Tommy's POV:
Kristin took Techno to therapy and Tubbo and I sat in the car with her. Afterwards, she'd promised to take us all to the park for a picnic. I went to the park with James yesterday, but this time I'd get to go with Tech and Tubs and that was way better.
After Techno had done, he came out and looked like he was crying. But he still wanted to do the picnic which was good because I was scared we might just go home instead. Everyone knows I don't like it when things change, Techno doesn't like it a lot either.
When we got there, Kristin put down the picnic blanket and made me put some sun cream on before I could go to the park.
"Here, stand still," she squirted some into her hands and rubbed it all over my arms. I wasn't very good at not getting the sun cream everywhere and I always wanted to eat it, so I wasn't trusted to do it myself. I went to run off, "nope, I've got to do your other arm, your legs and your face. Stand here and wait, thank you."
I huffed and did as I was asked, letting my brain think about lots of other things to keep my occupied. Tubbo was sat on the picnic blanket putting sun cream on himself and when he saw me looking bored, he got one of my sonic screwdrivers out of his backpack and handed it to me.
"Thanks." I signed to him and began fidgeting with it.
"Thanks Tubbo," Kristin said, "that was a good idea."
My brother just nodded in reply and went back to putting sun cream on himself.
And when my own sun cream was finally done, no one could stop me sprinting straight to the play area and up a climbing frame. There was a kid at the bottom that was in the way so I just went past them. I hadn't realised I'd done anything wrong until Techno was stood at the bottom of the climbing frame looking annoyed and telling me to come down.
"I'm so sorry honestly, is he okay?" Techno was asking the adult with the kid, maybe the parent, probably the parent.
"He's okay." The guy said, hugging his kid.
"Tommy, say sorry for pushing the boy over."
I looked up at Techno and squinted. Had I pushed him over? I didn't remember pushing him over. And I didn't mean to? "Tommy, say sorry."
"Sorry." I signed.
The man's face changed very quickly, "is he-?"
Techno didn't let him finish talking. "He's autistic and he's sorry. I'm sorry that he did it but I'm here now and I'll make sure he doesn't do it again." Techno said, taking my hand and walking back to Kristin very quickly. I felt in trouble and I started crying. I didn't want to get shouted at or hit again.
"It's fine," he said, "you're not in trouble. Mum wanted you to wait for her. That's all."
I couldn't help myself from crying. It didn't matter how much I tried to stop.
"Come here," Ma said, giving me a hug.
"He thinks he's in trouble," Techno explained.
"Well he's not in trouble. He just needs to remember to listen. I'll go with you in the park now, okay?"
"NO!" I shouted, still crying and lashing out because everything was too much and I couldn't cope and I didn't know what to do. I dropped to the floor, rolling about on the picnic rug and hitting the floor.
"Tommy, take a breath." Ma said, rubbing my back slowly. It felt nice and calming but my brain was too much.
"Here, why don't you take Zog?" Techno said, putting my dinosaur next to me. I grabbed it, continuing to cry, scream and shout into the picnic rug.
After my brain went a bit quieter, Ma let me sit on her lap and have some water. "Are you feeling calmer now?"
I hummed, sipping on my water bottle. "Would you like some orange starburst?" Techno offered. I took one from his hand and began chewing.
"Thanks." Tubbo said, taking a non-orange one from the bag Techno had in his other hand. No one ate the orange starbursts any more, they always left them for me in a special zip lock bag at home. It's in a cupboard I can't reach but Phil said that's the point and I can always ask for some.
Right, it's lunch time I think," Ma said, getting our sandwiches out the cool bag and handing them to us.
I pointed at the park. "Ma."
"Here's the deal, it's lunch time so we are eating. I need you to try eat your sandwich and some carrot sticks. Then when I'm finished eating and you're finished eating, I will take you to go play in the park. Do we have a deal?" She held her hand out for me to shake. Techno had explained this game to me before. If I agreed with what Ma wanted me to do, I'd shake her hand and it would happen. Not shaking her hand was an equivalent to no. I did like this way of communicating because there wasn't as much pressure on me being able to talk. And it always made everyone laugh.
I shook her hand and handed her back my sandwich so she could open the cling film for me.
"What do you want me to do with this?"
I was a bit confused but Techno signed, "sign." And then I understood what I was supposed to do.
"Open, please."
"Good talking bud, of course I'll open it for you."
Time skip:
"NO!"
Phil sighed and sat on the edge of my bed. He'd just helped me shower and wash my hair. I didn't like the way it felt, dripping down my neck. But I didn't like the way the towel felt and I didn't like the sound of the hair dryer. So Phil couldn't dry it and it being wet felt horrible. Things were too much again and it was all spilling over. And I wanted Wilbur to come home. And to sing to me. And I wanted Dad and I wanted Zog but Zog was in the wash because I threw him in the stream in the garden by accident when I was playing outside with Techno.
