The dark terrified Tommy. It used to be mildly annoying at worst and calming at best, but now his fear of the dark could probably be classified as an actual phobia by now.
He curled into himself tighter, the screams still ringing through his ears. He wasn't sure what happened after They took Techno away, but he didn't want to find out.
He wasn't sure where Wilbur or Phil were, either. They separated them after Tommy... after he forgot to restrain himself and his powers.
He wasn't sure he wanted to see them again, either. Would they be safer with or without him?
There was the sound of a clang. He flinched involuntarily. The clang only happened when They wanted to let him out, to make him do experiments and tasks he didn't want to do. The clang was one of his worst nightmares at this point. They would simply drag him out, and keep him in the dark.
So he was surprised when a light came through.
"Tommy?"
That was Phil's voice. Hesitantly, he lifted up his head to meet the other's blue eyes. Phil's eyes softened at the sight of his probably pitiful sight.
Phil reached out a hand to him, his wings outstretched, and his halo glowing. He looked like an angel. He was an angel. "It's okay, Tommy. It's over now."
"Really?" he hated how shaky his voice sounded. Phil smiled gently.
"Yeah," Phil helped him up and led him out, where he saw Wilbur leaning against a wall, a bloody crystal shard held in one hand, and Techno with a sword, splattered with blood. Tommy wasn't sure if he wanted to know what happened or not. But they were all safe, and for that, Tommy would ignore everything else.
Wilbur went to go hug him. Wilbur smelled nice.
"You're fine now, Tommy," he murmured, his voice low and soothing. "No big bad monsters are going to hurt you anymore. It's just going to be us, okay? We're gonna make sure you get the world."
Distantly, Tommy heard voices.
"... the world. We have to make sure no one hurts us again." Techno's voice was firm.
"And make sure our friends stay safe," Phil said. "We'll have to do whatever it takes."
Friends. Tubbo. Oh god, he missed Tubbo so much.
His whole body was still weak, from relief and another emotion he couldn't quite out a name to yet. "Wilbur, I'm tired."
"Shhh, I know," the older cooed, gently lifting him up, despite the fact that Tommy was already very tall for his age. It made him feel small. It was nice. "It's okay now, Tommy. We won't let any of them near you ever again."
Tommy didn't know how to respond to that. So, he just closed his eyes, and drifted to sleep.
"Look at this," Wilbur showed them the email gleefully. "Look at this!"
In large, bold letters, the title of it read, "Formal Invitation to Meet Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II". A smile spread across all of their faces.
"You did it, Tommy," Phil laughed brightly, hugging the youngest. Tommy grinned up at him.
"Of course it did," he said proudly, letting himself use his voice for once. "I am Big Man Tommy, after all."
Techno chuckled and ruffled his hair, being careful with his claws. "Whatever you say, Tommy. Whatever you say."
"When does it say we're meeting her?" Phil asked. Wilbur scrolled down the email, reading everything carefully, before looking back up.
"In two weeks," he announced. "Plenty of time to do some more social climbing in the meantime."
"Just go outside and seduce some people, Wilbur," Techno drawled, making the other two laugh.
Yeah, Wilbur, Tommy chimed in, muting himself up again. Unless you're a coward...
"Oh, you little bastard-" Tommy shrieked as Wilbur started trying to tickle him. Phil and Techno watched from the sidelines while discussing the email.
As the two younger ones continued with their scuffle, Tommy was startled when Wilbur's hand came to subtly grip his chin and tilt it to face the window. His eyes landed on the shadow, too small for normal human eyes to see.
He forced himself to smile, even as him and Wilbur broke apart to go and talk about the email with the other two. It was clear that they had all noticed the shadow.
IGNORE, Techno traced out the words on Tommy's arm. He discreetly nodded and continued chatting, but his mind wandered.
Why did he have a bad feeling about that shadow?