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Alone in a Cramped Universe - 7

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Notes: I am not dead I promise! Just been busy! But I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! I'm excited for where this arc is gonna go

Tommy stared out of the window in his room, wringing his hands together as he watched the beautiful colors zip past the ship. To say he was nervous was an understatement.

He was originally excited for this pit stop as they were picking up the ordered furniture that was sized better for Tommy. He couldn’t be more excited for furniture his own size! He didn't have to worry about too small seats anymore and could have a proper sized bed.

But this was also the same Nova Port where they were picking up Wilbur’s brother. And Tommy… wasn’t sure if he was quite ready for that.

Wilbur still didn’t like him. He knew that and was well aware of that. They made some progress the other day but it was far from perfect.

So what the hell did he tell his brother?

Tommy could only imagine Wilbur had fed his own hatred of Tommy to his brother. His species was known for being extremely close to family, even going as far as to sacrifice themselves to keep the rest of the family safe. So rationally, Tommy knew Wilbur’s brother would be much like Wilbur. 

A knock sounded on his door, forcing Tommy to collect his thoughts and stand up. He took one more glance out the window and noticed the ship slowing down and the yellow and orange atmosphere of the Arcturus region growing brighter around them. They must almost be at the port.

Tommy rested his hand on the door lock, listening to the quiet click before it slid to the side, revealing Techno shifting back and forth on his hooves. He perked up as the door opened, poorly concealing his excitement at seeing Tommy as he pretended to look apathetic.

“Phil wanted me to collect you, we’re almost at the port and you may have to help load some stuff on the ship.”

Tommy smiled down at Techno and stepped out of his room, letting the door slide shut behind him. 

“I figured that would be the case. Let’s not keep him waiting! We got some cargo to pick up!”

Tommy continued unconsciously fiddling with his hands as they made their way to the ship’s loading dock, feeling the ship shutter as they touched ground at the loading port. Techno followed wordlessly, occasionally glancing over at the human.

The two of them made it to the dock and both stood there awkwardly, waiting for Phil to open the doors so they could load up the ship. Tommy felt his hands begin to clam up and he began fidgeting more, occasionally scratching at his skin in an attempt to distract himself.

He was so out of it he didn’t notice Techno walk away for a moment, only registering the boar left as soon as he heard his returning footsteps. He glanced down at Techno in confusion only to startle as Techno suddenly placed a small, cold object in his hand. Tommy stared at the boar with wide eyes, trying to figure out what was going on but Techno just pointedly ignored it.

Tommy lifted the object to his face and gasped as he realized it was a familiar red gemstone. He twisted it around for a bit, trying to confirm that it was real, before looking back down at Techno, mouth agape.

“Did-did you just hand me a ruby?! Where- why- what is going on?” Techno finally looked back up at Tommy and reached up, forcefully closing Tommy’s hand around the gem and pushing it towards the human. He huffed happily as Tommy kept it close to his chest and patted the human’s leg.

“You looked lost, so I got you a gem. Simple.”

Tommy just stared at Techno in pure confusion as the boar just went back to standing next to Tommy and waited for Phil to open the door, acting like nothing strange just happened. Tommy glanced down at the gemstone and studied it for a moment before realization dawned on him.

He smiled softly and carefully tucked the precious gem into his pocket, making sure it was secure. Couldn’t go and lose a gift after all.

A few moments later, familiar, quiet wingbeats approached, making Tommy and Techno turn around to face the incoming avian. Phil stopped in front of Tommy and landed in his now outstretched hand, getting himself comfortable. It seemed like Phil quickly took a liking to be held by Tommy, but he wasn’t complaining. He was just happy the small alien had so much trust in him.

“Change of plans! There’s a group of Shades here to load the ship, they were all paid to come help since it was big furniture and they knew we were mainly a smaller crew. So we’re gonna go find Wilbur and his brother… and Tubbo because he fucked off somewhere and I genuinely don’t know where he went.”

Any nerves that Tommy had managed to calm came back full force. He squashed down the nervousness however and reached his hand into his pocket, the coolness of the ruby oddly soothing. He wasn’t sure that Techno gave it to him to be utilized like that, but it was extremely helpful regardless.

“Don’t have to tell me twice, didn’t wanna do work anyways- Techno?” Tommy startled as Techno suddenly latched onto Tommy’s free hand. He didn’t miss the slight trembling of the boar as he held onto him. Before he could ask again what was wrong, Phil spoke up.

“Shades just make him nervous, don’t worry. There was a particularly tall one that scared him half to death when they met. His best friend’s boyfriend actually. He thinks it’s embarrassing but honestly I don’t blame him, they are a slightly creepy looking species when you meet them for the first time. But anyways, go on and head out. Wilbur said they were meeting at Gate N-4. I have to stay to help direct the Shades on where to put stuff.”

Tommy nodded and shifted his hand around, making Techno whine a bit before he gently grabbed his hooved hand. Techno froze but let himself be gently pulled forwards as Tommy made his way off the ship.

Tommy paused for a moment to stare in awe at the aliens who he could only assume were the Shades. They were tall to say the least, even taller than Tommy. As he scanned the shadowy looking aliens, he determined he came up to the shoulders of the shortest one, which was rather insane knowing how small most other species looked compared to him.

He was about to move on, not wanting to make the aliens uncomfortable with his staring until he was startled by a small blue figure suddenly barreling towards them, slamming into Techno and knocking him down. Tommy yelped and quickly went to help Techno before stopping himself as he took in the scene.

While Techno looked startled to have been tackled, he seemed oddly content with what looked like an excited Jeweloid sat on top of him. The pale blue skin of the alien was covered in giant chunks of what appeared to be bright, translucent blue diamond. Tommy had seen Jeweloids before, but none seemed to be this energetic. They tended to be more lethargic and stern, not energetic and rowdy. And despite their small stature, Tommy knew from a fact how strong they were, their gem covered claws looked big for their small bodies but man did these aliens know how to use them.

“Techno! I knew it was gonna be you guys, with you telling me about your new human brother! And Bad didn’t believe me. Where is he? I have to meet him.”

Tommy froze as the Jeweloid, who definitely knew Techno, referred to Tommy as Techno’s human brother. His brother. He was so caught up in his own shock and embarrassment that he didn’t notice Techno’s eyes widening and his face turning pinker as the Jeweloid looked around, locking his gaze on Tommy with an excited look.

The gem alien scrambled off of Techno, earning a pained grunt from the boar as he quickly ran up to Tommy, sticking a sharp hand out.

“You must be Tommy! Name’s Skeppy, I’m Techno’s beeeeeeeest friend!”

Tommy blinked at the small alien now dubbed Skeppy before squatting down and gently taking their outstretched hand, wincing as the sharp hand dug into his skin. It wasn’t the first time he’s had contact with a Jeweloid though, so it was fairly easy to ignore the pain for the time being. He gave the alien a small smile, carefully hiding his teeth so as to not threaten him.

“That’s me! Nice to meet you-” “GEPPY! WHERE ARE YOU?! YOU BETTER NOT BE- oh hi, Techno!”

Tommy watched as Techno’s eyes widened and he visibly flinched back as an abnormally tall Shade came into view. Tommy watched in awe as the tall alien stepped closer, a happy look plastered on their face as their tail waved behind them. They had to be at least two feet taller than himself, they were huge!

Techno just stood there, frozen in shock (or maybe that was fear?) as the Shade just walked past him and towards Tommy and Skeppy. They gave Tommy an apologetic grimace before leaning down and grabbed a particularly large diamond on his back before lifting him into the air with ease. He watched in shock as Skeppy just shrugged and went limp, letting himself be picked up like a baby kitten.

“So sorry about him, he gets excited easily. Now come on Geppy, we’re supposed to be doing a job!”

Skeppy just happily waved at Tommy as the Shade carried him away. “Bye Tommy! Till next time!”

Tommy just sat there and watched as the two strange aliens disappeared from sight. Slowly, he stood up and walked over to Techno, offering an outstretched hand which the boar gratefully took. Techno used Tommy’s hand to pull himself to his hooves, but didn’t let go, tightly gripping onto the human’s hand.

“Sooooo, was that the Shade the Jeweloid is dating? The one that scares you?”

Techno nodded and took a deep breath. “Bad. That’s his name. Skeppy is my best friend and he’s dating Bad. I don���t want to be scared but… he’s so tall.”

Tommy reached over a ruffled Techno’s fur on his head, earning a soft chuff as the boar leaned into the touch. He sure as hell didn’t blame Techno for being scared, if Bad was tall to Tommy then he was massive to Techno.

“Yea, he was pretty tall. How about we just head to the gate and go meet up with Wilbur and his brother?” Techno nodded at that and began pulling Tommy along to the gate. Tommy just followed wordlessly, examining the port in awe.

He actually hadn’t been into the Arcturus Galaxy before so it was all new to him. The dusty orange and yellow sky was mesmerizing to look at, as were most galaxies with stardust in the atmosphere. He’s just glad nothing was on the surface. Those stuffy suits you had to wear when traversing through stardust laden planets were the worst. Humans couldn’t breathe that stuff in, it supposedly causes health issues, though Tommy had never actually heard of a case yet.

The thick vine-like foliage that curled around everything was beautiful too, in its own strange way. The red vines curled around anything tall enough to climb and always seemed to end with endless curls on the edges. Some violet stalks rose from the ground in the distance as well, the tall pillars of foliage reaching into the bright sky above and the tops hiding behind clouds of stardust.

Before he could take in any more of the breathtaking sights, Techno began to slow down as they reached a platform. Tommy belatedly noted that they had already passed through the gate, he must’ve been too engrossed in the scenery to realize what they were doing.

In front of them stood two lizard aliens, happily chattering with a mixture of hisses and clicks. Tommy froze. One of them was the familiar alien of Wilbur, the other was a slightly more purple version of the alien who hated him.

They looked nearly identical, the only differences being their coloring and that Wilbur’s brother had a bit less plating over their body. They even looked the same age. Nobody mentioned that they were twins.

Suddenly, all of Tommy’s nerves about meeting Wilbur’s brother hit him full force again. He began trembling and averted his gaze, instead opting to stare at the sunset colored horizon instead. His free hand snaked into his pocket and gently grabbed at the cold ruby sitting in his pocket, the chilliness of the gem being slightly comforting.

Techno gently patted Tommy’s leg and gave him a small smile. Tommy slightly relaxed and shot a thankful look, happy he had Techno there and it wasn’t just him and the other two.

“Eret! Long time no see!” Tommy tensed up as Techno called out to who he could only assume was Wilbur’s brother. He watched warily as the purple alien turned towards them and clasped their hands in happiness.

Tommy kept still as they approached and gave Techno a quick hug. They seemed friendly enough but hadn’t acknowledged him yet. He was just hoping Wilbur didn’t make them hate him already.

“Techno! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I am glad to see you are doing well though!” He turned towards Tommy and gave a small grin. “And you must be Tommy, the human! It’s wonderful to meet… you?”

Tommy tensed up as he trailed off, his face slightly falling and an unknown expression crossed his face. Oh Prime, he already hated him didn’t he? Wilbur already made his brother hate him. He was doomed to be hated by this family wasn’t he?

Eret suddenly shook it off and gave Tommy a grin again, as if none of that never happened. Though Tommy could still see the slight confusion in their expression, throwing his thoughts off once more. He’d be better off ignoring it for now though, no need to work himself up right now.

“Good to meet you too! Wish I could say I’ve heard a lot, but someone doesn’t like sharing information with me.”

Tommy watched in shock as Eret rolled his eyes and glared at Wilbur, who looked offended at the look. Wait, what in the world was happening?!

“Yea, he’s a straight up idiot. He’ll come around. Just be warned, the lizard brain gets clingy once he warms up to people.” Eret laughed as Wilbur began sputtering out angry protests, and Tommy couldn’t help but chuckle too. Eret leaned in and gestured for Tommy to lean down before loudly whispering, “He’s proving my point, he just won’t admit it.”

Tommy couldn’t help himself as he let out a loud laugh, not noticing how Eret and Techno looked at him fondly. Or how Wilbur stared at him with a small smile, glancing away in slight shame.

[leaf-stars]

Aha I’ve got something written! Finally! I’ve had this idea for a while and I finally got the motivation to put it on paper, and even more motivation to actually post it. If it does well I may turn it into an AU, but for now this is just a one shot. :]

Briefly read over, if you see any grammatical errors, nope, you don’t!

Curiosity Killed The Cat

_WC 2.4k

_TW: Mention of death, swearing

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Close-minded or not, the house was unsettling. It stood out like a bruise, its darkened color palette failing to blend in with the much warmer colors the rest of the street had. Various vines wrapped the house, some looking to come from the windows. Now, the house wouldn’t be as weird if it was abandoned, but someone clearly lived here. The only way to tell was through the way lights in different rooms would flip from on and off from time to time, but the point still stood — someone lived there. 

Personally he hasn’t heard anyone speak of the resident leaving the home, so either they were fucking immune to eating, or some paranormal shit was happening. 

Tommy had gotten hired as a newspaper boy a few weeks ago through a friend of his, who was looking for jobs himself but thought it would suit Tommy since it was primarily a quiet and easy job. He did enjoy it, sure, but it got boring.

He wanted some excitement, so excitement he decided upon.

He had tossed the second to last newspaper onto a porch when he was forced to face the dark house. There was no ominous streak of lightning when he gazed upon it’s curtained windows, but he swallowed as he looked at the growing pile of past papers. They were there when he originally got the job, so he wanted to make sure he could end the one-sided cycle before it got too overwhelming for the old house, and before it was too big of a collection; he really didn’t want to end up spending longer than he’s comfortable with while trying to clean. 

He bit at the inside of his lips as he silently complained through his thoughts. 

He scoffed at his worry and stepped onto the concrete path leading up to the house, at one point stepping on a flower he didn’t know could even begin to thrive on the nearly dead lawn. 

