How I adopted my best friends | benchtrio

How was I found 🧨

Tommy POV 🧨
Tw: slight mention of sh, one swear

I've lost my book. This really sucks. Dammit, I can't do anything right.
That was how I recorded everything. Stuff I saw, heard, felt. Each day that passed without Wil. Recounting old memories of going online and getting him the stuff he needed cause I'm such a hacker.

It keeps getting worse. I don't even feel sad anymore, I just feel numb. It's gotten to the point where I've been scraping my arms along the rough sides of benches just to feel something, biting the inside of my mouth all the time, and my wrists look like they're about to snap.

I used to be better than this. I used to be able to keep it all together even when it felt like the world was falling apart. Sometime I just sit on a bench looking out into space, like I'm disassociating. I used to pass it off as just zoning out, but now, I can't seem to escape it. I'll be whispering to myself, "stop it. Get out. Move." But I can't physically move. Like sleep paralysis in broad daylight.

🧨time skip🧨

I've been reduced to lying face down on the concrete in the middle of the night. Now it's turning three in the morning but I'm still here, I'm not leaving.

For the record, I've never begged. I won't sit on the ground with a hat and a cardboard sign in front of me, staring at everyone who passes by. I try to keep my head high, though at the moment I'm doing the literal opposite.

Someone taps me on the shoulder. I instinctively flinch it off, worried I'm going to be attacked or something. Then the person speaks.

"Excuse me, are you okay? I notices you lying on the ground, I didn't know if you were hurt," they said, in a strong american accent that felt strangely familiar.
"Yeah I'm fine," I mumbled, struggling to sit up. It was probably a dumb idea to lie on the pavement. I now had tiny pieces of gravel imbedded in my chin.

I looked at the guy who was squatting down in front of me. He seemed decently tall, with blonde hair and a green hoodie. The hoodie had a tiny smiley face in the corner.

"I'm Clay, and you are?" this guy asked, holding out a hand either to shake or to pull me up from the ground.
"I'm Tommy," I said quietly, not particularly wanting to talk to him. He'd probably just laugh at me and walk away, maybe throw in a disparaging remark about my scruffy appearance.

"I don't mean to be forward here, but are you hungry?" Clay asked, turning his head to one side. I don't understand why he was asking me this.
"Kind of," I answered. I decided it best to reply monosyllabically, as I wasn't really in the mood to talk.

"Well, I'll be right back, just stay here, okay?"
And he walked off. I didn't really care. He was probably just humouring me anyway. Still, it felt weird to have someone actually talk to me and look me in the eye. That hadn't really happened since I ran away. People just glanced and hurried on.

I continued to sit there on the ground for a good ten minutes, just staring into space. It wasn't until I heard a rustling beside me to look up and see the Clay guy holding a plastic carrier bag.

"I got you something from subway. It hasn't got meat cause I didn't know if you're vegetarian, I hope that's okay," he said, placing the bag down beside me.

My eyes literally popped. Someone had actually taken the time to be nice to me? Why?
"Thank you," I said with a slightly confused look on my face.

"Is it okay if I sit with you?" Clay asked.
"Sure," I replied, opening the bag. Inside contained a yellow and green parcel, a tall paper cup with a lid, and a small plastic bag.

I opened the parcel first. Out came a steaming hot vegan SuperSub. (Idk if that's a thing I just made it up.) It looked and smelled delicious.

"Did you really get this for me?" I said, looking at Clay with my mouth agape.
"Yeah, it didn't look like you'd had a hot meal for a while. I know it's not much, but maybe it'll keep you going for a while," Clay said.

I gently held the precious sub in my bony hands. It had been over a year since I'd had one of these. Me and Wil didn't get them often when money was tight. So Wil had learned to cook, even though he didn't like being associated with a "girly" trait.

I munched on the subway, savouring the boiling veggie meatballs and fresh bread.
"Are you crying?" Clay asked.
I hadn't even noticed the tears pouring down my face. I just hadn't tasted anything so good, even if it was vegan.

"I'm okay," I said. I finished the sub with one last giant swallow. Next I looked in the little bag. It contained a chocolate chip cookie, so simple, yet so gratifying.

Still, I decided to save it for later. I wanted this glorious meal to last at least a day. I figured I'd have the cookie for lunch tomorrow, which was better than nothing at all.

The final item was a large Coke in a paper cup. I audibly gasped in surprise. It had been so long.
"This is my favourite drink," I whispered. I used to buy a Coke every single day, even though Wil told me I'd probably go into diabetic shock.

I drank the entire thing in one go, barely acknowledging Clay sitting patiently beside me.
Memories flooded my mind as I drank the dark liquid.

"Hey Tommy, I'm going to stream now!" Wilbur shouted down the stairs.
"Kay, guess I'm playing Mario Kart by myself then," I yelled back.
"Why don't you get Toby to come over?" Wil shouted as he locked himself in his room.

That wasn't a bad idea. I grabbed my phone and messaged Tubs.

Bee boy

Come over child

I am literally older than you

I don't care, there
are lots of women in
My house

I highly doubt that

Just come over you little
bitch

Always the tone of politeness
------------------------------———-—–--–—

Toby showed up ten minutes later. He looked more shaken up than usual. I swear if his dad had done something again -

"What happened?" I asked, not bothering with formalities or greetings or any of that boring stuff.
"Nothing, can we not talk about it please?" Tubbo said, looking on the verge of tears.

"Toby, tell me what happened. If your dad hurt you again, I swear I will beat him up. I will shove my fist so far up his ass he throws it up," I promised fiercely.

"Really it's nothing, I'm fine okay?" Tubbo said, looking at the ground.
"Alright man, if you need to talk about it I'm here alright?" I said, inviting him inside.

"Want a coke?" I asked, chucking one at his face. Somehow he caught it.
"Thanks, maybe not so forcefully next time," and we sat down on the sofa and played Mario Kart as Wilbur played Minecraft upstairs.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

It's strange to think that one Coca-Cola, one tiny act of kindness from a stranger could trigger such strong feelings. It's been a long time since I've felt anything.

I finished the last sip of the wonderful drink and placed the cup on the ground beside me. I looked to my right to see Clay fishing something out of his pocket.

"Here's a card for the youth hostel I volunteer at, well it's sort of a... Teenager orphanage? It's hard to explain, but they provide a place to stay and three meals a day. You don't have to go, but the option's always there."

I looked at the card. It held a phone number and an email address. And possibly the key to saving my life.

Thanks for reading this chapter, sorry for the wait :)
If you're reading this from 11:36 - 2:59, go to sleep.

Word count: 1369