Tumgik
#giant wilbur
i-am-beckyu · 1 year
Note
Crimeboys it is.
And would you know it, it be a fluffy Crimeboys prompt with an instinct driven Giant Wilbur and a human Gremlin Tommy.
The prompt starts with Wilbur not letting Tommy go as he woke up with instinct begging for him to take Tommy everywhere he goes.
Tommy tries to bite Wilbur's fingers so he can put him down but Wilbur ain't buggin anytime soon.
Anywhere Wilbur goes, Tommy is right there since Wilbur isn't letting him go.
Like you can have Wilbur be at work and he still brings Tommy with him as an example.
Just make it as fluffy as you can, you can add anything you want.
If you're up to make this prompt then pog, that is if you want to do it.
Also, if you wanna send me a random g/t prompt that u have, go for it.
Quack
This has been in my inbox since I joined Tumblr.
Orchid gorgeous!!!!!!!!! I've rewritten this twice!!!! It took me awhile as I got stuck at one point BUT! I had a new idea today so while its short, I'm very happy with it! I hope I did the prompt justice and you like it!!!
Mine to hold close
cw: mcyt g/t , soft, fluffy, tiny tiny death mention. Words: 607 [One shot]
Disclaimer! This story is based on the characters of the Dream SMP and not the real life content creators. Anything that occurs in this story is purely fiction and should be treated as such. Thank you.
“Can you put me down you prick?! I’m not gonna freeze I swear!!!” Tommy said with huff as Wilbur scooped him up.
“After the last time it snowed? I don’t think so.” Wilbur responded as he tucked the little human close to his chest. 
“But Wiiiiiiilllll!! I’m not even outside this time!” The giant always tended to get extra clingy around this time of year. His instincts in high gear and on Tommy the second he was awake, worried that Tommy wasn’t warm enough. Tommy didn’t blame him though. Not when he literally met Wilbur in the midst of a snow storm. He hadn’t meant to lose the trail and get stranded in Giant territory, but stuff like that always seemed to follow the Great Tommy Danger Kraken Innit! He’s just lucky that the giant had found him in the snow before he became a frozen popsicle. And even luckier that this Giant didn’t eat humans. So yes, Tommy understood that Wilbur was going to be a little extra cautious about him almost dying of Hypothermia again. But he didn’t have to be so damn cuddly and touchy all the f***** time!!
“Wilbur I’m fine! I’m not gonna get cold! The fires going and keeping everything nice and toasty warm, so stop being a d*** and put me down!!” Tommy said as he squirmed in Wilbur’s hold.
“Tommy. You are literally the most chaotic little gremlin I’ve ever seen. If I put you down, I guarantee you’ll be screaming for help in less than five minutes trying not to freeze your a** off!!” In retaliation, Tommy started biting and scratching at Wilbur’s hand. It didn’t hurt of course, but Wilbur found it cute watching the attempt at escape. He loved Tommy like a brother and ever since he found him had sworn to protect him no matter what, his instincts often being a little overbearing at keeping the chaotic child safe. And if that meant holding onto him for hours at a time, then he’d happily oblige. So what if he had to do his work with one less hand? He’d take holding Tommy any day. That and his instincts kept screaming at him to keep the human close.
After a few minutes Tommy eventually resigned himself to his fate and just chilled in Wilbur’s hand. Though he’d never admit it, he secretly loved it when Wilbur would hold him. He felt safe knowing nothing could hurt him when he was with the giant. He didn’t have to worry about anything and could just be content with his pseudo brother. Staying with the giant being the best decision of his life after their first initial meeting. 
Tommy stayed in Wilbur’s hand all day. They chatted while Wilbur did his chores, Wilbur singing songs to Tommy, Tommy sharing wacky insane ideas with Wilbur, all the while the giant's instincts to keep the human close not faltering once. As day turned to dusk and dusk turned to night, Tommy eventually curled up in Wilbur’s hand. Snuggling in as he fell asleep, hugging one of Wil’s fingers close. Wilbur had to resist the urge to coo at the small sleeping human in his hand. Tommy was so small, so fragile but you’d never guess he had such a boisterous personality and was as lively as what he is. Slowly and carefully, Wilbur made his way to bed, getting in and tucking the human close to his heart. He sighed contently knowing nothing could hurt his brother, his instincts finally satisfied. 
“Good night Tommy.” Wilbur whispered quietly as he drifted off to sleep. The brothers comfortable in each other’s warm embrace.\
WOOOOOOOOOOOOO I MADE ANOTHER FIC!!!!! THAT'S 2/3 POSTED!!!!!
I swear I'm still writing the other fic! I swear! I swear! I swear!!! It's gonna be worth the time its taking! PROMISE
96 notes · View notes
little-nightmare-gt · 2 years
Text
...New AU
(I have only watched Niki's things twice but I will kill for her)
Niki is bio sibling to Ranboo and Foster sibling to Tommy and Tubbo.
Niki and Ranboo's parents left them and they end up in Tommy and Tubbo's house, who were neglectful to them.
Niki cares for all the kids but is often yelled at by Tommy and Tubbo's bio parents (no DSMP characters, mostly cause I need DSMP fluff)
Niki takes all three of her brothers and run.
Ages for the boys is four and five... probably (look I like the idea of giants dealing with babies)
Niki would be sixteen
She runs until she's far in on the other side of the forest, and that's when she found it.
Giants (they're aliens visiting Earth)...
Avoiding being stepped on Niki makes it on their ship, unfortunately for her they were leaving Earth.
Tommy was the one to get them caught, being the most vocal, caught the attention of the man with wings.
The bird man, Philza, interacted with humans in the past (Mumza) and knew what to do about communication.
He warned Technoblade and Wilbur about their passengers and gave them a quick crash course about interacting with them.
Mumza isn't a board the SBI and is currently with Puffy and her crew, she'll meet Niki and the boys soon.
Niki takes a while to warm up to the aliens, come on their like a hundred feet tall.
Surprisingly it's with Technoblade she shows the first ounce of trust to by asking him to watch the trio so she could have a nap.
The SBI crew adore all the children, Niki included because she's fifteen, and tries to spoil them.
Philza regularly nests with them all and makes the ship tiny friendly.
There is angst in this AU, but more down the line with the exception of a few stragglers.
DSMP members are all friends and/or get along but there will be Dream angst there.
23 notes · View notes
ommmmara · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media
wilbur your daughter looks gnc af
766 notes · View notes
sheena-yuet · 9 months
Text
Sunshine
Awwww just look at themmmm
I always love the chemical of these two <33333 Like they treasure and protect each others.
I just can’t resist gt fluff scenes qwqqqqq
Tumblr media
-
I got a crime boii gt au. I have a rough idea (I wrote a main story plot. Yet I don’t have time to draw them outttt! Cuz I don’t think I’m a good writer so I want to draw the scenario to let u guys know what I imagine them in that au. Or maybe at last I just gave up I’ll just post the whole plot lol
239 notes · View notes
nobodywritingao3 · 4 months
Text
unnamed monster & caretaker au
Tasked with feeding and caring for the king's resident monster, Tommy is constantly overworked and fully expects to die before he's twenty. He has an odd relationship with the beast and makes it a point to keep details about himself private, but it's difficult when the creature is the closest thing in the world he has to a friend.
wordcount: 2.3k 🕸 read it on AO3
CW: - hard vore mention - soft vore mention - mentioned abuse and dehumanization
‼️‼️‼️ Unfinished, unedited one shot. Proceed with caution
@gracideaviolet sent me a writing prompt and this is what i originally wrote for it. i like the concept but i wrote this at a not-good time and when i reread it, i didnt like the quality enough to fix it. if you like this story, let me know cuz that might give me motivation to properly finish this thing. feel free to take the idea but please credit and send it to me cuz i like this story and wanna see what someone else does with it
Tumblr media
Tommy finished loading the cart and took a second to breathe.
He heard the beast shifting around in the dark. "Are you doing okay out there, Sunshine?"
Despite his tiredness, the sweet nickname made him smile.
"You know you eat a lot? It's a pain in the ass to load myself."
He meant it as a joke but silence hung in the air a second longer than it should have.
He cleared his throat. "I don't mind it. I'm compensated."
The beast snorted. "Not enough."
Tommy laughed awkwardly and didn't say anything.
He walked over to the control panel and started up the track.
The cart was big enough to fit a barn, and filled to the brim with various livestock, prisoners of war, and whoever else might have found themselves on the king's hit-list. Nothing sent to the monster was alive. It was a point the monster whined about a lot, but Tommy much preferred it that way. It was already disgusting having to spend hours upon hours piling the cart with bloody meat (sometimes human!) by himself, and the day he was handed a living person would be the day he faked his death and fled the kingdom.
He pressed a few buttons, tried not to cut himself on several rusty levers, and the rail obediently started itself up with a few revs and puffs.
The beast hummed contentedly at the noise.
The cart began to run along the track, disappearing from his view and descending into the inky black cave. He heard the gate creak open and he heard it creak close. And then he heard the beast begin to eat.
They weren't nice sounds by any stretch of the imagination - ugly rips and wet squelches of flesh - but Tommy had been at the job for a while and was long used to it. He settled in and waited for the creature to finish its meal.
"So how was your day, Keeper?"
Tommy hummed. "About the same as it always is. My master told me that the king will be coming in soon for a performance review, but I've no idea when that might be."
The beast paused its munching before hesitantly starting again a moment later. "I - why?"
He shrugged, assuming the monster could see him from the dark. "Something about me holding down this job the longest out of anyone before."
"Hm."
"I don't understand why that would intrigue the king. And no offense to you personally - "
"Uh huh," the monster sarcastically interjected -
" - but this isn't exactly the career path I'd have chosen. If I knew how to transfer I probably would have. Honestly - I have no idea how the others could have quit this job. I was under the impression that this is the sort of thing you do until you die."
It laughed at that.
Tommy sighed.
He was quiet for a few moments, a question sitting heavy on his tongue.
He shouldn't ask. It's impolite.
The monster shifted around. "Spit it out."
He gave the darkness an accusatory look. "I don't know what you're talking about."
There was a huff of laughter. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You're doing that thing where you want to say something but are worried about what I'll think. It would be adorable if I wasn't desperate for decent conversation."
"Fuck you." He said it with a smile.
"Well? Are you going to say or not?"
He scrubbed at his face. Fuck it. "What were your other keepers like?"
The beast went silent for several long moments.
Shit. "You don't have to answer if you - "
"I didn't much care for them."
Tommy didn't say a word.
"The feeling was mutual." It sighed heavily. "You're a much better replacement, Sunshine."
"I'm sorry for asking."
The beast purred. "Don't be, dear. I pressed you. And I don't mind answering." It jostled the cart. "And I'm done eating."
Tommy nodded and powered up the control panel again. The cart began to recede. 
It appeared from the darkness, picked completely clean and shiny as if it never been covered in blood at all.
It scared him a little, how quickly the monster could eat such a large amount, but he dismissed those thoughts as easily as they came. When would that ever affect him?
He checked the clock. He still had a few hours before he had to report back. "Do you mind if I stay with you longer?"
The monster laughed conspiratorially. "Oh, but that's against the rules," it said in a high mockery of his voice.
He flushed.
He had been terrified of the monster when they first met. He gave any excuse to leave the beast as soon as he could, including that the rules specified that spending unnecessary time with it was prohibited. That was true, but no one would have known if he chose to linger. In hindsight, it had been terribly obvious how afraid he was and he's only embarrassed that the monster pretended to believe him.
"You're the worst."
"And you still want to spend time with me?"
Tommy blew a raspberry at the darkness, earning a few laughs.
It was comfortably quiet for a few seconds before the monster spoke again. "Why are you curious about my old keepers?"
He tugged at his fingers. "Do you know how I ended up here?"
"You never talk about it."
He frowned. "And I never will," he responded coldly. It never gave up asking. "But do you know, generally, how someone ends up working this kind of job?"
The monster was quiet. "Yes."
Tommy didn't say anything for a minute. "The king is very angry with me. I don't want to see him again. However the other keepers escaped..." He shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know what I'm saying. If the king requests an audience with me, it isn't for any good reason."
~
When the king acquired his monster, he hired out help to feed the thing and keep it under control. He made sure the beast ate lavishly, but now matter what they fed it, it never seemed like to satiate the creature. But it hadn't died of starvation and that was good enough. When its caretakers started to disappear, it wasn't difficult to guess what happened.
But acknowledging the problem would mean addressing it too, and the king simply didn't care. In the end, he realized he had the perfect way to quietly do away with those he needed gone. He sourced this job, with its one hundred percent rate of 'job abandonment' to political adversaries or people growing affluent enough to take his throne.
Which takes him to the present day, and a rather interesting problem.
When some servant boy had spilled a bottle of red wine down his front during a gala several years prior, the king had been so angry that he threw the child in a dungeon and left him there. When the monster's then-keeper inevitably disappeared, the king came to the boy and grimly informed him of his punishment.
He hadn't expected the child to last more than a couple of days. He'd even picked out his replacements.
But lo and behold, the boy remained present at his job post for a week. And then that week became several, and those several became months, and those months became a year and a half.
The king couldn't understand why it hadn't eaten him yet. He was fifteen at this point, certainly the youngest to feed the monster. Was it waiting for him to grow up? Did it want to watch him sprout up before it made its attack? It was perfectly sentient, and the king knew this even though he denied it upfront. Shouldn't the monster trust that the sooner it finished its current keeper, the sooner he would be replaced by another?
Had there been someone who had managed to bring this creature to subservience? If so, then the king took special interest.
And if not, then it was long overdue that the servant boy be put to death.
~
Being a human's lapdog wasn't a dignified experience, but it was a fed one. Driders were megafauna, making it hard to get enough food. It certainly didn't help that the human kingdom believed everything was its rightful property and saw driders as a threat to them owning more than they could eat.
Wilbur certainly didn't enjoy his life, and he was almost always hungry anyway, but at least he was alive.
He lived in a dungeon below the castle, but he wasn't sure what a castle was and he barely understood the concept of a dungeon. He hadn't seen the sunshine in years, and his keeper was his only company.
He liked his keeper. The boy was kind. He didn't threaten to pee in Wilbur's food or throw rocks at him. He asked him how his day was, and even made it a point to handle the meat carefully as he transported it into the cart. He seemed lonely, and made up excuses to stay. He was a cute little thing, and Wilbur wanted to stick him into his brooding pouch and keep him there.
~
The cart rolled into Wilbur's enclosure, and he greedily snatched it up and began to eat.
His keeper sat at a table in the light.
Wilbur finished his food in a few seconds and toyed with the cart. He always made it seem as if it took him longer to eat than it did.
"Do you have a family?"
The boy froze at the question. "Why do you ask?"
Wilbur pouted even though he knew he couldn't be seen. "We've known each for so long. I don't even know what your name is. Can't I know just a little?"
His keeper awkwardly laughed, fidgeting with his fingers. "Oh... I guess you're right."
Wilbur's heart leapt.
"I don't have a family."
"Oh." Shit.
"Yeah."
What was he supposed to say?
"I don't have a family either."
His keeper peered into the darkness. "What are you?"
Wilbur smiled. He skittered to the bars of his cage and leaned against them, towering over the boy, though he had no idea. "Would you like to play twenty questions?"
"You're so lame, seriously, what are you? I don't even know what you look like."
I could show you, he wanted to say.
Coming out of his cage was easy. The king assumed it could hold him but no one actually checked. And aside from his keeper, no one had been in his dungeon for years. In reality, the bars had long been bent open and Wilbur could get out whenever he pleased.
It wouldn't be difficult to come through the bars and present himself to his keeper. Pick the little figure up in his hands and take him into his cage with him.
When he'd eaten his previous keepers, they'd always been replaced. If he captured his current keeper and stored him away in his brooding pouch, then he'd never be lonely again.
It was tempting.
"That's probably for the best," he said. He stepped away from the bars of his cage and curled up on the floor.
He liked his keeper. He wanted him to be happy. Just because Wilbur was stuck in a cage didn't mean he had to be as well.
"Do you think I'd be scared of you?"
Wilbur looked down at himself, at his large stature and eight legs. His fangs came down to his mid chin. "I think you'd be terrified, dear."
His keeper smiled. "I don't think so. I have a suspicion that you're just harmless."
His heart melted. Oh stars, he wanted to eat this kid.
He massaged his aching brood pouch. "You're sweet, Sunshine."
~
The cart was left in his cage while he was sleeping. He woke up confused, spying it in the corner of his enclosure and wondered why he'd been fed overnight. Where was his keeper? His mind jumped to the worst conclusions.
He found him inside the cart. Bound and gagged and looking terrified beyond all reason.
"Oh, Sunshine," he murmured.
His words had the opposite intended effect, his keeper starting to panic and writhe at the sound of his voice.
"Hey, hey... Calm down, okay? I'll get you out of there." He reached into the cart and picked him up in his hand.
Despite the circumstance, his heart soared. This was the closest they'd ever been.
The figure was tiny in his palm, and still struggling.
Wilbur quickly undid his bounds, being mindful of his sharp claws against the human's body. As soon as his hands were free, he was clawing at the gag around his mouth.
"Don't eat me! Please, do not eat me..."
Wilbur's stomach dropped.
"What? Sunshine, why would I eat you?"
The boy continued to sob.
Wilbur cupped him to his chest and headed towards the bars of his enclosure. He expertly clambered through and came out the other side, his skin exposed to the light for the first time in more than a year.
"Dear? Can you talk to me?" He stroked his head with his thumb and brought him eye level. "Why were you in my feeding cart?"
His keeper stared at him in shock, and it was then that he remembered his keeper had never truly seen him before.
A hot wave of embarassment and self consciousness overtook him.
He awkwardly set his little human on his table and receded back into his enclosure.
"Sunshine?" He prompted once back in his cage. "Are you..."
"Could - could you get out the whole time?"
Wilbur's mouth went dry. "I - well, yes, I could but - "
His keeper stumbled off the table and hit the ground with a nasty sounding crack.
Wilbur sprang to his claws and scrambled forward. He popped his head out between the bars and stared down at his little keeper. "Are you okay?"
The human stared up at him with terror on his face and scrambled backwards, running for the door.
"Shit, shit, wait, I'm sorry! Please stay, please, Sunshine - "
The door slammed behind him with a resounding crack and Wilbur flinched backwards.
~ ~ ~ 🕸
i used to love drider aus back in 2020 🕷️🕷️🕷️
just a freaky little guy whose half dude and half Fear. potential off the charts.
my tag list got lost when my computer was annihilated (</3) but let me know in replies if you want to get @'d and i'll make a new one
oh yeah link to the writing prompt and story i did fill out
78 notes · View notes
metrixnos · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
happy birthday!1!!1
2K notes · View notes
2-sleepy-for-this · 5 months
Note
One shot idea!!!! (cause more yes)
Neck cuddles.
That's it.
