'i don't have anywhere else to go.' - a sleepy boys inc story

Tommy had been twitching for a while. A mumble comes from the bleary-eyed teen. "Please- please don't- I'm sorry. I'm sorry-!" He wakes with a jump, pale morning sunshine peeking through the blinds.

His sleepiness makes him completely disoriented and he sits up in a panic, struggling against Wilbur's hand, which had previously been resting on his chest.

"Woah, woah. Tommy. Tommy." Wilbur, who was awoken by the jolt of the young boy's return to consciousness, uses a soft but firm tone, placing a large, steady hand on the young boy's shoulder. Tommy looks to his left and is confused at the sight of- Wilbur? What is he doing here? He can't be here.

"Will- you need to go home- it's not safe here- my parents-" Memories of the previous day start flooding back to him. Oh shit. My parents are going to kill me.

"Shhhh, what about your parents? Do they know you're here?"

The boy seems to flinch at the mention of his parents and anger drips into his eyes like a syrup into water. "No. They only know I left. I was fed up with them."

Wilbur pauses. What? Did they do this to him? He decides to wait until Phil and Techno are awake so they can all talk together before asking about it. "Listen. Do you want something to eat or anything? Techno and I went shopping yesterday so we have a lot of food."

"Yes. Please. Can I have some water, and do you have any mac n cheese?"

Wilbur grins and jokes, "Seriously? You get offered whatever you want to, and you pick mac n cheese? You absolute child."

Tommy acts offended and argues, "I am a big man, thank you very much."

"Sure you are, gremlin. Come on. Glasses are in the top left cupboard, pour yourself a glass of water." Wilbur helps the boy up off the couch and leads him into the kitchen.

Tommy leans on the counter as the brunet searches for the ingredients necessary for the meal he requested.

Wilbur had made the pasta, all the while being flat out bullied by Tommy about the way he was making the food, which prompted many renditions of, "Why don't you make it yourself then, dickhead?" from Wilbur.

They're now sitting at the dining table, Tommy bolting the meal down as if he hasn't eaten in days, which Wilbur has to admit he has a small suspicion is true.

At this point, the sun peeking through the venetian blinds has turned into a deep yellow light, flooding through the cracks in the shutters. Eyes half closed, Techno slowly walks down the hardwood stairs from the second floor, yawning. Looking exhausted with his grey glasses sitting askew and his long, pink hair frizzy and sticking out at odd angles, he walks into the kitchen, seemingly in a daze, and runs himself a glass of water. He chugs it, fills it up immediately, then drinks half of the second one before he stops, panting.

Wilbur and Tommy stare at him wordlessly.

"Morning." Techno's morning voice is somehow even deeper and more monotone than usual, and it's somehow not at all what the other two were expecting. Tommy snorts and greets him, as does Wilbur, though in a considerably more polite way.

Techno pours himself a bowl of cereal, and the three chat for a while, until Tommy realises the absence of Phil, which he brings up. There's a beat of awkward silence where Wilbur and Techno look at each other with wide eyes before the former answers him. "Yeah, he usually wakes up pretty late these days - later than Techno, if that's possible, ever since Kristin left him."

"WHAT DO YOU-"

The older men both shush Tommy in low, hissing voices. They explain that Phil's wife had left a couple of months ago, leaving a note and her wedding ring, saying she had been in love with another man for months, and was leaving Phil to be with him.

"But...I thought they were happy."

He had decided not to tell anyone except Wilbur and Techno.

"So did Phil, mate."

No one knew.

691 words