A Child Among the Leaves (Family SBI)

Chapter 4

He began backing away, his steps becoming faster and more frantic by the second. Wilbur's face dropped. He let go of the sword and held his hands in front of him again, but Tommy didn't stop. That was until his attempt to scramble away made him trip.

He yelped, but to his surprise he didn't hit the ground, instead falling against the strong truck of a tree. Techno glanced over to Wilbur with concern, but Wilbur's face was laced with fear.

"H-Hey" said Wilbur, " It's okay, calm down."

But his voice was uncertain.

Tommy wasn't convinced, pressing further up against the tree. He felt the rough bark against his hand, and an idea blossomed in his mind. He flicked his eyes backwards, locating the nearest branch. Without hesitation he grasped it and effortlessly pulled himself up, repeating this technique until he was certainly out of reach.

He didn't realised how high he'd climbed until looked down. The ground was far bellow, a golden blanket. Wilbur and Techno were both standing amidst it shocked. He smiled to himself, but it didn't last long as he felt his stomach drop.

This was certainly much higher than he was used to.

"That was amazing!" called Wilbur.

Tommy forced his fear down for a moment. "Go away!" He shouted, before getting intimidated by his altitude once again, and clinging tightly to the branch.

"Are you good?" he heard Wilburs cornered voice come from below.

He didn't answer this time, trying to focus on his breath. It was shaky and fast, and despite his best attempts it stayed that way. Wilbur was saying something but it didn't register as he began tune out the world, focusing in on his mind; a coping mechanism he'd used for years. He wasn't sure how long he stayed like that, but it felt like hours. The state was broken and he was ripped violently out of his head, by a gently placing of a hand on his shoulder.

He jumped pulling away. He almost fell, but his instincts kicked it and he was soon stable again. After which he turned his head in order to identify the culprit. His 'attacker' was none other than Techno sitting nervously on the branch, his hand still hovering in the spot Tommy's shoulder had been.

Tommy slowly re-adjusted to reality. His face felt hot, and slightly damp. Had he been crying?

"What's going on?" yelled Wilbur. "Is he ok?"

Tommy craned his neck to see him, but withdrew it rapidly, as the ground seemed to fall away . He shuddered, and in the corner of his eye he saw Techno trying to approach him again.

He leaned to the side, and almost lost his grip, fumbling for a moment. Techno was clearly unprepared for the situation and resorted to trying to signal with his hands frantically.

This didn't help.

Tommy only shuffling further down the thin branch, getting dangerously close to the end of the stable part. Seeing this Techno stopped his desperate movements.

After a moment of thought he held out a single hand to Tommy.

Tommy stared at it, then up at Techno. He was once again draw to to those eyes. He didn't know exactly what about them, but there was a kindness sparkling somewhere below the surface, a type you can't fake.

So he took the hand. Without even realising.

Techno's grip was strong, but not painful. His hand silently guided Tommy towards the trunk. As he neared the end a small unexpected twig managed to in unbalanced him. Usually he wouldn't have easily caught him self, but due to Techno's hand he couldn't.

Terror sunk in a he slipped to the side, but before he could fall, he felt a strong tug on his arm, and he was pulled forward.

Techno held Tommy pressed against himself, it was secure. Tommy' chest rose and fell quickly as he tried to regain to composer, his fists tightening around the fabric of Techno's jacket.

Techno tensed, but after a moment he placed his hand on his back and began stroking it comfortingly. It was safe. He liked it.
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Extra note (Art Requests):
Hiya! Happy here,
I just wanted to let you know that I love getting art suggestions. I'm a pretty slow writer sometimes, but drawing can help! So if you have anything you wanna see just tell me and I'll be sure to add it to my list! Ill probably add them at the end of chapters, along with the person who requested it.

That's all for now, Farewell! :D