Changing With The Tides (A TommyInnit Au)

Chapter Five: A Talk With Techno

Remembering his promise to Kristen and his duties to return downstairs to see Wilbur and Techno, Tommy put his violin back into his suitcase and hid it as well as possible. He doubted that anyone here would be snooping in his private items, but until he had a chance to hide away his gadgets and violin, he wouldn't take the chance. With his mind back to its usual clear state, Tommy activated his bracelet and pressed the blue button. The heat sensor that would show him the positions of everyone in the house turned on, flashing in the contacts that Tommy wore just for that reason. Upon seeing that they were getting ready to begin eating dinner, Tommy took a deep breath, opened his door, and headed for the stairs. His footsteps were quiet and calculating, the sensors in his contacts showing him exactly where to step so he wouldn't make any noise. He wanted to observe his old friends for a moment before he met them, that way he wouldn't have to sit and stare at them blankly and worry them farther. He slid on the gloves he had made and smiled. Then, like the gremlin child he was, he climbed. Right up the wall. It was nice to have associates in high places who can get you some very sticky substances, especially when you know just what to make out of the sticky slime. The gloves gripped the wall nicely, and Tommy found the perfect spot to observe the household, sitting atop a bookshelf in the corner, almost completely hidden from view. With his bracelet on, he was good at finding spots like this. He watched as Phil and Kristen moved about in the kitchen, presumably preparing the last of the dinner dishes. He could hear voices coming closer to his line of sight, ones he remembered. One monotone voice seemed to be teasing the other lighter voice. Techno teasing Wilbur. Has nothing changed? He smirked a bit as the two came into sight, sitting down only mere yards in front of him, oblivious to his presence. Tommy would have known instantly that there was someone else in the room, but the two below him didn't seem to notice. Techno had gotten taller, but Tommy was sure he would still tower over the man. He looked a bit bulkier than the last time Tommy had seen him, and his hair had grown out quite a bit. It was also dyed a light pink. Nice, it looked good on him, Tommy thought. He moved his eyes to Wilbur. He was just as tall as Tommy remembered, though Tommy thought he was catching up to him quite a bit now. His curly brown hair was swiped to the side of his head, and Tommy could just barely make out the glasses that Wilbur had worn as a fashion statement since before Tommy had disappeared all those years ago. He looked almost the same, just a bit older, Tommy decided. He continued to observe them, their motions, their actions, their words. Everything about them screamed harmless, even Techno. "Guys, dinner is ready. Get out here so you can meet him!" Tommy had no doubt Phil was talking about him. As the two exited Tommy's line of sight, he used his gloves to drop back to the ground, sneaking up behind them and walking silently with them to the dining room. When they entered the room, Tommy pressed the blue button again on his bracelet, causing it to shut off. This left him a much harder challenge, but it was something Tommy appreciated. He had to get across the room without making a sound, without the help of his technology. Laser focused, Tommy relied on only his training. If he could sneak past the whole family, he would be proud of his work. He needed to see how rusty his skills had become. He began making his way over to an empty chair, staying as quiet as possible. One foot in front of the other. Right as he reached the empty chair on the opposite side of the room, he heard a gasp, then the sound of silverware clattering down on the table. He turned around, his eyes meeting Wilbur's chocolate brown ones. "Tommy?" "Welcome home Theseus." Techno spoke calmly. Tommy didn't want to admit how much he had missed Will, nor Techno. As his eyes peered into Wilbur's, Tommy found that his heart hurt just a bit more than normal. Within seconds however, those thoughts disappeared as he was wrapped into a suffocating hug. As much as Tommy appreciated the sentiment, he hated the way the hug made him feel so trapped. He patiently waited for the hug to be over, barely hugging back, preparing his mind for the questions he didn't want to answer. It warmed his heart to feel the hug, but not enough to thaw through his icy front to fix his broken trust. "Tommy, how..." Wilbur trailed off, peering at his face intensely. Tommy looked down, knowing exactly what he was looking at. The scar. The biggest one that was clearly visible. At least Wilbur hadn't seen his back or stomach. Those