Ivory - An Eburnean Tommy AU

xxxvix - crack I

The silent boy nods once, his still averted from their stare,

"Alright, are there still troubles in eating and drinking?" He nods, which made Phil narrow his brows,

"Difficulty in taking sustenance physically, or is there reluctance?"

Tommy didn't respond quicker, but he raises his right hand, therefore he answers the latter. Phil blinks, "I see..well, still having nightmares?"

A nod,

"Flashbacks?"

A nod,

"If you were to guess, how many nightmares or flashbacks do you get in a week?"

Tommy looks down at his hands, before raising five fingers, then three fingers afterwards,

"Five nightmares a week, three for flashbacks."

He nods. Phil inhales but gives a reassuring smile, "Still, better than before. I bet Tommy has been getting night terrors basically everyday back then. This is an improvement."

Techno purses his lips, his tusks pressing against his skin, "Still-" He emphasises that one, "-with that amount of distress he gets from sleep and his waking state, it's to no surprise he remains restless."

Tommy tilts his head to the side, is it that obvious that he hasn't been sleeping?

"Care..to give an example of your nightmare?" Phil returns to his questioning.

He didn't answer,

"At least a flashback or memory?"

No answer..and that made Techno groan, "Tommy, I'd try to be cooperative if I were you. This is for your own good."

Slowly, Tommy looks up to face them, and points at Phil then Techno with a raised brow to show that he's questioning, "What..what are you asking Tommy?"

He points at the avian and the piglin once more, "Me or Techno?"

He nods,

"For what?"

He fingerspells, 'n-i-g-h-t-m-a-r-e',

"Do..do you get nightmares about me or Phil?"

He nods, as Phil's wings ruffle unintentionally, "Why..Why are you getting nightmares about us?"

Tommy only shrugs, looking down again.

Techno lowers his glare, "I'd suggest we'd move on, Phil." He murmurs, noticing the child's discomfort.

The avian frowns but nods, "Yea..we'd probably give him a break for now. Besides, Ghostboo's coming soon."

Tommy widens his eyes, and grips the edges of his chair by his shaky hands,

"Why is he coming around anyway?" Techno asks, his voice clearly showing his annoyance.

Why is he annoyed?

"Probably to check up on him or something..I don't know."

Sighing exasperatedly, Techno wears his mask back, adjusting it to make it comfortable, "Thank the gods Niki already left a few days ago. Seeing his ghost would make her freak."

Tommy frowns as he softens his grip to the chair, Techno observes his blooming stress getting worse, "Hey, you'll be alright. I don't think it's your fault from what happened to Niki..and Ghostboo's just a ghost..they can't exactly hurt you."

Techno's bound to be right, he's mostly right.

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