7 Days of DSMP Angst

⟨⟨ seven ⟩⟩

"did he hurt you?"

ship: none, familial puffy, sam and tommy (mentioned dream)
words: 700

••==••

Tommy hated flinching.

He hated it because it meant there was something wrong with him. Because it gave others an easy way to know he was vulnerable, that he was weak. No amount of Puffy's and Sam's attempts to convince him otherwise helped in the slightest.

No-one ever really asked why he flinched. They knew that something had happened, and they knew that he was traumatised, but they didn't know how. None of them knew how to ask, and they didn't want to drive Tommy away or scare him off from telling them on his own.

So when sirens sounded, and it was thought that Dream had escaped prison and Puffy ran to Tommy's home to find him huddled in a corner, hyperventilating and so pale she thought he would pass out, the two adults boarded themselves into a safehouse with Tommy and helped him calm down. 

"Tommy, seriously, we need to know what happened," Puffy murmured, rubbing Tommy's upper arm as she sat behind him, leaning against him to provide reassurance and a comforting pressure.

Sam nodded, eyes darting away and back again. "What did he do in exile?"

Tommy flinched just at the word, and sneered at himself for doing so. "Isn't— isn't it fuckin' obvious? He just— he—" he stopped, taking a shuddery breath and shutting his eyes.

"We can't help you if we don't know what to help with," Puffy added after a moment, voice gentle and patient and everything Tommy wasn't used to. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter, clenching his hands into fists.

A few quiet moments passed, before Tommy inhaled shakily. "Shout at me."

"What?"

"Why won't you fucking shout at me?" Tommy demanded, lurching to his feet and gripping at his hair as he paced. "Fucking— shout at me, take my shit away, please, I can't fucking take it waiting for the other goddamn shoe to drop please fucking do it already—"

The adults glanced to each other warily, and Puffy stood slowly. "Tommy, Tommy, we're not going to shout at you, we aren't going to do any of that."

"Why?"

Gazing at Tommy's face, at the tears of frustration and confusion, Puffy swore she could feel her heart break. Tommy watched her heartbroken expression and then jerked his head away, staring at the far wall and taking heaving breaths.

"You don't deserve it," Puffy tried, glancing to Sam for backup. She slowly moved closer to Tommy, pausing when he stiffened. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I know," Tommy griped, tugging at his hair. "And I— I fucking hate myself, because I keep— I keep fucking flinching and I can't stop thinking about him—" and then he shut up, mouth snapping shut.

Sam remained seated, watching the pair from where he was. "Tommy," he started, voice soft as to not startle the boy. Tommy stiffened anyway. "Tommy, did he hurt you?"

Tommy was silent for a few seconds, shoulders beginning to shake. "It's all he's— he's ever done, innit?" He asked, sounding numb. Swallowing, he shut his eyes again when he heard Puffy inhale softly. "He's just... taken, and taken, and taken, and there's— there's nothing fucking left, I've given all I've got to give, and I'm fucking— I'm sick of it, I'm so fucking tired, I can't—"

"Tommy, Tommy," Puffy soothed, hesitantly moving closer. Tommy let her, and hid his face in the sheep hybrid's curly hair, breathing shakily. "We're never going to hurt you, sweetheart, I promise."

"Please don't say that," Tommy croaked. "Please don't promise."

He could feel the trepidation in the room, the hesitance and concern from the two adults near him.

"Promises are always broken," he clarified in a whisper. "I don't... I don't want you to break your promise. 'S easier if you don't promise." He could almost hear their hearts shatter.

Puffy breathed in shakily, bringing her arms up to wrap around Tommy's midsection. "Okay," she agreed after a moment. "We won't promise. But we'll do our best."

Puffy cupped Tommy's face, thumbs brushing away the tears as she gave him a shaky smile. When Tommy looked away, her face fell.

"Did he hurt you?" Puffy whispered.

Tommy's lower lip trembled. "He broke me."