They Rely On Hope. What Do I Rely On? - Tommyinnit Adoption AU

Chapter 157

Quackity POV:

Quackity was screaming, loud, harsh, broken screams, his mind racing, dread filling him. He shouldn't have come. Shouldn't have ignored the officer's clear concern. But if he hadn't, maybe this sight he found before him would've been missed.

A pile of rubble, the roof clearly having caved in, and a boy's foot and ankle the only part visible under the rubble. The foot... wore Conner's shoe. It was distinctive, and undeniably his, and Quackity was screaming because it was happening again. He was too late again. His brother was dying again. He hadn't saved him. He hadn't kept Conner safe.

No. No. No he couldn't loose another brother. He couldn't. He fell to the ground, trying to pull pieces from the rubble, only resulting in more falling down.

"Quackity stop-" Niki said, her voice soft but insistent as he pulled him back, "You're making it worse, we'll get the fire department down here, Conner might be alive but who knows if the rocks move and fall in worse spots. We need to be careful ok?"

"I should've protected him- should've stopped him some how..."

"Quackity, you of all people know how stubborn Conner is, if he had his mind set on something he's going to go for it."

"The fire department are on their way," Eret told them, giving Quackity a hug, "He's going to be ok."

Quackity wasn't so sure. He had sworn to protect Conner with his life, and Conner was here, injured and he had been alone. Alone because Quackity hadn't found him. Alone because Quackity had stayed home when Conner said where he was. Alone because Quackity had failed him again. Just like he had failed Slime, and, if it weren't for Techno, his failure would have resulted in no goodbye. Thankfully Techno had saved him from that pain, but Techno wasn't here to save Conner. He wasn't here, and Quackity had been too late and it was all his fucking fault.

Quackity doubted he'd ever forgive himself if Conner didn't survive. Or even if he did, Quackity hadn't saved him from this pain, this horrid, awful pain. He hadn't saved him from the achingly king walk between here and the nearest phone. Hadn't saved him.

His fault. All his fault.

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Foolish POV:

Some part of his gut was telling him to move, to continue to search, as though there was someone else, also in pain, needing him. Him specifically.

He fought with himself, looking between Quackity, Eret and Niki, then Sally and Wilbur, both broken, but also seeming more desperate to find Techno.

He had to keep going. He didn't know why, didn't know what was pulling him down the corridor, but there was something.

So, he took a deep breath, hating leaving Conner, but also needing to, and forced out the words.

"We have to find Techno, can you guys look after Conner, make sure the firefighters find him?" Foolish asked, expecting anger at the idea of leaving, but Eret and Niki simply nodded, and Quackity, the most likely to yell, was lost, sobbing and rocking back and forth.

Foolish wanted to fix this, but he couldn't stay here. His gut was yelling at him to move, so he went, following his instincts, until he came to a king hallway, one with two massive doors at the end, and other normal doors scattered throughout. He went through the hallway, Sally on one side checking the doors to find only empty rooms, and Foolish on the other, finding the same. Wilbur followed them, clearly numb and uncertain, until they reached the double doors.

Foolish took a breath and shoved them open to reveal the sight.

Adults in green clothes with smiling masks attached to their faces were on the floor, police officers standing over them, handcuffing them, while what looked to be about 100 children stood in a crowd, all anxious and backing up to each other, although a few clearly were wary of the other children as well. Not as much as the Masked Ones or the police officers though.

Foolish's eyes then landed on the stretchers, with paramedics surrounding them. He saw a face, so young and fragile, and painfully familiar. The war paint streaked across her face and the deep blue hair was not enough to cover her distinctive features. The way the freckles on her face seemed to be placed to perfectly mirror the sky's stars. The way her small face rounded perfectly, still so young, so innocent, so very, very, Finley.

Foolish screamed. He couldn't help himself, he screamed as he tore at his face with his nails, ripping into his skin, trying to claw his own eyes out because she was supposed to be SAFE. That was what they had said. She was safe. She was safe. It had been his only comfort. She was safe and HAPPY, but this, this was a clear disagreement. Her face stained, her eyes closed, her hair frazzled as she lay on a stretcher in the one place she couldn't be.

She was safe. She was supposed to be safe! Why was she here!? Why was she hurt!? She was supposed to have found a forever home. A happy home. A place that while they didn't want Foolish, at least they cared for Finley.

Finley. His sister. The girl that was supposed to be happy, was here, unprotected and hurt, so badly. He hadn't protected her. Hadn't even argued to see her. If he had, maybe he would've found out, would've saved her, but he had been so sure no one would hurt her, the happy, friendly, loveable girl that she was. Yet some MONSTER had stripped her of that, had stripped her innocence and covered her in war paint.

Foolish was furious. At their social worker, at the monsters who did this, but mostly at himself. He had sworn to protect her. He had told his parents she would always be safe with them. He had let them trust him and he had failed.

Words: 1000

A/N: DONT WORRY, MORE ANGST TO COME MWAHAHAHAHA