places were the worst, and Tommy had never let anyone see it. It was a sign of how weak he was. He snapped out of his thoughts, and Wilbur held him at arm's length, gently holding his hands. "Tommy, whatever happened to you, trust me, it won't happen here." Tommy gazed into Wilbur's eyes, the ones he used to trust so much. Now, he knew better than to trust people, and yet here he was, wishing with all his heart to break down his carefully built walls and give this man a hug. Instead, he nodded, his face never betraying the thoughts that swirled within his head. Tommy looked at the food on the table. The dinner was tacos, but Tommy didn't want to eat in front of the rest of the group. He could feel Techno's eyes on him, watching him carefully. Knowing that he couldn't eat, he clicked the blue button, looking for a good option to somehow escape, or at least keep the food for later. In a way, he knew it was stupid to be perfectly fine with eating alone, but for his stomach to clench up whenever he was in front of others, but it was just the way it was. He served himself a taco, placing it on his plate. He could feel the stares from the other members of the house, but he could also feel when the stares moved for a second in order to look down at their plates or at each other. And in the perfect moment, all four other members looked away for a split second, and the taco was completely gone from his plate, leaving only a bit of meat behind. He felt their gazes return to him, but he was no longer worried. The taco was safe in his toolbelt, and he could eat it later when his stomach unclenched. He stayed seated, watching the group occasionally make small talk, though it was painfully obvious that they didn't know how to act around Tommy. Every so often, one of their gazes would flick to him, as if they expected him to just disappear. Everything about the situation was awkward, and Tommy was tempted to just get up and leave, but he knew that would be rude. Manners was one of the things that had been embedded into Tommy's brain, and he didn't even have to think about being polite. Techno suddenly stood up. "Hey Tommy, let's go up to my room." He suggested. "Okay." Tommy replied. He knew better than to argue. Techno stood up, and Tommy followed behind him in near silence. He hadn't deactivated his blue button, and he could still see the best places to step to make the smallest amount of noise. He noticed Techno glanced behind him more than once to make sure he was following, and he decided he must have been pretty quiet to warrant the amount of surprise that flickered over Techno's face every time he saw that Tommy was still following. As they finally came to Techno's door, Tommy stopped before entering. "Come on Tommy." Despite his hesitations, Tommy followed Techno's instructions, being careful not to disturb anything in the room. The room was actually really nice. A bed sat in one corner, a dresser against the wall. A couple bean bag chairs sat along the floor, and a PC sat on the far side of the room. A TV was mounted on one wall, and a few different controllers and consoles lay near the bean bags. "Have a seat, Toms." Tommy obediently sat down in one of the bean bag chairs, and Techno sat in one next to him. "I want to get to know you better Tommy. It's been a while, and you've obviously changed quite a bit. You're freaking tall now, you're quieter, definitely more calculating, and I don't mean to bring up sore topics, but you've got a pretty nasty scar across your face. I need to know what's going on so I can help you." Immediately, Tommy's eyes hardened. Techno had been the first to see it. All they would see was a broken boy. He stared into Techno's eyes, his face devoid of any emotion. "Some fucked up shit happened in there. I dealt with it alone, and I lived. I tried to get help, but help brought pain. Help didn't understand what I truly needed. They did what they thought was best for me, even though it wasn't best for me. People don't see me for who I am. They see me for what they think I am. I hope you can see the difference between me and the image you paint in your head, but I don't have my hopes up." Tommy took a breath. "Sorry, what were you saying?" He asked innocently, as if he hadn't just spoken. "Oh, uh, I guess I just want to get to know you?" Tommy could practically see the gears turning in Techno's head as he tried to process what Tommy had said. "Well..."

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Sorry I was late! I had some stuff going on yesterday and didn't find time to post! Either way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, the next one will come out on Saturday. I'm almost ready to post the description for my next book, so look forward to that! I'll see you all later, yeah? Bye! <3