkwardly roam aimlessly about the house he knew so well. Tommy ran up the stairs to the upstairs bath but was stopped in his tracks.

Blue plaid pajama pants that were a little too long, a geeky oversized tee and a pink braid Tommy almost had a heart attack when he ran into the figure looming over him.

Tommy took a step back and for a moment the two just kinda looked at each other.

"What are you doing in my house Tommy?" Techno asked in a low tone.

"It's my house now, prick." Tommy shot back but it was weak. He crossed his arms and stared at the floor. He could hear Technoblade snort.

"I live here." Techno started quietly but forcefully. "Last time I checked you do not."

"Yah well I don't really live anywhere at the moment." He mumbled back.

"What? They finally saw how annoying you were and got tired of you so they kicked you out?"

Tommy blinked hard at the floor. "Yah, something like that."

Techno took a step closer and Tommy tensed up. He reached out his hand and forced his chin up. Tommy bit his lip hard and looked his brother in the eye steeled.

"Did they hurt you?"

'No they didn't, nobody can even come close to hurting big man Tommy.' he wanted to say' Tommy just pulled away and closed his hands into fists.

"Shut up."

"Did they?" Techno demanded. "Because if they did I swear-"

"Just shut up!" Tommy shouted. "Shut up you don't even know- you don't know anything just shut it. Please." he begged.

Technoblade closed his eyes and blew air sharply through his nose. An action Tommy always associated with his brother.

"I'm okay big man, I'll be alright." Tommy lied.

Techno nodded, then a grin flitted across his face. "I missed you." He ruffled Tommy's hair and Tommy pretended to be annoyed.

"Clingy."

Techno snorted and pushed him towards the bathroom. "You were heading to the shower right? Good, I could smell you when you pulled into the driveway."

Tommy stuck his tongue out and closed the door with a slam.

"Welcome home Theseus." Techno called through the door.

"Shut up!" Tommy shouted back.

Purposefully missing the mirror Tommy started a steaming shower. He was surprised a whole layer of skin didn't come off when he stripped his week old jeans.

He got into the bath shower and watched as brown and red water flowed into the drain. The water both hurt and felt heavenly on his skin. He turned the water as hot as he could stand. Tommy had to apply body wash several times for the water to run clean.  Usually Tommy didn't bother washing his hair properly but his scalp itched. As he shampood his hair he found knot after knot and a matted bit just behind his ear. His hair was longer than he liked to wear it.

There was a knock on the bathroom door and Phil said. "I am leaving some clothes for you outside the door. Just leave your old ones on the floor, we'll just throw them away."

Tommy didn't shut off the shower immediately. He just basked in the warmth. But the longer he stood there the more time he had to think.

Tommy was back.

In his childhood home, the one he and Wilbur tried so hard to run from when-

And what was up with Wilbur? Tommy thought.Tommy wanted to leave. But Wilbur wanted to burn this house to the ground and would rather die before he came back.

But now Phil was all nice and stuff. Not that Phil wasn't nice before, just played favorites. Never cared what Wilbur and Tommy were doing so long as they didn't die, never helped them either but.

Tears mixed with the shower water.

Tommy was so tired of running.