That's the prompt :3
hey beckyu! Here’s a lil oneshot for you, crimebois ofc :)
Thanks for the prompt and wow I haven’t written fluff in a bit (´∀`*)
Chilly cuddles
Tw ~ being cold, mentions of freezing, slight unintentional fearplay, feeling vulnerable, grabbing, Tommyinnit with a borrower
word count ~ 830
Wilbur sat in his home, shivering. The borrower hated how little insulation there was in the little space of the walls. He felt like he was freezing and it could have been his small size, or maybe the lack of fabric scraps he had other than a small blanket… he was usually somewhat prepared for things, but the sudden winter chill snuck up on him. 
He knew he’d have to get warm somehow before he froze… or at least felt very chilly all night.
The sudden yelling from the outside of the walls caught his attention, and he got an idea, a stupid idea, but one that would work. Wilbur needed to get Tommy’s attention, then once the easy part was done, convince him to fix his cold problem. 
Wilbur set out to one of the secret exit tunnels of his home, walking out into the open of Tommy’s bedroom. He’d never get over the feeling of being exposed out in the open, even after months of being friends with the human family in the house. 
Though unfortunately, Philza and Techno were out of the house, leaving him with only the gremlin child to help, that’s never a good thing for him or his sanity.
“Tommy!”
He yelled up at the human playing games on his PC. He had to yell a few more times before he was able to get Tommy’s attention. Tommy looked down, locking eyes with Wilbur immediately. An instinctual shiver ran up Wilbur’s spine that wasn’t from the cold, but he held his ground.
“Wil! What’s up, big man?”
Tommy smiled at him, moving off his chair to sit on the ground in front of the borrower. Wilbur smiled up at Tommy with a slight eye roll at the nickname.
“Hey toms, could you get me a blanket or something? It’s cold.”
Tommy took notice of how Wilbur trembled, hunched over slightly with his arms wrapped around his torso, trying to retain body heat, and took pity on him.
“Ha, you look miserable.”
Tommy laughed at his misery as usual before Wilbur was grabbed. Tommy’s smug face took up his vision as Wilbur sat in his open palm. He usually hated grabbing and would yell a bit in protest, but this time, the warmth was appreciated.
He was taken to the living room as Tommy walked, albeit unsteadily, through the hallway and sat on the couch, putting Wilbur down on a blanket. It felt soft underneath him and Wilbur immediately grabbed a part of it to wrap himself in, though the leftover chill of it sitting in the cold air without body heat left him feeling colder.
Back to shivering, Wilbur groaned in annoyance.
“Tommy! I’m gonna freeze!”
“Well excuse me, I’m doing my best, thank you very much.”
“I don’t need your snark right now, child.”
Wilbur got a deep sense of satisfaction at the offended gasp that left the human's mouth. Though as he was grabbed again, that feeling soured back to annoyance.
“How dare you! I am the biggest man ever!”
The borrower winced at the volume of the yell, along with how close he was to the source as he was brought in front of Tommy’s face. 
However, Wilbur realized how much warmer it was the closer he was to Tommy… so that was a plus. Then he had an idea.
“Toms! Hey!”
He yelled, getting Tommy’s attention and effectively silencing him. Tommy looked curious to what the typically soft-spoken borrower had to say.
“Can I just… lay on you for a bit?”
“..huh?”
“Like…”
Wilbur narrowed his eyes at Tommy, looking him over before stopping at a spot on his shoulder near the crook of his neck.
“There.”
He pointed at the spot. Tommy attempted to tilt his head to look at the spot, but found it was out of his eyesight, too close to his neck.
“Uh.. why?”
Tommy looked at him questioningly, genuinely confused at why the borrower wanted to be so close to him, despite Wilbur’s usual insistence on being left alone during his off days. 
“Because I’m cold! Freezing even! And you’re warm, you human furnace.”
Wilbur glared with no real heat behind in. He knew Tommy would give in since the human never stood up an opportunity to be near the borrower.
That seemed to convince Tommy as he let out a laugh at the fuming look Wilbur had on, then carefully, or as careful as Tommy can be, he was placed on Tommy’s shoulder. Wilbur immediately struggled for balance and scrambled to cling to his neck, sitting right between the human's neck and hoodie collar, now secure. 
The two spent the rest of the night like that, with Tommy actually settling down and watching a movie while feeling the borrower doze off against his neck. If he took a few selfies for himself that his tiny brother would be embarrassed about in the morning, then that was his own business.
————————
Hope you enjoyed that lil oneshot, honestly fluff isn’t so bad every once in a while… I can just give all my characters angst… cough our little brother cough cough something to remember…
:)
——————
tag list:
@i-am-beckyu
@da3dm
@lunar-but-little
56 notes · View notes
brick-a-doodle-do · 8 months
Text
ITS DOOOOONE WOOHOOOOOOO FIC TIMEEE :3333
SPIDERMANSPIDERMANSPIDERMAN! i originally wrote this for beckyu and i kind of still did but i feel bad giving her straight angst so it was INSPIRED by beckyu and her liking of superhero au's at the time dhdjfnnsn
ty to @munchkin1156 and @a-xyz-s for the ending ideas, ANDDD thank you munchkin, @dingbatnix and 3d for proofreading ILY 🫶
(title from doomsday by derivakat)
you're stuck in the web and caught in the lie
wc: 6748
cw: sfw vore, unwilling prey, fatal vore mention, mentions of puking, (lots of) panic, little comfort
—-—
The bulb in the bathroom teases with his sanity, flickering in the corner of Wilbur’s vision as he stares at himself in the mirror. His eyes are heavy, exhaustion lingering on them, for moments before he had been passed out after a long night. Ultimately, he had been woken up by commotion in the streets, but loud feedback from the radio in his room is what drove him out of bed and stumbling into the connecting bathroom. 
Tommy, a borrower he had discovered just before starting his vigilante work, hadn’t been anywhere to be seen as of this morning, which he considered a given since he was housed on the other side of the flat and slept through almost anything.
So, it was just him, splashing water on his face and dabbing it dry with a hand towel. His mask hangs over the edge of the sink bowl, looking warped without a wearer. Wilbur stares at it, frowns, and sighs while swiping it off the porcelain. The tight, sturdy yellow and black fabric stretches in his fingers as he fidgets with the edge of it. After a tiresome moment of consideration, he swipes his hair back and slides the mask on, fitting it under the bodysuit. Wilbur then takes his top layers of clothes off, throwing his shirt and shorts onto the hamper and stretching in the skin-tight suit that makes him cringe.
His radio chatters louder than normal, screams and police sirens amplified through fuzzy audio. He briefly hears someone discuss his name—his hero one, at least—and discuss his absence. Wilbur yawns. He’d rather slip back under the covers of his bed and drift off until the foreseeable future. The only thing standing in the way between Wilbur and his comfort is his moral obligation to perform no bad. 
Offering his masked face a tired rub, he trudges from the bathroom with heavy feet and finds his way back into his bedroom, listening for any indication of where the disturbances are before shutting it off. It goes silent, and now audible are the distant sounds of police sirens echoing throughout the city. Wilbur unlocks his window and slides it open, stepping over the edge and out onto his fire escape. He shuts it, then places two fingers over his palm. Instantaneously, a pearl white web shoots from his wrist, latching onto a nearby building. Quickly, he pulls himself up onto the railing and jumps, hand wrapped tediously around the web as he swings, legs curled up with practiced ease. Through his fatigue, he finds his way through the city, web after web latching onto different buildings that he only lingers on for a few seconds before jumping to the next. 
A few flashes catch his attention from down below as the early-morning crowd of people notice the hero's arrival. For the most part, he ignores them, instead keeping his eyes out for the sounds of sirens and the sight of distress. 
Spotting a crowd, Wilbur zeroes in on it, instinctually latching to a nearby apartment building and landing on the roof half-gracefully. He creeps over the edge, crouched as he approaches. There’s a gathering of police cars, a count of three ambulances and two nearby fire trucks. A whole crowd of pedestrians and traffic has positioned themselves outside of a ring of orange barriers. The only thing Wilbur can’t locate is the problem.
He scans the street, looking beyond the crowd and studying the depths of the block. Wilbur gazes over the horizon, where the only thing to meet him was the beginning of a sunrise. Despite his yearn to watch the upbringing of the morning, he turns his gaze away to find his villain. 
A scream grows exponentially, echoing through the busy street and filtering through his mask. Wilbur whips his head over his shoulder, eyes narrowing as he scans the skyline. He huffs as he’s left without eyes on the villain. 
About half-way to the edge of the rooftop in hopes of contacting the police down below, there’s a piercing screech from directly behind him. Wilbur startles, the noise making him wince and cringe hard enough, leaving him now falling over the edge of the rooftop and into open air, where his eyes widen at the realization of the descent. Reacting quickly, he shoots a web to the railing and latches on, jerking to a stop before letting the web retract and raise him back to the rooftop. Wilbur connects his fingertips and feet with the concrete wall, sticking to it effortlessly while he creeps up the side of the building. 
Through his awkward angle of the top of the ground, he spots a misplaced train car half-dug in the concrete, minute sparks still flying from the impact. Wilbur spots a round of people inside through the tinted windows. They’re jarred, no doubt, presumably both mildly and gravely injured. Only few still move about the confined spot, mostly with agitation and fear. He doesn't mind them for the time being, more focused on the culprit of the disturbance. 
Despite the size of Essempi and their neighboring towns, he didn't meet a lot of supervillains. Occasionally some with creative costumes, though they don't pose much threat—he had himself half-convinced that the serenity of the town was just the beginning of some in-progress-anti-hero organization. 
So, there weren't many villains who could make the technology to haul a train car onto a rooftop. 
His imagination doesn't have to run much longer, for the mechanical noises of XD’s robotic extra arms draws his attention to the side, where the approaching villain stares around the skies for him. Satisfied with his obscurity, Wilbur raises a little bit to get a better view of the scene.
Suddenly, there’s an irritating whir that toys with his eardrums. He looks back, a helicopter catching his line of vision. Fuck. Just as he notices it, the spotlight ticks on and lands directly on him.
Wilbur gasps, squints at the bright light. The space now illuminated around him and XD’s attention turned to him instantly. He ducks down, spinning around so his back is against the wall and facing out to the city. Wilbur finds the attention of the aircraft and makes a motion akin to slicing his neck, silently portraying that they’re doing more harm than good. 
Abruptly, part of the light is obscured from above him, thankfully shadowing the blinding light, although posing even more of a problem than potential blindness. Wilbur sighs, looking up to see XD’s carved mask—his old one—the cracked thing boring daggers into his own mask. 
“Spiderman! Y’know, I thought I hated the cops, they just weren't ever on my side, but look at this! They helped me find you,” XD says, chuckling and then offering a salute to the aircraft. Wilbur’s shoulders slump a little as he flips back over and climbs up to the rooftop, hopping over the railing to find footing on the concrete ground. From this view, he notices that XD’s figure isn't laced with thick armor and his grand mask, and he’s instead stood, black slacks and a neon hoodie with his old smiling mask slapped on his face. His hands are in his pocket, looking casual, almost lazy. 
“You look like you've seen better days,” Wilbur says. Why hasn’t XD made a move yet? 
Dream shrugs. “Didn't want to be too…noticeable.” 
Wilbur looks at the bright green hoodie he’s sporting and then at the train car of people. XD’s arms twitch. 
“You should reconsider,” Wilbur suggests. Within a moment, he flicks a web at XD’s mask to distract him enough before darting to the left of him and running after the train car to help the civilians. XD isn't showing much interest in fighting him, 
Immediately as he approaches the car, he gets halfway to wedging his fingers between the seal in the doors before there’s five metallic fingers wrapping his torso and pulling him through the air. It throws him, wind screaming in his ears around him and hissing in his ears as he begins his descent—over the open air, no building to catch him. The crowd beneath him gasps, loud enough to bring him back to reality. 
His hands find a familiar position and he has the quick reaction to latch two webs onto the railing again. He retracts in a second, back onto the railing, crouched with his hands on the cold bars.
XD still isn't moving. He’s everything but hostile, apart from launching him off the side of the building. The spotlight from the helicopters above whirs loudly, circling the two on the building. 
“What the fuck are you doing?” Wilbur asks finally, snapping XD’s attention to him.
“Okay—look, I should've really planned this out, and I don’t want to totally humiliate you…” XD trails off. Wilbur slips off the railing and onto the roof, standing up to await the villain’s plan. 
“It's kind of late for reconsidering the humiliation, didn't you just launch me off a building?” Wilbur points out.
“Shut up! I'm thinking,” XD insists. 
Wilbur sighs. He runs again, flicking yet another web at the train car. He jumps, the web retracting and he glides overhead the villain, who through the corner of his vision is still caught up picking web off his face. 
He lands on the roof of the train car with grace, considering his next move. Wilbur carefully climbs down to the back of the car, where he’s barely visible. Soothed at the fact, he offers a wave to the city-goers in the car. “I'll get you out,” Wilbur whispers, more of a reassurance to himself than anything.
Winding a quick punch and releasing it just as quick, the glass in the window cracks from his enhanced strength. The surrounding people inside the car step to the side on instinct as he punches again, the crack deepening. Through the reflection in the windows, (Any lighting in the car had been replaced by phone lights, making it incredibly difficult to see inside), he spots one of XD’s arms launching at him. Wilbur jumps, landing on the roof of the train car and wincing as he listens to glass break. 
“That car isn't for you to save, Spiderman,” XD says, coldly, his voice less casual and reminding him of their typical encounters. The arm launches for him again and Wilbur dashed out of the way, flicking a web across the building and dashing out of the way.
He darts out of the way for the third time, huffing out in impatience. “Oh, so you brought it up here for fun?” Wilbur asks, shooting a web at XD’s arm, effectively folding it against the villain’s back. 
He hisses out in victory, although the action is short lived because as he jumps from the railing, overtop of XD and going for another calculated web, the wind is knocked from his chest as he’s grabbed from the air and jerked to the side. Wilbur groans out in pain as he’s shoved to the concrete, which startles a shriek out of him. It’s then that he’s brought back to open air, dangling from the ground with an irritated scowl hidden underneath his mask. His shoulder stings from where it had slammed into the ground, but when he tries to soothe it with a rub, he finds his hands are pinned to his side. 
Wilbur glares at XD. 
“I’m going to put you down, and we’re going to talk.”
Wilbur knows obliging would be the best decision, leading him to tentatively nodding at the offer. As suggested, he’s lowered down, cautiously, the arm then retracting with a whir and laying on the ground beside XD’s form. 
“Have you ever heard of the trolley problem?” the villain asks, his real hands still in his pocket. Wilbur shrugs.
“In passing,” he says, “Why? I don't see anyone else hostage, do you know how the Trolley Problem works?” he muses, brows furrowing at XD’s response: something of a laugh. 
“You have two choices here, alright?” Suddenly, a screeching sound is scraping at his ears, two of XD’s arms wrapping the car and holding it up, right near the edge of the rooftop. “Save a train car full of people,” the villain continues, then reaches into his pocket. Wilbur squints as the villain pulls something small from the depths of his hoodie and holds it up, a string with something on the end of it dangling in the air. 
His heart sinks. Tommy.
“Or a pest. Your pest.”
Wilbur’s mouth falls agape, his shoulders slump, and his hands tense. Play it off, Play it off. He still has the time to embarrass XD and make him believe he has the wrong guy. Surely XD doesn’t—actually know his identity.
“I don’t see anything,” Wilbur says, his voice rushed and quivering.
“It's—It’s on the end of the string, look—there's some pest at the end of it.” XD clarifies, a smudge of humor in his tone. 
Wilbur lets the clarification run dry and finds himself bitterly glaring at XD. The villain hums, shakes the string a little. As he does, Wilbur watches Tommy flail at the end of it. His heart pounds in his chest, twisting at the thought of the poor borrower caught up in his work. He tried hard to keep Tommy out of it—he never even hinted at it. The idea that Tommy dangles in the grasp of Wilbur’s enemy without any hope that someone could save him makes Wilbur want to puke. 
A scream from the people in the train car snaps him out of his thoughts, adjusting him to his very real situation that he needs to find a solution to. He can save Tommy from a lethal fall, or save a cluster of people from an equally deadly height.
“Which one, Spiderman?” XD persists. 
Suddenly his lax clothing and old mask doesn't seem so lazy anymore, and Wilbur finds himself staring at the carved out smile with disbelief. 
“Did you wake up and decide to do this?” Wilbur asks. He’s wasting time. The hero watches as Tommy is drawn a little higher, and the likelihood of death increases massively. Meanwhile, Wilbur just stands there.
“I was bored. Wanted to test my theories about you, turns out…I was right,” XD hums. Wilbur knows that XD is clawing at the inside for a chance to blurt his name out and rip the bandaid off. Something in Wilbur has to hand it to the villain, though, because even with an audience of news reporters and cops and civilians, he still has held off. 
Okay. This cannot be hard. (Albeit reluctantly), He’s Spiderman. Wilbur can always do both. 
“I’ll take the train,” Wilbur decides, “leave the 'pest’,” he lies, easily. The words are like poison to his tongue, but he’s found an obvious route to take. 
“Okay. Okay! Well, what's your heroic plan without a little entertainment?” XD comments, then releases the car immediately, his silver arms retracting and glistening under the rising sun. Wilbur yells out, running near the edge of the building to go after the train, although before he can get the momentum to jump off, he notices that XD has dropped the rope holding Tommy. 
His eyes widen at the realization, he screams out a rushed “Tommy!” and quickly, he flings a web in the vicinity of the borrower, hopefully latching onto him before taking to the railing, finding his footing before jumping off of the building. 
Calm and calculated, trying to ignore the blood rushing in his ears and the way his head screams about his inevitable failure, he instantly retracts the web holding (what he hopes to be) Tommy, then lifts his mask up in a panic, getting a good grip on the clump of web before shoving the flash of white into his mouth and pulls the mask back down over his mouth. His mouth shuts with a click that blurs his thoughts of a plan. 
Briefly, he recognizes movement within his maw, and with the reassurance, Wilbur finds the time to finally focus on the train car, which plummets, although nothing too worrying yet, especially as he now has the opportunity to advance downwards, the wind lapping all around him. He’s done this a thousand times. 
Something clicks against his teeth, hitting from the inside. The wind in his ears and the adrenaline completely flooding him makes it hard to focus on the fact that he had hit bullseye on Tommy, and even more is he distracted at the fact that the poor thing is scared out of his life, in the clasp of someone he doesn't know he trusts. Trapped in their mouth no less. He runs a worried tongue over the figure in his mouth to try and resolve the boy’s fear. It was half-assed but all he could muster as a thousand ideas for saving the car floods through his mind and thoroughly bury the memory of Tommy.
A web shoots from his wrist and flies through the wind, whistling against it before coming to a halt when the edge of the web reaches something solid, the edge of a building, just a temporary brace until he can build another. He flicks another web, and another, and another, and he feels the energy leaving his body as Wilbur constructs a base for the car to land in. It’s already caught on the first one he did, but the weight of the metal and the people inside has the web splitting. 
By the time he finishes the landing pad, it’s mere feet from the streets, housing the fallen train car. Meanwhile, now no longer distracted, his blurry mind has the ability to shoot one last web onto a balcony near the scene. Wilbur jerks as the web pulls taught, something in his head shifting to panic, but he ignores it while letting the web retract and guide him up onto the balcony, which he clambers onto and falls over in an instant, something of this morning’s fatigue, his mix of emotions, and the overuse of his silk making him a useless pile of black-and-yellow fabric. 
