Changing With The Tides (A TommyInnit Au)

Chapter 13: Suffocating

It had been almost two full weeks since Tommy had first fallen off the side of the building. Since then, Tommy had used his sticky gloves, and even made a second pair for Purpled. The two had snuck out every night, staying out until one or two in the morning, but Tommy never grew tired. He had a routine now. Wake up, go downstairs, pretend to eat breakfast, go outside and play with the members of the Tubnet house, come back in, make an excuse about lunch, then go to his room for a bit. After his "free period", he would go downstairs and socialize with his housemates for a bit before he faked eating dinner and turned in for bed. At around midnight every night, Purpled would either knock on his window, or climb up the side of the wall and listen to Tommy play violin, depending on what Tommy was doing at the time. The two would go to the lake in the woods to work out, sometimes working on endurance, other times working on their arm strength, core, or even leg strength. After hearing about Tommy's eating disorder, Purpled made it his job to bring Tommy some kind of snack or meal every night, constantly reminding Tommy that he wasn't just anyone, and that it was perfectly okay to eat in front of him. Surprisingly, Tommy found it getting easier to eat in front of more than just Purpled. He even managed to eat a bit of lunch in the presence of the Tubnet members at one point, for which Purpled was very proud. Their meetings were like little counseling sessions. Tommy found out that Purpled had insanely high levels of stress, and that the midnight workouts and violin concerts helped him destress. Purpled found out about Tommy's fears of going back to the orphanage, some of his past abusive foster homes, and Tommy's social anxiety. Together, the two worked to decrease their stress and work on their problems. And also, they genuinely enjoyed each other's company. Since most everyone in the two houses were streaming or making videos often besides Tommy, who had yet to reveal his reappearance to the public, and Purpled, who had been taking somewhat of a break, the two had become closer and closer, and they spent most of their days together. In short, they had become closer than ever, and their midnight workouts were a much needed part of their day.This particular night started out like any other night. Purpled showed up and listened to Tommy's violin, then the two headed into the forest. The trouble started when they reached the lake. Because of how often they frequented the spot, they had left a lot of their equipment there. So when they came into view of their normal spot, they were surprised to see that their equipment had been moved, and unfamiliar footsteps crisscrossed the sandy beach. Unsettled by the odd rearrangement, the two proceed with as much caution as humanly possible, but they were unable to spot anything incriminating from the mystery perpetrator. Tommy grabbed Purpled's hand and pulled him back towards his house, motioning for Purpled to stay quiet. They kept going until they reached Tommy's house, and Tommy gestured for Purpled to put on his gloves and climb the wall. Together, the two scaled the wall with ease, and Tommy pulled Purpled through his window and into his room. He shut the window firmly behind him before speaking. "Purp, someone was at our spot." Purpled looked at him, worry apparent on his face. "What if someone finds out about us?" He whispered. "What if they find out about my nervous habits, or our sneaking out late, or your violin, or your tech stuff? What if they tell us we can't go there at night anymore? That's something I rely on to keep calm and destress. I don't know what I would do without it!" He was panicking now, and Tommy placed a hand on Purpled's arm comfortingly. "Breathe with me. It's okay. I'll make a few security cameras so we can see who was down there. I have a few test cameras around the house that I made a while ago when I needed something to do. They all link up to this computer, so we can just model a few more cameras after those ones. But I really don't like the fact that no one said anything about finding our spot." Purpled focused on breathing, trying to calm down. "Listen man, I trust you fully. Why don't you stay here for a bit longer and help me make some cameras? That way we still get to hang out tonight, and you can be involved in the making of our security. First, let's get that breathing under control." Gently, Tommy led Purpled to his bed, sitting the boy down and taking out his violin. Quietly, he began to play a soft melody, making sure to give his piece a steady beat for Purpled to breathe with. After a few moments, Purpled let his muscles relax, and Tommy walked over to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders comfortingly. "Hey, it's going to be okay. We always have each other, okay?" Purpled nodded, and gave Tommy a hug back. "Thanks Tom." "No problem, Purp. Anytime.""Alright, now hand me that piece, and be careful not to touch these wires." Tommy instructed. The two had been working for close to an hour, with Tommy giving instructions to Purpled and Purpled doing everything he could to help. Already, they had two completed cameras, and they were about halfway done with a third, though it was getting late. "Fuck. I'm missing a piece for this one." Tommy cursed. "I guess I'll be going shopping tomorrow. You coming with?" Purpled smiled. "Fuck yeah. I'm not letting you go alone, you prick." The two laughed good naturedly, and Tommy opened his window, smiling at Purpled. "It's late. Go sleep, we actually have to go out in public tomorrow." Purpled scowled at him, but ultimately climbed out the window, bidding Tommy goodnight, promising to come over at noon the next day so they could leave on their shopping trip.It was late, too late for Tommy to be up. Purpled had just left via the window, but Tommy was bored. He needed to do something. So, he left the safety of his room and traveled to the first floor, all the way to the kitchen, where he slowly began to sneak across the room towards the cupboards. One foot in front of the other... "Hey!" A hand grabbed Tommy's arm, and Tommy froze. He could hear some sort of yelling, though he couldn't make out the words. In a split second, his breathing quickened, and he slid to the floor. He didn't even notice when the hand on his arm let go. All he could think about was how bad he was, how he was going to be punished. He couldn't hear anything besides the ringing in his own ears, and he couldn't see at all. His vision was blurry. He couldn't feel anything, he was just cold. Cold, and unable to breathe. He gasped and struggled for air, gripping at his throat, pulling, prying, but it was to no avail. Tommy was suffocating, and he couldn't do anything about it.

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Here's another chapter for you! Kind of a cliffhanger, but don't worry, on New Year's Day you'll get the next chapter! We're a little over halfway through this book, and don't forget, I'll post the first chapter to my third book on January tenth. I hope you all have a great day, and I'll see you all later, yeah? Bye! <3