Tommy placed his foot onto the first step leading up to the porch, applying pressure to make sure he wouldn’t fall through the damn thing. Once confirming he wouldn’t commit property damage, he climbed to the top slowly and crouched down to gaze at the papers covered in plastic. He brushed a bug off of one gently and picked it up, cringing at the date from two months ago. 

He guessed that was the last time someone took the opportunity to clean it, since the entire street would’ve been bustling if someone came out of the door leading into the house. He took a plastic bag out of his pocket — Phil originally told him to bring it in case he decided to do what he was doing now, since he’d been bugging Tommy about it for a while now — and shook it a couple times to make it unfold. Once it did he started shoving papers in as quickly as he could, grabbing as much as four at a time while trying to make more room in the bag. 

It filled up at about halfway through the newspaper, so he tied it and opened the flap of his satchel and began removing the other half. When his job was finished he stood up, plastic bag in hand as he prepared to leave. He got down one step before his phone buzzed a custom ringtone set for Tubbo only. He looked into the closest window of the house and muttered to himself, setting the bag down and sliding his satchel off. He took his phone from his hoodie pocket and unlocked his phone, scrolling through pages until he found the Discord app. He looked at the house again nervously while he waited for it to load. 

tubbo    Today at 8:27 AM

hey did u get to the house yet? is it still covered in the newspapers? 

tommyinnit    Today at 8:28 AM

yeah i just cleared it off

it’s creepy as fuck dude why’d you make me get this job??

tubbo    Today at 8:28 AM 

stfu 

Tommy smiled slightly at his friend’s text, shutting his phone off and moving to grab both bags. When the light that once shined through one of the windows turned off, a wave of curiosity spread through him. The logical thing to do was run, but.. only satisfactory brought back the cat that died of curiosity, so clearly he should definitely be the biggest man and check it out so he can live to tell the tale of whatever he does find in there. 

The bag and the satchel were rearranged to where they were hidden in a corner. He picked his phone up from where he’d set it down and he stepped onto the dull, flat welcome mat, where he felt through his hair for the bobby pin he kept in there for the usual event where he forgets his house key. Techno taught him when he was around four years old how to pick a lock, and ever since it’s his go-to thing to do, even if it’s when he’s breaking into Tubbo’s house because he hasn’t answered any texts. 

He eventually found it and pulled it out slowly while being cautious of either dropping it or pulling his hair, then stretched it open so he could have a better grip on it. Tommy put it in the keyhole and pushed it around for a while, and let him say he was completely aware of every little noise that happened around him while he did it. He had to erase his progress once because he was convinced someone was coming outside across the street. 

Once he did get it, though, it was only smooth sailing from there. He pocketed his phone and returned the bobby pin to his hair after fixing it, put his hand on the doorknob, and slowly turned it. The door opened with ease, and he sent one more glance behind himself before finally slipping in and shutting the door. 

He turned around, prepared to start looking around, but he was only met with surroundings a good hundred times his size. In a panic he reached back, but he only hit the wooden door. He thought for a moment that he missed the knob but as he turned his head back he bit back a curse upon realizing the door had been scaled up just as much as the rest of the house.

“Fuck..” Tommy said in a whisper. He felt frozen in place while his eyes looked at every detail of the furniture, walls, floors, everything. He.. really let curiosity get the best of him, didn’t he? 

The best plan of action was to find an exit, like a window. However, he couldn’t really do much when he was fucking small, now could he? Stressed, he ran a hand through his hair while he thought, every idea he had being pushed into the back of his mind like a crumpled piece of paper being thrown into the bin once it was deemed useless.

He was startled out of his thinking when he heard the sound of something large, much larger than any other human could make. It made sense, given that his surroundings were anything but humanly possible. He just got lucky with a giant as well. When the noise, which he found were footsteps, drew louder with each timed step, he finally let himself go into action by quickly glancing to his left to find a table that was directly next to the door — a perfect hiding spot for the time being.

He managed to get behind the leg of it, his shoulders tightly held up while his legs pressed together to make his body seem smaller while it needed to be hidden completely. He scrunched his face up in anticipation, his ears picking up on every loud noise that came from the (presumably) giant. There were a lot of footsteps and shuffling from around the house, and he recognized a fridge opening. “Fuck,” A, much too loud for comfort, voice muttered, then the sound of many things falling followed close after. When he saw the Coke can slowly roll to a stop just in his eyesight if he looked harshly to the left, he knew he was totally, royally fucked if whatever was in the kitchen caught sight of him. Clearly there was something else going on in this house if the dead plants and changing lights didn’t already suggest otherwise. 

Footsteps once more. They were muffled by socks but they still stung in his ears as they let him know they were coming closer and closer. Tommy tensed as he saw what looked to be a human crouch down and pick the can up and pause. He could’ve swore they made eye contact but it appears that even if they did, the man couldn’t properly make out Tommy because of the shadow. 

Finally the giant took a stance and walked away, the sound of the Coke opening being the last indicator that he had even been there in the first place. 

Tommy sighed deeply in relief, untensing his muscles and sliding down the ‘wall’ behind him, slowly but surely making his quick breaths — which had occurred because he was holding in a breath he didn’t know he even took — slower, and taking the time to adjust to his new problem. 

His phone buzzed then lit up through his pocket, and he was reminded of the fact that he even had it. “Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!” He grinned happily as he pulled it out and unlocked it, opening Tubbo’s messages to him.

tubbo    Today at 8:35 am

hey can u come over after work?

helloooo??

tommy, you didn’t die did u? 

TOMMY 

@tommyinnit#0680

tommy   Today at 8:37 am

tubbo jesus christ 

The keyboard disappeared and Discord was soon after. His screen went a dark blue, and the white wheel spun for a moment before it went completely dark. Shit, how the hell did that happen? He had nearly a hundred percent when he went on- Prime this house is so fucking messed up it’s not even funny. Annoyed, he pocketed the phone and slowly came out from behind the wooden leg, quieting his footsteps as he made his way back into the foyer and looked up at the window that he had just seen a few minutes before, at a very reasonable height and not whatever he had going on now. 

He groaned, looking for a way up. Nothing there would be high enough for him to climb, and even if there was he doubted he would be strong enough to unlock the window, let alone open it, and even if he miraculously managed to do that he’d still fall into a bush that he didn’t know the contents of. Plus, it’s pretty obvious some kind of magic is going on, so there’s no real explanation as to if the world will return to normal if he gets out; he could be stuck as a mere few inches. Tommy bit down on his tongue to stop the tears threatening to fall. He opened his eyes wider when they did start to tease, determined to make sure he didn’t cry over a situation like this. 

He was a big man, the biggest, and could totally, one-hundred-percent, get out of this. He just has to think. Maybe rest first, then use his absolute unit of a mind to find a plan that would lead to his freedom. And.. hopefully that’s what it takes for him to go about his daily life. If not, he can.. adapt, if he really, really needs to. 

Fuck he hates himself for this. 

“How did you get in?” 

Tommy nearly screamed at the words directly being spoken to him, since, he was, just kind of, out in the fucking open. He slowly turned around, only just slightly scared. He evened his breathing and took a small step back. A giant, the same one from earlier, stood couched behind him with the coke can, also from earlier, in his hand. “Shit,” He muttered, unsure if it was meant to be heard when he decided to say it out loud. “Yeah, shit is right.” The accent the man held reminded Tommy of his own, but a bit sharper and definitely from a different area than him. It honestly wasn’t a surprise considering they literally lived in London. 

“I- I um.. I didn’t mean to b- break in- It-“

“You.. didn’t mean to pick the lock, either, I’m assuming?” The man asked in a deadpan, an eyebrow risen to show emotion above the slight frown somehow threatening to transition into a smug smile. “No! Yes- I-“ Tommy sighed in defeat and took another step back. “I’m- I’m trying to leave, though! I’ll be- out of your hair in-”

The man shook his head, as if he somehow didn’t agree that Tommy should leave the house he broke into. “I don’t really think.. I can let you leave.” The words felt like a gunshot, and his expression shifted as if it was one. “Wh- I won’t tell anyone about.. about this! I swear-“ 

“I can’t really believe you, can I?” The man narrowed his eyes just slightly, enough to make Tommy swallow nervously. He stayed quiet, praying to those up above that this could all just be a.. a really detailed dream. 

“No- I, I can’t-“ He couldn’t form his words correctly, and he ultimately gave up and started looking around quietly for anything he can hide inside where the giant wouldn’t find him. It was a dead end, he realized. It’d be two, possibly three, inches against easily over a hundred feet. 

“Please- It- I won’t tell anyone, not even- a fucking therapist! I seriously,” He panted, quickly learning that the panic he stored away for the past ten minutes had caught up to him. He shook his head, looking back just briefly, but that, right there, was his mistake. 

Something reminding him of mist fell onto him and his vision went screwy immediately. He staggered while trying to step back subtly, and his head hit the ground. He tried to keep his eyes open by widening them but nothing seemed to work as he finally let the clouds in his mind cover his brain and vision, then soon his whole body as he felt it go numb, along with his conscious, which slipped from him inch by inch until he finally stopped fighting it and fell into a quick, painless sleep. 

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chapter two

[leaf-stars]

Friendly Giant AU Part 1

cw/language (sorry I forgot to add this originally)

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Tubbo had just wanted to set up a trap for dinner. It was supposed to be simple, just a rope attached to a makeshift net with some bait and a tripwire. He’d finally be able to prove to his family that he could help out around the house if he could catch something to eat.

But as he tied up the rope around the branches of a large tree the branch he was sitting on begin to crack. He frantically tried to grip onto the tree with his hands but the bark broke away and cut through his palms.

“What the fuck! No no no no no,” he yelped as he grabbed onto the rope watching the branch he had been standing on just moments before tumble all the way to the ground.

He held on to the swinging rope like his life depended on it but every second he could feel the scratchy texture digging into his already ruined hands.

“Agh why’d I do this,” he muttered to himself as he slowly tried to inch his way down the rope back to the floor.

He was about twenty feet off the ground when he felt himself start to lose his grip on the rope. He panicked and tried to latch on with his legs but with a loud yelp he fell downwards towards the ground. He felt his back hit the ground with a crack before he was being flung up again by the net he had set up on the forest floor.

Tubbo groaned in pain and opened his eyes to see he had been caught up in his own trap. The net he had made was completely tangled around him and his back felt like it was on fire. He felt a few tears leave his eyes as a loud crunch tore through the trees nearby.

He tried to quiet down his pained sobs as the loud rumbling noise got louder and louder until he felt something tug at the net around him.

“Hey!” He yelled as his eyes snapped open to meet huge almond shaped eyes.

Immediately he tried to push himself away from the beast in front of him but it only managed to swing the net even more. He cried out for help as the red and green cat-like eyes stared at him.

The beast slowly reached up one of its ginormous clawed hands towards the net where one was already trying to steady the swinging rope.

“Hey it’s okay I’m not gonna hurt you,” the beast whispered to Tubbo, or at least Tubbo assumed it was supposed to be a whisper since the voice was still loud enough to make him flinch away.

The words did almost nothing to comfort the hurt boy though; his sobs and attempts to get away only increased as the beast tried to get the boy out of the net.

Tubbo recognized the creature almost immediately as the one he’d heard horror stories about ever since he was little. His dad would tell him and his brothers about the giant monster that hunted the people of their village, but of course none of them ever believed it was more than just a fairytale.

But Tubbo couldn’t deny that the horrifying monster in front of him was anything but real.

After a few moments the eyes moved away and fingers the size of Tubbo’s whole body tore into the net, carefully fishing him out onto a black and white speckled palm.

Tubbo shakily stood up and tried to find a way away from the monster before another hand came overtop of him to hold the boy in place.

“Hey shhhh it’s okay I promise, please don’t jump though,” the monster pleaded as he gazed down at the boy in his hands.

“Please...please if you’re gonna hurt me do it quick,” Tubbo cried softly from the darkness of the creature’s hands.

He felt the hands shift around him before gently something rubbed against his side. He turned to see the motion was from one of the giant’s massive claws and though he didn’t trust the creature, the comforting movements combined with his exhaustion made him want to just give in. Maybe he’d be eaten by the black and white monster, but at least he was being comforted.

In the back of his mind he knew he should scream until his family saved him, but before he could do anything he felt himself slip into darkness. The blood loss and fear causing him to feint and grow still within the beast’s hands.

[leaf-stars]

Okay, I love all of your stories and would be super happy and excited with anything that's updated, but after how that chapter of Secret Shifter ended I've gotta vote for that one to update again next (re: the post asking after the last story update). Too many emotions are being had and learning about either the next steps in Wilbur and Tommy's friendship or a fluffy future read are constantly on my mind haha. Hope you have a great day!

Ask and ye shall receive!

The Reveal (part 2)

word count:

TW: Foul language, hurt/comfort, depression mention (Wilbur is a little sad for a bit), fear, death mention (none happens)

It had been almost a week since the plant box incident, And Wilbur had yet to see Tommy around the house. He knew the borrower had not left, however. Late at night when he was supposed to be asleep or when he gets home from work he can hear the borrower scuttling to hide in the walls or smell where he had been digging for food amongst the countertops. He was glad that Tommy had stayed and that he was still getting food, but he worried for the boy's physical and mental health since he no longer had the option to help him or keep an eye on him.

Any food that Wilbur left out on purpose always remained untouched, and any attempts to speak to the borrower were left in silence. Every day when Wilbur got home from work he would make sure to announce his entrance and what he was doing that way Tommy could either come looking for him or avoid him if he chose to. It was the latter every single time and Wilbur was left in near silence with the exception of scurrying within the walls.

