They Rely On Hope. What Do I Rely On? - Tommyinnit Adoption AU

Chapter 104

Eret POV:

Techno seemed absolutely petrified of talking to the police, and Eret instantly knew why. The voices. It was never an easy subject for Techno to breach especially to people with power over him.

"Tech, can I talk to you for a moment?" Eret asked softly, trying to pull Techno from the group. Yes he could talk in front of Sally and Wilbur, but he also wanted to make sure Techno was ok. Plus it would give Sally some time to check on Wilbur.

Techno nodded numbly, following Eret outside.

"Can I give you a hug?" Eret asked, and when Techno nodded, they wrapped him in a gentle hug, "It's going to be ok, they won't stop Tommy from coming back, you are allowed to have foster siblings. It's a medical condition and there are rules around it."

"What if they realise he shouldn't be around me? He deserves Wilbur, and Wilbur deserves him, but me? I'm just a danger Eret, I put people in danger. Tommy doesn't deserve that. He needs to be safe. I want him to feel safe," Techno rambled, his voice hoarse, clearly not far from sobbing.

"Puffy knows, she knows about what you hear, that didn't stop her putting Tommy here. From what I know, Puffy doesn't do stuff without thinking. She made the choice. She trusts you."

"She knows?" Techno asked, pulling away from Eret's hug just long enough to make eye contact with her, clearly confused by her statement.

"She knows. She's Puffy, she cares infinitely, you said she was your social worker once, so you really think she doesn't remember what you went through? She would've looked at your file as soon as you fostered Tommy, she would've wanted to know if you were any better, and she clearly did not think that the fact you still hear them would be an issue."

"Oh... she knows..." Techno mumbled, relaxing into Eret's hug, letting out the pent up stress and exhaustion.

"She knows," Eret agreed softly, doing his best to calm Techno. They had been pretty sure Puffy knew from the start, and after a little research on the social worker, they had been certain. All of Puffy's foster kids and the families that adopted those kids talked about how much she cared. They talked about the fact that she never let anything slip, that she did everything she could to make sure the kids would be safe. That knowledge had solidified Eret's guess into certainty. Puffy knew.

"What if the police don't agree?"

"It's a medical condition Tech, they can't stop Tommy being here because of the voices. Not when you know how to minimise the risk. If you were enough of a danger for them to not let Tommy live here, you wouldn't be able to go to school. You aren't that dangerous. You are prepared for attacks and have strategies to deal with them safely."

"Are you sure?" Techno asked, and in that moment, he sounded like a terrified child. Eret wished he could take away all of Techno's stress and pain, but he couldn't and he hated that. He wanted to fix it all and he couldn't.

"I'm sure."

Techno stood there for a long time, silence engulfing the two, before eventually he pulled away from the hug. Eret didn't mind, he knew it was pretty rare that Techno appreciated hugs, but he had when they had talked, and now he was ready to stand on his own again.

"You came up here to tell me to talk to the police didn't you?" Techno asked, no sign of the words being an accusation, simply a question so he could work out what needed to happen next.

"Yeah, the police want to talk to you, Wilbur and Sally, I'm not sure what they will want to know from you, but I'll be right outside, so yell if you need me."

"Thank you."

"Do you want to go now or should I get Sally or Wil to go first?"

"I think I need to just get it over and done with," Techno decided and Eret nodded. That was fair.