Chapter Text
Tommy yawned, covering his mouth with one hand to muffle some of the noise. He’d slept like shit the past few days, and he was doing his best to hide the fact. For one, he couldn’t afford to slack off in school or work, or his parents would be on his ass in an instant. Secondly, he’d had this talk with Wilbur, Phil, and Techno too many times for him to keep doing this. He’d stay up late doing homework or getting distracted by something on his phone and then it’d be 3 A.M. and he would be wrecked. The vicious cycle had snowballed throughout the whole week, and at the moment, Tommy was standing only thanks to the Monster he’d downed before his shift. He could hide behind caffeine and work in the back and make sure the others didn’t worry.
He never meant for his sleep schedule to get so shit. It always just sort of… happened. He always had to force himself to fix it when someone else noticed how miserable he was. Not this time, though. He’d manage this one by himself. He wouldn’t need Wilbur spamming him with messages to go to bed at 11 each night until he was back on track. He didn’t need others to bother worrying about him. He could take care of himself. If he couldn’t by now, that’d just be embarrassing.
Tommy trudged through storage, pulling along a pallet truck stacked high with its namesake. He walked past Wilbur, Techno, and Tubbo, who were all deep in a conversation he didn’t have the energy to listen in on. He was crashing, he could tell. If he could just finish this quick, he could sneak into the break room and pop another energy drink to power through to the end of his shift. It was routine, at this point. Trying to picture the number of energy drink cans teens had thrown away in this store was like trying to picture Dream without his sunglasses and mask.
While he tried to do the mental math, he was distracted enough to not pay attention to where he was going. Tommy tripped, falling over another pallet truck and into the pallets stacked on top of it. He blinked himself back into focus, barely noticing the way his knee and elbow ached. He… was stuck. He’d gotten entangled with the mass of empty pallets and metal parts and quickly found out he was unable to move. His ankle was caught under the truck he was pulling and his body was weighed down by the pallets that had tumbled off of it and onto him. His vision was still swimming, and he felt a familiar sense of panic set in. He knew someone heard that. Now they were going to come over here and see him like this and then they would know something was wrong-
“Tommy? You alright?” Wilbur’s voice called.
Tommy swallowed his unease and responded, “Um, not really. I think I’m stuck.”
“Stuck? What did you do to get stuck pulling a pallet truck?” Tubbo’s voice asked, closer than Wilbur’s was. They were moving.
“I tripped, sue me,” Tommy grumbled, finally getting his eyes to work as Tubbo and Wilbur appeared around a corner.
The first thing Tubbo did was let out a cackle. He could tell Wilbur was holding back his own laughter, which he appreciated, even if it hurt a bit.
“Seriously, man, how did you get yourself in this situation?” Wilbur questioned him, light tones of laughter on the edge of his words.
“I-I wasn’t paying attention and I tripped over this stupid pallet thing, now are you just gonna stand there and laugh or are you gonna help me?” Tommy replied frustratedly.
Instead of a helpful response, Tubbo doubled over in laughter. Wilbur coughed into his fist and turned his head away, failing to keep down his laughs this time. Tommy groaned, trying to ignore his heart as it started to race. He tugged his arms from where they had been stuck between some pallet slats and attempted to twist around. It didn’t work all too well, and trying to shove the pallets off his torso didn’t go any better. He bit his lip as he felt a gasp coming on. No, he wasn’t about to break down because his friends were laughing at him because he’d gotten himself stuck. If he was in any better mood, he’d probably be laughing too, but today it just stung.
“Guys, really, I can’t move,” Tommy whined.
Tubbo and Wilbur were talking--laughing--at something, but Tommy didn’t hear what. Probably him. He watched their lips move but could only hear his own heartbeat in his ears. That’s it. He was gonna die trapped under wooden pallets and a hunk of metal. And his friends would watch and laugh. Well… fuck that.
Tommy braced himself against the pallets and tried to pull himself free. He yelped, feeling something twinge uncomfortably in his ankle. The shock of pain that shot up his calf made him wince. No way that was good. So, that plan wasn’t gonna work. He looked desperately to Tubbo and Wilbur, only to find they weren’t paying attention. The tears gathering at his eyes were involuntary. So was the whole not-being-able-to-breathe thing.
“What’s goin’ on back here? I could hear Tubbo laughing from the break room,” Techno suddenly said. Tommy hadn’t noticed his arrival. He hadn’t noticed much of anything, besides the pain in his ankle.
“Tommy got himself stuck between the pallet trucks and shit,” Wilbur reported lightly, wiping at his eye.
“How does that even happen?” Tubbo’s high-pitched voice asked no one in particular.