And today was just like any other of those days, but this time the weather had taken a turn for worse and a thunderstorm raged outside. Work had been canceled because of high wind speeds so Wilbur remained home for the day. And seeing as it was Friday, that meant he had the whole weekend to stay at home and try to coax Tommy out from the walls. He wouldn't dare force him, but at least he had some time to work with him.

A clap of lighting shortly followed by a thunderous boom snagged Wilbur's attention and he bristled, taking a deep inhale through his nose to calm himself. While the storm didn't scare him, it definitely wasn't his favorite thing in the world. It made his instincts prickle and had he been in his animal form, his fur would have been standing on end. For now, though he just grumbled unhappily and tried his best to focus on the book he was reading. The words on the pages were not what he was trying to focus on entirely per se, and instead, he was using his ears to try ad see if he could locate Tommy anywhere. He would feel horrible if the kid decided to leave when it was pouring outside.

A couple minutes later, he heard what he was searching for and had to resist the urge to snap his head in the direction of the small scratching sound. Just behind the trashcan in the kitchen behind him, he could hear the scraping of one of many tunnel entrances being pushed open. If Wilbur remembered correctly, that was the one Tommy had explained he used an old bit of wood from the closet that matched the wall runners that way the hole was nearly invisible when it was shut.

There were a few small footsteps as Tommy emerged and Wilbur did his best to keep his eyes on the book in front of him. The little borrower knew that he was in the living room, facing away from the kitchen which is why he had chosen that tunnel specifically. It was the farthest from his line of sight and one of the hardest ones to reach quickly for someone of a human's size. It broke Wilbur's heart knowing that he was the one Tommy was preparing to run from.

It was odd though, normally Tommy would wait until he was either in bed or at work to borrow rather than out in broad daylight like this. All Wilbur had to do was turn his head to look behind him and Tommy would be spotted and the borrower was far too smart to not know that. That could only mean one of two things. Either Tommy was starting to trust Wilbur enough to come out of hiding, or he needed help with something.

"Hey, bitch." A small, hesitant voice called out.

As slow as he could without it being creepy, Wilbur tilted his head to the side and glanced over his shoulder without moving the rest of his body, wanting to make sure Tommy knew he wasn't going to get up and come after him. "Well hey there." He greeted him with a soft smile. Raising one hand to give a small wave to the gremlin child. "Everything alright?" He asked, eyes already scanning the tiny body for any injuries. He hadn't been able to get a good look at him the last time they had spoken after the balcony incident, so he wasn't sure if Tommy had gotten hurt at all.

"Y-yeah, all good bossman." Tommy replied akwardly, rubbing at one of his arms and shifting his weight from one foot to the other, His eyes remained down, not daring to look at Wilbur. "I just.....i need....help." He muttered, glancing up for a moment to guage Wilbur's reaction.

The mans heart melted and his gaze softened further, smile appearing more lax than before. "Yeah i can help, what's up?" He offered, turning his torsoa bit and resting his arm on the back of the couch so Tommy could see he was paying attention, and could see that he had no intention of standing up yet.

Tommy seemed conflicted, biting at his lip and picking at his already short nails as he seemed to think about what he wanted to say. Instead of giving much of an explanation, he nodded towards the sink and muttered "Water.", very softly.

Wilbur hummed, sitting up a bit more. Before the balcony incident, Tommy would have 'Soot' paw at the tap until the water turned on and Tommy would fill up a few homemade bottles to take home with him. He had mentioned on one of his one-sided conversations with a cat that before Soot, he had used an old leaky pipe and just filtered and boiled the water from that for a while.

"Do you want me to turn on the tap for you? Or do you want me to just set a bowl down on the floor?" He didn't like the bowl option, since the few times he had set out a bowl for his cat form the water never stayed clean very long. But if that made it more comfortable for Tomy he would be willing to do it at least once.

"The tap is fine, I just can't reach it by myself and the pipe I used to use doesn't leak anymore." He explained, seemingly anxious. He kept flickering his gaze upwards, checking to see if Wilbur was standing up or making a move to grab him. "But um....Can you do it, y'know, as a cat?" He asked finally, looking worried about Wilbur's reaction to the question. "I want to trust you, I really do but you are fucking terrifying right now." He stammered out, even taking a step back to prove his point.

Wilbur's smile fell to a saddened frown but he nodded regardless, completely understanding how the borrower felt. Tommy had made it very clear in the months before that humans were seen as monsters from the day they were born. And for a while, it had been the same with Wilbur. He was raised to make sure humans never found out about his animal shifting abilities because of how people could hurt him.

So he understood.

"Of course." He stated, bringing his smile back by letting his thoughts linger on the fact that Tommy said that he wanted to trust him. That they still had a chance to be friends after everything. "I'm good when you are, Toms."

Across the room, he could hear Tommy inhale before letting out a shakey breathe and watched as he gave a small nod and a quick thumbs up. At that, Wilbur turned back to face forward and the couch, and leaned forward. He let himself lean forwards as if getting ready to stand up, but he let the motion carry him downwards and to the floor as he shifted from his current form and into that of the familiar brown feline. His paws landed gracefully on the rug below and he shook himself from head to toe. It had been a few days since he had shifted since he wasn't sure how Tommy would react, so it felt nice to be in his more normal form. Behind him, out of sight, he heard Tommy gasp a bit and he was quick to walk around the sofa so he was in the borrower's line of sight again.

After Tommy calmed down again, Wilbur started to slowly make his way to the kitchen, opting to stay on the floor for the first bit so he wasn't jumping across the furniture and possibly startling his small friend. Once he was over to the counter where Tommy and the sink were located, he let out a soft sound similar to a chirp or a purr to let Tommy know he was coming up. He looked up to see the mop of untamed blonde hair vanish as the borrower backed away from the edge to give him room to land. (Or to get away from him)

With practiced ease, Wilbur gathered his hind legs under him and launched upwards to the counter, landing perfectly on the stone countertop just beside the sink and a good foot away from Tommy.

Wilbur felt his heart break when Tommy stumbled backward and fell onto his butt trying to back away. His ears folded back and he let out a soft meow as an apology for startling the boy. Thankfully Tommy was quick to calm down and nod, letting him know he was forgiven.

"Sorry, I just...forgot how big you were even as a cat." He could tell Tommy felt off knowing that he was talking to a 'human' and not just a random cat like he was used to. "I'm fine. Let's just get this over with before I have an aneurysm." He joked, forcing a chuckle to try and lighten the tense mood.

To make it a bit easier, Wilbur nodded and walked further across the counter, stepping down and sitting in the sink itself so he was a bit more level with Tommy. Once there, it was easier to reach the faucet itself. Thankfully it was once that swiveled around so he used his head to gently bump it over closer to the back of the counter that way Tommy wouldn't have to climb in the sink to reach the stream of water.

"Oh, thank you," Tommy stated, surprised. He was then reminded of all the other smart things Soot had seemingly done. It made more sense now looking back at all the things Soot had done that most other cats would never be able to pull off unless trained to. Before he could dwell too long on the signs he had missed, Tommy opened his bag and started pulling out his water canisters. As he did so, Wilbur used his paw to gently pull on the cold water knob and let just a small stream trickle out and into the basin below. Thankfully it was a two-sided sink so none of the water got in his side of the sink, keeping his fur dry.

He watched as Tommy carefully filled up each container to the brim with the cold, clean water before sealing them and placing them back into his bag. It only took a minute or two for the task to be finished, be he waited a bit longer, giving Tommy time to quickly chug down a good amount and fill it again before shutting off the faucet. He let out a small sound, worried that Tommy had waited a day or two after running out before coming for help.

"I'm fine," Tommy stated firmly, putting away the last container and sliding the bag onto his back. Being able to guess what he was thinking, Tommy was quick to reassure Wilbur that he had run out that morning and not any earlier than that.

The moment was followed by another short time of awkward shuffling before Tommy spoke up again. "Cani...can I get all lift back down to the floor?" He asked. Normally he would just climb on without asking and wait until 'Soot' moved on his own but now that he knew the cat could understand him (because he wasn't just a cat) Tommy wanted to get permission.

A soft mewl followed by a head bob was his answer before Wilbur was pulling himself out of the sink and back onto the counter just a few inches away from Tommy. There, he laid down with his head resting on his paws while he waited for the borrower to climb on.

Wilbur's ear twitched and he could see Tommy tense out of the corner of his eye and for a short moment, he feared the borrower would change his mind and try climbing down like he used to many months ago. But a deep breath left the child, and a tiny hand soon after grappled into his long brown fur before another hand was added and Tommy was hoisting himself up onto the felines back.

The shifter waited a few seconds afterward to give Tommy time to adjust and get a proper hold onto the fluff by his shoulders before he finally stood up to his full height. Even as a cat, he was fairly large compared to Tommy. If he had to come up with a comparison it would be like a human child riding on an elephant.

"Alright, I'm good. Let's just get this over with before I overthink and freak out." Tommy commented, hands digging deeper into the fur and he braced for Soo-.....for Wilbur to jump down. Nodding slightly, the cat turned to face the edge of the counter before tipping forward and letting his front legs drop from under him. In one swift, fluid motion, the cat and borrower both reached the floor in practiced ease.

He paused for a moment before turning and walking over towards the nearest tunnel entrance. He felt Tommy tense again when he realized he wasn't being let down just yet, but relaxed once they arrived by the side of the cabinet where the snacks were kept. Just t the side behind the trash can was a small hole in the wall where the wall runner was just a tad too short to reach the corner, giving Tommy a perfect little doorway. It was then that Wilbur finally laid down once more and let the borrower slide down the fur on his side and to the floor.

"Thanks, Soot," Tommy stated before pausing. "I mean, Wilbur. Sorry. That uh... that's gonna take some getting used to." He mumbled mostly to himself and Wilbur let out an amused huff that ruffled the boy's hair.

Standing up slowly so as to not startle his little friend again, Wilbur turned around and padded a good distance away back to the other side of the kitchen. Once there, he turned back around to face Tommy and let himself shift back to his humanoid form again. One hand gripped the counter while he regained his sense of balance before turning to look t Tommy with a small smile.

To his surprise, the kid hadn't bolted immediately and was staring at him instead. He looked tense but far less fearful than last time.

"If you need anything else, don't be shy alright?" He offered, tilting his head to the side as he watched Tommy nod. "I know things aren't going to go back to the way that they were, but I do still care about you, Tommy. Human, or cat, I would never hurt you or trap you, or nythign of the sort. We're friends and I want to make sure you're ok." He reassured, watching Tommy nod again at his words.

"Y-yeah." The borrower stammered. "That doesn't mean you're not a massive bitch for lying to me though," Tommy argued, letting himself smile back a bit. Wilbur chuckled.

"Yeah, that's fair. That's fair." The shifter humbly agreed, glad that Tommy was talking with him at all even though it was insults. Tommy even chuckled a bit and Wilbur felt his heart swell knowing that he was starting to go back to his normal, rambunctious self. "But again, if you need anything at all please come let me know and ill help you however I can. This time I have opposable thumbs so I can actually open stuff like the fridge for you." He joked, drawing another laugh from Tommy.

"I'm going to steal so much of your cold shit. I've wanted to try ice cream forever." Tommy replied. "But I've got other stuff to do for now, so I'll be going." He stated, seeming a bit anxious. Wilbur didn't mind though, they had made good progress and now he knew that their friendship was salvagable. "See you later, Will." He stated before turning and disappearing back into the walls.

"See you later, gremlin," Wilbur replied, letting his gaze linger on the hole in the wall a moment longer before pushing off the counter and walking back to the living room. Taking his original seat, Wilbur opened his discarded book and flipped back through the pages now that he could actually focus on reading rather than waiting for his little friend.

[leaf-stars]

Hey guys this is kinda an important mcyt g/t post

This community on here is dying.

As many know, a lot of people are losing interest and getting other ones, all the more power to them!/gen

But the issue isnt creators.

Its consumers.

When you read something you like reblog. Don’t like it. Reblog it. Leave a nice comment in your reblog. Send asks to the creator be friendly share thoughts and ideas! We all implore you too majority of the time!

When you don’t though it really leaves people feeling unappreciated and more importantly-

Unmotivated.

So that means when you see a lack of any content for a very long time with no updates(For us at least as I can only speak to personal experience) that means that the person who made it may really need some positivity and some motivation! You can give them that with a simple comment and reblog.

I am begging you as a fellow consumer and a fellow creator of mcyt g/t content-

Start reblogging and commenting and sending asks and just interacting with us all.

My motivation in this community is still here. For how much longer is to remain unseen. I have so many projects I wanna do and many others as well but we cant do it without support!

So. Here are a few of my favorite blogs you can support.

@plant-gt-thought-box -Creates Fluff and has a wonderful superhero au fic on their ao3!

@wendy130 -Doesn’t post often but it is a joy looking at the posts they have!

@zecoritheweirdone -Has FANTASTIC art and writing! Check them out and interact!

@bittydragon -Posts some wonderful shit on tumblr and ao3 and was the whole reason I’m here making this tumblr post!

@aslitheryprinx -Delightful art and fics also on ao3 and tumblr!

@baka-monarch -Answers so many asks you’ll have a blast I promise!

@cyncerity -SPECTACULOR ART! Wonderful aus and so much content!

@apersonstories -WORKING ON SOME WONDERFUL ANGST and is a very friendly chill person!

@random-tinies -Has some of thee best hermit craft art and dsmp g/t art ever!

@a-smol-storm-gt-blog -Also really good hermit craft art and g/t!

I know I’m missing so many others but I am unable to recall them at this time to @ I do apologies.

Again, please reblog and please please comment. It helps so much.

Thank you. If you read this long I thank you. Thank you so very much.

