Weathered Walls || MCYT AU || DISCONTINUED!!

Chapter 16

Having pretty much no duties for eleven days had been bliss for Eret. No walking the confusing hallways just to get to Tommy's cell, no having to deal with Henry's bullshit (unless the man was on break), all in all? It was amazing.

There was the niggling worry about just what had warranted them not seeing Tommy for eleven days after dropping the boy off for testing, but there was nothing to be done. They'd deal with that when (if) they saw the boy again.

So, when they got the call about having to take a certain wolf hybrid back to his cell, they couldn't help the sigh of relief leaving their lips. Their anxieties had only increased over the course of the eleven days, and they couldn't help but wonder what was keeping him. Perhaps Tommy had done something stupid enough to get himself punished?

That would be extremely in character, actually.

There would be time to ponder scenarios on the way, so with a final goodbye to the solace that was the break room, Eret headed off.

They were heading to a room in the testing branch of the facility, not far from 31-A, the room they'd originally taken Tommy to. It was one of the little ones, designed for prolonged testing that didn't require close observation.

Something about that made Eret's stomach churn, and it was probably the realisation that the kid they'd been looking after had been trapped in a small room, alone, for eleven days.

They neared the room, and, upon approaching the door, took a deep breath. They had seen firsthand what isolation did to a person, let alone an extroverted kid. They scanned their card, the panel beeping.

Seconds later, they were face-to-face with the subject of their worries.

He looked like shit, to say the least.

The kid looked ragged, bags under his eyes and hair that looked like a rat had made its home there. His appearance was the least of Eret's worries, however, considering the bones in the middle of the room, and- was that blood on Tommy's face?

Eret forced their shock down, clearing their throat.

"Hey."

"Hi." Tommy looked up at them weakly, voice gravelly from misuse.

"I'm, uh... I'm taking you back. To your cell. Away from here." If not for their sunglasses, Tommy probably would've noticed each and every hint of emotion that their face betrayed. Little victories.

Tommy stood on shaky legs, and Eret reached out an arm to steady him, only to be shooed away with a glare.

"Fuck-" The boy was cut off by a myriad of coughs erupting from his throat.

Tommy's scowl only deepened as he leaned against the wall, hacking up his lungs.

Once the coughing fit was finally over, he took a few carefully placed steps over to Eret.

"Fuck off." Eret couldn't say they didn't expect this. Tommy had every right to be mad. 

"Yeah, I know. I'll take you back to your room, and hopefully the cafeteria tomorrow?"

"I thought you had to take me."

"I do, but it's not like anyone checks. I hardly know if anyone's ever actually at those security cameras."

"Hey." 

"Mm?" Eret turned back to look at Tommy, who seemed confused.

"So nobody really cares what you do, as long as the important shit gets done?" Eret nodded, and Tommy continued,  "Then why did you make a big deal about calling me by this shit number? Back then, anyways."

Eret pondered the boy's question. He had a good point. 

"Well... I've worked here for a long time. Too long, if you ask me. I've seen a lot of hybrids come and go, and, well... I didn't want to get attached. I failed, obviously. You grew on me. Like a fungus." Tommy chuckled slightly, trying, and failing, to keep the scowl on his face.

"Sorry."

"For what?"

"Shouting at you, before I went in. I-"

"Dude, no. You were right, I was being stupid. I just needed someone to say it, loudly." Eret ruffled Tommy's hair, hearing him squawk in annoyance, "Let's get going, yeah?"

"Yeah, alright." Tommy's mood seemed to have lifted, but Eret couldn't help but wonder what had happened in there. Either they could ask, and potentially drive the kid away, or they could wait for him to come to them, which could take forever, considering Tommy's nature.

"By the way, is there anything specific you want?" Tommy perked up at the question, "You get an item, after all. I'm in charge of retrieving it, so I wanna know it you want anything specific. No weapons, no sharp objects, all that stuff."

Tommy mulled it over for a moment, before speaking.

"A moth."

What?

"Like- like a figurine? A plush? I can probably get you a plush, if you want." Tommy nodded at the suggestion, as the two continued to walk.

On the way back to Tommy's cell, the two made assorted small talk, but Eret still couldn't help but wonder what could have made the kid's blue eyes so much duller.

A/N: Okay I'm back!! Keeping up the consistency, which is good. Quick teaser for the next chapter, we're getting a whole new character's pov!!

Feel free to guess which character in the comments! Love you guys <3.