Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinggggggggggggggggg!

Techno ran out of the door as soon as the bell had sounded. Why did that take so long!? He hurriedly grabbed his stuff, left the classroom, dashed down the hallways, opened his locker, dumped everything into his locker in a rather untidy fashion, closed the locker and was off of school grounds in less than a minute.

That had to be a new world record or something... Technoblade shook his head. How was not the time! Focus focus focus focus focus! He was on a mission. The boy looked left and right before proceeding to sprint down the road he remembered Tommy came down every day. Go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go.

He rushed around the corner so fast, he almost didn't see Phil in front of him. Almost. Techno quickly stopped mid-pace; stumbling a little. He didn't really register what Phil was saying - something about coming with him? It didn't matter, Techno just had this burning feeling at the back of his mind, and a small voice warning him that something was very, very wrong.

If this was concerning Tommy, that was all he needed to be worried. Very, very worried. Techno gripped onto Phil's arm and pulled him down the street after him.

Phil had a period the last lesson of the day. He decided to spend it going out to look for Tommy. Principal Ranboo wanted him to wait for Techno (or at least accompany him were the exact words) but Phil was feeling so guilty.

He shouldn't have stopped Techno earlier - it was just that everything was so... different and he really didn't know what to do. Who was right? Who was wrong? He was given explicit indications from Tommy's parent that the child was bad and deserved harsh punishments and strict expectations, but after spending... what? Three weeks? Four? After spending about a month with the blonde, Phil realised that this was not the right was to handle him.

Did Phil do wrong? Yes. Was he sorry? Yes. Was it too late? Maybe... he hoped not. Everyone makes mistakes, but he just couldn't help but think his was especially bad. Did this mean Phil was never going to make a mistake again? No - he just hoped that the next one wouldn't involve Tommy.

Once he was outside, he realised something: Phil had absolutely no idea where to start looking. Where should he go? He wanted to find Tommy and make sure he was okay, he just didn't know where to find him.

Phil wanted aimlessly around the general region of the neighbourhood; almost everything within about a miles radius of the school. Nothing. Sighing, the senior decided to head back.

He really should have asked Ranboo where Tommy lived before setting off. The senior took out his phone and sent a message to the headteacher. Phil shook his head slightly and wandered back down the path he had just came from. Just as he was rounding the last corner to school, a rather flustered Technoblade came rampaging around the bend almost bumping into him.

"Careful mate! Look where you're going next time. I get that you want to see Tommy, but don't get reckless - this was the exact reason that the principal wanted me to come with you. Perhaps if you-"

Techno roughly gripped Phil's wrist and dragged Phil behind him. His eyes were jumping around, scanning the area for anything. Phil had already searched that region; there was no use looking at it again. Wait a second - this wasn't an army search. We're they really scouring the whole neighbourhood just because the school trouble maker had ran out of another lesson?

No - stop. Tommy was not just the school troublemaker. Phil mentally cursed himself for using the same stereotype everyone else seemed to class Tommy as. Phil snatched his wrist back from Techno's grip, causing him to exasperatedly turn around to face him.

"What was that?"

Phil ignored the question. "Stop running off. Look: I get it! I want to find Tommy just as much as you do, believe me, but you're being reckless. Just think this through."

"I am thinking this through! You - you don't understand! I - no." Technoblade just seemed to stop mid sentence, making Phil intent on making him finish.

"What? What don't I understand?" It wasn't meant in a malicious way, rather a curious one.

"I- I just know that something isn't right here. There's something going on. I can't put my finger on it, but have you not seen all the red flags?"

"Well yeah mate, something is going on, but running off blind isn't going to help us figure out what."

"I'm not running off blind."

"Oh yeah?" Phil seemed to be amused by this. Techno shuffled around trying to find out what was so funny, but in the end came to nothing and just looked back at Phil with a quizzical expression on his face. "I bet you don't even know where you're going."

"No - we just gotta go-... that... that way with the uuuuh... you know... the uhm... that place and the other erm... thing on that... road?"

"We go that way with the place and the other thing on that road?" Phil smiled and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeeeeah... I mean it makes perfect sense to me!" At this point, both of them were happily smiling at each other, on the verge of laughter. "Well, we better go to that place then Phil!" Phil let out a small chuckle and you could see the gleam in Techno's eyes.

"Hilarious. You're lucky I sent Principal Ranboo an email asking this. I just got a response - we should head to..." Phil's face significantly paled, "41 Cherrington."

"Cherrington... you mean that road in the worn-down part of the city? Why would Tommy be-"

Realisation hit him like a ton of bricks. Well... what Techno thought was realisation was only the tip of the iceberg. They were nowhere near reality just yet.