(*)
Tommy is screaming. He knows he’s screaming, even though the noise is barely audible over the lapping sound of the helicopters that circle the area, which had irritated him enough into covering his ears, he still is screaming. The disturbance of the helicopter had been enough to distract him, and as he zones back in as Spiderman had yelled out something incoherent, and then weirdly, his own name. 
It was then that he finally felt the rush of cold air against his body, and it was then that he registered that he was falling, concrete growing closer and closer and closer, and—his abrupt fate was cut off by an equally abrupt something clashing into him and expanding, surrounding his entire body and jerking him through the air. His stomach sinks at all the movement. He struggles against the sticky web that he’s caught in, memories of getting caught up in spider web as a borrower flashing through his memory. If not for the fact that this situation was nothing similar, and that this was quite literally life or death, he might’ve found comfort in finding some resemblance of his home life.
Wilbur. 
Oh, Wilbur's going to get home and think Tommy abandoned him! Oh, oh fuck—
Suddenly, there's another pull in his gut and he’s screaming even louder as he falls, plummets, zips through the air. It whistles around him, his ears throb, and his hands are shaking so much he can barely even wipe the tears off of his face without it being consistent with hitting himself. There’s a thick groan that murmurs from his mouth as, despite the layer of web between him, he’s tossed against someone’s hand, whiplash settling in nicely with his jittering soul.
He barely recognizes the black and yellow fabric all around him before he’s catching his gaze on a distantly familiar bottom profile of a face, one that, terrifyingly, opens up and draws Tommy close. 
“No, no, nonononononoNO—” Tommy yells, a mouth suddenly his only surroundings. The morning light illuminates the space around him, rows of human teeth entirely surrounding him, fleshy pink walls and the faint outline of the opening of a throat just mere inches from him. 
“Shit! Let me out, fuck—HELP ME!” Tommy pleads, screaming, he can't even help but try to be hopeful in a time like this. He can’t even wrap his head around the fact that he thinks he'll be curled up in Wilbur's hands tonight if he asks. What is he, four? 
Tommy sobs. Tears break through, finally the adrenaline of the situation coming to a screeching halt as soon as the mouth he’s in shuts tight, the the jarring view of the city overhead coming to a close with an echoing click that replays in his mind a thousandfold. Tommy sobs again, shaking, his struggling within the cage-like web intensifying. He has a higher chance of avoiding becoming food if he can stand up and fight. 
Finally, finally, his legs can move more than a few inches. His legs are free, and he tears his arms free, picking the excess pieces off of him, baring his teeth as he strains his arm just to get free. He can barely fend off an inanimate spiderweb, he can only imagine the idea of fighting off a prodding tongue that’ll inch him slowly to the back of the throat that’ll send him to his real death. 
He pulls at the silky material, which has been soaked slightly as the person's saliva fills the room. It's at the moist sensation under his fingertips that he realizes how suffocatingly damp it is. Tommy pats at the surface underneath him, cringing, almost gagging at the fact that he’s sitting atop a tongue. He’s…he’s going to die, he’s sitting on his deathbed. 
He can barely maneuver himself to stand up without fucking falling. Tommy jerks a little bit, almost falling into the person's teeth at the movement. 
Finally stumbling to a stand with a scowl on his face, he tries to feel around for something solid. He seems to reach teeth, because his pounding fists collide with something hard. He punches at them, sobbing, a sudden weakness in his form overtaking him. 
“Let me out! Please! I—I can't die, not right now! I—I just—” Tommy finds himself stuttering over his words. He doesn't know why he doesn't want to die. There shouldn't be a problem if he simply ceased to exist, though the idea still tormented him. 
If he were to die, it at least shouldn't be at the hand of something Tommy had spent most of his life avoiding, and certainly not by something he had foolishly begun growing to trust. 
The feeling of something wet seeps into his clothing, prodding at him—and so caught up in his cries he takes an embarrassingly long time to recognize that there’s a tongue placed by his shoulder. Tommy shrieks as he does realize, scrambling away from the muscle the best he could, (which wasn’t easy, considering the thing took up most of the mouth). 
He swallows down a gulp of vomit, cringing at the fact that he’s even existing right now. Tommy draws a hand to his face, fisting his tears away. It doesn't matter in the end, as by the time he gets his face dry it's ruined by another orbit of tears. He still shakes, his hands propped in his lap while he leans against the closed rows of teeth, awaiting his inevitable fate. 
Just as expected, the world jerks, heavy, heavier than before, and suddenly he’s almost downed in a pool of saliva as he’s drawn back, back, and, NO—he claws aimlessly at the tongue, his efforts run useless while he’s shot down the throat in an instant. His hands fail to cling onto purchase and he slides, easily, too easily. He can't flex his limbs enough to flail, and even if he did the struggle would go unmatched against the pool of acids he’s about to meet. 
He falls, he screams as he falls. His gut churns at the fact that he’s landed in someplace new, equally as dark as a mouth but painfully obviously not. 
It’s hollow, nothing like the tunnel he just traveled down. It’s warm and suffocating, however, and he feels as if he couldn't breathe. Probably because his nose is stuffy and breathing in through his mouth triggered another fit of sobs. 
Tommy stretches his arms to feel his surroundings, coughing, then immediately sobbing again upon the feeling of fleshy walls that contort around him, flexing slightly. He’s going to die. He’s going to puke—he is dead. He falls against the surface he’s surrounded by, attempting to draw his knees up, though they slip into the thin pool at the bottom of the chamber, his chamber. 
The warm liquid soaks his shoes, and in half a second, he’s convinced himself that it stings, and that he’s going to die within the next five minutes. 
If only Wilbur were here. He would know how to calm him down, even if he was dying. If he was on his last breath and Wilbur was there to reassure him, he’d believe him. Full-heartedly. 
Tommy punches at the fleshy walls, yelling, despite how much strain it puts on his already-sore throat. “Fuck,” he whines, sliding against the walls and sighing.
He has a plan for everything. Wilbur, as a joke, locked him in a jar once, then proceeded to accidentally forget about him, and he inched off the counter until he fell and broke the jar. He was all cut up but he was out. So, why isn't his brain catching up to date with recent events and getting him a plan? 
Tommy knows why, but he doesn't exactly want to admit it just yet. 
His surroundings jerk, throwing him to the other end of the area before the walls squish in on him, embracing him from all angles and making him wail at the fact. His face is pressed against the slick flesh, the pool of saliva and, (what he tells himself is) acid, he sobs again. Again again, his body aches as he shakes with somber origins, again he cries again, Prime, why won't he stop crying? 
(*)
By the time Wilbur regained feeling in his head and it was no longer a sludge of mixed emotions about what just happened and reassurance that he had Tommy, and by the time Wilbur had picked himself up from where he lay on the cold concrete of a balcony and webbed away, he realized there was nothing in his mouth. 
But, he completely remembers the web with Tommy in it being secure in the makeshift pocket while he did his work, so why wasn't it there anymore?
Wilbur lands in the crowd, wincing as he catches the attention of news broadcasters. He’s about to web away to avoid public attention when something in his gut hits him so gently that he pauses, and his eyes widen. Wilbur pauses, freezes, then shudders.
Tommy. 
He runs off, immediately, into an alleyway where he leans against the wall and places a disbelieving hand to his gut. “Wh—Tommy?” Wilbur whispers, careful as to not catch the attention of the nearby reporters.
There’s a response. It’s faint, he can’t hear it—shit. At the very least, he’s alive—hopefully for the time it takes to get him out.
Okay, just…focus. He’s focused before—he has to be focused to unstick. But he’s never swallowed anyone before! Wilbur closes his eyes and pulls his attention to the moving figure in his gut, squeezing in his stomach and pretending like he’s trying to puke, (which probably wasn’t the best idea considering he does feel like he’s two webs away from vomiting his guts out). 
The attempt is disturbed by flashing cameras, which startle him to a defensive position and make him forget about his focus. He groans, staring at the news reporters that have taken to crowding around him, cornering him in the alley. 
“I’m gonna be real with you guys, I think there’s a lot more interesting things to film than me,” Wilbur says, huffing out a dry laugh.
“Why did you wait until the last second to save them?” A reporter asks. I was saving someone else, Wilbur muses in his mind, once again reminded of Tommy.
“Seriously, leave, I’m done with this scene, you should be too,” Wilbur tries. 
The reporters only grow closer, photo after photo after photo—it overwhelms him, to say the least, especially with the fact that his gut is being absolutely attacked by Tommy. It takes a lot for him to not curl up against the brick wall behind him and murmur reassurances to him. Flashes and questions blur in his mind, and thankfully his energy has seemed to return and he has half the mind to toss two fingers over his palm. A web sprouts, spiraling up onto the building above so he can get away from the crowd of people. 
Landing on the concrete, he sprints behind a doorway and kneels there, just in time for a particularly revolting punch from the inside of his gut that leaves him clutching his gut and gagging as something travels upwards in his gullet—finally. He gags again and feels something thrash in his mouth. Tommy, no doubt.
Without adrenaline rushing through him and numbing his thoughts, he notices there’s a distinct taste in his mouth. It’s tangy and unpleasant, mixed with the taste of salt—undoubtedly tears. He winces at it, making a move for the edge of his mask. Before he could pull it up and beg the trust he just thoroughly undid, the laps of a fucking helicopter catch his attention. Immediately, his hands drop from his face and he scrambles up, flipping them off tediously before running to the edge of the roof and jumping off, landing on the neighboring one. 
Wilbur takes a sharp left, his webs wrapping around a street light. Gracefully, he lands on it, looking around the sky for the aircraft. It seems to have lost sight of him. 
Gently, with his tongue, he pushes Tommy to the side of his mouth and rushes out reassurances while he glides through the city and back to his apartment building.
“You’re okay—I’m so sorry, Tommy. You’re okay, I promise you’re okay,” he says, it’s half-mumbled but it, hopefully, has gotten the point across. 
The little “fuck you!” from within his mouth says otherwise.
Finally, for what has felt like hours when in reality barely half an hour has passed, he finds footing on his fire escape. The security of being home feeling like a boulder off his shoulders. He opens his window, climbing in and shutting it with ease. 
Immediately, Wilbur lifts his mask up and spits Tommy out. The boy quivers against his skin, shaking and murmuring curses with his strained voice. Wilbur’s heart twists, guilt coursing through him even more than the adrenaline had earlier. He did this to Tommy.
“Tommy,” Wilbur calls, his voice soft. His hands find themselves frozen, unable to comprehend how much of a trance Tommy has been put under. “Tommy, hey, king, come on, you’re safe,” Wilbur says, taking a distracted seat on the floor. “Are you
okay? Are you hurt?” Wilbur adds, pulling the tiny a little closer to inspect his shivering form. 
He’s not sure if Tommy actually recognizes that he’s not in Wilbur’s mouth, or even gut. 
“Get the fuck away from me—” Tommy breathes out, his voice shallow and dry. He coughs, shuddering with another sob. Wilbur frowns, deep, watching intently as the borrower collects himself in his cupped hands, shuffling to sit up and glare at Wilbur.
(*)
“I didn’t mean to swallow you, I promise—I just—” Spiderman says, his own lies running dry on his tongue. Why is his voice so familiar? “Just tell me
you’re not hurt, man—”
Tommy doesn't respond to Spiderman and instead takes a look around the space, realizing very quickly that the space is identical to Wilbur’s apartment.
He hiccups, coughing as phlegm gets caught in his throat. “Why are we at Wilbur’s house?”
Something in Spiderman’s face, from what he can see of it, shifts, something of confusion tugging at his lips. Then, in a blink, he’s shifted onto one hand and Spiderman pulls the mask off fully, revealing—
Oh.
Oh.
“Wilbur,” Tommy breathes out, coughing again. His heartbeat picks up at the fact that Wilbur, out of the whole city, sat behind the mask. “You fucking swallowed me,” Wilbur almost flinches at the words, “and you lied to me.”
“You know I wouldn’t hurt you, not intentionally.” Wilbur returns his hands to the cupped position, but Tommy doesn’t move. His eyes are glued on Wilbur. His hair, his worried eyes with tears swelling in them and fatigue lining them as dark bags, his frowning lips, and the black-and-yellow suit that clings onto his body.
“Fuck, Wilbur, you—I don’t even know—” Tommy says, groaning and leaning into Wilbur’s hold. It feels warm, similar to—-
“Are you mad at me?”
Tommy’s eyes widen as he scoffs. “What the fuck?! Of course—-of course I am, Wilbur! I thought I was going to die! I probably would’ve!”
Wilbur winces. Bastard.
“I’m sorry,” the man whispers.
Tommy looks at Wilbur strongly, and for some reason, the action alone is enough to make him sob again. He shudders, goosebumps trailing his spine. 
“No, no—Tommy, you’re okay, man!” Wilbur reassures—or he tries to, it doesn’t really work, because Tommy just ignores it. 
“I’m not!” he retaliates, sobbing into the human’s gloved hand.
“Toms, darling,” Wilbur tries gently, taking his thumb and oh-so-gently drawing it along Tommy’s tiny, red-and-puffy face, ridding of his tears in an instant. His heart hurts at the nickname and the show of affection. “You’re still alive, aren’t you?” 
“I almost wasn’t,” Tommy seethes out. “I would’ve died from that fucking villain you were fighting, you could’ve chewed me to death, and I probably was going to disintegrate when you swallowed me! Fuck you, Wil.”
Wilbur’s expression shifts. “You didn’t die, though, you’re very alive. And, I told you, Tommy, I never wanted to swallow you. It just happened. I must’ve startled too hard and did it.” Tommy scowls. He shifts, his damp feet sliding on the slick fabric of Wilbur’s suit. He almost forgot he was covered in saliva and acid.
“That doesn’t make up for the fact that you did it, instinctually, or whatever. Your brain wanted to eat me, just admit it!”
Wilbur stays quiet.
“Put me down,” Tommy then asks, now growing impatient after the warmth that Wilbur’s hand had provided has since run cold and proved nothing comforting. Wilbur, the bastard, looks so hesitant to his request it makes him shudder. “Wilbur, put me the fuck down,” he repeats, stronger, masking his (dwindling) panic. 
Begrudgingly, looking as if he regrets every moment, the human obliges and lowers the boy onto the floor, close to the bed where Tommy’s nearest nook is. “Thank you,” Tommy offers smally. He doesn’t know if he expected Wilbur to let his hesitance overtake him, but he finds that he’s grateful for the fact that he’s no longer engulfed by Wilbur’s hands and has found a place on the floor, already making a rushing move to the shadows of the bed. 
Though, as he walks, he feels his limbs are tired and ache. He doesn’t understand why they do, however—he had only cried, a mental problem, and he had kept his struggle to a minimum (in terms of how he usually flails), so why did he feel such a strong desire to collapse?
Tommy feels tears swell up in his eyes again, soul tugging at him to break down again. He winces at such fragile sensitivity and strays from his path, pulling off to lean against the leg of the bed. He sighs against it, holding back the floodgates of his tears while trying to ignore that Wilbur is still sat on the floor. He blinks away his tears. Tommy’s throat burns from earlier, also now housing the sobs he’s shoving back down his vocal box. He’s not crying again, no fucking way.
“Are you sure you want to be alone, Toms?” Wilbur asks, still soft as ever. It’s hard to be mad at the bastard when he’s been nothing but reassuring. But he almost died because of Wilbur, three separate times in barely an hour. How could he not be pissed? Then again, he had bargained with himself that Wilbur could be the only one to ever talk him out of the fear of death. Ironic, his mind muses.
“Not really,” he says, coughing a bit. He blinks away another circle of tears. It doesn’t work, and the irritating sting in Tommy’s eyes just pushes him far over the edge and he cries again, drawing his knees up and crossing his arms over them while he stares off into the shadows. He can’t hear much, but not in a concerning way, he’s just spaced out long enough for the only constant in his mind being his shallow cries.
Perhaps as he’d expected, he’s drawn back to reality with a nudge on his side. He grumbles, looking over to find Wilbur’s hand next to him, fingers folded into each other except for his forefinger, which pokes at his side again. From under the bed, most of the man’s face is obscured, but he can see Wilbur’s lips, which sport a fine smile, nothing amused, only genuine.
“Do you want to rest? I think you could benefit from a break from this shitty morning,” Wilbur offers, “we can finish talking later,” he then adds, which the thought of reliving today, even in memories, makes him shiver, but falling asleep on Wilbur had been his one wish when in—there. 
Hesitant, he shuffles up from where he sat. At his movement, Wilbur’s hand opens up and lays flat against the hardwood floor, moments from Tommy.
A part of him does wonder if it’s a ruse, but a lot of him doesn't have the energy to give a fuck. At least, not for right now.
He climbs onto the hand, his own hands bracing Wilbur's fingertips so he doesn't lose his balance, and he finds a seat on the crease in Wilbur’s fingers that connect them to his palm. 
“I'm still actually mad at you,” Tommy says as Wilbur draws him out of the shadows and back into the air. 
“That's okay, sunshine,” the man reassures. Once again, he takes his thumb, the gloves digit rubbing over Tommy’s face, tugging up to dry the last of his tears. The boy grumbles at the touch, but his disapproval only makes Wilbur stifle a laugh. 
“I thought we were resting, dick.”
Wilbur hums, shuffling up from the floor while keeping Tommy steady in his hand. He walks to the bed, sitting on the edge. “And you're sure you’re not hurt?”
Tommy sighs at Wilbur. “I'm not, if I was I would’ve told you, I still trust you. Kind of. Bitch.”
He has such a way with words.
Wilbur just hums, carefully drawing the boy up to his mouth. Tommy scrambles back, pressing further into the hands under him. The panic is short lived, especially as Wilbur only pecks a kiss on the top of his head. 
“Stop that,” Tommy demands. Wilbur draws him back, slightly. At the distance between them, Tommy stumbles to a stand and walks the length of Wilbur's palm and stands on the edge of it, arms outstretched to pull Wilbur’s nose closer to him. He hugs it, or, the best he could. 
“Awe, Tommy,” Wilbur says, his tone high in adoration. Tommy pinches Wilbur’s skin, causing the human to retaliate his hand and drag the borrower with it before situating himself in bed. Tommy snickers, slipping off Wilbur's hand and onto his chest. He frowns at the placement and walks, along the Spiderman suit and latching onto Wilbur’s chin, using all the (lacking) strength in his arms to pull himself up Wilbur's face, stumbling only slightly while readjusting. Wilbur stays still, he can spot the man’s eyes on him, but otherwise he remains  absolutely frozen until the borrower plops down by the older’s nose and gets extra comfortable.
Only because he knows Wilbur wouldn't be able to move him without waking him up, and the human wouldn't dare. 