[leaf-stars]

very sad to see a few people losing interest in mcyt g/t ngl, though i'm happy that they can move on and do new things.

despite how inactive i may seem on here, i love this community with my whole heart and go on here at least a few times a day. i never realized this was a full community until just barely a year ago.

because of that, i don't want to see this community die. i'm a busy person and i spend a lot of time writing non-g/t on ao3, but i'll try to make more of an effort to post on here.

anyways, i've been writing a oneshot for a while but stopped, i'll start it up back again and make sure i'll post it.

sorry, i don't mean to make a whole paragraph, just wanted to say that! ik i've only made one fic, i'll try to play a more active role. ty ty for any support i have received <3

[leaf-stars]

What’s Techno going to do? A human has his brother who is still alive but in pain.

ah yes, another ask that has been marinating in my askbox for almost a year

... also happy birthday to me :D take this as an opposite birthday gift!

warnings: broken bones , broken limbs , fear , unintentional fear play , angst , miscommunication , descriptions of sickness , sickness , fear of capture , torture mention , minor character death ( referenced ) , poison mention

word count: 3360

no ones gonna catch us now [II]

  Techno sighs, picking at his food. He’s refused to touch it until Wilbur returned, but now it seems like a mistake. His stomach aches for the tiny portion on his place but he holds firm. 

  He looks back up to the entryway but it’s empty. Still no Wilbur. The lightbulb flickers at his side, buzzing as it does so. He knocks it with his wrist. It lets out one last hum before concentrating.

  He casts another look at the entrance. He should be here by now–Been back hours ago.

  He pushes away from the table, food abandoned. 

  Techno steps over the threshold and down the hall, he kicks away the piece of card that leads into the deeper part of the house. He grunts, leaning down to set it back up against the entrance. He doesn’t need any rodents eating through their supplies while they’re out.

  He travels through the walls, muttering curses under his breath. He doesn’t allow himself to worry. Wilbur is capable, he wouldn’t have been seen. He probably got distracted looking at pill bugs or by another ‘face’ in the wood.

  Techno frowns, but he hasn’t come across him at all. He squints before turning down another tunnel, the one that leads into the vents. It was a real pain to get through, but it allowed them a vantage point over the lounge. He stutters right before he reaches the vent cover. He peers through the blades, not spotting anything worth of note. The only thing that seems out of place is a dark patch on the table. He almost turns away, back safely into the heart of the vents. But then the dark patch moves. 

  Techno turns back, squinting. He thought it was just a piece of cloth but now-

  The world freezes.

  He looks closer, to find Wilbur on the table exposed and in pain. His leg twisted at an odd angle, which screams unnatural. His eyes are closed, but his chest is moving slightly. Breathing. Alive. At his sides his arms quiver, claws dug into the benchtop. 

  His legs buckle. 

  Techno can barely breathe as the giant walks back into the room, chittering away at the other. The older one. They stand looming over his brother.

  No.

  No, no, no.

  Techno watches as the humans sworm around him, and he can’t see him. He can’t see Wilbur. He takes a step back from the grate. What did they do to him, Gods. He can’t make himself look back down. He-He–

  Bile rises in his throat and he stumbles away, gagging. Vomit spews over the metal walls. He retches again but nothing comes up. His mouth burns at the acid taste. He shivers, gripping the wall with one hand.

  He debates going back–He needs to get Wilbur away from them, get him back somewhere safe. Techno wipes his wrist over his mouth. But he can’t do that when they’re there. That will only result in him getting captured as well, then there would be no one to save him.

  He’ll come back later, at night, when the beans are asleep.

***

He simmers at home, pacing back and forth. It’s a small space–Carved into the insulation–But it feels much bigger without Wilbur. Too empty. 

  He drums his fingers against his sides, Techno can’t let himself think of what they’re doing to him.

  He pounds his fist into the wall, when he pulls away there’s a small dent. He takes a deep breath, he can’t take it any longer, before he heads out. He brings along his satchel, empty from the last borrow, as well as his hook. The point almost sparkles in the dim light.

  Techno hurries through the walls, his pace nearing a sprint. He manages it in half the time. He pauses at the cover, crap there’re still voices. He catches a glimpse of the window and the non-existent light through the hole. It’s well into nighttime now. The humans should be long asleep.

  He doesn’t let himself think about the implications of that either.

  He sets his gear down and leans against the wall. He can wait. 

  It takes a while, but after all the lights in the house turn off and their breathing becomes shallow. He makes his move. He keeps his footsteps light as he walks into the room. He throws his hook up until it catches, and climbs up the leg of the table. He grunts when he reaches the top and pulls the hook free.

  Wilbur isn’t there.

  Techno rethinks back a few hours before, this is the same table. Tall, dark, wooden–The exact same place. Oh gods he isn’t there. He turns back on his feet, looking around for where they might have taken him to.

  ‘You were too slow. You left him alone for too long, abandoned him. And now he’s gone. Gone.’

  Techno pulls at his hair until it stings, a chain of ‘Your fault, your fault.’ Goes off in his head. He lets go. Letting the wisps fall in front of his face.

  Silver glints at the edge of his vision.

  He narrows his eyes, but can’t make sense of it in the dark. He scales down the table before running up, to the cupboards and repeating. He swings his legs over the lip of the wood, he digs his fingers in to stabilize himself. Techno gets to his feet, before looking around to find

  A cage. They put him in a cage. He runs over, gripping the bars tightly. They rattle at the sensation. He blinks away some dust before he spots Wilbur. 

  He looks like death himself.

  He’s shivering, pale, and sweating. His skin is pale and blotchy. He thrashes back and forth in his sleep. His injured leg is stuck out perfectly straight–Deeply contrasting before–and wrapped in… something white.

  Techno reaches a hand through the bars, the metal digs in at his elbow but he doesn’t care.

  “Wil?” He whispers, his brother twitches but other than that he doesn’t move. “Wil, please wake up. We can get out of here.” Wilbur’s face pinches together, but shows no signs of even hearing Techno. “Wilbur.” He dares to whisper louder.

  His eyes flutter open, they focus on him for a second. The world goes still.

  And just as easily he tilts his head back and closes them again.

  Techno pounds against the bars.

  A choked noise slips past his lips, he bites his cheek until he tastes blood.

  He can’t break down. Not here, not now. Not when Wilbur needs his help most.

  He drags himself away from the mesh, and trails his hands around the cage. There must be a door or a lock he can open. He circles the whole thing, but finds nothing. He climbs it, putting one foot through the spaces at a time. Compared to what he usually has to do on a borrowing trip, it’s a breeze. He has direction, rather than fishing for deep ridges in the walls. 

  Techno glances down, but it’s hard when his brother is sick, trembling beneath him. He gets to the top and instantly spots disjointed metal that sticks out from the rest. 

  He pulls his hook out of his satchel, and attaches it to the very top and with all his might he pulls. He tries and tries but it doesn’t go anywhere, he tugs again with a growl. Nothing.

  He jumps around to the otherside, sweat growing on his forehead. It’s the side closest to the end of the table, from there he can see how just far down the ground is.

  He turners away, back facing it. He needs to focus. He pulls again and the metal groans, falling open. Techno stumbles, almost sliding off. He stables himself, taking a quick breath, before jumping down to the small space between the table and the cage.

  The lid opens up completely, making a horrendous noise when it makes contact with the side. Techno grips his ears, ringing burning into his brain.

  There’s no way the humans didn’t hear that. Crap, crap. He hurries up the side again, taking the spaces two at a time–Once he reaches the top he unlatches his hook and latches it in a different position. He jumps down into the cage.

  Techno’s hands shake as he makes his way into the corner. He steps over crumpled fabric and a bowl of water. He kneels down by his brother, brushing the hair out of his eyes. Wilbur’s eyes are opening and closing but they never stay for more than a few moments at a time, now he's closer he can see a glaze over them. Along with pained tears down his face.

  Techno is going to find a way to kill those humans. He’ll see how they fare when they get rat poison in their food. Bastards.

  He whispers reassurances into Wil’s ears and lifts him up by his shoulders. Wilbur lets out a gasp of pain when his leg hits the floor. 

  “‘Sorry.” Techno mumbles, he needs his hands to climb back up. He bites his lip looking between the two. 

  Memory flashes of when they were kids and would use each other like satchels, arms linked at the sides. They would end up toppling over more times than not.

  He takes a deep breath before turning Wil over to face his back. He links their arms together. leaning forward to deposit him on his back. Crap, even when he’s skin and bones he’s still heavy. He grunts before taking a shaky step up the cage. Wilbur lets out a pained whine.

  “We’re almost there,” He whispers, “Just a bit more. We’ll be fine. We’ll be gone before they notice.”

  No lights have turned on. Yet. They still have time.

  He hurries up the rest of the way, keeping his grip tight not to drop Wilbur by accident. He swings his legs over the top and continues his way downwards. He can’t afford to stop. His muscles scream at him to rest. But resting means less time. And then they'll be dead or worse.

  He grits his teeth as they reach solid ground.

  “Come on, Wil.” He grunts, shifting his hold so that he's leaning against his side rather than his back. “You ‘ave to help me out a little here.” All he just gets is incomprehensible mumbles in return. 

  Techno wheezes out before lifting him up and resting him over his shoulder. He rests his hand on his uninjured leg so he doesn’t slip off.  He stumbles forward. Every step is agony but he can’t stop, every second is priceless. They’ve been lucky enough as it is, the house is still silent and dark. No humans. He casts a glance to his side spotting dark-blue tile below. His hook is very prevalent at his side.

  He came up from the ground before, but that is certainly not an option now. The line won’t support them both–And he can’t support Wilbur on the way down anyway. 

  Techno trails the walls, praying to the gods that they installed a tunnel around here. He tugs at the power socket but it doesn’t give way. He curses before turning back. His gaze traces over the room, looking for a mousehole, ripped wallpaper, anything-

  The light flicks on.

  “Mate?”

  Techno goes rigid. He doesn’t go to turn- He knows what’s there. One of the humans. He knew he made too much noise, that they were pushing their luck.

  Tears prickle at his eyes. He should have been faster–Stronger.

  “Hold on,” The voice says again. “Listen. I’m not here to hurt you–Or your friend, alright?” He lies. Techno doesn’t buy it for a second.

  They already hurt Wilbur.

  Locked him in a god-damn cage.

  He fights the urge to scream, yell, curse them for what they did. But he bites down hard on his tongue instead, borrower code clearly outlines that they should never talk to beans.

  But they’ve already been seen and caught–That seems pretty against the code.

  “Let us go.” He growls, and Wilbur’s weight shifts on his shoulder. He turns to face the human in the eyes. He has his palms and hands outstretched. They’re empty. Ready to grab them.

  “Calm down, mate.” He says again, but he doesn’t answer. “Your friend is hurt. We’ve been trying to help, see?” He points to Wilbur’s leg.

  “Who did it in the first place?” He snaps, holding his brother closer. He should be trying to find a way out but there’s nowhere to go. There’s only the human, the floor, and the wall free of escape routes.

  The bean face grows into a weird expression, “Mate… We didn’t do this to him. Tommy found him hurt, and brought him to me.” His eyes scan the two, studying them. Techno snarls at him again. “... I’m a doctor, do you know what that is?”

  He doesn’t, but he doesn’t offer up an answer either.

  “That means I’m a healer, I treat and help people. I wouldn’t hurt him- or you. I just want to make sure he’s okay.” His face pinches together again. “Jostling around isn’t going to help too much, why don’t you set him down, and we can discuss things calmly.”

  “You can’t have him!”

  “He’s sick- His leg, it’s infected. He’ll- He needs lots of rest while the bone is healing. If he moves too much it might heal wrong and he won’t be able to walk.”

  He’s lying, he must be. It’s a trick- That’s what Mum always said. “You're lying.”

  “Mate,” He says again pained- like he is the one with the broken leg, or the hurt brother. “Why would I lie about that?”

  He grinds his teeth together, because he's a human. Because humans are cruel. Because he hurt Wilbur– or the other one did. Same difference.

  He turns his head away.

  “Dad?” A new voice whispers out. But despite that, it’s still loud. It belongs to the other bean.

  Techno’s limbs freeze all over again.

  “Go back to bed, Toms. I’ve got this covered.” 

  The other one’s eyes widen when he spots Techno. He looks back and forth between them, “But-” He protests.

  “No, Tommy. Head back to bed.” His look softens, Techno knows they won’t be shown the same treatment. He sends a silent snarl towards the kid. “It’ll be alright.”

  He bites his lip, almost looking to argue again before disappearing down the hallway. The older human turns back to him.

  “I promise you’re safe.” He inches closer, palms outstretched again. “Just let me help. Then you’re free to go.”

  It’s not true, it can’t be true. Humans don’t just let you go. You live as a pet, an experiment or you die.

  You don’t get ‘let go’.

  “You can’t keep us here.” He growls, Wilbur shudders in his grip. His skin is burning against his. He’s too sick. He turns away from the human to fasten his grip on him. He’s too sick, nothing back home can help him.

  He’ll die either way.

  Techno looks back up at the human, he's closer now. Still smiling, but it’s tight. Forced.

  He looks down at Wilbur he’s trembling. He cries out, arm fumbling around. Techno readjusts his grip. He can’t let him go through any more torture. Who knows what else they’ll do to him if he does. 

  The bean’s hands twitch at his sides in the corner of his vision. 

  He can take advantage of the human’s greed. One healthy borrower is better than none, a fresh new toy to play with. Even though he can easily get both, all he needs to do is reach out and grab them. He gulps.

  He hopes the promise of complacency will be enough to let Wilbur go free.

  “I have a deal for you.” Techno starts. The human brightens up at that. With his free hand, he digs his fingernails into his skin. He takes a deep breath before continuing. “You- You help Wilbur. Until he’s better, but the moment he's better you let him go.”

  The human opens his mouth again but Techno cuts him off, “But I’ll stay. You can still have me. I’m healthy- Obedient. I’m good. You keep me and let my brother go. That’s better than neither of us.” He dares to step closer, his legs shaking under the paired weight. “But, if you don’t help him- Don’t let him go, or search for him after. Then the deal is off. And I will find a way out.”