He couldn’t stand it. He readied his hands beneath him and pushed up. He felt the pallets above him shift for just a second, before he got too far and a burst of pain shocked him into stillness. He muffled another yelp to a whimper and dropped back onto his stomach. Why wasn’t anyone helping? He hid his face in his arms, hating the tears flowing down his cheeks. It felt as if the pallets were crushing him, making it harder to breathe. His breaths stuttered, and he knew there was no going back. The world was miles away, hidden behind wood and metal layers thick that was crushing him to death. He’d suffocate and the world would keep turning. It was obvious no one would care. If they did, he’d be out of here by now.
“Uh, don’t think I care,” Techno commented. “So, are you guys gonna help him, or do I have to be the one to step in and stop the panic attack?”
That’s what it was. The blatant addressal of Tommy’s horrible state really was just the killing blow. His face was still in his arms, his fingers digging into his skin. His chest hurt and he could barely hear over the sound of his own sobs and struggling breaths. Breathing was really, really hard. Everything hurt. He wanted the pain to stop.
“Shit--get-get everything off of him--Tommy. Tommy, can you hear me?” Wilbur’s tone quickly shifted from carefree to serious.
He felt gentle hands break his grasp on his arms and hold his tightly. Tommy tried to pull back, feeling ashamed and embarrassed and really not wanting to be seen right now. Wilbur wouldn’t let go, though, no matter what he tried. Every breath stung even though the weight on his back was lifting. He clamped his eyes shut because he knew he couldn’t look Wilbur in the eye. He dug his nails into Wilbur’s hands and shook his head.
“Wil, please, I can’t-” he choked.
“Hey, it’s alright, you’re okay,” Wilbur told him in that brotherly voice that always made Tommy feel warm. “Can you look at me, Toms? Please?”
Tommy hummed uncomfortably, but hesitantly looked up. Wilbur was on his knees in front of him, and his soft smile was all he could see.
“There,” he said quietly, brushing his knuckles across Tommy’s cheek and wiping away the tears trailing down it, “not so bad, huh? I’m right here with you. It’s almost over, I promise.”
Tommy nodded, holding in another sob. A gasping breath escaped him and he squeezed Wilbur’s hands tighter. He reigned his breathing back in, listening to Wilbur’s whispered comfort. He felt the weight lift from his ankle and he scrambled away. He didn’t care anymore, he latched onto Wilbur’s comforting presence and slammed into his chest. The man’s arms wrapped around him and held him tight. Tommy buried his head in his neck, doing what he could to hide his tears.
Wilbur sighed heavily. He muttered guiltily, “I’m sorry, Tommy. I was being a dick, I should’ve just helped you. I-I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“It’s okay,” Tommy whispered hoarsely.
He meant it. He didn’t care about what they did anymore. He was just so scared and he wanted that feeling to leave. He felt weak and vulnerable and so much like a child that it made him sick. So he held onto Wilbur, sniffling and hiccuping until his body didn’t have the energy to keep it up anymore. He heard the sounds of people moving around them and took one last shuddering breath. He slinked away from Wilbur, pathetically rubbing tears from his eyes. Tubbo tensed to his left. He reached out and took Tommy’s hands in his, eyes glassy as he stared.
“You’re hurt,” his voice cracked, examining the small cuts and scrapes Tommy’s arms had acquired. Turns out, shoving them through the slats of pallets did that when done recklessly. He pulled his hands to his chest and mumbled a thick, “I’m sorry, Tommy. I didn’t even realize-”
“It’s alright, Tubbo, really,” Tommy insisted, not sure if he could keep it together if Tubbo started crying, too. “It’s not your fault.”
“Anything else hurtin’? You were pretty stuck under there,” Techno asked to his right.
Tommy blanked before he remembered the throbbing ache in his ankle. He realized he was practically sitting on it and quickly shoved it out from underneath him. Techno blinked and gently took his ankle in his hands. He pressed his fingers into his skin slowly, stopping as soon as he saw Tommy wince.
“Well, it’s a bit swollen, but there’s no bruising or anything, so that’s good,” Techno reported, carefully removing his hands. “Looks like just a sprain, not a bad one, either. Rest and ice for a few days will solve your problem easily.”
Tommy didn’t breathe for a second, but a second was long enough for the others to notice. He stammered, “I-I can’t take time off. If I miss school or work my-my parents-”
“It’s okay, Toms. We’ll figure it out together,” Wilbur cut him off before he could spiral, setting a grounding hand on his knee.
He swallowed hard and nodded. His grip tightened on Tubbo’s hands. How was he gonna explain this to his parents? They’d already been coming down hard lately thanks to midterms. If he wouldn’t be able to work, life wouldn’t be any better at home. It would be so, so much worse.