—-—
taglist: @da3dm, @i-am-beckyu, @local-squishmallow, @skullsnbruises, @krazycat49, @munchkin1156, @nobodywritingao3, @a-xyz-s // taglist request
129 notes · View notes
Text
Pocket-Sized Sidekick (3)
Part One Part Two
Word Count: 1,829
TW's: Fear, Accidental Fearplay, Violence, Injury, Implications Of Past Abuse, Threats Of Violence, Mentions of Cults, Medical Stuff, Panic
Characters: C!Ranboo, C!Technoblade, C!Dream, C!Philza, C!Wilbur
Summary: Ranboo's officially been de-masked in front of a group of villains. At least that means things can't get any worse...right?
Ranboo drew in a hissing breath between his teeth.
"Would you please sit still? I'm not used to doing stitches on people this small."
That was one of the first things Ranboo learned about Wilbur. He never held anything back. Frankly, it was becoming a challenge for Ranboo to hold back everything he wanted to say in retaliation. He'd been laying there getting stabbed by a needle nearly as tall as him for at least half an hour. Even with the attempt at numbing the area, it felt like an eternity.
"You did stitches on a cat once," the Blood God pointed out. He'd been idly clicking through something on the laptop sitting on the kitchen counter. Ranboo was surprised he'd been paying attention at all given how engrossed he'd seemed it whatever he was reading on that screen.
"You are aware that cats are larger than six inches tall, right?" Wilbur snapped.
"Small is small."
The brunette let out a frustrated huff.
"Phil told you not to bother me."
"He did but he was givin' me those 'don't let Wilbur out of your sight' eyes."
"He was not."
"You just don't notice because he's always got that look."
"Done!" Wilbur announced with a final snip. Ranboo could only assume that meant that was the last bit of thread being cut. Should he be thanking this guy for what he'd done? Sure, he'd tended to his injuries but he was still a villain. Thanking a villain was probably listed on the unspoken rules of being a hero right between being kidnapped by a villain and showing your face to a villain.
He slowly pushed himself to sit upright. His bruises still stung like crazy but at least the majority of his fractures had been dealt with and cuts bandaged. Wilbur never really shared his assessment of Ranboo's injuries but from the repetitive "Yeesh" 's from the villain, he could only imagine there was a lot of work to be done.
Wilbur scooped his jacket up off the back of the couch.
"Where are you going?" the Blood God demanded.
The brunette threw a guitar case over his shoulder.
"Out," he announced vaguely.
"Aren't you supposed to be looking after the kid?"
Wilbur rummaged through the cubbies next to the door until he uncovered a pair of keys from the clutter.
"Phil told me to clean him up. He's about as good as he's going to get so I'm out of here." Wilbur paused on the way out to shoot the Blood God a look over his shoulder. A coy smile tugged on his lips. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine until Phil comes back. You're great with kids."
Wilbur managed to yank the door shut behind him just as a dagger lodged itself in the wood where his head was only seconds ago. The brunette's laughter retreated into the night, making way for a tense silence to fall over the house. Ranboo's teeth ground together.
He dared to sneak a peek at the villain sitting only a single room over. It was odd. Ranboo knew that Corvus was a supervillain but he walked around out of costume in his own house. That made sense. Wilbur was a villain by association at the very least but if he worked in the field, he probably had a costume too. Not once had he donned in it while Ranboo was there.
The Blood God, on the other hand, had yet to change out of that signature uniform of his. The cape, the skull, the gaudy boots. The whole package was admittedly a bit too extra to be typical loungewear. If it was all for the sake of ensuring Ranboo was kept on edge then, damn, it was working.
The boar's skull snapped in Ranboo's direction. The abrupt motion caused an instinctual reaction in the sidekick, sending him scrambling to focus on literally anything else in the room. The villain sighed.
"So why's Hero Corps exploiting child labor? Indoctrinating adults into their little cape cult get too pricey?" he asked.
Nothing about that question was accurate but it wasn't like Ranboo was in any position to correct him. He wasn't sure he was in a position to say anything, honestly. So he didn't.
"What, did that one hypno-hero hit you with a tongue tying spell or somethin'? What's he like? Fun at parties?"
The beats of silence passed at an agonizingly slow pace for both parties trapped within the tense atmosphere. The Blood God groaned.
"Come on, kid, give me somethin' here," he practically begged.
Ranboo shifted uncomfortably. There was nothing he could say that he wouldn't be reprimanded for when he got back to HQ. If he got back to HQ. As scary a prospect as that was, the fact that he was more likely to never get home was even scarier.
"W-why the skull mask?" Ranboo tried. Maybe if he couldn't answer questions, asking them would help pass the time a bit quicker for the both of them.
"What, this?" The Blood God asked, drumming his fingernails against hollow bone. Ranboo nodded meekly. The villain's insouciant demeanor went dismal all at once. "It's not a mask. It's just my face."
The sidekick's blood ran ice cold. He couldn't even hide his mortified expression when he turned back to the man in the kitchen. What? How was that even possible? Sure, people got bizarre mutations when super powers started popping up but this had to be one of the strangest ones that Ranboo had ever seen. Not even the attributes of a bore, just its skull where your head should have been? It made his stomach churn thinking about how that worked.
The Blood God snorted.
"I'm messing with you," he chuckled.
He was...oh. The sidekick's shoulders sagged. As indignant as Ranboo was to be toyed with, he had to admit that it was a relief knowing it was all a farce. He hadn't even realized his jaw had dropped open until he shut it with a click. He couldn't help but laugh, though his was more incredulous than a product of the Blood God's sense of humor-if you could even call it that.
"Just thought it was a cool gimmick, I guess. Didn't wanna look like every other loser in a mask and a cape. What about you? They force you to wear that fashion faux-pax of a suit or are you just really into gray?"
"It's a uniform," Ranboo said. He couldn't think of a single sinister thing that the guy could do with that sort of information beyond mocking him a little further.
"Of course it is. Is that where you get your shrinking power from, too?"
Ranboo stiffened. Momentary distraction over. The villain really was just trying to pry info out of him. Of course he was. That was literally his job. He wasn't really as mad at the guy for nearly getting him to give up some top secret Hero Corps info as much as he was at himself for almost doing it.
The way the color drained from Ranboo's face must have given away the answer to that intrusive question all the same.
"Don't mean to sound like a jackass but you don't really handle yourself like a hero who's used to being small. I mean, I did see you get punted across an alleyway so..."
Ranboo fought to keep his expression flat. Maybe that was the reason all those heroes wore masks; to hide just how scared the poor bastards behind them were. Ranboo wished more than anything that his helmet wasn't cracked to pieces so he could shove it back on and leave it there.
"If it's broken, we can try to fix it," the Blood God pointed out.
"No! You can't touch it!" Ranboo blurted, grabbing the suit from beside him and holding it in a white-knuckled grip. The last thing he needed was to hand over some of Hero Corps' most advanced tech to their most dangerous competition.
It took far too long for Ranboo to actually realize what he'd done. When it dawned on him, it hit him like a brick to the teeth. His heart stuttered in his chest. Maybe yelling at his villainous captor wasn't really the smartest idea. He knew what happened when he raised his voice. One of the first lessons he'd learned under Dream's guidance. And that was when he was a fairly normal height.
Standing only a few inches tall in front of someone with far worse intentions than his mentor's, he didn't stand a chance of making it out alive.
"Geez, alright. I was just offerin'," the villain muttered. "Figured this whole thing might be a little easier if you weren't six inches tall."
Sure, like Ranboo was going to believe that this guy had nothing but good intentions towards the hero's sidekick he had in his possession. Then again, he wasn't wrong about his height putting him at a stark disadvantage. At six inches tall, the Blood God could probably just pry the suit out of his hands. As a matter of fact, Ranboo couldn't wrap his head around why he had yet to try.
"Hey, are you-"
Vvv Vvv
Saved by the buzz. Whatever question the Blood God was about to ask was swiftly interrupted by the vibration against the counter. He grabbed his phone. He went tense when he saw the screen. Without a word, he rose to his feet and slid the window behind him open.
He double checked the laces on his boots and the sword sheathed on his hip. Ranboo flinched at the squawk from just beyond the house. Wings beat at the air, a crow dipping in straight through the open window to land on the counter.
"Lead the way," the Blood God instructed.
The black bird tilted its head, turning over its shoulder to stare straight at Ranboo. A chill crawled up his spine at the extra attention.
"Oh, right. You-uh-you stay here," the villain commanded with all the conviction of a man who'd never held a leadership position. "I gotta go help Phil but I'll be back real soon."
Ranboo could only nod in reply. The villain dawdled. He stared at Ranboo a while longer, the sidekick doing his best not to meet the supervillain's sweeping gaze.
"'kay. Let's go," he tried again. The bird let out an ear-shattering squawk before claiming its perch atop the Blood God's shoulder. He slid out the door, ensuring that he clicked the lock into place on his way out.
The hero-in-training swallowed thickly. The silence was even more deafening than before. This certainly wasn't on his bucket list. He was all alone in a supervillain's hideout.
His eyes darted about the vacant space, snagging on the window over the sink. Wait. He was all alone in a supervillain's hideout. The curtains waved in the breeze, beckoning him forward. He'd be a fool not to answer that call.
~
College is kicking my butt so upload schedule is insanely chaotic but thank you to everyone who waited for this next part! :)
70 notes · View notes
luna-lokisdottir · 7 months
Text
Meeting Wilbur - Music Giant AU
(This is so bad for my first writing. You might think it's good, but I don't)
-------
"Tallulah!" The young giant heard her papa called out
She gasped and then looked at the human before exclaiming, "Papa!" getting up to greet her father at the cave entrance, Tommy raised an eyebrow.
"Papa?" he parroted.
There were more of them? Oh gods.. if there were that, just made Tommy more nervous. A baby giant was bad enough, but a full-grown one? that was a whole other story.. what were they gonna do to him?
"Papa!" he heard her exclaim in an excited tone, He watched as the other giant gasped excitedly, "Tallulah! mi niña!" he replied with the same excitement his daughter gave him, embracing his daughter in a big hug as he ruffled her hair up, Tallulah giggled as she returned the hug, and then she seemed to have remembered that Tommy was there because she quickly followed up with:
"Papa! I have something to show you!"
The Giant raised his eyebrows curiously, "Oh?" he said Tommy felt the vibrations in the ground as he exited the hug.
"What is it, love?" Tommy watched as a little grin grew on the younger ones face, and then, without any real warning, he was picked up from off of the ground and cupped into her hands he jolted as she walked over to her father to show him.
Wilbur crouched down as his daughter brought the human to him, just to gain a better look. "Ta da!" she raised her hands up to the giant who looked in surprise when he saw the little human in his daughters hands.
Tommy, on the other hand, was naturally terrified, this giant was BIG at least several feet taller than his child and given the look on his face he didn't seem too happy about him being there, Tommy gave a nervous little wave to the giant who looked down at him and then back at his child questioning:
"You brought a human into our home?" in a light yet slightly suspicious tone, Tallulah's face fell as she lowered her hands and brought Tommy closer to herself.
"Well.. no- technically, he brought himself into our home."
"That's even worse!" The Giant exclaimed as he looked back down at the human before adding:
"Tallulah, I've told you how dangerous humans are. They're smarter than they look. They'd kill us if they had the chance." The young giant looked down as her father explained this to her, "I know.. but can I just keep him Papa? please! I'd keep an eye on him if he tries anything, and he really doesn't seem like he has anywhere else to go!" she said.
Wilbur raised an eyebrow at the question, "Keep him?" he laughed lightly, "Lulah he probably has a family to go back to, we shouldn't hold him back he probably has a life too, you know."
"Please, Papa?" Tommy had to stop himself from laughing as the young giant gave her father puppy dog eyes, Wilbur sighed.. how could he say no to that face?
Tommy just kind of vibes as the two giants talked it out while being kept by a giant didn't seem like a good idea, he kind of had no where else to go since Cellbit's guards were still after him.
So, maybe this could work? For the time being, at least stay with the two giants until they finally stopped looking for him; "I-" he cleared his throat, which got the other male's attention he looked down nervously those big brown eyes were intimidating to look at even if they meant no harm.
"I actually wouldn't mind staying here with her, if that's alright." He said. Honestly, he couldn't believe that those words came out of his mouth. Wilbur raised an eyebrow while Tallulah gasped in excitement.
"Are you sure?" the giant replied, "I don't want to take you from your family or friends or whoevers waiting for you back there."
Tommy shook his head.
Although a little suspicious, Wilbur sighed and eventually gave in; "Then I guess.. he can stay." Tallulah smiled widely as she exclaimed in excitement.
"Thank you, Papa!" she smiled as she hugged her father. He laughed as he patted her on the head, "I'll take good care of him, I promise." The girl smiled, Tommy looked up at her as she took him into her side of the cave and thought to himself, 'Oh gods.. what did I get myself into-'
61 notes · View notes
munchkin1156 · 9 months
Text
I have fallen (but have faith, for I shall rise once more)
. . .
Borrower Techno with rest of sbi as god's? More likely than you think :D
2.2k words for part one, definitely going to make a part two because I'm not about to LEAVE y'all on a cliffhanger like that.
(Cw: Blood, injuries, mention of death (non happens) swearing, angst, accidental fearplay and Techno passes out due to blood loss.)
Hope you enjoy my (technically) first addition to the mcyt g/t community from my user!
. . .
Technoblade wasn’t like other borrowers.
Other borrowers didn’t have voices in their heads, who screamed at him for blood, grew emotionally attached to the most random things, or know things that helped him evade capture multiple times.
Other borrowers didn’t have memories that never existed, searing into his brain at moments when he loses themselves, of friendships with beings of power, of him being a being of power, of falling from the clouds for a crime he did not do.
When his sword is stained red from those who wronged him, then in his head it rings. When the voices, or as he called them, Chat, started chanting. It never made sense, what they chanted.
Blood for the blood god
And it scared him, not knowing what it meant. But he couldn’t dwell on it now, just like he couldn’t dwell on it yesterday. He was a borrower, and that meant he needed to borrow.
Techno stepped outside of the comfort that was the shelter that he had been using for the past week. Being a wandering borrower, he didn’t have a home, exactly. He wandered from place to place, travelling lightly and swiftly, being able to escape at a moment's notice.
He had bases in some places, so he could restock and rest for a bit, but he was exploring a new area and that came with the consequence of not knowing where safety lay, so if a bean were to see him, he might not be able to get out of there fast enough.
But it wouldn’t come to that. Techno was an amazing borrower, and his motto was literally ‘Technoblade never dies’. He started walking through the long grass, humming to himself. He wouldn’t get caught, he was certain of it.
So why did he feel so uneasy?
. . .
“Hey- Hey! Stop it!” He whispered, whipping his sword out as an act of defence. The crow squawked defiantly but didn’t stop trying to pick him up with its beak.
Techno groaned. Crows were always nice to him, and they were one of the few things that gave him those memories other than blood. 
Memories of black wings surrounding him, feeling safety and warmth, and when he looked into those eyes-
Other things that did this were music, especially guitars or discs, the colour red, and that one statue. It had been in some rich fucker’s garden, and from what he had overheard the people in it were gods, whatever that was.
Their names, according to the beans he had been eavesdropping on, were Philza, Angel of Death, a golden blonde man with large black crow wings, a fatherly expression on his face as he stared at Soot, the god of music and chaos, a brunette who was laughing and ruffling the hair of Innit, god of discs and the wilderness.
And, standing a little bit away from the others, was a statue with its head gone. According to one of the beans, it was because they had been banished from the kingdom above, for a crime so terrible, and therefore been erased from history.
He also heard them say that it turned out to be an accident, that DreamXD, had framed him. But by that time it was discovered, it was too late, and he had been cast down, though it is said those three gods still search for him, in the hopes that they could bring him back.
They said his name was Blade, the god of war and blood. And that’s how he got his name. 
Technoblade.
And, another funny thing is, no matter how hard he sees those gods as Philza, Soot, and Innit, like the man described, some hidden part of his mind changes that to Phil, Wilbur, and Tommy. But that was beside the point.
The point was, that no matter how nice the crows were to him, they kept trying to take him somewhere.
Usually, they’d stop if he complained or shouted, or drew his sword (never intending to kill, just to scare them off) and they’d stop. But this one was even more persistent, and Techno realised now that he’d either have to fight it (something he would like to avoid if possible, he liked crows and they sometimes brought him gifts) or run.
He chose the latter, dashing to the side the moment the crow grabbed him. It squawked in outrage and Techno realised that it couldn’t chase after him on foot, with its legs like sticks. Birds were meant to fly, not walk.
‘Looks like I win this time, eh?’
He thinks, grinning to himself. The crow that he escaped from cawed loudly, and he only had a split second to wonder what that could mean before another crow SWOOPS down out of nowhere and yoinks (he’s not even sure what that word means but it seems about right for this situation) him up in its claws.
He had jinxed it. Techno didn’t believe in superstition, but he was certain that was what had happened.
The pinkette struggled in the crow's grasp, desperate to get free before it took him to… Well, wherever it was taking him. But it was no use. He wondered why it was so determined to bring him wherever it was going. Techno supposed he’d find out, soon enough.
Eventually, after a few minutes of flying, the borrower noticed something very, very strange. The crow was taking him up. And by that, he meant really, really high up. The world below was barely visible, as they went higher and higher, through the clouds.
And once they came out of the clouds, Techno couldn’t believe his eyes.
“The kingdom above… Fucking hell it’s real…”
He muttered to himself in awe. It was made out of pristine white shining material that might’ve been made out of the clouds themselves, with magical glowing lanterns floating in the air.
Techno’s first thought was that it belonged to the ruler of this kingdom, or at least some kind of person in power, I mean it was so fine and well-kept that it had to be, right? Wrong.
On closer inspection, he realised that the people walking down below were… Normal. This was a normal town here, and these were normal civilians.
The crow flew past it though, taking Techno with it. Its wingbeats never slowed, and it showed no sign of tiredness. This was no ordinary crow, he was sure of it.
And this was no ordinary place. Chat had stopped talking altogether, and his mind felt as if it was his own, at last. It was as if someone wanted him to be peaceful, but that was silly since he was literally getting kidnapped by a bird.
What a great day Techno was having, right?
Aaaaand now the crow was flying down, towards three people that looked awfully familiar, but he just couldn’t put his finger on it and then-
Oh fuck that’s Philza, Soot and Innit. He’d recognize them anywhere, after the incident with the statue. Oh, he’s fucked. He’s going to die, oh stars he needs to get out of this mess-
‘But aren’t the gods his family?’
He brushed that thought off with a shudder. Why on earth did he keep thinking stuff like that!? It didn’t make any sense, and you better believe that he was gonna get to the bottom of this.
Not today though. He was about to get caught by some of the most powerful beings in the entire universe, and he’d actually rather not. He valued his life, after all. So he did what any self-respecting borrower would do and fucking stab the bird.
Techno hadn’t particularly wanted to stab the crow. As he might’ve mentioned before, he liked crows. There just hadn’t been another choice. 
And it had worked.
The crow dropped him with a screech, alerting the three gods immediately. Their gazes fell on the bleeding crow who flew over to them with a lot of effort and landed on Philza’s outstretched arm. It healed almost instantly.
But the pinkette didn’t know any of this, because he happened to be falling when that situation had played out. And when Techno hit the ground, he felt his body scream out in pain and his head ring in agony.
