Us Against the World

Arrow

Tommy wakes to noises being made in the main room of the shared house. He rubs the sleep from his eyes and slinks out of bed laying on the cold floor to wake himself. Steps approach and a foot lands on his upper back shaking him.

"Wake up Tommy, Techno's cooking some food for us all."

Tommy groans and stands to meet Toby's eyes before squinting and saying, "If you ever put your foot on me again I will literally bite your-" He stops and sighs before walking away.

Toby follows Tommy into the living room as the smell of cooked food wafts through the air. He stands a couple feet to the side of Techno, watching as he moves the food he's cooking. Two more join the three in the area and mutter good mornings to each other, Phil hugging Toby. As each grabs enough food to fill them, Phil finishes a portion of his and speaks up.

"Boys," he starts, "I heard from some other people on our side that Dream... He said something to you lot while I wasn't there. Regarding that, do any of you know who it may be?"

Tension settles like a blanket the gods suddenly dropped upon them. Phil feels the four tense up at the question and decides to not press further, yet one responds.

"I thought it might be Zak or Darryl*. Maybe even both- Dream could've misspoke and meant it was the both of them," Technoblade mutters, loud enough so that the rest hear. Wilbur nods his head and leans his back against a wall he stood at, mouth still filled with food. The five carried on eating and brought separate conversations amongst themselves, Techno leaving the house without a word as he normally did. While Toby watches Techno disappear down the long path, he feels Tommy's eyes on him. His attention shifts to Tommy and he tilts his head waiting for him to speak. 

"Do you want to do something today?"

"Well, I was actually already planning on doing something alone today if you don't mind."

"Ah alright. In that case I'll be here if needed," Tommy responds. He was slightly bothered at Toby not wanting to spend time with him, but he said nothing as he wouldn't force him to keep him company. Toby rose from his seat on a stool beside the counter to place his dishes in the sink and wash them, seeing the others leave the area in his peripheral vision. He waited a little while before returning to the shared bedroom, anticipation growing in his chest. He quietly opened the door and shuffled past Tommy's bed, seeing him asleep. Where is it. Where the hell is it. Toby quietly sticks his hand around in his belongings looking for what he needs. His hand slides against something sharp and he quietly gasps, wincing at the sudden pain. 

Tommy slightly shifted in bed, being uncomfortable in his original position. Toby freezes for a second, keeping his hand on the object in the bag as he turns to see Tommy still sleeping. He turns back around and Tommy opens his eyes just enough to see enough as Toby pulls out the object, as well as a letter then turning to the door. He struggles not to move too much and alarm Toby when he sees an arrow held in his left hand.

Shit, what is he doing?  He lays still, waiting in the silence of the room until he hears the front door open and shut quietly. He gets up from the bed and lightly steps to his room door before crouching and looking underneath the crack between the hardwood floor and the door. He looks for a sign of Toby still indoors and sees none, so he lifts himself to his feet and gathers a few things before setting off after Toby.

He finds himself thinking the worst as he trails Toby far enough not to be noticed, and makes sure not to lose sight of him. He follows Toby off the long path and into the forest to the right of the house, confused but still wary. The ground is slightly damp from last night's downpour and helps to mask Tommy's steps, but he removes his shoes for extra measure. He clenches his teeth as the cold pokes at his bare feet. 

Toby comes upon a small clearing with a fallen log to his left side. He stands atop the log, pulling up a bow and arrow aiming it at a tree. Tommy holds his breath, the string is released and the arrow pierces into the moss-covered bark of the tree. He looks at the bow in his hand for a moment, and proceeds to toss it upwards to hang in the tree he just shot. Tommy lets out a soft sigh loosening his grip on a knife he's brought along in case. He notices the letter still in the other's hand and decides to leave him to his business as it seemed harmless. Tommy backs away with his eyes still baring into Toby's back. The boy disappears from his view and so he turns and hastily books it back towards his home. 

Tommy makes it home without problem before Toby and keeps himself busy awaiting his best friend's arrival. The front door opens and Tommy quickly looks from his stance in the hallway to be disappointed by Technoblade's presence instead of Toby's.

"You don't have to make it known that I'm not wanted," Techno laughs. Tommy apologizes explaining his reaction and goes back to his business. He remembers a collection of disks in his locked chest and pulls one out to play it. As he sits next to the box listening, Toby enters from the outer room. 

"I'm only going to be here for a little while, sorry Tommy we can do something later," he sheepishly chuckles hoping Tommy won't be too angry.

Tommy responds bitterly, "Oh no, it's fine Toby it's not like I want to spend time with you or anything." He gestures with his hands as he speaks and proceeds to ignore Toby apologizing once more. Curiosity had been spilling into Tommy's bones begining at the time he saw Toby leave the arrow and bow in the tree. He weighed possibilities in his head before deciding to visit the spot. 

"I'm actually going out as well so I'll see you tonight once I'm back." 

Toby nods in response and watches as Tommy gathers a few things before setting off towards his destination. Tommy quietly steps through the forest examining each tree he passes. He finds the one that has the arrow piercing its trunk high above the ground. Looking around in silence, he listens for any sign of company before setting off to look for a good viewing point. He removes his shoes to minimize noise and steps through wet leaves, cringing at the wetness upon his soles. He grows closer to a mountainside gazing up at its height. Tommy's ears sting as a breeze blows swiftly through the forest, and right through his t-shirt.

"Such a gloomy look in this place," he mutters, scanning the area he stands in. The grass is covered in leaves and the trees look half-dead. His gaze tracks the dark clouds gliding overhead.  His attention turns back towards the mountain- the side he's on looking like a cliff. His eyes trail downwards from the middle and notice some rocks out of place. He slowly approaches, noticing extra darkness lurking behind them. He shifts the rocks, making an opening large enough to allow his entrance, and crawls through. Tommy shuts his eyes to help adjust to the lack of light quicker, taking in the musty smell of the small cave.

His hand runs against the wall guiding him, and he finds a corner leading away from him so he moves forwards with his hands out in front of him. His steps barely echo around him, so he figures it's a small cave possibly with things inside. He rummages through his pocket to find something to source light, and finds a match. The match strikes and lights the cave to show crates and stacks upon stacks of dynamite.

Tommy's expression turns horrified as he stands perfectly still in the middle of the cave, blowing out the match.

"What the fuck is this?"  

*[Zak is Skeppy and Darryl is BadBoyHalo- also I don't use Technoblade's real name because he's said he's uncomfortable with people using it.]