“Tubbo, can you go find one of the managers? Wil and I’ll take Tommy to the break room and we can talk this out there,” Techno said, making eye contact with Tubbo over Tommy’s head.
“Y-Yeah,” Tubbo answered quietly, nodding and slowly letting go of Tommy’s hands to stand.
As he hurried off, Tommy moved to rise to his feet and didn’t get the chance. Wilbur slipped his hands under his knees and around his back and lifted him easily. He yelped in surprise, wrapping his arms around the man’s neck to ease his pounding heart.
“I could walk,” he grumbled.
“I’d prefer if you didn’t,” Wilbur said. “We don’t want your ankle getting any worse.”
“You’ll probably be fine to walk on it later, but I can’t stop Wil from worrying,” Techno commented. “I’ma go find some ice. I’ll meet you in the break room.”
Tommy was quiet as Wilbur carried him to the break room. For once, he had no idea what to say. He felt embarrassed, to say the least. He kept his eyes locked on the floor as it passed beneath him. He’d been hiding his lack of sleep from everyone until now. He didn’t think he’d be able to keep the act up for much longer. Really, it wasn’t so supposed to get this bad. It wasn’t supposed to lead to this--being carried to the break room because he’d hurt his ankle from being so sleep deprived. He didn’t want another serious talk about taking care of himself. He tried, he really did, sometimes it… it was just hard.
Wilbur helped him sit down before propping his ankle up on another chair, his own coat shoved under it for some cushioning. He dragged a chair to sit beside him. He’d pulled the first aid kit from the cupboards and opened it on his lap. When he carefully took one of Tommy’s hands in his, he didn’t resist. Some part of him, still afraid of being stuck forever, wanted the touch desperately. He watched Wilbur’s hands instead of his face. He tugged some disinfectant wipes from their package and Tommy braced for the sting.
He was already expecting it when Wilbur asked, “Is everything alright, Tommy?”
“If-If I tell you, do you promise not to get mad?” Tommy replied, voice small.
“Of course,” Wilbur answered softly.
He forced the words out of his mouth. They were hard-edged and uneven, like they weren’t really his. “I haven’t been sleeping very well, lately. Before you say anything, I know I need to take care of myself. I try, I swear I do, but my parents haven’t left me alone at all because of midterms. They’re making sure I keep my grades up and still work and I can barely find time to do everything without sacrificing something so-”
“Hey, hey,” Wilbur interrupted him gently, running a hand through his hair to get his attention, “it’s okay. I know how awful your parents are to you, you don’t have to make excuses to me.”
“I just-I just don’t know what to do, Wil,” Tommy admitted, hating how his voice cracked. “They never fucking ease up and-and it sucks.”
Wilbur frowned, but didn’t get the chance to respond as Techno entered the break room with ice in hand, closely followed by Tubbo and Dream. Tommy hissed as the intense cold sent a shiver across his body. Wilbur finished covering the exposed scrapes and shut the first aid kit, looking up to lock eyes with Dream.
“So, I heard about this,” Dream said, staring at Tommy’s ankle before looking back to Wilbur, “but what’s really happening?”
“Parents are being shit, nothing’s new,” Tommy grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair.
“He hasn’t been sleeping enough,” Wilbur stated flatly, subtle anger barely noticeable in his tone.
“But I can’t stop working, Dream! If I don’t keep up with school and this, my parents are going to be--fucking unmanageable,” Tommy struggled to find a nice way of putting it.
The tension in the room rose. Despite his efforts, everyone picked up on the dark connotations. In all honesty, Tommy didn’t know how long he had until one of his parents snapped. He always felt like he was avoiding landmines when he maneuvered around his house. He tried to stay away from his parents and any conversation with them as much as he possibly could. If he came home tonight, ankle sprained and not able to work for a few days, he had no idea what they would do if they found out. He felt a hand force its way into his. He’d been digging his nails into his arms again, and he hadn’t even noticed. The skin was red where his fingers had been moments prior. Now they were clasped around Wilbur’s. He was panicking again.
“It’ll be okay, we’ll work this out,” Wilbur promised and turned back to Dream. “What are our options?”
“I can’t let Tommy work while he’s hurt, that’s not changing,” Dream said matter-of-factly. When Tommy opened his mouth to object, he was cut off, “You’ll get a few days of PTO. You have so many days saved up, it barely even matters. On the home front… I’ll still let you come in as if it were your regular hours, but no actual work, alright? You can hang out back here or in the bakery or something, just don’t make your ankle worse.”
With so many eyes on him that weren’t going to argue on the matter, he sighed. “Fine… thank you, Dream.”