  He chokes, “And–And I won’t try to escape. As long as you stay true to the deal.”

  The human looks at him with an unreadable expression. “Mate-” He starts before stopping himself. “Okay, alright. It’s a deal then.” He doesn’t seem too happy about it.

  “You help Wilbur, you let him go then you keep me.” He restates. The human’s frown deepens again, but nods.

  “... Alright, mate. I help your brother, I let him go and-” He chokes on the last part. He must be really upset that he doesn’t get Wil as well. “And you stay.”

  Techno answers with a nod. “Deal?” He prompts, wavering on his feet.

  “Deal.”

  His shoulders loosen as he lets out a shaky breath, he wobbles over, Wilbur shivering in his grip. He carefully takes him down from his shoulder and lays him on the floor. The human shortens the distance between them.

  Phil goes over and gets more medical stuff, he heads back to the cage and his breath stutters, but he only reaches in and pulls out a nest of fabric. He brings it back over, moulding it.

  He reaches for Wilbur, Techno runs forward but he's too late.

  Too-large hands curl around him, lift him off of the ground and rest him onto the blankets. He turns back for more equipment. He catches techno mid-stride. 

  “He needs rest, mate,” he gestures to the ‘bed’. “And it's best he stay still, it might hurt him more. It might dislodge the splint- That's what will help it heal right.” He reaches for a container, Techno eyes it wearily. “This is just some painkillers mate. It’ll help him sleep and soothe the pain.”

  Wilbur withers letting out another pained noise.

  “Okay.” He says, the human nods but he knows that he would have done it without his approval. He turns away, wrapping his cloak tighter around himself. He inches closer to Wilbur. 

  He flinches at the sound of a knife in the distance. He murmurs a quick prayer that it isn’t related to them.

  “Sorry about that, mate.”

  He comes back with a white powder, he frowns again looking back at Wilbur. Techno’s nails dig in.

  “... Could you help me, mate?” He asks, facing him. He has two bottle caps in his hand. One is filled with liquid and the other has a bit of power in it. “He needs water and medicine–It might be better if you do it.” He places the bottle caps down and steps away, arms behind his back.

  Techno inches closer, he debates declining but that will only harm Wil. And him, later on.

  He hums in agreement, dragging the caps closer, some of the water sloshes out. He picks up the power one first, it's smaller than his pinky finger. He doesn’t know how something so small could help his brother that much.

  Their mother was usually in charge of those things.

  He grabs his jaw carefully, prying it open. He drops the ‘pain killer’ in his mouth, Wilbur’s nose crinkles up at the taste.

  “Best to swallow it with water.”

  He nods before picking up the water-filled cap. He tilts it down, most of the water doesn’t end up in Wilbur's mouth but it's enough in the end. Wilbur breathes loud and deep before turning onto his side.

  “Great job, mate.” The human grins from behind them. He’s leaning against the counter, hands spread out beside him.

  Techno shivers, turning back to his brother. He grips his hand in his. Wilbur’s smart, he'll be good on his own. It will be difficult moving house at first, but once he settles down he’ll be fine.

  That’s all that matters.

[leaf-stars]

If you are still taking AU prompt, I have another one

Phil techno and will are pirates, Phil is the captain, techno the co-captain and will the navigator. One day they found a little box. Inside it is little boy with hairs the same color as gold (tommy) and they decide to keep him as theirs treasure and to keep him safe. In the mean time two teens on Phil's ship befriend the tiny and became best friends

-moon (please stop me if you have too many asks)

this ask has been sitting here for 10 months and 26 days moon im so sorry. but!! its finally here.

i changed a few things-- i hope thats okay :]

(also moon, send as many asks as you like. you are not a burden, my motivation is just wonky <3 i love getting asks from you). thank you sooo much for this idea btw. im getting so much brainrot

warnings: dehumanisation , fear , fear of capture , minor character death , stabbing , blood , underage drinking ( can you tell its a pirate au yet) , i believe that is all ?

wordcount: 2866

gold is not perfect nor pristine [I]

Techno pulls the sword out of the captain, letting him fall to the floor with a low thump. 

He wipes some blood off of his face, they fought ruthlessly—but also frantic and fearful. Messy. Dream barely let him near the inside of the ship, once he saw the rest of his crew had fallen he ran there himself, but he wasn’t fast enough. Techno frowns, they were protecting something.

Something important.

Techno steps over the corpse, boots squelching on the pool of blood circling it. He signals to follow him below deck, his crew nod and follow. He walks down the steps, sword at the ready. There could be more of the crew hiding. He looks around, head swinging from left to right.

“Wil,” He grumbles out. “Check the left. Phil, you take the right.” 

They nod, going their respective ways. His focus draws to the door in front of him. It's embroidered with golden swirls that sparkle in the morning light. He turns the handle, it squeaks from years of use. He pushes forward and steps into the captain's quarters. Techno scoffs, the inside reflects the door perfectly. Unnecessarily flashy.

The same flaw that was Dream’s demise.

He sifts through the drawers and bookshelf. He finds nothing—nothing of value. He lets out a displeased sigh. His gaze travels around the room again, it catches on one of the velvet curtains. It’s hung differently than the others. He lumbers forward, his eyes narrowing as he does so. He reaches the curtain and tugs it aside.

Wall.

He glares at the wood, searching for any sign of impurity… Ah, there. He tugs at the loose board. It falls to the ground with a loud thud. Techno pulls at the others, they fall away one by one. Joining the first on the fur rug below.

Behind them lays the largest pile of gold he’s ever seen.

He walks in, mouth hanging agape. He kneels before the mountain of treasure. Gold, silver and gems almost glow in the light.

“Phil, Wilbur! In here.” He shouts, not taking his eyes off the gold. 

“Tech?” He can hear Phil ask, his voice is wary. On guard. He can hear the sound of metal on metal.

“I’m fine, Phil.” He reassures. “Look.”

“That's why…” He says breathlessly, reaching for an emerald. It’s almost the size of his hand. “Holy shit.”

“Techno? Dad?” Wilbur calls from far away. He jogs up to them with a confused look on his face. “What’s—”

His eyes widen and his jaw drops.

“You look like a fish, Wil.”

“Oh shut up. Look—Look at it.” He yells, gesturing to the pile. He breathes out, running his hand through his hair. “Fuck.”

“Yeah.”

Techno stands and walks closer, something glinting beyond in the shadows. He passes the gold and reaches out his hand, it touches something cold and solid. He drags it out to the light.

It’s only a tiny thing he realises, he turns the statue over in his hand. He can see his face in the reflection. It’s solid gold, the only part being its eyes which are replaced with sapphires. He squints, bringing it closer. It is incredibly detailed. 

Techno hums, it's strange how it was set apart from the rest of the treasure. It hardly seems that valuable. But Dream was always a strange one.

“How about we get this back to the ship, mate.”

Techno nods, setting the idol onto the pile. “Yeah, tell Tubbo and Ranboo to get lots of chests ready.”

***

Glasses clink together, froth spills out onto the deck.

“The fuckin' bastard is dead!”

Tubbo screams out again, flailing his arms in the air and losing even more of his drink. Ranboo watches amused, leaning against the pole taking occasional sips from his own drink. Jack passes them, handing off cups to those that don't have them. Niki chugs one down in front of him. Jack hurries back down to the kitchen for a refill with a shocked look on his face.

Philza smiles down at them, he’s leaning against the wheel. A crow sounds from above, he takes a quick look up to catch it flying overhead. It caws again before settling on the sail. Its beady eyes stare at him, head cocked to the side.

“Phil.”

He hums, “Yes, Techno?” He turns around to see him, unlike the rest of his crew he doesn't have any booze in his grip. He slips his hand into his and smiles.

“You aren't celebrating?”

Techno snorts, “No, at least one of us has to be sober.” He gently squeezes his hand.

Phil squawks, “I haven't had a drop.” He pulls his hand away before playfully hitting him on the shoulder. “And I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself—It may not seem like it at times but Lady Death is my ship. I’m the captain, Techno.”

“Yet. You haven't had a drop of rum yet.” He teases, completely ignoring his other point. “I know what you’re like when you're drunk, Phil.” He hums, rubbing his chin. “What happened last time? You confessed to a fisherwoman, said she was more beautiful than the sea itself—”

Philza walks away, ears burning. He will never let that go. He hurries down the steps, taking them two at a time. Techno trails off in laughs behind him.

He forces a smile onto his face when he reaches the main deck, his crew smile at him and raise their drinks in greeting. He waves before reaching for a cup himself. He doesn't intend to drink it, gods knows he’s had enough embarrassment for one night.

“Wil,” He greets, walking closer to the bottom of the mast. Wilbur looks up from his spot on the crate, lute in hand. “Hey, mate.”

“Hey, Dad.” He greets, running his fingers over the strings. “Any requests?”

He hums, tracing his finger over the lip of the cup. “Surprise me.”

Wilbur's eyes flicker down to his drink before a mischievous grin works his way up to his face, he brings his hand down hard on the lute. The chord echoes around the deck, and the rest of the crew turn to them with wild grins. Phil’s eyes trail back up to Techno, he has a small smile on his face. He smiles back.

“Ho! What will we do with a drunken sailor?” Wilbur starts, strumming a few more notes. His voice mixes in with the others.

“What will we do with a drunken sailor? What will we do with a drunken sailor? Early in the morning!”

“Hooray, and up she rises, hooray, and up she rises, hooray, and up she rises!” They sing together, raising their glasses high in the air. Phil joins them, his voices melding in with the rest. “Early in the morning!”

“So this deckhand grabbed a barrel, broke the seal and took a swig.” The voices die down, leaving Wilbur’s to stand alone. “And soon their screams turned into songs. Their panicked work turned into jigs.” He smiles and points up at Techno, “The first mate bellowed order ever trying to save their skins. Any drunken retch the captain catch, he'll beat all limb from limb! Ho!”

Techno rolls his eyes as the crew cheers, Phil joins in, whistling. Techno shakes his head, but he's still smiling, he props a stick up against the wheel and trudges down the steps. Phil beckons him closer but he turns the other way, turning into the deeper part of the ship. 

He doesn't dwell on it long before the crew starts up again.

“What shall we do with a drunken sailor? What shall we do with a drunken sailor? What shall we do with a drunken sailor? Early in the morn—”

Wil's voice cuts off, and the others soon follow. His own dies down as well, he looks around in confusion before his eyes settle on the figure in the doorway.

There he finds his first mate seething.

He stands partially in shadow, eyes narrowed staring at nothing. His hand on his sword and his mouth is pulled back into a scowl.

Phil hurries closers, “Techno, mate what's wrong?” He tentatively reaches out to touch his shoulder but Techno pulls away, he looks at him with wild eyes.

“The idol is gone.”

Oh.

“Oh, shit.”

How they managed to get onto the ship undetected– How they managed to survive the fight before is a miracle on its own, but for one of Dream’s crew to actually steal part of their treasure? A low growl escapes him, one of them is on his ship.

They tried to steal what's theirs right under their noses? Well, they have a whole new thing fucking coming.

He brandishes his sword, “Search the entire ship, we don’t rest until we catch them.”

He turns to Wil, his eyes are wide. He fumbles with the lute, placing it down on the crate and searches around for his dagger. Phil is about to turn away before he calls out.

“I heard something.” Wilbur raises a hand, “They’re below deck.” 

Phil strains his ears for the slightest sound. Water splashes over the side, and the crow from before cackles. And then a muffled sound from below deck. It’s barely audible but it’s there, the clink of metal. Gold, to be exact.

“I hear it too, mate.” He reassures, he puts his arm out to push Wilbur back when he makes a break for the companion. "Stay up here, Wil."

"Dad—"

"No, Wilbur. One of Dream's men is down there, one who managed to sneak without us knowing and stole without us knowing. I won't stand by and put you in danger like that."

Phil had never thought he would have to say anything remotely close to that about Dream's crew, but this one is different. He can feel it.

Wil drops his head and turns away, muttering a curse under his breath.

Philza pats him on the back before flipping open the latch and disappearing below deck.

  ***

  Tommy might have to redefine the worst day of his life.

Because this takes the fucking cake.

His chest heaves in and out violently. Enough so that it causes the golden coins around him to rattle. He sits on a pile of treasure- A mixture of Dream’s and the new captain. Scary mother fucker who is apparently his captain now, his new one.

The one who killed Dream. 

Tommy knows it, Dream would have never have let anyone get to Tommy if he wasn't dead. If that wasn’t enough to convince him he saw a corpse that looked too much like him to dismiss when he was taken off of the ship.

He could have fought, jumped out of the human's arms and down to Dream. All it would have taken is one, short, tiny phrase and he would be alive again.

But he didn’t—He didn’t want Dream back. Still doesn’t.

And now he’s stuck with these new pirates. He shivers, at least they don’t know, but the captain looked at him, had picked him up. 

His non-existent heart almost stopped in that moment.

He had thought he knew who—what he was. That doesn't seem the case though, considering that they chucked him in with treasure. Dream kept him separate from all the rest of the treasure, he always said he was special, important, different.

He was just chucked onto the pile like he wasn’t fucking worth any more than the rest of the bounty.

Tommy bites his lip, looking around. Not that he really cares but he- He shakes his head, trying to clear it of those thoughts. It’s good. This is a good thing, these pirates don’t know about his powers. They don’t know he’s alive. That means it’s easier to get away.

Easier to escape.

Tommy takes a deep breath before leaping off the pile. Coins slide down around him, a diamond falls to the floor and rolls. His entire body flinches at the noise. It’s too loud. Shit, shit, fuck, shit, bitch, shit.

No humans come rushing in, they continue to chatter outside. What about he doesn’t fucking know, probably getting a kick from massacring a whole crew and stealing their shit. He breathes a quick sigh of relief, thank the fucking gods. He takes a step closer to the wall when the deck makes a deep, low noise. He shivers. He practically sense the water outside.