The world around him felt loud and blurry. His head seemed to be sticky with what he could only assume was blood. He forced himself to stand, he needed to get out of here, needed to be safe-
Chat was back now,  just as incoherent and jumbled as his thoughts, and from what he managed to make out, delusional. They kept saying something about… Dadza? Who the hell was- Oh. Wait what!?
So Chat was no help. 
Techno winced. He couldn’t think, everything was just so loud and it hurt so damn much and he couldn’t understand and oh fuck did one of the Gods? beans just spot him and oh no they’re all walking towards him now.
The borrower’s eyes widen, and he couldn’t help but shrink back as the three gods towered over him, eyeing him over with such a strange expression of hope and longing that made Techno wonder if he actually was delusional.
The silence was broken when one of the gods, Innit, spoke up, voice breaking slightly and eyes glazed, as if holding back tears.
“Holy shit… Is it him? Like, really him?”
Philza responded, managing to sound calm and yet so desperate that it made Techno’s cold heart shatter, though he was not sure why.
“I don’t know Tommy (wait WHAT-), why don’t we ask him instead of talking over his head?” The angel of death suggested, and now they were all staring at him again, possibly even more intensely than before.
“So,” Philza said curiously. “Who are you, why did you stab my crow and why did it try to bring you here?”
There was no malice in his voice, it was just confusion and subtle amusement, but that just made Techno’s nerves worse. The only reason he could think of that would involve the god being amused about his half-dead state was-
Oh fuck, were they going to torture him?
“I’m Technoblade,” He said, after a few moments of hesitation. The pinkette ignored the sharp gasp of air from above, acting like he didn’t hear it, because he did not want to think of why the god might be shocked, and instead continued.
“I stabbed your crow because I was about to get seen (and look how that ended up) and I have no clue why it brought me here.” Techno knew it was not a smart idea to lie to a god, and he was anything but stupid. His injuries throbbed painfully, but the gods either didn’t notice or didn’t care.
Techno wasn’t about to guess which one…
After a very long while (in which Techno was trying his absolute hardest not to die on the spot) Soot spoke up. “So that’s a- a yes, then? It’s him?” He asked, voice cracking slightly. “Yes, Wilbur, (WHAT THE FUCK) It’s really him.”
The borrower didn’t have time to question what in the world he meant by that, because at that moment  Philza reached down, and Techno realised what was about to happen a second too late.
He scrambled backwards as the hand came towards him, absolutely terrified out of his wits, but the god paid no mind to that, plucking him off the ground by his waist easily. 
Techno struggled in his grasp but fell limp almost immediately. There was no way he was escaping from Philza, even though he wanted to, and besides, it just made his injuries worse. The tight grip the god had him in didn’t help either.
“What do you want from me!?”
He shouted, glaring at the gods, though it quickly fell as he remembered how easily they could crush him. Soot made a small noise (pity?) but he ignored it. “You- you really don’t remember us?” Asked Innit, with a look of despair on his face.
‘Remember you? I’ve never seen you before in my life!’ 
Not in this one you haven’t.
 Responded one of the voices, before it faded back into the clutter of noise. “Chat?” Philza asked, and Techno almost responded with ‘Yeah, it’s making no sense…’ when he remembered that he never told them about Chat.
Something clicked behind Soot’s eyes, and he spoke up. “So you really don’t know who we are… Right?” Techno nodded. Where exactly was (Wilbur) Soot going with this? “So that means…” “Means what? I’m not about to sit around all day waiting while you give me half-formed answers,” the borrower responded, with more challenge in his tone than was wise.
It’s not like you could stop them from doing that…
Said another one of those loud voices unhelpfully. ‘Thanks a lot…’ He thought to himself irritatedly and stared at Soot expectantly, which was harder than it seemed because his eyes kept unfocusing, and the corners of his vision were blurry and stained red. ‘Blood?’
“Listen, Technoblade, I don’t know what species you think you are, but…” He hesitated again, before continuing.
“You're a god, and our brother, at that.” Soot paused, and then started saying something more. “I’m so glad we finally found you, we’ve-”
But Techno didn’t get to hear what they’d done, the blood loss had finally caught up to him, and he passed out, darkness now surrounding him as he finally drifted into a dreamless sleep.
. . .
Aaaaaand that's it, folks! Great ending we got there, right? Hope you liked it :] Big thanks to Beckyu for helping me choose how to end it, and start next chapter.
That reminds me...
@i-am-beckyu and @brick-a-doodle-do, thank you for wanting to be tagged! If you want to be tagged, comment, ask or dm me and I'll add you! :D
Bye for now!!!
87 notes · View notes
i-am-beckyu · 4 months
Text
One Small Gift
HELLO! I TOLD YOU I'D POST ONE MORE FIC THIS YEAR! And I am very proud of myself for making it a Christmas centered fic! I can't believe it's actually been a year since I last posted a Christmas fic. Like where did the time go and how did this thing spawn?
I'm gonna ramble a bit more at the bottom of this fic about me and the community but lets not hold you up any longer so I give you: The Christmas Fic- One Small Gift :3
cw: fear, death mention (but no actual death), lying, panic and anxiety, fluff- Like, ALOT of Fluff, hidden identity and of course happy endings. You know, the usual angst/fluffy Beckyu fic :3 word count: 8351
Disclaimer! This story is based on the characters of the Dream SMP and not the real life content creators. Anything that occurs in this story is purely fiction and should be treated as such. Thank you.
.。❅*⋆⍋*∞*。*∞*⍋⋆*❅。.
Cold
Why did the walls always have to be so damn cold? 
Tommy’s mind couldn’t help but linger on the thought, as the Borrower shivered making his way through the maze that was the inside the house walls.
Human Beans invented heaters AGES ago for the insides of their houses to keep warm, so how was it that the inside of the walls were still always so flippen freezing? 
Would it kill them to think of the little guy freezing their butt off just once?
Well no, maybe not. But it certainly would Tommy. 
As much as the young blonde would love to cuss at the home owner for not giving him a proper source of heat, the Borrowers code quite literally FORBID them from ever telling a Human of their existence. Not to forget the fact that it would mean doom for a borrower if they ever did. All the horror stories of Borrowers being squished or experimented on from the elders to go off being proof enough.
Death by Human Beans?
HA! Absolutely NOT!
That’s exactly the reason why he is trying to get supplies for the Winter to warm himself up, before it gets even colder! 
Tommy grumbled to himself as he ducked and weaved past forgotten cobwebs about how it was such a pain to be in this position in the first place. He’d had a perfectly fine home in a tree nook in the forest that had always remained nice and cosy warm during the colder months. 
Even if that meant he’d been living on his own, Tommy had been happy living as an Outie borrower for as long as he could remember. Well at least he had, before some tall, pretentious brunette freak decided his home would be the perfect tree to cut down and drag all the way back to his stupid freezing cold house. 
But it gets better, because even though the main part of his home was actually still intact under the now stump, the Bean still took the top half of the tree- 
With Tommy still inside it! 
They flippen took HIS house and wrapped it in a net; effectively trapping the poor borrower and then strapped it to the top of their car and drove hours and hours to a Human Town with him hanging on for dear life.
And that’s not even the worst part because not only did the flippen Bean steal part of his house, but then they had the audacity to cover the tree's dying corpse in fancy decorations and shining lights. 
Like seriously WTF?!
A Bean kidnaps him from the only place he’s ever really known and covers his once thriving residence all merrily in ornaments, while he’s forced to flee his only real known place of safety with nothing but the clothes on his back, and the few supplies he did have stored in the upper levels of his now dying home. He hadn’t wanted to leave, but it was the only choice he really had. 
Stay in the tree and get caught, or try and survive in the Beans' walls until Winter passes.
He chose the latter of course- (It’s not like staying would have helped him anyways) 
Getting down from the top of the tree had been, well- less than a fun time for the Borrower. The big purple bruises across his back were a throbbing reminder from his impact on the floor at times, but he managed. 
Instead, Tommy had started to navigate his temporary ‘soon to be home’ in the walls getting an idea of the layout and where the best places were to borrow from. He just had to make it through the Winter and then he could go home. Trying to get back to his nook now would be impossible with all the snow cover on the ground, but he’d get back to the forest even if it killed him.
Which might be the case soon if he doesn’t get some new clothes and heat source quick.
That was the main issue with being kidnapped after all. You only have what’s on your back and well, Tommy hadn’t exactly been expecting to get yoinked away in his scrappy T-Shirt and shorts. He had proudly made them himself with the few scraps of fabric he’d managed to find from some Beans that had been passing through years ago on a camping trip, but the fabric was light, and not made to be worn in such cold conditions. 
He’d only meant to go up and check what the heck the loud thumping outside his tree was like any normal person. He was expecting a deer or maybe a bear using it as a scratching post, not a Bean cutting their house down and taking him along with it. You don’t exactly have time to think about putting on proper clothing when your everything is at stake.
So that was step one: Find some material and make some clothes- a jacket the top priority.
Tommy is very thankful that he had his borrowing bag on him, that he still has his self made needle and some old thread so he at least didn’t have to start from nothing. Finding the material hadn’t been too difficult to locate either. When he first scouted the place, he discovered pretty quickly that the Bean had a habit of leaving stuff all over the place, so borrowing supplies hadn’t been difficult to do without being noticed. It’s how he found the most perfect fluffy woollen red sock to make a coat and blanket from. He would already have it now though if the Bean hadn’t come back before he could swipe it.
The Borrower had tried to come back for it later, but the Bean had decided it was time to clean their room up because he had some guests coming for this thing called ‘Chris-mass’- whatever that was- and the sock was gone.
So instead he grabbed what he could and made his way back to the walls with just enough fabric to make a new pair of pants and some crackers for dinner.
But it still didn’t fix the whole freezing situation.
What Tommy really needed was a candle. 
To a Human Bean it may seem to be an insignificant source of light, but to a Borrower it could literally be the difference between a warm nights sleep and becoming a Borrower popsicle! But that was easier said then done because all the usual spots Beans would normally keep candles, were replaced with flippen electric ones!!!! 
What’s wrong with fire on candles!? Why would you want a fake candle that just flickers and produces less light than a real one?
That or something for a bed. At least that way he’d have a comfortable place to sleep and trap his own body heat.
He really wishes he could have taken those socks…
As if this Bean wasn’t bad enough, not only did they lack the materials Tommy so desperately needed, but they wouldn’t shut up talking into the black box (a fone he thinks it’s called from memory) to other Beans with how excited they were about them coming to stay for the Hole-lid-days and spend time huddled together by the fire or something dumb. 
“Come on Dad! Let me host. If you let me host, I’ve got the coolest surprise planned for you and Techno I swear!! Plus don’t you want to come and see me?” 
Lucky prick. Got a Dad and a brother…
Now don’t get him wrong, Tommy is a big man, if not the biggest man to ever exist and he doesn’t need anyone. But he also couldn’t help but long for someone to share the cold season with like the Beans did. It had been so long since he’d seen another Borrower like himself and though he’d never admit it, living alone did get a little bit lonely sometimes. It would be nice if just once he could share a night cuddled up close to a loved one, and just bask in each other’s company. 
But Tommy didn’t have time to be sentimental about things he’d likely never have.
He needed to find a way to stay warm and get warm now.
But the universe decidedly hated Tommy because, tonight was apparently December 24th-
Chrisymiss Eve.
Tommy had been here about a week or so and in his short stay still wasn’t 100% sure what this whole Khrislermas was, but it appeared to be a BIG deal to the Beans. 
Apparently, all the Beans get together whether it’s family or friends to spend time together and exchange gifts. It’s about being thankful for what you have or whatever and something about showing how much you love someone by giving and receiving presents. 
Tommy thought it was actually quite a nice thing the Beans did and wished that Borrowers had something similar themselves in their culture. However, there was one thing he still didn’t quite understand about this whole holiday thing.
Who the heck is Santa Claus?
He’d been taking some more crackers the Bean had left out from the kitchen while this ‘tv show’ played on the Bean's big Black box that was talking about this Santa guy. Apparently, he was some elusive, big fat man, dressed all in red with a big white bushy beard, who climbed down the Beans chimneys, and left gifts for all the little boys and girls of the world. He had this list too that knew if you’d been naughty or nice and would leave the good children gifts and the bad children coal in their stockings. 
Children could write letters to Santa or he’d visit and children could sit on his knee and ask him for a gift they would like and he would deliver the toys to children all over the world on Christmas eve when everyone was sleeping, only to have disappeared by daybreak.
Tommy hadn’t thought much of this Santa at first- not when it was just another Bean to avoid. That was until he learned two very important details.
1- Santa delivered presents to ALL children of the world. 
And 2- Santa wasn’t meant to be seen by Humans either.
So not only did this Santa guy literally just give out free gifts, but Tommy literally had a way to get exactly what he needed for the winter!
All he needed to do was talk to Santa and he’d be saved! 
Now you might be thinking: But Tommy, you said it yourself. Santa isn’t meant to be seen by anyone so what makes you the exception? 
Simple.
Borrowers aren’t meant to be seen by Beans and neither is Santa.
Which means just like Borrowers, Santa must not want to be caught (which if he thinks too hard about it makes sense since he literally breaks into houses but anyways) and unlike with Beans, there is no rule that says Borrowers can’t see Santa!
All he has to do is wait for Santa to visit Crystamas eve, and then he can ask for his gift! Santa probably even knows what he wants, being made of magic and all! He just never knew Santa existed so he’s never asked for his gift before! 
If he were a more greedy Borrower, he could ask for so much more to make up for all the years he never got a gift, but that would probably put him on Santa’s naughty list. And while coal would be good, Tommy doesn’t exactly want to burn the house down with him inside it. So this was his best shot to get exactly what he needed. 
The hard bit though, was waiting for Santa to arrive. That meant not only having to be out in the living room where the fireplace was, but also meant he had to wait for the Bean to fall asleep. Which really meant that it would be AGES before Santa would come because the Bean of the house was terrible at sleeping at night. 
The man literally had no sleep schedule and would stay up till terrible times in the morning before drifting off. Normally that wasn’t much of an issue for the Borrower having observed this early on, but right now it was very much a hindrance because it could be hours before they went to bed. 
It also seemed that they wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon, because the amount of energy and excitement the Bean had displayed the whole day about his family coming home was overwhelming. He’d come home at one stage with this big bag of stuff talking on the black box about how his super cool surprise was coming along and how it would be awesome since they let him host Chrimpmas- whatever that meant. 
Tommy had hoped with the excitement of the holiday they’d have been ready to pass out by now, but he couldn’t be more wrong with the amount of commotion he could hear from down the hall- and that’s through the walls. 
At least he could observe everything going on from his place on the bookshelf. It was right next to a small crack in the wall he could just squeeze through, but it gave him a good view of the living room but also enough cover from prying eyes unless he made his presence known. However, being out of the walls had one difference the blonde hadn’t accounted for.
Heat.
The fire had been lit and was keeping the whole room nice and toasty warm compared to the harsh bite the walls somehow managed to keep. The whole atmosphere made him almost want to curl up and fall asleep. It had been so long since he’d been able to just enjoy the warmth in the air and not be shivering to keep alive.
Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt if he had a nap before Santa arrived.
Just a quick one….
.。❅*⋆⍋*∞*。*∞*⍋⋆*❅。.
Tommy was awoken to a rather loud THUNK as the Borrower shot up from where he had fallen asleep atop the shelf. 
It took the blonde a moment to realise where he was and not panic about being out in the open before his eyes settled upon a figure. 
Sprawled out across the floor in a heap of red and white was the jolly big man himself.
Santa Claus.
The one and only.
“Santa!” Tommy yelled excitedly as he hurriedly manoeuvred to stand. “Santa you came!”
Santa’s head snapped up from the floor alarmed, as they pushed themselves to stand and take a defensive stance.
“Who said that?!” they shouted, looking around wildly panicked. “Show yourself!”
Tommy giggled to himself. Santa was so silly. 
“Up here Santa! I’ve been waiting for you.” The blonde waved as the man's head turned and their eyes fell onto his small form. 
Tommy grinned at the magical man taking him all in. 
Just like the figure on the big black box, Santa wore a big red coat with white fluff lining the ends of his sleeves. A big black belt was strapped around their waist, fastened with a fancy golden buckle and sturdy black boots on their feet to keep out the snow. Their head was adorned with an oversized big red hat, with a giant white fluffy pom pom on the end, and they had a long white beard that travelled down their chest. And last but not least was a pair of gold rimmed glasses perched on the tip of their rosy red nose which accentuated their big brown eyes that were staring at him in wonder. 
Huh. 
He could have sworn that Santa's eyes were blue.
“I can’t believe you came! I wasn’t sure if you would since I never sent a letter but you must have known anyway cause here you are!” The little borrower stated excitedly as Santa removed his glasses, and rubbed his eyes in disbelief. 
“I’m so glad you’re here! I really need my Crimpmess present.” 
“I’m sorry you’re what?” the man’s eyes furrowed in confusion as they processed what the younger had said.
“My present!.” Tommy rolled his eyes. “You know, the whole reason why you’re here.”
Santa didn’t exactly seem like he knew what was going on. Right now all he was doing was staring and Tommy was getting a bit annoyed. 
Was that not why Santa was here? To deliver his present like the show had said?
Tommy huffed annoyed he had to explain all this. Wasn’t this like his job? He should know!
“I’m sorry,” Santa began slowly as if trying to process. “I didn’t actually know you were here.”
“Why else would you have come then?” Tommy crossed his arms unimpressed. “I’m the only kid here, but don’t tell anyone else I said that. I’m a big man! The biggest ever!”
This finally seemed to warrant a different reaction from the older, as they looked the boy up and down unimpressed by this so-called ‘fact’.
“A big man huh? You look more like a child. What are you- 12?”
Tommy feigned a gasp, grasping his chest offendedly. “I’ll have you know I’m 14 and the biggest man alive! I’m only a child for the purpose of getting my gift tonight and tonight only!”
Santa couldn’t stifle a laugh as he watched as the small child stomped his foot in a mini tantrum at being called 12. It was endearing in a way but he still wasn’t sure how to proceed with a tiny child standing on their bookshelf.
“Well whatever you say I guess, but I still I didn’t know you were here.”
The blonde shrugged before moving closer to the shelfs edge. “Ah well it doesn’t matter. You’re here now so I’d like my gift please! You have it right?” 
“If I didn’t know you were here, then how would I have your present with me?” Santa asked.
Well he did make a good point. It’s not like he sent Santa a letter and he hadn't met him to tell him like other human bean children had until now. 
“Oh right. Guess I better come sit on your knee and tell you what I’d like than.” Tommy stated matter of factly, as the small Borrower moved to the edge of the shelf and stabbed his hook into the wood, quickly jumping off to descend on his rope to the ground.
“Wait, DON’T DO THAT!” 
The blonde yelped in surprise, moving instinctually to protect his ears at the sheer volume the man shouted, in turn losing his grip on his rope, quickly plummeting down to the ground below. Santa lunged forward with an outstretched hand as the boy slipped down the rope at a rapid speed, catching him before any real harm could be done. He semi slammed into the wall, clutching his hand to his chest as they did so before quickly unfurling their hand.