The man’s shoulders slumped slightly, and his voice was softer when he said, “It’s no problem, Tommy.” He gained a bit of his usual life back when he turned to the others and asked, “Can I leave it to you guys from here?”
Wilbur nodded, and Dream left them alone again. Tommy couldn’t say he wasn’t relieved. If he was suddenly taking time off when he was scheduled to work days before, his parents would get suspicious. They would not be happy, and they would make sure he knew it. He hated staying in his house longer than he had to. And after today… he really didn’t wanna go back.
He hated the silence that filled the room after the door closed. He looked up from his hands and said, “Can we just get this over with? What do you want to tell me?”
Wilbur exhaled through his nose. He met eyes with Techno, having a silent conversation before looking back at him. “Do you want to stay with me and Techno for a while?”
Tommy’s heart stuttered in his chest. Stay? With Wilbur and Techno? It… did sound nice. Terribly nice, actually. Anything to get away from the pressure and nerves he felt in his own house.
“Unless it’s going to make things worse, then forget I even asked-” Wilbur was saying, tapping Tommy’s hand restlessly.
“No! No, I mean, uh, yes. Please, I’d, ah, I’d really like that,” he fumbled, nodding stiffly.
“Are you sure? This won’t… mess things up at home?” Wilbur asked again, staring at Tommy expectantly.
“They don’t fucking care where I am. As long as they don’t get a call that I’m dead in a ditch, it doesn’t matter,” Tommy snapped. That didn’t sound too good, did it? He glanced up and winced at the looks the others were giving him. Sad, disappointed, pitying. He mumbled, “Sorry…”
“No, don’t-don’t apologize. If this is what you want and you’re sure it’s okay, we’ll do it,” Wilbur told him softly, squeezing his hands again.
“Okay,” Tommy swallowed, suddenly very nervous. “Thanks, Wilbur.”
Wilbur smiled, reaching to ruffle Tommy’s hair. He said, “No problem, Tommy. Do you need to stop at home once we get off?”
Wilbur cared. Everyone at the store cared about him in a way his parents never would. It made him want to cry and tell them he loved them and forget everything about his home situation. But he was a kid. Life wasn’t that easy. He couldn’t just stand up and leave his home behind. So he found these reprieves to be the best things in the world.
It was easily sorted: Tommy would stay off his feet for the rest of his shift and go home with Wilbur and Techno. He had zero desire to sit in the break room alone while the rest of his friends went back to work, so with the right amount of pleading and puppy-dog-eyes, Tommy got what he wanted. It’s how he ended up being carried around on Wilbur’s back for the rest of his shift. With the store in a lull of customers, it wasn’t a big issue for them to charge around the store, bothering their friends and freaking out the few customers they passed. Laughing was easy when his friends made it so easy to forget what bothered him. It was especially simple when Wilbur helped him swipe Quackity’s radio, holding it a good height above him thanks to their combined.
“Alright, I get it, you’re both lanky-armed bastards, give me back my fucking radio!” he complained, grinning as he made another attempt to snatch it from Tommy’s hands.
“Just grow, Alex, it’s not that hard,” Karl commented from his register through giggles.
“Yeah, sure, I’ll just shoot up three inches and be as tall as you motherfuckers.”
“See? Now that wasn’t hard,” Wilbur cooed as Tommy let Quackity retrieve his radio.
“I hate you all so goddamn much,” Quackity grumbled, joining Karl behind his register and elbowing him roughly in the side to stop his laughter. Everyone decided to ignore the clear smile on his face.
Much to his chagrin, Tommy was getting extremely tired. He tucked his chin to his chest and pressed his cheek against Wilbur’s back, the gentle rocking as they headed towards the back making his eyes want to close. He heard Wilbur chuckle, and he groaned when the man bounced on his feet and jostled him.
“Tired?” he asked warmly.
“Shut it, bitch,” Tommy mumbled, weakly kicking Wilbur’s thigh with his heel.
“You’re adorable,” he replied, a smile obvious in his voice.
“I will stab you.”
“You don’t have the energy.”
Tommy hummed, proving him right in an instant. Only since it was Wilbur he let himself do this. He always felt an unexplainable safety when he was around. He felt like he could let his guard down and not have to worry about keeping up acts. Being sleepy only made him be more soft. It was embarrassing. He tried to hide his face even more between his body and Wilbur’s.
He still had to stop at home and get some things. That wasn’t something he was looking forward to. He couldn’t bring Wilbur or Techno inside to help. He’d have to sneak around his parents and out without drawing too much attention to his swollen ankle. Getting upstairs and down again would be a struggle, but he’d have to deal with it. In his mind, it was worth the risk. Spending time with Wil and Techno and not in his own house was enough to sell him. He just had to make it through this last obstacle. He hoped it’d turn out okay.