He hates the water, the ocean specifically. Fucking fucker. It's hard enough to move as it is without a cold invisible force dragging him down and he’s screaming for them to stop but that just makes him sink faster and faster—

… He just doesn't like the water.

Tommy trails his hand along the wall, feeling the cuts and ridges. His hand falls through part of it, almost toppling him over. He lets out a quiet yelp. He looks down at the chip in the wood, it's dark on the other side. Thankfully the fucker that made the ship decided to put to layers otherwise they would be taking on water. He puts more pressure on the wood until it gives way, he leans forward through the space and squints, checking the terrain. 

He takes a breath, not that he really needs it, and steps forward. He really hopes these pirates have better pest control. Dream’s ship was practically crawling with rats and mice, it would have made it impossible for him to get around if he managed to get out of the treasure room in the first place.

His chest tightens, but he’s alright it's fine, he’s with dumb pirates now. He’s going to get away.

But they’re also the same pirates that managed to kill Dream.

Tommy fights the urge to slap himself in the face. But that will only draw more attention to himself. He slowly inches into the ship, it's dark as shit. He spots some of the loose wood on the floor, he leans forward and grabs it. It feels soft and mushy. Eugh, he grimaces. He takes the rotting wood and preps it up to the entrance again. It won't stop any of the crew but it may be able to hide where Tommy disappeared to. 

He steps away, blinking in the darkness. He almost goes to kick down the wood before his eyes adjust. The inside of the ship… looks like shit. 

To be fair, no one is really meant to see the inside but still. There're old cobwebs above and thick layers of dust litter the floor littering below. Tommy continues forward, kicking away the occasional dead bug. Gross shits.

Tommy walks for a bit, hand along the wall to not lose his way. He flinches at the shouts from the crew. The wood shakes, and an excitable tune fills the air. The voices rise and fall in harmony, the crew voices melting into each other. Tommy gulps, that's not good. Nothing good comes from excited pirates. He hurries a bit faster, if he can just get to the other storage deck or anywhere more bearable where can wait out until they dock.

He shudders as even more heavy footsteps echo above. Just a bit further.

The music stops. Tommy slows his steps. A deep rumbling voice cuts through the silence.

“The idol is gone.”

Oh fuck, oh fuck.

“Search the entire ship, we don’t rest until we catch them.”

Tommy breaks back out into a run, he trips over his own feet but he doesn't care. All that matters is that he gets away and hides in the deepest, darkest part of the ship. Footsteps seem to follow him above deck and he resists the urge to cry.

He can't even cry, which makes it so much worse.

Tommy turns his head to check behind him, He hits something very solid.

He groans, rubbing his head. When he looks up again he finds himself face to face with dark wood.

“I heard something.” Another voice says directly above him, the son. “They’re below deck.” Tommy throws his hands over his mouth trying to stifle a whine but it makes a small ‘clink’ anyway.

“I hear it too, mate.” The co-captain mutters, he unsheaths his sword oh gods. Tommy shakes his head, no, no, no. He was so close. So fucking close, and he went and fucked it all up. The wood shakes as the companionway opens, thuds echo down the footsteps.

‘They’ll find you. You can't hide. You’re fucked.’

More stomps sound around him. Ringing starts in his ears. He weaves his hands in and out, trying his best to soothe himself. They won't find him, they won't. He’s inside the ship for fucking godsake. He shivers, wrapping his arms closer around himself. He can only barely see the shine on his golden limbs. His mouth pulls back into a snar.l This is the fucking reason they’re hunting him—That and the stupid gems he has for eyes.

He sniffles into his arms, it provides little comfort. If he didn’t have that then everything would be fine. Tommy wouldn't have to worry about kings, empires, or pirates. 

He flinches at another bang through the wall.

They won't find him. They can't.

[leaf-stars]

Hello hello!! It's only been a week but what the hell, here's Potionbur! (name ideas plsplspls) It won #2 the form, and now that Curiosity is over (for now) I'm good with posting it! I'm pretty hype for this AU :D

I'll make edits along the way if I see grammatical errors while rereading, but for now, ignore them all! :) /lh

Counting Down The Seconds

_WC 2.8k

_TW: Panic, swearing, mention of death

—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—

As a maker of potions with magical properties, Wilbur is plenty used to experiencing mishaps during the creation process of them. It could include adding one too many berries, turning the oven to a temperature the recipe never called for, or even simply not setting his intention of the brew high enough. However, as many mistakes as he’s made, he’s still consistently careful when making sure the potion will not come in contact with his skin. In his fifteen years of making these mixtures, the accident has only happened once, and for that he is thankful. Thankful he’s alive and thankful he had the opportunity to fully understand just why there’s a reason it’s unsafe to have it touch you. If a potion does so, the desired effect will go to you, and, depending on what it is, it can get bad. 

He’s come a long way in his now-career, but back when he fucked up, there was rarely a potion that didn’t have major side effects. And that is what caused him to have one of the worst weeks of his life, and a terrible talk with his father when he figured out what Wilbur was doing. He came out of it with a new knowledge, therefore it was beneficial in some way. And it allowed his father, although disapproving of his choice of hobby, to ensure safety for young Wilbur. 

His father isn’t around anymore, but knowing that part of him was proud of Wilbur was enough to keep him going. Thankfully that motivation left him being the most popular person in town, where his front porch piles up with letters on the daily with requests of potions. He’s currently working on one for a common customer of his, and it’s a potion he’s never created before. He’s got to admit, it’s a bit nerve wracking to try and crack a new spell in such little time, but he promised Schlatt that it would be in his hands by the end of tomorrow. He seems to be doing fine, but he can’t really say until he’s got the finished potion. 

He mindlessly threw in a handful of açaí berries from the bowl he was using, scribbling the ingredient down on the recipe he was writing alongside the process. He ran down the list with his pencil, double checking to make sure it was all correct based on bare memory. It seemed to be fine. 

A pink liquid fell onto the paper, and he looked up at the beaker to see the potion bubbling over the edge, onto the table, and straight onto his arm that was resting in his lap. 

“Oh shit, shit, shit!” Wilbur yelled, pushing back in his desk chair to stand. He pushed his gloves off quickly, and in a panic used said gloves to wipe the mixture off of him before it took proper effect, but it didn’t seem to be helping much. Before he could even set the gloves down, his mind began spinning and he felt himself collapse to the ground, his head roughly hitting the stone ground of his work cabin. 

He pleads up to whoever’s up above that he won’t die a pathetic death like this, where he falls lamely to the ground, dies, and lays there until Schlatt gets impatient and goes to confront Wilbur, only to find that he is in fact not just putting it off, but is actually dead. 

The sound of breaking glass is the last thing he heard. 

———

When he felt himself awake, his head throbbed. He’s alive is his first thought. His memories were a bit blank at the start, but he eventually traced the pain back to hitting it while falling. He fell because..the potion. Shit. His eyes opened despite it hurting. He sat up, his limbs sore yet buzzing with something that couldn’t possibly be anything but a product of the potion. When he blinked a few times and cleared his eyesight, he realized that his surroundings were significantly larger than what he’s used to. He looked at his hands, which looked like a replica of before. So.. clearly he was the same as he was before, it was just his size that-

A potion of shrinkage. Fuck. 

Okay, well, he’s completely fucked. 

He stood up fully, eyes widening at the mess ahead of him. The breaking glass he had heard before blacking out was the table going down in size. The potion got onto it, and apparently it shrunk that too. That’s lovely. 

Dirt from under the cabin revealed itself after a few stones got hit by the potion. Many different things were many different sizes. 

He stepped carefully through the broken glass as he pushed down the shakiness in his hands and legs. There was no food in panicking when he should be looking for anything helpful to get him back to normal. Then he can put the incident behind him and learn to study his books more. 

“Oh thank fuck.” He said to himself quietly as he spotted the recipe he was writing. He bent down, searching the area for glass before grabbing the paper and properly kneeling down. He scanned over it, his heart slowly sinking as he recognized some of the ingredients to be one he’d recently ran out of. He laughed awkwardly, groaning loudly. He tossed the paper to the side and stood up, an unhappy mood finally settling in. He didn’t have the shit to make the reverse, and even if he did, who knows if it would actually reverse it, and not just.. fuck him up even more.

He ran a hand through his hair tiredly, the last of the potion effects slowly draining out of him. 

Even the lucky hope of the potion running out was cut short when he remembered Schlatt ordered a forever potion, so long as he comes back for a reverse. He really needs to stock shelves and chests full of potions in the events of this happening again. It’s not fun, because apparently, now he’s struggling to regulate his breathing and tests are pricking at his eyes. He doesn’t let them fall and he forces himself to breathe deeply while he keeps walking around in an attempt to drown those damn inconvenient side troubles. 

Okay, so, he’s nearly the size of a forefinger at best and he has no way of getting the things he needs to get back to normal. His only plan, to venture into the woods, is a shit one and it will lead to his death. Does he stay put and try to adapt while waiting for Schlatt or some other villager to come find him, does he seek help, or should he really try and put some effort into getting normal again?

He’s far too embarrassed to actually be found, so forest it is! Maybe he can find something to help him befriend a forest creature so he can be protected. That was his terrible attempt to soothe his nerves. 

Decision made, he needs to do whatever he can to make sure he won’t die within the first two minutes of his trip. He can find food from his home and he’s got the materials he needs for weapons or whatever the hell he needs. First thing first, he traveled back to the paper he needed, the recipe, and picked it up. Wilbur rolls it up tightly, keeping it in his hand until he has a place to put it. 

Right, somewhere to put the stuff he needs. A bag. 

He can’t sew, that’s definitely not his hobby, so the next best thing is to hope there’s some type of bag or satchel around that he can use. He’ll need more than one, clearly, but step one is finding at least one.

From his memory he can’t recall ever bringing a durable bag into the cabin, since he usually only delivers a couple potions at a time that can easily fit inside of his pockets. Wilbur realized he needed to go to his house for basically everything. He sighed, unsure of going out with basically nothing. 

He looked down at the pile of broken glass all over where his desk used to be. It wouldn’t hurt to take a piece, just in case. He crouched down, looking for a small enough piece. Eventually he managed to find something. It wasn’t the best to hold, but all the other pieces were dull or much too small to even think about using. He stored the shard in his pocket, carefully finding his way out of the evidence from his little mishap. 

He overestimated how quickly he can walk when the size of his finger, and he slowly started to realize why. He has no way to tell time, but he could hear invisible seconds passing by as he stepped across the stone, eyes kept down. His body kept shaking, and he felt the uneven breathing return, his throat clogging up along with it. He kept the panic down, his legs steady while he made his way across the cabin, eyes looking every which way around the place, merely taking the sheer size of everything in. 

He’s used to stepping on bugs; he’s never been the nicest of people, but now as he’s the size of the same bugs, he understands why people are nice enough to not do that. He’s also just really bored and wants to keep his mind off of the fact that there’s a major panic attack threatening to bubble over any minute. He’s lucky enough to be able to push it back, which isn’t the healthiest of things, but there’s a time and a place for everything, and now, in the middle of the floor, is not the time. 

If anywhere, he’d prefer to get to his home before taking in the situation. That way it’ll be over with by the time he actually gets to leaving for ingredients. 

Finally, finally, he’s reached the door. Door’s closed. 

Okay, the day is against him. 

Wilbur looked for cracks under the door, but the only one he saw was very, very thin. The chances of him getting under successfully were slim. He’ll take the risk, however. 

He bent down again, eventually going flat on the ground. The white of an envelope obscured his view of anything but it. He swallowed nervously at the new request, something he rarely did. Typically, on a normal day, he brings the letters in and reads them. He gets a few started at once and by the end of the week, they will hopefully be ready to deliver. But, now, on this very unusual day, he doesn’t like knowing that two people are now waiting for potions to be made, which is two people who will grow impatient and go looking for him. 

Not a big deal, but still a very bad thing for his business. He can’t get back to his business without getting back to a human size, which is why he then shifted onto his back and gripped onto the bottom of the door, slowly sliding himself uncomfortably under the crack. He laid in the middle for a moment, a panicky feeling going through his body when his stomach easily hit the door simply by inhaling. He continued the job and found a new, much cooler, temperature drift throughout the air. 

It was a step up from the air in his cabins, but with winter approaching much too soon, he knows he’s on limited time, even if a few days seems like a good while, it’s not. Especially not when he’s so fucking small. 

He pushed back his tears once more as he stepped onto the letter rather than moving it to the side, as he’s confident that will not work whatsoever. 

Across the white paper and back onto the brick porch, where he approached the steps that seemed much taller than they usually did. He sat down at the edge, catching his breath for just a few moments. Who knew that travelling across the entire length of his cabin, sliding under a door, and walking to his steps would be so much work for him. 

He took his last deep breath, exhaling in a sigh and counting down over and over in his head before he did eventually manage to push himself off the edge. He landed on his feet, stumbling only a bit. 

The next one went the same way, the next the same, and in a few minutes he was pushing himself off of the last step. He swallowed, his throat clogged still. He has to hold off a bit longer — his cabin is in eye distance, just across the small path he made, but it’s still one hell of a journey for him. 

He’s got bugs and birds and who knows what just waiting to pounce on him. He started walking, also considering running. The idea, much like a few others, was turned down. He would run out of air much too quickly, and if he really wants to let out whatever emotions he was keeping in, he doesn’t want that to happen. 

Speaking of, uneven breathing continued. 

He knows how unhealthy it is. It isn’t the best thing to keep down his panic and jump straight into action after a major change like he went through occurs, but forgive him for trying to get this stupid situation over with. He’s a strong person, and, to be fair, he does plan on sometimes giving up the attempt of being so ‘strong.’ 