“Oh my prime! Kid- kid are you alright?” Santa said frantically checking over the boy he now held in his palm. 
Tommy shook his head, dizzy from the sudden force that had rammed into him only moments ago. He tried to steady himself grabbing, onto the nearest thing his hand could find as he begun to regain his bearings.
Oh he was going to ache tomorrow…
“As soon as the world stops spinning, yeah.”
Santa sighed in relief as Tommy allowed himself to regain focus. It was then that he really took note of where he was. 
Normally, if a Borrower was sitting in the hand of someone almost 100x his size, he would be kicking and screeching to get away. But this was Santa Claus’s hand and Tommy felt only wonder. 
It was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. The thing he had grabbed onto was apparently Santa’s thumb and it was almost as big as his head! Even if it was a bit weird sitting on the leathery texture of their skin, the warmth radiating beneath him was heavenly, and the way the man’s fingers curled slightly over him protectively felt nothing but comforting. 
Santa hadn’t moved since he caught Tommy mid air, and was staring at Tommy as if they would disappear. They seemed stuck on what to do next, but also amazed he was sitting there at all.
“You alright there big man?” Tommy raised a brow confused at why the man would act this way. Santa was literally made of magic and had flying reindeer for goodness sake! A borrower existing surely was no cause for such amazement? There were surely way more interesting magical things to see than a lowly Borrower like him. 
(But then again, he was a pretty poggers Borrower if he did so say that himself, so staring could be justified for that reason)
This finally snapped the old man out of their wondrous stupor, as they squinted their eyes open and shut with a quick shake of their head. 
“Uh yep. All good um. Let's- go sit down. Yeah- yeah, let's do that.” Santa said, confirming more to themself than Tommy.
Santa brought the boy protectively to their chest to brace them before they moved away from the book shelf, smoothly walking over to the couch where the old man sat down ever so slowly to not jostle their small passenger. The second they were bending down to sit though, Tommy was launching himself off Santa’s palm for his knee as the bearded man frantically tried to stop them in their escapade.
“Kid, would you stop doing that? You’re going to hurt yourself!”
“Pfft please. This is nothing compared to how I got down from that tree over there.” The boy grinned as they pointed to the far corner of the living room.
The man's head followed to where the boy was pointing, the Christmas tree displayed proudly in a large pot tied with a red bow, small lights flickering on and off in changing patterns.
“Tree? You mean the Christmas tree?”
“Yep!” Tommy stood proudly popping the p. “I had to get down somehow and my hook would have gotten stuck in amongst the branches if I had tried to abseil down. So I did what any logical Borrower would do and jumped.”
“You jumped?!” Santa’s eyes widened, as he looked back and forth between the boy and the top of the brightly decorated tree. He grimaced, imagining the boy throwing themselves from the upper branches like they had done only moments before onto his knee. 
What was with this kid and being so reckless?!
“You jumped from the top of the Christmas tree!? Why were you even there in the first place?”
Tommy rolled his eyes, crossing their arms in front of their chest. 
“It’s all that stupid Beans fault.”He huffed annoyed. “He just came waltzing into MY forest, decided to be very rude and put their grubby hands all over MY house wrapping it up in some ugly net, only to cut it down with me still in it!”
Tommy didn’t notice the way Santa’s brows furrowed and their expression changed to one of horror as he continued to ramble on.
“They literally kidnapped me, Santa! They’re so lucky that the main part of my house is under the tree’s trunk and not the higher branches because I swear I would have murdered that Bean in their sleep by now if they had!”
Tommy was very pleased to have finally gotten to vent some of his frustrations to someone other than his internal self, but now he was finished he had a good chance to register the other’s reaction.
Santa looked horrified.
His eyes seemed glossed over as if he was holding back tears, and one hand slapped over their mouth, the other gripping their wrist tightly in an attempt to ground themselves. 
Uh shit. He hadn’t meant for that to happen…
“Uh but don’t worry Santa!” Tommy was quick to add. “ I wouldn’t actually do that. That would be a bad thing to do and put me on the Naughty list! I promise I won’t actually murder anyone!” 
Phew, that was a close one. He couldn’t jeopardise his only hope with a silly joke!
Santas’ face had yet to change and Tommy subconsciously started to fidget feeling nervous to how the older was reacting. Maybe he had blown it and now he was on the naughty list. Another glance at the old man's face seemed to confirm those fears.
He’d blown it.
His one shot at survival and he practically threw it all away with a vent. No wonder he ended up all alone.
“Please don’t put me on the Naughty list Santa. I need my gift.” Tommy spoke timidly. “I didn’t mean it.”
“I- no. No you’re not on the Naughty list.” Santa dragged his hands over his eyes a few times strained. “I'm just trying to process. It’s more of the whole kidnapping thing. ” 
If Tommy had been paying better attention, he may have noticed the few stray brown curls poking out from under the man's hat, but he was more thrown by their following question as the magical man continued on.
“If you were in the tree, why didn’t you say anything?”
Tommy drew a deep breath, before sighing as the boy shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Because Santa, Beans aren’t supposed to know that Borrowers like me even exist.”
“Beans?”
“Human Beans Santa. You know, big people like you, but not magical and stuff.” The Borrower explained. “There’s no way I could tell the dumb Bean he was cutting my house down! Do you know what Beans do to Borrowers like me?” 
“Um no?” Santa fiddled with his hands as he looked away, eyes downcast to avoid the youngers gaze as they continued.
“They get rid of us. To them we’re just pests or things to be used.”
Tommy hugged himself tightly, anxiety pooling in his chest for the first time that night. He wished it wasn’t true, but Beans just held far too much power for their own good. Their greed often outweighing their need to do good without reward. 
“I’d rather risk jumping out of a tree than ever fall into the clutches of a Bean.” 
“But how do you know that?” Santa suddenly said, muscles tensing as they clenched their hand into fists. 
Tommy flinched at the sight of hands so close. Closed so tightly that he couldn’t help let slip the thought of himself in the mercy of their grasp, begging to be freed like all the stories had said of the Borrowers trapped in agonising pain. The man noticed his discomfort, and immediately loosened their fists, moving their hands away and under their thighs so as to not startle the boy any further than they already had.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Santa said with a sense of guilt.  “But I just- How do you know that though? Who says that they would have hurt you if you had just made your presence known? You wouldn’t have had to jump or gotten hurt.”
Santa turned away sheepishly, whispering sadly. “They could have helped you.” 
Tommy swallowed hard, his shoulders sagging as he observed the sad look Santa had as they stared at the Christmas tree. It was obvious they were blaming themself for what had happened. He was far too kind for that.
“Santa, it’s not your fault.” the boy sighed, “Every borrower is taught this from birth. It’s a known fact that Beans are all cruel, power hungry beings. They always want more and just take, take, take.”  
“But what if this ‘Bean’ didn’t know.” Santa shot back, causing the Borrower to falter. “What if you had said something? They would have stopped and left you and your house alone? How do you know they wouldn’t have helped you?”
“Because Santa,” Tommy turned and faced the man head on. “That’s just how Beans are. To them, we're just another thing to take and control.” 
Tommy wanted to believe Santa, he really did, but it was hard to just ignore years of being brought up to beware Human Beans and their cruelty. He’d seen it even from when Beans had once come into the forest with their fire sticks, and took down a friendly deer. It was unnecessarily cruel and was all the convincing Tommy needed to deem all Humans bad.
Santa nodded sadly in some kind of understanding, but Tommy couldn’t understand why Santa looked so hurt. It wasn’t his fault the Bean took him and his home, but he seemed so convinced that hiding and not asking for help had been the wrong thing to do. 
He thought they were the same, that if Beans caught him on Christmas Eve, then something bad would happen to him like it would for Borrowers. That’s why they had to stay a secret. Why no one could know they were here. 
But Santa wasn’t a Borrower who lived in hiding unknown. The Beans knew about the jolly, present giving man that only appeared in December. 
He could live among the Beans and it would be fine if he asked for help. Everyone liked Santa. He didn’t take things just to survive. He gave toys and gifts so he would have no worries about the repercussions of taking a paperclip just to get around. He wouldn’t have to worry about Beans hurting him if something went wrong. He would just use his magic and be fine.
It was Santa’s choice to stay hidden as an extra precaution to protect that same magic. 
“But you’re different from the Beans Santa.” The boy perked up instantly remembering why he was doing this in the first place. “You only come out of hiding at Christmas and everyone knows who you are! You only hide to keep your magic safe from Beans so they can’t have that too!” 
The man gave a small smile as the boy continued to ramble, pacing back and forth on his thigh as he did so.
“But I don’t understand why you give children presents when they already have so much!” Tommy stopped, his lips pursed together as his voice dropped to a whisper.
“Unlike me.” He confessed quietly, lifting his head to meet Santa’s sympathetic gaze. 
Santa was staring at the young boy again, leaned forward in concern listening as the blonde  continued to share his story.
“It's why I need my gift Santa.” Tommy wringed his hands together with a nervous glance to see Santa’s reaction who nodded in approval, gesturing for him to continue. 
Tommy steadied himself.
Now or never.
“I was brought here with basically nothing. Forced to move into the Beans walls or risk being seen. I’ve barely been able to get anything for basic survival and the walls are freezing!” 
Tommy shivered remembering the way the air had nipped at his nose as he struggled to keep warm. Clutching himself tightly in a poor attempt to retain any kind of body heat. The one time he went up stairs without his coat and of course he gets kidnapped.
He needed this. 
More than anything.
.。❅*⋆⍋*∞*。*∞*⍋⋆*❅。.
Wilbur had just wanted to have the perfect Christmas.
It was his first time hosting and had decided he HAD to go all out.
More decorations than his little house needed both inside and out, homemade hot chocolate from scratch and had promised his Father and brother a very special Christmas surprise if they let him host.
Their first ever living Christmas tree and a surprise visit from the Big man himself- Santa Claus.
He’d done a bunch or research into the best spots to go where he could get a tree and quickly had been recommended from several sites about the fir trees in Logstedshire, and quickly made the trip out to find a tree.
What the websites failed to mention, was that said fir trees might be inhabited and the home of tiny people that are terrified of Human Beings. 
So if you asked: No, Wilbur was not having a good night realising he had kidnapped a child that was deathly afraid of him and only okay right now because he thought he was the real Santa Claus. 
In a way, it was a good thing the kid hadn’t realised yet, because if Wilbur had never dressed up in this silly costume, he probably would have never known about the child freezing to death in his walls.
The child was so cold despite their lively spirit when he’d caught them after they launched themself off the top of the shelf. The fact it wasn’t the first time they’d thrown themself from such a height made Wilbur sick knowing had they not been lucky, could very well not have made the long fall. But the fact the kid had been struggling, terrified and afraid in his walls when he could have helped had the guilt eating him away as the boy rambled on.
They were so sure of themselves with the cruelty of humanity too that they had him so on edge. If the blonde knew he was really the guy that had cut his tree down, he very much doubted they would be this enthusiastic. He was talking about how much he needed his gift- the gift he still had no clue what it was, but just hearing the little blondes tale, and seeing how thin his clothes were had Wilbur making a very long list of things he needed to get to help the kid out. 
A kid which he still doesn’t know the name of.
The boy's eyes had brightened, as he bounded up and down on the balls of his feet eagerly, talking about what this gift would mean for him. He was actually quite endearing despite their seemingly dire situation.
“If I tell you my gift, then you can give it to me now and I’ll actually have a chance to survive the Winter!” He explained excitedly, grining.
Wilbur pushed down his anxiousness for the boys well-being. They had already suffered enough from his mistakes. He didn’t want them to suffer any longer than they had by them accidentally discovering the truth.
“What’s your name kid?” Wilbur mentally slapped himself  that he hadn’t asked sooner.
The tiny boy chuckled to himself as they crossed their arms. “Oh come on Santa, you know my name don’t you? You have a list with every child's name on it.”
Ah- right. Santa did have that Naughty and Nice list didn’t he? Curse Santa for having to live up to magical standards.
“Uh- I came here in such a rush, I um- ah must have left my list back at the North Pole.”
“So?” The boy argued, raising a brow. “You’re magic. Don’t you just know?”
Did he say endearing earlier? How about difficult for making him use his brain at 9pm at night. (Shut up. Don’t judge him for it)
“Well you know there’s like 2 Billion kids in this world and I see them all in one night. You don’t expect me to remember every name without my list do you?”
The kid hadn’t seemed to account for this, and thought it over before shrugging in agreement. 
Oh thank goodness for kids being young and naive. 
“I guess that’s fair. But you’ve got a s*** memory in that case Big Man. Getting old.” 
Actually, make that an annoying gremlin.
“I think if someone wants their present, they should be more careful about insulting their elders.” Wilbur teased with a chuckle. The boy rolled his eyes with a groan. 
Okay, an endearing gremlin then.
“Fiiiiiiiiine.” they drawled letting their arms drop to their sides before extending their hand up in greeting. “The name’s Tommy.”
Wilbur carefully lifted his arm up and slowly extended his pinky finger out for the boy to take in an oversized handshake. 
“Nice to meet you Tommy.” His finger dwarfed the boy entirely, his pinky finger only slightly shorter than the boy's total height, but nevertheless, Tommy took the tip and shook it lightly.
“Now, why don’t you sit down and tell me what it is you’d like for Christmas?”
Wilbur couldn’t help but smile at the little boy excitedly sharing in exact detail what he wanted. What the Borrower wanted wasn’t even that difficult to get, and he knew exactly where to find it. Tommy continued to ramble on for a bit longer about what he had been doing since coming here and Wilbur made mental notes of the few places where Tommy talked about entrances in out of the walls for future reference.
He was going to have to look out for Tommy from now on and if he wanted a shred of hope in getting him to trust him as Wilbur, he was going to need a plan.
“So could I have my gift now? I would really love it now and you still have a lot of other houses to visit tonight right?” Tommy asked innocently.
Wilbur really didn’t want to stop talking to Tommy. Tommy trusted the magical Santa Claus; not regular Human Being Wilbur Soot. He knew that if he let Tommy go now, it was unlikely he would see the kid again, but if he didn’t leave as Santa now, they would most likely get suspicious, realising he was a fake and panic. 
Wilbur sighed as he brushed a stray hair of fake beard from under his cheek.
“I- yeah I guess so. Best get you to bed then too.” 
“Awwww but I’m not sleepy yet!” The blonde pouted. “This is normally when I’m awake so it would be a crime to make me sleep now.”
“Well good little girls and boys go to bed when they’re told if they want to stay on the nice list.”
“You’re not the boss of me!” Tommy stuck his tongue out in defiance and Wilbur had to bite his to stop himself from bursting out loud laughing. 
This kid was going to be the death of him he swears.
Wilbur extended his hand to the Borrower, keeping it steady as he waited for Tommy to climb on. He’s still a little huffy at first realising there was no room for argument, but climbs on anyway, sitting down in the middle of Wilbur’s palm bracing themself before he moves.
The brunette curls his fingers over the boy slightly, bringing his hand to his chest protectively. He tries not to linger too long at how it felt to hold an entire person in one hand for the second time tonight before moving to stand. 
Steadily, Wilbur makes his way over to the book shelf and cautiously raises his hand up for Tommy to climb off of. He sets his hand down on the wooden surface and Tommy takes no time in hoping off to stand, waiting expectantly for his promised present.  
“Okay I need you to close your eyes just for a second.” Wilbur asks the boy who quickly covers his eyes with his hands, only to peak out from behind his fingers seconds later.
“I mean it Tommy. Keep them closed.”
“Ugggghhhhh Fineee!” the boy said huffing, but relented nevertheless. 
Wilbur quickly whirled around and crouched down beneath the Christmas tree, snagging a gift from the floor and hastily tearing the gift tag labelled- Technoblade; from the gift before setting it next to the small borrower child. 
“Okay, you can open your eyes now.” 
Tommy removed his hands and squealed in delight, quickly reaching down to hug the gift. 
“Oh thank you Santa! You really are the most poggers man ever!!!” Tommy spoke rapidly, smiling so much his cheeks hurt. “Well after me of course, but only by a little bit!” 
Wilbur chuckled as he gazed affectionately at the blonde hunched over the brightly wrapped gift. “You’re welcome Tommy. I’m glad you like it.”
The boy quickly stood, and started hauling the gift to the crack in the wall, as they tried to shove the gift through. Unfortunately while the crack had been enough for Tommy to squeeze through, it wasn’t quite wide enough to let the present go in without getting a tad scrunched up and paper torn. 
“Um, Tommy? Is there perhaps a bigger entrance I could take this too?” Wilbur suggested, cringing slightly as the boy gave another hard shove on the gift, intent on getting it through no matter what.
“It’ll fit. Just gotta keep pushing it in.” 
After a few more attempts, the boy did in fact give up and relented their efforts allowing Wilbur to pull the now crumpled present back out from the crack, instructing him to take it to the kitchen and place it behind the toaster, assuring him he would get it before the Bean woke up explaining how the electrical socket actually came off as a secret entrance.
He offered to take Tommy over to it too, but the stubborn boy refused, insisting that he had done enough and needed to hurry up and deliver presents to the other children before the night was over.
Taking one more long look at the boy, Wilbur watched as Tommy disappeared through the crack into the walls, the sound of tiny footsteps pitter pattering away before Wilbur himself quietly crept back to his room before he removed the Santa costume and flopped down onto his bed. 
He’d just met a tiny child.
A tiny child trying to survive in his walls.
That was deathly afraid of him.
Quickly Wilbur shot up from his bed snatching his phone from the night stand; a plan forming in his mind. The screen read 9:31 pm before he hastily unlocked it and dove into his contacts, quickly stopping on a profile of a girl with light pink hair, dialling their number shortly after.
The phone rang twice before a woman answered on the other end.
“Hello?”
“Niki? Hey! How’s the holidays going?” Wilbur asked as he grabbed his coat and gloves from the wardrobe.
“So I need a favour…”
.。❅*⋆⍋*∞*。*∞*⍋⋆*❅。.
Tommy awoke warm for the first time that week.
He opened his eyes blearily, almost willing himself to fall back into dream land before his eyes snapped fully open. Tommy rubbed his eyes a few times, eyes going wide trying to comprehend that this was real and not just a dream as the thoughts of the previous night played through his head.
He was in his Christmas present: A brand new pair of bright red, fluffy woollen socks- the most perfect bed ever and exactly what Tommy had asked for. He had basically run to get his gift as fast as possible, before hauling it back through the walls to a space close by the bookshelf; the space seemingly much more homely after last night's introductions. 
He hugged the woollen fabric tightly, smiling as he remembered the soft smile Santa had as he watched him go and how kind and gentle he had been with him the entire time.
The Borrower was so pleased and grateful that he had been able to meet the Santa Claus, and would cherish the magical night forever.
He stayed snuggled in his new bed for a little while longer before his stomach grumbled in protest that he should go and have something to eat. Albeit a little grumbly, his hunger eventually won out and Tommy made his way through the walls back to the kitchen so he could gather some food before the Bean woke up.
Stealthily, he removed the electrical socket, expecting to make it a quick supply run; stepping out into the open before freezing in surprise.
