Scared and Blind

Chapter3

"So, what now?"

They sit in an uncomfortable silence. Tommy sips his hot chocolate under a hot orange blanket, mug clenched between trembling fingers. Pete and Philza sip their coffee and tea respectively, reclining on the couch's softness. Techno purses his lips, fist clenched in his lap, back straight against the chair. "We should plan for the worst possible scenario. Right guys?"

Tommy numbly shook his head. The boy seemed to still be processing everything that had happened so far. He honestly needed a break. Techno himself had gone through more emotional turmoil in the past hours than perhaps in the past several years, he could barely imagine how Tommy must feel

"I think we should give this weird potion a week." Phil declares, leaning back against the couch.

"...and then?" Pete asked, rubbing his chin, his head cocked to the side.

"And then we'll see. What do you think Tommy?" Phil said, taking another sip.

"Yeah I guess..." The kid's voice was meek and small, muffled through the blanket.

"That's for the future. What are we going to do now?" Techno said, his voice sounding strained even to himself. Phil and Pete seemed to notice something and glanced at each other quickly.

"Tommy will have to learn to adapt for the time being." Pete spoke softly, words aimed at the youngest, but his gaze turned to Techno. The pig man nodded firmly, pleased with this answer.

"He'll stay here then." Techno decides. "Where we can keep an eye on him."

The mass of blanket that is Tommy flinched at that comment, his head peeking out from the bright orange comforter, brows furrowed and mouth opened in protest before he got cut off.

"What can Tommy even do around here?" Pete questioned, glancing at Phil sitting next to him.

"Well, I have been needing a second opinion for building my machines lately..." Phil starts, eyes far away, contemplating.

Techno frowns "Aren't those very far away? I don't think he should leave base too soon. He'd get in trouble. We should keep him close." Both Phil and Pete shoot him deadpan looks.

"That's kind of excessive, Techno." Phil sounds disappointed in him.

"I think it's an appropriate precaution." Techno defends, arms crossing at his chest, frowning at Phil. "He's a danger to himself right now."

Tommy opens his mouth to speak again, and he might have even said something this time, but Pete's booming voice covered whatever he might have said.

"Well he could just clean up around the place." A distinct note of sarcasm rang out, clearly annoyed with Techno's protective tendency."Not too dangerous is it-?" Techno huffed, and bared his teeth.

"This is not a joking matter Pete!" Techno said

"Hey, calm down there. Being so uptight won't help the situation!"

Techno sputtered "Uptight? I'm being reasonable! You're the one who is too relaxed about this!"

"You're the one that's controlling and-"

"That's IT!" Tommy finally screamed before the argument could go any further, mug sloshing around, now cold chocolate spilling over the blanket. "I'm capable of making my own decisions! This is only temporary! I can deal with it alone!"

Techno scoffed, "You can't even see right now."

Tommy glared at him. Or at least tried. The fact he was aiming ever so slightly to the left of Techno's face tugged at his heartstrings in a way Techno didn't even know it could. "That doesn't change the fact that I can make my own decisions, Techno!"