——

He finally managed to find his way onto his cabin’s porch and under the crack in that door as well. Wilbur got up, looking around the sized-up version of his home cabin. He had the hope from earlier come back to him as he spotted a bag draped over the couch. How he’s going to get it all the way back to the other cabin is a question that still remains without an answer, but it’s a start. 

To the couch. 

After he takes a break. 

He’s fucking out of breath again because he clearly spends too much time cooped up in a humid office-cabin brewing potions, exercise being at the back of his mind at all moments of the day. He refuses to make that the source, however, and just blames it on his size. Climbing up the few steps was the worst thing he’s ever experienced and he hopes he never will have to do such a terrible fucking thing again. 

He caught his breath after a good few minutes passed. He 

went through things in his head while brewing a plan, and his mood has lightened quite a bit from when he first came to on the floor. 

The air in his home wasn’t too bad. It was a lot more refreshing than his office, but a bit warmer than the autumn air outside. The actual house itself was, what one would say, cozy. Warm lighting and dull colors with various candles due to the concerning amount of storms the area he lives in gets. It’s a miracle the village down below is still intact. Part of the reason is because of him, Wilbur will be completely honest there. 

The very edge of the couch is what he got to, and the strap of the bag was hanging low enough that he could grab on easily, and pulling it would be even easier. He got a good grip on it, two hands on either side, and he began walking backwards carefully, using his arm strength to pull. The bag did move very slowly, and he managed to get it to crash down onto the ground with a very gentle thud. He grinned, brushing his hands off a few times after the strap texture didn’t make them feel all that well. He stepped onto the strap, then over the strap, then to the open part of the bag. 

There wasn’t too much in said bag from when he had cleaned it out for the first time in, what felt like to him, years. Truth be told it probably had been years. Turns out that that cleaning wasn’t the best idea. 

Oh well, who was he to know that his entire life would be flipped just by some lousy berries. 

He stepped back out of the dark void the bag created, and just kept his tears and panic down for longer. The time and the place hasn’t arrived yet, but he’s sure it will if he isn’t able to find food in the next few minutes. From the potion or from his lack of eating breakfast, he was nearly starving. 

Wilbur didn’t like how this all played out one bit, but he still could manage if he got rid of all his energy today, then properly slept a good night’s sleep before taking off to the forest. That way he’d be able to just start fresh without a raging feeling of emotion being pressed back with a positive attitude, and a much clearer understanding of how he’s actually meant to do things given his new, hopefully temporary, form. 

—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—–—

[leaf-stars]

Pls the beeduo meetup but Ranboo’s a giant :”]

answering this exactly 11 months after, ahahaha :,)

here you go cory. sorry that this took so long, but its here now. and dare i say its fluffy!

warnings: swearing ( omg thats all im so proud of myself)

wordcount: 2012

meet me in the middle of the road

Ranboo breathes a small sigh of relief as he stumbles out of the terminal.

 One taxi, two planes that were delayed four times, but he’s done it. He finally made it. Everything is almost perfect.

Almost.

 He glanced down at his phone, he drags his finger down the screen. Refreshing it. Still on read.

 He bites the inside of his cheek, and slowly types out another message. It buzzes with a response.

 [12:07] boo: where are you- you got the terminal right? it’s gate five.

 [12:08] bee: Yes i knwo im at gate five too

 Ranboo frowns and looks up, searching the crowd for any sign of his friend. He squints, finding nothing. His breath catches, but the boy turns. He isn't Tubbo. 

 He turns back to his phone.

 [12:08] boo: i can’t see you.

 [12:09] bee: Look harder then cause i am there

 He types for a few moments, dots dancing at the bottom of his screen. They pause before continuing again.

 [12:08] bee:  Hold on im vcing you

 ‘Bee is calling’ Takes over his screen, he presses accept and lifts the phone to his ear. “Hello?”

 “You are seriously blind.” Tubbo teases, his voice light. “How can you not see me? I’m wearing neon yellow.”

 “I don’t know-” Ranboo sighs, “Are you sure that you are at the right terminal? There is no one wearing yellow here.” His eyes flicker around, just to make sure. All he sees are a mixture of greys and browns.

 “Yes, I’m looking right at the sign.” 

 “Well, I’m looking right at it too. And I don't see you anywhere.” He gulps looking up at the plaque near the ceiling. In big, bold letters it spells out ‘G-GATE FIVE’.

 Good.

 “Alright, you know what. Lemme just-” Tubbo’s voice cuts out, but he catches him screaming ‘Ran’ before it corrupts.

 “Did you hear that?” He asks again, voice coming back. 

 Ranboo shrugs, “No- Only through my phone.”

 A sigh from the other side. “Okay, okay, this isn't working. Meet me at- at the front office thing. Front desk.”

 He nods to himself, “Got it. See you there.” The call ends and he slips the phone back into his pocket. He looks up and makes his way down the tunnel. Chances have it that he’ll knock into Tubbo on the way there. Seriously, how did he not see him? He’s tall, even for a giant. His head sticks up over everyone in a crowded room. He should stand out like a sore thumb.

 He sighs, Tubbo is probably pranking him. He warned him before he left the airport that he has lots of ‘surprises’ planned. Surprises that probably consist of homemade bombs and whatever other abominations Tubbo made in his spare time.

 Ranboo walks, the sound of his suitcases rolling behind him. He leans out of the way of people who shove past. A few have panicked looks on their faces, they must be running late for their flights. He flicks his gaze back overhead and catches a sign. It says to go left for reception.

 He turns, pulling his luggage closer to himself. He gets there and goes over to a waiting area? There's a potted plant and a bright orange couch. A bowl of mints on the coffee table. Sure looks like a lounge.

 He opts for leaning against the wall, twiddling his thumbs. People pass him and he keeps his eyes low. He hopes Tubbo shows up soon.

 After a few minutes, he almost pulls out his phone right then and there and calls him. This is getting ridiculous now.

 ‘Crap,’ He thinks, realisation dawning on him. ‘Is Tubbo even at the right airport right now? Are there even multiple airports in Brighton?’ He scrolls up through his messages, he did tell him which airport he would be landing at. Tubbo responded with a thumbs up.

 They should be at the same place.

 More minutes pass.

 He waits there by the wall rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. He fiddles with his sleeve, he bites his lip. Tubbo still isn't here. He hesitantly peels away from the walk and walks up to the receptionist. She glances up from her computer to stare at him in the eyes.

 “Uh, hello.” He says, pulling at his mask. “I wanted to ask if, if you had seen another person come through here?”

 She blinks. “Oh, yes… We did have someone.” She looks him up and down, he offers a weak smile. “He’s on the other side.” She points over her shoulder with her pen.

 He frowns, confused. Why would Tubbo be on the other side? That… Isn’t a place where giants are typically allowed. Ranboo thanks her and goes to check anyway. His hopes die back down, it's probably not him. 

 But has nothing to lose by checking.

 He passes through the doorway and squints, he can’t see any other giants on this side. He shifts, he stands out so much above all the tiny furniture and tiny humans. He can’t see Tubbo anywhere-

 “Sir, this is a human-only area- I have to ask you to leave.”

 Ranboo looks down, there is a human at his feet. He’s standing behind an almost identical desk to the one on the other side. Just smaller.

 “Oh, uh. I’m really sorry about- I’ll go.” He winces, “Sorry, again-”

 “Ranboo?”

 That's Tubbo’s voice.

 His gaze flicker down again.

 There, he finds, a human that reflects all the features he’s seen on call and in his videos. Fluffy brown hair that falls over his eyes. It partially covers a burn on his left side, caused by metal burns. Tubbo laughs about it now ‘I wasn’t even wearing a hood’ but it was almost enough to put him off metal working forever.

 But that can't be right, because Tubbo is a giant. Like him. Not human.

 “Ranboo,” The human repeats and that's his voice. There is no mistaking it, “Boo, is that you?”

 “Yeah,” He breathes out. “Yes, it’s me, what- I. You’re- You’re so tiny.” He stumbles over his words, he kneels down so he can see him better. To see if it’s real.

 “And you’re fucking huge.”

 A laugh escapes him. “Yeah, yeah I am. I told you I was tall.”

 “Not this much. I thought you said you were 6’7.” Tubbo gasps before hiding his head in his hands, “The call- it fucking glitched out right as you said it.”

 A mischievous grin spread across his face, “I’m 67 feet tall.”

 “Of course you are.” They laugh again. Tubbo wheezes, bending over clutching his middle

 “Holy shit- I thought you were human.”

 “Same for me.” He chuckles, “I thought you were a giant.”

 “I guess we were both wrong then.”

 Tubbo beams up at him before it falls. He steps closer, almost debating whether he should or not. “Ranboo I-”

 A low sigh sounds out, it isn't from either of them. “Listen, kids. Either he has to go or both of you do.” He points up at Ranboo before quickly looking away. “I don’t make the rules, that's just how things are.”

 Tubbo frowns, a look of determination flashing across his face. “Fine,” He says and then he runs at Ranboo, fully sprinting and- and jumps.

 He lets out a panicked noise, hands extending out to catch him.

 “You- Tubbo.” He breathes out, exasperated. “What were you thinking?” He turns the human over in his hands, looking for any sign of injury.

 Tubbo doesn't answer, he just grins up at him. “Pff, I knew you would catch me.” He tries to wave his worries away with a hand.

 “But what if I dropped you or-”

 “Boo, chill. I’m fine. You caught me.” He yawns, stretching his arms out behind him, “We should get going. I’m exhausted waiting around for you all day.”

 “I- It wasn't my fault my flight got delayed so many times.” He says, standing up. He tips his friend into one hand so he can grab his baggage with the other, he cups it so he is free to move. But not enough so that he could fall off accidentally.

 That’s what you were meant to do with humans right? Sweat drips down his face, he wasn’t prepared for this.

 He knew he should have done more reading- More than just prescribed school textbooks. It was a very real possibility that one of his friends could be human and he just brushed it off.

 … Could Tommy be a human, or maybe Dream? 

 ‘No,’ He thinks, “They’re too quick. Humans can’t move like that. They have to be giants, for sure.’ He lets out a guilty sigh, thank the gods. He’s already had enough surprises for today.

 “Nah, pretty sure it is. You pissed off a spirit or something?”

 “... Not that I know of.”

 Tubbo hums, “You definitely did otherwise this,” He gestures to well, everything. “Wouldn’t have happened. ‘It’s the reason I dropped my burrito before too. Fuck you, man.” He yells jokingly.

 He snorts, “Oh I am so sorry. Your poor breakfast burrito got wasted. My sincerest apologies.”

 Tubbo digs his foot into his palm, it doesn’t hurt. “Fuck off, man.” He giggles out behind his hands.

 Ranboo smiles, and continues walking. He can feel the weight of eyes on him but he tries not to care.

 “You know…” Tubbo says after some time, breaking him out of his thoughts. They’re almost near the exit. “It could have been worse, I could of been a borrower. Then would have been a sprinkle compared to you, dude.”

 “You- A what?”

 “You know, borrowers. Tiny people.” He measures the space with his thumb and index finger. “This big. Live in the walls? Steals all your shit?”

 ‘That sounds like something you would do.’

 “You are so messing with me, right now,” He huffs, blowing his hair out of his face. People smaller than humans? That-That isn't possible. there's no way they’re real.

 Tubbo laughs, “I’m not! I'm not! I swear. You have to believe me.”

 Ranboo hums, clicking his tongue, “Hmm. No. I don't think I will.”

 He hits his hand, “Come on, don’t you trust me?”

 His gaze flickers down to the bag beside Tubbo. “No.”

 “Come on,” Tubbo leans back sprawling across his hand. “You have to.” He extends the words out. “I’m your best friend, you can trust me.” He smiled up 'innocently' at him with all his teeth.

 “I think I'll pass.”

 Tubbo punches his finger, he glares but there's no real heat behind it. “Fuck you."

 He tilts his head back and lets out a long yawn. "Can your abnormally long legs move any faster? I'm tired."

 Ranboo scoffs, lifting him higher to his chest. “You're lucky I'm a giant, you would have had to walk all the way by yourself.” He shoots a grin downward. "And no."

 “Nah, I was going to make you carry me even before.” He sticks his tongue at him, Ranboo pokes him with a finger. Tubbo yelps half-heartedly and bats it away.

 They bicker back and forth until the front doors come into view. Ranboo turns to the side and shoves the door open with his shoulder. His hand tightens around Tubbo. Holding him steady. Cars pull in and out, driving away and spraying water onto the sidewalk.

 Oh, it's started to rain.

  Ranboo blinks away a few drops that got into his eyes. He abandons his bag and lifts his hand to shield Tubbo from the rain.

 "Should I call us a taxi?" He asks as more rain pelts down. He shivers, the water feeling cool on his skin.

 "No it's fine I-' He cuts himself off. Hand raised to his face.

 "Tubbo?" He asks, bringing him closer to his face. "What's wrong?"

 "You can't fit in my car." He says, still solemn.

 "Yes? I know that." He answers, puzzled. "It's fine- I can catch a cab." Tubbo shakes his head, he looks up at him with wide eyes.

 "Ranboo, you can't fit in my house."

[leaf-stars]

i think non-writers underestimate how much we appreciate comments, or opportunities to gush over our stories. without a doubt, im on ao3 or tumblr re-reading comments. it's literally my main motivation and i know i wouldn't have been able to pursue the stories i've written without them.

so to those who do that, thank you :)

[leaf-stars]

here you go @shushiyuii​ your sort of commission is done :] i hope you like it! and that it matches what you were hoping for!!

as for everyone else, i hope you enjoy!

first there the art

and now onto the writing!

warnings: angst , swearing , fear , fear of death , minor character death mention , gore mention , minor injuries , child abuse , intentional dehumanisation , treating a sentient being as … not sentient ,

wordcount: 2788

mere monstrosity

Keep reading

[leaf-stars]

Okay, I love all of your stories and would be super happy and excited with anything that's updated, but after how that chapter of Secret Shifter ended I've gotta vote for that one to update again next (re: the post asking after the last story update). Too many emotions are being had and learning about either the next steps in Wilbur and Tommy's friendship or a fluffy future read are constantly on my mind haha. Hope you have a great day!