Laid out in a neat pile behind the toaster was a small stack of brightly wrapped gifts all wrapped in different coloured and patterned paper, and right in the middle, an envelope with his name written in gold cursive. Tommy smiled brightly, as he eagerly ran forward to the awaiting stack of gifts, quickly grabbing a gift reading the label. 
To: Tommy From: Santa
Tommy denies that he cried that day. 
That he took each gift home and opened each one oh so delicately, afraid if he didn’t they might just disappear, happy tears trailing down his cheek as he opened a gift revealing a beautiful, blue knitted sweater- and in just his size. 
His tears didn’t cease as he opened the other gifts revealing several new pairs of warm winter clothes, new rope and hooks for climbing, some tea candles with a tiny piece of flint and steel to light them, and the tiniest iced cookies he had ever seen. He could actually hold this in one hand like humans did and he had a whole bag of them!!! His prayers had been answered and he couldn’t be more thankful.
Soon, the only thing that remained was the envelope.
He dried his face as best he could, doing his best to not smear any tears or snot onto the pristine surface as he opened the envelope, revealing a card with a picture of glitter candy canes decorating the front. 
Settled back into his new bed, Tommy opened the card and read the message inside.
Dear Tommy, It was lovely meeting you and getting to know your story. I figured you might  like some extra gifts as well to help you be more comfortable in Wilbur’s walls. I think you should try talking to him.  You might be surprised. Sincerely, Santa Claus
P.S- He’s not as scary as you think.
Tommy’s smile became puzzled as he reread the last few lines.
Who the heck was Wilbur?
Was that the name of the Bean that lived here?
Oh come on, that's not fair! How come Santa knew Wilbur’s name but not his!
He grumbled a little bit at the thought, but his mind kept drawing back to the last line of the card.
‘He’s not as scary as you think.’
“Hmpf, you keep saying that.” Tommy grumbled. 
What was with Santa’s insistence on this?
As much as he wanted to be annoyed at Santa for putting forward such a ridiculous idea, Tommy decided to drag himself out of bed and to the book shelf crack. The Bean had gotten up not long after Tommy had made it back to his new home, but he’d been a tad too distracted to really care about how slow and heavy they had been trudging about this morning unlike their usually poised self.
Currently, said Bean was sitting on the couch, the exact same spot he and Santa had been last night, absentmindedly staring at his hand.
How could Santa think this guy was any good? They had kidnapped him unknowingly, almost let him die from hypothermia unknowingly, destroyed the top of his home unknowingly and Santa still thinks they won’t hurt him?
Okay so maybe it wasn’t their fault all those things happened just because they didn’t know he was there, but that doesn’t mean they’re not still very capable of hurting him for having to do all those things. But then again, Santa knew who was naughty or nice. And he wouldn’t ask him to do something that would endanger his safety if this ‘Wilbur’ guy wasn’t a good person right?
Tommy observed the Bean a little longer, as they ran their thumb over their palm. Their normally neat curly hair was all over the place and he could have sworn there were black bags under their eyes from lack of sleep. They suddenly turned their head and were staring straight at his crack by the book shelf. The Borrower was certain they couldn’t see him from the couch, but ducked back just slightly in case.
The Bean simply sighed as a small smile graced their features. Tommy was right about the black bags. Bean did not look like they had slept at all. 
He thought back to what Santa had said. 
I think you should try talking to him.
They certainly didn’t seem dangerous. Maybe they really weren’t bad like the Jolly man said?
But was it really worth taking the risk and talking to this guy?
Before he could dwell on it for much longer, the door bell sounded and Wilbur snapped his head to the sound before standing and stretching; their limbs popping and cracking slightly from their limited use. Before he left the living room, the man stopped and stared at his crack once more. Tommy didn’t dare breathe as they simply smiled and shook their head, before exiting and headed towards the front door.
Tommy allowed himself to exhale as the sound of footsteps got further away.
“Weirdo.” Tommy muttered to himself as he pushed himself back from the crack and began to head back to his bed for a well deserved rest.
He’d think about what Santa said, and just maybe he’d talk to this- Wilbur. If not, he hoped he'd meet Santa again so he could thank them in person.
Once he was back in his bed, Tommy quickly slipped in snuggling down, allowing himself to drift off to the chatter of beings much larger than himself from beyond the walls.
“Wil! So good to see you! It’s been ages!”
“Hi Dad, thanks for letting me host. I’m so glad you and Techno could make it!
“So are we, but you look like shit mate. Up late again? Wouldn't be related to that surprise you were telling us about?”
“You could say that…” 
.。❅*⋆⍋*∞*。*∞*⍋⋆*❅。.
Tommy never did meet Santa Claus again.
The card proudly on display in his new home, a secret hope he would one day and a constant reminder of what Santa had asked him to try.
And maybe one day, Tommy would finally take up the old man's advice and go and speak to Wilbur, and discover perhaps they may have been right.
Maybe then he’d finally have a friend to keep him warm during the holiday seasons and to rely on like he had wished. 
One that seemed to always know just what he needed despite never telling them, and was very insistent about never wearing Santa costumes.
No matter how many times a little boy begged….
 ˗ ˏ ˋ ★ˎˊ ˗   ༺𝓜𝓮𝓻𝓻𝔂༻༺𝓒𝓱𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓶𝓪𝓼༻  ˗ ˏ ˋ ★ˎˊ ˗  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That was a lot of words....
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING TO THE END! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it and it means a lot you read all the way through <3
Tag List: @local-squishmallow @brick-a-doodle-do @justarandomsloth @veryfunkycheesecake @munchkin1156 @kayla-crazy-stuffs @da3dm @eiscreme135 @orchid-harmony @the-tiny-lurker @colossal-red @nobodywritingao3 @nata2343 @bad-author777 @crazyfoxgirl10
And cue rant: Honestly you guys have no idea just how much you all mean to me an in this community and the impact you've had on me in the last year alone. I could not be more thankful for being apart of this and getting to know you guys. Getting so back into writing has been really good for me and rekindled something I love so I can't thank you enough.
And even though I know I've been a little quieter online, I'm still here lurking about and working on projects. A lot has happened in the last few months alone and I'm quite happy that I'm limiting myself to be a bit more healthier with my online habits.
Anyways thanks so much if you read this far!
Thanks to my Beta readers @a-xyz-s squishy and munchkin for reading this for me, and I wish you all a very safe and wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!
-Beckyu ❤️
84 notes · View notes
guppybubbles · 3 months
Text
Sweet Dreams are Made of This. [1/3]
(A/N: Kind of a sequel to my other fic, ROLL ME A 6 ! :> You don't need to read that though to understand this!)
Borrower Tommy accidentally shifts into a universe where his homebrew DND world is real. He still sucks at being a giant.
WORD COUNT: 1,341 words
WARNINGS: None.
"Tommy opened his eyes and what he saw was unlike anything he's seen before…"
Tommy listened in anticipation. What could it be? A new friend, a new foe? He looked at his dad, a smug little smile barely hidden by his serious storytelling.
 
"And we'll find that out in the next session."
Halfway through his sentence, he and his brothers already knew it was the end of their game for the day. All groaning and complaining about Phil leaving it in such a dumb cliffhanger, Phil only laughed. 
It couldn't have been hours already, had it? They barely started! He still had to redeem himself and his character into great glory! "No, come on, let's do one more hour— please, please?" He begged, holding onto one of Phil's fingers like he had all the power to hold him down and force him into another round. 
With his other hand, Phil picked up the die and tossed it into the container— folding up the map before putting it back in the box. Tommy knew it was over, they'd start another session again sooner or later. 
But he wanted to do another hour, or maybe two more, now. "Pleasee, I rolled so low every turn, I need to redeem myself!" 
"I wish we could continue, mate." Phil smiled, "But I got work tomorrow and it's already…" He stared at the clock, making a surprised sound at the 11:48 PM on the wall. Phil cursed under his breath, gently, slowly pulling his hand away from Tommy’s hold. "Alright, get to bed you three." 
The blond borrower knew there was no convincing Dad anymore. He crossed his arms with a humph, upset with his bad luck during the game. "Cheer up, Toms! I'm sure luck will make you do justice next time." Wilbur consoled, pushing his chair into the table and picking up the box with their fantasy map and die. 
“You are horrible at throwing the die for me,” Tommy grumbled, narrowing his eyes at his older brother who had offered to throw the dice for him earlier. Wilbur’s luck when it came to the game was pretty good, yet whenever he tossed the die for Tommy, the luck seemed to plummet- doing worse than when the borrower himself threw the die. 
In the corner of his eyes, he could see Wilbur’s lips press into a thin line. He was stopping himself from being amused at Tommy’s anger. “It really wasn’t on purpose.” 
“Yeah, I know,” Tommy replied. Not upset at Wilbur, nor was he upset at the game. He swears he would be able to throw the dice better if he was just… more human-sized. 
“You’ll do better next game, I’ll make sure of it,” Wilbur promises.
Tommy looks at him incredulously, slightly laughing. “What, are we gonna cheat or something?”
In response, Wilbur shrugged, a playful smile tugging at his lips. “Dunno, maybe.”
Holding the game board, he placed his other hand on the desk. A trust exercise that slowly grew into a habit none of them thought was strange anymore, Tommy hopped on the hand and held onto the fingers for support. He used to have to walk from place to place, no matter how far it was because the big man was too stubborn to accept and ask for help. In response, they all worked together to install little stairs everywhere so Tommy would at least be able to reach things without having to heave himself up with a rope and a hook. He almost cried in front of them because of how much he appreciated the gesture. 
That night, Tommy lay in his bed, uncharacteristically quiet as he stared at the ceiling. His room looked so much like a human's room- constructed by his family after nearly a year of accidentally revealing himself to them. It wasn’t exactly like him to be upset for the dice throws during the game, it really wasn’t Wilbur’s fault. On a good day, he throws exceptionally well for Tommy’s character too. 
But Tommy isn’t upset about the dice, is he?
It was never the dice, never Wilbur, never his family, but him. 
If he was truly meant to be their family, then couldn’t the universe make him human? Did he seriously have to be something that was never allowed to mingle with larger beings? It was a written code since the beginning of time that borrowers were never allowed to be with humans. Never share anything, what you are, what your name was. Most importantly, never be seen. 
Were they never supposed to be a family then? Did he have to break the borrower’s code just to be a part of something he’s not supposed to? He’s not a borrower anymore, he knows that. He barely even follows the code anymore, but he’s not human either. Too exposed to be a borrower, too small to be a human.
Then what was he?
Tommy released a loud, exasperated sigh. His calloused hands rubbed over his face. He knows he shouldn’t think about such things, but lately, he’s been more aware than ever. He notices how Techno looms over him when they do woodwork together, Wilbur’s singing voice goes from soothing to too loud, and Phil barely gives him any chores (Maybe he shouldn’t complain about that one, actually).
They don’t mean it, of course, they didn’t. They probably don’t even notice it as well. Something so small and insignificant to them could be so overwhelming for him. He just wants to be bigger, to fit in… 
He should go to sleep. He'll forget about it tomorrow and everything will continue on like it usually does (until the nagging feeling returns and he feels like he's rotting in bed).
Goodnight, me. Tommy closed his eyes, unable to rid of the heavy weight in his chest. 
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
If Tommy could recall this correctly— and while he may not have the best memory, he can certainly tell when something is just plain wrong… He fell asleep on his bed, right?
His eyes blurred as he gained consciousness and though he wasn't aware of where he was— he could sense danger even from a mile away. His shoulders ached, raised high above him. Something was holding his arms upwards. Cold, tight metal gripping his wrists, uncomfortably pressing into his skin. He tried tugging it downwards, but it barely moved. 
Instead of lying on a soft, warm bed, it felt like he'd been kneeling for Prime knows how long. His legs felt numb, ringing uncomfortably no matter how much he tried to move. It didn't matter because he was stuck in place. 
It was hot. Sweat was dripping from his forehead to his nose and down to either his clothes or the floor (he made a mental note that he wasn’t wearing his pajamas). 
He sucked in a deep breath, humid air filling his lungs in a way that didn't calm him down, but just made him panic more. 
Tommy's vision began clearing up and despite the little ache in his neck, he decided to look around. The room was dimly lit, weak artificial lighting barely reflecting the big, metal room he resided in. 
There were mini stairs and platforms built around him. The platforms in front of him connected through the middle and had a door on each side of the wall. Above the platform in the wall in front of him was glass, he couldn't make out anything inside, it was darker than the room he was in.
The metal room he sat in was quite spacey. The ceiling was quite high but he couldn't stand up even if he attempted to— his ankles were chained as well, shorter in length compared to the ones around his wrist. Tommy struggled against the chains, everything looked so.. small yet so oddly detailed. 
Where was he? Who were these stairs for? Were there more beings smaller than a borrower? Prime, how would they even look next to a human?
Does his family know where he is right now..?
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
yayaya thank you sm for reading! & holy shit guppy writing fics comeback??? no way!!!
25 notes · View notes
beansthough · 10 months
Text
Ch.9 {A Snake in the Bird’s Nest, It’s Made a Home}
|Previous|
Cw/Tw: slight angst but hurt/comfort, slight fear.
Tommy never expected that this would be how his situation would turn out. It was strange to say the least. They boy was mostly expecting a painful death, followed by the destruction of the forest. Instead, he found himself sitting in a tree on the edge of the village, fidgeting with the leaves and twigs on the branches with an unsure feeling in his gut.
A cool breeze combed through the naga’s golden hair, his red eyes were dim as he thought of the events of the past few days.
When he woke the morning after the destruction, the first thing he did was release the hybrids he had tucked away in his storage. The fire was long dead and the rain of the night led to a cool crisp morning, even with the remaining smoky smell in the air. Wilbur was the only one that seemed to protest the idea of being let out into the chilled air, Phil and Techno seemed almost in disbelief that they were let out at all.
——————————
Techno had been the one to thank the kid first. For his bravery, his strength, and for protecting his brother. Philza could only stand by his side and nod his head along with his son’s kind words.
Techno also apologized profusely. Guilt ate away at the warrior any time he even glanced at the kid. It seemed that his eye was healing well, but it seemed just a little more dull than its counterpart to the left. Techno also couldn’t help but notice the many tiny arrow scars that coated the boy’s arms and back.
Techno was relives that the healing potions had worked that well, but no matter how subtle it was, the evidence that Techno had deliberately hurt the kid was still there. It made something ugly and cold sit deep in his gut and crawl up to the back his throat, Techno couldn’t even meet the boy’s gaze.
Wilbur and Philza were stuck with Tommy while Techno made his own way to the villager’s camp on the other side of the river. His cut leg was already healed from the healing potion he had hastily splash on it last night, it was still sore and a rather noticeable scar was in its place, but he could walk.
His rabbit Carl, who he had rode into battle that night, seemed to had gotten spooked by the two naga’s and the fire’s presence and disappeared mid fight. Techno was relived to find his rabbit halfway to the river hiding in a burrow under a tree. It seems the fire hadn’t even made its way to this part of the forest, the plant life was as lush as ever.
He was glad that his rabbit knew how to stay safe, but he was a little disappointed that he was abandoned during such a stressful moment. Techno’s feelings couldn’t be too hurt, Carl was just a rabbit after all, and their instinct to run heavily outweighed the instinct to fight.
The rabbit had ran right to him the moment he walked by, Techno held him tight before climbing on top of his fluffy white back. He made it to the river in minutes. The berry bushes around them ripe with the early summer’s harvest.
Techno walked to the edge of the bank and gazed out to the makeshift camp. It was quiet, even as he saw villagers sitting outside of their tents, there was no laughing and shouting of friends, no joking from the guard. They were all quiet, waiting for any sign that their leaders were still alive.
Techno would give it to them. He brought to fingers to his lips and blew out a long shill whistle. Head’s all along the other side of the shore’s bank all whipped around to meet him.
Techno lifted his hand in a single big wave and cheers suddenly cried out everywhere. He could
make out Tubbo and Ranboo’s small forms jumping and shouting from the bank. His soldiers and friends were quick to storm him as he made his way across, tears and relief in their eyes, and many many questions pouring out of their mouths. This was going to be very difficult to explain…
——————————-
Tommy wasn’t use to being around this many people at once. Tommy wasn’t even use to being seen by people. Especially people who were all very much afraid of him.
Tommy could hear the large group coming when they drew closer to the village. When they did arrive all the laughter and conversations died down to a whisper, and many fearful eyes trailed over Tommy.
The healer’s hastily collected Wilbur and Philza, taking them to the medical center to deal with Philza’s broken wing and Wilbur’s broken leg and ribs. After they were gone silence once again overtook the crowd, Techno stood a little nervously at Tommy’s side. It seems the rat wasn’t to good around large crowds either.
The caution of the group was overwhelming, parents pushing the children behind them and many of the soldiers holding their weapons tight, you could cut the tension with a knife. The silence was however quickly broken by the relived cries of Tubbo and Ranboo. The pair quickly swarmed Tommy and tackled his face the best they could, smothering the Naga was tears and snot ran down their cheeks. A lot of the tension melted away, but Tommy could still sense that they all had their guard up.
Techno had said that he explained the situation to the villagers and guard to the best of his ability. He said he told him that his name was Tommy, he wouldn’t hurt them, and that he didn’t have anywhere else to go. Techno had said he had explained it as if they were taking in Tommy like they would to any hybrid that was in need.
Apparently some of the villagers protested the idea, but Techno had made it clear that Tommy wasn’t going to be a problem. He also made sure that Tommy understood that the villagers wouldn’t be a problem either.
So now here Tommy was 3 days later, sprawled out in a tree with only himself has company. The past two days he had stuck to Ranboo and Tubbo’s sides like glue. The pair never left him alone and Tubbo made sure to scare off anyone who looked at them a bit two long.
Today they were away. Helping to rebuild the town and replant some of the lost vegetation. Techno was busy leading the town in its new renovations under Phil’s directions. Wilbur was still restricted to bed rest, bones never did heal quite as well with potions like cuts and scrapes did. Philza however was up and about with one wing in a sling.
Techno made and effort to go see Tommy at least once a day, many of these meetings more awkward than not. Techno didn’t seem to be the best conversationalist when it came to anyone, many of their interactions started with Techno asking how he was doing and then telling him any updates on the restless mouse trapped in bed. Their talks never lasted very long, the Blade running out of things to say and them sitting in awkward silence. What do you even talk about to someone you almost killed?
At least Techno seemed to like Tommy, he made an effort for him and made sure to let Tommy know he was welcome. Philza, however, was no where to be seen. Tommy hadn’t seen him since he was let out of the clinic. He had only given Tommy a nod when he came to visit with Techno and he had utterly disappeared after the one meeting.
Tommy just wished he knew what he was doing wrong. He had been kind and understanding. He stayed out of the way and used his best manners, but people still seemed to think he would snap at any moment.
Honestly, if Tommy were in their position, especially Philza’s, he wouldn’t be quick to trust himself either. He has watched XD smack the bird to the ground. A sickening crack had rung out as phil’s wing made contract with the massive white tail. Only seconds later he impacted rather harshly to the rough ground.