"Deep breaths mate, it's okay, we're going to work this out."
I flapped my hands and ran round my bedrooms. But it was making my hair drip more and now my shirt was wet and sticking to my back. I tried to pull it off but it made my hair drip more and more. Phil got the t-shirt off me and threw it into my washing basket.
I kicked the washing basket. I forgot how hard it was and instantly started screaming in pain.
"Mate, mate, mate." Phil picked me hug and just held me, one of his hands on the back of my neck, catching all the water and stopping it from landing on me. "Deep breaths, I've got you, everything's fine."
I didn't believe everything was fine, but I trusted Phil would help me at the very least.
"Is the towel too rough? Is that why you don't like it?" Phil asked. I nodded in reply. "Okay, what if I dried your hair with your t-shirt? You like the feeling of that don't you?" I nodded again. "Let's sit you down on the bed then, there's Zog's friend. Give him a hug whilst I get your t-shirt quickly?"
Tubbo appeared at the door. "You alright mate?"
"Is-is-is-is he ok-k-k-kay-ay-ay?"
"He's just calming down," Phil began drying my hair with my t-shirt. It felt better and less wet and drippy.
Tubbo came to sit next to me, wiping the tears off my cheeks. "Tubs." I squeaked.
He just hugged me, putting his arm around me. I fidgeted with his jumper sleeve and bit on Zog's friend. I was tired. And I really wanted Wilbur to sing to me.
"Bur." I mumbled.
"I know mate. We're all missing him."
I wanted to let Phil know I wanted Wilbur to sing but I couldn't work out how to say it. And I must have looked lost for words because Tubbo handed me my iPad.
"Wilbur sing." I typed.
"What song?" Phil asked simply, unlocking his phone and scrolling through a photo album called 'Wilbur singing'.
"Lullaby." I typed, using auto correct to help me spell the stupid word.
"The one by sleeping at last?" I nodded. "You know, when Wilbur is feeling better, I'll get him to sing it to you."
"And," my brother took a deep breath, "I'll play too." He didn't stammer as much when he pushed the words out with big deep breaths. It was his new normal.
No one said anything else. Phil just handed me the phone with the video playing and the volume turned up. When it finished playing the first time, Tubbo made it play again. And Tubbo made it play again every time it finished for hours. Until he got me another pajama t-shirt, helped me put it on and tucked me into bed. He let me listen to it one last time before he said goodnight and went back downstairs.
Techno's POV:
I wasn't feeling well and had been helping Mum with Tommy all day, so I got an early night. Even when I could hear Tommy crying, I made myself continue to watch youtube on my phone. Dad told me I could only be helpful if I'd had time to look after myself too.
But in the morning, I was up early and so went downstairs. The sooner I took my meds, the less all over the place I'd feel. On my way downstairs, I heard noises coming from Tommy's room.
Dad didn't seem awake yet. He and Mum weren't swapping over until lunchtime today, but normally he was up early to be with Tommy. I opened Tommy's bedroom door and my brother attacked me with a hug.
"Ssh, come on, get your iPad and I'll get you some breakfast." I whispered, getting him a hoodie to wear once we got downstairs. It was early and the house was colder than it was normally.
Once downstairs, I got out my own meds and then got out Tommy's multi-vitamin. He helped me pour his cup of fizzy water (he held the cup on the counter, I did the pouring) and then I got him a dry bowl of cheerios, which was one of his new favourites, along with a cut up apple. Until Dad got up, I'd need to keep him busy and active. And Dad would kill me if I took him out for a walk by myself when he wasn't awake yet, so that just wasn't an option.
My eventual plan was trains. Combined with some lego I'd found (and watched very closely, counting each piece in and out of the tub and making sure nothing got eaten), we managed to build a whole city with a train track running through it. There were trees and houses and people. Tommy was ecstatic and refused to leave the house all day just so he could sit and play with it. Whenever he started to get bored of it, he realised he could just move around the lego or change the way the train went and then it was exciting again.
I sat in my armchair, reading my book and watching my little brother. Dad was ill (we think it's the same infection as Wilbur, but he's not as ill) and Tubbo had a migraine. Mum ended up staying at the hospital with Wilbur. The train kept Tommy busy and quiet. For a day like today, that was all I needed.
A/n Hey! I hope you have all seen my announcement post but basically I am continuing this story and Wilbur's character will be staying in it. See the announcement for more information.
I hope you enjoyed, thank you for being here!