Ask and ye shall receive!

The Reveal (part 2)

word count:

TW: Foul language, hurt/comfort, depression mention (Wilbur is a little sad for a bit), fear, death mention (none happens)

It had been almost a week since the plant box incident, And Wilbur had yet to see Tommy around the house. He knew the borrower had not left, however. Late at night when he was supposed to be asleep or when he gets home from work he can hear the borrower scuttling to hide in the walls or smell where he had been digging for food amongst the countertops. He was glad that Tommy had stayed and that he was still getting food, but he worried for the boy's physical and mental health since he no longer had the option to help him or keep an eye on him.

Any food that Wilbur left out on purpose always remained untouched, and any attempts to speak to the borrower were left in silence. Every day when Wilbur got home from work he would make sure to announce his entrance and what he was doing that way Tommy could either come looking for him or avoid him if he chose to. It was the latter every single time and Wilbur was left in near silence with the exception of scurrying within the walls.

And today was just like any other of those days, but this time the weather had taken a turn for worse and a thunderstorm raged outside. Work had been canceled because of high wind speeds so Wilbur remained home for the day. And seeing as it was Friday, that meant he had the whole weekend to stay at home and try to coax Tommy out from the walls. He wouldn't dare force him, but at least he had some time to work with him.

A clap of lighting shortly followed by a thunderous boom snagged Wilbur's attention and he bristled, taking a deep inhale through his nose to calm himself. While the storm didn't scare him, it definitely wasn't his favorite thing in the world. It made his instincts prickle and had he been in his animal form, his fur would have been standing on end. For now, though he just grumbled unhappily and tried his best to focus on the book he was reading. The words on the pages were not what he was trying to focus on entirely per se, and instead, he was using his ears to try ad see if he could locate Tommy anywhere. He would feel horrible if the kid decided to leave when it was pouring outside.

A couple minutes later, he heard what he was searching for and had to resist the urge to snap his head in the direction of the small scratching sound. Just behind the trashcan in the kitchen behind him, he could hear the scraping of one of many tunnel entrances being pushed open. If Wilbur remembered correctly, that was the one Tommy had explained he used an old bit of wood from the closet that matched the wall runners that way the hole was nearly invisible when it was shut.

There were a few small footsteps as Tommy emerged and Wilbur did his best to keep his eyes on the book in front of him. The little borrower knew that he was in the living room, facing away from the kitchen which is why he had chosen that tunnel specifically. It was the farthest from his line of sight and one of the hardest ones to reach quickly for someone of a human's size. It broke Wilbur's heart knowing that he was the one Tommy was preparing to run from.

It was odd though, normally Tommy would wait until he was either in bed or at work to borrow rather than out in broad daylight like this. All Wilbur had to do was turn his head to look behind him and Tommy would be spotted and the borrower was far too smart to not know that. That could only mean one of two things. Either Tommy was starting to trust Wilbur enough to come out of hiding, or he needed help with something.

"Hey, bitch." A small, hesitant voice called out.

As slow as he could without it being creepy, Wilbur tilted his head to the side and glanced over his shoulder without moving the rest of his body, wanting to make sure Tommy knew he wasn't going to get up and come after him. "Well hey there." He greeted him with a soft smile. Raising one hand to give a small wave to the gremlin child. "Everything alright?" He asked, eyes already scanning the tiny body for any injuries. He hadn't been able to get a good look at him the last time they had spoken after the balcony incident, so he wasn't sure if Tommy had gotten hurt at all.

"Y-yeah, all good bossman." Tommy replied akwardly, rubbing at one of his arms and shifting his weight from one foot to the other, His eyes remained down, not daring to look at Wilbur. "I just.....i need....help." He muttered, glancing up for a moment to guage Wilbur's reaction.

The mans heart melted and his gaze softened further, smile appearing more lax than before. "Yeah i can help, what's up?" He offered, turning his torsoa bit and resting his arm on the back of the couch so Tommy could see he was paying attention, and could see that he had no intention of standing up yet.

Tommy seemed conflicted, biting at his lip and picking at his already short nails as he seemed to think about what he wanted to say. Instead of giving much of an explanation, he nodded towards the sink and muttered "Water.", very softly.

Wilbur hummed, sitting up a bit more. Before the balcony incident, Tommy would have 'Soot' paw at the tap until the water turned on and Tommy would fill up a few homemade bottles to take home with him. He had mentioned on one of his one-sided conversations with a cat that before Soot, he had used an old leaky pipe and just filtered and boiled the water from that for a while.

"Do you want me to turn on the tap for you? Or do you want me to just set a bowl down on the floor?" He didn't like the bowl option, since the few times he had set out a bowl for his cat form the water never stayed clean very long. But if that made it more comfortable for Tomy he would be willing to do it at least once.

"The tap is fine, I just can't reach it by myself and the pipe I used to use doesn't leak anymore." He explained, seemingly anxious. He kept flickering his gaze upwards, checking to see if Wilbur was standing up or making a move to grab him. "But um....Can you do it, y'know, as a cat?" He asked finally, looking worried about Wilbur's reaction to the question. "I want to trust you, I really do but you are fucking terrifying right now." He stammered out, even taking a step back to prove his point.

Wilbur's smile fell to a saddened frown but he nodded regardless, completely understanding how the borrower felt. Tommy had made it very clear in the months before that humans were seen as monsters from the day they were born. And for a while, it had been the same with Wilbur. He was raised to make sure humans never found out about his animal shifting abilities because of how people could hurt him.

So he understood.

"Of course." He stated, bringing his smile back by letting his thoughts linger on the fact that Tommy said that he wanted to trust him. That they still had a chance to be friends after everything. "I'm good when you are, Toms."

Across the room, he could hear Tommy inhale before letting out a shakey breathe and watched as he gave a small nod and a quick thumbs up. At that, Wilbur turned back to face forward and the couch, and leaned forward. He let himself lean forwards as if getting ready to stand up, but he let the motion carry him downwards and to the floor as he shifted from his current form and into that of the familiar brown feline. His paws landed gracefully on the rug below and he shook himself from head to toe. It had been a few days since he had shifted since he wasn't sure how Tommy would react, so it felt nice to be in his more normal form. Behind him, out of sight, he heard Tommy gasp a bit and he was quick to walk around the sofa so he was in the borrower's line of sight again.

After Tommy calmed down again, Wilbur started to slowly make his way to the kitchen, opting to stay on the floor for the first bit so he wasn't jumping across the furniture and possibly startling his small friend. Once he was over to the counter where Tommy and the sink were located, he let out a soft sound similar to a chirp or a purr to let Tommy know he was coming up. He looked up to see the mop of untamed blonde hair vanish as the borrower backed away from the edge to give him room to land. (Or to get away from him)

With practiced ease, Wilbur gathered his hind legs under him and launched upwards to the counter, landing perfectly on the stone countertop just beside the sink and a good foot away from Tommy.

Wilbur felt his heart break when Tommy stumbled backward and fell onto his butt trying to back away. His ears folded back and he let out a soft meow as an apology for startling the boy. Thankfully Tommy was quick to calm down and nod, letting him know he was forgiven.

"Sorry, I just...forgot how big you were even as a cat." He could tell Tommy felt off knowing that he was talking to a 'human' and not just a random cat like he was used to. "I'm fine. Let's just get this over with before I have an aneurysm." He joked, forcing a chuckle to try and lighten the tense mood.

To make it a bit easier, Wilbur nodded and walked further across the counter, stepping down and sitting in the sink itself so he was a bit more level with Tommy. Once there, it was easier to reach the faucet itself. Thankfully it was once that swiveled around so he used his head to gently bump it over closer to the back of the counter that way Tommy wouldn't have to climb in the sink to reach the stream of water.

"Oh, thank you," Tommy stated, surprised. He was then reminded of all the other smart things Soot had seemingly done. It made more sense now looking back at all the things Soot had done that most other cats would never be able to pull off unless trained to. Before he could dwell too long on the signs he had missed, Tommy opened his bag and started pulling out his water canisters. As he did so, Wilbur used his paw to gently pull on the cold water knob and let just a small stream trickle out and into the basin below. Thankfully it was a two-sided sink so none of the water got in his side of the sink, keeping his fur dry.

He watched as Tommy carefully filled up each container to the brim with the cold, clean water before sealing them and placing them back into his bag. It only took a minute or two for the task to be finished, be he waited a bit longer, giving Tommy time to quickly chug down a good amount and fill it again before shutting off the faucet. He let out a small sound, worried that Tommy had waited a day or two after running out before coming for help.

"I'm fine," Tommy stated firmly, putting away the last container and sliding the bag onto his back. Being able to guess what he was thinking, Tommy was quick to reassure Wilbur that he had run out that morning and not any earlier than that.

The moment was followed by another short time of awkward shuffling before Tommy spoke up again. "Cani...can I get all lift back down to the floor?" He asked. Normally he would just climb on without asking and wait until 'Soot' moved on his own but now that he knew the cat could understand him (because he wasn't just a cat) Tommy wanted to get permission.

A soft mewl followed by a head bob was his answer before Wilbur was pulling himself out of the sink and back onto the counter just a few inches away from Tommy. There, he laid down with his head resting on his paws while he waited for the borrower to climb on.

Wilbur's ear twitched and he could see Tommy tense out of the corner of his eye and for a short moment, he feared the borrower would change his mind and try climbing down like he used to many months ago. But a deep breath left the child, and a tiny hand soon after grappled into his long brown fur before another hand was added and Tommy was hoisting himself up onto the felines back.

The shifter waited a few seconds afterward to give Tommy time to adjust and get a proper hold onto the fluff by his shoulders before he finally stood up to his full height. Even as a cat, he was fairly large compared to Tommy. If he had to come up with a comparison it would be like a human child riding on an elephant.

"Alright, I'm good. Let's just get this over with before I overthink and freak out." Tommy commented, hands digging deeper into the fur and he braced for Soo-.....for Wilbur to jump down. Nodding slightly, the cat turned to face the edge of the counter before tipping forward and letting his front legs drop from under him. In one swift, fluid motion, the cat and borrower both reached the floor in practiced ease.

He paused for a moment before turning and walking over towards the nearest tunnel entrance. He felt Tommy tense again when he realized he wasn't being let down just yet, but relaxed once they arrived by the side of the cabinet where the snacks were kept. Just t the side behind the trash can was a small hole in the wall where the wall runner was just a tad too short to reach the corner, giving Tommy a perfect little doorway. It was then that Wilbur finally laid down once more and let the borrower slide down the fur on his side and to the floor.

"Thanks, Soot," Tommy stated before pausing. "I mean, Wilbur. Sorry. That uh... that's gonna take some getting used to." He mumbled mostly to himself and Wilbur let out an amused huff that ruffled the boy's hair.

Standing up slowly so as to not startle his little friend again, Wilbur turned around and padded a good distance away back to the other side of the kitchen. Once there, he turned back around to face Tommy and let himself shift back to his humanoid form again. One hand gripped the counter while he regained his sense of balance before turning to look t Tommy with a small smile.

To his surprise, the kid hadn't bolted immediately and was staring at him instead. He looked tense but far less fearful than last time.

"If you need anything else, don't be shy alright?" He offered, tilting his head to the side as he watched Tommy nod. "I know things aren't going to go back to the way that they were, but I do still care about you, Tommy. Human, or cat, I would never hurt you or trap you, or nythign of the sort. We're friends and I want to make sure you're ok." He reassured, watching Tommy nod again at his words.

"Y-yeah." The borrower stammered. "That doesn't mean you're not a massive bitch for lying to me though," Tommy argued, letting himself smile back a bit. Wilbur chuckled.

"Yeah, that's fair. That's fair." The shifter humbly agreed, glad that Tommy was talking with him at all even though it was insults. Tommy even chuckled a bit and Wilbur felt his heart swell knowing that he was starting to go back to his normal, rambunctious self. "But again, if you need anything at all please come let me know and ill help you however I can. This time I have opposable thumbs so I can actually open stuff like the fridge for you." He joked, drawing another laugh from Tommy.

"I'm going to steal so much of your cold shit. I've wanted to try ice cream forever." Tommy replied. "But I've got other stuff to do for now, so I'll be going." He stated, seeming a bit anxious. Wilbur didn't mind though, they had made good progress and now he knew that their friendship was salvagable. "See you later, Will." He stated before turning and disappearing back into the walls.

"See you later, gremlin," Wilbur replied, letting his gaze linger on the hole in the wall a moment longer before pushing off the counter and walking back to the living room. Taking his original seat, Wilbur opened his discarded book and flipped back through the pages now that he could actually focus on reading rather than waiting for his little friend.

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i’m tired of pretending that this song isn’t a work of art.

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this isn’t my usual content but i could not rest until i drew this

this is kinda a “secret world of arriety” type au (if you’ve ever read “the borrower” or “the littles” book series, think of those) but with stranger things!

idk how much i’ll do with the idea cause stranger things isn’t my main hyperfixation, but i’m in love with this idea

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i am so so excited for this. i love this au sm. i have many thoughts about it

enjoy!! :D

(its real this time ;v;)

warnings : mentioned vore (doesn’t actually happen but it’s talked  about ) , mentioned fatal vore (again. doesn’t happen, it’s just  talked about / refrenced to) , fear , unintentional fear play , but also intentional ? as a joke , panic attacks , fear of  dying , fear of being eaten , angst , miscommunication , minor injuries

wordcount: 2202

the game of cat and mouse [I]

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REBLOG IF ITS OKAY TO TALK TO YOU.

Please.