A Mockingbird In The Crows Nest

Tommy's First Patrol

Tommy rolled his eyes a bit, but didn't respond.

A startlingly cold hand lands on his shoulder and he jolts. When he looks up, he finds Hypnos looking at him- and he can feel the intensity in his eyes through the tinted lenses of the goggles. "I mean it, Tommy. You can train at 4 am if you want to- but you need to take breaks. And if you're gonna be there for longer than 2 hours, you need to tell someone so we can check up on you."

Tommy recognized his tone.

Sure, the words were nice. The content of what he was saying sounded like he cared. Like he was concerned about Tommy hurting himself while training; but it was a facade. His tone was sharp around the edges. Like a pretty rose hiding thorns that'll snag your skin and make you bleed if you don't tread lightly.

This wasn't someone looking out for him.

This was an order.

And he can't directly disobey an order while he's still undercover.

So, he swallowed every retort he wanted to say, and instead shifted his gaze to the wall while lowering his head a bit. "Yes, sir.."

Hypnos sighed, and let go of his shoulder before turning back to look at the doors. Tommy shifted his wings and smoothed out his shirt. He really didn't like to be touched out of the blue like that, but it's not like he could say that. It's not like he can do anything about it, either. Because if he did, they'd just do it more to tease him or piss him off.

Finally, the elevator dinged, and Tommy stepped out to return to the room he was staying in. Hypnos nodded at him. "Get some rest, Tommy. See you at dinner."

Tommy nodded back. As the doors slipped shut, he tried not to think of that as a threat.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Phil?" Techno asked, pulling Phil's attention away from where he was brushing his hair in the mirror.

He turned and frowned at his oldest son, confused. "What do you mean? Wil said he's been doing well in practice..Do you think I should postpone it?"

"No no, that's not it. It's just.." Techno bit his lip, his brows furrying. "..Tommy's still new, y'know? It's only been a week- shouldn't we give him more time to settle down?"

"Tubbo had his first patrol a week into working here." Wilbur pointed out, strumming his guitar once before continuing to tune it.

Techno huffed quietly, frustrated. "I know, but Tubbo also already knew us at that point- and we knew him. We don't know Tommy. What if something goes wrong? What if..What if something happens? I won't.."

Ah.

Phil softens, and stretches a wing out towards him. "Hey," Instantly, Techno stepped forward and let Phil wrap him up in his wings. His instincts roar to life in his chest as he holds his son close- even if Techno has to lean down to be held properly. "Nothing will go wrong, ok? It's just a rooftop patrol. Those are all nice and quiet. Besides, we both know the first patrol is mostly about getting to know the person and seeing how they react to a situation."