XD had threatened to kill them all, he had done so casually, as if the tiny hybrids weren’t meant to be anything else than a quick snack. Tommy supposed that the sadist Viper didn’t really care that much for any creature of his own size as well, ready to sell them off for his own gain. As if they weren’t even people with thoughts and feelings.
Tommy shuddered at the thought of his old tormentor. He knew the viper was long dead, but sometimes he could still feel XD’s claws digging into his throat while Wilbur desperately cried out for him.
Wilbur…
He missed his older brother deeply, but he knew the mouse needed his rest. Tubbo and Ranboo were trying their best to help Tommy feel welcomed in the village, but Tommy knew when he was unwanted. Nervous glances and fearful whispers were the only interaction he got from the other villagers. The whispers stung the worse, but how were they supposed to know that Tommy could actually hear them?
Tommy wanted his brother.
A lump started to form in the boy’s throat and tears began to well up in his eyes. His chest ached and he longed for Wilbur’s warm embrace.
He missed Wilbur’s voice, wether it was telling a daring story or singing along to a beautiful melody. He missed his small hands that would pet his check or caress through his hair. He missed his brother’s contagious laugh and the fun games they played.
He missed Wilbur.
He just wanted things to go back to they way they were before. Just him and his brother spending the day together, with Tubbo and Ranboo coming to play on the days that Wilbur couldn’t be there, but now it was just Tommy once again.
Sitting alone in a tree, this time avoiding watch the villagers working below him. He found they were much more nervous when they knew he was watching.
Tommy sighed and wiped away the beginning of his tears and buried his head in his arms. Letting the sounds of the village fill his mind.
“Hey Mate…”
Tommy’s head shot upwards and he was surprised to see Philza standing in front of him. His wing still restrained in a makeshift sling, and Tommy to a moment to wonder who the bird got up in the tree in the first place.
The cawing of a crow over his head answered his question, Phil laughed and threw a shiny coin into the air. The crow dived for it and caught it in its beak before flying away to its murder. They flock of birds all began cawing at Phil and the avian waved them away before they all took flight.
Phil gave another chuckle before meeting eyes with Tommy, “They never stick around long after they’ve gotten what they’ve wanted, but they’re useful when you have what they want.”
Tommy gazed at Phil in amazement, this man had tamed the crows. “They listen to you?” Tommy asked with wonder in his voice. Philza shook his head with a smile, “Only when they want to, kind of like my own boys.”
Tommy found himself grinning with that last joke, but he quickly thinned out his lips and ducked his head away as the older man flinched at the sight of Tommy’s fangs. “Sorry…”
“It’s alright mate…” The pair stood in silence, neither of them having any idea what to say. It was obvious that Phil was still nervous around Tommy, if the flinch didn’t give it away, then the bird’s constant fidgeting would.
After what seemed like eternity Philza let out a long sigh. “Y’know, you remind me of Wilbur when I first found him.”
Tommy glanced back at Philza with a curious look, Phil gave a soft smile. “He was always so timid, always apologizing for things he shouldn’t be apologizing for. But he was also so full of wonder and curiosity. He was always finding something new for him and his brother to get into.”
Philza looked down towards the village as if he were seeing it as it was years ago. “You also remind me of Techno. Always willing to protect others and above all else your brother…. Y’know when the boy’s first got here they didn’t fit in all that well either. Techno was always picking fights with the other kids, and Wilbur wasn’t the best at making new friends.”
Philza turned to Tommy now, looking the boy in the eyes, “But they came around eventually, with some help of course, but they found a home here.”
The bird cleared a his throat with a short cough nervously picking at his hands. “Tommy… I’m afraid I’ve been rather a coward these past few days.” Tommy’s eyes widened. He knew Phil was afraid, but he didn’t think the bird would outright admit it.
“I’ve been hiding from you, from the village, even my own sons…. My mind hasn’t been in the best place since that night…” He was wringing his hands together now. “I didn’t have a very good experience with Naga’s when I was younger. My entire family and village were taken from me, and I’ve spent my whole life healing and rebuilding what I once had, and it was almost taken away from me all over again.”
Phil met Tommy’s eyes once more. “But you saved them. You save me.”
“It’s just… I’m so grateful for you, Tommy. You’ve looked out for Wilbur. You protected him and you even protected those who hurt you.” Philza took a breath.
“You did all of that Tommy… and you’re just a boy.” Philza took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “I regret more than I ever have in my life sending the guard to you. I didn’t know that you never intended to harm us, but I was afraid and irrational. I didn’t even try to scope out the situation before I rushed in.”
“I don’t ask for your forgiveness, but I want to make it up to you.” Tommy could only gaze in silence as Philza spoke, surprised that the man who he thought despised him, who had every right to after what XD had done, was instead now kneeling before him with his head to the ground.
“I want to know that you are free to stay here for as long as you want. I also want you to know that if you need something, anything, let me know and I’ll take care of it mate. I now we didn’t have the best first impression, but I want to change that now.” Philza stood back to his feet.
“You’re far too young to be on your own, Naga or not you should have someone looking out for you. I know that Wilbur had taken up that role for you, but I just want you to know that I’m here for you. Right, mate?” Tommy’s pupils rounded as the avian finished his speech, Tommy restrained his tail from reaching out to give the man a makeshift hug, instead he smiled and nodded his head. “Right.”
With that Philza gave a finale nod of his head grabbed a strand of ivy hanging from the tree. “See you tomorrow, mate?”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.” A hopeful cheer coated Tommy’s voice, a happy purr was on the edge of his throat. It wasn’t perfect, but things were getting better.
“Oh!” Philza had shouted last minute before sliding down the vine. “Wilbur should be here to see you Tomorrow.” With that the Avian made his final departure leaving Tommy in a joyful bliss.
Maybe Tommy could have a home here. Perhaps he had already found it.
———————————————————————————
Wilbur was practically bouncing off the walls, today was the first time in a week that he was allowed to leave his bed.
It was also going to be his first time to see Tommy again after he was taken to the clinic. He spent the week worrying himself into a tizzy, he could only hope that Tommy was doing alright.
He prayed to the gods that the villagers were treating Tommy well.
He had only gotten some vague updates from Techno on the subject in the afternoons. Phil never came to see him during the day, but he was there at his bedside when he thought that Wilbur was fast asleep at night. He never spoke a word, only running a clawed hand through Wilbur’s hair.
That was enough of an apology for Wilbur.
The mouse burst out of the room, his crutches clacking loudly against the stone floor. His father and brother were by his side, scolding and chirping for him to be more careful as he walked.
His cheeks hurt from the giant grin plastered to his face. He laughed and waved at anyone who walked by.
He was finally getting to see Tommy.
Techno led the way to one of the larger trees on the outskirts of the village, before the mouse could even call Tommy’s name, the Naga plummeted out of the tree to see his brother.
Philza gave a frightened Squawk at the sudden movement but quickly straightened out his feathers, giving an embarrassed smile.
“WILBUR!” The mouse didn’t even care to cover his ears. He dropped his crutches at his feet and stumbled towards Tommy’s face. The mouse vaguely registered Phil’s excessive scolding.
Wilbur head butted Tommy on the tip of his nose. The Naga’s purrs overpowering any other sound, Tommy completely taking up all of Wilbur’s senses.
They basked in each other’s presence, soaking up all of the lost time between them.
After a good few minutes of hugging it out, Wilbur reluctantly pulled away, taking in all of Tommy’s features. “I see your eye has healed well, a lot better than how I was healing anyways.” In the corner of his vision, Wilbur saw Techno nudge the dirt around with his foot.
“Yep! I can see just fine. I guess I’m just more of a big man than you Wilbur!” The mouse snorted and nodded his head.
“Yeah Tommy, I guess you’re right, I’m just too weak.” Wilbur playfully wilted to the ground. “Your mere presence is too much for my minuscule form.” Tommy was laughing now.
Wilbur put a hand to his forehead and faked fainting. “I guess you’re too much of a big man to need your big brother Wilbur then.” The mouse smirked and Tommy’s face dropped.
“Wilbur I didn’t mean it like that!” Tommy defended. Wilbur covered up his laughter with more sad wailing. “Wilby! Come on!”
Wilbur shot up and looked at Tommy with wide eyes. “Did you just call me Wilby?” A growing smile encompassed the mouse’s face.
Tommy’s face became as red as his scales and he tried to hide away in his coils. “You did! You did call me Wilby!” The pair became a fit of chaos, while Phil and Techno watched awkwardly from the sidelines. Phil slightly worrying for his sons broken ribs in the tussle.
After the two tired out they seemed to remember the pair they had sat to the side for their reunion. Wilbur gave an embarrassed chuckle and stood back up with his crutches, giving an apologetic glance at his father and brother.
Tommy also seemed to remember himself and he sat up straighter, smiling with his lips tight to hide his fangs.
“Uh Tommy…I was talking to Techno and Phil and we all agreed that you guys didn’t have the best first impression…” Wilbur cringed as he spoke, Philza and Techno kept their eyes adverted to the ground.
“Well…” The mouse drawled out. “We wanted to start over, on a clean slate.” Tommy shook his head in understanding, he Lowe’s himself to be closer to them once again.
“Alright, I guess we’ll start!” Wilbur gripped Techno’s sleeve and pulled him forward in front of the naga.
“Tommy, this is my brother Techno. Techno, this is Tommy.” Wilbur nudged Techno once more, Techno giving Wilbur a warning grunt. The mouse pretended to not notice.
“Um…Hi…” Techno mumbled. Tommy couldn’t hold back a giggle at the ridiculousness of the situation.
“Wilbur, you know I’ve already know them for a week now.” Tommy explained, but Wilbur looked downright offended at the statement.
“I know that!” Wilbur raged. “I just wasn’t there, so Techno please finish your introduction!”
Tommy laughed once more but they his eyes trail back to Techno. “It’s nice to meet you, person who I have never met in my life.” Techno spoke in a low monotone drawl, the Naga hissed in delight at the pinkette’s antics. Wilbur only huffed and instead pulled Philza forward.
The bird had a nervous smile on his face, giving a small laugh. “ Hi Mate…” He gave a small wave to the boy. “Uh… Pleasure to make your acquaintance?” He held out a wing for Tommy without thinking.
Tommy stared at the outstretched hand before reaching out with a clawed finger. Tommy felt the tiny talon’s softly grip his finger the best it could. Tommy slowly lifted his finger up and down, a happy grin on his face and his eyes crossed trying to sone in on the tiny movement.
Philza felt his heart warm at the sight.
Tommy pulled back his hand after the second shake and looked back to Wilbur. The mouse nodded his head, proud of his father’s performance, clapping his hands with a smug look. Techno rolled his eyes and shook his head with a small smile.
Tommy laughed at Wilbur’s antics. He reached out and gently plucked the mouse off the ground, holding from underneath his arms. Tommy immediately began nuzzling into Wilbur, the mouse shrieked with delight. “Tommy please! You know I’m ticklish!” Tommy’s response to that was to stick his tongue out, swiping at lick with the tip of his forked tongue. Wilbur only screeched louder.
Techno looked on at the scene amused. He leaned over into Phil’s ear before mumbling. “ I finally see why Tubbo gets along with him so well.The kid lives for chaos.” Philza chuckled in response.
Philza looked the pair over, they were already roughhousing in the grass once more. Wilbur crying out while Tommy repeatedly tickled him. Phil gave a soft smile as an idea popped into his head.
He leaned back into Techno’s ear as Wilbur’s cries for mercy filled the air.
“How would you feel about having a little brother?” The bird spoke with pure adoration, his eyes latched onto Wilbur’s and Tommy’s smiles.
Techno gave a satisfied snort. “Heh, I don’t think I’d mind.” Philza patted his son on the shoulder, and pulled him into his side. The old bird crooned happily, having already made up his mind.
104 notes · View notes
sheena-yuet · 1 year
Text
Bunch of random sketches ✨✨
Idk somehow I’m really into giant show their affection by licking their tiny. It just cute so me :3
Or using their finger to lift the tiny’s head uwu
Tumblr media
349 notes · View notes
dingbatnix · 9 months
Text
Tank
I had an idea like last minute before bed and stayed up way, wayyyy to late to get it all down. Anyway, enjoy!
Dream had been kicked out of his colony
He knew he could be a bit of a prick sometimes, and sometimes he got too lost in the moment and went overboard, but he couldn't help it!
His higher thought would go on the back burner, and he'd just be in the moment.
He knew he deserved to be kicked out, though. It was his fault the kid was dead, after all.
He'd just been teasing the teenager a little bit, and maybe he went to far, kept at it for too many weeks
But one day the kid had just ran off
Next he knew, they were getting news that the teen had been snatched up by one of the humans living in the apartment complex, and that the colony had to move.
Not Dream, though. He was forced to stay, because it was his fault the kid had run off, and his death was on Dream's hands.
The colony didn't want a murderer in their midst, even if it was an unintentional one
Dream could survive just fine on his own, of course, but the loneliness was drowning him in a cesspit of regret and loathing and the longing for any sort of company.
He just wished that he had somebody to talk to.
°°°°°°
So when Tommy hears his human, Wilbur, shout out, 'gotcha,' and a small, terrified scream, you know he's running in the bean's direction
He's not afraid of Wilbur hurting the other borrower
But he doesn't want the new guy to have a heart attack
When he gets to the kitchen, he tells Wilbur to let him say hello
But when he sees who the human's holding, his body shuts down
It's Dream, the man who tormented him for months
The bastard had made Tommy want to die, and eventually the teen had run off and been caught by Wilbur, who was pretty good, for a human
Tommy freaks, and Dream is both terrified of the bean and amazed that Tommy's still alive
But Tommy tells Wilbur that, 'that's the guy that–that messed with my head, I don't, keep him away! Lock him up or something"
So Wilbur puts Dream in a terrarium
Where Tommy convinces Wilbur that Dream's an absolute bastard and would kill them both if he had the chance
So Wilbur grows contemptful of Dream and hates him for what Tommy told him he did
So he kinda sorta neglects the other borrower
So Dream is a little more than starved, and definitely stuck in the tank
And he grows much weaker than he was
It doesn't take long for a borrower to grow weak from starvation
Less than the human standard of three weeks, but more than the mouse standard of two days
About a week, probably
Wilbur still puts food in the tank for him, of course
But sometimes he's away for trips
One such trip he can't bring Tommy with him (he usually does, cause he doesn’t want to leave the teen alone with Dream)
So he leaves him at his apartment
He forgets to leave enough food in the tank for Dream though, in the rush to leave
And his trip will take about two weeks
Sometimes Tommy will come by to gloat and just talk to Dream during this span of time
And he does notice that Dream seems to be getting thinner and weaker
But he doesn't think much of it until the day that he finds Dream slumped on the ground of the tank, against the glass wall, breathing weakly
He asks what's wrong, because despite his hate for the man, he isn't cruel, doesn't want to actually hurt him
So Dream avoids the question by telling the teen that he's sorry for what he did to him
That he didn't mean to go so far, but sometimes he just lost himself in the actions and forgot basic decency, that it was entirely Dream's fault and he doesn't want the teen to think any of it was his own fault
And Tommy asks him why now, why apologize now, you could've done that weeks ago
And Dream tells Tommy that he's going to die, that he only has two, maybe one day left.
And Tommy freaks out, really looking at the man closely
The other borrower is stick thin, and his clothes are so baggy on him they look like they might fall off at any moment
Tommy demands to know what's going on, so Dream wearily tells the teen that he was starving to death. That the human (Wilbur) hadn't left him anything to eat like he usually would before he left on his long trip
With a horrifying realization, Tommy understood
That was five days ago. Dream hadn't eaten in five days. That was practically a death sentence for a borrower, because once you went past that half week mark, you would probably be too weak to scavenge for food.
That's why they lived in colonies, as double insurance to stay alive and could provide help if someone needed it.
He tries to get the older borrower to say anything else, but he had evidently passed out
Panicking, Tommy scaled down the table, across the living room into the kitchen, and up the counter to a spread of non-perishables like crackers that Wilbur left out for him
Grabs one, and makes his way all the way back to the tank. It doesn't take him long to climb into the tank, the lid is open and his hook line makes it easy
He drops down inside, pulling in his hook with him and runs his way over to Dream
He can't let the other borrower die
He just can't, especially when the man’s supposed last words wore an apology to Tommy
Tommy tries to get Dream to eat the cracker chunks he brought, but the man is practically unresponsive
It takes a thin cracker-water mash (he'd had the water in a tiny flask he carried in his bag, some tinfoil mad a bowl) to bring motion to Dream, who's eyes flicker open to land on Tommy, then the cracker-water
He turns his head away, telling Tommy not to bother
But the teen convinces Dream to eat more of it until Dream turns away again, this time telling Tommy that he'll get really sick if he eats anything more
Tommy doesn't like it, cause Dream hardly ate anything, but acquiesces nonetheless
For the rest of the week, until Wilbur comes back, Tommy brings Dream food several times a day
Dream gets better, during this time, but he's still way too thin under his clothes and still can't walk very far
When Wilbur gets back Tommy tells him to let Dream go
He has realized that what he had been doing to Dream (by proxy of Wilbur) was wrong, and that he can't do that to the man anymore
Wilbur, meanwhile, feels awful about forgetting to leave Dream any food before he left and nearly killing him
He does as Tommy says, and lets Dream down next to a wall exit
Dream stumbles through it, and while both borrower and bean are worried about the state of the other borrower when he left, the obvious desire to get away from both of them was plain in Dream’s voice and posture
It's not even four days later that Tommy finds Dream collapsed in one of the many walkways inside of the walls, looking worse than he did when he was let go
He tries to wake the older borrower up, but nothing he does works
Dream looks thin again, too which scares Tommy
Taglist that I forgor:
He drags to taller man out to Wilbur, who immediately tries to wake Dream up as well, no dice
They make a thin broth for the comatose borrower, and Tommy carefully pours a little bit into Dream's mouth (presently aware of what Dream had told him was 'refeeding syndrome,' during the week that Tommy had been bringing him food (a human term) hoping to rejuvenate the man a little
It doesn't, but Wilbur tells him to give Dream a little more in about fifteen minutes, and, "how fast are your metabolism, Tommy?"
Tommy doesn't know, but after about an hour Dream rouses a little bit
He freaks, at first, seeing Tommy and, more importantly, Wilbur again
But they both explain what happened.
Tommy tells Dream that he can't leave until he's back to one hundred percent again, so he won't die, and Wilbur agrees
"You're not—" Dream winces uncertainly, baring his teeth in a fearful grimace. "You're not going to stick me back in the tank, a—are you?"
They don't, and they let Dream recover all of his strength after several months
They bond over that time, and Tommy forgives Dream
Dream loses the majority of his fear of Wilbur, too, along the way, and they grow to be good acquaintances
If Dream ever starts to go to far with anything he says or does, a heavy word or a parting hand from a human—Wilbur—will easily snap Dream back into reality
While the older borrower is a bit reclusive, he hangs out quite a lot with Tommy and, to a lesser extent, Wilbur (even though the human still scares him sometimes).
He was very social, after all, before he got kicked out of his colony
@i-am-beckyu @brick-a-doodle-do @kayla-crazy-stuffs
62 notes · View notes